Taylor

Taylor
She is why I'm busy

Saturday, February 27, 2010

TRANSFORM YOUR FACE - Week 2 - Can I get Cate Blanchett's skin?

First off, I'll have to tell you a bit about week one.  It took a lot of planning to eat that way, but once the planning and shopping was done, it wasn't too hard.  Expensive, yes, but not terribly difficult.  I wasn't able to cram in all the servings they required each day and only made the full serving of vegetables once.

Bad news - I got 4 new pimples this week.  Good news - they were not as huge as normal and they went away much faster.  Two of them are already gone with no telltale signs and the other two are on their way to disappearing.  Usually, I get a nice little red scar after a pimple (whether I pick at it or not), but these didn't leave any noticeable marks, so another good thing!  Also,  I lost 4.2 pounds doing this!!  WHAT???  I was doing this for the skin improvements!!  Who knew there would be such an awesome side affect!!  So, as I continue the food requirements, I will begin phase 2 of the program.

Transform your face
They say the trick to minimizing splotchiness and brown spots and boosting radiance is to use products that increase cellular turnover.  So, how to do that?  Exfoliating every morning by using a gentle granular scrub or glycolic acid lotion, or at night with a retinoid (a vitamin A derivative), is a good way to slough off dull cells and expose newer, healthier skin.

Suggestions to use - Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology Sensitive Skin Gentle Exfoliating Peel ($35; Bathandbodyworks.com), with glycolic acid, or Neutogena 14 Day Skin Rescue ($26; at drugstores), with exfoliating retinol.  I wanted to try a suggestion I received from a reader - Olay Definity 14 day Skin Rehabilitation ($25; at drugstores), to diminish discoloration AND wrinkles with glucosamine - , but since I already had Patricia Wexler's Glycolic pads, I am going to use those for the 7 days.  (I have to save money when I can and I have exactly 7 pads left.)  Another product to help if you have any discoloration, like brown spots or acne scars is Olay Professional Pro-X Discoloration Fighting Concentrate. ($42; at drugstores)

So, I am continuing on my quest for better skin!!  I will keep you updated.  Here is another recipe to help you get those servings in per day.  This one takes a few ingredients, but a lot of them are staples you probably already have in your pantry.

Sesame Noodles with Salmon
5 ounces whole wheat noodles
3 cups small broccoli florets
2 large carrots, cut into thin diagonal slices
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
12 ounces skinned salmon fillet, cut crosswise into slices about 1 1/2' long and 1/3' thick
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons Asian chili-and-garlic sauce
1 1/2 cups julienne-cut hothouse cucumber

Bring a large covered pot of water to boil over high heat.

Add the whole wheat noodles and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.  Add the broccoli and carrots and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes longer, or until the noodles are tender and the vegetables crisp-tender.  Scoop out and reserve about 1/2 cup cooking liquid.  Drain the noodles and vegetables in a colander.

In a large nonstick skillet, stir the oil, scallions, ginger, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the scallions are wilted.  Transfer half of the mixture to a large salad bowl, leaving the remaining half in the skillet.

Add the salmon to the skillet and sprinkle with the lemon peel.  Cook, stirring gently with a spatula, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just opaque in the thickest part.  Remove from heat.

With a shisk, mix the peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, and chili sauce into the scallion mixture in the salad bowl.  Gradually whish in 3 to 4 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking liquid until creamy.

Add the noodles, vegetables, and cucumber to the peanut butter mixture and toss to mix well.  Add the salmon and any pan juices and toss gently.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until ready to serve.  If salad is too dry, add a little more pasta cooking liquid.

A serving of this will give you 2 vegetables, 2 whole grains, 3 proteins and 2 fats - WOW!

4 comments:

  1. Whoa! 4 pounds is amazing considering I have been tracking calories daily and have not seen that type of loss. Lose weight and clear skin, okay now I am really hooked.

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  2. I KNOW!! Who would have thought. I am NOT counting calories at all, but we are eating healthier options AND almost all organic.

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  3. We want to know what your eating. A sample menu would be so helpful.

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  4. 1. Go you!
    2. I updated my blog
    3. I got work off for Saturday (:

    ReplyDelete