Author Archives: KR

IQMega

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Omega 3 is so essential to healthy development in children, and this awesome stuff contains 1000mg (combo of EPA & DHA) Omega 3, flavored with wild orange oil. This is the perfect Omega3 supplement to add to the kids’ morning smoothies! My 3 year old even asks for it in a spoon if he can catch me before I add it in!

Maybe some of you have toddlers that are jumping up and down to eat a plate of fresh wild caught salmon for breakfast every day, but for the rest of us….this stuff is golden! The Wild Orange oil paired with these essential fatty acids is a perfect combo to cover that ‘fishy’ taste and odor that is so common with Omega 3 supplements.

IQ Mega

IQ Mega

If you aren’t already aware of the immense benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet, see here why these are so critical for your children, and check out some of their other benefits. The typical American Diet is high in Omega 6 essential fatty acids (found in things such as vegetable oils, seeds, soybean, sunflower, etc) but generally people tend to be heavy in Omega 6 and deficient in Omega 3…both of which are critical to healthy growth and function.

There have been impressive studies that show marked improvements in children’s attention, learning and behavior with no other changes than adding in Omega 3 to their diet. It is also amazing for healthy skin. Since strictly controlling his diet and adding in some key supplements, my 4 year old has healthy and soft skin for the first time in his life. I’m still learning so much that the skin is an outward sign of internal wellness, so rather than just masking the symptoms, how great to have things that can help soothe from the inside-out.

In addition, the IQ Mega
• Promotes healthy cardiovascular, nervous, and immune system function.*
• Supports healthy joint function and comfort.*
• Provides important modulating nutrients for healthy immune function.*
• Protects against lipid oxidation and supports healthy function of the brain and eyes.*

Always consult your pediatrician with any medical questions, but I hope this stuff can help your family as much as it has helped ours!

disclaimer

Cedarwood Essential Oil

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So I learned something today that makes me super excited about Cedarwood essential oil!

20140502-083644.jpgYou all know how much we love and use vetiver around our house, and the properties and chemical constituents of Cedarwood are VERY similar! These oils are both very high in sesquiterpenes in their chemical composition which makes them very effective at getting in and relaxing your mind, assisting with sound and deeper sleep. People are using Cedarwood in sleep blends with fantastic results and since the cost is lower than vetiver this could be a good ‘substitution’ for people to try.

Many have mixed it with lavender alone if they just have the basic oils, or I would try combining it with either serenity, or my favorite blend of roman chamomile, ylang ylang, frankincense, lavender & clary sage or marjoram.

Not to mention the added benefits of Cedarwood…

• Before exercising, massage one to two drops into
your chest to maintain vitality throughout your
workout.

• After a difficult day, diffuse Cedarwood to relax
the mind and the body.

• During your facial routine, add one to two drops
of Cedarwood to your facial toner or moisturizer
for added clarifying properties.

• After noticing a fresh skin imperfection, directly
apply one drop to affected area to immediately
improve the appearance.
• Place a drop on a cotton ball and place in closets,
storage boxes, or other areas to keep moths at bay.

• Add to mulch or topsoil to naturally repel insects.

• When a child wakes up scared, apply to the
bottom of feet to return a peaceful feeling.
• Take internally to promote relaxation.*

• Naturally repels insects

With Father’s Day just around the corner, Cedarwood is a favorite among the men for it’s woodsy, musky smell and with its skin benefits, it is an excellent choice for shaving and facial creams for the guys!

Going to use a little Cedarwood on the boys tonight and catch up on some good sleep 😉

disclaimer

Road trip!!

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Ok, so I have a whole new level of appreciation for my oils thanks to the road trip we have embarked on today.

keychain
First of all….packing up toiletries/meds/first aid stuff was AWESOME! I grabbed my little 4ml spray bottles of our daily used oil blends, a few soft gels (just in case), and my little keychain of 8 oils I thought we might need. I put everything in a makeup bag, and it was still mostly empty! In the past it took 3 bags to bring along all the ‘stuff’ we thought we might need!

Simplifying is a beautiful thing!!

The biggest win has been having the oils on hand while on the road. They have saved the day FIVE times within the first 60 miles!!

