As the Giants take on the Pats in an epic rivalry this Sunday, there’s really only one thing on my mind: THE GUACAMOLE (and Victor Cruz’s salsa to go with it, of course). Superbowl Sunday means nothing to me without an endless supply of someone’s homemade guac. My trick is adding a lot of cilantro and a little Adobo, but as it turns out, those are about the only two ingredients that don’t translate to the guacamole spa dissection you’re about to witness.

Turn your Superbowl Sunday into Super-Spa Sunday! Tackle (Eli Manning and Tom Brady style) skin and hair problems using the essential ingredients of guacamole, all packed with vitamins and some very surprising beauty benefits. Ready for some mind-blowingly simple DIY spa recipes? KICK OFF!

AVOCADO

Avocado-Honey Mask for Dry Skin: Mash up 1/2 avocado, rich in Vitamin E to help rebuild skin collagen, and mix in 2 tablespoons of honey. Apply to your face and neck and let it sit for 10-12 minutes, then rinse with warm water and a washcloth. From a previous post by The Chefanies.

Avocado Hair Conditioning Mask: Beat up 1 raw egg, mix in 1/2 mashed avocado. Massage into your hair for 5 minutes then rinse thoroughly.

Avocado-Coconut Oil Hair Color Protector: Microwave 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and massage it from roots to ends. Then, mash an avocado and massage it on the ends only. From a previous post with Rita Hazan’s hair tips for lasting color.

LIME

Lime Facial Toner for Blemishes: Lime juice (and lemon juice) have high acidity, which exfoliates the top layer of skin and helps fade pigmentation, blemishes and freckles over time. Rub lime wedges (preferably not straight from the Corona bottle) onto your face, focusing on unwanted blemishes. Let it dry completely, then  rinse with water.

Lime Body Toner: Using the same theory as the facial toner, even out darker or discolored skin on your knees or elbows. Cut a lime into two, then rub each half onto your knees/elbows. Let it dry, and rinse thoroughly.

SALT

Salt Bath for Itchy Skin: Just add a cup of table salt or sea salt to your bath. It will help relieve itchiness and also soften skin while you settle into a deep relaxation.

Simple Salt Exfoliation: After the shower, simply sprinkle some salt on your hands and rub it all over your skin. It will remove dry skin and also get your circulation going. Try it the morning after the ‘bowl to wake you up!

Citrus Salt Body Scrub: Mix together 1/2 cup of fine sea salt and 2 tablespoons of almond or grapeseed oil, then add 5 drops of orange essential oil. In the shower, massage it in circular motions, concentrating on the rough spots.

Salt Spray-Toner for Oily Skin: Fill a spray bottle lukewarm water, add a teaspoon of salt, and spray on your face. Blot dry.

ONION

Onion Juice Rinse for Hair Growth: Sounds smelly, huh? Well, onions are known to be a natural way restore hair follicles and encourage hair growth by stimulating scalp circulation (lots of sulfur), so if you’re willing to put up with the smell: Squeeze the juice out of a medium uncooked onion (blend it then strain it – this could take an hour, and you’ll need to push with a spoon to get all the juice out). Apply the onion juice to the top of the scalp, and gently massage into hair roots. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then wash with shampoo thoroughly. Repeat twice a week or more to see some real results!

TOMATO

Tomato and Lime Pore-Shrinker: Tomatoes have cooling elements to soothe skin and lots of vitamin A and C to brighten skin tone – and you already know what limes do! Combine a tablesoon of fresh tomato juice with a 3 drops of lime juice, and apply to skin with a cotton ball. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Beauty touchdown, baby!

It’s Hot Mom Monday again, and we can’t wait for you to meet Spa Week’s Hot Mom Spa Squad do-it-all spa mama Rachael Pontillo, who has not only mastered the art of living the wellness lifestyle, she has made it her career to help others do the same. Our kinda girl! Rachael is holistic health coach, licensed aesthetician, certified level II Reiki practitioner, certified Wull Stone therapist, and freelance writer for prestigious sites such as Blogcritics.org and Technorati.com.

You can also find her right where we found her – blogging at holisticallyhaute.com. It’s not just a blog – Rachael owns skincare and wellness company Holistically Haute, LLC where she works with clients one-on-one and in groups, in person or over the phone to provide customized programs to help people reach their health and wellness goals.

For any mom out there struggling with her weight in any capacity, we’re turning it over to Rachael who went from THIS to THIS. Her tips are practical, doable, and clearly very effective. We’re especially loving #8, wink wink. Take it away, Rach!

