How-To Clean Makeup Brushes

While living in Singapore my makeup brushes have gotten extremely dirty. The combination of the extra sweat and humidity, along with my own personal laziness, has not been a healthy combination for my skin. Usually I clean my brushes using baby shampoo, but I did not bring any with me and for some reason I can only find economy size bottles in the stores here. Sure it’s only $10-15, but I can’t bring myself to buy a gallon of baby shampoo if I’m only going to use a couple of ounces. So I went in search of alternative methods. There are a couple of different options out there, but I settled on one that used dish soap and olive oil, because it was super simple. Plus I already had them in the house and the theory behind the process made perfect sense. The soap is used to obviously clean the brush and the olive oil is used to condition the bristles to keep them from getting dry and brittle. So far I am pretty happy with the results, but please be sure to rinse your brushes thoroughly. I am not sure I rinsed them as well as I should have and think I may have left a little residual olive oil behind. However, so far I don’t mind it, because it gives my skin a little glow. I will keep you posted if I break out or have some horrible reaction. So far so good!

Supplies

• Dish soap
• Olive oil

Directions

Use equal parts dish soap and olive oil. (About a teaspoon of each to start – add more as needed) Mix soap and oil in a bowl and swirl brushes in the mixture and watch as the makeup starts to flush out. Squeeze suds from brush and repeat swirling motion. (Repeat as necessary. Like I said, my brushes were super dirty so I did this about 4 times. I even rinsed and used fresh soap and olive oil for round 3 and 4.)

Rinse with lukewarm water to remove all remaining soap. Continue to rinse until water runs clear. (Make sure NOT to get water in the metal part at the top of the bristles. It will ruin the integrity of the brush)

After washing all of your brushes, gently reshape and lay flat to dry. (Brushes usually need to dry overnight.)

Notes: You should clean your bushes about once a month. I don’t even want to tell you how long it had been since I washed my brushes. It was waaaaaay to long. Let’s leave it at that.

Homemade Pizza {in Singapore}

Eureka! I found fresh basil in Singapore! I had heard rumors that you could find it at stores such as Cold Storage, but I am a Fair Price shopper. It’s locations are more convenient and for the most part it tends to be less expensive. The only problem is only certain Fair Price’s carry the different ingredients I love. The Jurong Point Fair Price has amazing french baguettes. They are better than the stuff I find at some grocery stores in the states, no joke. The Clementi Mall Fair Price has a good fruit selection and now the Jurong East Fair Price has fresh basil. Slowly but surely, Singapore is becoming more and more livable. Unfortunately, as we discover the tricks that make living in another country easier, we simultaneously start to miss home, family and friends more as well. However this pizza I made for lunch today makes it all a little more bearable… I call it food therapy, which can me dangerous, so be careful now. Emotional eating is never good, but if you are going to do it, why not soothe your woes with something fresh, healthy and most of all delowcious. I know what you are thinking, “Elizabeth, pizza is not a healthy food.” Yeah, yeah yeah, I know. Not usually, but this time it is different. I made my pizza on a whole wheat tortilla, used a minimal amount of cheese (just a sprinkle to lightly cover the sauce), garnished it with fresh veggies (tomatoes and fresh basil) and seasoned it with garlic powder and crushed red pepper. The thin crispy tortilla lowers the normal high carb count of pizza and makes it more like an italian tostada. The garlic powder and crushed red pepper add tons of flavor without tons of sodium. And I don’t have to tell you what the veggies do. Unless I am missing something, nothing about that screams bad for you. In fact, it all seems pretty healthy.  Here is how I made my margarita tostada…

Ingredients

• 1 whole wheat tortilla
• 1 tablespoons of preferred pizza sauce (spaghetti sauce will work)
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 4 red grape tomatoes (cut is 4ths)
• 4 yellow grape tomatoes (cut in 4ths)
• 8 fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)
• 1 handful of grated Italian cheese mix
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

1. Spread sauce over tortilla.
2. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste.
3. Cover with cheese.
4. Add crushed red pepper. (I like to add the red pepper before I cook my pizza. It really brings out the flavor.)
5. Scatter  sliced tomatoes on the tortilla.
6. Sprinkle with fresh basil.
7. Drizzle olive oil over top.

Place pizza directly on the middle oven rack and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until tortilla has reached your desired crispiness.

Cut in 4′s and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Salmon Baked in Foil

Sorry for being MIA the last couple of days, but there has been a lot going on around here. I finally recovered from my residual Mexico sickness, I am up to my ears in laundry, the Hubby and I just found out we are going to live in Singapore for 3 months, and since Lent has started I’ve been busy looking for new, easy and delowcious fish recipes. I sorta breezed over the whole living in Singapore thing didn’t I? I know, it’s pretty crazy. The Hubby has to leave in 2 very short weeks for work, and I am tagging along to reap all the benefits of living/vacationing in another country. Apparently the food over there is fabulous, so it should make for some great blog posts. I am super excited, but we have so much to do to get ready in such a short period of time. I have to fly back to Cali next week to drop off BooBoo Kitty with my uncle, who is going to generously take care of her while we are gone, The Hubby has to do our taxes before we leave and we have to prepare the house to be sorta on lock down. Don’t get any ideas crazy stalker/house robbers, we are having our friend stay here while we are gone, which means the house does not have to be totally cleared out of food and such, but I do have to hide all my secret drawer items

On a separate note, it is the first Friday of Lent, which means no meat is allowed on today’s menu. When I say meat, somehow that does not include fish… I guess it is just mammal meat. So today I opted for a delicious Giada salmon recipe and it is another one of her fish pockets, which I love. It is such an simple way to cook fish, plus the clean up is a snap.

