Five of My Favorite Foods to Sneak into Your Diet For Better Hair, Skin, Nails, and Overall Health

As I've said multiple times before, I am looow maintenance. I put significant effort into daily life but I don't like doing so for things I'm not super passionate about. One example: eating healthy. I'm a fairly active person- I love tennis and sprint on the Spring track team at school- but making over my diet is a whole other story. Although I personally don't have a huge problem with this because I eat home-cooked Indian food every day, my diet could still use some improvement. The same goes for most people. For some, a busy schedule keeps them from watching their diet, while for others, their income does. Neglecting your diet will inevitably lead to some sort of health problem, big or small. Many times the first signs show up in our hair, skin, and nails, three things no one wants looking bad. Beauty aside, it's always important to keep up your health. Whether you need a few ideas on how to be even healthier or are looking for some solid sources of nutrition to enrich your currently lacking diet with, here are five foods you can easily accomplish your goals with.  

Chia seeds

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Chia seeds are native to Mexico and are commercially grown there, in several northern South American countries, and in Australia. They pack a lot of punch for their tiny 1-mm wide diameter- they're rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. These seeds are great for weight loss because of their unique water-absorbing properties, which help keep you full. These properties also allow you to use them to make chia gel, which in turn can be used to make chia pudding or can serve as a nutritious vegan egg replacement. Incorporating these seeds into your diet is so easy because of their small size and tastelessness. The best part is that you only need two tablespoons a day to get your daily fix of this superfood. The seeds can go unnoticed in everything from breads to smoothies. Sprinkle them on top of salads or mix them into dips for crunch. Add them to baked goods for extra texture and thickness. Blend them into smoothies for creaminess or simply mix it in if you want some crunch. There are so many possibilities. The only downside is the high price, which can be attributed to the exclusivity of the chia plant to the specific regions I mentioned earlier. One way to beat this is by buying online. If that isn't an option, I strongly recommend going to your local grocery store (even if the price is high and the bag is small) and at least trying it out once. 

Yogurt

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Yogurt is a staple in many diets across the world. Its simplicity makes it easy to incorporate into a multitude of dishes. It's also cheap, which makes it easily accessible for many. I'm lucky enough to have homemade yogurt on a regular basis as a part of my Indian diet! As a dairy product, it helps keep bones strong with calcium. It also contains vitamins B and D and the trace minerals potassium and magnesium. Perhaps most importantly is the "good bacteria", the little guys that make the yogurt itself. They help with your digestive processes (take it from JLC) by aiding the existing bacteria in your system. They can't be found in such abundance in many other foods. Yogurt is a very simple food and therefore is very versatile. Just remember to always buy low-fat or fat-free varieties to keep unnecessary fat out of your diet. Although you can use regular or Greek yogurt, Greek is more sought after for its thick texture. The only difference between the two is that Greek yogurt is strained so there's less water and more yogurt per serving. You can use yogurt as a base for dips or icing or as a replacement for sour cream (which is full of fat and is basically tasteless anyway). You can add it to smoothies, baked goods, or to your next saute for added richness. Best of all, you can enjoy it alone, maybe with some mix-ins like nut butter or chocolate chips. 

Spinach

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Spinach is native to Southwest Asia but is eaten widely all over the world. It's full of trace minerals, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Spinach is very simple and nutritious green that retains its distinct mildly sweet taste that pairs well with a variety of foods. You can use it as a replacement for lettuce in everything from salads to sandwiches. Since it cooks down quickly and easily, you can saute it with pasta, rice, other veggies, or alone. It makes a great pizza topping along with freshly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella. Bake it in casseroles and other savory dishes. Finally, one super popular way to use spinach is in green smoothies. The mild taste keeps it from overpowering the flavors you actually want to taste.

Bananas

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I must admit that I rarely eat bananas right out of the skin. Although that's technically the healthiest way to enjoy it, there are so many other things to do with this unique and conveniently low-priced tropical fruit. They're a good source of potassium, manganese, fiber, biotin, and more. I love frozen banana treats because the texture always comes out so good. Make chocolate covered banana pops or coins with some melted chocolate, bananas, and a freezer. Freeze bananas whole and blend them up for a raw ice cream substitute. I always use them to make frozen smoothies. If you need an egg substitute, simply replace each egg with one mashed ripe banana. Bananas are great in baked goods like quick bread and muffins because they add texture and moisture. 

Unsweetened cacao powder

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Chocolate is good for you. Wait, what? Let me explain. Hershey's chocolate, what with its high fructose corn syrup and illegal amount of sugar, is bad. Chocolate in its raw form, aka cacao, is good. Whether it be in baking square or powder form, cacao is an amazing source of antioxidants and trace minerals. Here I featured cacao powder because it's the most versatile form. You can add it to milk, smoothies, and other drinks. Add it to baked goods for a chocolatey kick. Mix it with chia gel for healthy DIY chocolate pudding. You can basically add it to anything it can be dissolved in when you're having chocolate cravings.

Which ideas sound good to you? I know I need to get baking with spinach and cheese. Comment and email me at leatherandrouge@gmail.com with your thoughts and ideas.

