Karabears Top 5 Must Have Beauty Products

I have compiled a list of beauty products that I absolutely CANNOT live without! And by saying I can’t live without these products, I'm saying; "If I was on a desert island, I would have to have these products with me" type of can’t live without! So with that being said, I hope you thoroughly enjoy my list of life saving products :)

1. Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo

I have tried SO many dry shampoos over the years it’s not even funny! Big Sexy Hair, TRESemme, Victoria’s Secret, regular baby powder; you name it, I’ve tried it! But, I’ve only found one that I really liked and that’s this cheap old bottle from Suave! This formula is infused with mineral clay and silk powder and basically absorbs the grease on your head in between washes! The smell is very fresh and clean and if you hate washing your hair every single day like me, this stuff will be your new best friend! You can purchase a 5 oz.  bottle >Here< for just $2.88!

 

2. doTERRA Clear Skin Foaming Face Wash

 

This face wash has seriously transformed my skin! I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve received regarding my glowing and clear complexion since I began using it! It’s really such an amazing product! It is extremely gentle on the skin and it leaves your face feeling clean, fresh and radiant without drying it out. It also contains CPTG (therapeutic grade) essential oils and black cumin seed oil, to help keep your skin clear! You can purchase 1.7 fl. Oz. of this product >Here< for just $21!

 

3. b. Cosmetics Mineral Liquid Powder Foundation SPF 15

I have been using this foundation for months now and I could never imagine ever using anything else! The coverage is amazing!! It applies smoothly over the skin and sets itself to a soft-powder finish. This foundation provides sunscreen and antioxidant protection for ultra-sensitive skin. The formula is also oil-free and that’s what makes it great for all skin types, particularly skin with large pores and an oily T-zone (that would be me)! Purchase this foundation >Here< for just $28!

 

4. Norvell One Hour Sunless Mist

Ok, so if I was on a desert island I probably wouldn’t need this one since I would be getting a tan from the actual sun but I HAD to put this product on my list because I love it so, so much! I have tried literally every single sunless tanner known to man and this one tops them all! This product is salon quality and delivers salon quality results! The formula is 100% vegan, paraben-free, and contains natural enzymes that hydrate the skin! It dries in about an hour but I usually leave mine on for at least 8 hours (I spray right before bed and then shower in the morning) and my tan lasts for about 5 days. The website states that each 7 fl. Oz. bottle will give you about 5-7 spray tans just depending on how much you use however, I have sprayed 5 times and still have half the bottle left! If you would like to purchase this product, go >Here< and get it for $42!

 

5. Perfectly Posh Good Morning, Beautiful Chunk Big Bath Bar

Due to having Interstitial Cystitis and chronic UTI’s I have to be careful about the products that I’m using on my skin. Over the past year and a half since being diagnosed I have tried quite a few all or mostly natural body washes and honestly they stink…literally stink! Then, a friend turned me on to Perfectly Posh. While some of their products still smell awful, this one smelled divine! It smells of green tea and lemon and contains sunflower oil and caffeine among other natural ingredients. It also lasts for a LOOOOOONG time too! My 1 little bar lasted almost 3 months!! (yes, I was bathing daily) You can learn more about PP and purchase the 7oz. bath bar >Here< for $9!

 

 

Hope you enjoyed seeing and learning about my top 5 favorite beauty products!! Be sure to comment below and tell me what some of yours are :)

 

xoxo, karabears

 

 

Recipe: Stuffed Butternut Squash with Curried Cauliflower

This is a super healthy and easy meal that can be adapted to work with whatever you have in your fridge!

Ingredients:
1 Small Butternut Squash
3-4 Florets of Cauliflower-broken into pieces
Garlic-chopped
Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Prepare butternut squash by cutting it in half and scooping out the seeds
3. Rub butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt
4. Toss cauliflower, garlic, spices, olive oil and salt and spoon into the open area of the butternut squash where the seeds were scooped out
5. Place the squash on a baking sheet lined with foil and pop in the oven
6. Bake in the oven for about 45-60 minutes depending on the size of your squash and how soft you like it.  You can test by inserting a fork which should easily go through the flesh of the squash.

If you don't have the spices a mentioned above or cauliflower, you could easily swap for any vegetable or beans with olive oil and garlic.  I served it with a wild baby arugula salad with roasted golden beets- recipe to come!

