Papa-ya that’s good.

Have you ever eaten a papaya? I had not. Martha Stewart says you can bake them though, so that is what we did.

I had a little kitchen helper this time so it took about 7x longer than it should have. BUT he tested whether papaya seeds really do taste like pepper, so it all worked out. He said it was spicy and spit it out so I’d say that it is true.

Trying the seeds..not super impressed

 

Anywho, buy a papaya, cut it, feed the seeds to your child, and sprinkle on the sugar mixture (2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp ground ginger). Bake at 450 for 30-40 minutes, taking it out and brushing the melted sugar around a few times.  I’m told it is ready when the edges begin to brown. Sprinkle with paprika, and serve with lime wedges!

 

It tastes like… papaya I guess? I have no other way to describe it. Sweet but savoury. Try it for yourself!

 

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Where Didja Come From? Where Didja Go? (Cotton-eyed…Empower)

Remember when our logo looked like this?

I do.

We’ve come a long way in the past 5 years. I’ve been thinking a lot about where this company started and though hindsight is definitely 20/20, the changes and growth we’ve accumulated are something to be proud of. While our branding, ingredients (ayoo organic aloe!),  and some of the staff have gone through changes, the main focus of Empower has always remained strong.  Empower is a company that aims to inspire all women to be independent business owners and enable them to control their financial future with confidence, strength and honour.

Having a wild idea that is actually followed through and come to fruition is something I will always admire about our CEO, Deb. (Also, she’s my mom so its extra draw dropping to me that she’s this boss babe who created this space!). Ups and downs, down and outs, WE’VE HAD THEM ALL HERE AT EMPOWER. Shall we take a little walk down memory lane?

Empower’s first production run! 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The empty warehouse, waiting for the first delivery. 2013

Aaron and Deb 2014 (son and mom)

Oh, hey, its me!

I like to throw this one in whenever I can because I LOVE Arlene Dickinson. (Justin, Megan-with tiny Thomas in my tummy, Deb, Arlene, Jade, Aaron) 2014

    

Our team is stronger, I’ll be the first to say our branding is more memorable, and the bonds we’ve made with everyone along the way are truly ones we’ll never forget. Nostalgia can hit hard sometimes and while its important to remember where we started, it is more amazing to see where we are, and where we are headed.

 

“Throughout my career I have learned over and over the unseen, and often unheard, power of women. Women are jugglers, teachers, taxi drivers, medical staff, chefs, nutritionists, fashionistas, and business owners.” -Deb

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Stop… Its Pumpkin Time

Here’s the thing. I’m not much of a baker, and I’m not convinced I like pumpkin flavoured foods. So, this pumpkin breakfast casserole might not be for me, but I thought I’d give it a try to show off one of the key ingredients in one of our products. Our Renew natural exfoliant uses enzymes from pumpkins (among other things- check the product page to see the rest) to slough off dry skin. The casserole uses pumpkin puree, but close enough, yes?

I certainly did not come up with this recipe, and you can find the original here. I halved it (ish. I told you I’m not much of a baker), because I am one tiny person with two half humans and a pound of bread and 8 eggs is way too much breakfast for us. There is also a full grown man who lives here, but he’s off on a business trip.

Anyway, let’s get to it.

Chop up the bread. The recipe said brioche, but my store didn’t have that so I used rye. Hopefully that’s a good substitution; I don’t know a lot about bread either. Off to a good start.

 

 

Mix up the rest of the ingredients. My store also did not have any brown sugar (I probably should have gone to another store, really) so I switched in golden yellow sugar which looked like it came in the same bag as brown sugar does.

 

 

CAREFULLY** pour the mixture on top of the bread. Seriously, carefully. The original recipe even said this. You think it will sink into all the crannies between the bread hunks, but it does not. Not quickly, anyway. It is thicker than you think it is.

 

 

So, after you clean all that up, you can put the sugar/cinnamon mix on top, cover, and goodnight casserole I will bake you in the morning.

 

 

*****The next morning*****

WELL. I am pleasantly surprised. It is quite good! Not too pumpkin-y. Not too squishy. Sort of like a pumpkin pie. But with bread.

 

Ingredients:

7 slices of bread
4 eggs
1/2 c + 2 tbsp milk
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt

For the topping:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

 

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The 7 Signs of Aging

Over the past week on our Facebook page, we’ve been going over the 7 key signs of aging and how our products can help. We’ve chosen specific products that help combat each key sign, but of course using the the whole product line will help you achieve the best results. We’ve compiled them all here for easy reference!

 

ONE.

The first sign of aging we addressed is having dull or dry skin. All our products combat this simply by having aloe vera as the primary ingredient, but the product that really focuses on this is our Renew Enzyme Peel.

Using a combination of natural enzymes (from sources such as pumpkin, papaya, and pineapple), along with aloe, berries, and even green tea extract, our Enzyme Peel is a painless, non-abrasive form of exfoliation. Empower’s proprietary formula makes it possible to remove only the dull, dead skin instead of an entire layer unlike other face masks or exfoliants.

