Zucchini & Cucumber RAW Pasta Salad- Perfect for Vegetarian and Vegan!

For the past 6 months or more I have been turning my diet into more of a Gluten free one due to my stomach reacting to pretty much anything with flour in it. While I've never been a big pasta fan, the few times I would have it my stomach would really put up a fight. So while changing my diet over to more fresh veggies and fruits I started noticing pictures on Pinterest of people making Zucchini or Cucumber "pasta". While on the phone one day with my mom I mentioned it to her and she told me she had seen this cool little contraption called the "Vegetti". 

She ended up picking one up for me and since then I've been LOVING the combination of veggies that I come up with along with using different types of dressings or "sauce". In fact the Vegetti comes with a little booklet filled with various recipes and sauce recipes. I've recently seen the Vegetti at my local CVS and Walgreens but you can also get it on Amazon here 

And at Bed Bath and Beyond here .

I also came across a blog and YouTube channel called Fablunch. A girl by the name of Olga has amazing recipes that range from vegan, to vegetarian, gluten free etc. She has amazing recipes for dressing so make sure you check it out.  Now onto the recipe!

Ingredients used:

• 1 Cucumber
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper
• Handful of chopped Baby Bella Mushrooms
• Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 Avacado
• Lemon to taste

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Rice Vinegar
• Sea Salt
• Pepper

Watch my Youtube video here to learn how I made it :)

Make sure you leave a comment here or on my Youtube video if you have tried this or if you have another great recipe! 

My Natural Spot Treatment for blemishes !

I've been trying this method out for quite some time now and I thought I would share it. Even though I know that there are tons of posts and videos on it but I thought what the heck. I found this recipe a while back on a blog. Check it out here: http://dreamcalluna.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/diy-tea-tree-oil-acne-treatment/

 Lavender and Tea tree oil have been used forever for various things including skin care. The combination of the two just adds a little more of a punch to those annoying pimples/zits that can pop up here and there. 
Tea tree oil works well on acne, pimples, dark spots and any sort of cut or burn. Lavender is antibacterial and can help reduce redness around the area. Adding some distilled water simply cuts down on the potency of the oils. 

So this DIY just involves three items:

                             Distilled water                                            

Lavender & Tea Tree Essential Oils

both from Vitacost.com 

Lavender 1 oz.$6.49

Tea Tree 1 oz. - $5.99

               

Glass bottle dispenser with dropper

1 oz. from Sprouts - $1.99

Measuring cup (for a mess free pour)

Simply add one ounce of water to the container and then add 10 drops of Tea tree and 5 drops of lavender. Stir and then close bottle and shake. Shake before each use as well :)

 Watch the Youtube Tutorial here:

Aster Elliott Cleanses on sale on Rue La La!!

 Aster Elliott has 5 of her cleanses on Rue La La for the next 5 days! They are hugely discounted so it's perfect timing for the holidays!

Make sure you check out my recent review of her Candi Cleanse which is one of the cleanses on sale.
It's free to join so click the link to sign up and buy! 
http://www.ruelala.com/invite/astercleanse

Candi Cleanse by Aster Elliott- Final Day 3- PLUS GIVEAWAY!!

So here I am after completing three days of the Candi Cleanse from Aster Elliott and I'm feeling great! 

The days just flew by so quickly and to my amazement and surprise I didn't really notice the lack of sugar and caffeine in my diet. Only here or there I noticed a slight headache from the detox from caffeine but it was really barely noticeable. 

The morning and evening shakes became a quick favorite of mine mainly due to the fact that they were so darn yummy! The Dazzle Bars were also one of my faves and I found myself craving those more than I would a normal candy bar or chocolate. 

Some people might think of a cleanse or detox as them spending a lot of time in the bathroom but that's not the case. At least with the three different programs I've tried from Aster, I've always been kept quite regular throughout the whole duration of the cleanse. I definitely noticed that the cleanse reduced my bloating as well.

Some other positives were that I didn't find myself hitting that afternoon low where I would normally feel tired. In fact I felt quite energized and ended up getting a lot accomplished over the weekend! 

Overall I couldn't be more pleased with my experience. I can't say enough about how I think these programs are perfect because you get such a well rounded balance of nutrients, proteins, etc that you will never be left feeling deprived. 

Check out my Youtube review here

Now onto something super exciting! I had the chance to sit down with Aster herself and chit chat about some things. She and her company are based right here in Los Angeles, and her background is extensive in nutrition so she knows her stuff! 

She really was able to breakdown her programs and what exactly they do to our bodies and how they are so important. 

She has a blog on her webpage, and one of the posts describes exactly what we talked about. I wouldn't want to forget or leave anything out so I'll direct you right to the blog post here:

Detoxification- Why it's so important

I highly recommend reading that post. It certainly clicked in my brain when I heard it described like that.

