Rose Water At Home

Rose Water

Ever wondered if you could do something interesting with the rose petals that you let fall every year? Well, you can!  This year I was prompted to make my own rose water as my roses were all blooming at once and they looked amazing, not so easy to see on this photo below, but there are reds and pinks blooming here.

What can you use rose water for once it's made?  Here's a list of ideas:

• skin toner (anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties)
• hair rehydrator (final rinse after shampooing)
• cooking (think Turkish Delight!)
• ironing (use in a spray bottle, or in the chamber)
• mood enhancer (uplifting on emotions)
• bathing
• linen spray

Rose has been used since ancient times, with rose water first being prepared by the Arab physician Avicenna (AD 980 - 1037), though roses were used in bath water and as food earlier than that too. During the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance era, rose was used as a remedy for depression.  Rose water has similar properties as Rose essential oil, though not as concentrated as the oil.  Some of these properties include:

• anti-infectious
• anti-inflammatory (e.g., soothes blotchy skin)
• astringent
• cicatrizant (healing of wounds)
• neurotonic (uplifting)

Overall, rose water can be sprayed onto your skin, used to rinse your hair, as a mouth rinse and in your bath water.

There are many ways to utilise rose water once you have made a batch in your home.  

It is easy to prepare and here are the steps to follow:

1. Gather your rose petals.  Ensure you use rose petals that have not been sprayed (otherwise you will be adding pesticides to your beauty regime, or to your environment). You can also use dried rose petals if you don't have freshly gathered rose petals.  A good time to collect your rose petals is in the morning, when the aroma is the strongest. 
   
   
2. Rinse in warm water
3. Place into a pot and cover with just enough distilled, spring or rain water to cover
   
   
   
4. Gently, on a medium heat, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat (leaving the lid on) to maintain a gentle simmer.  Allow to simmer until the colour has gone from the petals, this can take up to 25 - 30 minutes. 
   
   
   
5. Leave to cool, I left these overnight. Strain. You can use a sieve or a cheesecloth (muslin).
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Bottle. I wish to keep my rose water for a little longer than 2 weeks, so I have added 5 ml of ethanol (95%) to 500ml of rose water. Store in a cool dark place.
   
   
   
   Note the amazing colour of the rose water on the left, these are in clear bottles as I will use them straight away, the remaining 2 litres I have stored in dark bottles.

Enjoy your rose water

Crash & Burn - Valentines Day Aftermath

There's always a lot of pressure on women to look stunning for Valentines Day - even though I play into it occasionally, it is still a big commercial venture that seems to pay off for all businesses in the community, from florists to newsagents, to bakeries, bottle shops and dress shops!!

What did you do that was special for Valentines Day that you would not normally be doing on a Friday night? I'm very lucky as I get spoiled with wonderful meals every weekend that make me smile at the effort that goes into making them and the love that is lavished in the kitchen.

Now, for many years I have struggled with Valentines Day, mainly because I've felt frumpy, overweight, tired, unattractive and many, many more negative words.  Have you ever felt like that? How can you feel great about yourself when you know you're overweight?

This is a shot of me 6 months ago - feeling very much fair, fat and forty - as the saying goes!!  How was I ever going to be attractive to my husband again, let alone to my own self image!

I was 82kg, or around 180lb, the heaviest I'd ever been in my life.  The feelings of disgruntlement, sadness, struggle, self hate and many more were all there in large amounts (actually this photo is one week into my change process - I was too terrified to take a photo at the very beginning!!!).

I've now been changing my lifestyle and routines for 6 months, and I've managed to get back into my wedding dress (in fact it's a little loose) for the first time in 13 (ok, well nearly 14 years now) years.  It's an amazing feeling to be so motivated, with energy and without all those extra pounds/kgs.  I've now lost 19kg, which is about 42lb, a lot of extra weight this little short girl was carrying around!!!

I'm now selling the products that I have been using with such success, and I really want to share them with you too, so you can create the self image you truly deserve. 

Click on the contact form to the right, and I'll be in touch with you to discuss how you can get started this week, with a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee - yes, you read that right - try going to your local chemist and getting a system where they'll give you your money back if you don't see a change you like in the first 30 days - it's incredible stuff!!

So looking forward to working together to get the best possible outcome for you in your self image, your motivation and your overall wellbeing!

Valentine song for the romantics - and Johnny Depp or Natalie Portman fans!

