Ch-Ch-Ch-CHIA!

Yes, they are the very same chia seeds that you soak and smear on a clay head.  Since I have just finished reading 'Born to Run' about the Tarahumara tribe and some great ultra-marathoners I felt I had to try their secret weapon for energy and magnificent endurance.  

Chia seeds have been used for centuries and are SUPER healthy, albeit a little bit gross-looking, and extremely gelatinous when mixed with liquid.  The less liquid, the more gel-like it becomes.

I like to make a sluice by adding about 3/4 c. water to about a tablespoon of seeds.   Looks good, eh?

Mmmm, drink it down!

It tastes pretty much like it looks--crunchy and goobery, so I add a little squeeze of lime.  What does that do?  Well, it makes it slightly lime-y.  I don't like a lot of sweetness in my beverages, but if you wanted, you could add some simple syrup or honey to yours. 

Really the seeds by themselves (dry) do taste a little bit like walnuts.

Health benefits of Chia:

• ENERGY
• AIDS DIGESTION
• HELPS YOU STAY HYDRATED
• PROTEIN
• ANTI-OXIDANTS
• OMEGA 3 AND OMEGA 6 ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
• CALCIUM
• MAGNESIUM, BORON
• FIBER
• PHOSPHORUS
• MANGANESE
• COPPER
• IRON
• ZINC
• NIACIN

I'm not going to pretend that I know what the purpose of all of those trace minerals and such are for, but I probably need them.  Sometimes I have this drink in the morning, sometimes before or after a workout.  I try to get some in at least once a day.  I don't think I can go wrong here.  

The benefits have been compared to flax seeds, but flax is so demanding--you have to grind it fresh each time you want to use it, you can't cook with it, and it can spoil/go rancid really quickly.  Annoying.  The chia seeds last forever and don't require any special treatment.   Besides that, they have MORE essential fatty acids than flax seeds.  I don't know why flax gets all the attention.   

You can eat the chia seeds raw or add to ANYTHING.  They absorb the flavors of whatever they are mixed with, so you could add them to soups, desserts, yogurt.  Literally whatever you want.   

nom nom.  crunch crunch. slurp.

Homemade Facial Mask

I have kind of terrible skin.  

I'm in my 40s and my skin acts like a hormonal teenager's sometimes.  

Along with my desire to limit the chemicals in my life, I thought I'd check into homemade skin care.

I googled 'recipes for face masks' and got a lot of great ideas,  

and noticed several recurring ingredients such as:

Anything milky.

Lemon juice.

Honey.

Oatmeal.

Sugar.

Many other things I can't remember.  

You get the gist--"tasty things" are good on your face.

For my concoction tonight, 

I mixed a spoonful each of greek yogurt (plain of course), 

lemon juice and honey.

No need to take a photo.  It didn't look like much.

I smeared it on my face and waited for the magic.  

Hmmm.  Nothing happened except the dogs thought I was delicious.

After a few minutes I scrubbed it off with a palmful of sugar and warm water.  

Once I rinsed everything off my face, it felt really really soft!

And I'm totally prettier. 

Grilled Lettuce!

Everyone should try this at least once.  

I have a feeling I'm going to repeat this many times this summer.  

All you do is take some romaine hearts and slice them lengthwise.  

Brush with a little olive oil or butter and season with salt, pepper, or whatever you like.  

Lay them on the grill flat side first until they're a little charred.  

Flip them over and sprinkle a little Parmesan on top while you grill the other side.  

The cheese is not necessary, just an added bonus, especially if you're going the Caesar Salad route with it. 

I also might try some feta or blue cheese the next time.  Yum.

Done!  

I drizzled mine with a little vinaigrette, but my husband ate his plain.  

Really, really good.