Lastly, Aster was kind enough to give me a Candi Cleanse to giveaway!!  I was so excited because technically this is my first giveaway ( my first one never took off) and secondly because I just recently hit over 2300 subscribers on my Youtube Page.

Here are the rules to enter:

GIVEAWAY RULES - Open to all my subscribers from the US

1. MUST be at least 18 years old to enter. If under 18 years old, please have permission from your parent/guardian to enter this giveaway. 
2. MUST subscribe to my channel: Aim To Create
3. MUST follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Find me here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aimtocreate1
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/discoveringamy
Twitter: @aimtocreate
4. Must subscribe to Aster Elliott's Channel: Aster Elliott 
5. Must follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aster.elliott
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/asterelliott
Twitter: @asterelliott
6. MUST Like and Favorite this video
7.. MUST leave a comment saying why you would like to do a cleanse.
6. Winners will be randomly picked on Black Friday November, 29th 2013

Good luck guys and make sure to leave me a comment here or on my video if you have tried one of her cleanses!

DIY Fall Recipe with special guest... My mom!! :) Pumpkin Scones

Last week when I was planning my DIY for this week, I decided I wanted to do a gluten free recipe for the fall and I wanted it to have pumpkin in it.  While texting my mom about it one day, she suggested a recipe she had been using that was not only gluten free, but also dairy and sugar free.

It was also time to go see my parents for a visit, and an idea occurred to me. I should film the recipe with my mom! 

For over the past year or more, my mom has totally changed her eating lifestyle and is more than qualified to help me with choosing the right foods to use for a gluten free diet. 

In the near future, my goal is to maybe sit down with her one day and do a video on her experience/journey. I think a lot of people would be able to relate and just might be encouraged. 

Anyway, onto the filming! We had such a blast, laughing and goofing around. Of course me flubbing my "lines" and mixing up my words.  We had such a good time that I actually forgot to take stills of the actual ingredients and process.

So instead here are a few funny candid photos from the shoot.

I even gave my dad a job.. Lighting stand in!

Watch my Youtube tutorial here

And now onto the recipe!

Gluten, dairy, and sugar free Pumpkin scones

• 2 cups Rice Flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice
• 1//4 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/2 c. cold Coconut Oil
• 2 drops of Stevia
• 3 tbsp. Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 1/2 c. Organic canned Pumpkin
• 2 tbsp. Almond or Coconut Milk (we used unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk)
• 1/3 c. dried cranberries (optional)

~In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

~In a seperate small bowl mix canned pumpkin, Stevia, applesauce and Almond milk.

~Cut in the cold coconut oil into the dry mixture with knives until it resembles small crumbs.

~Fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and add cranberries.                                                   ~Mix until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

~Drop by tablespoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheet. 

~Bake for 23-25 minutes @ 425 degrees.

Makes 12-14 scones

A close up of the delicious Pumpkin Scones

Aster Elliott Cleanses on Rue La La today

I just got an email from Rue La La that Aster Elliott cleanses will be going on sale today starting at 11am EST. If you follow my blog or Youtube channel then you know I'm a big fan and have done two of her programs already. They will be at a huge savings on the site.
Click the link below to sign up and buy. It's totally free to sign up.

http://www.ruelala.com/invite/astercleanse

Check out my review for her newest program "Endless Beauty"

           

Part 1 of my "DNA Detox" Experience

Part 2

Part 3

Day Seven- Aster Elliott DNA Detox Cleanse

After a week of doing this cleanse I have to say I am extremely pleased. I feel like it delivered all the things it said it would without paying the price of being tired and hungry all the time. In fact it was quite the opposite.I had more energy and was left feeling very full and satisfied after each meal and snack. 
Some of the benefits I have experienced are:

• Skin is more radiant, clear , and smooth. Not just on the face either but on my whole body
• Better mental clarity
• Better sleep
• Lost some weight (can tell by my clothes)
• Felt lighter
• Not bloated (stayed regular and felt comfortable)
• Increased energy 

I definitely felt like the 7 days went by very quickly, and it really wasn't hard to follow or stay on it. The only withdrawal I had was from caffeine  I usually have a coke a day and so after the first and second day I started to get the typical caffeine withdrawal headache. 
Something really important to me is taste. If the products tasted bad there would be no way I could continue for a full week, so I was so glad to have tasty morning and evening shakes. Also something I want to point out is that there really is nothing out there on the market like the DNA Detox, so I was extremely happy to be able to try it.
This is the dinner shake made with the Glamour Greens and Divine, along with some mixed berries. You would be surprised how this fills you up!

This is the Golden Broth/Tea made mixed with lemon and Braggs. So tasty!

Final thought is I would definitely love to do a cleanse several times a year. After seeing and feeling the benefits it's hard to not want to continue to do them. If you haven't tried doing one yet, I highly recommend it!

Check out Aster Elliott's website for a complete list of ingredients and also her three other cleanse programs.

 http://www.asterelliott.com


Watch my third part of my cleanse journey here: