Eat My Cooking

There's a moment right after you decide to make banana bread. You know the one: It's only an instant, but it's long enough to picture 45-minutes-from-now you, curled up under a blanket, eating a slice of perfectly dense, dark-chocolate studded banana bread the size of a salad plate. You're smiling as you imagine it—you can almost taste the bread, feel the soft coziness of the blanket.

And then, if you're anything like me, there's a moment right after that. A slightly darker one. It's the moment when you realize that you actually do not have the "very ripe" bananas called for by your selected recipe because, well, that would've involved a lot of foresight and less haphazard snacking habits. You only have a bunch of firm, bright yellow ones. Things can get pretty ugly, at this point—let's just say, people have been known to react in unpredictable ways:

Unlike my Twitter hero Chrissy Teigen, I don't have an assistant (unless the iPhone Notes app counts?) and proffering a pair of my boyfriend's underwear to a stranger would land somewhere between an aggressive threat and a fineable offense.

So in this second, darker moment, I have only a couple of choices. One: Cancel my dreams of warm banana bread. Mitigate my hanger—barely—by just eating the perky, unripe bananas right then and there, each bite of their off-sweet, basically chewy flesh mocking me as I choke it down. Or two: innovate.

Enter the quick banana-ripening hack: bake them in the oven. An urban legend of sorts, I came across this tip at some point years ago (probably in the same corner of the internet where I learned about the three-second apple peeling trick, and how to slice a log of sugar cookie dough with dental floss). At first, I dismissed it as ludicrous. Baked bananas? Wouldn't that just be baby food?

I dabbled with the baked banana trick's more logical-seeming cousins, instead. The most basic: placing the bananas in a warm spot in the house for a few days. And then, placing the bananas in a sealed paper bag, overnight—the proliferation of ethylene in a fixed space apparently expedites the ripening process. But results were unreliable (probably because the temperatures in my apartment were, too), and worst of all, they weren't exactly quick. Like, need-banana-bread-ASAP, quick.

So, eventually I turned to my oven and gave it a try.

The basic oven-ripening trick goes like this: Place your bananas, still in their peels, on a lined, rimmed baking sheet (because they ooze, sometimes). Turn the oven to 300°F. Bake the bananas until their peels turn black. Let them cool a few minutes before handling, and voila: sweet, mushy bananas for baking.

Despite my dubiousness, my first go of it actually worked fine. I started with bananas that were still quite firm, and lightish yellow. They took close to 20 minutes to turn black at 300°F, which was a big improvement over waiting an indeterminate numbers of hours (sometimes days) for a paper bag to work its magic, or worse still, desperately forgoing banana bread in favor of an immediate snack.

Were they a perfect dupe of naturally ripened bananas? Not exactly. The flavor wasn't quite as deep, and they had a bit of a weird smell that completely dissipated once they were added to my banana bread batter—but the final baked good definitely tasted banana-y.

The team over at Bakepedia reached out to canonical food scientist Harold McGee, who explained why oven-"ripened" bananas aren't exactly like the real thing. He told them:

…from the descriptions I see on the web, I’d call this simple cooking and not ripening. The high heat damages the cells and so weakens and softens the structure; and the indiscriminate mixing of cell components probably does mean that enzymes convert some of the starch to sugars, as happens in baking sweet potatoes. The lower the baking temp and the slower the heating, the more starch conversion there will be, since the enzymes are knocked out as the temperature approaches the boiling point.

In other words, baking your bananas for instant ripening isn't a perfect solution—you'll miss out on some of the starch conversion you'd get from natural ripening. And theoretically speaking, the higher the temperature you use to bake your bananas, the less starch conversation you'll get.

Which explains why I like the results of a lower and slower oven-ripening than of, say, 9 minutes at 400°F. In all of my tinkering with this method, I've found the sweet spot—no pun intended—in terms of baking time and resulting banana flavor/texture to be a 15 to 20 minute bake at 300°F, until the peels are almost black all over, with just a very thin stripe of yellow remaining in the middle.

