Oils For Every Occasion!

Oils For Every Occasion! 

Spring is here and Summer is right around the corner, which means lots of upcoming activities; like showers, weddings, graduations, and parties.  For me I am oiled up at all times and keep pretty well stocked and I want you to be oily and prepared for what ever occasion come your way also.  I have highlighted the top Spring and Summer events and which oils you should have to be prepared and ready for anything!

Showers

Baby showers, bridal showers, and whatever other showers you end up at. The goal of all showers are to have an awesome gift, win some games, and stay engaged while every single gift is unwrapped and gushed over. Here are some oily suggestions for attending a shower:

Gifts: 

You want to give the new mom or bride-to-be something to really get excited about? Well then incorporate an oily gift to honor their new stage in life. For the new mom add Peace and Calming 2, Lavender, and Gentle Babies to a bath-set, cute PJ's, or some books.  

The bride-to-be would love some Young Living Vitality oils to go with the cooking set on her registry, or Sensation message oil. I personally like to gift a diffuser and a bottle of Joy essential oil blend.

Game Time:

We all know that the games at showers require creativity and a fun attitude! That is why I love to apply Gathering and Oola Fun essential oil blends before starting in on the fun.  

Energy:

When it comes time for the gifts we will need something to keep us awake and engaged! I love Peppermint Vitality essential oil because it perks me up and doubles as a breath fresher (add a drop to water and sip!)  I also love Awaken essential oil blend, smells so good everyone will want to know what perfume you have on.  

Weddings

I love weddings and have a few on the calendar this year! This year be prepared for the outdoor weddings or the wedding that never ends with these essential oil suggestions:

The Outdoor Wedding: 

We all love a beautiful wedding under the stars or bright blue sky but sometimes being outside can cause some problems...but not for you! I always keep Lavender and Peppermint Vitality essential oils on hand both are great if you are sitting for long periods of time in the sun.  Apply Lavender or LavaDerm to skin after too much sun both are soothing and relaxing!  I also love to sip in Peppermint Vitality essential oil, very refreshing on a warm day.  Another great essential oil I keep with a roller ball top on for outdoor weddings is Purification essential oil blend. Most pests don't dig the scent and it also keep you smelling good through all the hours of dancing the night away!

The Never-ending Wedding: 

We have all been there..the wedding that has taken up most of your weekend, with rehearsal dinners, pre-wedding preparations, the ceremony, and the all-night dance party.  To stay on your game and have a great time you need to be well hydrated and keep your energy up without the crash of guzzling coffee all day.  I love Ningxia Nitro and Super B supplements for energy, plus they give your body the good stuff it needs to stay focused and fueled up.  Hydration is key, not only to minimize the next day effects but to keep you at your best. Add Lemon Vitality to your water and drink throughout the day. This will keep you hydrated and help your body to work at its best!

Graduations

Oh the graduation season, so much promise of new beginnings and celebration of accomplishments. The ceremonies are often long, usually outdoors, and a gift is always welcome.  Here is the oily line-up to make attending a graduation a happy event!

The Long Ceremony: 

Sitting for long periods of time can cause for some discomfort.  Bring a cushion for the seat and PanAway essential oil blend to apply to back and knees that can get stiff from sitting so long. Staying energized after sitting for a long time can also seem impossible, except you have En-R-Gee essential oil blend! Apply your PanAway and En-R-Gee and feel great the whole (very long) time!

The Gift:

When we think of a graduate we know that the typical gift is monetary or something sentimental like a watch or piece of jewelry.  Keep your gift original and meaningful with one or all of these essential oil blends: Highest Potential, Oola Field or Financial, Abundance, and Into the Future. The graduate will appreciate an oily gift to help propel them into the future! 

Parties

I love summer parties, whether its a BBQ or a special occasion you know there will be good food and drinks.  Be the one with the signature dish that will get you invited to every party this year! 

Yummy Food:

Young Living has an full line of Vitality essential oils labeled specifically for internal use.  Here are my three favorite recipes using Vitality oils that are sure to please everyone!

Peppermint Brownies are easy...even for someone like me who cannot bake.  Get your favorite box of brownie mix and make according to instructions and before cooking add 8-10 drops of Peppermint vitality essential oil bake and bam...peppermint brownies. You can even frost them and throw some peppermint patties on top for good measure! 

Dill Dip is so easy and one of my favorites to take to BBQ's.  Here is the easy recipe using Dill Vitality essential oil. 1 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix, 6 drops Dill Vitality essential oil, 1 teaspoon dill (dry herb or fresh), salt and some chopped up green onion on top. I serve this just like spinach dip in a bread bowl with bread for dipping. Done...so easy and so good.

