Where in the World is Elena?

Sheesh! I just realized I have not posted in over two weeks! 

I have been super busy with photographing weddings, wrapping up the remodel on my Mom's house [still a little bit to go], working hard, and planning activities for the Fall.

I was hoping to offer a couple of cooking classes in Longview/Kelso, WA in the month of August--we'll see how it goes.  If I do it will be the last offering of classes for this year altogether.  So, if you are local to Cowlitz county and interested, shoot me an e-mail. 

Meanwhile I am running off to work on more projects.  

Talk to you soon, lovely people! 

Home Remedies To Keep Your Skin Glowing In Monsoon.

Monsoons pose a lot of challenges to healthy skin. Hence it is very necessary to take care of your skin during this season in order to keep your skin glowing.

Here are some easy tips to maintain your youthful skin during this monsoon.

Exfoliate your skin by using a face scrub twice a week.

Make a paste of crushed almonds and two tsp of honey.
Massage on face for 5 to 7 minutes, rinse face and pat dry.

For dry skin during monsoon, apply a mixture of rosewater and glycerin on your face before you go to bed every night.

Take white of an egg and mix with one teaspoon each of honey and lime juice.Apply it once in a week.

Take off the grime and dirt in the humid season by using a skin toner.

For oily skin, use an oatmeal scrub or make a pulp out of pieces of papaya. Apply this on your face and then wash it off with cold water.

Mix 2 drops of strawberry oil,2 tsp rose water and fresh orange oil and apply on face and neck for 10 mins and then wash off.

Don't avoid the sunscreen lotion during the rainy season.Our skin needs protection from UVA and UVB rays.

For dry skin, mix five drops of chamomile oil with one teaspoon of milk. It soothes the skin without irritating it.

Home Remedies To Have A Fair Skin Tone With Lemon In Just Few Minutes.

Everybody in todays world is very much concerned about their skin color. Even people with fair skin people put their best efforts to maintain their skin color. A true method of lightening your skin is Using a good quality organic lemon juice as a skin lightener and also used for getting rid of freckles. It can be used for all types of skin problems. Lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent that helps to reduce dark marks as well as lighten the skin if it is used for a long period. And it's cheap and easy to use. And the most important characteristic of lemon is that is is natural, plant-based so it won't block your pores.
The steps and procedure to ligthen the skin tone using a lemon are shown in the below video.

Remove Blackheads Without Any Pain By Using Toothbrush.

The technical term for a blackhead is an open comedone meaning that the blackhead is open to the skins surface.
Blackheads fall into the category of Acne vulgaris,this category also includes whiteheads & pimples, which is considered a mild moderate case of acne.They are nothing, but blocked pores that are filled with oil deposits and dead skin cells.Usually blackheads are the result of oily skin and blocked pores.
When an open pore becomes blocked with dead skin cells and sebum, this material is exposed to air and begins to oxidize. This causes the material to discolor and turn black, resulting in blackheads.They tend to be most prevalent on the skin of the face, neck, and chest
While there are many skin treatments, like laser therapy, which you can follow to get cured of blackheads, it is advisable to stick to natural ways.
There are many home remedies for blackheads, so before you go to an expensive salon for extractions, try some items that are available right in your own kitchen or bathroom...
If you are having problems with blackheads dont worry there is the easest remedy ever to get rid of them just take an super soft toothbrush get it wet and scrub away.
Scrubbing the face carefully with an super soft toothbrush is one of the best home remedies for blackheads. It should not leave scratch marks on your face; if it does, you’re doing it too hard. This should be done every other night on slightly damp skin with some foaming face wash on face and must be done very gently Use a baby toothbrush with extra gentle bristles for better results.
Toothbrush should be kept clean after use for reuse.

Home Remedies To Make Your Hair Silky And Shiny In Easy Steps

Rub amla paste regularly into the scalp reverses the process of greying or falling off of hair. 

Gooseberrie is cut to pieces and dried in shade. This dried pieces are heated in coconut oil till the matter turns into thick dark oil. It should be applied every day.

Combine equal amounts of rosemary and sage to 1 cup of water, and steep for 10 minutes, strain and use liquid for the colorant.

Ribbed gourd boiled in coconut oil is also an effective remedy for premature greying of hair.

Massage your hairs with coconut oil and Lemon everyday for at least 15 minutes.

Butter prepared from cow’s milk is beneficial in prevention of premature white hair.

Make a paste of 2 tspn henna powder, 1 tspn yogurt, 1 tsp fenugreek, methi seed powder, 3 tspn coffee, 2 tspn basil juice and 3 tspn mint juice and apply to the hair. Wash hair with shampoo after 3 hours.

Mix lemon juice, castor oil and henna. Apply the mixture evenly over the scalp, and bath after an hour using shikakai and ritha shampoo.

Taking sufficient amount of yoghurt daily and a tablespoon of yeast before meals is helpful in prevention and treatment of white hair.

