Hey FaceTory Fam! 

When it comes to self-care and taking care of our skin, oftentimes we forget that it’s not just about investing in good skincare products and treating ourselves to pampering sessions; it’s also about the food that we eat! It’s a no-brainer that food affects health, but it can be easy to forget that this also includes our skin’s health. This is why it is so important to stay hydrated and try to find ways to incorporate more fresh, non-processed, nutrient-rich foods into our diets so that we can shine from within and have a glowing complexion to match.

We’ve compiled a list of health-conscious yet tasty, simple plant-based meals that will keep you feeling and looking radiant! (Warning: try not to drool while reading this!) 🤤

Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl

Image via fitfoodiefinds.com

Buddha bowls are so vibrant, colorful and delicious that you’d never think they’re among the easiest and most affordable healthy meals to make! Here’s the formula: grab a bowl, add your rice or whole grains, add your choice of raw and roasted veggies, lean proteins, nuts, and seeds and top it all off with dressing. We love Lee Hersh’s take on this staple dish! She threw together quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, kale, tahini, and sesame seeds to create a perfectly harmonious bowl of goodness. Sweet potatoes, avocado, and kale contain essential nutrients that help promote smooth and replenished skin! Bonus points: this meal won’t leave you in a state of food coma, but will have you feeling content and energized!

Chickpea Tacos

Image via healthygffamily.com

When you think of tacos, you don’t necessarily think “health!” but trust us, opting out of your usual processed meat filling for smoky, flavorful chickpeas will reinvent everything you’ve ever thought about a taco. Not only is it packed with flavor, but it is a much healthier alternative! Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are high in protein and contain skin-enhancing nutrients like vitamin B6 and C. Going off of Karen’s recipe from Healthy Gluten Free Family, corn tortillas, chopped kale, sliced avocado, cilantro and a mix of red cabbage and green cabbage carrots complement the chickpeas well. Optional: top it off with enchilada sauce, queso fresco and lime for more flavor. Kale is known to be extremely nutrient-dense and loaded with antioxidants, avocado—as we know—has many skin benefits, and vitamin A found in cabbage encourages the growth of new skin cells. Sooo...Taco Tuesday, anyone?

Mediterranean Falafel Bowl

Image via abeautifulmess.com

Alright, let’s travel to the Mediterranean where summers are long and warm, the beaches are picturesque and complexions are gleaming. According to INSIDER, the typical Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of olive oil, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fruits, legumes and a very moderate consumption of fish and meat. Here, we have a Mediterranean falafel bowl (courtesy of Emma Chapman) made of fresh salad greens, red onions, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, mini falafels, and olive oil-honey-tahini dressing. To create the falafels, all you have to do is combine red onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro salt, and flour into a food processor, chill the mixture, roll them into balls and then bake. Falafels are a healthy protein choice that contains a mix of herbs and chickpeas, packed with vitamin B6 and C. When mixed together with oleic acid and vitamin E-rich olives, skin-healing tomatoes and skin-regenerating red onions, this is definitely a meal your skin will have a field day over!

Asian Zoodles

Image via saltandlavender.com

Did you know you can create this Asian-inspired masterpiece in just 15 minutes? Say hello to your new lazy, throw-together meal that—unlike instant noodles—is actually healthy! To make Natasha’s zoodles, you can use make your own zucchini spirals with a spiralizer, or simply find pre-spiralized zucchini at your local grocery store. In a pan, toss the zoodles with garlic, sriracha, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and peanut butter for about 4-5 minutes. Add in cashews, carrots, cilantro, and lime and you’re ready to eat! Your skin will love this meal because cashews are a great source of proteins and antioxidants, zucchini is packed with anti-aging antioxidants and carrots help to repair skin tissue and protect against sun damage.

Stuffed Bell Peppers 

Image via aheadofthyme.com

This dish looks fancy schmancy, but it’s actually easy to make and ready to be devoured in under an hour! We loved Sam’s recipe: home-grown bell peppers stuffed with rice and veggies. Super simple, super healthy and bonus points: they make great leftovers and taste amazing when reheated! To create this, you will need to prepare rice, cut the tops of your bell peppers and scoop out the seeds from the inside. You’ll then heat up onions, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini in a pan until thoroughly cooked. After the rice is done cooking, stir it well and add in parsley and puréed tomatoes. Add the rice and veggies into the shallow bell pepper cups and bake for 20-25 minutes! All of these ingredients have multiple skin benefits, but the highlight of the recipe are mushrooms, which helps to hydrate and plump the skin, and red bell pepper, which contains more than enough of the daily vitamin C that your skin needs!

There you have it! Now that you know how many skin benefits fresh veggies contain, we hope you’re that you feel inspired to start incorporating more of them into your meals! Eating healthy shouldn’t be boring or painful; it should be fun, creative and delicious!

Remember, Just Keep Glowing!

Love,

FaceTory 💝