Today we won’t talk about recipes, face creams, face masks or any of that beauty stuff. Let’s dedicate today’s post to the ROOTS of this blog, and where it sits now. I think its a good point to reflect on its progress and further decide the future of it. I will start out by saying that the first posts where not easy to write, nor to publish. Letting my feelings and emotions out was very difficult. I was afraid and to an extent embarrassed. 

But am glad I did, the weight that all that had over me was too much, and sharing it was the best way to let go. I can look back and not feel the same pain, fault, and despair. Memories don’t hurt like they used to. In the past I was letting my emotions define me in every way. At that time, my “I feel” was not different from my “I am”. 

I was having a hard time differentiating who I was from how I was feeling, not realizing that how I felt was a result of some bad moments, that like any thing else had their beginning and end. Living and learning from them, was like what comes out of a good reading. Where each page holds a good lesson, and after having read it, and having understood it, you don’t rip the page out, nor do you throw it away. Its the complete opposite, we may even highlight it, but never do we stay on the same page, we turn it expecting even more from the next one.

Now, even though letting go has not been easy, dedication, time and the desire to be better off, have made the difference. I have committed more time to myself, and to let out of the positive side in me, to the point that it reaches others. I had one person ask, why are you always so full of energies, so cheerful and talkative. I stopped for a moment and realized that I was getting some where. What I had set myself to was having its results.

Overall, I will continue to work on myself, and if you are doing the same for what ever reason it is, don’t give up. It can be small or big steps, they will all count. And most importantly, don’t hold your emotions, let them out, it doesn’t have to be publicly, even writing them for your own eyes can help. With that said, I will continue to blog, to share what I have been up to, and share my tips and ideas. I do however plan to incorporate more outdoor activities, which I enjoy, as they are very relieving. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

Until the next blog! 🙂

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Moreover, as I have said before all skins are different, but something I would like to point out is my reaction to Aloe Vera. I know from past experiences that my skin gets itchy with it. For that reason, I made sure to put less than I would have suggested. Instead of doing one tablespoon like I did with the turmeric and the honey, I did 1 teaspoon of Aloe Vera.

A tip I would like to give you this time around is the use of a face peel. I will give you the link to a previous post for the face peel I use. There are others out there; if you have one that you like, share it in the comments, I love to try new products. Back to my tip, I like to do a face peel prior to my face mask, at least once a week. It cleans my skin and leaves it ready to absorb more of the good stuff that I put in the face masks. This is a good idea especially if you apply make-up everyday or almost every day of the week. Give it a try you might get better results out of your face masks.

 With all that said let’s get to today’s face mask. 

Ingredients 

• 1 Teaspoon of Aloe Vera 
• 1 Tablespoon of Turmeric 
• 1 Tablespoon of Honey
• 10 Lime Drops
• 10 Drops of Vitamin C
• 10 Drops of Tea Tree Oil 

As you can see, there are a lot of great ingredients, but it’s super simple to make.

I hope you enjoy this post and give it a try, I am very satisfied with the results. With what I mixed, I had enough for three face masks. You can save it in the fridge, it actually feels really good when you apply it cold. Or you can share it with your mom, your sister, a friend…we all want look and great. After this quarantine, I hope to have better skin. We are in this together, let’s help each other out. Feel free to share the post for others to try.

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Jumping right off of yesterday’s post, let’s talk more about food, but this time along the lines of self-care. In today’s post we will be making a strawberry jam…for your face. I have tried it before, but this time I added some oils, and I definitely loved the way it left my skin. I will be doing more of them and of course trying other ones. With the extra time at home, perhaps I will come out healthier skin, ready for an awesome summer. I have high hopes that by summer time, all this chaos will have calmed down and we will be getting back to our normal days. 

First of all, I don’t have a consistent skin type, one day it can be dry, the next oily, and sometimes just perfect, right in between. With that said, I think that not all skins will show the same results, also our skin can react differently. I have become pretty good about being aware of my skin. If something does not feel right I will take it off immediately, before it hurts my skin. 

The strawberry face mask I am about to show you, left my skin feeling very fresh and smooth, with consistent use, I think it can help clear dark spots. Along, the same lines don’t expect immediate results. Your skin will certainly feel great, but for specific results there are a lot of factors that go into it. I will be trying and sharing more of the face masks I give a try. 

Let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

• Fresh Strawberries
• One Lime
• Honey
• Tea Tree Oil
• Vitamin E (in oil)
• Retinol Oil

Mask Prep Step by Step

1. Smash the strawberries with a form (one to two depending on the size and desired face mask quantity)
2. Add eight to ten fresh lemon juice drops. If you have very sensitive skin less may be better to prevent irritation. 
3. Add one to two tablespoons of honey.  
4. Add five to six drops of tea tree oil
5. Add five to six drops of Vitamin E oil
6. Ad five to six drops of retinol oil
7. Mix all ingredients very well 
8. Let it sit in the fridge for two to three hours at least. For greater consistency, leave overnight. 
9. Avoiding the eye area, to prevent irritated eyes, carefully apply on your face. 