Pasta Salad is also a favorite and with Young Living Vitality essential oils you will be surprised at the amazing depth of flavor that will have everyone coming back for seconds.  

Box of Rotini pasta cooked, drained and set aside. One cup of each of the following cucumber cut in half circles, black olives pitted and whole, pepperoncini, salami, red onion and Parmesan cheese. Next you will combine 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 5 drops Thyme Vitality essential oil, 3 drops Basil Vitality essential oil, 3 drops Black Pepper Vitality essential oil, juice from one lemon.  Add the Vinaigrette mixture to your pasta salad, combine well, salt and pepper to taste.

Delicious Drinks:

Sangria is one of my favorite drinks to have in the summer and great for a BBQ.  Here is my go to recipe that you are sure to find is a hit! Combine 1 1/2 cups brandy, 1 bottle of red wine, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup orange juice, 5 drops Lemon Vitality essential oil, 5 drops Tangerine Vitality essential oil, 5 drops Orange Vitality essential oil.  Add to your mixed beverage one apple sliced, one orange sliced, and one lime sliced.  Chill for a few hours and serve cold! 

 

Moscow Mule is a fun drink that is both refreshing and popular right now.  Here is a super easy recipe that uses the ever popular Lime Vitality essential oil.  4 parts ginger beer, 1.5 parts good vodka, small squeeze of a lime, 2 drops Lime Vitality essential oil, ice and lime wedge.  Super refreshing and great in a glass or the more traditional copper mugs. 

The Healthy Kid Protocol

The Healthy Kid Protocol

Healthy kids! I know for so many of us we have a protocol for our littles when they are down for the count...but what is your wellness routine? I want to focus on keep and supporting our children's health in this blog post.  Here are my tips and a few I picked up from some close friends on supporting our children's wellness:

Essential Oils (Obviously):

Don't only oil your littles to get them out of a slump, instead oil on the regular. I use a wellness blend on my kids feet in the morning, chest rub before bed, bath salts, and diffuser blend daily here are my recipes:

Chest Rub:  

• 1/4 Shea butter
• 1/4 coconut oil 
• 5 Drops Frankincense
• 5 Drops Rosemary
• 3 Drops Lavender  

Wellness Blend:

• 15ml empty bottle
• 10 Drops Thieves 
• Grape seed oil

Bath Salts:

• 1/2 cup Epsom salts
• 5 Drops Melrose
• 5 Drops Tea Tree

Diffuser Blend:

• 5 Drops Cedarwood
• 5 Drops Lavender 

Supplements:

I love using supplements and so do my kids. Here is my list, and yes there are many companies that sell children's supplements, keep in mind high quality and always read the labels. I use Young Living for most of my children's supplements, here is my list:  

• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Colloidal Silver 
• Probiotics (Open capsule and use half in food or smoothie)
• Enzymes 
• Multivitamin

Nutrition:

We all know that kids can be so picky about what they eat and getting them to eat the good stuff can be tough.  Here are two ways to get your kids to eat healthier, that have worked for my littles:

Juicing:

• 2 Carrots,1  apples, hand full spinach 
• 1 Orange, 2 celery stalks, 1 apple
• 4 Pineapple rings, 2 carrots, 1 apples

Smoothies:

Get a good quality protein powder or meal replacement with your favorite add-ins:

• Nut Butter
• Yogurt
• Spinach
• Flax meal
• Mineral Essence 
• Honey
• Avocado 
• Kefir
• Coconut Water

There is so much on the topic of kids health...this is a short list and a good place to start! 

Winter Survival

Winter Skin Survival...With Young Living 

I love the winter, I really do, the rain and going to see the snow in the mountains. It's a nice change from the high summer temperatures, but my poor skin can really take a beating. Which is why I love supporting my healthy skin with Young Living, and you will too with these easy and cost effective recipes.

Supple Scalp Mask:

I wear black...often and my winter scalp makes this difficult, so to keep my scalp beautiful I use this mask recipe once a month.

What you need:
Vitamin E
Coconut oil
Rosemary essential oil
Geranium essential oil
Lavender essential oil

Mix 1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp vitamin E oil (or grape seed oil)
3 drops Rosemary
2 drops Geranium
2 drops Lavender

Message into scalp and wear overnight and wash out in the morning or keep on as long as possible.

Lovely Lip Scrub:

Not only does the amazing Young Living Lip balm keep my lips soft but this easy lip scrub does the trick as well! 