  • Kids hungry and hadn’t washed hands….no problem! We have a powerful blend of oils like clove, cinnamon, melaleuca, rosemary, eucalyptus and orange to the rescue!
  • 2 year old started crying of a ‘really really bad tummy ache’ thanks to car motion…..a blend of awesome oils like peppermint, ginger, caraway, fennel, anise and coriander saves the day! I mean seriously. Handed the little vial to my toddler and he ‘sprinkled’ it on his tummy, rubbed it in, and within 2 minutes was back to laughing and not crying. The blend of oils I have that supports healthy digestive system is amazing. Didn’t even have to pull the car over!
  • baby starts screaming (this one usually sends me over)….instead pull out lavender oil and stick it under his nose! He gets distracted, relaxes and we’re all good!
  • pull off for a pit stop and above mentioned 2 year old wipes out while ‘racing’ down the sidewalk…all better (and disinfected) with owie spray!!
  • 4 year old removes shoes in front of the air vent….WHAT!?! How do 4 year old boys already have stinky shoes!?! Wishing I would have grabbed the disinfecting and odor-be-gone spray (it is now on my ‘to pack’ for any future trips), but instead whipped out a blend of spruce and woodsy oils and smelled fresh trees instead of stinky shoes

Not sure what I did before we had these, but we will certainly NOT be leaving home without them!

If you don’t have any of these oils yet, shoot me a message and I can give you more info about where to get them!
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Owie Spray

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Today I needed to whip up a batch of Owie spray for the kids. This is a must-have in any house with little ones, but especially this house full of boys!!

Owie_bottle
OWIE SPRAY:
7 drops melaleuca
7 drops lavender
7 drops frankincense
3 drops helichrysum
2 drops myrrh

Put into a 2 oz glass spray bottle and top off with fractionated coconut oil.

(This recipe is approximately a 2% dilution which is fairly standard and what I generally start with for use with our family. You can increase or decrease the increments of each oil if you desire a stronger blend or need more dilution)

BENEFITS

  • melaleuca: fantastic cleansing properties
  • lavender: soothing and calming to the skin
  • frankincense: supports healthy cellular repair function, reduces the appearance of blemishes and rejuvenates the skin
  • helichrysum: supports healthy tissue repair and reduces blemishes
  • myrrh: soothing to the skin; promotes a smooth, youthful-looking complexion

Cilantro Lime and Wild Orange Brown Rice

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As if the oils weren’t amazing enough for their therapeutic benefits, there are several that you want to have on hand in the kitchen for instant flavor twists on the most basic recipes.

Tonight’s plain dinner was instantly transformed by throwing some cilantro into our brown rice and then adding about 3 drops of dōTERRA lime oil and drizzling on my dōTERRA wild orange infused olive oil. Instant flavor that perfectly complimented our garlic lime pork chops and pineapple!

Real meal plans week #1

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Ok here is this week’s meal planning menu board using real dairy, egg, wheat, nut free food.

Posting in case I need to get these ideas again later, or maybe someone else out there needs ideas too!

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Here are some of the recipes (though I have modified a few for our family).

MONDAY – http://paleomg.com/summer-squash-meatball-casserole/

TUESDAY – http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-deen/roasted-carrot-and-basil-soup-with-grilled-cheese-dunkers-recipe/index.html

WEDNESDAY – http://paleomg.com/indian-chicken-and-rice-paleo-recipe/

THURSDAY – http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/71808/brazilian-black-bean-stew

Just RELAX {and sleep deep}

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I have had several amazing moments since I started using essential oils, one being the time we discovered roman chamomile and vetiver! These oils have powerful properties that promote relaxation and calm the mind.

My first experience with these oils was using them to support calm and relaxation for someone experiencing intense emotions from a traumatic experience. Just 1 drop of Roman Chamomile onto the bottom of each foot (diluted in a bit of fractionated coconut oil), and they slept a solid 6 hours for the first time in a week. After discovering vetiver oil, they did the same application (1 drop on each foot over fractionated coconut oil) and you could literally see and feel their body relaxing. That night brought a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Nothing short of a miracle!

Vetiver is a key player to quiet anxious feelings, emotional distress, and mental chatter. It has also been used with great success on children struggling to improve focus and relax.

We put together this ‘Relax Blend’ and it has been amazing to help ‘settle’ both the kids and grown-ups alike and support deep and restful sleep.

