Skinny Ms

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Homemade Dryer Sheets With Essential Oils

Imagine slipping into silky-smooth, irresistible-smelling clothes every time you get changed. We’re talking lovely aromas that’ll have you subtly sniffing your shirt and jacket all morning long when no one’s looking. The quickest, easiest way to feel fresh and clean in your clothes involves using dryer sheets. Not only do dryer sheets add a light and delicate fragrance to your clothes, but they also keep your fabrics feeling soft and huggable.

Unfortunately, seemingly harmless dryer sheets you’d pick up at the store contain a boatload of harsh, synthetic chemicals. Conventional dryer sheets contain chemicals which can infiltrate your clothes and get into your skin. Some even compromise your health and take a toll on your nervous system! Numerous store-bought detergent products contain Alpha-Terpineol, Benzyl Alcohol, or Camphor, all of which can instigate a laundry list of health issues including nervous system disorders, headaches, and nausea.

Luckily, you can still slip into luxurious, lovely-smelling shirts and shorts by making your own dryer sheets at home! With the help of essential oils, you can have pleasantly smelling fabrics the natural way, without incorporating heavily fragranced products into your regime.

Certain essential oils add a delightful scent to your items. However, they also come with soothing, anxiety-relieving benefits that can boost your mental and physical health. Well, what are you waiting for? Ditch the brand-name dryer sheets and make you own with these terrific DIY tips!

Homemade dryer sheets are super easy. Plus, they’re seriously eco-friendly. You can use them again and again, making them a no-brainer against their toxic, store-bought counterparts!

What you need:

Sealable container

1 cup white vinegar

20-25 drops essential oil

Cotton cloths, old fabric squares, washcloths, etc.

Directions:

Combine vinegar and essential oil in the first sealable container and shake the mixture vigorously. Dunk your cloths into the mixture, seal the container, and let them sit for at least an hour. When you’re ready to wash laundry, simply grab a cloth from the container, ring out excess liquid, and toss it in the dryer.

Choosing an essential oil: The best part about this project is you can totally personalize it to suit your preference. That said, we could offer you countless yummy smelling essential oil ideas that work well, but the oils that reign supreme when used as fabric softener include:

Essential oils offer numerous health benefits, both mental and physical. Learn more about the magic of essential oils by checking out Your Guide to Essential Oils.

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Twice Baked Butternut Squash

You know twice baked potatoes? Yeah, that amazing invention that takes all the goodness of a baked potato and multiplies it by itself. They’re the star of every dinner party, potluck, football game, and pregame.

Unfortunately, when you double the goodness of a baked potato, chances are you’re doubling it’s less flattering qualities too. Yep, fat, calories, carbs, and everything else that makes our relationship with potatoes so complicated.

But fear not, there’s a solution.

Enter: Twice baked butternut squash.

I know, I know, but hear me out. I admit, I have never been a huge butternut squash fan. In fact, as a child, I literally cried on more than one occasion because of butternut squash. True story, my parents still make fun of me for it.

While I no longer shed tears over winter squash, it’s still not a favorite. And as a lifelong potato lover, I was skeptical of this recipe to say the least. Do I really want to replace one of my favorite foods with one of my least favorites? Can I really trick myself into thinking that’s a good idea?

So imagine my surprise when I loved it. Loved. It.

It was so far from the half-hearted, mediocre substitute I expected, in fact, that it wasn’t a substitute at all. Make no mistake, this twice baked butternut squash is no substitute for the original, but rather, a rich and delicious dish all on its own.

If you are looking at this recipe as a substitute for traditional twice baked potatoes, however, let’s see how they measure up. Butternut squash packs tons of vitamins, including vitamins A, C, and E. It is also high in potassium, fiber, and other key nutrients. Meanwhile, it is low-cal, but still filling enough to be the base of so many hearty winter meals.

Unfortunately, as most of my fellow potato lovers have also had to admit to themselves, traditional white potatoes don’t offer quite so many health benefits. Don’t get me wrong, potatoes still pack vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. But, ultimately, any time you can swap a white starch for a colorful veggie, it’s usually a good idea.

Meanwhile, when it comes to twice baked potatoes, heavy cream and cheese all but annihilate any redeeming qualities of potatoes in the first place. This twice baked butternut squash recipe changes all that. Packed with delicious, clean ingredients twice baked for twice the deliciousness, this recipe is a nutritious take on the classic.

For this recipe, we’ve ditched heavy sour cream and soft cheese for Greek yogurt and parmesan. This recipe also plays up the rich, savory butternut squash flavor with honey, cinnamon and pecans. But don’t worry, this recipe still has a classic twice baked potato staple: bacon. Topped with parsley, this dish is rich, flavorful, and even elegant.