In a perfect world, I'd someday soon become the type of person who leaves her bananas in a warm spot in the house days before she comes down with a banana bread craving—but in the meantime, this is a pretty solid plan B.

Have you tried any banana-ripening hacks? What did you think of them? Let us know in the comments.

Now onward to some recipes from the archives to satisfy that pumpkin craving. Please note not all of the recipes are vegan friendly, but most are, and many can be adapted to suit dietary requirements.

I've updated this post to feature more pumpkin recipes that I have enjoyed since I first shared this collection.

For breakfast, waffles with a hot cup of coffee or tea are a fine way to warm up in the morning. The divine aroma of the baking waffles with pumpkin pie spicing will have you nibbling on them before the maple syrup is even poured on top to complete the feast.

Vegan Morning Glory Muffins

Delectably moist, with lots of different textures to heighten the mood of even the grumpiest of non-morning folks like myself, these spiced muffins feature the natural sweetness of pumpkin and fruit which is highlighted by the nutty undertone and crunch of walnuts. They are also a wonderful snack, especially with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Essentially Raw Pumpkin Bites

These pumpkin squares are surprisingly reminiscent of a layer cake or an upside down cheesecake as the bottom layer is made up of dates, prunes and cocoa with that melt in your mouth quality, while the top layer consisting of cashews, maple syrup, pumpkin and spice has a bit of a crunch. No baking is required either, just a bit of patience with the food processor.

Pumpkin Energy Bites

Quick and easy healthy pumpkin energy treats with dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and pumpkin spices. No need to feel guilty about eating a few of these for breakfast or a snack to keep you going throughout the day. Yes, they do contain chocolate but it is the fine quality dark variety and with all those nuts, seeds and dried fruit, do your body a favor and enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding with Banana and Avocado

Pumpkin pie is a welcome treat, but this easy to prepare pudding is just as good and tastes much like one, except without a crust nor the fuss. Pumpkin puree is whizzed up with banana, avocado, pumpkin pie spices and maple syrup. No need to feel guilty about this nourishing and not too sweet pudding.

Quick and Easy Vegan Pumpkin Molasses Chocolate Chip Bread

Moist and fragrant, this pumpkin and molasses bread studded with dark chocolate chips is not only easy to prepare, but it requires only one bowl to yield one lovely loaf. Not overly sweet, it can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Of course, pumpkin also features well in desserts, and this light and creamy cheesecake is a fine example of that. It's crustless too. The only drawback is waiting for the opportunity to enjoy a few bites.

Pumpkin Pie with Fresh Purée

Who can resist the allure of pumpkin pie, especially when a homemade pumpkin purée is baked in a homemade pastry crust. Creamy and rich, with the aromatic spices we associate with baked treats, this might be the best pumpkin pie I've made yet.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Soft, chewy and buttery as a chocolate chip cookie should be, but with the additional flavor and fragrance of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices, they make for a delightful treat anytime of day, including breakfast.

Source: https://foodandspice.blogspot.com/2016/10/10-nourishing-vegetarian-and-vegan.html

While haunted house attractions are all the rage among those looking to get spooked, it takes a person with some serious guts to take on a place with a reputation for actually having real ghosts haunt the halls. What’s even scarier than a haunted restaurant or spooky hiking trail, however, is an actual home where spirits reside. Current or former homes with a ghostly presence take on an especially eerie vibe, given they often come with tragic and personal tales of suicide, murder, or heartbreak. So we sought out real houses that are actually haunted for the ultimate scare.

The Best Haunted Houses to Visit in Every State Gallery

In order to determine just which haunted houses in each state were the most worth visiting, we consulted our previous coverage of haunted places around the country. Using Yelp and TripAdvisor, we checked out what visitors thought of the most popular haunted houses we could find and made a determination from there of just which ones were the top “legitimately” haunted attractions that really made guests’ skin crawl.

While there are some fantastic make-believe haunted houses throughout the country, we believe that a real haunting is an even better way to get your hair to stand on end. These real haunted houses are the best to visit in every state, if you dare.

