Beauty Buzz: DIY Chocolate Mask

We all love chocolate in our tummy, but Chocolate on our face? Yes ! Did you know besides being amazingly delicious it’s great for our body and skin. Pure cocoa or dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. This helps protect our skin from UV rays and fight the signs of aging.  Cocoa contains various minerals such as copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, sulfur and zinc- that help cells grow and repair tissue to give us that healthy glow.

Here is a quick and easy DIY mask you can make any time to pamper your skin. It’s quick to make and effective.

What you need:

-1 tbsp. of Pure Unsweetened COCOA powder 

-2 tbsp. of Pure Coconut Oil
-1 tbsp. of Honey
- Brush and small mixing cup

 Mix well and brush on face. Let it sit for 15-20 min and relax. Rinse off and moisturize as normal. I recommend using this mask once a week and soon you will see results. Hope you enjoy !

*Before you go bananas and eat chocolate like it’s going out of style, read the labels and make sure it has 70% or more of cacao and the first ingredients on the label are not milk or sugar. Pure is the way to go !

Weekend Treats

 Diniro enjoying the smell of fig and blueberry pancakes

Blueberry- Fig Pancakes topped with Strawberries, more Figs and Whipped Cream

Fresh cut figs from my backyard

Cauliflower and Chive Salad

Parsley-Hummus Panini with Avocado and Provolone Cheese

I love my days off I get to try recipes and enjoy new creations. I will never get enough of food photography. There is something about the colors and mixture of things that go in one dish that calls my attention. Sometimes you can even taste the picture. lol. 

Here are some of my weekend treats. Enjoy and Happy Monday !!!

Weekend Treats

On my days off, which are usually Fridays and Saturdays, I like to spend my time (besides cleaning and doing laundry) trying out new recipes, restaurant tasting with my hubby, or baking. Well this weekend I made a flatbread pizza out of pita bread, and I must say it was easy and very tasty.

 

{ Spinach, Polish Sausage, Feta Cheese, A mix of pesto sauce and chimichurri, Sun dried Tomatoes, and Bit of Jack Cheese}


Also, my dad cooked Dulce de Higos (Sweet Figs). It's a common dessert in Ecuador, especially in Loja where my dad is from. The original recipe for the Sweet figs is made with brown sugar but since pops is a diabetic we substituted the sugar for pure honey, which turned out perfect.  To balance the sweetness it is served with a piece of fresh cheese or on my plate a piece of goat cheese. Even Manchego cheese will do. It's an easy dessert recipe that anyone can do. I will be posting the recipe soon.

 

Happy Monday Everyone !!!!

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

I think by now you all know I have a terrible sweet tooth that I inherited from my pops. I've been following a vegan dessert blog, Chocolate Covered Katie, for a while now and I just love her and all her amazing desserts. I came accross her blog after searching for various recipes that where low on sugar and healthy in some way. The reason why is because my father is diabetic and he loves to eat desserts, you name it he'll eat it. So, when I clicked on her blog and yummy desserts I became addicted to her recipes. I've tried a couple of them and without telling pops what they are made of he has loved each and everyone.

Yesterday before I headed out to work I whipped up a quick dessert, Chocolate Bar Pie recipe, I omitted the crust and sweetner and turned it into a chocolate mousse dessert. It was incredible, so soft, yet thick and creamy. You would never be able to tell the difference between regular Chocolate mousse and Vegan chocolate mousse,well only the calories lolol.

What you need:  1 package Tofu, 1tsp. Cocoa powder, 2 tbs. Non-dairy milk, 1tsp. vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/3c. of chocolate chips or (2 1/2)bars of your choice.

As follows: Put everything in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pop in fridge for 30 minutes and serve.

Hope you enjoyed !!!