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There are a couple tips I would like to give you before wrapping up this post. Number one I kind of mentioned in the step by step. The first time I applied it, I had just finished preparing it. It was very liquid like, so it was running down my face and was getting everywhere. There are two ways to avoid the mess. One is to apply it while laying down, perhaps with someone’s help.Two is to place a wet towel around your face so it can absorb what runs off. Third would be to leave it in the fridge. This last tip was great for two reasons, it made the face mask more consistent, so it was not running off as much, and the coldness of it will feel great on your skin. 

Overall, if you are like me and enjoy taking care of your skin, this quarantine time may be a great time for you to invest some time on yourself. I am a lover of homemade skin care recipes. 

The oils that I added to this recipe are some of my favorites. I have been applying them for years now, and I really like the results. Give it a try and let me know how you like it, or if there’s a face mask you would like me to try, leave it in the comments. I am always happy to add to my face mask collection. 

Take care of yourself, and let’s shoot for a radiant skin this summer!

During this time of the quarantine, a lot of us are constantly trying to find something to keep us entertained and busy while staying safe and sound indoors. We are in a situation none that of us would like to be in and would probably love for things to be back to normal. Personally I miss going out, spending time with family and friends. But let’s not get on the melancholic side, that is not the purpose of this post. 

The circumstances don’t seem to get better, yet if we are healthy, keeping our patience and making the best of staying home is the most we can do. I have been looking into activities I can do while staying indoors. I have come across bloggers who have done a great job in giving ideas. Some are talking about working out at home, cleaning, working on projects we had been putting off, pampering ourselves, etc. Personally I have tapped into things I had been wishing to have more time for. 

With that said, today’s blog will be about making SOPES! It’s my second time making them, and there are two things I will have to mention beforehand. I am terrible with using measurements, I think it’s common in the Latino culture. We cook al “tanteo” (to estimate), so bear with me. Second of all, every time I cook, I’ll probably change up the process or recipe a bit. This can be good or bad, but it’s best when it’s for the better of the dish, and when I improve it from the time before. Above all, I was very happy with the results, so let’s get to it!

List of Ingredients

Red Sauce

• 2-3 Tree Chilis
• 2-3 Guajillo Chiles 
• 2 Tomatoes
• ⅓ Onion
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• Salt to Taste

The Sope

• 3 Parts Maseca for Every Part Flour
• 1 Part all Purpose Flour for Every 3 Parts Maseca
• Warm Water 

The Meat

• 5 lbs of Asada
• Seasoning to Taste
• Salt to Taste
• ¼ Onion (chopped)
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves (cut up)
• Orange Juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
• Cooking Oil

Toppings

• Cheese
• Onion (w/lime and salt to taste)
• Avocado 
• Lettuce
• Sour Cream
• Hot Sauce
• Re-fried Beans
• Carne Asada
• Cut-up Cucumbers 

SOPES Step by Step

One

Marinate the Meat: Chopped the meat into small pieces and added the ingredients listed under the The Meat list of ingredients. When I cook meat I like to marinate it and let it rest at least an hour or two. The meat absorbs the seasoning for better taste and softens up. 

Two

Prepare the Red Dipping Sauce: Boil all ingredients, let them cool, blend them, and strain the mix.

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Three

Make the Sopes: Mix the Maseca, flour, and water. I don’t have exact measurements, but after making tortillas for so long I guide myself by the texture. Once the masa is ready I make balls of it and press them to about 5 inches in diameter. To cook them, I set them on a hot pan, turn it once, and a second time before removing it. I let it cool a bit, then press the edge to make a pot shape out of it.

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Four

Cooked the Meat: Preheat the pan, add the marinated meat, and mix until fully cooked. 

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Five

Prepare the Toppings: 

1. Onion: Cut up the onion, add lime juice and a pinch of salt. I let it sit in the fridge for about two hours, to get rid of the strong taste and to let it absorb the lime and salt. 
2. Avocados: Cut up the avocados, and the lettuce. 
3. Re-fried beans: There was nothing special about the beans, I just made sure they were soft and warm.

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Six

Prepare your Sopes:

1. Preheat your oil in a pan 
2. Dip the Sope in the sauce and fry it 
3. Spread beans on the Sope
4. Add the rest of the toppings to taste and desire

This was my end result! 

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I hope that if the dish is of your taste you give it a try. It’s not complicated, it is time consuming though, there are multiple things to prepare. Following my  steps too may not be too easy, I will be working on ways to improve the format of recipe blogs. Leave your comment below if you would like a video that might make it easier.

Remember, more than the dish, I wanted to share my experience with the quarantine and motivate you to find ways to get through these hard and undesirable times. It may be the perfect time for you to do new things, to try what you had been putting off, and to focus on your self care.