Last night’s Rachel Brosnahan-hosted episode of SNL included a Kool-Aid-themed parody of the Gillette’s Super Bowl commercial “We Believe.” Like its inspiration, this fake-ad aims to sell a product by tackling toxic masculinity — but in this case, the pernicious culture is specifically men crashing through walls with jugs of Kool-Aid saying “Oh yeah!”

The sketch begins with a recreation of one of those old ’80s ads where two teenage boys are talking about how they worked up a big thirst during basketball practice, and the Kool-Aid mascot crashes through the wall, much to their delight. “Is this a Kool-Aid man?” a voice says. “Oh yeah? More like oh no.” The action then shifts to a montage of boys and men imitating the Kool-Aid Man in all sorts of absurd scenarios, including a business presentation from a female executive. “Something finally changed,” the narrator says, as news anchors report about Kool-Aid-related controversies. “There will be no going back, because we believe in the best in a Kool-Aid man, to say the right thing, and act the right way.” The sketch ends with clips of bros helping other bros curb their Kool-Aid Man impulses.

While it’s very funny to watch comedians Beck Bennet and Alex Moffat channel the ’80s mascot, this sketch also works because it skillfully skewers the self-serious tone of the original commercial. And “We Believe” is certainly ripe for parody: As Vox’s Kaitlyn Tiffany notes, the Gillette commercial is “a blatant attempt to make money off a painful and ongoing collective action that has not even an indirect relationship to face razors.”

• SNL [YouTube]
• Why Gillette’s toxic masculinity ad is annoying both sexists and feminists [Vox]

Need some easy gluten free freezer meals? 

Freezer meals are one of the best ways to save time and money when it comes to gluten free eating. A little planning ahead can help so much when it comes to serving your family easy gluten free foods. 

There are a few gluten free foods that you will almost always find in my freezer. I freeze foods that work for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I usually have a few gluten free desserts in the freezer as well. 

We were recently talking about freezer cooking in my Everyday Adventures Facebook group and there was a request for more gluten free freezer recipes. I thought this was a great idea. It is actually a request that I have had quite a few times. 

I decided to finally put together a list of my favorite gluten free recipes to freeze. I also added in some great gluten free freezer recipes from other bloggers. 

I ended up with a huge list of gluten free freezer friendly recipes. I plan to keep adding to this list as I find more gluten free freezer meals. So be sure to bookmark or pin it. Feel free to also share this post with any gluten free friends that would find it helpful. 

The majority of the recipes on this list are specifically gluten free, but for a few of them are not. You need to be sure to use items like gluten free pasta, gluten free soy sauce, gluten free taco seasoning, etc. On those recipes I tried to make notes next to each link with the changes that need to be made. 

I would also love to hear your favorite gluten free freezer recipes, so please leave a comment with your favorites as well. I will add them to the list. 

Tips for Gluten Free Freezer Cooking

• Always, always, always read labels. No matter the recipe or ingredients, you have to read labels to be sure the ingredients are safe for your family. You have to be sure to use gluten free pasta, gluten free soy sauce, gluten free broth, etc. The best thing you can do to ensure the ingredients are gluten free is to read labels. Brands often change ingredients and processing, so I can’t stress enough the importance of reading labels when buying ingredients. 
• Make sure your food is always cold before freezing it. If your food is warm or even room temperature when you put it in the freezer, it is more likely to get freezer burn. Try to always put it in the fridge for a few hours before putting it in the freezer. 
• Not all the recipes on the list contain exact directions for freezing, but they are all foods and recipes that freeze well. 
• Items like muffins, cookies, taco meat, and even some things like pasta sauce can be frozen in zip top bags so that they take up less room in the freezer. 
• Always label your freezer meals with the name and date. This way you will know exactly what it is and what needs used up. 
• Many casseroles, shredded meats, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and breads can be frozen. This list contains my favorites. I hope by seeing the type of recipes I freeze, it will inspire you to turn some of your favorite gluten free foods into freezer meals. 
• You don’t usually need special directions for freezing, you just need to learn what types of food freeze well and what food your family likes as freezer meals. 

