Cooking with therapeutic grade essential oils
At the Young Living farms, the soil and plants are carefully nurtutred and protected to provide the highest quality harvest possible. The pure essential oils that are gently distilled are important ingredients in healthy lifestyles. When enjoyed in home-cooked meals, the aroma and taste delight the senses and satisfy the soul. Whether preparing something as simple as a sauce or as satisfying as warm soup, meals made with the finest ingredients, including Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils, are sure to help you, your family, and friends have a healthy body and happy heart. Again, I cannot stress often enough - please make sure the oils you are using are therapeutic grade essential oils if the oils you are using are anything other than Young Living. To use these techniques safely and to achieve the desired effects, your oils should meet the same high standards as do Young Living Essential Oils. So, please don't use essential oils unless you know for certain, that the batch you are using has been tested for purity and quality. All of the Young Living essential oils used in these recipes have been tested and certified GRAS (generally regared as safe) by the FDA.
Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Stevia extract (sweeten to taste)
1 qt. plain soy yogurt or plain unsweetened yogurt
6 drops of lemmon oil
Stir well and use as a sauce over berries, fruit or deserts
Carrot Whole-Wheat Muffins
3 c. whole-wheat flour 1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
5 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp lemon zest or 1 drop of lemon oil
1 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. orange zest or 1 drop orange oil
2 eggs, beaten 1 c. rice or goat milk
1 c. Blue Agave 1 tsp.nutmeg or 1 drop of nutmeg oil
1 1/2 c. of carrots, shredded (about 3) 1 tsp of cinnamon or 1 drop of cinnamon oil
In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, and sea salt. In a smaller bowl beat eggs, then add Blue Agave, butter, milk ( less 2 tbsp.), and carrots. Add zest or oils to the remaining 2 tbsp of milk (this prevents over-seasoning with the oil), and then add to the liquid mixture. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the liquid ingredients, and stir until moisened. Bake in greased muffin tins or papers at 400 degrees for 16 minutes.
Lavender Roasted Vegetables
3 red potatoes 3 tbs. olive oil
5 carrots sea salt to taste
1/2 c. whole garlic cloves 2 tsp lavender buds or 1 drop of lavender oil
1 large white onion
2 c. sliced zucchini cut in 1/2 inch slice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic with olive oil. If using lavender oil, mix with olive oil before coating, or sprinlke lavender buds with sea salt over the vegetables. Roast 25 minutes. Add zucchini and bake for additional 15 minutes.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 tbs. olive oil 1 1/2 c. of celery, diced
1 1/2 c. onions, diced 1 c. frozen peas
4 tbs. minced garlic 1 drop of thyme oil
2 qts. water 1 drop of sage oil
1 1/2 lbs. baked chicken breast (cut into chunks 1 in. chunks)
10 medium red potatoes , quartered 1 1/2 c. carrots, diced
2 tbs. chicken base 1 tbs. shallots, minced
Saute onions and celery in olive oil. Add water, chicken base and potatoes in a large pan.. Add baked chicken and remaining ingredients. Simmer until potatoes are done. Thicken with rice flour rue:
1-1 1/2 c. rice flour olive oil
Mix flour and enough olive oil to equal the consistancy of a paste. Fill pie tin and top with pie crust. Bake 15 min. or until crust is golden brown at 350 degrees.
Marinated Turkey Breast
3 lbs. turkey breast ( slice into 8 oz. slices) 16 oz. sparkling mineral water
1/2 c. lemon juice 1/2 c. lime juice
1 large onion, julienned 1/4 c. garlic, minced
1/2 c. Blue Agave 1 drop lemon oil
1 c lite soya sauce 1 drop orange oil
Mix all ingredients together (except turkey slices). Add the mixture to the turkey and marinate overnight in a covered container. Grill or barbeque.
Recipe Tips using Young Living products:
Tuna sandwiches - try 2 drops of lemon oil per can of tuna for a refreshing change
Olive oil - add various essential oils to your olive oil, such as rosemary or basil
Herbs - take any recipe that calls for dried herbs and replace with Young Livingessential oils. Fennel, basil, oregano, peppermint, lemon or orange, ect. Use 1-6 drops depending on the recipe.
