Jaqx Food Crave- Mango Ginger Chutney and Agave Baked Tofu

I have another great food post to share with all of you!

I combined my Trader Joe’s Mango Ginger Chutney, and a little Agave Nectar in a marinade for my sliced extra firm tofu. I let the tofu sit in the marinade for about an hour although if I was more patient, I would have let it sit overnight before baking. Add some fresh ground pepper and then cranked up my oven to 450 degrees and baked it for approx 20 minutes on one side and 8 minutes on the other side (oven temps and cooking time may differ). I like my tofu a little crunchy and very well cooked, I hate mushy tofu! You could also grill or cook the tofu in a saute pan or panini press as well. The end result was delicious! I enjoyed it with one cup of Black Bean Soup ( a sprinkle of low fat cheddar cheese) and ended up getting over 25 grams of protein for lunch. Yummmm. I am also going to try to make a cranberry-orange chutney glazed tofu, and a apricot marmalade tofu blog post later in the week.

Jaqx Lifestyle- Makeup Vanity Surprise

After moving into a bit of a smaller space than we had before, one of my few complaints of the new house was that I didn't have a proper space to get ready in. The bathroom vanity was too small to put my makeup on, and it wasn't conducive to blow drying my hair in there either. After traveling to NYC this past Friday to appear on NBC, I came home to my amazing husband who had surprised me with a beautiful vanity that I had been eyeing! He really is THE BEST! He had bought it and put it together for me, and I couldn't be happier.

Of course I went to work organizing my makeup on it and putting things in the drawers...I still have a few more items to put on there, but I already love it! Here are some pictures of my makeup vanity.

Jaqx Fashion Diary-The Haute Boutique

I love looking at Instagram pictures for fashion and accessory inspiration. I recently stumbled upon this great inexpensive accessories website called The Haute Boutique. I ordered one necklace and earring set ($28) from them a few weeks ago and absolutely love my purchase. Great company, great website, great packaging! I even wore this necklace on NBC's Today Show this past Friday morning and received a lot of compliments on the necklace. Oh and did I mention its reversible!

They have a TON of products for under $20, and some even under $10! Definitely a site worth checking out.

Jaqx Food Crave-Quinoa, Berries, and Mint Salad

I pretty much live on fruits and vegetables and I'm always experimenting with new healthy recipes that have a bit of vegetarian protein in it for my family and a I. I've made quinoa in a hot dish before, but decided to prepare it a different way this past week. Here is a super simple recipe for a cold, fresh, super healthy quinoa salad. It's so pretty when it's dished as well, perfect to bring to a party too. Here is what you will need:

Strawberries- Dice into small bite sizes

Blueberries- keep whole

Chopped Walnuts

Lemon- use half for fresh juice and the keep the peel to zest with

Quinoa

Olive Oil- 1/2 tablespoon if cooking 1 cup of Quinoa- just enough to keep separated

Agave Nectar- 1 tablespoon to lightly sweeten

Fresh Mint- Chopped

- I prefer to roast my chopped walnuts for 5 minutes in the oven whenever I use them in a recipe because I feel the flavor comes out even more. Cook the Quinoa as directed on box- usually it is 1 cup Quinoa with 2 cups water (bring to a boil…then simmer for 10-15 minutes). Let the Quinoa cool off till at least room temp and toss with a tiny bit of Olive Oil. Add strawberries, blueberries, lemon zest, chopped mint, fresh lemon juice, agave, and then fold in the chopped walnuts. After everything is mixed together well and cool off in the fridge. I made enough to snack on for the next 2-3 days. This is super delicious and a super healthy. Hope you like it!

