Vegan Cosmetics I'm loving at the moment.E Body Cleansing Mitt , Fushi Rosehip oil , Fushi Hydrating Lip Balm Reviews

Ahhhhhhhhhhh. I've been using these products since I went to Florida over 2 months ago, and I thought it was time having posted about them in the past to write a really honest review as I've been using them 2-3 times daily. I love these 3 products so much I ended up buying them for my Mom and Sister for Christmas this year.

I love this little genius product. The E-Body Cleansing Mitt is such a clever design that works well at removing all make up, and dead skin cells delicately. It completely cleanses the skin within minutes.

It's designed to work so that you only need water to use it, which for me , is a huge positive as I am not that much of a fan of a: using lots of things on my skin b: purchasing lots of different things to do one job and c: traveling with lots of cosmetics etc.

You just put the mitt on your hand, wet it, and move it around in circles gently on your face to remove your make up. It feels like really soft suede ( but isn't made of animal material ) which has been edged in a soft silk, it feels super luxurious.

After a few rounds of my face I like to rinse it well under the tap and then give my face a gentle yet good buff with the E body cloth as working in a comsetology environment I know how important it is to look after your skin, and one of the main things is to take away the dead skin cells to lighten and brighten your skin.

The E Body Cleansing Mitt is £9.50 which I think is good considering it works so well and when you compare it to a bottle of cleanser from a natural company it's far cheaper!

My favourite skincare and lifestyle brand at the moment is Fushi  an Organic lifestyle brand which do tons of really interesting skincare products such as Carrot oil and Cherry Seed oil.  I first noticed Fushi  in my local Tesco.  (Oh my goodness then I started to read, and hear hype about it,  I've heard hype about products in the past and always wondered if products live upto the hype... do you know what I mean?)

Well, I'm adding to the hype over the Fushi Rosehip oil.... I love it. I have really dry skin, and it has made my skin lovely and smooth this winter. I believe it's good if you have combination, dry, oily or normal skin though. although it leaves your skin oily after applying it at night, when you cleanse your face the oil is removed in the morning anyway. I like going to work with my face slightly oily anyway, so I add some before I leave the house anyway since it's so cold outside lately and my skin chaps so fast.

I know I will keep repurchasing this over and over and over. You can get it from Tesco, Waitrose, and loads of places online.  It's normally £13.50 but on Fushi I've just spotted it has 10% off at the moment too.

Finally, I was Christmas shopping last month and decided to buy some lip balms for friends and family, as I am a lipbalm addict, and I feel it's a good addiction to have, so I thought I'd spread the lipbalm love.

Well, I originall bought this for my friend Samantha, but when I got home I couldn't resist opening it , telling myself I would go back and buy another for the gift basket I was making. I'm so glad I did open it, it's a great buy! The Fushi Hydrating Lipbalm does what it says on the tin - (the lipbalm has a slight mint scent to it, which makes your lips tingle as it hydrates ) I use it at night with the Rosehip Oil to give my skin a good hydrate as I mentioned it's super dry.

I don't tend to use it in the day however as I'm not that much of a fan of putting my finger in the pot while out and about, especially at work when I'm touching contaminated things since I work in a NHS setting, and since we deal with some skin problems I don't know what's about.  (I do wish they did it in a stick formation as I would take it to work with me)

It cost me £5.50 from my local supermarket which is alittle more than a regular good vegan lipbalm but I think it's worth it in winter to shop your lips chapping, and splitting like mine used to.

Shropshire , Wrekin Organic Wholefoods - health shop specialising in organic fruit, vegetables, juicing , vegan, raw food . Veg box delivery within Telford, Wellington .

If you live in Shropshire there's a shop that I discovered thanks to my friend Erica called Wrekin Organic Wholefoods- which is located in Wellington. (Behind the old music shop that has sadly closed down . ) - just off Tan Bank. 

The shop is a humble little thing, run by two of the loviest people you could meet that are inspiringly passionate about food, health, having a happy clean lifestyle through the nutrients  you fuel your body with. 

Calm & Roy the shop owners deal directly with all suppliers ( they were explaining to me and the boys ,)  they were also explaining they , like me, feel totally frustrated that eating clean and healthy costs so much . We agree!!!! 

