Make Your Own Bath Salts

I have a slight confession to make. After hard day, I love to soak in nice warm scented bath. I am addicted to bath and body products- especially bath salts and scrubs. I just love how my skin feels after I use them.

I used to spend a small fortune on that sort of stuff and acquired quite a collection of jars of salts and scrubs:
Lavender scented bath salts to help me unwind
Citrus to wake me up
Vanilla or Chocolate scented to make me smell good enough to taste
Musk or Sandalwood when I am feeling sexy......(what can I say? Dark, earthy, woods-ey fragrances turn me on!)

Much to my dismay, I discovered that most of my beloved bath salts and scrubs were nothing more than jars and tubes of artifical ingredients. The ones that smelled good enough to eat- tasted awful. Yes..... I actually tried them. If they are made of artificial ingredients and taste god-awful, what are they doing for my body? They definitely do the job of removing old, dry skin to reveal new, fresh and lovely skin.  New, fresh and lovely skin is now covered with a film of chemicals! NO THANKS!!!

There are natural bath salts out there, but they can be expensive. I do try to buy as many natural, organic, eco-friendly products as possible, but just everyone else, I am trying to save money.  It certainly doesn't make sense spending my hard-earned cash on something I can make myself! Yeah, yeah. Time is money. My time is as precious and as limited as yours. You have to weight it out.

So, I started making my own bath salts. It takes less than five minutes. I can add whatever ingredients or scented oils I want.  In the long-run, I am saving time, money and I know exactly what I am putting on and in my body because I mixed it up myself!

Here's how to make your own! Explore, have fun, put them in glass jars, tie satin ribbons or raffia around them to make them pretty. If you're willing to part with your gorgeous creations, give a few away as gifts.

MAKE YOUR OWN BATH SALTS

Enjoy your very own Cynfully Good, all natural, skin softening, mood-altering bath salts.

Home Made Ketchup

It's grilling season! No one wants to cook indoors now. It's all about barbecues and making the most of this gorgeous weather.

This is also the time we whip out all those condiments to pile on our burgers! Of course, for me it's veggie burgers and I love to add as many extras as I can- ketchup, mustard, salsa, relish, chutney....the more the better!

Ketchup seems to be the most popular of summertime condiments. What would a burger be without the ketchup?

What's in your favorite bottle of ketchup? I found a bottle of regular Heinz (the brand considered to be the best) in my mom's fridge. Here's what inside:

tomato concentrate made from vine ripened tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, natural flavoring.

Do see you see what I see? Corn Syrup X 2! YUCK! If you are not aware of how bad corn syrup is for you, read this:

Why High Fructose Corn Syrup is Bad for You

Now Heinz does make Simply Heinz without HFC, but it is only available in a big 32oz. size. Hunts also has a line of ketchup without all that HFC but neither of these products are made with organic tomatoes. Organic ketchup is available, but it can be quite costly compared to conventional brands.

Why not make your own ketchup? It's fun, it's easy and the best part? You put it all in a crock pot, set it and forget it. That way, you can do other things! This recipe is slightly sweet (it calls for brown rice syrup instead of sugar) and you can add whatever you wish to it. How about adding some chili powder or a diced jalapeno pepper for a nice spicy ketchup? Or you can cut back on the sweetener and add fresh cut organic peaches at the final stage of cooking?  Get creative and have fun with it! You can even give jars of your homemade ketchup as gifts. The possibilities are endless.


Homemade Crock Pot Ketchup
yields about 4 cups
1 (28 oz) can organic tomato puree or make your own puree using fresh garden tomatoes
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup organic brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients except kosher salt and black pepper into a medium Crock Pot (3 - 4 1/2 quarts). Stir well. Cover and turn on high for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and puree with an immersion blender, or transfer to a regular blender or food processer and puree until smooth. Return to crock (if you used a blender or food processor) and cook on high uncovered for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until ketchup has reached desired consistency. You want it to be nice and thick.
Place into clean pint mason jars. Refrigerate or freeze. This will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 months.

This homemade ketchup is so Cynfully Good--you'll want to pour it on everything all year long!

Recipe and photo from : Simply Gluten and Sugar Free.

Is Diet Soda Making You GAIN Weight?

Before you reach for that next DIET SODA, you really should think about it first.  As far as I am concerned, you might as well take cola syrup, add seltzer for fizz, and stir in a few teaspoons of rat poison. That's what it is: POISON!

If that isn't dramatic enough for you, maybe this will change your mind about diet soda. Studies show it can actually make you gain weight.

Wait a minute.....say WHAT?

Almost every single person I know (especially women) drinks diet soda. Why? Tasty, refreshing, no calories! Diet soda is nothing less than a miracle! You can drink it by the gallon and never gain a pound!

Did you really think you could get off that easily? :)

I never drink diet soda. I believe it is the worst drink I can put into my body. If I do happen to have a soda ( a very rare occurrence), it's the regular kind. With REGULAR sugar! And that's only when there is nothing else around for me to drink. ( I hate tap water). When and if I do drink a soda, it's the clear kind: ginger ale, Sprite, 7UP. Usually it's regular old seltzer with a splash of orange or cranberry if  I am at a party and not drinking alcohol. Never, ever cola.

