GRAPE SEED OIL used as Skin Moisturizer

The other night I used a moisturizer on my face that didn't appear to have any gluten derivatives. I began to have blotches start on my face but strangely enough no itching. I washed my face quickly and didn't put anything else on my face that night.

I remember that my Dad used to use olive oil to moisturize his feet (he had diabetes). I use olive oil daily in my foods but I didn't want to smell "olive oily".

I do have grape seed oil so I looked up the benefits for skin. Here's what I found at this website.

Benefits of Grape Seed Oil

Grape seed oil has the same antioxidants as green tea, black tea, berries and red wine.

The benefits of grape seed oil can do wonders for your skin and health.

The antioxidants in the oil are called procyanidolic oligomers (PCO’s), known for their health giving properties, and are more powerful than vitamin C and vitamin E. 

Grape seed oil is made by cold-pressing the grape seeds, after they have been used to make wine.  It is used in many facial and body care products, and is known for its anti aging effects.

It is very rich in vitamins, minerals and protein, and can be found in many products such as; soaps, hair care, cosmetics, facial creams, body creams, bath oils, lip balms and anything else you can think of.

Grapeseed oil contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants.

Polyphenols can help slow the process of aging, as well as having anti inflammatory and anti oxidant properties, which makes it great for helping clear up acne. 

Using this oil will help prevent pores clogging and breakouts, it is good for oily skin as well.

Using the grapeseed oil in skin care products helps to tone and tighten the skin.

Grapeseed oil contains a high amount of linoleic acid, which is a fatty acid essential for the health of the skin and cell membranes.

This is the reason why it makes such a wonderful moisturizer, as it really nourishes your skin helping keep it smooth and subtle.

It is known for its ability to lock in moisture, leaving your skin feeling more supple and smooth, and it does not leave a greasy feeling, which makes it ideal to use on all skin types.

The nutrients in grape seed oil are easily absorbed into the skin, instead of sitting on top of the skin, this also helps to fight free radicals and stop some of the enzymes that destroy collagen, elastin and other connective tissue.

As it is a natural oil, it will inhibit problems such as fine lines and wrinkles, caused by the loss of collagen and elastin.  Along with vitamin C, grapeseed oil is able to help the  skin with the production of collagen.

There are plenty of products you can use to smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, but most of these products are only temporary.  Whereas, a natural oil like grape seed can offer a more permanent solution.

As we age, our bodies produce less and less collagen, which is the cause of fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes.  So, it makes sense to use a natural oil like grapeseed to help beat the aging process, and keep you looking younger.

And best yet it has a nice light smell, barely noticeable, my skin absorbs it fully and doesn't feel greasy. A little goes a long way.

Also, I buy it at my local grocery store next to the olive oil. No worries about a gluten/allergy response.

I think I'm going to scent the oil with a floral note. I'll be checking out the scented oils at my natural food store.

DUINKERKAN BREAD MIX at WALMART

Although Walmart has very few gluten free products, they have some very good ones.
Much to my surprise I found the Duinkerkan Bread Mix at my local Walmart Superstore. They also had the Duinkerkan Waffle Mix and the Cookie Mix. The bread mix was less than $4.00. I know I'll be trying the other mixes.

CABBAGE ROLL STEWP (part stew, part soup)

With the snow sticking around from our "Spring" snowstorm, I was feeling like having a stew/soup.

So cabbage roll stewp was in order.
I remembered back in the '60's my Dad was saving to build a new house that he had designed. There were 6 of us to feed. 
Dad had grown up in the '30's with my grandparents  from the old country and stretching a dollar was what they had to do.
So soup was a standby and frequently served. Same as in our house. My Dad was the cook, not Mom.
Strange for that day and age, but normal for my house.
Dad could do 1001 dishes out of ground beef. And believe me things could get interesting.
One of his creations was Cabbage Roll Soup.
I made mine thicker like a stew, using TVP instead of ground beef.


