3-Ingredient DIY Face Wash

As with most things, this face wash was discovered while searching for something else. I was searching for something to heal a scar that I had gotten on my lip. While researching, over and over both lavender oil and tea tree oil came up as solutions to my problem. I figured, if one of them would be helpful, BOTH would be unbelievably healing. I used the combination faithfully on my scar and what was supposed to leave a very prominent mark, has become hardly noticeable. Somewhere along the way I began using this little spot treatment as a full face wash. and I absolutely loved the results. While my scar isn’t completely gone and my skin is FAR from perfect, this oil based face wash daily leaves my face feeling dewy and fresh. It’s all natural so I feel super good about using it, but more than that IT WORKS. It’s gentle and powerful at the same time. If you’re not completely satisfied with your current face wash, give this combo a try and let me know what you think.

3-Ingredient DIY Face Wash

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 6 drops lavender essential oil

• 6 drops tea tree essential oil

Heat the coconut oil in a microwave safe container until fully melted, 30-45 seconds. Add in the lavender and tea tree oil drops. Stir. Store in an airtight container in the bathroom and use daily as a face wash. I like to use mine nightly to get all my makeup off and leave my skin feelin’ all dewey before I crawl into bed.

Note: Depending on the temperature in your bathroom, the oil will fluctuate between liquid and solid. Above 76 degrees it will be liquid. Below that and it will be solid. No matter which state it is in it will work well as a facial cleanser.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ginger {GF + Vegan}

It’s Tuesday and you deserve a cookie. I deserve a cookie. WE ALL DESERVE A COOKIE.

Chocolate chip is my go-to. This recipe maintains the comfort of my classic favorite, but adds a little pizazz to keep me a little more interesting than I actually am. The spiciness of the ginger combined perfectly with a soft and gooey base of a cookie is just what this not-even-quite-hump-day needs. Whether you’re looking for a good chocolate chip cookie that will satisfy your sweet tooth or a variation of an original, this is your recipe.

Sending cookies and prayers and hope that the rest of the week speeds by faster than it’s begun for you all.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ginger (GF + Vegan)

Inspired by Jessie Mae

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

• 3 tablespoons water

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup oat flour, fluffed with a fork

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water. Mix and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.

Add the almond butter, brown sugar, and vanilla to the flax mixture and beat with a spoon until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the batter and mix until the dough begins to come together - then add the chopped chocolate and grated ginger.

Scoop the  dough into 12 equal cookie dough mounds. I always recommend using a cooking scooper. It’s a life saver! Roll into balls, and press down gently to form into thick disks.

Bake for 9 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the pan. The cookies may seem too soft when you initially remove them from the oven, but keeping them on the pan will allow them to cook just a little bit more. Just the perfect amount. Once they have completely cooled, remove them from the pan and store in an airtight container.

Overnight Chia Oats with all the toppings {GF + Vegan}

This breakfast falls into both my lazy breakfast and fancy breakfast categories. It’s fancy because, i mean, JUST LOOK AT IT! It might just seem like oats, but look at all the extra bursts of flavor and separate textures coming through. But here’s the secret, here’s why it’s lazy, it really just requires you to throw the ingredients in a mason jar or container of choice and then say SEE YA IN THE MORNING! No jokes. No gimics. That’s it.

I use this as my holy-crap-I-only-have-five-minutes-before-I-have-to-leave, but I could also definitely justify it as a “fancy breakfast” on the weekends. You can meal prep it on Sunday and eat on it all week. You can feel both a little lazy and a little fancy. Skeptical? I get it. But give it a try this week and I think you’ll be convinced.

Overnight Chia OatS

Serves 4-6

• 1/4 cup hemp seeds

• 1/4 cup chia seeds

• 1 cup oats

• 2 1/2 cups almond milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Optional

• peanut butter

• almond butter

• berries

• additional maple syrup

• nuts

• yogurt (I used this brand)

In a large mixing bowl combine the hemp seeds, chia seeds, oats, almond milk, vanilla, and maple syrup. Place the mixture in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours. Remove the desired portion from the refrigerator and add toppings. In the winter i like to warm the mixture up and then add the toppings, but in the warmer part of the year i like eating it cold. Choose whatever appeals to you!

Weekend Waffles with Raspberry Orange Syrup (GF + Vegan)

Maybe to you me stating that I love Saturdays is like saying I love sunshine and I puppies. So obvious. For me though, the love is far less obvious. For the past three years I’ve worked as a wedding photographer which meant March-November my Saturdays were filled with commitments that required me take on grueling 16 hours days. It wasn’t always awful, but it wasn’t something I went to bed dreaming about waking up to go do. Saturdays were the day I longed to get behind me, not the day I counted down toward. There was so much dread surrounding this day that so many of my friends and family members longed for.

Today I have a different perspective. I recently transitioned out of the wedding industry into a job that requires MUCH less of my Saturdays and I like I am finally learning to love them again. Our current weekend rhythm is sleeping in until 8 or so, slowly making some coffee, reading a little, cleaning a little, running or going to a pilates yoga class, and then coming back home to make what I love to call “fancy breakfast”. The only thing really ever fancy about it is that it requires more effort than popping a piece of bread in the toaster. It’s never anything back breaking, but it’s always something a little extra special. These gluten-free waffles with raspberry orange syrup fit the bill and have made their appearance multiple times at “fancy breakfast”. Although the list of ingredients may seem lengthy, these waffles really do come together with minimal effort. You can easily enjoy something a little extra even if you’re keepin’ your saturday low key.

Weekend Waffles with Raspberry Orange Syrup

Inspired by the First Mess Easy Gluten-Free Waffles

THE WAFFLES

• 1 cup almond flour

• 1 1/2 cups gluten free oats

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

• 1 large ripe banana, mashed

• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 2 tablespoons liquid virgin coconut oil

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

THE SYRUP

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1/2 cup raspberries

• juice of 1/2 an orange

• zest of 1/2 an orange

For the waffles, combine the almond flour, oat flour, shredded coconut, baking powder, arrowroot powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

Using a large food processor or blender, combine the ground flaxseed, mashed banana, almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla for about one minute. The goal here is to activate the flaxseed’s gelling power to make sure that the batter stays together when it cooks. e syrup

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and allow to set for 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat a waffle iron to medium-high.

After the 15 minutes have passed and your waffle iron is hot and ready, grease the iron with some coconut oil using a pastry brush. Scoop 1/2 -3/4 cup batter (depending on the size of your iron) into the center of your iron and close the lid. Remove the waffles once they are golden brown on both sides.

For the syrup, combine the maple syrup, raspberries, orange juice, and orange zest in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as mixture begins to boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes or until it becomes thicker. Smash the raspberries periodically to ensure that they are fully incorporated into the syrup.

As soon as the waffles are finished top with fruit, nut butters, yogurt, and a much raspberry orange syrup you desire.