Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash

By Lisa VanWilliams

This is a healthy super tasty dish and it can be made with ground turkey or chicken. I have been making this for a client lately and the last time I made it for them, I wanted to keep it for myself. Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta. One cup of cooked white pasta has around 220 calories, 42 grams of carbs, and very few nutrients. Spaghetti squash has about 42 calories, 10 grams of carbs plus it has nutrients like vitamin A and potassium.

Coconut flour and almond flour are wonderful gluten free, grain free, low carb and great for cooking paleo meals, they are also high in fiber and protein. Taste and flavor are not sacrificed in this recipe, and you won't even miss the breadcrumbs. 

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash cut in half, seeds removed 

1 egg

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 small onion diced or grated

3 garlic cloves minced

1/4 cup parsley finely chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt & pepper

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

Directions:

Cut the squash in half and place flat side down in about 1/2 inch of water. Cook in preheated oven at 375 for about 1/2 hr to 45 mins. Remove from oven and cool. Take a fork and run it across the squash horizontally to break apart the squash into pieces..it will look like small pieces of spaghetti. Season it with salt and pepper if you prefer. 

While the squash is baking, making the chicken mix. Combine the egg, tomato paste, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, almond flour, and coconut flour and mix it well. It's a stickier mix than using beef, that's for sure.

Preheat a pan with some olive oil and make meatballs by hand or with a small ice cream scooper and drop them into the hot oil. I usually use two forks to turn these until they are nicely browned on all sides.

Then transfer them to a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven. Cook them around 15-20 mins depending on the size of the meatballs. The juice will come out an caramelize them nicely.

Serve over sauce or they are fabulous plain. Enjoy!

The Ritual of Sakura Body Scrub

Review by Lisa VanWilliams

In Japan, they call cherry blossoms Sakura and it symbolizes fragility and beauty of life. The blossoms are almost over here in New England after a week of rain has pulled them off and blanketed the grounds with a calming pinkish white cover. Spring Break has come to and end and the tan is fading but, I am trying to keep that beach soft skin. Rituals was kind enough to send me this awesome body scrub that I have been using to get rid of the dry skin. It's a sugar based scrub and I have been using the organic rice and cherry blossom scent. I actually spilled it in my purse because I was carrying it around to photograph it and I have been catching whiffs of the oil fragrance. It smells great, even after dayyyys!

It's a high quality scrub and I would recommend trying out the brand. My chef hands feel great and leaves my skin feeling renewed, soft, and supple. The smell is not overpowering once rinsed away and it rinses off easily (some brands I feel like I have Cisco shortening on my hands after rinsing and you have to use really hot water to get it off). Plus, I'm a sucker for sweet almond oil in anything.

They recommend using the scrub 1-2x a week for soft fresh skin. The scrubs goes for $29 and you can find it at Barney's or a Ritual boutique (New York City has a few locations).

Rituals is a European brand that started out of Amsterdam in 2000. They offer over 400 home and body care products and they are all inspired by ancient Eastern tradition or philosophy.

You can find out more about the company and order here: https://www.rituals.com/en-us/home

Barney's also carries the line: http://www.barneys.com/designer/rituals/N-4128cq

Getting Lost

By Lisa VanWilliams

Karen Blixen said, "I know of a cure for everything: salt water...in one way or the other. Sweat, or tears, or the salt sea."

We took a spontaneous Spring Break trip just to get away from it all. My husband, the two kids, and myself. The kids were wiped out after day 1 of swimming and beach, so we rented a car and drove. We drove aimlessly and ended up on the best beach side road we've been on in a long time and it felt great. Tropical forests on the right, and beach shanties & blue water on the left. Both the kids slept peacefully exhausted in the back seat.

We drove to the top of the rain forest and back down to the beach to look for a place to explore and have lunch. We missed the main turn off for the beach and ended up on some side road that was obviously not the main attraction we were looking for. We ended up parking and walking on a little side beach only to go around the bend and see the most beautiful lava rock and beach oasis. My son hurriedly grabbed as many coconuts as he could carry and my daughter searched for tiny fish in the pools of water accumulated on the lava rocks. It's not where we intended to be, but it's where we ended up. We had the beach to ourselves and it was perfect. Sometimes, your not lost, but where you are suppose to be. We stayed and for an hour or so we pretended to be Moana on the island beach.

My husband always says life is made up of moments. Not the big picture, but tiny moments. Tiny moments that take your breath away, balance you, and reinspire you when you lose sight of what's important or get lost along the way.  It ended up being the perfect day and the prefect cure, and a moment in time I will always remember.

Hold onto your precious moments.

Honest Beauty Truly Kissable Lip Kit

Review by Lisa VanWilliams

Move over Kylie, and check out these all natural high-quality lip kits from Honest Beauty. Spring arrives on Monday and the changing of the seasons is a great time to switch up your beauty regime. Honest Beauty was kind enough to send me over this new launch to check out for myself.This is a new limited edition that features a 1 all-purpose balm and two anti-oxidant rich lip crayons. It was also voted Best of Beauty Award Winner for Allure 2016 Editor picks.

