Book Review - Einkorn: Recipes for Nature's Original Wheat

Image Source - Random House

What exactly is Einkorn? Einkforn is one of the only ancient wheat that has not been hybridized and modified. Many people who have gluten sensitivity (even though it has more than "regular" wheat ) use this type of flour to enjoy foods they might otherwise wouldn't. The author, Carla Bartolucci took to finding an alternative grain for her daughter Giulia to be able to eat certain foods. The book is packed with the history, science and information about Einkorn along with baking tips. 

The book contains roughly 100 recipes accompanied by 85 color photographs. I may be in the minority but I didn't find the pictures to be particularly appealing or appetizing. I did find a couple of recipes I wanted to try, especially the bread but was heartbroken to find that most of the supermarkets and specialty markets doesn't carry the flour. I did manage to find an online retailer, Jovial Foods (the author owns the company, if I am not mistaken) that sells a 10 pound bag for $33 not including shipping and tax. For that price, I might as well go and buy freshly made loaf every week. Granted, I do not suffer from any type of gluten sensitive so this book and type of flour I am not the target demographic. A nice book to flip through but it might be best for people who have gluten sensitivities.

**Disclosure - I was given a copy of the book for my full and honest opinion. The links attached are also affiliate links.**

Cosmopolitan December 2014

New Smokey Eye Trends

1. Graphic Green - you don’t need to be an artist to master the precise, squared shape. Use pencil liner to create the box (keep cotton swab handy for wobbly-line cleanup), then fill it in with shadow. Blend away harsh edges with your finger.
2. Cobalt Cat eyes - put pigments on lockdown by layering powder shadow over a matching cream in this feline shape. Then rim inner lids with midnight blue pencil - kep to keeping the look edgy, not playful.
3. Red in reverse - instead of  dark lash line that gets lighter at the crease., rock the ombre version. Sweep a deep burgundy hue directly in your crease, then blend a light-reflecting magenta downward toward the lash line.

There’s a right way to pour a beer

1. Pour the beer slowly down the side of a tilted glass until its about three quarters of the way full. If you pour quickly, you get too much foam.
2. Straighten up the glass, and pour the beer straight down the middle. You should have about an inch of head at the top.

Self October 2014

Boost Your Strength

1. Maximize Cardio - on the treadmill, add an incline for 60 seconds intervals. Or hit the rowing machine for three minutes between weight training moves to raise your heart rate.
2. Plank - standard planks and rotating side planks strengthen your core, which can make you less prone to injury. Plus, you use a strong core in every activity, athletic or otherwise.
3. Do diagonal moves - exercises like chopping wood [using a medicine ball or weighted pulley] involve rotational strength and work muscle groups in one efficient action.

Boost Your Power

1. Just jump - try 12 to 24 inch box jumps (5 reps is enough to make fast-twitch muscle fire). Or opt for simple squat jumps - and do as many as you can for 30 seconds straight.
2. Play power sports - soccer, boxing, or tennis, for example, require total body strength and precision. Their targeted movements will help increase your power.

Boost Your Endurance

1. Mix up your cardio - alternate between classic cardio and more high-intensity exercises to increase your aerobic capacity. So in addition to Spin class or running a 5K, include CrossFit or sprint intervals.
2. Try rhythmic breathing - during yoga or a run, practice breathing through your belly. This forces you to use your chest less so you can take in more air. As you learn to breathe more efficiently, you’ll be giving your muscles the oxygen they need to last.

Boost Your Flexibility

1. Do active warm ups. move like front leg kicks, high knees and butt kicks target major muscles groups and improve circulation to those areas. This makes muscles and joints more limber and ready to work out.
2. Try foam rolling. It targets areas that are especially tight, like the glutes, quads and hamstrings. Research shows that rolling relaxes the soft tissues surrounding muscles and can increase anxiety.

Boost Your Recovery

1. Vary your workouts. Don’t jump the StairMaster every time you exercise. Changing your activities from day to day avoids repeatedly stressing the same muscles.
2. Mix it up - alternate active recovery like walking, a light jog or a swim with restorative options, like soaking in a hot tub or icing an overworked area
3. Get more sleep - Stanford University researchers found that when basketball players slept approximately two extra hours a night, their free throw accuracy increase by 9 percent.

Boost Your Agility

1. Do drills - learn to use the agility ladder and do shuttle runs. These activities increase agility by getting your body familiar with sudden movement.
2. Sprint - building leg strength improves agility because leg muscles tend to be key to moving quickly. Start with one 30 yard sprint, then recover about 60 seconds. Repeat four more times.

BBW Pink Sugarplum Shower Gel

The shea enriched shower gel is fortified with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E. The shower gel provides a generous lather and leaves skin moisturized. It leaves skin scented of sugared plum, tangerine and vanilla musk. It is overly girl and very sweet scented. The shower gel reminds me a bit of Pink Chiffon.

Cargo Cosmetics BeachBlush - Cable Beach

The product has the benefits of a blush and bronzer in one container. The four complementary colors has a soft deep plum bronze. It has subtle hints of shimmer to add a radiant warmth to your cheeks. The four stripes can be blended together or used solo. I love how the bronzer leaves a nice sunkissed look but without spending hours in the sun.

Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes - Matte Black 0L

The creamy eyeliner is an intense burst of long-lasting color. The eyeliner glides on easily and doesn't smudge and fade throughout the day. The waterproof eyeliner was originally created for the Parisian Aquatic Ballet and was tested under water for five hours. The eyeliner goes on smooth and lasted awhile for me. I love how creamy and easy was to apply. However, I found the black to be a bit duller compared to other eyeliners.

House of Harlow 1960 Saint James Tumbler Candle

When I saw this gorgeous white and gold tumbler candle by House of Harlow 1960, I knew I had to get it. The candle had notes of white, black and pink peppercorns with notes of Carnation Absolute. The 7.4oz candle had a sweet sophisticated scent that pulls you in and keeps you entranced.  The candles each last for 45 hours but unfortunately, the scent is very weak. I lit one after cleaning to refresh my kitchen but I couldn't smell it even after 4 hours  unless I wentthiscloseto the candle. On the plus side, the package is gorgeous and the tumbler can be reused.

Global Goddess i-Divine Eyecolor - Darjeeling

The highly pigmented eyeshadow is infused with white tea extracts to firm the areas around the eyes. The long lasting eyeshadow promises to have a silky application and to be crease proof. However, I found it to be the exact opposite. The formula didn't last very long even with a primer and it creased like crazy. Silky application? Hardly, felt like chalk on my fingertips. The brown color looks lovely in the package but was rather tawny and had a dull coffee color.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush - Thankful

I got this limited edition blush when I purchased the Tarte Thoughtful Treasures Set Holiday set.  The blush is a bright golden apricot pink. It has a satiny finish and doesn't have much glitter or gloss.  This blush is high pigmented and a little goes a long way. While, this is particularly favorite color (I tend to like really bright reds), it does give my cheeks a nice healthy glow.