Here’s my ‘Relax’ blend…
10 drops of vetiver
4 drops of ylang ylang
3 drops of roman chamomile
3 drops of frankincense
3 drops of lavender
2 drops of clary sage
1 drop of marjoram
Fill the rest of 10 ml roll-on with Fractionated coconut oil and rub on bottoms of feet!

The oils are a very safe, yet powerful way to help calm the body and mind!

Wild Orange Infused Cream Cheese

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I’m loving the fact that so many of the dōTERRA oils can be used not only for their therapeutic and aromatic properties, but also to flavor and completely change up recipes and dishes with just a few tiny drops of oil! In an attempt to use up some ingredients around the holidays, I came up with a cream cheese filling for some french toast and thought…”Wild Orange french toast would have to be delicious” so here it is…..

  • 1 package (8 oz) of cream cheese
  • 3 drops of dōTERRA Wild Orange Essential Oil
  • 3 Tbsp honey (or more if you want it sweeter)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

I was adding this to some already cinnamon/brown sugar flavored french toast, but if you are using it alone I’m sure some cinnamon and brown sugar wouldn’t hurt either 🙂 I mixed this into my ‘french toast casserole’, but it would be amazing between 2 pieces for a nice stuffed french toast breakfast with a twist! You could even jazz it up and add a drop of dōTERRA lemon or cinnamon oil for even more intense flavor!!

 

Cinnamon Cream Pear Tart

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What is fall without the smell if cinnamon lifting through the air and sweet homemade treats warm out of the oven?

Here are 2 recipes to enjoy this season. Try this super easy cinnamon cream pear tart – or just whip up a batch of cinnamon cream cheese for amazing flavor on whatever you choose to add it to!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese
2 – 8 oz blocks cream cheese
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 drops cinnamon bark essential oil (measure carefully – this is a strong oil)

Throw all ingredients together and mix until smooth!

Cinnamon Cream Pear Tart
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 batch cinnamon cream cheese
3-4 pears, peeled and sliced
Lemon essential oil spray (optional)
Fresh blackberries (optional)

Spread out crescent roll dough in a greased tart pan. Flatten seams together to make one crust lining the pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

Peel and slice pears and spray with lemon essential oil spray (8 oz water to 15 drops essential oil in a glass spray bottle). When crust has pre-baked, spread a thick layer of cinnamon cream on and top with sliced pears!

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Bake at 350 for another 10 min until pears are soft and starting to brown on edges. Garnish with fresh blackberries and serve warm or chilled (I like it even better cold)!

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Save the leftover cinnamon cream to serve on bagels, cracker trays, fruit dip, whatever – this spread alone will be a huge hit at your holiday party!

Melaleuca magic

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Melaleuca is truly a magical essential oil – great for cleansing and rejuvenating the skin and protecting against environmental threats, but did you know it’s also great for scrubbing off those ‘permanent’ stains on pots and pans!?

Bonus to clean with something so strong yet 100% all natural and safe – no harsh chemicals!

Yay!
Pic on the left was taken after scrubbing with Dawn dish soap.

Pic on the right was taken after scrubbing with a few drops if straight melaleuca essential oil.

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**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

essential oils are in the air!

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I must say, I put off buying a diffuser for awhile. There are a lot of ways you can diffuse essential oils into the air and a LOT of benefits to doing so. When using 100% pure essential oils, you want to make sure you use a NON-HEAT method of diffusing as the heat can break down the properties of the essential oil and alter their therapeutic benefits. Sure they will still smell great, but then again so do candles 🙂 If you’re going to diffuse essential oils you may as well get all the amazing benefits they provide WHILE making your house smell great!

Diffusers are definitely worth the money, and now we have one in almost every room of the house! People spend a LOT of money on candles – could you imagine how much some of those jar candles would go for if they also had therapeutic benefits?

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Here are a few of the oils that I’ve diffused just in the past 2 days, and why I love them:

Elevation: this stuff smells AMAZING! It is a blend of elemi, lavandin, lemon myrtle, melissa, osmanthus, sandalwood, tangerine and ylang ylang, and as silly as it may sound, it will make you happy! 🙂

Lavender: What a great way to relax and go to sleep with soft lavender oil subtly being put into the room at just the right amount throughout the night!

Citrus Bliss: When having to wake up at 6 am and function with little to no caffeine, this blend is a great invigorating blend to help wake up and get you moving without caffeine, and literally purifies the air at the same time! Wake up to the sweet citrus scents of bergamot, clementine, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, tangerine, vanilla, and orange!