What you need:

white sugar

almond oil

Peppermint essential oil

Mix 2 Tbsp white sugar with 1 Tbsp of almond oil and 1 drop Peppermint essential oil.  Rub into lips and rinse off after a few minutes.

Cuticle Keeper:

Nails, we all dislike when 

What you need:

1 Tbsp. Shea butter

3 drops Melrose essential oil blend

1 drop Elemi essential oil

Mix together the oils and Shea butter and rub on cuticles or feet before bed.

Stay tuned for the next batch of recipes next week! 

January Young Living Promotion 2016

Yay! Happy New Year, here is to a year of health, wellness and abundance!  The Young Living Promotion is a great way to stock up on some great oils..with this promo you can up to 6 bottles of essential oil (two are 15 ml) and the Morning Start body wash!

A Few Healthy Recipes To Go With The Promo:

Peppermint Black Bean Brownies:

• 1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) 
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder 
• 1/2 cup quick oats 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or agave 
• 1/4 cup coconut oil 
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips 
• 6 Drops Peppermint Essential oil

Total Time: 15min

Yield: 9-12 brownies

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor/blender, and blend until completely smooth.  Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Cook the black bean brownies 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. If they still look a bit under-cooked, you can place them in the fridge overnight and they will firm up! Makes 9-12 brownies. 

Rosemary Potatoes:

• 2 pounds Red, Gold, or other thin-skinned potatoes (5 to 6 medium potatoes), scrubbed clean
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
• 2 teaspoons salt

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or a nonstick baking mat.

Halve the potatoes and chop them into bite-sized pieces, leaving the skins on. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, rosemary essential oil, rosemary herbs and salt. Make sure the potatoes are evenly coated with oil.

Spread the potatoes out on the baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the potatoes are golden, stirring every 15 minutes. 

Tea Tree Oil Facial Toner:

1.5 ounces Raw, organic apple cider vinegar
6 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
1.5 ounces Filtered water
Supplies: 3 ounce bottle, cotton pads

• Fill bottle halfway up with apple cider vinegar.
• Fill remainder of bottle with water
• 6 Drops Tea Tree essential oil
• After cleansing face, rub onto face using a cotton ball/pad(be careful of your eyes)
• Moisturize after toner

Chest Rub:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup shea butter
• 5 drops pine essential oil 
• 3 drop Idaho blue spruce essential oil 
• 3 drop eucalyptus essential oil  

Soothing chest rub to support a health respiratory function 

Oil on and ring in the new year with a goal of health and happiness for 2016! 

Keeping the Dream Alive

Keeping Your Dream Alive

I have a dream...you have a dream, but how do we keep the dream alive..and more importantly how do we achieve these dreams.  It's normal to go through life with changing goals and desires, but how often do they get abandoned because life bogs us down? If you are like me (and most people) even with the best intentions life can get in the way and get us off track.  I will outline just a few easy tips for staying on track to reaching your goals.

Tracking Progress:

This is an important tool to not only keep us on track but to show us how far we have come.  There are times I will find myself down about not being farther along in my business. I have tracked my progress since the begging of starting my business and it helps me to see how far I have come. Seeing how far you have come will help you to see that your dream is worth the additional effort to keep forging ahead. Creating a template for tracking progress will be dependent on the specific goals you are looking to achieve. For the goals in my Young Living business I track my commission check, members in my group and my group volume.  For weight-loss goals you may want to track your measurements,weight, and fitness ability.  If you have goals of becoming debt-free you can track spending, payments made, and current balances.  You can track your progress online, on a computer, or in a journal...honestly how ever it works for you!  Here are a few journals I really like to use: Passion Planner and Five Minute Journal.  

Clear (obtainable) Goals:

I think this may be the most important and crucial part of achieving your dreams.  We can all say "I want to work from home and support my family" or "I want to lose 20 lbs" but without those small goals that get us to our desired outcome we are left scratching our heads when things don't change overnight.  Like all goals they need to be measurable, reasonable, and obtainable.  When setting goals for my business for instance "I am going to schedule four classes and two Facebook classes in October".  Now  I would love to host 10 classes in a month but it is not realistic for me, but it may be for someone else. Without clear steps we will find ourselves unsure of how to reach our goals and start to give up on that dream. A great way to set clear and obtainable goals is to figure out how much time you can dedicate to your dream.  If you have an hour a day then make a commitment on how you are going to spend it. For example for a weight-loss goal you may go for a 30 min walk and spend 30 minutes meal prepping.  It is important that you know what needs to change in your daily life and what habits you need to incorporate to reach our goals. I love this article on setting goals check it out.

