A fresh smoothie every morning can help your skin heal from breakouts, and stay youthful and glowing. Image Credit: Lilly Wallace

A nutrition-dense diet abundant in fresh, organic, antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits does more than make you feel good — it helps you look good too with healthy, glowing skin. The following smoothie recipe includes five taste-pleasing ingredients that provide plenty of skin-healing vitamins, antioxidants and other essential nutrients.

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Equipment and Ingredients

If you prefer a less sweet taste, swap a grapefruit for the orange. Image Credit: Lilly Wallace

This recipe makes about 30 ounces or two smoothie servings. To experience maximum benefits, it should be consumed immediately, so half the recipe sufficient for one person.

• Blender
• Knife
• Glasses
• 3 large carrots
• 1 large cucumber
• 2 oranges
• Half a banana
• Half a can of coconut juice/water (about 5 ounces)
• A pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Benefits

You can also swap celery for the cucumber in this smoothie. Image Credit: Lilly Wallace

Cucumber is very hydrating due to the high water content (up to 95%), and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Carrots provide high amounts of vitamins and phytonutrients, such as lutein and lycopene. Studies have shown that lycopene and β-Carotene (a Vitamin A derivate, abundant in carrots) increase the body's defenses against UV damage, therefore protecting the skin against sunburn.

Banana tastes great in a smoothie, but it also contains vitamins and flavonoids, which have antioxidant effects.

Coconut water is a great source of vitamins B and C, which are a powerful antioxidants and promote repairing of the skin. The tropical water also provides cytokinin, a class of phytohormones that have showed significant anti-aging properties.

Oranges add vitamin C. Vitamin C deficiency has been associated with impaired collagen synthesis, and therefore loss of skin elasticity and the formation of wrinkles.

Instructions

For a sweeter taste, add a teaspoon of raw honey to the mix. Image Credit: Lilly Wallace

Wash the fruits and vegetables and peel the carrots, oranges and bananas. Cut them into small chunks and combine them in your blender with the coconut water and cinnamon, if desired. Process the smoothie until it reaches your desired consistency, and serve it immediately.

Don\’t Forget to Chew!

You may be tempted to simply drink your smoothie. However, you should chew it as if you were eating it, or at least swish it around your mouth to let it mix with your saliva before you swallow. Chewing releases an enzyme called ptyalin (a form of amylase) that helps digest carbohydrates and proteins.

No suspenders or hipster handlebar mustache needed. Show bartenders who's boss by having some kick-ass cocktail recipes in your repertoire. Your home bar cart is begging for these babies. And, as they say, it's 5 o'clock somewhere. So let's get mixing.

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Gin & Tonic

Choose the highest quality ingredients. And don't forget the lime. Never forget the lime. Get the recipe.

Gimlet

Get ready for guests to shout,"Gimme that gimlet!" Seriously. Get ready. But first, get the recipe.

How to Make Caipirinha

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Pomegranate Gin and Tonic

The citrus and fruit juice add just the right amount of sweetness. Get the recipe.

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This too-tall Tom can do no wrong. Get the recipe.

Martini

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Cucumber-Mint Grapefruit Margarita

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Mojito

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Before going down this chocolatey road, be advised that this recipe is not for your run-of-the-mill hot cocoa. This European-style drinking chocolate (or "sipping chocolate") and is for serious cacao lovers only. I mean, it's for those who like their chocolate dark (at least 70% cacao) and who can happily inhale an entire bar in one sitting. Do I still have your attention? Perfect. Firstly, I'm not sure whether to categorize this as a food or a beverage, as it's so thick you may even choose to spoon it up rather than sip it. Also, I should mention that it differs from the traditional European recipe in that it isn't thickened by cornstarch (too carby!), but by adding half & half to the milk and evaporating off some of the liquid. The result is an intense, rich, and seriously decadent chocolate sipping experience. Oh, and did I mention that it's low-carb and low-sugar? Guilt-free decadence!

Tip

Not a low carber? Simply use regular sugar instead of sweetener. Or you can use bittersweet chocolate bars and add additional sugar (if needed) to taste.

Things You\’ll Need

• 1 ½ cups whole milk

• ½ cup half & half

• ¼ cup sweetener (I used Lakanto Classic)

• 3 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

• ¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 to 3 pinches of sea salt

Step 1

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine milk and half & half. Place over medium-low heat and stir.

Step 2

Add sweetener and stir to dissolve.

Step 3

Once the sweetener is dissolved, add the chopped chocolate and stir it in.

Step 4

If using chili powder and cinnamon, add them in immediately after stirring in the chocolate, then continue simmering until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is thickened and smooth.

You'll know it's done once it coats the back of a spoon.

