Salad, but not as you know it

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apricots, Asparagus, Balsamic vinegar, BBQ, beef tomato, cherry tomatoes, cold water, crushed, dinner, Extra virgin olive oil, free range chicken breasts, friends, garlic, grated, Hot Tuna and Sweetcorn Salad, ingredients, lemon juice, lemon zest, lunch, luscious green salad, olive oil, organic butter, pan, pan of salted water, peppery leaves, picnic, pitta, plates, red chilli, red onion, Red wine, roasting, rocket, salt and pepper, serve, slivers, soft, steaks, Summer chicken salad, tasty, trimmed, tuna, Vegan, very finely sliced, Watercress, Watercress and apricot pitta bread

How many times do you buy luscious green salad, only to find it limp and sad at the back of the fridge because you don’t know what to do with it?

Full of flavour, the peppery leaves of watercress and rocket contain essential vitamins and can be a great addition to any diet.

Whether you are having friends for dinner, planning an end of term BBQ or packing a picnic for the park, we are here to share some ideas of how to get the most out of your salad leaves.

Watercress and apricot pitta bread
This vegan option takes around 10 minutes to get ready and serves two, making it a quick, easy lunch that is light but tasty.

Ingredients
1 bag of watercress and rocket (washed)
4 ripe apricots
½ a head of fresh fennel
Extra virgin olive oil
Wholemeal pitta breads
For the dressing:
75ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
½ teaspoon of lemon zest
Fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

To start, halve the apricots, cut them into slices, brush them with oil and place in a hot, dry pan and cook for a minute or so, turning so they are soft.

To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper, adding more lemon juice if required.

Toast and break open the pitta bread, add the salad and apricot slices, and enjoy.

Summer chicken salad
This is perfect for a mid-week treat or a lighter alternative to a full roast with all the trimmings.

Ingredients
2 free range chicken breasts
1 x bag of watercress and rocket
1 beef tomato, sliced
60ml olive oil
Large bunch of fresh asparagus, trimmed and washed
Salt and pepper to season

For the dressing
1 red onion, very finely sliced
1 red chilli, grated
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of cold water
Salt and pepper to season

Method
Start by making the dressing as giving it time to settle before eating makes it taste best. Ensure that the onion is finely sliced into slivers and the garlic is well crushed. Put all the ingredients into a glass bowl and beat with a fork until you have a smooth mixture. Pour into a jar and put in the fridge.

We would suggest either putting the chicken on the BBQ or roasting for around 25 minutes, using any left-over garlic plus salt and pepper to season.

Cook your asparagus for two minutes in boiling salted water, then drain and set aside.
Wash the watercress and place onto each plate, then add the chicken and asparagus before drizzling on your dressing – and enjoy.

Hot Tuna and Sweetcorn Salad

Ingredients
1 bag of watercress and rocket
2 fresh tuna steaks
Cherry tomatoes
2 fresh corn on the cob
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar to drizzle
A large knob of organic salted butter
Salt and vinegar

Method
Firstly, boil your corn on the cob in a pan of salted water, chop the tomatoes and wash them, together with the watercress and place on plates.

Next, cook the tuna steaks but do note, this doesn’t take long and burning can happen easily, so don’t walk away mid-cook! Brush the tuna lightly with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the fish in a heated frying pan over a high heat and cook for just a couple of minutes, depending on how thick the steaks are. Then, turn the tuna over and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar to the salad, place the tuna on the leaves, drain and butter the corn and enjoy with seasoning as required.

Team Pure Beauty

Top tips for sun safe skin

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beach, blood circulation, body, build-up, cleanse, clouds, cold water, conditioning, critical, danger, dead skin cells, dehydrated, dirt, drink, exposed, glowing, hats, irritation, itch, key ingredients, moisture, moisture and sooth, natural essential oils, natural yoghurt, outside, pain, panic, pat dry, pool, prickly heat, rashes, red, rub, skin tone, skin type, skincare routine, sleeves, spots, suffering, summer, sun, sunburn, suncream, sunglasses, sunny summer months, sunscreen, swimming, tan, tanning oil, tight, tire, tone and mositurise, uffering, uncomfortable, warm, water, worse

We all know that a good skincare routine is important, but during the warm, sunny summer months it is even more critical.

Whatever your skin type, prickly heat, sunburn, rashes and irritation are all possible if you spend time in the heat, so it is vital to get things right so you don’t end up red and in pain.

We have some easy to put into practise tips, that will help you keep skin safe all year round.

Drink water
Yes, this again. It is really important to make sure you drink plenty of water when you are out in the sun, on the beach, by the pool or exercising outside. When the sun is out your body loses more moisture than usual and this can lead you to becoming dehydrated which will make your skin look, and feel, tired, tight and uncomfortable.

