Five Easy Ways To Have Healthy Glowing Skin...

We all sit up and take notice when the newest moisturizer hits the market or a celebrity generously recommends their secret to youthful dewy skin.  Personally, I think it has to do with daily sunscreen, limited sun exposure, lots of water, less sugar, fewer preservatives, and lots of fruit and veggies.

I recently read an article that recommends five easy additions to our daily food intake that will help sustain healthy radiant skin as we get older.

~Tomatoes:  Tomatoes aid in the protection of harmful UV rays and boost collagen.  Collagen improves the elasticity of the skin.  The tomato is also an excellent source of lycopene, which is said to reduce the chance of certain cancers. So, what is lycopene?  It's an antioxidant compound that gives veggies their bright color, which is why Dr. Oz is always telling us to eat the most colorful fruits and veggies. The more vibrant the color, the better it is for us!

~Romaine Lettuce:  Just six leaves of romaine lettuce will give you 100% of your daily recommended allowance of vitamin A.  Vitamin A improves the renewal of cell function.  Romaine lettuce is also an excellent source of vitamin C, which again, helps with collagen.  The potassium in romaine lettuce will improve circulation, which gives you that youthful glow.

~Spinach: Spinach contains flavonoids, which have anticancer properties.  A flavonoid is a plant based compound that is an excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.  It also provides an excellent source of vitamin B and this little gem gives us the firmness we like to see when we look in the mirror.

~Beans and Legumes:  Beans and legumes are readily available in any market and come in lots of different forms.  They are biotin rich, which promotes youthful skin.  It also helps with dry hair, skin, and nails.

~Omega-3 Fatty Acids:  Fish, especially tuna and salmon are excellent options. In addition to glowing skin, it also gives us a natural protection to harmful UV rays and improves the elasticity of the skin.

A while back I wrote a blog called My gift to you...  At the end I gave you my cherished recipe for my famous chocolate chip cookies.  Well, today I am giving you another little treat.  It is my recipe for Tomato Coulis.  Sounds fancy but it's basically tomato sauce.  I never use tomato sauce from a jar because there is just too much salt.  I make it in a HUGE batch and freeze it so I can easily grab what I need for pasta, lasagna, meatloaf, and chili.  One of these days, I will write a blog about all the different ways I have morphed this sauce into countless dinner options.  For today, try it over a little whole wheat pasta and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and you will be in heaven!  


                                                       Tomato Coulis

2 Cans whole tomatoes (unsalted 28 oz can)
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano

Sauté olive oil and onions in a stock pot until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes.  Add tomatoes spices, salt, and pepper.  Simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes.  Puree mixture in a blender or you can use a hand blender, which I highly recommend.  It is very quick and much easier than blending batches of sauce.  If you do use a blender, cool the sauce first.  You can refrigerate or freeze this sauce.  I always quadruple the recipe and freeze.  Enjoy!