Feeding a family of four isn't cheap when you want an organic Wholefoods diet . 

Their answer was to set up Wrekin Organic Wholefoods, to try and help people have local access to Organicly produced , meat , vegetables , cheese, raw milks, organic free range eggs, everything organic, lots of vegan foods, vegetarian foods , but also specialising in allergy diets for people who suffer from food allergies . 

They stock all my favourite brands, Orgran, Meridan, Biona, Nutiva, Nakd, Trek, and many others . They aldo stock lots of local brands too, which is brilliant for food miles.

 Wrekin organic Wholefoods also do a veg box scheme where you basically tell them what you want in it before Wednesday evening, and then the Thursday they go to a local Organic farm and collect it for you then deliver if you're local enough ! 

As soon as our organic veg runs out we will be stopping our supermarket shops and focusing on getting it directly from them and the farmers as I don't trust super markets ( Wholefoods Market is slightly different ) but I'd rather support local people anyway . Especially since Roy and Calm are so unbelievably passionate and excited about what they are doing . 

Pauly and I said yesterday that sometimes we feel like we are going crazy with all the propaganda in the ' media' and around the world, that we feel WE are deemed the crazy ones , looked down on because we want a cleaner, natural, healthier life away from medical intervention and the fast paced , uncivil , unconscience - food obsessed world we've become . We want to give ourselves and our children, who are developing at a rate we can't believe the best chance for optimal health , and we know and believe that we're doing the right thing . 

Roy is also a nutricianist, and has been for decades, he has such a deep understanding of how to heal your body with food and nutrician that his energy is infectious - and he has so much passion about what he does . So he's able to give great advice and recommend things and changes you can make to have the best output from your body . 

They also have a little corner of books and CDs for sale which is brilliant as I'm always trying to learn and reeducate myself about the foods we think are safe, and healthy, mostly they are as I've never really been one for lots of unhealthy-ness , it makes me feel emotionally unstable , lethargic , weary, tired, and lots of other things! 

This place isn't just a food shop, it's a really enchanting inspirational humble oasis of informed choice, thoughtfulness and amazing quality food and drink . 

What's your favourite local health shop ? How do you prefer to buy ? 

Organic Banana Dairy Free Ice Cream Lollies | Vegan | Soya Free |Gluten free | For Children

With Opeie and I being Vegan, minus soya (and most gluten 99% of the time ) , Seth and Pauly being on limited dairy I wanted to think of a way to get them to be able to Enjoy a frozen dessert that's not a sugary / fructose syrup sorbet type thing .

So I came up with the idea of freezing bananas and sticking them on Ice lolly sticks initially .

Here's how I made them-   ( It seems pretty simple, but they can go wrong!)

Chop/ break up peeled bananas to the size you'd like - I do some smaller for Opeie as he's only a toddler.

Push lolly sticks into the bases of the bananas. Be careful not to push them too far - if if comes out the other end the banana will break up & it won't be a lolly .

Pop them in a air tight bag and freeze for an hour or two .

Remove from freezer and enjoy ... Or....

As a really indulgent treat - I like to add a layer of melted chocolate - either home made organic Raw chocolate or Organic Moo Free chocolate .

I melted around 3/4 of a 100g bar of  Moo Free Chocolate over a pan of boiling water . 

Once melted - and not hot , roll the bananas around in the melted chocolate , or drizzle the chocolate over with a spoon . As the bananas are frozen the chocolate should set immediately - if not within a minute .

Pop in a zip lock bag and store for 1 month maximum - these last about 1 week in our house- we all love them ! Enjoy !

Comment below with your vegan ideas for desserts !

The Raw Chocolate Company Chocolate Coated Goji Berries - Review

I opened my Goodness Direct Order this week to find they'd sent me some delicious Raw Chocolate Goji Berries to review. They are delicious! Both Pauly and I have been munching on them when we want a healthy snack. 

The ingredients are nourishing, energising and detoxing. 