Use protection properly
So many people underestimate the power of the sun, even when it is hiding behind clouds, and this is a huge mistake. Whatever you skin tone, we suggest using a sunscreen that has a minimum SPF of 30 and to apply it to your face and body at least 30 minutes before going outside. If you are in the sun for more than a few hours, it’s really important to top up every couple of hours, and also apply after swimming. Some people mix tanning oil with sunscreen but we don’t suggest doing this because some key ingredients can interact and make your sunscreen less effective, putting you in danger.

Deal with the fallout
Even if you do your best to look after your skin, you may well end up suffering from prickly heat, sunburn and irritation. Don’t panic and do not rub or itch your skin as this can make it worse, instead, place natural yoghurt on the affected area for approximately 15 minutes, then pat dry with cold water and try to rest up. You can also use a good after sun product and keep out of the sun the next day to prevent further damage.

Try natural oils
Using natural essential oils on your face and body at night, can give your skin the extra conditioning it needs. Natural oils are a great way to moisture and sooth the skin, when it has been exposed to the sun and is suffering the effects of heat.

Remember to cleanse, tone and mositurise
It is really important not to forget to cleanse your skin as this will keep pores clean and complexions clear. Breakouts can be inevitable when your skin gets hot and bothered but if you stick to the rules of cleanse, tone and moisturise, you will help you and your skin stay healthy in the sun.

Try to exfoliate
It is important to remember to exfoliate your skin during the summer as this will remove dead skin cells and improve blood circulation which means your skin will be glowing. If you don’t get rid of these cells, they will sit on your skin and it will look dull and grey, plus the build-up of dirt, suncream and moisturisers can cause irritation and spots, and we can all do without those.

Cover up
Sunglasses, hats and sleeves in the midday sun are all good practise when it is hot and the sun it beating down on you. While you might want a tan, looking after your skin is much better than anything else in the long run and there are some really cute trends on the high street right now, so you can be safe and look fab.

Team Pure Beauty

Smoothies That Will Make You Smile

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almonds, apple juice, banana, blanched, blender, blitz, blueberries, bowl, breakfast, carrot, cashew nuts, chocolate bar, cold water, cored, creamy, cucumber, drink, five a day, fresh, Frozen, fruity blend of passion fruit, ginger, goji berries, green apple, green grapes, gym, home, hunger, kiwi, lemon, mango, mid-morning, mid-morning snack, minerals, office, on the go, orange, orange juice, peeled, pick me up, post workout boost, preparation, raspberries, recipe, seeds, sliced, smooth, smoothie, spinach, strawberries, sugary energy drink, Vitamin C, vitamins, warmth, worth it, zing

Whether they are part of your breakfast, a mid-morning snack or post workout boost, smoothies are a brilliant way to get vital vitamins and minerals into your body, and reach that five a day. They can be eaten at home, in the office, at the gym or even on the go, and are way better than grabbing a sugary energy drink or bar of chocolate when hunger strikes.

You don’t need fancy equipment or special powders to make a great smooth, and we have put together some recipes that prove this point.

The Tropical Treat
If you kick your day off with this fruity blend of passion fruit, mango, orange and banana, not only will you be on top of your five a day, but you’ll get a blast of vitamin C, too.

You will need:
3 passion fruits
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 small mango, peeled, stoned and chopped (you can use frozen pieces too)
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
300ml of orange juice
Ice cubes

Scoop the passion fruit pulp into your blender, then add the chopped banana, mango and orange juice, blend with the ice cubes until smooth and drink immediately.

Go Green
This gorgeous green smoothie is great for breakfast on the go and also makes a great mid-morning pick me up.

You will need
1 banana, peeled and sliced
200g of fresh or frozen spinach, washed if fresh
1 handful of green grapes
1 green apple, cored but with skin left on
10 cm of cucumber, sliced with skin left on
250ml of apple juice
1 lime
Ice cubes

To make:
Put the banana and spinach in a blender and pour in the apple juice together with the spinach, grapes and apple, then blitz.
Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the blender, then add the ice cubes and blitz all the mixture until smooth.

The Seed Smoothie
This is a great smoothie if you are hungry and while it takes a little preparation, it is so worth it.

You will need:
20g of cashew nuts
20g of blanched almonds
45g of mixed seeds
2 teaspoons of goji berries
1 banana, peeled and sliced
100g of raspberries and the same of strawberries
100g of blueberries
Water
A lemon
Ice cubes

To make:
The night before, put the cashews in a small bowl and pour over 100ml of cold water, then cover and leave to soak overnight.