Let us know if you give this recipe a try. ;)

Enjoy!!

7 Bean Soup Recipe (vegan, gluten free)

I LOVE soups- I eat them all year long, no matter what the weather is like outside, BUT there is nothing better than a hot cup of soup on a cold day.  While here on the west coast, we can't complain about "cold" compared to what ya'll are dealing with all over the country......I'm a total whimp and freezing 90% of the time, especially when it drops anything below the 50's- I know. I'm ridiculous.  I live for the summers! Nonetheless, I create random soup recipes on a regular basis based on what I have in the cupboard or fridge.  Let's be honest, it's really hard to make a soup that tastes bad!  This is a super easy, healthy and delish soup recipe that I hope you will try soon.

Ingredients:

32 oz Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock

2-3 Cups Water

15 oz Tomato Sauce

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 Cup Bean Mixture (whatever mix you have on hand or can find- 7 bean, 12 bean,etc)

2 Cloves Garlic- minced

1 Small Onion or 1/2 Large Onion cut into strips

2-3 Carrots cut into chunks

1/2 Tablespoon Cumin

1/2 Tablespoon Paprika

1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder

Salt to taste

Olive Oil

Cumin Seeds, Cilantro & Avocado for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Drizzle a large sauce pan or stock pot with oil.  Once heated, toss in onions and stir. Saute for about a minute or until translucent in color then add carrots and cook for about a minute. 

2. Add salt and spices- stir until the carrots and onions are well covered (do not let spices burn).  Add garlic and continue stirring for about 30 seconds.

3. Add stock, water, tomato sauce and tomato paste- bring to a boil

4. Pour in bean mixture and return to a boil.  Cover and simmer on med-low for about 2 hours or until beans are well cooked through.

5.  Check soup halfway throughout and add water to achieve preferred consistency.  Same with salt- add until preferred saltyness is reached! 

6. My favorite soup garnishes are cilantro and avocado, garnish with these or your favorite toppings!

My original plan was to make this in the crockpot in the morning so it would be ready when I got off work but I completely forgot! Next time I am going to try this in the crockpot with the 2-3 cups of water added from the start and will cook on low for 6-8 hours.  I also just used whatever vegetables I had on hand so feel free to do the same! This is a versatile recipe that can be adjusted to fit whatever is in your fridge.

What's your favorite soup recipe?  

XOXO,

Kaitlin

Raw Taco Tuesday!

We are completely obsessed with this recipe!  I made it for my Sis and Skylar a few Saturdays ago as a power lunch while we were taking photos, we all immediately were in complete awe of how a raw/ vegan recipe could be so delicious and fulfilling. Everyone who knows me, knows that I could eat burritos all day every day, live for salsa and put guacamole on everything.  So for me to feel that this could actually compete with my typical Mexican fare, is kinda a big deal.  

What I absolutely love about this recipe is that it uses a whole, all natural ingredient to imitate meat unlike many other vegan recipes that use the typical tofu/ tempeh/ processed fake meat.  I followed the walnut taco recipe exactly but decided to make my own toppings based on what I had on hand and what I traditionally would top a taco or burrito with.   This recipe is so healthy and so easy, with such a small ingredient list, that there is no reason not to give it a try!

Walnut Taco Mix 

(this makes about enough for 1-2 people, if you are making it for more than yourself I would def recommend doubling the recipe)

Ingredients:
1 cup raw walnuts
1 Tbsp. nama shoyu (raw, unpasteurized soy sauce) or Raw Coconut Amino Acids (which is what I used)
1/8 tsp. ground chipotle pepper (or more if you like it spicy!)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Romaine, Butter Lettuce or Kale leaves to act as tortilla

Directions:1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse just to mix. Don’t over-blend, or you will make butter!

Pico De Gallo
Ingredients:
2-3 Tomatoes- diced
1/2 Onion- diced
Handful of Cilantro-chopped
Juice of 1/2-1 Lime (to taste)
Salt

Directions- Combine all ingredients and toss to mix

Guacamole Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Ripe avocado- diced
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Handful of Cilantro- Chopped
Juice of 1/2 a Lime

Directions-Combine all ingredients and mash until you achieve a smooth consistency.

Layer mix, pico de gallo and guac ontop of your favorite leafy green and enjoy!

We hope you try this recipe soon, let us know how you like it. :)

xoxox
Kaitlin