By Rachael Pontillo

So many moms have experienced difficulty losing their pregnancy weight, or managing to maintain a healthy weight after having kids. I was one of them.

I was always a very thin person and never had problems keeping weight off, but after my second pregnancy that changed completely. I don’t know why I wasn’t able to lose the baby weight the second time like I was able to… it was probably a combination of being exhausted, being overwhelmed, hormones, stress, and who knows what else. Anyway, not only couldn’t lose the pregnancy weight, I ended up gaining more. By the time my younger daughter was 2 years old, I was up to 200 pounds (a far cry from my pre-pregnancy weight of 135). I tried exercising, eating certain “diet foods,” trying different popular diets, praying, etc.

There really are no “magic pills” or short cuts to weight loss.

If you want to lose weight, you have to do it the good old fashioned way: with diet and lifestyle changes over time. Rapid weight loss from fad dieting and diet pills is not healthy and it is not sustainable and I do not recommend it to anyone. Slow and steady is the way to go.

Since we all have different health histories, body types, lifestyles, and goals, there is not one “prescription” for weight loss. However, after finally achieving my own weight loss goals (70 pounds!) while being a busy mom and helping clients with different needs reach their goals with gradual diet and lifestyle changes, I have come up with some strategies that can benefit anyone.

Here are my Top 8 “Rules to Live By” if you trying to lose weight but still have to feed picky little eaters.

1. Have them help you shop. Kids love being involved in anything “grown up,” and this includes food shopping. I know that food shopping with small children is not the most fun or efficient way to shop, so plan ahead. Bring snacks or small toys/activities to pacify the little ones if they start getting rammy and put the older kids to work. Make separate lists ahead with specific items (don’t just say to get “cereal,” specify “whole grain” or a certain kind so they don’t bring back boxes of Lucky Charms) for each kid to find and send them off with baskets. Have the little ones help you pick the prettiest apples and other brightly colored fruits and veggies.
2. Have them help you cook. I know this is a tip you see a lot, and again it is not the most calm or efficient way to prepare meals, but it serves several purposes: it occupies their time so they are not nagging or tugging on your shirt while you are trying to cook, it helps them form an attachment to the food so they are more inclined to want to eat it, it provides a solid, stable routine and quality family time, and you (and they) will know exactly what is going into the food: no mystery meat, special sauce, or questionable chewy bites. So form an assembly line and give everyone a specific job no matter their age (unless they are infants… in that case stick them in the baby carrier/wrap so you have both hands free). You will be surprised how fast the prep time goes.
3. Learn to read labels. I’m not saying you have to go out and take food science or chemistry course or buy one of those dictionaries of chemicals/ingredients added to food (although the latter wouldn’t hurt). It’s as simple as this: if you don’t know what it is, you probably don’t want to be eating it yourself or feeding it to your kids. Getting rid of processed and packaged foods and going back to real, simple, whole foods was a huge part of my own weight loss.
4. Find ways to work fitness into your existing routine. The thought of joining a gym or taking a class can be really overwhelming to a busy and tired mom. It is great if you can do that (and use the babysitting services at the gym as long as they provide quality services), but if you can’t then try to find ways to use any downtime you have at home or time outside of the home that the kids are occupied to exercise. I personally found it helpful to do stretches while watching TV in the evening, or doing a short Pilates DVD right after putting the kids to bed. I also joined the local Y and moved my kids’ lessons there instead of other places so that I could exercise while they were in their after-school or weekend lessons. I still speed-walk or job around the track during my daughters’ dance classes.
5. Only do exercises that you enjoy. We are lucky enough to live in a time where “working out” can mean many different things. We can do anything from jogging, to Pilates, to belly dancing, to martial arts-aerobic fusion classes, to being suspended from a crazy scaffold-like apparatus (TRX), to rebounding, to parkour…seriously lots of cool things here! If you force yourself to do something you hate doing, you will just make fitness a negative experience, which it is not. I can’t stand lifting weights so I don’t lift weights. I don’t like the elliptical trainer so I don’t do it anymore. I have found really fun ways to get my fitness into my very busy life and it has been very effective.
6. Eat more greens and whole grains. Greens and whole grains are some of the healthiest foods on the planet: high in antioxidants, “good” carbs, enzymes, and protein. More and more studies are showing that when consumed in large amounts, they can really change people’s lives for the better. I suggest eating greens with every meal. For example I have a green smoothie for breakfast, a big salad with lunch, and usually a cooked green with dinner. You can even blend greens in salad dressings and sauces… my kids love basil in salad dressing and parsley and kale blended into my pesto (which we use on our homemade pastas and pizzas). You can even make greens into snack and finger foods… you can make delicious dehydrated or lightly baked kale chips and use collards as wraps for sandwiches instead of bread or flour tortillas. For whole grains, try sweetening rolled oats with yogurt and maple syrup for breakfast or having lightly seasoned brown rice or quinoa as a side dish instead of fries or pasta. Have these foods before the rest of your meal…they will fill you up and you may even find that you don’t want the rest.
7. Don’t assume they won’t eat what you cook. Don’t make the mistake of becoming a short order cook so you can have your “healthy food” and they can have their “kid food.” That attaches a negative stigma onto healthy food that they will carry with them as they grow. Stop buying processed kid foods like chicken nuggets and cheese sticks and fries and junk foods like chips and cookies. If it’s not in the house, they won’t be able to eat it (and neither will you!). Instead, focus on preparing the foods properly so they taste the way they should and put a condiment tray (with different things like ketchup, mustard, relish, hummus, sesame oil, mirin, tamari, lemon juice, etc.) on the table so the kids can try different flavors with their foods. They will enjoy the opportunity to personalize their foods. The founder of my holistic nutrition school once said something like this “it doesn’t matter if they dip their broccoli into ketchup as long as they are eating the broccoli.”
8. Get thee to the spa! Moms are often stressed out. We cannot eliminate the stressors in our lives completely, but we can make the choice to try to manage how it affects us. It is a known fact that stress interferes with many of the body’s vital functions necessary for weight loss. If you are walking around all wound up, you will have a much harder time losing weight despite your best efforts. Diet and exercise can certainly help with how the body handles stress, but regular relaxing spa treatments can take it to a whole new level. Many spas now offer holistic treatments like shirodhara, detoxification, and Reiki in addition to massages and facials. Prioritizing Mom-me time by getting these therapies will support and enhance your weight loss goals.

