Cassie DeNisco

New Posts Weekly

My Healthy, Fresh Salsa Recipe

Fun fact about me: I won first place for this salsa recipe I’m about to share with you. I was only 10 and it was a 4H Fair but it still counts and this recipe is seriously so yummy and healthy. To be clear, chunky salsa is seriously the only was to eat salsa so enjoy this colorful and easy recipe!

Ingredients:

4 medium size tomatoes

1/2 medium size red onion

1 small hot cherry pepper

Handful of cilantro

Handful of basil

Handful of parsley

Directions:

Seriously, this recipe is SO easy! Just finely chop up your herbs and cut up your tomatoes, onions, and peppers to be about the same size. Add them all together and mix. I like to let this salsa sit over night in the fridge before eating it so that all of the flavors have time to set and mix together.

I know how much effort it is to make your own salsa but it seriously is so worth it because of how much healthier it is. Store bought salsas have so much added salt and preservatives so that they can last longer. I know the convenience of them but knowing exactly what’s in your food I swear makes it taste so much better. And, when you’re at a party, you have the added pride of telling people you handmade that yummy salsa!

P.S. this salsa would also be so yummy in a burrito bowl or on top of chicken

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest @cassiedenisco for more recipes!

Face Masks for Glowing Skin

My favorite part of a Sunday night is easily a face mask. I love resetting my skin with a face mask because they help to purify your skin and reveal your healthy, glowing skin. With so many face masks on the market these days, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you walk into Sephora or Ulta to try to pick one out. I have tried so many types of face masks and products and these are my top 3 face mask brands for healthy, glowing skin.

GlamGlow:

I think the name says it all. I love these face masks because they are some of the best products I have ever tried. I love their Supermud mask because it really helps to clear up your skin. I like to leave it on for like 30 minutes and when you’re ready to take it off, you can start to see how it sinks into your pores and really helps to clean them out. Sometimes I’ll use the Supermud as a spot treatment as well because its really great at clearing up acne. GlamGlow masks are super expensive so I highly suggest you get the small sample kit, Glow Essentials Masks, so that you can try them out and see which mask you love the most.

Drunk Elephant:

I may sound like a broken record but Drunk Elephant products are AMAZING. This baby facial mask really helps to perfect my skin and help even it out. It does tingle a bit when I apply it but I kind of like it because it feels like its working. I put this mask on for like 20 minutes and any little bumps or imperfections on my skin will disappear by the morning. This face mask is pricy, I’m not going to lie to you but I think its worth it for you to give it a shot.

Sephora Collection :

I am obsessed with this mud mask! For the price, it really is a steal because it leaves my skin so bright and glowing. This mask reminds me a bit of the Supermud by GlamGlow so you might want to check this one out before you make the commitment to the Supermud. I do caution though that this one is definitely not as powerful at skin clearing as the Glam Glow mask but I literally love this mask because it does exactly what I want a mask to do. After using it my skin is left so soft and looking amazing.

Neutrogena:

Now I know that a lot of us are college kids on a budget who prefer to not break the bank on a face mask which is why I tried out this clay/cleanser mask from Neutrogena. I was seriously impressed with this mask. It does exactly what it says it will do on the package. I also love that its super affordable and you get a lot of product for the price. I also thought it was super cool that you can use this as a cleanser too because when wet it turns into a milky, creamy soap to wash off.

I am so obsessed with all of these face mask! They seriously are the best in helping to reset my skin and give it that glow that I’m looking for. Let me know if you’ve tried out any of these products in the comments below!

Subscribe

My Simple Skin Care Routine

I have always gotten compliments about my skin. From the even skin tone to the smooth complexion, people always ask me what I do to maintain it. My skin care routine is so simple that when I tell people they are seriously baffled. Let’s see what you think!

Step 1: Clinique Liquid Face Soap

I use this product morning and night as my primary face wash. I love it because it’s not scented and seriously cleans my skin. In the morning I’ll put a dime size amount of this product on my face brush and massage it into my skin for about a minute. At night, I’m usually super lazy and just rub this into my skin with my hands and then rinse it off. I always make sure to pat dry with a towel and not rub my face.

Step 2: Clinique Clarifying Lotion Exfoliator

This product might sound like a moisturizer but it’s not. I use it as a toner with my little cotton rounds morning and night. I love wiping my day off and actually seeing all the dirt and grossness coming off my skin. This product is pretty tough but they make a gentler one for more sensitive skin.

