Magical Cocoa Butter

I LOVE the days when Im chiseling off chunks of raw cocoa butter for my formulations!  LOVE IT!  I just take what ever little pieces are left and rub them all over me!  It is decadent and my skin feels like a babies behind. Same on my Shea butter days it is just amazing to have the pure butter melt into my skin. 
It is said that Cocoa Butter is great for aged skin, I can testify on this.  After years of tanning and living in a hot, dry Texas climate it has taken a toll.  I can see a difference in my skin after using cocoa and shea.
Cocoa Butter is a nut butter, taken from a cocoa bean.  Yes, the same cocoa bean used for chocolate, which gives it the same scent.  Gotta love that! Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter Cocoa Butter is the natural fat from the seeds of the fruit of the Cacao tree (grows in tropical regions), we get our PURE, ORGANIC & FAIR TRADE, from Ghana, rich in oleic, stearic & palmitic fatty acids, contains also flavors (e.g. vanillic acid), sterols, tannins & pigments.

If you would like to see what 50 pounds of PURE, ORGANIC, Cocoa Butter looks like, I have attached a picture.  We use this in our products because it is the BEST!  And, yes, that is the chisel I use! Hard work, but ohhh sooo worth it!

Lifestyle Change Anyone?

My name is Missy Clay and I am a sugar addict!  There, now that it is out on the table its time  to re-set.  Anyone that has ever known me knows this fact about me.  I LOVE sweet tea, cupcakes, even put sugar on strawberries!  God blessed me with a great metabolism and I am thankful.  However, I have four children and am 40 something; its time to do some serious work.  Not because I am over weight, I am not.  Healthy nutrition and excercise is not only healthy but it makes you feel better about yourself and increases energy levels.  With 3 year old twins, trust me I NEED all the energy I can muster.
So, ,my husband decides P90X is the workout for us, ok, I am in.  That is all fine and great but I can't do the workout and eat a bag of chips before bed!  On top of this going on I am trying on clothes thinking this is it, im out of shape and out of energy let do this thing! DONE!
You well know I am an advocate of healthy products.  A Yummy Apology is based on less chemical more goodness. This should also apply in my kitchen.  I do allow myself one indulgence as to not feel deprived all day.  My morning coffee with cream and agave sweetener.  Believe it or not it works!
My grocery list looks drastically different these past few weeks.  Here it is...Fresh organic eggs, pineapple, cantaloupe, bananas, kale, baby spinach, lemons, talapia, salmon, scallops, shrimp, tuna, cheese, whole wheat pasta, couscous, whole wheat taboule, quinoa, blueberries, strawberries, low fat  vanilla yogurt, tortillas, orange juice and milk.
For the most part yogurt and berries have been breakfast, I did oatmeal plain with raisins and honey one day. Salad for lunch with whatever is in the fridge that sounds good that day. Fish and pasta or whole grains for dinner with fruit for dessert. NO midnight snacking and its killing me, but getting easier every day.  Drinking a ton of lemon water. I also started taking Biotin supplement in addition to my daily vitamin. My energy level has increase substantially!  Also, the recipe for the salad is below if you want to give it a try.  Something Yummy added to an already Yummy life!  Does not get better than that!

I think, for me, it is a matter of finding food you truely enjoy and not fad diets. Eat clean, live clean and feel great!  If you are on a similar journey I wish you the best of luck and feel free to share your story.

Spinach Kale Salad with Raspberry Vinegrette
1/2 cup fresh organic Kale
1/2 cup fresh organic spinach (stems removed)
1/4 cup cherry tomato
... 1/4 cup talipia grilled seasoned with salt pepper only
1 hard boiled egg
1 large slice pineapple
1/2 cup cubed fresh cantaloupe
2 TBSP Raspberry Walnut Vinegrette