If you enjoyed Rachael’s tips, you may also enjoy her new Holistically Haute™ Salt Bath Ritual, exclusively available at Holistically Haute. Spa time is invaluable to your sanity, even if it’s just in your own bath tub!

Happy food photo via, broccoli/ketchup/hummus photo via

MAYONNAISE. You either love it or you hate it. Or, you’re like me and think it’s yucky in theory, but when it’s disguised in a sushi roll or in salad dressing, you can’t get enough.

Well, no matter if it’s disguised or not, the truth is mayo has a bad rap. A really bad rap. I’d like to dispel a common myth and tell you this: Mayo is NOT that bad for you. Sure, it’s high in fat, but let’s take a look at the ingredients: Whole eggs, soybean oil, vinegar, lemon, and some salt, sugar and other flavorings — an emulsion of mostly good fats and natural ingredients. The only time you get into high fructose corn syrup and other questionable additives is when it’s the “reduced fat” kind, which is almost always the worse-for-you kind, of any food. The problem with mayo lies in the fact that a lot people glob on 4 or 5 spoonfuls of it, and the fat (10 grams per 1 TBSP serving) adds up quickly. Also, the eggs used are most definitely not free-range. But, if you’re not concerned with the farming and you use the condiment modestly, don’t stop now.

Whether you’re a mayo lover and are looking for something with NO preservatives or additives whatsoever, you’re a mayo hater and really would like to find an alternative that you enjoy, or you live a vegan lifestyle, today’s Spa Foodie recipe is for you. Try this healthy recipe for Vegan Mayo, provided by Maggie Talisman of Dishes .

EASY VEGAN MAYO RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup – soymilk
2 ½ cups – canola oil
1 tablespoon – tomato paste
1 ½ tablespoon - cider vinegar
½ teaspoon – dry mustard (or ½ tablespoon prepared mustard)
1 tablespoom – agave nectar
½ tablespoon – hot sauce (optional)
¼ teaspoon - chopped garlic
1 tablespoon - salt
1 teaspoon - pepper

Instructions:

1. Place the soy milk in a blender, and with the blender still running, slowly drizzle in the oil.
2. Continue adding the oil until it is all absorbed.
3. Transfer to a large bowl, and whisk in the vinegar, mustard, tomato paste, agave nectar, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
4. The mayo will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to a week.

Voilà!

Not only is this a healthy alternative to Hellmann’s, this recipe can also be used as a natural substitute to chemically-saturated conditioner for soft, silky hair!

See one of our past Spa Foodie features, another recipe for a mayo hair treatment.