Goji berries 44%, raw chocolate 56% (69% cacao solids): cacao mass, rice powder (rice syrup powder, rice starch, rice flour), cacao butter, cacao powder, fructose, natural Madagascan vanilla flavour.

They are also high in protein surprisingly.  Protein 11.5g / per 100g which is great for Vegan moms on the go, who want something fun & tasty to snack on. 

Goji berries have been known for their weight loss qualities too, which is great for me trying to slim down, especially as they have the raw cacoa - ultra detoxing. 

I love The Raw Chocolate Company, and they've definitely got another thing right here. Totally divine!  £7.99 for a massive 200g bag . Buy them online here

 

Making your own vegan raw almond milk / UK Vegan Mom, Parenting Food blog

Yesterday I was on the nut run - a.k.a going to Holland & Barrett for 2KG of peanut butter , pecans , almonds, pines, and loads of different seeds .

Whilst I was there the lovely lady and I got chatting about me being vegan minus soy ( I miss soya :(  a lot !) and we talked about Almond milk . I had made my own that morning do I mentioned it and she said how she wanted to make some also , so this is for you Holland & Barrett lady. 

Soak 100g almonds over night and then peel the following day, of if you don't mind the skins leave it on . ( Pauly peeled ours while I was at work , he's a keeper!)

Measure 1.5 lts water and add to blender , I preferred filtering my water first through my Bobble filter  as ours tastes vile. 

To the water add 2-3 table spoons agave, and 2 tablespoons co yo yoghurt if you'd like pro-biotic qualities . 

Add half the nuts (50g) and whizz until its all blended together . 

It's so much richer than Alpro or Blue diamond . We store ours in a air tight glass bottle from Ikea or Wholefoods. 

It keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge. 

Easy simple Vegan Chocolate Chip cookie recipe . ( dairy egg soya free ) | UK Vegan Food / Parenting Blog

I wanted to make Opeie something as a treat , he doesn't have any biscuits/ snack foods in his diet really , as I try not to buy things that are pre made.

The ingredients I used were:

Allison's Wholemeal Self Raising Flour . 12oz /
Brown sugar 8oz / 1 cup
Pure dairy soya free spread. 1 cup / 8oz
Moo Free chocolate ( about 1/5 of a bar ) / 20g
Pinch of fine rock salt

I mixed the sugar and flour together for a minute in a large bowl.

When the butter is really soft - but not runny , add the it gradually to form a soft dough , I make mine in a freestanding mixer as I'm quite lazy when it comes to baking! 

If the mixture is quite loose & crumbly, add a tablespoon of Pure Spread , to get it to a solid dough consistency .

Chop the Moo Free chocolate into small chunks . Mix into the cookie dough .

Place baking paper on a sheet , and pat dough into small balls , pressing down slightly .

Place in oven on a medium shelf for 15 mins . And enjoy vegan / dairy egg soya free chocolate chip cookies!

 

The Verdict?  Opeie LOVED them! I wrapped them up individually in cling wrap, and popped them in a old sweetie jar on the side, they lasted for about 3 days.   ( They went slightly soft, because they were home made, but they were lovely all the same! )

MOO FREE Chocolate Review ( Dairy Soya Gluten free Chocolate) for Vegan Lactose Intollerant

Moo Free chocolate is one of the best things I've found since I stopped having  dairy/soyain my diet.
It is so remarkably like 'real' chocolate that you literally wouldn't know the difference without reading the packaging. 

The things I love about it most is that it is Organic, and also that they make it without any soya. Believe me , it is so hard to find soya free things!

It is really creamy, melts in the mouth, is perfectly sweet and can be melted down easily over a bowl if you want to use it to dip strawberries/ biscuits/ or pretzels in it.

My baby boy loves it as a treat, and so do I. I've been buying mine for over a year from Goodness Direct and Eco Green Store , I tend to buy it in bulk, 10+ bars at a time as Moo Free goes out of stock so quickly online, but that lasts us months! (The bars are around £2.50 for 100g. )

(They are trying to get more machines however to cope with the demand, but need your help, you can pledge money. )

I am yet to try the rest of the range, but would really love to try the pralines, the Honey comb chocolate, and get an easter egg for Opeie to enjoy!