Creme de Menthe Ice Cream - add peppermint oil to a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream
Potato Salad - as 1-2 drops of dill oil to potato salad
Yogurt - flavour with lemon, orange or ginger oil to plain yogurt.
Tomato Sauce - add 1-5 drops of oregano to tomato sauce dishes, such as spaghetti, ravioli or lasagna
Flavored water -add 1 drop of peppermint oil to your water bottle at the gym for fresh breath and digestion.
To buy Young Living Cookbook, Volume 1 - go to product catalog/nutrition/food. Cookbook is product # 3947 ($19.00 US)
My recipe for "flip-flop summer feet"
I've had my flip-flops on for only a couple of weeks now, enjoying the beautiful warmth and sunshine that my body has been craving all winter, and already my feet look cracked, split and dry. I guess it doesn't help much that I also find myself out in the garden in bare feet more times than not. Needless to say, my feet are in desperate need of some tender loving care.
My foot care regime includes a foot scrub and massage with essential oils.
You can use any essential oil (therapeutic-grade only for best results) that you like. A few favorites are: peppermint for cooling and invigorating the feet, lavender for relaxing and soothing, lemon is known to remove oil and grease.
Soak your feet for 5-10 min. in warm water. Follow directions below for scrub and massage.
Foot Scrub
1/4 cup Sea Salt, finely ground
1/4 cup Baking soda
7-8 drops therapeutic-grade essential oils of your choice
1 Tbsp organic oil (such as Sunflower, Olive or Almond)
Mix Sea Salt and Baking soda together in a stainless steel bowl and mix well with fork. Mix in veg. oil and essential oils just prior to treatment as the essential oils are volatile. Use the entire amount for one treatment of both feet.
Mix 1/4 tsp. organic veg oil ( or any pure food grade oil) with 2-3 drops of essential oils. Rub on both feet evenly and massage feet for 1 min ( or longer if you have the time - even better if you can talk someone else into doing the massage).
Diffusing therapeutic-grade essential oilsAromatherapy is called by that name because the fragrances of essential oils can themselves often be therapeutic, and so, diffusing the oils in the air is the first means of using them.
Therapeutic-grade essential oils work differently from any other natural substance.
Their unique features are that they:
Pass easily through our skin and cells membranes.
Diffuse through the entire body within half an hour.
Go directly to the brain through the olfactory bulb.
Affect our feelings and thoughts because smell is our most emotional sense.
Perform multiple functions because of their structural complexity
This is why one essential oil can do so many different things for you all at once--physically, emotionally, and mentally--with just a few drops in the air .
Fragrance is the substance of memories. One whiff of a childhood aroma can set the memory in motion, bringing back thoughts, faces, and feelings long forgotten. How does this happen? Fragrance consists of volatile molecules that float in the air. Millions of olfactory receptor cells line the nose . Aroma causes these nerves to fire and send messages to the limbic area of the brain. From there, the messages travel to other parts of the brain activating thought and memory. The pituitary gland is also stimulated to release chemical messages that travel via the blood to glands and organs that create physical body responses. Hence a scent has the power to activate a number of physical and emotional responses. It happens in less than a second!
Our senses connect us to the world and allow us to respond to our environment. Essential oils fill our senses and trigger physiological and psychological responses in our bodies.
The olfactory bulb carries molecules and impulses into the brain area where our emotional memory is stored.
Scent stimulates nerves to fire in the emotional center of the brain, but it also stimulates the master gland to release hormones. Hormones affect the fight/flight response, as well as digestion and heart rate. In this way, essential oils can affect us in many ways all at once, just through their fragrance.
Diffusing is one of the most effective and convenient ways to experience the many effects of essential oils and the perfect way to improve your home, work or study environment.
The diffuser is designed to disperse a micro-fine mist of therapeutic-grade essential oils into the atmosphere of your home or office - all day long.
What can essential oils do for you all day long?