Gluten Free Freezer Friendly Breakfast Recipes

Gluten Free Freezer Friendly Beef Recipes

• 5 Ingredient Burritos–Make a big batch of the filling and freeze it for using with gf tortillas, corn tortilla, chips, etc. Make sure your chili beans are gluten free. Most are gf, but not all are.
• Beef Stew with Mushrooms
• Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes– Freezer filling, defrost, and serve over gf buns or bread
• Chili Relleno Casserole-Freeze after baking
• Gluten Free Meatballs
• Gluten Free Meatloaf
• Freezer Burrito Casserole
• Mexican Beef and Beans Casserole– This freezes great in a 9×13 pan, a smaller pan, or in a container that you can freeze, defrost, and put in a pan to bake. 
• Not Soggy Nachos– Make and freeze to serve with chips. 
• Simple Pasta Sauce– This is easy to double or triple and keep in the freezer. Serve over gluten free pasta. My current favorite gluten free pasta and the best gluten free pastas.
• Sloppy Joes– Freeze filling and serve over gf buns or gf bread.
• Southwest Casserole
• Spaghetti Pie
• Steak Fried Rice
• Taco Meat for using in tacos, burritos, taco salad, nachos, over baked potatoes, and more. Use gluten free or homemade taco seasoning.
• Taco Meatloaf– Freeze before or after cooking
• Taco Pasta– Use gf pasta and be sure your taco seasoning is gf. 
• Taco Soup
• Taco Soup without Beans
• Teriyaki Chicken– Can freeze in the marinade, defrost, and cook. 
• Three Cheese Beef Enchiladas– Use corn or gf tortillas and be sure your enchilada sauce is gf. 

Gluten Free Freezer Friendly Chicken Recipes

Gluten Free Freezer Friendly Soup Recipes

Gluten Free Freezer Friendly Pork Recipes

Gluten Free Freezer Friendly Dessert Recipes

Gluten Free Misc. Freezer Friendly Recipes

If you are a fan of sushi, then you will be all over this Strawberry Mango Tuna Poke Bowl! It’s a bit like sushi in a bowl, like sushi made super easy… I’m telling you, nutritious food has never tasted this good!

Sorry I haven’t posted in so long you guys! Well, in fact it’s only been 2 whole weeks, but for me, it feels like it’s been months! 

You see, earlier this year, I came to the realization that keeping your body healthy is one thing, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, one needs to keep their mind healthy. The best way to do that, I find, is through meditation. I started meditating daily only just a few months ago and already, it’s literally changed my life. And now, I’m just returning from a 10 day silent meditation retreat, during which I was, obviously, completely cut out from the outside world.

With my life being what it is these days, i.e. so unbelievably busy, I hadn’t had time to make and schedule any posts before leaving (in fact, I was so totally unprepared for this – I pretty much left my entire life on hold, almost expecting the world to wait for my return to start turning again), so I had no choice but to extend my vow of silence all the way to this very page! Ha! How’s that for dedication? 

Seriously, though, it was one of the best experiences of my life! Hard, very hard even, but so incredibly enlightening.  It’s a bit like working out, you know: while you are doing it, it can even be extremely unpleasant at times, but feels so very good after the fact! 

At the meditation center, we were fed a strict vegetarian diet but the food was so amazing, I got inspired to create new recipes nearly every day! So erm, yeah, expect a few vegetarian recipes coming this way over the next few weeks…

For some reason, though, I dreamt of eating one of them delicious Poke Bowls filled with chunks of juicy mango and slices of fresh strawberries the whole time I was there. And trust me, I had LOTS AND LOTS of time on my hands to dream about it… So much so, I could almost taste it! So of course the minute I got back home, I went and got all the ingredients to make my vision come to life. Wow did it ever satisfy! 

Honestly, if you’ve not yet experienced the amazing goodness of a poke bowl, I think now would be a good time for you to fix this! Let’s get started, shall we? 

