Just like that, it’s the LAST first of the month for 2018. We hope that during this busy month of December, that you find time to enjoy the last moments of this year with your loved ones whether it is around a Christmas Tree, a Menorah, or amongst each other in the living room.
Our first SELECT4ME favorite for December is a vegan hot cocoa recipe via the Minimalist Baker, for all you chocolate lovers out there. To access the full recipe for this vegan hot chocolate, please visit https://minimalistbaker.com/5-minute-vegan-hot-cocoa/. We did wants to suggest a few alternatives to this recipe, such as not adding raw sugar and substituting cocoa powder for organic cacao powder. Cacao, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is where cocoa butter is extracted from. Cacao beans are raw (in some instances are minimally-processed) superfoods with several health benefits such as increased levels of serotonin in brain activity, boosts energy, improves metabolism; cacao even enhances the health in hair, skin, and nails.
Our second SELECT4ME favorite for December is a particular natural item that many of us but still not all of us are familiar with, and that is shea butter and it’s wonderful benefits. For those of you who do not know, our company used to make Shea butter-based creams, salves, and lotions for many years that we sold alongside our tonics (view picture of our old line of shea butter products on our Instagram and Facebook pages). Shea butter comes from the nut of shea tree that grows in African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Togo, and Cameroon. In its raw state, it is yellow in color but also can have a white color when processed. Although shea butter is widely used in cosmetics to treat scars, moisturize skin, and minimize the appearance in stretch marks; it is also edible and can be used in many food preparations,such as an alternative to butter that is dairy-based. Shea butter is also a high source of vitamin A and vitamin E, which are vitamins that not only nourish and protect the skin, but help with eyesight as well.
Published by