Perfect as an entrée or sliced as a side, this versatile recipe is great for a weeknight meal or a dinner party or potluck. Once you try this twice baked butternut squash, you may never need a baked potato again. However, if your potato cravings do come knocking, you may also want to try these Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes for another healthy and flavorful twist on the original.

Twice Baked Butternut Squash

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fat-free Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 strips turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
2 tablespoons pecans, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Poke the skin side of the squash with a fork and place the squash skin side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until the squash is tender and remove from the oven.
Scoop the flesh out of the skin into a mixing bowl, leaving the skin on the baking sheet as a shell. Set the shells aside. Combine the Greek yogurt, half the Parmesan, honey, salt, and cinnamon with the squash flesh and mash until smooth. Spoon the mash squash into the reserved shells. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and top with bacon, pecans, and parsley. Serve and enjoy!

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Friday, November 24, 2017

Slow Cooker Shephard’s Pie

rIf you’re a regular SkinnyMs. reader, you probably know our thoughts on the Slow Cooker. The versatile appliance makes cooking warm, comforting meals possible to virtually everyone- master chefs and kitchen novices alike. Besides making meals easy, your slow cooker can:

Save energy, by using up less energy than your standard oven or microwave
Save you time; thanks to its convenience, you can leave your cooker unattended for hours on end without worrying about overcooking your food!
Take the stress out of cleanup; a one-pot appliance means no messy pile of pots and pans to take care of afterwards.
Boost the flavor of your meals thanks to the extending cooking time
Free up your stove and oven for other uses

The bottom line? The Slow Cooker definitely tops the list when it comes to must-have kitchen appliances, and we can’t praise it enough!

In my experience, I always thought we, as culinary enthusiasts, reserved the Slow Cooker for soups and stews. Little did I know the appliance could create so, so much more.

We’re talking casseroles, pasta dishes, enchiladas, tacos, and *drum role please*… pies! Yes, you heard me correctly! You can actually use the magical appliance to create mouthwatering pies, and I’m going to show you how.

Here at SkinnyMs., we’ve created a downright delicious Shephard’s Pie that you can whip up easily with your slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Shephard’s Pie recipe

I don’t consider myself an exceptionally talented chef at all; in fact, I’d probably rate myself a little above average at best. That said, the prospect of creating a Shepherd’s Pie earned a spot only on my list of recipe goals I usually left unachieved.

I’ve always wanted to make the classic holiday recipe and ultimate comfort food.

The drool-worthy dish is hearty enough to satisfy a crowd of hungry guests, and convenient enough to store as leftovers throughout the week!

So as soon as I came across this recipe, I realized I might actually have a shot at creating what seemed like a pretty advanced dish.

And thanks to the slow cooker, this recipe required far less effort and time than I had anticipated!

So what’s actually involved? This recipe has you simply tossing meat, veggies, and liquid ingredients into the slow cooker, and cooking on low for 4 hours or high for 2, depending on what’s convenient for you.

Afterwards, boil and mash the russet potatoes, mixing them with milk until mostly smooth. The final step asks you to spread the potato mixture over the slow-cooked meat mixture in an even layer, sprinkle with cheese and parsley, and serve. Bon appetit!

You might think this sounds great and all, but wonder what’s actually in the recipe. Before cooking up this recipe, I always thought Shepherd’s Pie had a notoriously unhealthy reputation.

Well, lucky for us, our scrumptious Shepherd’s Pie recipe serves as the exception.

First off, the recipe boasts an impressive nutritional profile that puts conventional Shepherd’s Pie recipes to shame. To me, nutritional value ranks #1 on my list of eating priorities. Our version at SkinnyMs. calls for lean ground turkey instead of ground beef, sparing you a considerable chunk of fat and calories without skimping on protein!

Meanwhile, it calls for a handful of superfoods like garlic, carrots, mushrooms, corn, and peas. These veggies pack in filling fiber and satisfying vitamins your body will love.

Finally, we’ve swapped some traditional ingredients with lighter alternatives that wont wreak havoc on your waistline. For example, instead of conventional cheese and milk, this recipe opts for low-fat cheddar cheese and skim milk.

Meanwhile, to turn the sodium dial down a few notches, our Shepherd’s Pie calls for low-sodium soy sauce and low-sodium tomato paste.

These details might sound minor, but they do a great job to limit the meal’s fat and sodium content. As a result, instead of feeling stuffed and sluggish after a heavy meal, you’ll feel energized and satisfied after diving into this recipe!

This recipe will satisfy the entire family, and is an absolute must on chillier nights when you crave something warm and comforting, but also nutritious.