I won't get into all dangers of  diet soda (all those artificial sweeteners are so bad, bad, bad) because no matter how often I talk about that, people still can't seem kick their diet soda habit.

So let me hit you where it hurts.

If you drink diet soda because it's calorie-free and therefore it's helping you to lose weight (or preventing you from gaining weight), eventually it will do just the opposite.

Here's the article to support all this! Read it and weep......

Is Diet Soda Making You Gain Weight?

Okay, you can dry your eyes now! I would never take something away from you without replacing it with something else!  There are other products out there just as refreshing and low in calories as your beloved diet soda. I need to be honest, though. You might need to fine-tune your taste-buds a bit and acclimate yourself to REAL flavor. You see, you are so accustomed to that artificially sweet and syrupy pleasure of diet soda, that you no can longer enjoy the taste of simple, natural and healthy.

You can make your own calorie-free soft drinks. That's the best way. If you are addicted to fizz, try making your drinks with sparkling spring water. It's better for you than seltzer. Seltzer has no calories, but it does have sodium. And watch out for flavored seltzers and waters. Those are loaded with artificial ingredients and if the bottle says sugar-free, usually that means artificial sweeteners. You want to avoid those.

Buy yourself a bottle (glass- not plastic) of plain sparkling spring water and add your own fresh fruit. Lemon slices, orange slices, lime. You can even squeeze some of the juice from your fruit into it. Pour your drink in a big pitcher or a wine glass and enjoy.

If this isn't flavorful enough for you, add a few splashes of juice to your sparkling water: orange, graperfruit, apple, pomegranate, cranberry. Buy the healthiest, most natural, organic brands of juice you can find. Again, stay away from the ones that say sugar free or zero calories. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!

You are probably having a slight panic attack right about now because you believe juice is FATTENING! It could be,  if you drink it in excess. It's loaded with sugar- whether it's white processed sugar or natural sugar - it's still sugar. Here's the way I look at it. Juice is not calorie free, however, you are cutting the juice with the water. Enjoying a glass or two a day is NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU FAT!!!

If mixing your own drinks is way too much work for you, here's an alternative.

R. W. Knudsens makes the best natural "soft" drinks. This one happens to be my favorite: Cucumber Sparkling Essence. Talk about refreshing! I can pronounce all the ingredients listed on the can, therefore I can enjoy this drink occasionally without worrying what it's going to do to my body. 

This company distributes a whole array of healthy products. You can find them in any health food store and some regular grocery stores, as well.

Here's their website:

R.W. Knudsen Family

You only get one body. Nourish it and treat it well. Fill it with food and drinks that are Cynfully Good......

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Cilantro Pesto Beans

Get your dose of lycopene with this tasty salad. Heirloom tomatoes and bright green french beans tossed together in a cilantro pesto with toasted pine nuts and a good sprinkling of grated cheese (vegan grated "cheese" works, too).

Perfect for Meatless Monday!

heirloom-tomato-salad-with-cilantro-pesto-beans


Cynfully Good............

What's in Your Soap?

Because I believe what we put ON our body is just as important as what we put IN it, have you thought about your soap lately? That's right, that big block you use to wash with every day.

Have you examined the ingredients in your soap? Do you know what they are? Do you need a college degree to actually pronounce the ingredients? Are they natural,wholesome, good-for-you? Or are you basically washing your precious skin with nothing more than a bar of harmful chemicals? Do you care?

Your skin has pores- little portals if you will. What you put on your skin (soaps, creams, lotions, perfumes) gets absorbed. It goes inside.  If you are constantly using products loaded with articifial ingredients and chemicals, you are inviting toxins into your body. Why would you want to do that?

I found this wonderful company. Prem Soaps. Everything they make is organic, vegan and wholesome. Real ingredients like basil, fresh mint, olive oil. And they don't only make soap. They have salt scrubs, lip balm, candles. All made in a little kitchen in Brooklyn. Made with love. For you.

Here's the website:
Prem Soaps

Cynfully Good natural, organic, vegan skin care products. Your body, mind and spirit will love it!

Eat Your Seaweed!

I happen to be one of those weirdo people who absolutely LOVES seaweed! I don't mean that slimy stuff you get tangled up in while swimming in the Great South Bay.

Seaweed is a staple in most Asian diets. Besides being absolutely delicious, seaweed also has many health benefits. You might want to consider adding it your diet, as well.**


Here's an article all about it:
Eat Your Seaweed!

Eat your seaweed. It's Cynfully Good.............


**Note: Seaweed is naturally high in salt. It's perfect to flavor and season dishes instead of regular table salt. A little goes a long way, however, if you suffer from hypertension, double check with your doctor first before adding seaweed to your diet.

The Healing Power of Epsom Salts

I am forever on the hunt for Cynfully Good stuff to share with you.  Most of the time, I find good, healthy, vegetarian recipes that even the most hard-core meat-eater can enjoy. Once in awhile, I just have to rave about other things: cruelty-free skin care or cosmetic lines,  can't live without products that benefit our body, mind, or spirit (hopefully all three at the same time), a website or an article. 

