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

DIY Beauty Tutorial

~ Coffee/Sugar Body Scrub ~

I like so many other people am a Pinterest freak. There are many nights where I can't even go to bed without scrolling through a whole category to see all of the creative and interesting ideas. While looking up beauty ideas I came across a recipe for a coffee body scrub that I simply had to try. Coffee is beneficial in more ways than just to jump your morning with a dose of java. Caffeine is a natural antioxidant can reduce swelling and redness in your skin.
Here are some other benefits of using coffee in your beauty regimen:

• It helps break up and redistribute fat cells thus reducing the appearance of cellulite
• Caffeine shrinks blood cells and can help reduce varicose veins
• The aroma of coffee helps clear your mind and can work as an anti-depressant and help with nausea.
• You can use it for under eye circles and puffiness since it reduces swelling and can lighten and brighten your skin.

Here are the ingredients which you can find right in your kitchen for you to make your own scrub:

1 cup of ground coffee (any kind just not decaffeinated)

1 cup of sugar ( I used raw sugar to have a more coarse texture)

1/2 cup of Olive oil & 1/2 cup of water 

(you can use one full cup of oil depending on how oily you want it)

Mason Jar with lid to store scrub 

 (you can use any container that works)

Blend all the ingredients in blender for 2-3 minutes. Pour in mason jar and it's ready to use! 

This smells AMAZING in the shower and is great for morning time to help you wake up. I've been using it for a week now and it makes my skin feel like butter. I've read that for cellulite it isn't a cure but it does help if you use it regularly.
Watch my YouTube tutorial on how to make the scrub.

Thanks for stopping by!