I mean seriously, the one-hit-wonder dish is a meal in itself; it’s hearty, delicious, and packed with satisfying protein and nutritious veggies.

So, what are you waiting for? Get ready to dive in to this thick, creamy, and comforting pie you can enjoy sans guilt, and let us know what you think!

Slow Cooker Shephard's Pie Recipe

Slow Cooker Shephard's Pie

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey, cooked and broken into small pieces
3 cloves garlic minced
4 medium carrots peeled and diced small
2 cups button mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup low-sodium no sugar added tomato paste
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup skim milk
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Place the cooked ground turkey into the slow cooker with the garlic, carrot, mushrooms, corn, and peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, and oregano. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, Place the potatoes in a large soup pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and place the potatoes in a large bowl and mash until mostly smooth with the skim milk.
After the cook time is complete for the meat and vegetables, skim off any excess liquid. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture in an even layer and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover and cook another 20 minutes on high. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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13 Tasty Treats to Bring to a Party

Whether you’re throwing a party or prowling for the perfect dish to pass, you can never go wrong with dessert. Everyone loves a good sweet-tooth satisfier, and parties make the perfect excuse to let loose and indulge. Luckily, you can spoil yourself (and others) with these desserts without wreaking havoc on healthy eating goals! Here at SkinnyMs., we’ve rounded up our top 13 picks for tasty party treats. Loaded with clean-eating ingredients, these desserts contain nothing artificial or processed. Instead, we’ve opted for nutritious alternatives to skinny up your favorite desserts, without skimping on flavor! Our list contains a whole bunch of mouthwatering options, from Mini Apple Cheesecakes to Coconut Lemon Macaroons.

So whether it’s a potluck, family dinner, or wild party, these crowd-pleasing recipes will gain loads of attention at your next event. With their impressive flavor and waistline-friendly profiles, these yummy delights will keep guests coming back for more. What’s a party without some tasty treats?

1. No-Bake Almond Joy Cookies

Every healthy eater needs these nutritious cookies in their arsenal! With only 5 super clean ingredients and no baking required, these tasty treats are a snap to whip up and will save you next time a craving strikes!

2. No-Bake Mini Apple Cheesecakes

These gorgeous mini cheesecakes require no baking whatsoever. Despite their impressive flavor and stunning presentation, they’re a cinch to create and will have you turning out dessert in no time!

3. Superfood Banana Pops

With their ultra-creamy, satisfying character, frozen bananas make the perfect icy treat and healthy ice cream alternative. This beautiful recipe has you dipping bananas in chocolate syrup and layering the fruit with your choice of delicious toppings, like shredded coconut, chopped almonds, and crushed peanuts.

4. Slow Cooker Lemon Bars

Newsflash: Slow-cookers can also bake, and they bake like you won’t believe. These crave-worthy lemon bars boast a crispy crust and fabulous, creamy fruit filling. These clean-eating indulgences take just a few hours in your slow-cooker after prepping!

5. Chocolate Peanut Cake Pops

The beloved marriage of peanut butter and chocolate shines like never before in these scrumptious, hand-held delicacies! The perfect treat for any celebration, our melt-in-your-mouth cake pops flaunt an outer chocolate shell layered with crushed peanuts. Mmm-mmm good.

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Thursday, November 23, 2017

How Yoga Affects Your Mental and Physical Health

A growing sensation in the day and age of health crazes, yoga has surged to the surface as a popular workout. Other than contorting your body into different poses, yoga does much more for you in ways you probably haven’t thought of. Here’s how yoga affects your mental and physical health.

Your Mind

Yoga is all about tying your mind to your body and understanding the connection between them. Essentially, a fatigued and stressed mind will cause stressed muscles, which in turn generated negativity throughout your body. In order to combat that negative mindset, you must understand how to clear your mind and set aside negative thoughts. Yoga and meditation heavily encourages living in the present and discarding worries of the future and thoughts of the past. Yogis preach that we should face each obstacle as it comes. Daily practice of yoga and meditation is said to decrease anxiety, stress, and feelings of depression. Although it may take some time to trust the ways of yoga practice and the philosophies that are preached, it is definitely worth the shot. The more time that is put in, the more benefits are reaped.

Your Body

There is a long list of benefits your body can experience from practicing yoga. Here are some of them: improves flexibility, builds strength, improves posture, protects your spine, works on joints and bone health, increases blood flow, and so much more. Yoga exercises are more preventative than reparative. They help your body grow and strengthen in different ways where in the face of illness or injury, you are more able-bodied to face it or recover from it. However, like many other things, this strength and resilience comes with practice and time. You must constantly practice to become stronger as well as attempt new forms of yoga to be able to expand your reach. Even if you are picking it up for reasons such as weight loss or toning, you can still benefit! So, don’t feel pressured to only pursue yoga for deeply-rooted reasons. Yoga can transform your life in more ways than one.

