Review: Sunumbra Sunscreen

I have been buying Natpro progesterone cream from Progesterone Therapy for some time now and love it. The ingredients are natural, it has a nice scent, and it has a higher concentration than other OTC progesterone creams yet it is priced about the same. A while back they started advertising Sunumbra Sunscreen which looked great as well. I wanted to try it, but the only places I really burn, not matter how tanned I am, are my nose and cheeks, and to some degree my chest. Unfortunately, I tend to break out in my face from skin creams even the natural ones. The only thing I use on my face is castile soap and coconut oil. I use the latter as my sunscreen, but if I am out in the sun more than 30 minutes, especially in the summer, my nose and cheeks still tend to burn.

Two things usually happen when I use sunscreen, or any other skin care cream, on my face. Later that same day, or the next morning the latest, my face is really puffy and the pores on my nose and cheeks are enlarged. This usually lasts one to two days. In addition, roughly two days after using sun screen my face starts breaking out in the areas where I used it. Not fun so naturally I was hesitant about buying a whole tube of Sunumbra.

A few weeks ago I was reordering some Natpro. When I got my confirmation email I replied and asked if I could get a sample of Sunumbra with my shipment. I did not get a reply and a few days later my order of Natpro arrived without any samples. It was disappointing but then I forgot about it and went about my day. Roughly another week later I got a package and to my surprise it was a whole tube of Sunumbra FREE!

So last week I finally got to try it. About 20 minutes before going out into the sun I applied some on my face, cheeks, and chest. The sunscreen has a mild pleasant scent that is sort of hard to describe. Maybe a hint of citrus but otherwise unidentifiable. I let DH smell it since he has a super-nose and is very sensitive to various smells and he said it smells fine. It was easy to apply and rub in and there was no white residue at all. Actually, the cream has sort of a mocha color.

The first day I tested it my thermometer outside read 107 degrees so it was a perfect day to see if it works. I spent about 35 minutes in the full sun and with just coconut oil, which is what I normally use, my cheeks would have burned. When I went back inside I checked my face and my cheeks were a bit flushed but that's not unusual for me. I waited an hour and checked again and my cheeks looked fine. There was no redness at all but I got a little bit of a tan just like in the rest of my face. My chest was not burned at all either and looked fine.

Later that night my face was not puffy and my pores were not enlarged. The next morning my face still looked fine and my pores were barely visible. I used Sunumbra again that day and spent about another 30 minutes in the sun and it was just as hot as the day before.. My face never did get puffy, my pores didn't enlarge, and I have not broken out at all and it's been a week now since I have used it.

I love this sunscreen and will definitely be buying more when this tube is empty. At home I mostly use it in the areas I mentioned, but when DH and I go on a cruise and walk around some port all day, I would use it on the rest of my body as well. Right now (07.23.2012) you can get it for 50% off with the coupon code "sunumbra50special".

P.S. I am in no way affiliated with Sunumbra nor will I get any products or money if you decide to order. I wrote this review simply because people often ask for a good, non-toxic, non-cancer causing sunscreen.

This post is shared on Monday Mania, Monday Link Up, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Keep It Real Thursday, GAPS Friendly Friday, and Freaky Friday. 

Chimichurri with Kombucha

what you need:

• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 1/2 cups flat leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup Kombucha (I used homemade)
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• black pepper to taste

what you do:

Chop cilantro and parsley in mini food processor and set aside. Chop onion in mini food processor. Add all remaining ingredients and process until well blended.

Serve as a dip or topping or use as a marinade. I dipped mushrooms and pork rinds in this chimichurri and loved it.

Guten Appetit!

This post is shared on Monday Mania, Monday Link Up, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Keep It Real Thursday, GAPS Friendly Friday, and Freaky Friday. 

Mustard Rubbed Smokey Grilled Chuck 'n' Chuck

We actually made these on 4th of July!!Since we were hanging out at home with the dogs, we decided to get the smoker going. Today we are smoking, then grilling, some chuck roasts. Meet Chuck and Chuck:

Creamy Honey Sweetened Strawberry Sorbet

what you need:

• 2 cups defrosted strawberries (if you measure them while still frozen you will have fewer strawberries than I used in this recipe)
• 1/8 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey (this stuff tastes amazing!) or Vodka

what you do:

Blend all ingredients really well in food processor or blender. Pour into freezer safe dish. 

Freeze for 4 to 6 hours stirring every 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from freezer roughly 10 minutes before you are ready to serve sorbet.

Guten Appetit!

This post is shared on Weekend Gourmet, Monday Mania, Traditional Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Flour Me With Love, Fat Tuesday, Keep It Real Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Freaky Friday.

Fire Roasted Salsa Verde

 what you need:

• 1 3/4 pounds tomatillos, husks removed, washed
• 4 jalapeno peppers (or serrrano or a mix of both)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium shallots
• 2 green onions, chopped, tops included
• 1/4 cup Kombucha (optional)
• 1 large or 2 small limes 
• 1 teaspoon salt

what you do:

Line baking/cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place tomatillos, unpeeled garlic, and peppers on foil. 

Low Carb Pepperoni Stuffed Mushrooms

what you need:

• 1 8-oz package crimini or white mushrooms (8 or 9 medium mushrooms)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup crushed pork rinds
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/3 cup chopped pepperoni 
• 1/3 cup black olives, chopped 
• 2 tablespoons pizza sauce or marinara sauce
• Italian seasoning mix (oregano, garlic, basil, thyme, rosemary) 
• Butter

what you do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash mushrooms, remove stems and finely chop stems. Place all chopped vegetables and pepperoni in a mini-blender and process until well blended.

Cilantro Chili Lime Grilled Calamari

Kroger had wild caught calamari on sale and I couldn't resist. Since we were firing up the grill tonight anyhow I decided to marinade then grill them.

what you need:

• 1 pound calamari
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 of a small to medium onion
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro
• 1/8 cup bacon grease
• 1/4 cup butter

what you do:

Melt the bacon grease and butter in a sauce pan on low heat and add lemon juice. Set aside and let it cool off a bit.