On Guard: The environmental threats are high. While my kids aren’t in school yet, with a new baby on the way we need to make sure our immune systems stay strong this fall. This blend smells like fall, but while scenting the air with essential oils of cinnamon, clove bud, eucalyptus, rosemary and orange, it’s also protecting our immune systems! It doesn’t get much better than that!

Breathe: This stuff is the BEST if you need any respiratory support, which with two toddlers happens a LOT around here. A blend of laurel leaf, peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, lemon and ravensara it maintains feelings of clear airways and easy breathing!

What’s for dinner? …on-the-fly Shepherd’s Pie

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I love recipes that I can make up as I go. Maybe it’s because I don’t always have the exact same ingredients on hand or maybe it’s because I don’t like having to follow directions, but if you’re in a bind and have some ground meat on hand, you can make what I like to call “on-the-fly Shepherd’s Pie” 🙂

STEP 1: cook up a pound or two of (preferably local grass-fed…..we ordered 1/4 cow from a local farm, but that is for another post) ground beef in a large oven-safe skillet and boiling some potatoes while your meat is browning. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

STEP 2: Once the meat browns, this is where the fun begins – dump in a little of this and a little of that to season it up and make a base for your shepherd’s pie. I like to add in things like:

  • some sherry wine
  • chopped organic tomatos
  • chopped onion
  • chopped garlic
  • dash of cinnamon
  • dash of nutmeg (these give ground beef such a yummy unique flavor)
  • sea salt, pepper
  • about a cup of water
  • some organic ketchup to thicken
  • some oregano, basil, thyme

STEP 3: let it all cook a little until it’s nice and saucy, then throw in whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand (you can even use frozen if you so desire). I added a cup or two of chopped carrots & green beans, but seriously you can use a lot of things (green beans, zucchini, etc) Let it all cook more until veggies begin to soften. Taste the sauce and make sure it’s yummy.

STEP 4: At this point you can drain and mash up your potatoes to throw on top, or keep them separated. I kept the potatoes separate and drizzled them with lemon essential oil infused olive oil and fresh rosemary.

STEP 5: I then whipped up a quick batch of gluten-free bisquick dough (ok so this part is a bit cheating if you’re going for 100% ‘real’ food, but if you want you can just mash & use the potatoes) and spooned/spread it right on top of my meat & veggie sauce on the skillet and threw it all in the oven for about 15 minutes until it forms a light and fluffy crust.

This is a super tasty, very forgiving, warm comfort food dish for the changing season! It’s also dairy-free, gluten-free (if you want), nut-free and easily adaptable! I apologize for the lack of pic, but everyone was super hungry 🙂 Will catch it next time!

{DIY} Pumpkin Spice Latte

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There are a few ways you can make this delicious fall drink, and I’m still experimenting with different options for those who don’t have these exact ingredients on hand, but the flavor of this is spot on, so I figured I’d go ahead and share it in case any of you, like me, were craving this ‘welcome to fall’ treat!{DIY} pumpkin spice latte recipe

Let me start with a disclaimer that there are 2 ingredients that I feel like really impact the final quality…..

1) the COFFEE – We’re picky when it comes to coffee quality and though we don’t have an espresso maker (which I’m sure would make this more authentic) we use only Illy Brand coffee (aff link) and make it as strong as possible. It’s amazing.
2) the SYRUP – We use Monin brand Vanilla syrup (I get it on S&S from amazon) and it’s a been the big secret to making coffee shop quality lattes at home. (I’ll post my Caramel Macchiato Recipe again soon). I’ve tried other brands and personally don’t like the flavor, so this one is the winner for us.

So anyway…..back to the recipe…..

Pumpkin Spice Mix (as pictured in the shot glass above)
** this makes about 1 cup of mix, so if you like it then go ahead and double it and just store in the fridge for a bigger supply

In a small glass or jar , mix up the following:

  • 3 Tbsp organic pumpkin puree
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • a few sprinkles each of ground ginger, nutmeg and clove
  • 12 pumps of the Monin Vanilla syrup (if you don’t have this you can also make your own simple syrup)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut creamer (or regular, but we use dairy-free)

Mix this little concoction up really well, brew the strongest cup of coffee you can and put about 2 oz of this goodness into it. Stir really well. I like it sweet and tasty, so after adding this mix I still proceeded to add sweetener and more cream as usual to my liking.