Now that you have a thorough understanding of yoga and its effects on your physical and mental health, you will be better prepared to dive into the world of yoga. Here are some strong beginner poses to get you started.

Let us know your favorite part of yoga in the comments down below!

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Sweet Potato Cookies

As a child, I refused to eat anything orange. So my parents had to get creative when it came to carrots, squash, and of course, sweet potatoes.

They often lured me into eating sweet potatoes with the promise that they “taste like dessert.” Naturally, I didn’t buy it. “Sure,” I thought, “this vegetable you want me to eat tastes like dessert. Nice try, guys.”

Of course, they were right all along. Sweet potatoes, as their name would imply, are naturally sweet. And depending on how you prepare them, sometimes they really are dessert. (Sweet potato pie, anyone?)

Needless to say, I have since come to regret each and every Thanksgiving I wasted ignoring sweet potato casserole. Fortunately, sweet potatoes aren’t just for pies and casseroles, and there are plenty of opportunities to make up for lost time.

In this recipe, sweet potatoes don’t just taste like dessert; They are dessert.

Along with their great taste, sweet potatoes are a great ingredient to include if you’re looking to lighten up your baking. Like bananas, sweet potatoes can help cut back or eliminate other traditional baking ingredients. These sweet potato cookies have just six simple ingredients. And thanks to the sweet potato, neither eggs nor sugar are among them.

Along with their vibrant color, these cookies get most of their natural sweetness from the sweet potatoes themselves. For just a little extra hint of sweetness, this recipe adds in two tablespoons of honey. With just these ingredients plus almond butter, flour, baking soda, and vanilla extract, you have easy, clean, and delicious cookies. Honestly, when it comes to cookies, it’s tough to get much healthier than this.

While pumpkin spice everything may be the orange dessert of choice, sweet potato is definitely on its way up. And with their bright orange hue, these sweet potato cookies will definitely steal the show. Sweet potato-based recipes don’t need nearly as much added sugar as your favorite pumpkin bars. And although sweet potato cookies make a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving dessert spread, they’re a treat you can enjoy all year round.

These cookies are a perfect, light way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Whether you’re looking for a lighter option to bring to Thanksgiving this year or just trying to cook a healthy treat for the kids, these cookies are a great option. Even the pickiest eaters won’t need any convincing to dig into these treats.

Whether you’re looking to lighten up or just mix things up, these vibrant and unique sweet potato cookies a great recipe to have on hand. And while these cookies are technically dessert, they’re healthy enough to justify sneaking one for breakfast, too.

Of course, sweet potatoes don’t have to stop at cookies. There are so many options for this ingredient, so check out these other delicious recipes that make the most of this versatile ingredient:

Sweet Potato Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup mashed sweet potato
1/2 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Drop by the spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) on to an un-greased baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying!

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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

6 Scrumptious Snacks that Taste Like Dessert

Cravings, cravings, cravings…the devils playthings. Not today they aren’t! With these 6 scrumptious snacks that taste like dessert, those sweet tooth cravings will be an ever present reality. From peanut butter cups to candied nuts and watermelon sorbet, snack time will be everyone’s favorite time!

1. Peanut Butter Banana Cups

Peanut butter. Chocolate. Bananas – dessert’s holy trinity. Put them all together and you get our Peanut Butter Banana Cups. Chocolatey, melty goodness combined with the antioxidant rich banana married with smooth peanut butter that is full of protein.

2. Zucchini Blondies

Oh, blondies, how we love thee. Your brownie and cake like texture makes us weak at the knees. To help us all stay strong, this recipe for Zucchini Blondies will satisfy every sweet craving and leave us all guilt free. What more could we ask for?

3. Skinny Watermelon Sorbet

Stay cool all year long with our Skinny Watermelon Sorbet. In just three easy steps, this sorbet can be yours wherever you may be! Whether it is at the office, at a picnic or at your child’s soccer game, indulge in this refreshing rendition of Watermelon Sorbet.

4. Chai-Spiced Candied Nuts

Unwrap this endless collection of spices through this recipe of Chai-Spiced Candied Nuts. With spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger powder, these roasted nuts will warm your insides reminding you that irresistible isn’t impossible.

5. Quinoa Almond Joy Bars

Remember the mixed bag of everyone’s favorite candy bar for Halloween? Full of Twix, Hershey’s and most importantly, Almond Joys. Say yes to your favorite candy bar with our recipe for Quinoa Almond Joy Bars. With whole dates, almonds and semi-sweet chocolate chips, this scrumptious snack will remind you exactly what dessert tastes like.

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