ELIMINATE COCONUT OIL COOKING HASSLES

You don’t have to grip an oily, slippery mason jar of coconut oil anymore just to get one teaspoon out for cooking. Getting coconut oil benefits in your food dishes has never been easier now that it’s available in non-stick cooking spray oil form.

• Kelapo Coconut has just developed a coconut oil non-stick cooking spray that’s soy free. 
• Spectrum Organic Products is a long-time producer of coconut oil non-stick cooking spray with soy lecithin.
• Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer is also perfect for coconut oil; I just fill it with my own organic coconut oil from the kitchen cabinet and then pump for spraying.
• Salad oil carafes filled with enough for a week are also very convenient to use while cooking. Cut or pressed glass patterns make it easier to handle the oil.

Eating organic, unrefined extra virgin coconut oil is so tasty and healthy.

 But now, there’s a lot less mess on my kitchen counter and easier clean-up of pans when I use cooking oil spray.

More taste, less mess?  Hmmm...

The spray makes it so easy to get coconut aroma and coconut oil benefits especially when I prepare small-sized dishes.

Pat Thomas for COCO MOJO until next time …

COCONUT WATER SMOTHERS THE HEAT WAVE

Coconut water benefits muscles you can see and the muscles you can’t see during a summer heat wave.

 The naturally occurring electrolytes and  minerals in coconut water assist the function of muscles you can see and the muscles you can't see like those in your intestines.

HEAT WAVE DOLDRUMS

Despite the 94 degree heat in Chicago, I finished off some leftover barbeque from yesterday and then fed a burning desire for a $1.00 burger.

Now I can barely hold my head up, I can’t seem to update my “TO DO” list and I don’t want to move out of my chair.

Even though it’s hot outside, our newly charged air conditioning system seems to be draining me even more.

 It occurred to me that this was perfect timing for a very large shot of coconut water with enough fluids for my digestion system to work properly.

SWEETENED VS. UNSWEETENED BRANDS

I hunted around in my kitchen cabinet.  Horror of horrors, the first container I pulled-out was the coconut water brand that has added sugar.  Well after the can of cola I had this afternoon with the burger, added sugar is the last thing I need to drink to fight the effects of the heat and heavy meals. 

Don’t get me wrong, a little sugared coconut water really makes me feel better in the winter when I’m down with a cold.

Unsweetened, unflavored coconut water just perks me up better when the summer heat has me down.

I found the containers of plain coconut water on the side of the cabinet.

Remember to gulp a shot of coconut water throughout an especially hot summer day to avoid dehydration.

Pat Thomas for COCO MOJO until next week…

SERENA WILLIAMS SKIN CARE SECRET

Superstar tennis champ Serena Williams stated in a tweet today June 18, that she never leaves home “without my suncream...” meaning her sunscreen or sunblock.

What does Serena know that you need to know?

Coming Soon here at COCO MOJO

A 3 part series:

Sun Damage, Sunscreen & Vitamin D

Find out why coconut oil is one of the best facial skin care products for color-rich skin tones.

Pat Thomas for COCO MOJO

CHILLIN NEW COCONUT CAKE

Shutterbean’s got the freshest new take on traditional coconut cake:  It’s a chilled coconut cake!!!

I can hardly wait until the hottest day of summer comes to make this cake.

I just love it when original thinking makes traditional food favorites even tastier.

Yum Yum!

Pat Thomas for COCO MOJO until next week ...

NOURISHING COCONUT MILK SMOOTHIE

 

Here’s the ideal coconut smoothie for seniors or anyone recovering from an illness and in need of a fattening supplement between meals.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of Coconut Milk

½ cup organic Diary milk

1 teaspoon of heavy whipping cream

1 drop of vanilla

1 pat of organic butter

1 teaspoon of coconut oil (optional, only if the oil can be tolerated)

¼ cup blueberries or other easily tolerated fruit

PROCESSING

Mix all ingredients in a cup, then warm in a microwave oven for 30 seconds, then enjoy drinking this coconut milk smoothie.

 

Pat Thomas for COCO MOJO

DISCOVER LUSH THAI BEAUTY SECRETS

Thai women, like women from Brazil, various Caribbean islands and other tropical locales around the globe, use limes for hair care and skin care.

Many years ago I had a dream boss from Thailand.  Mrs. K. stayed on top of the office operations as well as keeping her jet black hair, porcelain skin and Chanel red lipstick all looking immaculate.

BEAUTY TIPS FROM A THAI WRITER

I remembered Mrs. K when I started reading   HanaiHoney.com  a very inspirational beauty blog from Thailand.

 A recent blog post included  skin care beauty tips and secrets, written by Charlie Lee, using juice from the unusual Kaffir Lime (c. hystrix) a lime species that’s native to Thailand and Southeast Asia. Here is a link to the article with the lime beauty tips:  Global Beauty: Thailand, Kaffir Lime .

 I truly enjoy reading about Thai beauty style but remember this:

important safety tip - Stay out of the sun for 1 day after using lime juice on your skin or hair to avoid a severe photosensitive reaction including burns or hyperpigmentation, technically phytophotodermatitis as documented by the National Institutes of Health.

THAI FOOD

Thai cooks use the tree leaf and zest of the Kaffir Lime in Thai cuisine:  It’s the leaves and zest that actually give Thai food that yummy distinctive savory flavor, especially dishes that use coconut oil.

Don’t worry if you can’t find Kaffir leaves and limes at your local organic grocery store, they are readily available from many online sellers.  Just remember kaffir limes, as Lee writes, look bumpy and not exactly like the smooth-skinned limes ordinarily available in the American stores.

Here’s a deep-cleaning scalp treatment that I have used to eliminate winter scalp itch, cool-off a very oily scalp in summer and to remove scalp crusts.

ASTRINGENT SCALP CLEANSER

1 Tablespoon virgin organic coconut oil

2 drops (Max) Kaffir lime juice

Mix the drops of lime juice with the coconut oil.  Massage the mixture into your scalp for 2 minutes then shampoo and condition.

Note:  This coconut and lime cleanser is very astringent so I only use it once every 3 months or so.

GLOBAL BEAUTY CONNECTION

Coconut and lime is a beauty connection between women living in tropical latitudes around the globe.

Have you ever gone on a spa vacation in Thailand or  on a  tropical island?

RESOURCES:

Greenaway C. A tropical skin eruption. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases Mar-Apr 2002. Accessed at National Institutes of Health http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2094864/.

Pat Thomas for COCO MOJO