Jaqx Beauty- Homemade Facial Cleanser (Cucumber, Coconut Milk and Honey)

As most of you know who have followed my other blogs, I hate wasting things that can be reused into something else. I also try and find ways to use one item in a variety of different ways. If I purchase jam/jelly, spaghetti sauce or any other fridge item that comes in a glass bottle, I almost always save the bottle to repurpose it somehow. I love organic beauty lines but hate paying premium for things I could make myself for a fraction of the price. I love making my own facial cleansers and masks. One of my favorite homemade cleanser recipes uses items that many of you health nuts will already have in your kitchen. Gather the following items:

1. 1 cup Coconut Milk (you can use regular milk as well)
2. 1 cup Cucumber Juice or 2-4 whole Cucumbers (whole cucumbers will need to be peeled and quartered when placing in your food processor. After pulsing for 10 seconds, Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer until you get enough juice for the recipe)
3. 1 tablespoon Organic Honey

This is a great alternative for people with sensitive skin. Its soothing and gentle. It cleans deep down inside the pores while nourishing the skin. Take a wire whisk and combine the ingredients together until you get a smooth milky liquid. Pour enough product into a glass bottle or jar and place in refrigerator with a cute label until you are ready to use it for cleansing your skin and face. What you put in the fridge will stay good for 1 week, place the leftovers in an I've cube tray and freeze. Then just dethaw a few cubes each week. It will stay fresh in the freezer for about 8-12 months. This recipe will probably yield you about 6 weeks worth of product though. Rinse your face with warm water to open up the pores, pour some of the cleanser onto a wash cloth, and wash your face. Then rinse, your face will be extra clean and glowing.

The cucumber juice helps purify the skin while the coconut milk soothes and hydrates the skin. The honey works as a natural astringent and contains natural antibacterial properties which makes it excellent for killing the bacteria that causes acne or blemishes. You can find these ingredients at your local health food store or herbal store.

Jaqx Beauty- DIY Full Highlights

Ever since finding out that I was pregnant, I've been growing my hair out darker and not dying my hair at all. I've had 2 highlights professionally done at a high end salon in the past 10 months and I haven't been happy with any of the outcomes, the color was always too brassy. There's nothing worse than paying premium dollar for a quality service and leaving unhappy with the final outcome. I really wanted my highlights to lighten up my hair and got up a little courage to attempt doing it myself at home for a fraction of the cost....literally 10% of what Id pay going to a high end salon. I purchased the Loreal highlight kit for a little less than $14.00 at my local drugstore. The directions were really easy to follow and it took less than an hour to do (with application and process time). Ideally, you'd actually have someone else pull your hair through the cap, but I managed to do it by myself and just pulled the front section of my hair through the cap. I wanted a heavy highlight so I pulled hair through all of the holes in the front of the cap (you can choose whatever pattern you want depending on how heavy or how light you want your highlights). Applied the color, let it process, and jumped in the shower (with the cap still on! This is important, don't try and pull that cap off before you get your hair wet, you will rip your hair out!). I rinsed the color out and the cap just slid right off in the shower. The package comes with a shampoo to use, then I used my own deep conditioner. There is a leave in toner you comb through your toweled dry hair and then voila...style as you want. Here are some before and after pics. I really love the blonde, it's not brassy at all and frames my face well. I'm so happy that this product not only worked but that it was easy to apply and saved me so much money! If you're considering highlights, I definitely recommend this one from Loreal.

Jaqx Beauty-Drugstore Makeup Haul

After my last beauty post, some of you contacted me and asked about my favorite beauty pics that were more affordable options and could be found at your nearby drugstore and not necessarily online or at Sephora. I completely understand that reviewing beauty products at all price points are more beneficial to all my subscribers, and thanks for reaching out to me.

Here is a look at just a few of my favorite drug store beauty items, I found everything at CVS.

1. Stay Matte Pressed Powder from Rimmel London (I wear 'creamy natural' when I'm not tan). I rarely need powder, but when I want to set my makeup or if I think it's really humid out, I'll swipe on a bit of this matte powder to reduce any shine.

2. Glitz Glamour Gloss by Milani (in 50 center stage shade). A great addition to the below nude lipsticks. Keeps your lips shiny without being too sticky or sparkly.

3. Loreal Fairest Nude 800 -colour riche lipstick and Revlon's Nude Attitude matte lipstick. .. The perfect nudes!

4. Maybeline Eyestudio Blackest Black waterproof eyeliner (comes in a little pot with applicator brush). Soooo easy to use, the perfect product for an quick smokey eye look.

5. Loreal Voluminous Waterproof mascara in black (see previous beauty posts for my review on this product. Literally the only mascara I will ever use!

