By many people’s standards, I’m a food saint, but there are people who would put me to shame (Lauren Felts of The Holy Kale is probably one of them, and I’m hoping I can have a sweet potato fries and margarita drinking contest with her one day).

But I can tell after just a few days of not eating my normal style. My skin doesn’t glow, I get all runny nose and tired, and my pretty brain, which has a tendency to be a little ADD like when not taken care of, gets really frazzled.

I am in no position to be frazzled. BijaBody needs me at my bestest best.

Lately I’ve been following the 80-20 rule for food: 80% immaculate, 20% play. The 80% is most of the week, and on the weekend, I relax. MyFitnessPal phone app has made it ridiculously tough to stray too far. Hello, accountability! And I’ll also admit that my boyfriend purchased a vitamix at the end of his last job (he builds houses), so I have a really awesome tool.

So enough with my rambling. Here’s the point of this blog: My favorite food for skin + brain meals

My favorite 3 meals and the vitamins I’ve cherry picked from way too many books and articles. This is my “5 week ‘til big event plan”, and I bet you all have some big event, somewhere along the way, that you might need a little extra edge for. These meals and vitamins are both for your vanity (skin and metabolism) and for your brain (pretty is as pretty thinks). A pretty face without a pretty brain is a bit of a waste if you ask me. This is obviously not all I eat, but it’s the basis.

Favorite Skin Health Smoothie: Handful Parsley, 2 stalks celery, 3 radishes, 1 handful frozen organic berries, 2 carrots, 1 cup brewed, room temperature Nightly Beauty Tea or filtered water (the tea gives it an extra beauty kick). When it’s almost finished blending, add 1 tablespoon Flax, Coconut or Borage Oil and mix well. The oil allows the lycopene to be absorbed. TJ Maxx sometimes gets really great oils at a good price.

Favorite Mid-Day Salad: 4 cups mixed organic greens of choice. I like everything from Arugula to Iceberg (yes, I love iceberg), 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes (lycopene), 2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes, 1/4 avocado, 2 tsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 eggs (I like sunny-side up then mixed up in the salad) or 1/3 cup garbanzo beans (I have 2-3 vegan days a week, and 2-3 days where I crave meat. Type O blood).  If I’m really in the mood, I add a tablespoon of Bac’uns, a totally soy-based, bacon flavored seasoning that I know is probably lame but I like the flavor. It is non-GMO. Enjoy with a cup of BijaBody Daily Beauty Tea or two. (Have you seen the sororiTEA sister's review? Check link)

Treat: I’ve heard some mixed opinions about Isagenix, and again, my food guru Lauren Felts has some great insight about some of the lesser quality ingredients, but I’m enjoying it and I like the flavor. I also like the idea of an easy way to round out my nutritional profile. I’ll give two version here:

1/4 scoop Isagenix (or other chocolate protein nutritional shake), 1/2 cup plain, low-fat organic yogurt, 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes. Mix all together into a pudding like consistency.

Or:

1 cup plain, low fat yogurt, 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon coconut flakes, 1 tsp peanut butter. Mix all together really well.

Enjoy with a cup of Daily Beauty Tea with a touch of coconut milk and a touch of honey (it’s like chai, but skin-healthy!)

Favorite Dinner: Big (probably way too big) bowl of miso soup with: 2-3 chopped scallions, handful parsley, 1/2 thinly sliced onions, whatever veggies are around and either a salmon burger, chicken breast or Quinoa. And a small bowl of red cabbage salad. BF and I eat one almost every night. Red Cabbage is pretty much the best bang for your buck nutritionally speaking. And it’ll only give you gas if you’re a lazy chewer. Chew your food.

(A lot of these items are organic and at Costco. The rest are the frugal chick’s healthy eating plan. I swear you can get this stuff if you’re savvy without going broke)

Vitamins: a few times a week I remember these:

Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg
CoQ10 100 mg
Vitamin D 10,000 IU
Turmeric Root Capsules 1000mg

Beauty Tea: I have 3-5 cups a day, brewing the same leaves all day long. Sometimes I drink the Daily Blend, sometimes the Nightly, sometimes the Man Tea. I went a couple weeks without it, because everyone has to rebel sometimes, and the scale jumped up 3 lbs. I know it’s crazy, but that bit of metabolism support helps! I also have a glass or two of wine almost every night, and half & half in my coffee every morning. Non-negotiable. even on my vegan days I do that. So I’ll call it faux-vegan. 80-20 Baby.

Enjoy. Oh, and a big ol’ P.S.: You will soon be able to have a Spa Body Treatment at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach with BijaBody’s products. How seriously cool is that? Oh, and if I could wear anything to said big event, I would love, love to wear something by Kara Laricks, the designer whose clothes I am mildy obsessed with. Just sayin' (Kara, are you out there? I adore your designs.)

xo, Melissa