Today I read about Espsom Salt. That's right. That stuff Grandma used to use!

Dirt cheap, readily available, and so healing, Epsom salt has a variety of uses. Soaking in tub of it will provide relaxation and comfort to your aching joints and muscles. Why spend money on expensive oils, scrubs and treatments? Epsom Salt does the job and does it well, without all those added chemicals and heavy perfumes.

Here is a list of all the wonderful uses for Epsom Salt. Give it a try.

Epsom Salt

Healthy Skincare (that won't cost a fortune)......

Most of the time I post delicious, vegan or vegetarian recipes on this site. But Cynfully Good  is for anything I find that supports a clean, healthy, cruelty-free lifestyle and will make me beautiful: inside and out. When I do discover something, I have to share it!

That being said, I found this wonderful article posted by Frank Lipman, MD. Read more about him, here:

Eleven Eleven Wellness Center. 

Any way, back to the skin care.

The title Dr. Lipman's article attracted me immediately:


9 Pure and Cheap Skin Care Products.

Sounds good to me!  I don't know about you, but I am obsessed with skin care. But I wasn't always.  I took my youthful glow for granted and punished with sun exposure, cigarette smoking, too much makeup!  In my thirties, I started getting serious about reversing all that damage and spent hundreds of dollars on products, without blinking an eye. Now that I am older and funds are limited; I need good skin care that doesn't cost a fortune.  I also want it to be free from chemicals, made with certified organic ingredients, and if at all possible, cruelty-free.  No testing on animals and definitely no animal products in my jar of face cream!

 Our skin tells a story. It reveals how well we do or don't take care of ourselves. If we neglect it, our skin will make us look older than our actual years.  I am always amazed at how many women pile on the makeup, yet neglect the canvas on which they apply all that paint.  You can cover up the neglect  and abuse for awhile but eventually it will begin to show.  This is why good skin care is CRUCIAL. It is never too late to start pampering your skin. And the best way is with pure, natural products.

So, here the list from the article I read this morning:

9 Pure and Cheap Skin Care Products

These are products that you can purchase on-line, at your local health-food store and at some larger department stores.

My personal favorite line of skin care and cosmetics is:

Josie Maran Cosmetics.

Her products are budget-friendly and the ingredients so pure, you can actually eat them. Talk about feeding your face! What I really love about her products is that the majority of them are cruelty-free.

If you are conscious about using genuine, cruelty-free skin care and cosmetics, look for this icon on bottles, tubes and jars:

And don't forget to protect your face with sunscreen- winter, spring, summer, fall!

You need to know one VERY important thing.  No matter how much or how little you spend on your skin care products; no amount of sunscreen, face cream or makeup is going to make a bit of difference if you don't care for your skin from the inside out.

There is no such thing as a miracle cream!

It can only enhance and preserve what you already have.

Feed your skin daily with good, healthy food:

Lean protein
Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables
Healthy oils and fats-- olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados
Water! Water! Water!
Stay away from junk food.
Avoid processed, pre-packaged foods as much as possible.
If you drink alcohol, make sure you hydrate continuously. Alternate: one drink, one water. This method will prevent your skin from feeling like an old catcher's mitt the next morning.  (Also helps prevent hang-overs.)
Get a good night's sleep (and wash your face EVERY single night, no matter what)
And DON'T SMOKE!

When you feed your body, mind and spirit with nourishing food- that inner glow and radiance will shine on your face for all the world to see.

And that, my friends, is Cynfully Good.......

Crave Chocolate? Here's how to satisfy without compromise...........

OK. Just so you don't think I am a complete bore, I do like to indulge every so often. I am not a big chocolate lover, but when I do have it,  it has to be GOOD. I am so glad I found these:  Angell Bars Organic Candy Bars!

These delicious candy bars are Fair Trade certified organic so you can enjoy them without compromising your values.

My fave: Dark Angell, sophisticated and perfectly balanced. A refined combination of luxurious organic dark chocolate, wrapped around a smooth cocoa center with organic almonds for crunch. And of course, vegan!

Read all about Angell Bars and where to get 'em!
Angell Bars


Delicious, wholesome, certified organic chocolate bars. Can anything be more Cynfully Good?

Seaweed Cellulite Soap

OK! We know that summer is right around the corner and we will try anything to eliminate those ugly lumps and bumps on our thighs.

Could this Seaweed Cellulite Soap be the answer? I really don't know but it's certainly worth a shot. If nothing else, those little molded knubs will certainly be invigorating and get the blood flowing......

I am definitely going to give it a try..... sounds Cynfully Good to me..........

Four Books Every Woman Should Read

Here are the four books every woman should read (according to Mind Body Green) and I couldn't agree more. You can order them all right here through my site! Here's the article about each book. Why not splurge a little and buy all four? Give them as gifts, exchange with your friends, start a book club...... Enpower yourselves and others.

Four Books Every Woman Should Read

Empowered, sexy, happy, healthy women! Definitely Cynfully Good!