pure SKN Review

About a month ago I ordered some food from a company called Pure NRG Bars.  I had purchased coupons from Living Social and while shopping there I noticed they also had a skin care line, Pure SKN.    

This was really exciting to me as I have been trying to self-diagnose some food sensitivities and food allergies recently.  And I had never considered removing gluten at a topical level.  I’m not sure my food sensitivities warrant this change, but  I like the idea of their “Clean Cosmetics.”

So, I emailed the company and asked if I could review their products.  The founder and CEO, Robyn Milewski emailed me back and generously sent me 4 full-size samples: Pure Moisturizer, Truly Natural Mascara in Black Magic, Medium Bronze Natural Lip Liner and Lash Line Eye Shadow in Neutral Mocha.

These cosmetics and skin care are (from the website):

Professional-Grade
Gluten-Free
Paraben-Free
100% Vegan
No Additives
Natural, Organic & Pure

Why Pure SKN? Our products are vegan, gluten-free and full of antioxidants, vitamins and essential oils. Our crushed minerals are imported from Germany, never diluted and free of preservatives, parabens, bismuth oxychloride, talc, dyes and cheap fillers. Combined with Teas, Essential Oils, Antioxidants and Minerals.

What I LOVE:
I absolutely love these products!  The moisturizer is great for day to day use and leaves my skin feeling light and refreshed, not heavy and weighed down.  The mascara goes on light and clean – I am a mascara addict and have used it all, this product did not give me the “itchy eye” feeling at the end of the day.  The lip liner is also very light and adds just a little natural color, which has more to do with the shade I selected, but it also doesn’t have that “taste” that commercial lip liners & lip sticks tend to have.  It looks natural when I put it on.  But, my absolute favorite out of the samples is the crushed minerals eye shadow.  I’m sure my photo below does not even do it justice, however I love how the brush picks it right up.  Since I am a lover of all things German, I consider this product to be of the highest quality as these are made with crushed minerals imported from Germany.  They go on light, clean, require minimal blending and have staying power.

 

I also like that they products are all clearly labeled, so you know exactly what you are putting on your face.  

What I didn’t LOVE:
Because I am a mascara freak, I have used all sorts of cosmetics that are probably really bad for you.  I didn’t like that I felt that I needed to reapply this mascara throughout the day and I’m not sure if that is attributed to the pureness of it.  I may just need to adjust to that.  There were two unpronounceable ingredients in the moisturizer.  I have been using another brand that has very few ingredients and all are recognizable in nature which is also gluten-free.  These ingredients more than likely exist to keep it shelf stable and I can live with that.  And I still can’t wait to go back to their site and place my order to get my hands on more eye & lip colors, facial and eye serums and more!

Connect:
Check out Pure SKN and read their story!  You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. 
Also be sure to take a look at Pure NRG as well – for a whole host of natural, dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free snacks and protein bars. 

Get Your Greens Smoothie

My nutrient packed breakfast or lunch recipe!

Servings: 1
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

• 1 large handful whole spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon ground whole golden flax seed
• 1 scoop Mint Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens
• 1 scoop Chocolate Goat Milk Protein
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups raw milk
• 1 frozen banana, peeled & sliced into chunks
• 1 teaspoon Virgin Coconut Oil, liquefied

Combine the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. It will be thick, frothy & delicious!

*Click on any of my links to make a purchase and you'll receive a free book that includes over 85 recipes if you are a first-time customer!  I'll receive a reward for referring you!  (We both win!)

Wordless Wednesday

This is the sunset on Easter Sunday. 

This is one of the very things I love about Nebraska.  I had some time, so I drove west until it was time and I found the perfect spot to watch it.  After much searching, I found it at exactly 60 seconds before it sank.  I love how you can see that road go on for miles!

Making a Nourishing Chicken Stock

I received a copy of Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions several years ago.  I perused through it at that time, found it to be very informative, but put it away and didn’t really think of it as a resource or as a cookbook as it is intended to be.  Last year, while I was canning pickles and making sauerkraut from my garden, I remembered the section on lacto-fermented foods and dug it out.

I began to slowly go through it again and realized now that I was a bit more educated and interested in the subject of food politics and real food, it seemed to resonate a bit more with me.  I haven’t made it a whole lot farther than the “Mastering the Basics” section, particularly the section on stocks.  My first time preparing a stock, I began to see how nourishing AND economical a practice this is. 

From the NT cookbook:

^{A lamentable outcome of our modern meat processing techniques and our hurry-up, throwaway lifestyle has been a decline in the use of meat, chicken and fish stocks.  In days gone by, when the butcher sold meat on the bone rather than as individual filets and whole chickens rather than boneless breasts, our thrifty ancestors made use of every part of the animal by preparing stock, broth or bouillon from the bony portions.} 
 

^{Properly prepared, meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate.  Acidic wine or vinegar added during cooking helps to draw minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, into the broth.}

It goes on to say:

^{…important ingredients go into the broth are the components of cartilage, which recently have been used with remarkable results in the treatment of cancer and bone disorders, and of collagen, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments.} 

The book talks extensively about how these stocks are used in European cultures and cooking, as well. Here is just a little about that:

^{…they also add immeasurably to the flavor of our food. In European cuisines, rich stocks form the basis of those exquisite, clear, thick, smooth, satisfying and beautifully flavored sauces that seem to be produced by magic.}

I also appreciate that stock can be made in bulk and stored until needed.  So, I purchased 2 pastured, free-range organic stew hens for about $25 locally from my lovely farmer at Kvam Family Farm for $25 and picked up some carrots, celery and yellow onion at the store. 