-clean the air of pollutants
-purify the water you drink and bathe in
-be combined with food and nutritional supplements for increased support to cell metabolism and antioxidant action
-enhance your skin, hair, and oral hygiene
-stimulate and support your immune system
-reduce stress and bring emotional balance into your life
-enhance your ability to learn new things and remember old ones
-act against many strains of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites
-offer support to the whole body for optimum vitality
-be used to help infants and children as well as adults
-help pets with many of the same problems we humans have
-be recognized, absorbed, and used by our bodies because their molecules are genetically familiar to us since the dawn of human existence
-remind us of the miraculous presence of nature, and encourage us to value and protect it for future generations
For more information about diffusers and other life-enhancing Young Living products click here: young Canada - essential oils
Note ** Heating (therapeutic-grade) essential oils changes their chemistry. We recommend that you DO NOT use diffusers that use heat. We also recommend keeping your oils away from bright light or any sources of heat. Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Discover your linksOfficial Google Webmaster Central Blog: Discover your links SuperfoodBy now you have probably all heard the buzz about the health food industry's newest "superfood" called Goji berry juice, also known as Wolfberry juice (the botanical name is Lycium barbarum) but what you might not know is all wolfberries are not created equal. The name Tibetan Goji berry is in common use in the health food market for berries from this plant that are claimed to have been grown in the Himalayan region. But soil studies in this region have proven to be poor, and climate conditions that are adverse for fruit crops. Interesting speculation about soil origins in the Ningxia region of China, however, has arisen to explain the exceptional nutrient qualities of the Ningxia wolfberry. The Huang He (Yellow) River originates in the Himalayan Mountains and flows through the Ningxia Province. For centuries, the river has created a unique, mineral-rich, super fertile silt-water flood plain found nowhere else on earth. It is the perfect place to grow wolfberries. Locals call it “China’s herbal medicine valley” and protect it by meeting all of the stringent rules necessary to be awarded China's prestigious “Green Certificate”. Yellow River floods in Ningxia have occurred repeatedly over millennia, depositing the mineral-rich silt over the river's flood plains where wolfberry fields and other crops are renewed and fertilized. The dense mineral content therefore may be the origin of enriched soil nourishing Ningxia wolfberries. This, in addition to plenty of sunlight and just the right temperature difference, has earned this area the title of "herbal medicine valley". There are 400% more centenarians (people age 100+) living in the Ningxia province than the rest of China. Chinese Olympic athletes considered the wolfberries (Goji berries) to be their "secret weapon" for endurance and stamina. The very tender wolfberries must be picked carefully to avoid spoiling and are preserved by drying them slowly in the shade. A national treasure, Ningxia wolfberries are celebrated in an annual festival held in the Ningxia region and is known as the "happy berry" because it induces a sense of well being. Wolfberries play an important role in TCM ( traditional Chinese medicine), where they are believed to enhance your immune system, improve eyesight, protect the liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation. Wolfberries (Lycium barbarum) have been used for over 5,000 years in China. There are over 80 species of Lycium berries worldwide and 17 different species of wolfberries alone but there is only one Ningxia wolfberry.
At Young Living laboratories, the Ningxia wolfberry is shown to have the highest antioxidant capacity of all known fruits and vegetables. In the on-going battle of antioxidants versus free radicals, accumulated damage has been linked to 80 health conditions such as damage to DNA, enzymes and cells. Wolfberry's richness in carotenoids, phenolics and vitamin C creates potential for an extraordinary synergy of antioxidant strength. Antioxidants help neutralize free radical damage. Have you ever seen a peeled apple turn brown? Free radicals are the culprit. The same thing happens when the body is stressed-either physically or mentally, or from environmental toxins. Free radicals attack the body, and are the principal reason for the aging process. Antioxidants help neutralize free radical damage. The greater the amount of antioxidants in the body, the better we can slow down the aging process. For optimum health our bodies need a continual supply of antioxidants. A relatively new test known as ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is one of the most reliable methods for measuring the ability of antioxidants to absorb free radiacals. Elevated superoxide free radicals are linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
The ingredients in Young Living's NingXia Red juice offer the following benefits:
· Ningxia Wolfberry -- the miracle superfood; supports multiple biosystems;ultrarich nutrient source
· Blueberry juice-- contains ultra-high levels of anti-oxidants
· Pomegranate juice--3 times the antioxidant activity of green tea or red wine, reduces oxidized cholesterol by 40%
· Raspberry juice--high levels of ellagic acid
· Lemon and Orange Essential Oils--high in d-limonene which combats cell mutation
· Apricot -- revered for longevity support
Need more statistics? Ningxia wolfberries have:
· Higher beta-carotene than carrots
· Higher calcium than cauliflower
· More Vitamin C than oranges (300%of daily requirements)
· 18 amino acids
· 21 essential minerals
· 16% protein by volume
· Antioxidants and polysaccharides (containing all eight essential glyconutrients)
Scientific studies have shown Ningxia wolfberries to:
· Improve vision
· Reduce inflammation
· Reduce cholesterol levels by 52%
· Reduce triglycerides by 71%
· Raise HDL cholesterol by 58%
· Increases glutathione in the liver by 50%
· Lower blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic)
In suggested serving of one single ounce of NingXia Red™ daily:
Calories: 19 per servingTotal Carbohydrate: 4 grams per servingDietary Fiber: 0.2 grams per servingSugars: 3.4 grams per servingSodium: 15 mg per servingProtein: 0.65 grams per servingVitamin C: 180 mg per serving Approximately 34 servings per container
Young Living , the largest importer of Ningxia wolfberries in the world, offers the power of Ningxia wolfberries in a delicious, energizing beverage. Dynamic energy and stamina without the harsh stimulant short-cuts such green tea extract, refined sugars, caffeine or ephedra. And, as with all Young Living products, NingXia Red ™ juice is completely organic and completely guaranteed if you are unsatisfied.
