MRK Naturals – All Natural Skin Care Products

Did you see the new beauty products being sold at Pilates Core Center and Dragonfly Yoga?  MRK Naturals is a new line of affordable, homemade, all natural skin care products for health and beauty.  These 100% natural, home-made beauty products with anti-aging properties won’t clog pores.  After first use you will notice your skin looking and feeling younger.  Mandy Renee Keilwitz, founded the product line from her motto: never put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t put in your mouth.  Following in her sisters’ footsteps and for the sake of her children’s bodies, Mandy began making skin care products at home, using every day, natural, healthy ingredients, such as coconut, grape seed and vitamin E oils, naturally preserved with salt and sugar.

“When I made the decision to pursue a healthier lifestyle for myself and my family, I quickly realized it was not very cost effective for a ten-person household to go all natural, so I began investigating new ways of being healthy that would work within our budget, such as growing vegetables in my green house, planting berry bushes, fruit trees, goji berries, vegetable and flower gardens, and most recently creating my own skin care products,” explains Mandy.

MRK Naturals’ salt scrubs, sugar scrubs and lip balms are made in a variety of scents and flavors from eucalyptus to chocolate.  These products are made to order and shipped straight from the Keilwitz farm in the Lower Columbia River Valley of Washington State, to reach you in time for Holiday giving.  You can visit the website to learn more about these products and their maker Mandy at mrknaturlas.weebly.com.

Walnut Pecan Stuffing

This is probably one of my absolute favorite raw-food recipes because it has such a traditional, Thanksgiving flavor using only fresh, healthy ingredients! This is an exceptional dish for those who are trying to avoid bread and/or gluten.

If you only have one really healthy dish on your table this Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this one. Your guests will never even know that it’s good for them, and you’ll love the rave reviews you will undoubtedly receive at the end of the meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Walnuts, soaked 6 hours & rinsed
• 1 Cup Almonds, soaked 6 hours & rinsed
• 1 Cup Pecans, soaked 6 hours and rinsed
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Sage
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
• l/4 Cup Fresh Parsley
• 1 Large Red Onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 Stalks Celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 Apple, chopped fine by hand
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice + 1/2 Cup water to soak chopped apple in until ready to mix
• Sea Salt, to taste

Sunday Morning Yoga and Guided Meditations in Mount Laurel, NJ

The perfect way to start off your week! Dragonfly Yoga Healing Arts and Retreat Center and Pilates Core Center are now offering an all-level yoga class Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 9:45am, followed by a one-hour guided meditation at 10:00am in their Mount Laurel location. These classes are perfect for students of all levels of experience.

The all-level Yoga class will include modifications and variations to be offered for most poses so that everyone leaves their Yoga class refreshed, centered, and ready to start the week. The following guided meditation is for those who wish to grow in knowledge and peace of mind, achieving a deeper connection to the energies around them, while helping to deepen their Yoga experience.

Every student from beginner to experienced will be able to enjoy these classes and grow their practice

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

‘Tis the season for yummy pumpkin pie, and this raw version is not only sugar and chemical free, but is actually good for you!

Raw fruits and vegetables actually have all the enzymes that your body needs to digest them, so you don’t have to use up your own energy reserves in making enzymes, leaving you more time and energy to do the things you love.

Trust me when I say, this is just as good, if not better, than the cooked version that we’re used to. Enjoy!

~C.J. Cantrell

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 2 Cups Walnuts (soaked 4-6 hours)
• 1 Cup Dates (un-soaked & pitted)
• 1/2 Cup shredded Raw Coconut (optional)

Filling:

• 2-3 Cups cubed or shredded Pumpkin or Butternut Squash
• 1 to 1 1/2 Cups Dates, soaked at least one hour (longer if necessary)
• 2 Cups Cashews, soaked 4-6 hours (can substitute part of these with soaked and sprouted sunflower seeds)
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Ginger
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/4 Cup Water (may need more if using more than 2 cups squash)