Step 3: Drunk Elephant Serums

It should be no surprise that the final step in my skin routine is Drunk Elephant. I use the T.L.C Framboos Serum at night and the B Hydra Serum in the morning. I seriously cannot get over how amazing these products are. I know how expensive they can be but they’re clean beauty and have seriously transformed my skin.

Other than the these 4 products, I don’t usually use anything else. On an occasion I’ll use a face mask from Sephora Collection, Glam Glow or Drunk Elephant but sometimes I find that face masks actually break me out. For break outs I love using the Mario Badescu drying lotion. Putting a small amount on a Q Tip and sleeping with it on my breakout literally helps it to reduce in size and redness over night.

Another major step in my skin routine is water. I can’t stress enough that water is key to clear, healthy skin. Seriously, if you don’t believe me then believe the results I’ve had. Drinking water is not only good for you but great for your skin. Water and these products has turned into my skin care holy grail. I very rarely find products that work as well as these do so I will never trade them! Just a reminder that drinking water is key but all skin types are different . These are only my results and may or may not be the same results you have.

Vegan Starbucks Lemon Loaf

I have two go to sweet treats when I go to Starbucks: birthday cake pop and lemon loaf. Both are so yummy but super sugary and not the best to have. Starbucks is also pretty expensive for just a slice of a loaf cake so I made it my mission to find a recipe similar to Starbucks’ lemon loaf that would be much cheaper and healthier. I finally think I have found the perfect vegan recipe so here it is!

Ingredients:

Loaf

– 2 c Flour

– 3 tsp Baking Powder

– 1/2 tsp Salt

– 3/4 c Sugar

– 1 c Dairy Free, Unsweetened Milk

– 1/2 c Vegetable Oil

– 1/4 c Lemon Juice

– 2 tbs Lemon Zest

– 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Icing

– 1 c Powdered Sugar

– 1/4 c Lemon Juice

– 2 tbs Lemon Zest

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9″ by 5″ loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
  2. Stir all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together all wet ingredients.
  4. Slowly add dry ingredients mix to the wet ingredients mix.
  5. Pour batter in loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Remove and place aluminum foil tent over it to prevent the top from browning.
  6. Put it back in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted is clean.
  7. Let cool and prepare glaze by mixing powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together until combined.
  8. Drizzle icing over cooled loaf and place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set!

Although the cook time is kind of long, this loaf turned out so yummy. It is definitely so similar to the Starbucks Lemon Loaf that you probably will want this loaf over their’s any day. It has way less sugar and is a lot healthier of a treat. Let me know if you try this recipe out or if you want me to make more Starbucks recipe dupes in the future!

Why You Aren’t Getting What You Want

My self-help post from last Friday did so well that I thought I would bring to you another post all about getting it together. For many of you, you’re in college and you’re just going with the flow but that needs to change. The only way to start making your dreams become reality is to stop just letting things happen and start paving your own path.

For me, I do that by manifesting. Manifesting to me is focusing on a goal that I want to achieve and basically willing it into existence. Manifesting seems like this complicated concept but in reality it’s just making yourself and your goals a priority. Once I stopped focusing so heavily on school and work, I realized how happy so many other things can make me. Its important to prioritize work and education but those things can be placed above your happiness and mental health.

We all live in a world today that is all about making money and getting to that next step in life. While making money is essential for survival, it’s time that we start doing things for ourselves. Life is not fun if all you’re doing is working, regardless if you love your job or not. As humans, were designed to love things and to become passionate about things so why are we all so over hobbies and passion projects and side hustles as we grow up? Think about it, as kids all we do is dream about our life, all the careers we want to have, and all the things we love. As we age, people just get to comfortable with where they’re at in life and lose that childhood ambition that drives you.

That’s why you aren’t getting what you want and why you’re not living your life for you. I challenge you this summer to take up a hobby or just start doing something that you love. Don’t let your mind tell you that you need to focus too much on money or that you don’t have enough time for something. There are 24 hours in the day and most people only work for 8 of them. If you need to sleep for the other 8 then theres still 8 hours for you to do something for yourself. Take my advice, or don’t, but the happiest people in the world are the people who pave their own paths and live their lives on their own terms.

Best Foods from Trader Joe’s

If you’ve never been to Trader Joe’s, I highly suggest going and seeing what its all about. A lot of times people equate Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods but Trader Joe’s is a little cheaper and is not necessarily all organic, but is still very healthy. There are so many cool different types of foods that you’ll find there so I suggest leaving a little extra time to explore the store.