Take a cup of strong black tea without milk, and to this add a tablespoon of salt. When cold, strain the tea and massage it on the roots. Leave it on for an hour, and then rinse with cold water. Do not shampoo it.

You Can Have a Cookie and Eat It Too {Life in my House}

We had a VERY adventurous weekend.  You can read about it HERE.

The highlight of the whole week, though, happened yesterday... when we least expected it.

Yesterday I heard giggles in our kitchen.  I listened intently to find out what was going on.  Turned out that my niece and nephew came over—their little aprons in hand—ready to bake cookies… if they could find someone willing to do so. Uncle Demetrye, of course! The man has his own recipe and they love him to shreds.

He simply could not resist them—he donned his Home Depot apron on and off they were to bake chocolate chip cookies. I grabbed my point and shoot to eternalize those precious moments.

And here is the final product:

Looks good, doesn’t it?! We got to eat it while, after talking uncle Demetrye into more mischief, we played the Mexican Train.

{Silly Faces}

{Staring Contest}

{sibling love}

{the boys lost and had to do the dishes ;)}

Every moment we have is a gift.  Our families and friends are the reason we have such moments altogether. Why else would God so graciously give them to us? To mess our perfect plans, of course; to show up when we least expect them and while doing that create the most unforgettable moments.

Now, go capture yours! And treasure them too.

Cookie Dough Vegan Ice Cream {Raw}

If you are working on losing weight you have to drop a lot of unhealthy habits, but you still want to indulge some of the cravings.  If you are like my husband you like sweets... no, you LOVE sweets an cannot imagine your life without them.  Well, you are in luck!  Eating healthy does not mean depriving yourself--deprivation is for serial dieters.  We, on the other hand, eat as much as we need and treat ourselves to yummy desserts all the time. 

Interested?

Here is a quick and simple ice cream recipe that is Weight Loss approved. 

Cookie Dough Banana Ice Cream {Vegan} 

2 LARGE servings, or 4 smaller servings

• 5 ripe frozen bananas
• 2 large handfuls raisins [make sure to get the ones that are sugar, chemical and oil free]

Preparation

• Blend both ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  You might have to stop a couple of times to push the mixture down to the blades. 
• Serve immediately, or freeze in a Popsicle for for later indulgence
• You can also add frozen strawberries, dates and other wonderful guilt-free ingredients. 

Enjoy guilt free summer dessert!

How to Win the 3-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse eGuide

Wouldn't you like a chance to get the 3-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse eGuide for free?  Well, here is your shining moment!  

If you want 30+ green smoothie recipes, list of ingredients with suggestions where I get some of my favorite foods and other great tips that will help you detox physically and mentally AND lose weight, you have a chance to get it totally FREE!

If you are on FaceBook, all you have to do it LIKE the Back to Eden page. Once we reach 250 fans, one lucky fan will get a copy of the eGuide. It's that simple!

RULE: you have to Like the page and LEAVE A COMMENT on the page to be considered for the drawing!

Once we reach 250 fans I might feel like doing the giveaway again at 500 and 750 fans ;)

So, get to it!

Vegan in Longview {WA}

The big weekend has come and gone. We spearheaded a novelty in Longview, WA--introducing Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free options to the population that flocked to the lake Sacajawea to celebrate our nation's Independence Day. Unheard of? Yes, in Longview! Here the obesity rates are reaching 80% and veganism is still widely unheard of and is perceived as a cult rather than a dietary lifestyle.

We even offered GREEN SMOOTHIES this year!  Can you believe that?  Talking about novelties... I offered samples to anyone who would take one [if I had time for it, as we served literally THOUSANDS of people over the 3 days].  Green Smoothies were a hit!  I even had repeat customers.

We also offered veggie wraps and a carrot salad--both amazingly delicious.  And now the Russian Food booth will be known not for its delicious Russian offerings but as a pioneer of health food in Longview at the celebration of the 4th of July, which I count as a great victory. 

Here are a few shots from our fun filled weekend made up of long days [I think I averaged 13-14+ hrs of working the booth every day]. 

and here I am in action, making a batch of Green Smoothies with my faithful VitaMix

 [photo is courtesy of Bob Ward]

Thanks goes out to everyone who came out to support us!

To all of my new friends from this weekend--stay tuned--I will soon be offering a couple of cooking classes to inroduce you to all of the wonderful benefits of a plant-based diet.

3-Day Cleanse Guide Scheduled to Release-Get Your Copy

Once in a while we all need a good internal scrub. If you have been feeling sluggish, foggy, low on energy or gained a couple of unwanted pounds you might agree with me.

There is no easier and quicker way to clear up your mind , give yourself a bust of energy, and kick off your weight loss than a short term [3-Day] Green Smoothie Cleanse.

I created a downloadable e-guide filled with instructions, ingredient list and recipes to help you kick start your journey to a healthier you.

The Guide will be released 7/5/2010—in time for post Independence Day celebration cleanse. You can pre-order your copy NOW!

$7.00

See what others said about it and about the Cleanse at the STORE.