Following the NT recipe, which I doubled, I combined 2 whole chickens, 8 quarts of cold water, 4 T. Vinegar, 2 large onion coarsely chopped, 4 carrots coarsely chopped and 6 celery stalks coarsely chopped into a large stock pot.  Let stand 30 min to 1 hour.  I brought it to a boil, removed the scum from the top, then reduced heat, covered and simmered for 24 hours.  The recipe recommends 6-24 hours, the longer it is cooked, the thicker & more flavorful it will be.

From that, I was able to make 1 gallon + 4 1/2 quart jars of stock. The gallon went into the deep freeze, 1 1/2 quarts went into the freezer, 2 quarts went into the fridge and 1 quart went to my parents.  After I read about it being nutritious for rheumatoid arthritis, I wanted my dad to have some.  I enjoy boiling grains, starting soups and sautéing veggies with stock.  If freezer space is at a premium, you can continue to cook the broth down to a fumet or demi-glace.

In the bowl, is the leftover carrots, celery and onion mixture.  I cooked this down for another 8 hours, adding spices I had on hand like rosemary, lemon & pepper, Himalayan salt and a clove of sliced garlic.  This gave it flavor as most is boiled out of it.

I added this to some rice and we ate this today for lunch and the kids loved it!  Plus, I have leftovers enough for another lunch.

I also took the chicken from the bones and kept it.  While it doesn’t have a lot of flavor since the hens were old and it has been cooked so long, it is still a viable meat.  I should be able to make enchiladas, taco meat for burritos or nachos with this.  You can also use it to make chicken salads or feed to pets.

So, for roughly $30, plus what I have in the pantry, my family will enjoy 4-5 meals and the basis of several other meals with the use of the stock, plus the health benefits of very nourishing foods. 

I find it absolutely amazing to give the same care, time & attention to meals as our ancestors did and get so much back for so little!

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Simple Lives Thursday

Adventures in Grass-Fed

As I have delved into the world of real, nutrient dense foods, I have started eating more red meat, which I had believed before “bothered” my stomach.  It was always so hard for me to digest.  When I made the change to eliminating “fake” foods from my diet and discovered the health benefits of grass-fed meats, I began giving beef a second chance.  So, this spring I bit the bullet and purchased a quarter of grass-fed beef from my local farmer that I already purchase raw milk, organic free-range chicken & eggs from.

I was nervous – it was NOT cheap.  It was actually more than my rent!  But, I knew I would appreciate having chemical, antibiotic and hormone-free grass-fed meat cuts filling my deep freeze.  The nearest grocery store selling anything remotely close is 45-60 miles away.  I worry about the long-term effects of hormones and antibiotics on my children (and myself).  I knew this would give me peace of mind.  Plus, the Omega 3’s…oh, the Omega 3’s!  (And CLA…)

I have had a brisket sitting in there as a delicacy for quite a few months.  My son’s 7th birthday party gathering last Sunday gave me the perfect excuse to break it out for sandwiches.  I’m still learning.  I come from a big farm family – meat & potatoes at every meal, plus bread ‘n butter.  That’s how we roll!  I know how to cook about anything without a recipe, straight from the pantry or garden.  I’ve been cooking since I was 8 years old.  My mother signed me up for 4-H and never looked back.  She doesn’t like to cook much or didn’t in those days and I have benefitted from all of the experience.  Plus, I do love to cook.

But, cooking grass-fed has been a challenge for me.  It’s leaner and the texture of the meat is different because the cattle are walking around more in the pasture to graze.  Most people in my neck of the woods think organic and grass-fed is a gimmick because, c’mon corn fed is the way to go (it’s our commodity crop!) and it tastes so much better!  It’s not better, but it is a different aftertaste.  I’ve been intimidated and experimental in using this meat.  The ground beef is easy – you fry and use.  No draining away of grease required!  But the steaks and roasts have been a bit tough – literally and figuratively.

I have been determined to LOVE my investment!  And NOW I do.  I have mastered it to a point where the meat is so tender that you can cut it with a fork or butter knife and it just melts away in your mouth.  After transitioning to grass-fed meats, I prefer the taste.  It tastes more natural!  The closer to natural the better in my book.

So, the brisket.  Speaking of those people who think organic and grass-fed are gimmicks…my father is one of them.  Even though both my mom and I work for an organic foods company, sing their praises and have become so “educated” (and educating) on the subject.  He’s a traditional farmer and he sure doesn’t prefer grass-fed meats and poultry.  He puts up with us, though and he is also the master griller and chef of the house.  So, if I was going to bring a brisket, it better be good!  Thank goodness it was. 

I used a version of Paula Deen’s Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket recipe.  I did use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder and minced onion instead of onion powder.  I also rubbed the brisket as directed, but then instead of cooking it, I added the beef stock right away.  Then I proceeded to marinate it for 3 days in the fridge.  I then baked it in its juices at 250 F the day of the party for 5-6 hours.  Voila!

And here it is on a Ciabatta Bun, a dab of mayo, and A LOT of horseradish.

In the final build, I added loads of Spinach as my garnish and extra “crunch.” Some of the guests used good ol’ barbecue sauce, too!


We served this with a Coconut Cream Almond Fruit Salad as well.  I added fresh strawberries and opted out of the frozen fruit.  Just because that was what I had available.

Have you experimented with new, healthier foods recently?  Share your tips and experiences!  Any flops or funny stories? Share those, too!

This post is participating in Traditional Foods Tuesday sponsored by Cooking Traditional Foods!