When making poke bowls, the first thing you wanna do is cook your rice. Indeed, it’s what takes the longest, especially since you’re going to have to let it come down to room temperature… so deal with that first, if you haven’t already. 

Then, you’ll want to cut your fish into little cubes of about half an inch and put those cubes right into a bowl.

Here’s a little tip for you: if you want to make your fish easier to cut, send it for a quick trip to the freezer beforehand. Not for long, really – about 20 minutes should do the trick. This will only make it a tad firmer and will help you slice up cleaner looking cubes.

While the fish is in the freezer — if you’ve chosen to do that — you can work on making the marinade. 

Grab a small measuring cup and in it, combine the coconut aminos  (soy sauce or tamari would also work well), sriracha, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey and minced ginger and whisk until well incorporated; pour that right over the tuna and toss gently to coat the fish.

Send that to the fridge for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

While the fish is happily marinating, you’ll have plenty of time to prep the veggies and make the spicy drizzling sauce!  To make that sauce, simply combine some tahini, rice vinegar, sriracha, honey, minced ginger, toasted sesame oil and a few drops of fish sauce and whisk until smooth. Set that aside, you’re done!

Next in line is to prep the veggies… 

I chose to go with a combination of mango, strawberries, bean sprouts, carrots, snow peas, avocado and green onions, but feel free to make any substitutions you like. Building poke bowls is really not an exact science! 

And now you’re ready to start building your bowls! Mound about 1 cup of the cooked rice at the bottom of 4 bowls, then top it with your choice of vegetables and finally, spoon the marinated fish over the veggies, dividing it equally between all four bowls.

Drizzle some of that lovely spicy sauce all over the top and then, for the finishing touch, sprinkle with a pinch of sesame seeds, if you so desire.

Enjoy your Poke Bowl without delay… (I’m not even worried about that… I just know you won’t be able to wait much longer to dig in!)

If you’ve tried this recipe, or any other recipe on the blog, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!

If you are a fan of sushi, then you will be all over this Strawberry Mango Tuna Poke Bowl! It’s a bit like sushi in a bowl, like sushi made super easy… I’m telling you, nutritious food has never tasted this good!

Cooling and marinating time 20 minutes

Author Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

Ingredients

To build the bowls

• 4 cups cooked calrose rice* at room temperature
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 large carrot spiralized
• 1 medium hass avocado sliced
• 1 mango cubed
• 8 strawberries sliced
• 20-24 snow peas
• 2 green onions sliced

Instructions

1. If you haven’t done so already, cook the rice according to the instructions on the package (you’ll need 2 cups of dry rice to get the required amount of cooked rice) and then let it cool to room temperature.

2. While the rice is cooling, cut the tuna into approximately 1/2″ cubes and place it in a medium bowl.

3. Combine the coconut aminos, sriracha, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey and minced ginger in a small measuring cup and whisk until well incorporated; pour over the tuna and toss gently to coat the fish. Refrigerate for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the spicy sauce: simply combine all the ingredients and whisk until well incorporated.

5. To serve, place about 1 cup of rice at the bottom of 4 bowls, top with your choice of vegetables and then spoon the fish over the veggies, dividing it equally between all four bowls. Drizzle with spicy sauce and sprinkle with a pinch of sesame seeds, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. You’ll need 2 cups dry rice to get the required amount of cooked rice.

Nutrition Facts

Strawberry Mango Tuna Poke Bowl

Amount Per Serving

Calories 928 Calories from Fat 234

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 26g 40%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 56mg 19%

Sodium 784mg 33%

Potassium 1021mg 29%

Total Carbohydrates 124g 41%

Dietary Fiber 9g 36%

Sugars 19g

Protein 47g 94%

Vitamin A 128%

Vitamin C 65.2%

Calcium 7.1%

Iron 27.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Source: https://thehealthyfoodie.com/strawberry-mango-tuna-poke-bowl/

A DIY hair mask is a great option for improving the look and texture of all hair types. If you've never tried one, I hope today's post will encourage you to try one–or more!