The first lip crayon color is a demi-matte called Honey Kiss and it's a perfect soft nude, the second color is a sheer called Raspberry Kiss and it's a pop of fuchsia pink. The Honey Kiss is a little light in color for me (I am fair skinned right now and it makes me look washed out), but the Raspberry kiss is perfect. It's got a great sexy shimmer to it and it's not overly bright. The perfect hint of color. The lip crayons look like mock pencils but they have a twist colored end to that you turn like a regular lipstick to push up more color. No sharpening needed. 

The Magic Balm can be used anywhere, just avoid eye contact. The balm is a mix of organic fruit and botanical oils created to soften and soothe. There's not much of a smell to it and it's great to apply to your lips and just rub the rest into your hands. It absorbs fast and leaves skin feeling soft and moisturized. This is a really nice kit and worth check out!

The Honest Beauty lip kit is selling for $28 ($54 dollars in value) and it's available at:
https://www.honestbeauty.com/products/truly-kissable-lip-kit

February Beauty Picks

Here are a couple new launches to check out. These items should hold me over til Spring happens in three more weeks!

Tweezerman Holographic Tweezer ($26) - These jazzed up iridescent precision tweezers are so sharp they almost scare me. They are sharp, they are pointy, and they are precise. Get yourself a Conair 10X magnifying mirror (around $48 at Bed, Bath & Beyond with 20% off coupon), and these tweezers, and you will never be bored again. You can give yourself the best facials and remove every hair you didn't know you had with that mirror and these tweezers. Available at: https://www.tweezerman.com/

Le Couvent Des Minimes Botanical Cologne of Love (8.4 fl. oz $49) is mix of orange blossom, bergamont, mandarin, wild rose, nasturtium, and petitgrain. It's a unisex floral and fruity body spray for anytime of the day. Smaller sizes are available at Ulta 1.0oz for $16 or 3.4oz for $38. It smells fresh and clean and it's not overpowering. Great cologne to try out if you like soft scents and orange blossom. Items available at: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/a/_/Ntt-Botanical%20Cologne%20of%20Love?ciSelector=searchResults

Lauren B. ($18 each) sent me a few chemical free colors to check out. Hollywood Royalty is a inky purple with a hint of gray and it creates a velvety shimmering shade. Ocean Ave is a cool peri winkle blue inspired by a bike ride along the boardwalk from Santa Monica into Venice Beach. I wore this for a week and a couple people commented how they liked the color. It's a nice pop of dreamy tropical smurf blue.
To order online, please go to: https://www.laurenbbeauty.com/

Benecos - Natural and Organic Makeup

Benecos offers affordable natural beauty products and they are launching a few new items. This pure plant and mineral-based brand is creating a buzz and they were kind enough to send me some items to check out for myself.

Natural Light Fluid Foundation ($17.99) is a light and effective foundation that provides subtle and delicate coverage. Available in three colors: dune, sahara, mocca. A little goes a long way and it sets fast. I tried the Dune and I have a fine color skin but on the tan side and it was a good match.

Natural Lipsticks ($13.99) I tried the "First Love" which is a coral pink shade just waiting for Summer to come along. It has avocado oil and babassu oil so it will leave your lips feeling moisturized, soft, and seductive. I little too pinky for me (I like neutrals).

Natural Eyeshadows ($12.99) I tried the Mono Eyeshadow in Choco Cookie which is a milk chocolate brown shimmer that's perfect for night time wear all over your lid.

Benecos uses certified and organic ingredients whenever possible and they are cruelty-free. To find about more about Benecos and to order online, please go to: https://www.truenatural.com/benecos.html

John Masters Organics - Lip Balm & Hand Creams

Review by Lisa VanWilliams

If your lips or skin are feeling a little dry, it's a great time of the year to check out the new John Masters Organics Lip Calm Collection and the Hand Cream Collection launching this month. They were kind enough to send me the new sets to check out for myself. I have previously tried some of their roll on perfumes and I like the brand.

The Lip Calm comes in Peppermint, Raspberry,  Vanilla and original scent of Citrus. They sell for $6 each or you can get the set for $22. I think Peppermint is my fave. They go on smooth and my lips feel moisturized.

The Hand Cream comes in Lemon & Ginger, Lime & Spruce, and Orange & Rose scent. The 1.9oz sizes go for $14 each of you can get the set for $40. The Lemon & Ginger is a pop of citrus. The Lime & Spruce reminds me of the tree in the house during December but it's very energizing. The Orange & Rose is a sweet scent but I don't prefer this one (one of the oils in there does not agree with me). They feel good, not greasy, and the lotion soaks in fast. These are the perfect purse size, or toss in your car for extra hand cream option.

John Masters Organics has over 30 products to chose from, and they have been doing organic hair, skin and body care for over 20 years. Products are USDA certified organic, cruelty free, and made in the USA.

To find out more about the company, or to order any products, please go to:
https://johnmasters.com/