It’s absolutely no joke when I say that Lily from Kale and Caramel changed my life. She’s a bonafide beauty and a certified natural skin care aficionado who writes her blog posts like poetry and cracks open every emotion to share them with the world, all while whipping up healthy recipes and beautiful photos. I can’t actually remember how I first found Lily and her blog, most likely it was from going down an Instagram rabbit hole and finding her clean, bright photos, falling in love instantly with her ability to make me feel like she was giving me the best hug ever through a photo of food, but also feeding me a pretty AF pie. I do know that I heard her on an episode of The Actor’s Diet podcast and I was amazed by her natural skincare advice and recipes. In the podcast, Lily talks about using raw honey as a face wash, citing the healing and nourshing properties it provides, not to mention that it’s wayyy cheaper than some of its natural facewash counterparts.
Lo and behold, when I tried out Lily’s honey as a facewash method, my skin was changed for the better. My skin has long been something I’ve struggled with, from not having any breakouts until college (WTF hormones?) and surrendering to using super strong, super drying acne medicines that probably made things worse in the long run, to thinking that I just wouldn’t ever have that *perfect* skin that would make me comfortable going without makeup. Once I tried Lily’s advice and started simplifying my skin care routine, turning to things like honey and rosehip oil, my skin dramatically improved. Like, I-woke-up-like-this-and-feel-great improved. It seemed counter intuitive to use less on my skin, but it ended up being exactly what I needed and wanted. Basically, follow these rules and you will be a natural ingredient loving beauty, just like Lily herself.
Moving onto Lily’s gorgeous book! I was SO excited when Lily revealed that she was working on a cookbook last year. I was in LA in the spring and was hoping to meet up with her, but it ended up not working out since she was trying to complete this gorgeous specimen of a cookbook. Nevertheless, the book is gorgeous, lovely, and useful, all at the same time. From spreading her knowledge about herbs and flowers, to telling a perfect story with each recipe to go right along with it. As soon as I received Lily’s book in the mail, I flipped through and landed on this perfectly hydrating cucumber basil lemonade. It’s the perfect combination of tart, herb-y, and just a bit tart, leading me to making 3 batches over the last 2 weeks and it looks like there’s no end in sight. I also found that it’s a perfectly nice ‘I’m almost 30 and two cocktails last night and am dehydrated’ cure, so there’s another upside to this perfectly pretty cucumber basil lemonade.
So, do yourself (and your skin) a favor and order Lily’s book ASAP! It’s full of love, beautiful photos, and an impressive amount of knowledge on the healing properties of herbs/flowers. Take my advice and sip on this basil lemonade while whipping up the blackberry basil mask from her book too, treat yo’self!
Copyright © 2017 by Lily Diamond from KALE & CARAMEL: Recipes for Body, Heart, and Table published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photos copyright © 2017, Lily Diamond
PrintSparkling Cucumber Basil Lemonade
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Drinks
Description
A refreshing and hydrating summer sipper! Full of cucumbers, lemons and herbaceous basil, a perfect drink from the Kale and Caramel cookbook.
Ingredients
- 3– inch length of cucumber (, chilled and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup), plus some extra slices for garnish)
- 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves (, plus more for garnish)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (, plus lemon slices for garnish)
- 1/4 cup still water
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 3/4 cup sparking water
Instructions
- Add the chopped cucumber to a blender or food processor with the basil, lemon juice, still water, and honey. Blend until smooth, then distribute evenly between two glasses.
- Add the sparkling water, agin splitting evenly between the glasses. Drop in a few ice cubes, and garnish with cucumber slices, lemon slices, and basil as desired.
Sara @ Cake Over Steak says
Love this post! Lily is so awesome and so is her book. I was eyeing up this recipe when I first opened the book as well, so this needs to happen ASAP. This might have to be my weeknight “mocktail.”
Heart of a Baker says
Yes! It’s so perfect for that, still pretty but free of booze..if you want it to be!
Lily | Kale & Caramel says
ABBY. Zomg lady, I had no idea about your radical skin transformation. I could not be happier!!! What sweet news. And thank you. Thank you thank you. For your sweet words. For your love. For your excitement for my book baby (and understanding when I had to be a workaholic instead of coming out to play). For making the book your own and discovering how it fits into your life and makes your heart sing. I’m honored.
Heart of a Baker says
Love love love you sister! xoxo
Barb says
You had me at basil! And thanks for the skin care advice, as I get older I feel like mine needs more maintenance and upkeep.
Heart of a Baker says
The honey facewask has really changed everything for the better!
Tessa | Salted Plains says
I am totally going to try the honey tip! Love that. And this beautiful sparkling cucumber basil lemonade! These warmer days are making me crave drinks like this. xoxo
Heart of a Baker says
Agreed sister! xoxo
Elizabeth says
I’ve tried the honey face wash after reading Lily’s blog too! As you said, it’s amazing that sometimes less is more. I’m a huge fan of Lily’s book, and LOVE this recipe! It looks incredibly refreshing.
Jennifer Farley says
I love the flavors of this lemonade so much!
Todd Wagner | HonestlyYUM says
WOWOW this lemonade is stunning!!
I love Lily’s book so much, and it makes me so happy to hear how she’s touched so many people’s lives!
Sherrie says
Lily is simply the best. And so are you. I’m sure you’ve done her proud here. So beautiful, Abby. xx
Heart of a Baker says
YOU are the best. xoxo