What are Hair Masks?

Hair masks are a form of hair treatment in which ingredients are applied to hair, left to sit for 10-20 minutes, then rinsed out.

Similar to face masks, hair masks can be formulated to target specific issues (such as oiliness or dryness).

Hair masks are beneficial to all hair types, but ingredients should be carefully selected in order to achieve the desired result. For example, if you wish to add moisture to dry hair, you will choose ingredients such as oil or honey. If you are creating a homemade hair mask for oily hair, clay, apple cider vinegar, and even egg whites may be on the list. (We will discuss these in more detail below.)

Why choose a homemade hair mask?

While there are various store-bought hair masks available, I highly encourage you to try making your own in order to avoid the toxins found in many conventional hair care products.

By creating your own homemade hair mask, you will have more control over the ingredients, ensuring it is perfectly suited to your hair type, as well as save time and money. Most DIY hair masks are quick and easy to prepare and use ingredients you likely have on hand.

How to choose the right hair mask for your hair type

When it comes to deciding on a hair mask recipe, consider your most pressing concern.

Is your hair extremely damaged or seem to break easily? Choose a hair mask that strengthens hair (like the gelatin hair mask below).

If dryness is your greatest concern, choose a moisturizing mask, such as a hot oil hair mask.

If you are dealing with a lot of oiliness, try a clarifying mask, such as a clay mask or egg white mask.

Another important consideration is the amount of time you have on hand and what ingredients are available. While most homemade hair mask recipes are quick and easy to prepare, some are a little more involved than others.

Nourishing DIY Hair Mask Recipes for All Hair Types

The following two homemade hair masks are my favorite hair masks for most hair types. One is known for strengthening the hair, while the other is used to soften hair.

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Gelatin Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Gelatin is an amazing ingredient for many health concerns. Many of us are consuming it in order to improve our guts, joints, hair, skin, and nails. But, the keratin proteins found in gelatin are actually thought to bind to hair, improving its texture and strengthening it.

What You Will Need

Directions

Place water and gelatin in a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Warm over medium-low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Be sure to stir frequently so the mixture doesn't form clumps.

Remove from heat and add apple cider vinegar and honey (if using). Whisk to combine.

Allow mixture to cool briefly, add essential oils and stir to distribute evenly.

Once the mask is cool, apply to damp hair using your fingertips or the paintbrush.

Leave the gelatin hair mask on hair for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

Use a vinegar rinse to remove any excess, if necessary.

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Honey DIY Hair Mask to Soften Hair

Honey has the amazing ability to leave hair soft and smooth (it does the same for the face by the way!). Because it is a humectant, honey attracts moisture to itself, and therefore, the hair.

It appears this enables hair to retain more moisture, which promotes a silky texture.

Creating a DIY honey hair mask is as simple as applying honey to your hair. If the honey is too thick to spread easily, add a small amount of water or cooled herbal tea to thin until it is easy to apply. (You will only need a tablespoon or two of liquid per ¼ cup of honey).

The amount of honey you need depends on the how much hair you have. Most people will use at least 1/8 cup of honey for one treatment.

While a honey hair mask works well for most hair types, if you have excessively oily hair, you may want to skip it or try adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the mix.

What You Will Need

• 1/8 – 1/4 cup honey
• 1-2 tablespoons of water, cooled herbal tea (such as peppermint or nettle)
• 1 drop sage, rosemary, or lavender essential oil, optional
• Shower Cap

Directions

Place honey and 1 tablespoon of water or tea in a bowl and stir to combine. Add more liquid if needed to make the honey easy to apply.

Add essential oil and stir to distribute evenly

Massage the honey hair mask into damp hair and cover with the shower cap.

Leave on for 10-15 minutes.

Rinse out with warm water.

Homemade Clarifying Hair Masks for Oily Hair

Oily hair can benefit from a weekly hair mask to reduce excess oil and cleanse the scalp.

