DIY Sea Salt Body Scrub

This gritty DIY salt scrub turns your shower into a blissful beauty spa and leaves your skin clean and rejuvenated.

Put coarse sea salt into a bowl.

Stir baby oil into the salt until it thoroughly coats the salt grains.

Stir in almond or vanilla extract to add a scent to your DIY Salt Scrub.

• 1/2 cup coarse sea salt 
• 1/4 cup baby oil 
• 1/2 tsp. almond or vanilla extract 

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir the sea salt and oil together until the oil thoroughly coats the salt. Add the extract and stir it in completely.
2. Hop in the shower. When skin is thoroughly wet, apply with your hands, a washcloth, or a puff scrubber. Massage in and be sure to rinse off thoroughly.

TIP

Be good to yourself and the environment by taking a Navy shower (it was developed on ships, where fresh water is at a premium). This simple technique can cut the amount of water you use for a shower by up to 80 percent!

1. Turn on the shower.
2. Wet your body and hair.
3. Turn the water off.
4. Soap up your body, then shampoo your hair. (Save the shampoo for last so it doesn’t get in your eyes.)
5. Turn the water back on and rinse off.

DIY Salt Scrub Photography by Lori Foy.

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Portobello Mushroom Pizza

• 4 tomatoes 
• 4 large portobello mushrooms 
• 4 cloves of garlic 
• lemon 
• 1 leek 
• 1 onion 
• fresh basil 
• fresh parsley 
• Olive oil
• Salt 
• Spray pan;
• stuff mushrooms;

Top with cheese;

Bake at 400 F for 12 minutes.

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Strawberry Pizza

When you mix up the crust it will seem a bit crumbly but just use your hands and form it into a ball.  It will come together nicely.

Just roll it out with a rolling pin on an ungreased cookie sheet or a baking stone will work too.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

While it is baking and cooling mix up your cream cheese mixture and your strawberry mixture.  Use 1 cup of smashed strawberries.  I do mine in the food processor.
Cook the strawberries with sugar and cornstarch until it thickens and is glossy – will take about 5-10 minutes.  Cool.

After the crust is cool spread with cream cheese mixture you mixed up.

Add strawberry mixture and sliced strawberries.

The crust ends up being a bit fragile so it can be a bit messy to eat.  I just use my pizza cutter to slice it up.

Ingredients

Crust:
• 1 C flour
• 1/4 C powdered sugar
• 1/2 C butter
Filling:
• 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Topping;
• 1 C fresh strawberries, mashed
• 4 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 8 - 10 strawberries sliced.

Instructions

Crust:
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter.
• Form into a ball with hands and press into a 14 inch ungreased pizza pan (I used my Pampered Chef pizza stone)
• Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool.
Filling:
• In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and lemon juice.
• Spread on cooled crust.
Topping:
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberries, sugar and cornstarch.
• Simmer until thick and glossy. Cool.
• Spread on top of cream cheese filling.
• Cut fresh strawberries crosswise to make rounds that resemble pepperoni, place on pizza and serve
  
  
  Source: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/strawberry-pizza/

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Mexican Black Bean Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can BUSH’S® Black Beans, drained
• 1/2 cup salsa, mild or spicy
• 2 ounces canned chopped green chiles
• 2 ounces pulled chicken

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Mix half the Mexican Blend cheese with the Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl; set aside.
2. Brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil and arrange tortillas in a single layer. Puncture each tortilla a few times with a fork. Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese evenly over 4 of the tortillas, then cover each with a remaining tortilla. Bake 5-6 minutes or until browned slightly.
3. While tortillas bake, heat remaining oil in a skillet and cook onions until browned. Add beans and partially mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.
4. Remove tortilla pizzas from oven and top each with bean mixture, spreading evenly. Top with salsa, green chiles, pulled chicken and cheese mixture.
5. Return to oven. Bake until cheese melts, about 10-20 minutes.
   
   
   Source :http://tidymom.net/2013/mexican-black-bean-pizza/

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Pumpkin Dessert Bars

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1-1/3 cups Imperial Sugar® / Dixie Crystals® Granulated Sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 5 eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Whipped topping and ground nutmeg, optional

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and 1/3 cup sugar; stir in butter. Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and 2/3 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs just until blended. Pour over crust. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Meanwhile, separate remaining eggs and set whites aside. In a large saucepan, combine the yolks, pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, salt and cinnamon. Cook and stir over low heat for 10-12 minutes or until mixture is thickened and reaches 160°. Remove from the heat.
4. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir into pumpkin mixture; set aside.
5. In a large heavy saucepan, combine reserved egg whites and remaining sugar. With a portable mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute. Continue beating over low heat until mixture reaches 160°, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; beat until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
6. Fold into pumpkin mixture; spread evenly over cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Garnish with whipped topping and nutmeg if desired. Yield: 15 servings.

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Low fat oatmeal- chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups oats
2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slightly spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper or silpat mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and allspice.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, applesauce, sugars, egg and vanilla until well blended. Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture. Mix well. Fold in oats. At this point, you can decide if you'd like to mix in the chocolate chips or save them to sprinkle on op of each scoop of cookie dough.

4. Drop rounded Tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart. You should end up with about 22 cookies. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 1 cookie
Calories per serving: 101
Fat per serving: 2.1g
Saturated Fat per serving: 1.1g
Fiber per serving: 1.5g
Protein per serving: 1.6g
Cholesterol per serving: 11.2mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 24.6g

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Brownie Strawberry Trifle

Ingredients:

Servings:
8-10
Units: US | Metric
1 (20 ounce) box brownie mix (I use Betty Crocker)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 quart strawberry, thinly sliced, save one whole for decoration
2 (3 1/4 ounce) packages French vanilla instant pudding
8 ounces Cool Whip
hershey's shell chocolate syrup, as needed
Directions:

1 To make brownies:.
2 Heat oven to 350°F.
3 Grease bottom of a 13x9 inch pan.
4 Stir brownie mix, water, oil and eggs in medium bowl until well blended.
5 Spread in pan.
6 Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean; let cool.
7 While brownies are cooling slice the berries and set aside.
8 Mix pudding with 2 cups of milk and whisk until thickened.
9 Fold in Cool Whip.
10 To layer, put brownie for first layer, add strawberries for second layer, drizzle with chocolate shell and the pudding mixture layer.
11 Repeat layers ending with the pudding mixture.
12 Decorate with the whole strawberry, cool whip and drizzle with the chocolate shell.
13 Chill until serving about 3 hours at least.
14 Enjoy!

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