Find Your Tribe:

I love my Young Living peeps, not only do they keep me motivated but they have great ideas of how to reach my goals in ways I would have never thought of! One tip I have always heard is to find a friend to keep you accountable.  This buddy system can be a great resource and also a way to share in the ups and downs of achieving our dreams. Participating with others will make this journey fun and accountability to another person does make it harder to give up on goals. Finding your tribe may take a few steps; you can search on Facebook or other social media for a group with similar goals to yours. If you can't find a group than make one, it's simple and can be the best way to tailor fit a group to your goals.  Here are a few sites to help you find your ideal group Meetup.com and Facebook Groups!

Your WHY:

It is totally normal to start off on a journey toward your dreams with an amazing vision of greatness, and then run out of steam somewhere along the way.  Often without a defined "why" we can lose sight of why we started on this journey in the fist place. Write you "why" down (more then once) and remember it often.  Will your "why" change...Yes, because once you have succeeded you will have a new "why".  My "why" is about my family and financial security. Find your "why" and remember it when times feel less then ideal.

Live In The Now:

Yes we all want to reach our dreams but sometimes we get so worked up in the "if only's" that we forget about the right now. It is not always easy to enjoy the journey as many times we feel stressed or pushed outside our comfort zones. Just know the journey is only molding you to be the person you want to be, so it is important we pay attention along the way. I can get really focused on all the steps and check lists that I forget to enjoy the relationships built along the way.  One phrase that I try to remember is "this is not a sprint it's a marathon", take time to enjoy the journey.

Don't Place Limit On Your Dream:

Dream big and dream more and dream often. Do not dream practical, dream a real dream and pursue it for real. So many of us love to talk about our goals as if they are our dreams, but often our dreams are much bigger. Our goals are what we consider attainable, but who says our dreams are not? Once we stop putting a limit on our dreams we can really start getting somewhere! Write down your dream and own it. 

Remember only you have the power to place a limit on your dreams

Cooking With Essential Oils

Cooking is not my thing so the following recipes will be SUPER easy and yummy using essential oils for flavor.

I love black pepper essential oil for it's many benefits but in this yummy hummus recipe you will discover another way to use this versatile oil.

Black Pepper Hummus:

You Will Need

• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup  tahini
•  Half of a large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Pepper
• One drop Black Pepper essential oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• Dash of ground paprika for serving

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice. Process for 1 minute. 
2. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and the salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice mixture. Process for 30 seconds, scrape sides and bottom of bowl then process another 30 seconds.
3. Open can of chickpeas, drain liquid then rinse well with water. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor then process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, add remaining chickpeas and process for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until the consistency is perfect.

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup:

You Will Need:  1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/4 cup chopped celery  1/4 cup chopped onion 2 Tablespoons butter 6 cups chicken broth  1 1/2 cups of chicken 1 teaspoon salt 1 drop Marjoram essential oil 1 drop Thyme essential oils 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 1/4 cup uncooked pasta 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley  Directions: Saute the carrot, celery and onion in butter in a large pot with lid until tender. Stir in the broth, chicken and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add noodles; cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 6 servings. Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies: You Will Need: 1½ C all-purpose flour 1 drop nutmeg essential oil I drop cinnamon bark essential oil ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt ½ C butter, softened ⅔ C brown sugar ¼ C sugar 1 egg 1½ tsp maple extract 1 tsp vanilla extract For the Sugar Topping 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp sugar ¼ tsp ground nutmeg Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. With a mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add in egg, maple extract, and vanilla extract and the nutmeg and cinnamon essential oils. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Drop tablespoon sized amounts onto baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are just set. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Stir together sugar topping ingredients and sprinkle over the tops of the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Lemon Ginger Dressed Noodles: What You Need: Lemon Ginger Dressing 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 drop lemon essential oil 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 inch section of ginger peeled and grated 1 drop Ginger essential oil 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/3 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 3 tablespoons olive oil The Noodles 1 cup dried noodles (spaghetti, linguine, udon, soba) 3/4 cup fresh mushrooms (sliced button or sliced shitake) 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon minced green onion 1 tablespoon sesame seeds Directions: 1 Make the dressing by combining all ingredients, except for the sesame oil and olive oil in a food processor or hand blender. Run the blender for a few seconds, until all ingredients are combined. add oil and mix again.  2  Cook the dried noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside. 3  Saute the mushrooms for 2 minutes in the butter 4 In a large bowl, toss the cooked noodles with the mushrooms, sesame seeds and dressing to taste.