CABBAGE ROLL STEWP

2 cups granular TVP
10 cups boiling water
4 vegan "Beef" boullion cubes (I like McCormick's)
2 medium onions chopped
1 bulb of garlic minced
3 carrots sliced
6 stalks of celery sliced
2 potatoes chopped small
1 small Savoy Cabbage shredded fine
1 large 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and juice (sodium free)
1 cup brown rice
1 TBSP Montreal Steak Spice
1 cup tomatoe juice (I like a vegetable cocktail-sodium free)

1) Bring 10 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil, add boullion cubes and stir until dissolved.
2) Turn heat down until the liquid is simmering, add the TVP and cook gently for 5 minutes.
3) Add the other ingredients.
4) Simmer for at least 1 hour.
5) Reduce to the thickness you enjoy. Or add more water or tomatoe juice if you want it thinner.
6) Serve with your favourite gluten free bread.

For your leftovers, the stewp will thicken, add the tomatoe juice to thin out to desired consistency for re-heating.


Note: I didn't add salt separately because Montreal Steak Spice and the Boullion Cubes have salt in them. I know that traditional cabbage rolls don't have carrots and celery, but this adds to the nutritional value. 

DUINKERKAN BREAD MIX

Since I'm new to gluten free baking, I keep an eye out for all sorts of gluten free baking products. For those people out there this is probably old news to you, but the Duinkerkan Bread Mix is awesome.
I picked up a box at my local Bulk Barn for less than $4.00.

The instructions are easy to follow. The bread rises high before baking. And it actually looks like the picture.

The taste is a little bland. Next time I make this I think I'll add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

I'm very impressed with this product. And will definitely use again. Here's a link to their website. Duinkerkan Foods

Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts

I purchased the "Gluten Free Baking Classics" by Annalise Roberts. I read the first couple of chapters in the book. Annalise has good info about the science and art of baking gluten free. She has 2 different flour blends. One is for cakes, muffins, cookies etc. the other flour blend is for breads.

I went to our nearest Whole Foods, which is about 35 miles away and finally located some Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal in the larger packages. I've been missing oatmeal more than bread.

So I made the oatmeal cookies from Annalise's book.

I didn't take pictures because they were great tasting but mine spread out so far that they ended looking like cobble stones. My husband who doesn't have problems with gluten declared them great tasting.

I don't think the problem is with the recipe, probably me. I'm re-learning how to bake gluten free.

Things I'll do next time-before scooping onto the cookie sheet, I'll cool the dough in fridge to firm up a little, only put teaspoonfuls on the cookie sheet (I'm used to using tablespoons), get an oven thermometer(I suspect my oven temp is not quite right). I ended up adding about 8 minutes to the baking time.

I really like this cookbook and am going to be trying her bread recipe next.

Annalise has a really great chocolate cake recipe. My husband loves Black Forest Cake, I think I'll try to re-create it starting with that chocolate cake recipe.

Elana's Pantry and Cookbook

This cookbook is great if you don't have a nut allergy. I made the chocolate cake. It was great. I substituted flax egg and Egg Replacer for the eggs. A small piece of the cake is filling. Check out other recipes from Elana at

http://www.elanaspantry.com/

Her website has a lot of information about gluten free foods.

My Brand New Life Gluten Free

Yes, now I do it Gluten Free. Life is brand new. I'm more often than not pain free. Today is Day 32 gluten free.

Now I need to be aware of gluten and its' derivatives in not only food, but body cleansers, shampoo, conditioners and makeup.

This is challenging, but I'm enjoying learning about how to improve my health and how to eat gluten free and vegan.

I'll be honest I was wondering how I was going to get my adequate protein as I can no longer eat seitan. But Bean burgers, cutlets or bean balls will help. I need to be more diligent with my grain/legume/seed/nut consumption.

Although I'm also lactose intolerant, thankfully soy products are no problem.

So let the Harvesting begin!!