Saving a good soak for a special occasion is one thing or maybe it is something you enjoy daily, a long hot bath sometimes, is just what you need to wind down, relax and have a few moments to just be.  Maybe you love a favorite essential oil, bubbles or just a few cups of epsom salt, one can not deny the joy of lying in a hot tub with some cool cucumber slices marinating your tired eyeballs.  Many years ago I discovered a bath treat call a bath bomb. I dropped this huge ball of joy into my tub and it was like cleopatra's new love! OMGosh!  The aroma, the tingle, the little dried rose petals, OH MY! This fall when my babies were sick I used a mentha bath bomb and it sure helped the little cherubs breath. They also thought the fizz was pretty cool!  As, I have formulated soaps and such for awhile I decided to try making bath bombs myself.  It seemed easy enough, so I started with a basic formula and it was, I must admit, a bit tricky.  My first lesson is there can be no moisture in the air, so my rainy day experiment turned into something that looked kindof like a cononut snowball, not what I wanted.  I kept working at it and in the end I came up with a unique blend of dry ingredients, which includes milk, oils, etc.  Rarely, do I get to enjoy a long soak in the tub, but when I do you better bet, I have some of these babies ready to go.

What is a Neti Pot?

This cute litte pot is not used for watering your plants, nor is it used to conjure a genie!  Nope, it is used to help with sinus issues!  These adorable little pots have been featured on the Oprah show with Dr. Oz as well as other major television shows.  What is all the fuss about you ask?

This is an ancient practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucas and debris from the nose and sinuses. Nasal cleansing began as an ayurvedic medicine technique in ancient India. The practice is generally well-tolerated and beneficial with only minor side effects.

According to its advocates, nasal irrigation promotes good sinus and nasal health. Patients with chronic sinusitis including symptoms of facial pain, headache, allergies, etc, often find nasal irrigation to provide effective relief. In published studies, "daily hypertonic saline nasal irrigation improves sinus-related quality of life, decreases symptoms, and decreases medication use in patients with frequent sinusitis," and irrigation is recommended as an adjunctive treatment for chronic sinonasal symptoms. But in most cases it is not necessary to use daily, just as needed. However, if you are unable to blow your nose, you should not use a Neti Pot.

Basically, sea salt or non-iodized salt is mixed with tepid, distilled water, if it is too cold or hot it will be uncomfortable.NEVER use hot or cold water. Follow the directions that come with your Neti Pot! Tilt your head to the side and let the mixture flow easily from your upper nostril and out the lower nostril. According to directions you should breath through your nose during the process. Then gently exhale several times when you finish to clear your sinus passages.

Overall, what we have learned; is using the Neti Pot can help relieve sinus symptoms naturally, which we love!  Please understand, we are not experts or Dr's ourselves and urge you to investigate any source of healing before making a choice that is right for you. We just want to share alternative ways of feeling better that may not require the chemicals most of us turn to, but at time are necessary. Good luck finding the right solution for you and maybe this will help in some way!

*We will not be held liable for any usage of these products.While Neti Pots are deemed safe when using correctly,  Use at your own determination and risk.

Here We Go Again

And as it were...we were back in the Dr.'s office this morning.  Hoping once again to hear a better report.  Happy to say little man is looking good!  Ears are clear and he is ready to roll.  Princess pretty face however, not so much!  I can preface this by telling you we have been to the Dr. probably 12 times since September and hospitialized once.  Before this time we have never been sick in our little lives!  The culprit?  We started Pre-K in the fall. I had no idea this would mean school uniforms, shoes, book bags and 10 gallons of hand sanitizer!  The other children have weathered a bit better, I must add they started school prior and most moms have assured me this is routine and it will get better.  I do not remember as a child having these issues nor did my friends.  Have bugs gotten that much worse over the years or have they morphed into something new?  Are the over the counter meds just not working or are we that weak on immunity? Im heading to my natural healing books to look into this further.  I pray this is the last round and hopefully, I will find some natural healing information that will facilitate this process. If you have experienced similar issues, feel free to chime in! 

Welcome!

Happy Friday!  Welcome to our NEW Blog!  I look forward to sharing ALL THINGS Yummy with you!  While we specialize in All Natural Bath and Body products which you can find at http://www.ayummyapology.com/; we hope to also share Yummy recipes for DIY beauty treatments as well as Food and drink!  Welcome and we wish you all a YUMMY day!

Missy