Jaqx Fashion Diary- My obsession with 'Arm Candy'

My husband and I bought our first home a few months ago. Upon moving, I decided to go through all my clothes and accessories and sell, give away, or donate a lot of my older jewelry that I really wasn't wearing anymore. My personal style has changed a lot since my Miami days living in SOBE. I tend to wear a more casual but sophisticated bohemian layered look. My current obsession is with stack bracelets and watches. Here are some of my recent purchases for style inspiration.

Jaqx Beauty- What's in my makeup bag?

I recently overhauled my makeup bag, trashed a bunch of products i was using and invested in some high quality products that will last me a long time and never fail me ;)

I look at a lot of other beauty blogs, beauty magazines, and makeup reviews on sephora before purchasing anything, so I rarely purchase a product I'm unhappy with or want to return. Here are my current favorites for when I want a fresh faced natural look.

- Laura Mercier silk creme foundation in beige/ivory (as I'm not tan right now) for $43.00, you only need a dime size of product to cover your whole face. It has a beautiful flawless coverage without looking heavy or too matte. I don't even need any concealer when using this product, it does a wonderful job evening out uneven skin tone. It's pricey but will last you a very long time. It's also oil and fragrance free!

-Illamasqua powder blush in 'Hussy' shade for $26.00. The pigment is incredibly rich, this compact will literally last you a solid year even if you use it every day. Gorgeous shade for a light to medium complexion. I use this everyday!

-Benefit Brow Zings Kit or Avon Eyebrow Pencil are my two go-to eyebrow fillers. The Benefit brow zings kit is sold for $30.00 at Sephora, and the Avon brow pencil is less than $5.00! The difference is mainly that one is a pencil and one is a powder/gel you put on with a brush. I actually think I prefer the Avon pencil the best. It takes me two seconds to fill and shape my brows, and it lasts all day. The advantage of the kit for me is that comes with a compact mirror and tiny tweezers which is great to have in your makeup bag ;) I would opt for the Benefit kit for daytime wear as its a more natural looking filler.

-I recently bought Laura Merciers tinted lip balm in Shy Pink ($19.00). I absolutely love the little pot of color and use it almost every day. Sometimes I will apply it over my Nars lip pencil described below. You will definitely need a moisturizer lip as it tends to be a bit drying.

-Burts bees Chapstick and Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil in 'Bettina' shade ($25.00) for my lips. I use this color almost every day. It's a gorgeous neutral and on the rare occasion when I want a more dramatic look, I have one red lipstick that I opt for also by Nars.

-the ONE and only mascara I use is Loreal waterproof voluminous mascara in black. I've used this mascara for more than 10 years! One of my very first photo shoots, the makeup artist told me that this was the best drugstore find she had ever discovered, and boy was she right. Every photo shoot I have ever had, the makeup artists always used this product. It's buildable, doesn't flake,doesn't smear and is inexpensive. I've tried a million others, but always come back to this.


Here are some product shots for you guys. As I've gotten older, I have grown to realize that it really does payoff to invest in quality products that are richly pigmented, made well and will last you a long time.

Jaqx Food Crave- Healthy High Fiber Granola Breakfast

One of my favorite quotes from a dietician is: 'Eat like a king at breakfast, like a prince at lunch, and like a pauper for dinner."

Basically stating that your richest meal should be in the morning, and your smallest meal and calorie intake should be at night. I'm a big believer in large breakfasts and make it a regular habit to incorporate protein (as a vegetarian I opt for eggs, low sodium fat free cottage cheese and another dairy source), fruit, fiber and some other vegetable or bean. It's like taking a daily vitamin in the a.m. but choosing to get your vitamins from whole foods and juice instead of a lab made product.

Here are a few shots of some of my breakfast options over the past week:

1. Strawberries, flax seed, granola, Greek yogurt and almond milk
2. Pomegranate seeds, granola, berry yogurt
3. High fiber cereal, bananas, blackberries, flax seed, almonds and almond milk.
4. An omelette with black beans, corn, tomatoes, red onion, spinach and low fat shredded cheese
5. Beet and purple carrot juice from trader joes

Trader Joes is my go-to grocery store, I absolutely love their locally grown fresh produce and all organic products. Hope you have a happy day and healthy breakfast!