My Current Go-To (Hint: It's Not a Cute Clutch)

I'm laughing at all of you who thought I was going to be highlighting an ah-mazing wardrobe must-have or something of the like in this post. It's winter up here. My body is busy maintaining my internal temperature and, as my growling stomach can vouch, it's taking up all my energy doing that and I'm always starving as a result. I don't have time for clothes, makeup, and stuff I should be writing about right now. I need food, because only it can fill the empty void that is my heart. And stomach.

For whatever reason, I seem to have a peculiar affinity for frozen treats. Ice cream? Check. These frozen yogurt things I randomly came up with? Heck yeah. So it's no surprise that I've recently been downing a significant amount of frozen banana-nutella smoothies.

It's super easy to make. You only need three ingredients at the most and it's a one step process. This makes one big serving. 

Ingredients:

• 2 banana(s) with 5-10 ice cubes per banana OR 2 frozen bananas
• 1-2 tbspn Nutella (to taste)

I used room temp. bananas. Also, I love me some Nutella.

Tools:

• Blender (one that can chop up ice/frozen things)
• Something to carry ice cubes in (if you don't use frozen bananas)

Like I said, one step. Just throw everything in your blender and mix. 

If it isn't as thick as you'd like, add more ice cubes; I start with three. If you don't like thick smoothies, add milk to thin it out. If you have it, almond milk pairs well with banana. Of course, regular milk works just as well also.

So, try it out and let me know. Send pictures to my email, leatherandrouge@gmail.com, and comment below.

What I Did With My Extra Hour

This weekend was probably the most autumn-y for me so far this season. I drove down a parkway surrounded by brilliant fall colors, ate a pumpkin pie from McDonald's (their apple pie is way better), and made pumpkin bread (ironically, the least-voted for choice in last week's poll). 

I'd post a picture of all the trees along the highway, but alas, I didn't take any. My destination was a local university, where I attended a seminar on college. After that, we went straight to McDonald's for nourishment. Thus began Day 2 of this weekend's over-eating marathon, triggered by our unused bag of Halloween candy. 

When I got home, I did nothing, since my post-consumption drowsiness prevented any real action from taking place. However, I did make pumpkin bread for a friend of mine, since we're both Hindu Indians and today is Diwali. And she got me apple cider from Wegman's. 

Best pumpkin mix I've tried so far. Need proof? Take a gander at that cleanly-licked bowl.

After stopping by at my friend's with the freshly baked loaf we headed over to my aunt's for dinner, where I overate yet again. 

So here I am at home now, informing you of the day's simple events. What did you do this weekend? Are you feeling the Fall yet? Comment and email me at leatherandrouge@gmail.com.

Monday Munchies: Frozen Yogurt Bites

I haven't mentioned this before, so know this: I looove experimenting with food. And eating it. (I mean, who doesn't?)

Problem is, I'm a really low-maintenance girl. Unless I really get into it, nothing I do should take more than 10 minutes, whether it be my hair, makeup, or food. When it comes to making food, if the preparation takes more than 10 minutes, I'm out. That's why I made these frozen yogurt bites. They're so quick and easy (take it from me), delicious, and best of all, healthy. It doesn't hurt that you can personalize this recipe. Read on to find out how to whip these up.

Tools:

• 2 small or medium sized spoons
• 1 ice cube tray
• Tupperware container for storage

Ingredients: 

• Enough yogurt, your choice of flavor(s), to fill up an entire ice cube tray (Roughly 2 to 2.5 single serve containers- may vary by size of your ice cube tray) I recommend Greek yogurt because it's super healthy (especially the fat-free varieties) and has a rich, creamy texture. If you don't have it on hand or have your own preferences, feel free to use whatever type of yogurt you please. 
• Jar of Nutella (You definitely won't need the whole thing- it's just easier to handle this way)

Directions:

1) Spoon yogurt into ice tray.

Make sure the yogurt doesn't quite reach the top of the mold so it has room to expand when it freezes and for the Nutella later. I used three flavors from three brands: vanilla Yoplait, key lime Oikos, and Raspberry Chobani. Like I said before, though, do what you want!

2) Add the Nutella.

Messy much?

Now, use the other spoon to take a small amount of Nutella and drop it in the center of each mold. You can use as much as you want-- just try to keep the molds from overflowing. Also, if you don't like Nutella as much as me, you can use something similar like peanut butter (actually, as you can see below I used that for the vanilla) or just anything that will freeze well. You can really get creative- if I wanted to switch things up, I'd use white chocolate fudge with the key lime yogurt and jelly with the raspberry flavor!

Peanut butter + vanilla= mm mm mm.

3) Pop it in the freezer!

Now all you have to do is wait for an agonizing 1-2 hours or until frozen solid.

4) Enjoy(:

Trust me, you will. Even my skeptical father gave in after a few of these. The yogurt is so good, and the thick texture of the Nutella is amazing.  

5) Last but not least, storage!

I used a Tupperware container. Anything that seals tight and is freezer safe works.

One more thing: For more great recipes, visit my friend Julia at her blog Sweet Cheetah! Her blog is all about healthy but delicious eating.

So, are you guys gonna try this out? If you do, let me know how it goes! Do you have any other favorites? Comment below and email me at leatherandrouge@gmail.com.