Top with fresh whipping cream if you’d like, sprinkle on your cinnamon and enjoy FALL IN A CUP!

**The only reason I’m not 100% satisfied with this recipe is that while drinking, you have to stir often or you’ll end up with some pumpkin mix in the bottom of your cup. I didn’t have any luck straining this because it’s all a thick mix, but I will play around with it more and post updates or would love to hear your feedback too!! I’m also going to try doing a version of the mix using Cinnamon Essential Oil and will post the findings 🙂

 

Allergen Free Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies

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So these look a lot like my 3 ingredient breakfast cookies, but have a flavor all of their own! It has finally dropped below 80 degrees here in Southern California and fall is in the air (at least in my mind) so time to pull out PUMPKIN EVERYTHING! WOOOHOOO!

I decided to try a pumpkin version of the oat cookies and since I am OUT of bananas (big problem in this house) I had to experiment with some other ingredients. Check out these yummy pumpkin spice breakfast cookies. They aren’t overly allergen free pumpkin spice cookiessweet, but my kids didn’t seem to complain (had to snap a quick pic before they were gone) and they were just the pumpkin spice flavor I was craving 🙂

Allergen Free Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies (dairy, wheat, egg, nut free)

  • 2 1/2 cups Rolled Oats (recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF if you need a gluten-free version)
  • 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce
  • 2 tsp organic vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • appx 1/4 tsp each of ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves
  • 3/4 cup organic brown sugar

Throw all ingredients into a stand mixer and mix until a nice blended dough forms. Drop ‘dough’ onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Enjoy with a nice hot cup of coffee or a pumpkin spice latte (recipe coming soon)!

bentonite clay + essential oil ‘facial’

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bentonite clay + essential oil facialSo I’ve had a ton of questions about the bentonite clay – what it is and what it does. It’s a really fine all natural grayish colored clay that is super absorbent and full of minerals. A lot of it comes from areas in WY. It’s great at pulling toxins and heavy metals out of your body and in place depositing beneficial minerals. As to not completely re-invent the wheel, Wellness Mama has a great blog post that gives a ton of information on it. I ordered my bentonite clay (affiliate link) on amazon.com and it’s a good mix of calcium bentonite and sodium bentonite so as not to get all of one mineral and none of the other!

As I’ve stated before, I’ve simplified my face cleaning regimen down to 100% all natural honey and oils and I LOVE it. I’m on month 3 of this now and it’s the longest I’ve gone since starting middle school without having some crazy breakouts! I am NOT one of those who was blessed with naturally smooth beautiful skin. at. all. I only wished I’d known about these methods about 20 years ago. I would have saved A LOT OF MONEY and A LOT OF CHEMICALS from going into my body!

So here’s a short 3 step 100% all natural, detox, repairing mini facial!

1) wash your face with 100% raw honey (the more crystallized the better as it nicely exfoliates while you scrub). Just rub the honey on your face and wash with warm water! yum!

2) for the mask, mix the bentonite clay with apple cider vinegar (you can use water if you don’t have ACV, but it is not as smooth or potent). Make sure not to mix it in, or with, anything metal as it will alter the properties of the clay! Make a paste out of it and spread it on your face! Let it dry completely….it will tighten up quite a bit and then rinse off with warm water. Add a drop of 100% CPTG melaleuca (tea tree) essential oil to also help boost the skin cleansing properties.

3) moisturize, hydrate and rejuvinate with essential oils! I immediately followed the mask with good hydrating blend of fractionated coconut oil and doTERRA’s Immortelle anti-aging 100% essential oil blend. This stuff is AWESOME! I have been using my own blend of fractionated coconut oils, frankincense and lavender essential oils (which I still love and highly recommend), but if you can at all get your hands on an Immortelle oil blend, it is amazing!Immortelle

Immortelle is doTERRA’s anti-aging blend that contains a powerful mix of some rare oils like frankincense, Hawaiian sandalwood, myrrh, lavender, helichrysum and rose. Send me a message me if you want to get your hands on one of these!

The results = smooth awesome skin that is being pampered, detoxed and cleansed with 100% pure all natural basic ingredients!