TWO.

Wrinkles: The second and most often discussed sign of aging.

First off, love your laugh lines and accept some crows feet (or even just one foot), a happy face is a healthy face! However, for the fine lines you don’t want to ignore, the solution is our Youth Infusion Serum.

Our Youth Infusion is an all-in-one eye and facial serum that we pack full with powerful antioxidants that fight against free radical and environmental damage to the skin. In addition to Aloe Vera being the primary ingredient, we use apples, blueberries, raspberries, and even peptides in our formulation. This combination of ingredients helps to reduce puffiness, promote collagen growth, and rebuild the skin from the inside out.

THREE.

After a busy day, our bodies need rest. The same goes for our skin. Help your skin recover at the same time you do by using our Organic Aloe Night Treatment with Probiotic Technology.

Our inspiration was to implement probiotics into our skin-care line. You’ve probably heard about having probiotic yogurt, but we went a step further, and built it into your skin-care! By removing bad bacteria, and promoting healthy bacteria growth, this is a monumental step forward in skin-care technology.

We’ve paired our probiotics with organic aloe, lavender, and spearmint. This combination of ingredients will tighten up your skin and promote the growth of healthy and dense skin. The scent provided by the essential oils will help put you right to sleep.
Wake up feeling put together and whole, unlike our jelly friend here.

 

 

FOUR.

Spots on your skin can be from an array of reasons including dryness, extra oil, or sun damage. Our Fresh Hydrating Pads can be the solution!

Lemon, apple, and orange extract (still with aloe vera as the main ingredient!) make up this simple and fast way to refresh and hydrate your skin. A quick wipe with one of these pads and you’ll be feeling Fresh all day!

FIVE.

Acne, sun damage, aging, and environmental damage are mostly unavoidable. These can all cause a discrepancy in our skin tones, and we all know an uneven skin tone can be frustrating and take away the love we have for our skin.

The healing properties and natural sun protection of aloe vera can help to correct these variations in our skin tones. Lucky for all of us, aloe vera is the main ingredient in our next featured product (have you noticed a theme?):

The Empower AM/PM Moisturizer.

We took a nurturing, aloe-based moisturizer and packed it full of shea, jojoba, sugarcane, and lemon. This moisturizer will work day and night to make sure your skin is getting all the love it needs (and deserves).

Don’t forget: just like a zebra, all our products are entirely vegetarian!

 

SIX.

You’re not a lightbulb, but your inner glow deserves to shine! It’s a tall order, but we believe we’ve found a solution:

Not only will our Illuminate BB Creme help mask some slight imperfections, but this lightweight beauty balm also works to combat skin dullness. Starting with our base of Aloe Vera, Vitamin C working as an antioxidant, and more than five types of berries to fight environmental damage you’ll look as radiant as you feel!

SEVEN.

Enlarged paws (we mean pores, we did our best here) are caused mainly by one factor: over-active sebum production. When pores are clogged, it leads to an increase of pore diameter. The best way to avoid this is to keep your skin clean.

Using an aloe-based cleanser is the best way to do this without also drying out your skin. Cleanse your skin with confidence using the Empower Foaming Cleanser. Formulated with natural cleansing ingredients, powerful antioxidants, and emollients to hydrate the skin, your pores will stay fresh as a daisy, but significantly smaller.

To learn more about the business opportunity or to see a full list of products please visit us at www.empowercosmetics.com

International Women’s Day

“International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

#IWD2017 #BeBoldForChange”

International Women’s Day happens every year, yet most people don’t actually know what it is, how it started, or how they can help.

The first ‘Women’s Day’ to be organized was over 100 years ago, in 1909. Two years later, on March 19, International Woman’s Day was recognized by over a million people in Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland. 100 women from 17 countries agreed with the idea as a way to promote equal rights. Women were protesting for the right to vote, and against employment sex discrimination.

March 8 is an official holiday in almost 30 countries, including Afghanistan, China, and Russia. In others it is a non-official holiday, but still observed as a day to celebrate women, much like Mother’s Day. In North America is it neither an official or non-official holiday, certainly not for lack of trying.

Each year the UN gives an official theme to the day, ranging from Gender Equality, to Women and HIV/AIDS, to Empowering Rural Women, but always back to Gender Equality or a 50/50 Planet. 2017 is not Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.

The point here is, with the way things are progressing now the gender gap won’t close 2186, which is entirely unacceptable. International Women’s Day is a way for ALL people to help make this an attainable goal- much, much sooner.

So, what can you do?

The International Women’s Day website asks “How will you be bold for change?” Take the pledge, choose how you’ll take action, and be one of the over 20,000 people who have also taken the pledge this year. The site also gives you the option of sharing your pledge on social media, as well as other avenues of action.

www.internationalwomensday.com