Instead of walking you through the store, I created this downloadable shopping list for your trip. Feel free to download it and use it when you go. I promise you that the foods on this list will not disappoint. These are my all time FAVORITE items to buy and they are so yummy!

trader-joes-shopping-listDownload

Don’t forget to check out the flower shop when you enter. They usually have the most beautiful flowers for great prices. I just recently got peonies, my favorite flowers, for half the price of Whole Foods.

Do you have any Trader Joe’s shopping tips? Let me know in the comments below!

My Nightly Rituals for Better Sleep

After sharing my morning routine with everyone, so many people messaged me to share my night routine too! It varies depending on what time I finish teaching a dance class but for the most part everything else is the same. After such a long day, I look so forward to coming home and relaxing. Here is my night routine and rituals I can’t live without!

Regardless of whether I’m home for 5:45pm or 7pm, my first step is to always shower. I love a hot shower to help unwind and put my night in the right direction. Because I either meal prep in advance or just prepare everything before I go, dinner is always quick and almost ready for me after a shower.

After dinner, I like to make my Pukka Tea to detox after a long day. This tea is my favorite because it has ginger, lemon, and honey in it which will help with digestion. Caffeine free tea at night also has been proven to help you sleep better and just reset your body during the night.

Either while my tea is steeping or once I finish drinking it, I move on to my skincare routine. This will vary from night to night because sometimes I’ll use a face mask or sometimes I’ll actually just wash my face in the shower. What doesn’t change is my Clinque Toner and Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos serum. This combo leaves my skin looking great when I wake up.

After my skin care, I loveeee curling up in bed and watching a great TV show. Some of my favorites to watch right now are the Bachelorette on Mondays and Big Little Lies on Sundays. When I’m not watching those shows I am definitely watching either the Office or Gossip Girl.

Once I start myself getting tired, usually around 10pm because I’m a grandma, I’ll start reading whatever book I’m currently into. Right now I’m reading the first book int he Game of Thrones series and it is so great. I like to also put on my Sleep Cycle app to track my sleeping because I’ve found that using it helps me sleep so much better.

Getting into a routine is so hard but so worth it. Of course all of this looks so much different if it were a weekend or a special occasion but for the most part I stick to this format. I thrive on routines and find that it really helps me relax and get the best night’s sleep.

4 Ways to Heal Your Sunburn Fast

I get asked all the time how I get so tan over the summer. I used to lay out in the sun with only tanning oil on but once I became more aware of the harmful effects of sun damage to your skin, I quickly made skin care my top priority. This post is dedicated to healing that painful sunburn that we all get a least once a summer.

  1. Quality Sun Tan Lotion
$8.99

Let me tell you, this may seem like the most obvious tip but a lot of people don’t take the quality of their sunscreen into consideration. Quality suntan lotion is generally a little more pricy then the cheap stuff but it is so worth the cost. For example, this Hawaiian Tropic’s sunscreen has built in moisturizers so that even if your skin starts to burn, it has moisturizer on it to start working fast to reduce the burn. I also love Sun Bum’s products as well. It’s important that you’re getting quality suntan lotions so that you can prevent the burns before they happen and prevent long term skin damage.

2. Don’t Exfoliate or Peel Your Skin

It might be extremely tempting to sit and peel off that dead skin or use an exfoliating scrub in the shower but DON’T DO IT!! Stripping off that dead skin prior to it naturally coming off will leave your skin extremely damaged and stripped of the moisture that it needs to recover. That dead skin is helping retain the moisture that your skin will need to heal. You can purchase Sun Balm’s to apply to the peeling skin that can help speed up the process of your the dead skin coming off if you don’t like the way it looks.

3. Moisturize Immediately

$6.79

I swear by this tip to keep my skin tan and not getting burnt. Even if I’m red after being out in the sun, whenever I get out of it I make sure to use an “after sun” moisturizer that is designed to help replenish what my skin lost from being out all day. Moisturizing is your best friend in the summer and so many people neglect this step. I really believe that moisturizing after I get out of the sun and using a sun lotion infused with moisturizer, I get the best tans that are long lasting.

4. Solarcaine

$6.31

I was so surprised when people have never heard of this product. Solar Cane is basically used like aloe except its in a spray bottle and is cooling when applied. I don’t like to use aloe because it’s too sticky for me and also rubbing damaged skin isn’t the best idea. This product does the job of aloe except works so much better for some reason. I’ve seen people who get the worst sunburns put this on right after being in the sun and they’re not even pink. I highly recommend getting this and adding it to your after sun routine. It also will help take away the pain and burning sensation that sunburn leaves.