(Photo exaggerated - unfortunately we cannot guarantee any mayonnaise will do this to your hair)

Yesterday, I found a really interesting do-it-yourself callus remover recipe calling for a foot bath of shaving cream and Listerine. I have never heard of anything like this before, especially with such an interesting ingredient combo. The recipe claims that “You can only use this method once a week or your feet will become very sore. Remember, this technique literally takes off a layer of skin.”  With a promise like that, you know I couldn’t resist. I HAD to investigate. Spoiler Alert: After the treatment I still had my calluses and smelled like a dentist’s office. Here’s how my failed Bill Nye experiment went down:

After the gym, I popped into the drugstore and bought a small bottle of both shaving cream and Listerine. At my apartment, I grabbed a mixing bowl and an old dish towel and follwed the directions to the letter.

Here’s what my foot looked like before:

Step 1. Put shaving cream on your feet

Step 2. In a bucket or sink, combine equal parts warm water and Listerine

Step 3. Soak a small hand towel in the solution of water and Listerine

Step 4. While the shaving cream is still on your feet wrap the wet hand towel around your feet and let it sit for 30 minutes

Step 5. After 30 minutes, use the towel to rub your feet. Some of the calloused and discolored skin will rub off

Here is what my foot looked like after:

And here is a close up of my heel:

During the 30 minutes I spent with my foot wrapped up like mummy, watching The Challenge: Battle of the Exes, my foot did get a little tingly and warm. Sadly, that sensation was just the false promise of a magical beauty remedy that did not deliver. I was so disappointed when I removed the towel and my regular, same old foot was revealed. I guess some of the dead skin was now more visible, but to me it was a total let down.

Then I got to thinking, maybe I was supposed to use more Listerine or more shaving cream or men’s shaving cream? What if this really was the Unicorn, the Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster of all at-home recipes and I screwed it up? I guess you’ll just have to try it for yourself and see what happens!

Recipe via

Most of the Spa Foodie features we’ve put together over the past few months have been almost exclusively geared toward the needs of women (think Lavender Bath Truffles and Honey Apricot Beeswax Cuticle Cream… okay, we know our gays love this stuff too). But lest us not forget about our fellow bearded friends… men! Guys need at-home DIY spa treatments, too. Even though, there’s a big possibility that you will be the one making this recipe for your man instead of him making it himself, we’re pretty sure he’ll love to see you in the kitchen whipping this stuff up (in heels and an apron? Wink, wink). Plus, the ingredients are super cheap and most of them are already in your pantry (so he’ll love that you’re not spending loads of money). All of this catering to your man might even score you a Phenomenon-inspired John Travolta/Kyra Sedgwick sexy-face-shaving-scene. Bow chica wow wow.

Ingredients:

• 1 bar Dove® soap
• 1 bar Ivory® soap
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon castor oil
• Essential oils (try sweet orange and clove)
• 1 bottle of distilled water
• 1 grater
• 1 stainless steel pot (8 quart)
• 1 ceramic coffee mug
• 1 Pringles can, emptied and cleaned
• 1 shaving brush (badger hair is best, boar’s hair is acceptable)
• 1 razor (a classic double-edge razor is the most traditional, but any will work.)

Directions:

1. Grate 1 bar of Dove® soap and 1 bar of Ivory® soap into a large stainless steel pot
2. Add the olive oil and the castor oil to the soap mixture
3. Add just enough distilled water to the mixture so that the grated soap starts to stick together when stirred
4. Over low heat, continue stirring the soap mixture until everything is combined and the water begins to evaporate. This is called rebatching.
5. As the soap thickens, add essential oils for more manly fragrance
6. Pour the still-pliable thick liquid soap into a clean coffee mug and let it cure for several hours to a day. The final product should not be “goopy” … if it is, you can reheat it over a stove and evaporate more water out of the product. The best texture will be like chilled soft margarine (think the kind in a tub)
7. You’ll probably have leftover soap. Pour this into a small, cleaned Pringles® potato crisps container. After it hardens, you can slice through the cardboard to make disks that you can use to refill your mug

To Use:

• Dip  a shaving brush into very warm water and then whisk the brush in the coffee mug to create loads of lather. Spread on your face and shave as normal
• Rinse the shaving brush carefully and let it air dry between shaves

Tips/Tricks:

• You’ll probably have leftover soap. Pour this into a small, cleaned Pringles® potato crisps container. After it hardens, you can slice through the cardboard to make disks that you can use to refill your mug
• You can make a non-lathering shaving oil which works as well as the shaving cream by mixing sweet almond oil, olive oil, castor oil, and adding a few drops of peppermint oil, clove oil, and sweet orange oil. Spread a few drops over a wet face using the palms of your hands, and then shave.
• Castor bean oil is the oil that gives these shaving creams their thick moisture-rich lather

Recipe via