Sexy nails for Valentines Day

Valentines Day - Dieting Dinner

Another wonderfully easy, yet simple 2-course dinner, with a glass of wine is following.  The dessert for this meal can be made ahead, and the fun and games you get up to while eating it, is entirely up to you!!

This meal is a wonderful dish to warm up your wintery Valentines Day - enjoy!!

Pork Chops with Orange & Fennel Salad

Serve with 1/2 a cup of quinoa that has fresh tarragon chopped through it

For your dessert try the Banana Pudding Pops - these are fun to eat, depending on what you decide to do with them!!  If you don't like bananas that much (a bit like me), you might like to try mangos!

 Accompany this with a glass of white wine (a glass is 5oz or approximately 150ml)

All up the calorie count for this meal is:
Pork chops - 257
Quinoa - 111
Banana pops - 82
Glass of wine - 116
Total: 566 Calories - within your 600 calorie budget!

Have fun xx

Be my valentine

Valentines Day - Dieting Dinners

I absolutely love salmon fillets - had some cooked in a manner very similar to this last weekend when we were out for a special dinner with friends. The main difference was that our salmon wasn't marinated, and we had a herby crust over the top instead of sesame seeds. Superb though!

Salmon always brings something special to the table and the atmosphere around the table. I don't know why, but it certainly does for me.

Honey-soy broiled/grilled salmon

Serve this with a hot & sour slaw salad

Depending on your tastes and the time of the year, I'd also look at a cold salad to accompany this, e.g., a rocket, cherry tomato and feta salad, with a wholegrain mustard vinegar and oil dressing - that would be scrummy for me.  Also the calories would be kept in check with the salad.  Another option would be to add steamed vegetables to the dish, e.g., asparagus if it's springtime would be special (though I wouldn't suggest you drizzle them with butter, defeats the purpose of keeping in your calorie budget for the day!!!).

Also serve with brown rice.  ½ cup cooked rice per person, with 1tsp of sesame oil & a squeeze of lime (1 cup of brown rice in 2 ½ cups of water make 3 cups of cooked brown rice, takes 40 – 50 minutes to cook)

Again, this can all be served with a glass of white wine (5oz or 150ml) to make the meal a special evening.  

If you don't drink alcohol, you can have soda water with slices of lime in it, and use the calories to have double the sweet treat, such as the chocolates I use.  My suggestion would be to melt 4 chocolates, and dip strawberries into the chocolate - very yum, and so beautiful for a special evening.

Overall the calories for this meal are:

Salmon - 161
Slaw - 64
Rice - 149
Wine - 116
Chocolates - 100
Total calories: 590

Have fun!!

Valentines Day - diet dinners

I know there are many people today who like a vegetarian option for their main meals also, so here is a meal that will be acceptable to vegetarians as well.  What I love about this dish, is that it cooks like a lasagne, but there is no pasta in it!  The eggplants are used as the pasta.

Bruschetta

When making this recipe, I would consider making it the traditional way, so toast, then rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil (rather than brush it with a pastry brush).  However, instead of drizzling ½ a tsp of olive oil on each slice (15 calories per slice), you could consider spraying the side of the bread after rubbing with garlic.  Fresh tomatoes and fresh basil make this a very tasty starter - 2 slices are a good starter size.



Eggplant lasagna with ricotta and asiago (orparmesean) 

The total calories for this meal are:
Bruschetta - 170
Lasagne - 378
Total - 548

The two courses are close to your 600 calorie budget for the day, a glass of wine will take you to 664, though one chocolate that I use (50 calories) will take you to 598 - within budget!

Have fun

Valentines Day Dinner - While Dieting

Valentines Day and romantic meals - do they go thegether?

I believe they do, you can maintain your calorie intake for the day and still have a beautiful dinner, with a glass of wine, or even a sweet treat!!  Follow this blog this week to discover some very tempting dishes I've found and put here for your convenience, which come out as less than 600 calories for all the courses and the treats!!

If you are maintaining a 1200 calorie a day way of living while you're taking your weight loss journey, Valentines Day does not need to be dreaded.

Enjoy these recipes and come back to see more each day.

Today, we are looking at a special main course meal, a glass of wine and a special sweet treat.

Toasted Quinoa salad with scallops & snow peas, 

Serve the scallops with a Japanese cucumber salad.  

A glass of white wine with the main meal, and for afters, I have some special Green Tea infused chocolates, wrap these in a beautiful silk or gossamer purse as a sweet treat after the main meal.

Overall the calories for this wonderfully simple, yet special meal are: 588 calories

Have an amazing meal on Valentines Day xx