Step 5

Remove from heat, then add vanilla extract and 2 to 3 pinches of sea salt. Stir to incorporate.

Step 6

Your chocolate is nearly ready to sip (or spoon!). To serve, strain in equal portions into small mugs.

This recipe makes 4 to 5 servings — depending on how much you can drink in one sitting!

You can sip/spoon it up as is, top with whipped cream and cocoa powder, or even use it as a dipping sauce.

However you take it, it's best enjoyed savored slowly on a cold and wintry morning (or eve!) while reminiscing about life's happiest moments.

Things You\’ll Need

• French press

• Whole coffee beans

• Coffee bean grinder

• Tea kettle

• Wooden chop sticks/spoon

Add some French press coffee to your morning routine.

Most people get their morning coffee from a drip coffee maker. It's an easy and reliable source of caffeine, with predictable flavors, tastes and textures. But when it comes time to treat yourself, there's no better way to do so with coffee than by using an Ikea French press coffee maker. In less time than it takes to make a full pot of drip coffee, you can have smooth, rich coffee, with bolder flavors and stronger taste. It's like having a barista in your own kitchen.

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Step 1

Fill your tea kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. Always do this before beginning the French press process, as the water you use in the press cannot be boiling hot and needs to cool down slightly before use.

Step 2

Fill the Ikea French press with hot tap water to warm up the glass carafe while the water boils on the stove top. When the water on the stove is heated, pour the tap water from the carafe and let the boiling water settle.

Step 3

Grind your whole coffee beans to a medium or coarse grind, but no finer. Try using 1 tbsp. of ground coffee to 5 ounces of water, then adjust your portions accordingly.

Step 4

Add your ground coffee to the French press, which should be empty of warm tap water at this point. When finished, slowly pour the desired amount of nearly boiling water into the carafe, making sure you leave enough room for the plunger.

Step 5

Stir coffee grounds and water with wooden chop sticks or a wooden spoon. Avoid using anything metal, as that could crack your carafe.

Step 6

Place the top of your French press into place, and depress the plunger roughly 2 inches into the coffee, but not completely down to the bottom. Allow your coffee to steep for four or five minutes, but more or less time depending on the strength of the coffee you want – the longer it steeps, the stronger it is.

Step 7

Slowly depress the plunger all the way to the bottom using no more pressure than simply resting your hand on the handle of the plunger. Avoid pressing down in one fell swoop, as that could let grounds escape beyond the filter or let water seep too high and spill out above the mesh filter.

Step 8

Turn the pour spout toward the spout on the carafe and pour a glass of fresh French press in a coffee cup. From here, you can determine if your ratio of grounds to water was correct.

Step 9

Rinse out the glass carafe and mesh filter and hand dry it. Do this after every use to remove oils and sediment so you can have a clean, fresh cup of coffee every time.

Garnish your smoothie with slices of fresh banana. Image Credit: Lecic/iStock/Getty Images

Start to Finish: 5 minutes Servings: 4 Level: Beginner

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When a busy morning calls for a quick yet filling meal, a peanut butter-banana smoothie can be the perfect solution. Creamy banana blended with protein-rich peanut butter and tangy Greek yogurt can provide a delicious and nutritious start to your day.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup low-fat milk
• ¼ cup cold water
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1 ½ tablespoons wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon honey (or more to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter

Directions

Place all of the ingredients except the peanut butter into a blender in the order that they are listed.

Blend the ingredients on medium-high speed for 15 seconds. Remove the cover and scrape down the sides of the blender. Blend the ingredients for an additional 15 seconds.

Add the peanut butter and blend the mixture on medium speed for 30 seconds until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the drink is silky smooth.

Smoothie with a Twist

To create a chocolate, banana and peanut butter smoothie, inspired by Betty Crocker,replace the liquid in the recipe with ¾ cup of light chocolate flavored soy milk.

• **Coconut water** can be substituted for plain water in smoothies and will provide added potassium.

• **Flaxseeds** — also known as linseeds — are high in fiber and contain healthy omega 3 fatty acid. Add a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds to your smoothie to provide added nutrients.

• For a variation on this smoothie, **try using other nut butters** such as almond or cashew. These butters pair well with the flavor of banana and will still provide healthy fats and protein.

Tips and Tricks

In an article on smoothies for "Yoga Journal," Pat Crocker, author of The Smoothies Bible suggests that to keep ingredients like nut butters from sticking to the sides of the container, add them after you blend the other ingredients.

Save time in preparing your smoothie by having sliced, frozen bananas for your smoothie on hand. Peel and slice fresh bananas. Place the pieces into a zippered freezer-safe bag in a single layer and put the bag into the freezer, lying flat. The banana slices will freeze and be ready to use when you need them. Using frozen fruit creates a frosty shake without the need to add ice.