food to glow

The biggest food holiday in the US has been and gone, bar the leftovers. Are you still full?

Even with the best will in the world, and the healthiest food on the table, most Americans will have overindulged. I think it is in the American psyche to over-do it at Thanksgiving. You might have popped kale in every dish, and cut back on the sugar in the pumpkin pie, but unless you served it on side plates, chances are the waistband is at least a little snug. Am I right?

As has become a tradition with me {er, the second time I’ve done this}, the day after the night before is all about juice. We won’t be celebrating in our house until Sunday, but you can bet I’ll be slugging this back come Monday morning.

I am loving my new Optimum 600 Slow Juicer from Froothie, so even if Sunday was just an ordinary food day at food to glow  – e.g. something involving kimchi or cauliflower at the moment – I would be filling my machine up and pressing the on button.

Juicing in some shape or fashion has been a part of my life for about 25 years. When I first moved to Britain one of the first ‘proper’ shops I visited was John Lewis. Always interested in cooking, and needing to furnish a flat, I headed to their glorious kitchen section. As I drifted among the clean and ordered aisles, I nearly gasped with excitement – a whole row of juicers! Amazing! I had always wanted a juicer. When I say always, I mean probably a couple of years, as before that juice would have always meant from a carton, or squeezed by hand with some difficulty. But a domestic machine!

Well, wasn’t I quite underwhelmed/dismayed/confused that these gleaming machines were in fact DEEP FAT FRYERS. I didn’t even know what these were at first. People, in their own home, had deep fat fryers? Why? I don’t mean to sound naive, but I really had never heard of such a thing. I figured oil hot enough to melt rocks was best left to experts at McDonalds.

Anyway, I still wanted a juicer but I had to get it mail order from Germany. It still works just fine and produces lovely clear juice, but today’s slower-juicing, screw-type juicers – like my new Froothie – give you so much more juice and nutrients than the more usual centrifugal ones, with their fast-spinning, shredding plates. I’ll post a proper review soon, but meantime here’s a beautifully nutritious and delicious juice to whet your appetite. Btw, the juice is completely smooth but looks frothy in the images – those aren’t pips!

But before the recipe, can I introduce you to a fantastic new British skincare company? PERF is a 100% vegan and organic lifestyle brand, using fair-trade ingredients wherever possible. It is also a fab little company with big aspirations. They have recently launched with a sugar scrub, cleanser and a skin ‘milkshake’ – The Power of 3. Other products are debuting soon.

I ‘know’ Sophie, the founder of PERF,  through friendly chats on Instagram. Recently, when she offered the launch collection to me to try,  I of course jumped at the chance. My daughter Rachel also received the products and was quick off the mark to try them. She and I are so impressed with their 100%vegan and organic skin treats that I wanted to tell you about them while their launch products are still 33% off.

My favourite is the Rose and Lemongrass Milkshake. In its sleek metal bottle is a silky concoction of heady skin-calming and moisturising oils. My skin is quite dry, and a bit flaky at this time of year, so I wasn’t sure that something probably aimed at a slightly younger market would be up to the job. But the milkshake went on smoothly, soaked in not-too-quickly, and left my skin feeling extremely soothed and smoothed. You can apply make-up soon after – so it’s not just a night-time treat. Rachel – with her 18-year old skin – loves it too, but applies just a little less than her old mum!

Rachel’s favourite is the Chocolate-Orange Cleanser, and yes it is like a healthy Terry’s Chocolate Orange for your face. 🙂 The smell is absolutely incredible! In fact you could probably eat it as it contains olive oil, cocoa butter, poppy seeds, calendula petals, carob and maca powders – among other edible ingredients. And all the oils used at PERF are unfiltered and cold-pressed: essential, skin-boosting, nutrients are retained.

The last of the trio, Mint & Lavender Sugar Scrub, is a perfectly gentle way to buff the skin. I’m not much into skin care routines {er, not at all} but two scrubbing sessions a week leave my skin glowing. Which is just as well with a blog name like mine. 😉 Lavender and calendula petals, raw sugar, poppy seeds and heavenly oils certainly beat harsh commercial scrubs that I’ve used in the past – hands-down. Rachel and I are hooked. The 33% off lasts until Monday, 1 December but even if you miss this date, PERF’s pricing is very reasonable. I think the Power of 3 set would make a great gift for anyone interested in keeping things vegan, organic and fair-trade, and who don’t want to compromise on quality. But you have to not mind people telling you that you smell great. We have both had that happen!

And this juice smells pretty awesome, too.

See my Recipe Index for more healthy juice and smoothie recipes, including this very seasonal and festive, Red Reviver.

Healthy Juice Recipes From Others:

Cucumber and Watermelon Refresher by Fuss Free Flavours

Lime, Grapefruit and Ginger Juice by 101 Cookbooks

Strawberry, Watermelon Mint Elixir by The Spicy RD

The 10 Best Things To Squish Into A Juicer {!} via Buzzfeed

 

Disclosure: I was given these products as gifts. I am under no obligation to mention them or review them. All opinions and recommendations are entirely my own. I only share what I really love and actually use.