I also just want to put out a disclaimer that being out in the sun all day is not good for you. I love laying out and getting tan but as I get older, I realize more and more how harmful sun rays can be to your skin. A once in awhile sunburn is not the end of the world but please be cautious this summer because sun damage is irreversible.

My Collagen Smoothie

Whenever I finish a workout, I love making some type of smoothie or protein shake. Lately I have been making collagen smoothies to support my hair, skin, and nails as well as get my daily protein intake in. Adding collagen to your diet will seriously help keep your skin younger and healthier for longer. Collagen also helps to keep your nails strong and can help to grow out your hair. Aside from the beauty benefits of this smoothie, there’s plenty of protein in it that it could even replace a meal.

Here’s the recipe!

  • 1 Banana
  • 3/4 c Mixed Berries
  • Handful of Spinach
  • 1/2 c Milk (I usually do either cow’s and almond)
  • 2 scoops Collagen Powder
  • 1 scoop Protein Powder (I use vanilla)

I first like to put all my fruit in. I like to use frozen berries and bananas because it helps to make the smoothie cold and wake me up. Then I put my powders in and milk. I finish off with the spinach because I usually like to fill my Nutribullet up to the top with spinach. This makes it so easy to get your veggies in for the day!

This smoothie has almost 50 grams of protein just from the powders and milk alone. This smoothie is my go to post workout or even in the morning for breakfast. Just as a reminder, it is best to have fruit first thing in the morning or earlier in the day because of how quickly it digests.

Collagen is so so so important for your skin and I highly recommend that you start incorporating it into your every day routine!

C

My Productive Morning Routine

It took me so long to get to this point of actually enjoying my mornings, so if I can get into a productive routine in the morning so can you!

7:00am

I start every morning at 7:00am regardless of if I have anything major planned for the day or not. I find waking up every morning at the same time helps me to fall asleep around the same time every night. It helps me to regulate my sleep schedule and start my day. I always make sure to have some water as soon as I wake up to jumpstart my day.

7:30am

I’m not going to lie to you, the first thirty minutes to an hour of my day are spent in bed on my phone. I know it’s a terrible habit to have but it’s just the perfect opportunity to get it out of the way and not get distracted by my phone throughout the day. As soon as I finish on my phone, I immediately make my bed. This step is so important if you’re one who has trouble getting out of bed. Get up and make your bed so that you aren’t tempted to get back in it!

7:45am

By this point in the morning, I am usually awake enough to wash my face. I start with my Clinque face wash on my facial brush. Then I use the Clinque toner that matches my face wash with a little cotton round. I finish off my face routine with the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Serum. I don’t typically use make up so I find that this skin combo leaves my face with a really great glow for the day. While I’m here, I’ll typically brush my teeth at this point too.

8:00am

I typically like to workout in the morning on an empty stomach so when I’m getting dressed and ready for the day, I’ll put on my workout gear for either a workout class, at home workout, or if I’m going to the gym. I like working out in the morning because it gets me pumped for the day and I get it out of the way.

9:30am

After whatever workout I end up doing, I’ll sometimes shower depending on what it was. Because I workout again at night in the dance classes that I teach, I’ll generally do strength training in the morning since I’m doing cardio at night. After that I’ll get fully dressed for the day and do something to my hair.

10:00am

My morning has already been so busy but by 10 am I’m sitting down at my desk either doing work for clients, writing blogs posts, or doing lesson plans for my dance class that night. During the school year, all of my classes are online so I’ll substitute this work for my homework. I’ll usually work until like 3pm so that I have enough time to get ready for whatever classes I’m teaching.

11:30am

Like I said in my what I eat in a day, I intermittent fast and food combine so by this point in the day I like to have my bowl of fruit as my breakfast. I think by this point my day turns into full work mode so my day starts to shift from morning to afternoon really quickly.

I hope my little morning routine inspires you to wake up early and be productive. Keep in mind, by 11:30 I’m usually already done with 50 oz of water. The morning doesn’t have to be such an annoying part of the day that everyone hates. Doing little things like spending some time scrolling on your phone or getting a morning workout in help to make it more fun and make you want to wakeup everyday. Don’t forget to subscribe down below so you stay updated with all my latest posts!

C