Ingredients

• 4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 2 chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape. Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.

• Source: Giada De Laurentiis
• Prep Time: 15min
• Cook Time: 25min
• Total Time: 40min
• Recipe Yields: 4 servings

Guilt-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip

I am soooooo excited the third season of  Bethenny Ever After, starts tonight. I love her. She is my idol. I know what you are thinking, but get over it! I love her… Now lets move on and get to the important portion of this post… The eats. In honor of Bethenny’s season premier, I thought I would post one of her healthy, yet still delowcious meals. Well really it is supposed to be an appetizer, but I could definitely eat spinach artichoke dip for dinner. Couldn’t you? Now you don’t have to feel guilty for doing it. Want to make it a skinny day all around? Check out Bethenny’s Skinny Girl Margarita recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 package (about 9 ounces) frozen artichokes, defrosted and drained
• 1 package (about 9 ounces) frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• ¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces reduced-fat or soy cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons nondairy or low-fat mayonnaise
• ½ tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce

Directions

Don’t worry about exact amounts for this recipe. If you can only find artichokes or spinach in slightly smaller or larger amounts, that’s fine. In this recipe, frozen is actually better than fresh because the softer texture works better for dip, so take the easy way.

Defrost the vegetables in the refrigerator overnight, then drain them a colander in the sink or over a bowl. You can drain them together in the same colander because they’ll get mixed together anyway, and that makes fewer things to wash. After they are drained, press on them with paper towels to get rid of any extra moisture that would dilute the dip’s flavor.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine all the ingredients except 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese into a large bowl or into a food processor. Blend or pulse until mostly smooth but leave some artichoke chunks for texture.

Pour the mixture into an oven-proof dish or casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and just starting to bubble.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm with thin slices of baguette, raw vegetables, baked tortilla chips, or crackers.

Notes: Want to try Bethenny’s Skinny Girl Margaritas? CLICK HERE to get the recipe!

• Source: Bethenny Frankel
• Recipe Yields: 6 servings

Skinny Girl Margarita

In honor of this month’s season premier of Bethenny Frankel’s show, Bethenny Ever After, I thought I would post the cocktail recipe where it all began. Yep, that’s right, Skinny Girl Margarita. Not only do I love her version of the margarita because it is healthier for you, but I also think it tastes way better. I hate when margaritas have too much of that sugary syrup crap in them. Skinny Girl Margaritas are way better and focus on what a cocktail should… The alcohol. However, I do have to warn you, these can be lethal if you are not careful. I drank a few too many a couple of weeks ago and definitely paid the price later. Luckily I was with some very good girlfriends who helped me make it home safely. Next time I will drink them a little slower

Ingredients

• 2 ounce(s) clear Tequila (Sauza or clear premium tequila)
• A splash of fresh lime juice
• A splash of Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec

Directions

Combine all ingredients over a glass of ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and salt (or sugar) if you’d like. Makes one serving. If you prefer a frozen Skinny Margarita, crush ice in a blender, then pour in ingredients.

Watch Bethenny Make A Skinny Girl Margarita

Notes: Want to cross over to the dark side? Watch Bethenny Ever After on February 20th at 9/8c on Bravo. CLICK HERE to watch the promo.

Very Berry Fruit Salad

This picture does not do this recipe justice. I just saw Ina Garten make this on TV, and it looked spectacular! Plus she served it in adorable martini glasses, which made it look that much better. You know, when the Hubby and I were registering for wedding gifts, I thought to myself, “What the hell do we need 12 martini glasses for? I don’t even like martinis. Plus the glasses suck, because liquid spills out of them so easy. Whoever invented them is an idiot” Well, this recipe right here makes up for it. This recipe gives purpose to the 12 martini glasses collecting dust in my garage. Someday I am going to have a party (with 12 people or less), and I am going to serve them Very Berry Fruit Salad in a perfect little martini glass. BTW, Sorry to the person who bought us our martini glasses. It is not your fault that we registered for them. Thank you very much though and we love them… Now.

Ingredients

• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut in half, or smaller if preferred
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• Fresh mint, for garnish

Directions

Place 6 glasses in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine the berries, vinegar and sugar. Stir gently. Cover securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Spoon the berries into chilled glasses. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Notes: Can be used as breakfast or dessert. Ina says not to wash your raspberries, because it makes them tough. Also, try serving the fruit salad in a fun martini glass for the ultimate presentation!

• Source: Ina Garten
• Prep Time: 5min
• Cook Time: 30min
• Total Time: 35min
• Recipe Yields: 6 servings

Healthy Whole Grain Waffles

I love recipes with alliterations! I wonder, is it still considered alliteration if the letters are different, but the sounds are the same? (EXAMPLE: ‘Healthy’ and ‘Whole’) Hmmmm, I wonder… Probably not, but either way, this still seems like an awesome recipe that I cannot wait to try. It’s tasty and healthy. Plus it gives me an excuse to use my new Panini Press that also turns into a waffle maker. I am really excited!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ¾ cups skim milk
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup flax-seed meal
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax-seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.
2. Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.