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Clay DIY Hair Mask

A clay hair mask is a well-loved hair treatment for oily hair. Clay is a helpful ingredient to keep on hand as it has the uncanny ability to absorb toxins and oil, making it extremely useful for various skin care preparations. You'll note that there are 2 clays mentioned in the ingredient list, but they are a bit different.

Both Rhassoul and Bentonite are known for their health benefits (you can see some of the benefits of bentonite clay here), but rhassoul is more gentle than bentonite.

What You Will Need

• 1-2 tablespoons Rhassoul or Bentonite clay
• Water or herbal tea
• Shower Cap

Directions

Place clay in a small bowl and add enough water or herbal tea to make a thin paste. Avoid metal utensils if possible, as this may decrease the clay's ability to absorb toxins.

Massage clay mixture into scalp and throughout the hair. Cover with the shower cap.

Leave on for 5-10 mins then wash out with warm water or an apple cider vinegar rinse. An apple cider vinegar rinse is a great way to help restore the pH balance to your hair and scalp.

Important note: do not allow clay mixture to dry on the hair as it can contribute to breakage. Wearing a shower cap over after application will prevent the mask from drying out too quickly.

Egg White DIY Hair Mask

A DIY Egg white hair mask is super simple and inexpensive. This mask is best suited for oily hair as the enzymes in egg whites are thought to help cleanse the scalp and remove excess oil.

The egg white also contains protein which may contribute to smoother, stronger hair.

What You Will Need

• 1-2 Egg whites (depending on hair length)
• Shower Cap

Directions

Whisk egg whites until frothy.

Apply the egg white hair mask to damp hair and cover with a shower cap. Leave on for 15-20 minutes.

Rinse out with cool water (definitely not hot water unless you want scrambled eggs in your hair!)

Follow with shampoo and conditioner.

Note – for ease of having this type of mask at the ready anytime, you could buy these dehydrated egg whites and rehydrate them as needed!

Homemade Moisturizing Hair Masks for Dry Hair

If your hair is dry, you know the feeling of needing a deep conditioning treatment. The following homemade hair masks are specially designed to bring extra moisture and repair to dry and damaged hair.

Rosemary Hot Oil DIY Hair Mask

This Rosemary Hot Oil mask is a great DIY hair mask for damaged hair. This is the most time consuming of the hair mask recipes because it requires time to create an oil infusion before use. You can speed up the process by using rosemary essential oil instead of herbs (instructions below).

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Avocado DIY Hair Mask

This homemade avocado hair mask adds deeply conditions dry hair, leaving your locks soft and shiny.

Of course avocados can be quite pricey so here's a frugal tip: buy them on sale and freeze some avocados for all of your future DIY Avocado Hair Mask needs!

What You Will Need

Directions

Slice avocado, remove pit, and scoop out the meat. Next, place in a bowl and mash until smooth. Add olive oil and stir to combine. (If you would prefer a smoother mask, place avocado and olive oil in a blend and pulse until smooth).

Apply the avocado hair mask to damp hair, working through with your fingertips. Leave for 20-30 minutes before washing out with warm water.

Shampoo and condition as usual.

Note on shampoo and conditioners–it's best to use shampoos that don't use harsh chemicals or leave toxic residues on your hair so that the benefits of your homemade hair mask can be more long lasting.

As you can see, a homemade hair mask doesn't require a lot of effort or time and are quite simple to prepare. Beneficial for all hair types, these hair mask recipes can be used on a weekly basis to improve the look and feel of your hair.

Which DIY Hair Mask will you try?

Stacy is wife to a preacher and mom of three. Obsessed with DIY skin care and herbal remedies, she loves helping women simplify natural living so they can live a healthy life without feeling overwhelmed. Find Stacy sharing tips and tutorials at adelightfulhome.com.

I hope this doesn’t start a trend with other sweeteners. If it does, let’s get ready for Pumpkin Spice Splenda. Actually, that has a nice ring to it. (Spotted by Jen H at Publix.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:19 am   6 Comments
Categories: weekly menus Tags: dinner plans, weekly menu |