In the morning, put the seeds and goji berries into the blender and blitz until you have a fine powder, then add the soaked cashews and almonds, then blitz again.

Next put in the raspberries, blueberries, strawberries as well as the banana in the blender, squeeze in half the juice of the lemon, plus the ice and blitz until smooth.

You can either drink straight away, or put in a flask and enjoy later.

Ginger and Orange Blitz
This is a really lovely smoothie with zing and warmth.

You will need:
A 2cm piece of fresh ginger
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 small mango, peeled, stoned and chopped (you can use frozen pieces too)
200ml of fresh orange juice
1 lime

To make:
Scrape the skin off the ginger, then finely grate into your blender and add in the carrot, mango and orange juice. Blitz, add the juice of the lime and the ice cubes, then blend until smooth and enjoy.

The Big Purple Smoothie
If you love your berries, you will love this smoothie which is perfect if you are peckish and don’t want to eat cake!

You will need:
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of purple grapes
1 banana, peeled and sliced
8 strawberries, chop off the stalk
1 large banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup of almond or oat milk
2 teaspoons of honey
Ice cubes

To make:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth and creamy. Pour into tall glasses and serve, or take with you to work in a vacuum cup.

Got a recipe you think we will like?

Send it over, we would love to try.

Team Pure Beauty

Get your clothes clean, whatever you throw at them

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14, 4, 4 months, 40, absorb, bleach, blood, blot, blotting, boiling water, bright red stain, brush, calm, chemicals, chocolate, clean, cloth, clothes, clothing, coffee, cold water, cool, create, dab, deodorant, distilled white vinegar, dry, excess, foundation, freeze, friend, grass, hairspray, kitchen paper, lifts, lipstick, liquid, litre, machine wash, make-up, material, melt, mild hand soap, mix, mud, nightmare, normal, nude tights, pain, paste, pink, products, Red wine, rinsing, salt, soak, stain, stained, sunshine, sweat, sweaty garments, teaspoon, texture, throw, tissue paper, wash, washing up liquid, water, wax, white shirt

Whether you are 4 months, 14 or 40, it is inevitable that your clothes will get stained and the worry will be it won’t come out in the wash.

Yes, you can go for bleach or products loaded with chemicals, but we are here to save the day when it comes to looking after your laundry the kinder way.

Blood – don’t freak out! Once you have dealt with the patient, soak the stained clothing in cold water before gently rubbing with mild hand soap before rinsing with cold water.

Chocolate – run the stain under cold water then rub with washing up liquid. Soak in cold water for 15 minutes then wash as normal and you will never know it had been there.

Coffee – rather than rubbing this stain, blot with a kitchen paper, then dab the area with distilled white vinegar before washing as normal.

Deodorant marks can be a nightmare but rub the stain with a pair of nude tights and the texture of the material will work wonders and leave nothing behind.

Grass – create a paste from your usual washing powder and a little water and dab onto the stain. Let it texture of the material for 15 minutes then put through a normal wash.

Ink – blotting the ink to remove any excess liquid is the first task here, then cover the stain with hairspray and then immediately put through the washing machine as normal.

Foundation can be a real pain when you see if on a white shirt, but rub a little washing-up liquid into the stain then wash on a hot cycle and you will never know any make-up had been worn.

Ketchup – dab the bright red stain with a clean cloth then cover with washing-up liquid followed by distilled white vinegar. Soak the item in cold water for half an hour, then dry, ideally in the sunshine, and wash as normal.

Lipstick- your friend for this stain is hairspray. Spray generously onto the stain and leave for 15 minutes. Go back and blot the area with a clean cloth soaked in warm water, then put in the wash as normal….and be more careful next time!

Mud needs to dry before you can brush it off. Soak the piece of clothing in cool water with half a teaspoon of washing-up liquid and a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar.

Oil is best dealt with by keeping calm and rubbing with a mix of washing-up liquid and water. Then simply rinse in cool water and machine washing as normal.

Red wine – no need to throw that shirt away, simply cover the stain in salt and brush away after ten minutes and pink. Then pour boiling water onto the stain, carefully of course, and allow to sit until the stain lifts.

Sweat – add four large tablespoons of salt into a litre of cold water and soak the sweaty garments for 30 minutes. Rinse and leave to dry before then putting through cool machine wash.

The best way to deal with wax is to freeze the clothing to harden the wax, then scrape it away with a teaspoon. You can then cover the affected area with tissue paper and iron it to melt the remaining wax on to the tissue and wash on a cool setting.

Got any great ideas, let us know, we are all ears.

Team Pure Beauty