NingXia Red™ not only claims to be one of a kind, it has the numbers and research to prove it. After all, your health is too important to trust with products only pretending to be extraordinary.
 In memory of LibbyEvery time I turn around, I expect to see Libby, trotting along behind me like a shadow. Ever ready to protect. I miss her very much. It is such heart break to loose a pet you have grown to love as one of the family.
We were always looking of ways to make Libby as healthy as she could be. We lead a fairly organic lifestyle in our home, Libby was included.
I dedicate this post to Gotta Liberal Girl ( also known as Libby, Libby girl, girlie girl, little girlie girl and/or libs).
Animals, like humans, can experience discomfort from allergies and irritation due to our harsh environment. Your pets can find comfort in pure, organic therapeudic-grade essential oils and oil enhanced products with nourishing herbs. Animals need regular grooming and protection for skin and coat. Young Living is committed to enhancing the quality of life for our pets as well as humans.
Animal Scents Shampoo made by Young Living cleans your pets coat without removing essential vitamins and minerals. It will protect the coat, condition for softness and manageability and can restore shine and colour. The highest quality ingredients are blended in this formula to gently cleanse and enrich the coat and increase luster and body. Included are coconut and olive oils, aloe vera, rosemary extract and essential oils of citonela, lavandin, lemon, geranium and spikenard.
Animal Scents Pet Ointment includes therapeutic-grade essential oils and wholesome herbs for relief from minor skin irritations, cuts or abrasions. Also included are natural antiseptics Melaleuca alternifolia and myrrh, skin soothers such as rosewood, palmarosa and patchouli to protect and moisturize and to return your pet to optimum health. Other natural ingredients combined in Animal Scents Pet Ointment are mink oil, lecithin, beeswax, lanolin, sesame seed oil, wheatgerm oil and rose hip oil.
Organic is a lifestyle. It effects all aspects of our lives. We felt an obligation to treat our pet family members with the same concern and love as all other members of our family. We love our pets. They love us. With such unconditional love that it sometimes makes your heart melt.
An organic lifestyle was the least we could do for such a loving friend who made us smile every day.
I hope you will consider a healthy lifestyle for your family pet if you are not already doing so. Try these two products. I think you will be happy you did.
As with all of Young Living products, these products have a 30 day guarantee for returns if you and your pet are not satisfied with the positive benefits to your pet's body and general health through smell and direct absorbtion into the skin. A few essential oils to restore your body and your mindWell, we’ve finally passed the “silly season”. Some love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. The shopping , the parties, the endless comings and goings that the season brings. But for some, it can also be a time of frustration and stress in the weeks leading up to the “big day“ and a feeling of exhaustion in the after weeks of trying to catch up to where you left off before all of the “silliness“ began. In this post, I offer a few essential oils to restore your mind and body to a balanced state of well being. Therapeutic-grade essential oils are re-emerging as a key solution to the challenges facing modern lifestyles.
The gentle, uplifting blend Peace and Calming™ contains a powerful combination of essential oils that calm and relax the body. When applied to the bottom of the feet, this oil blend can be a wonderful prelude to a restful night’s sleep. It can also be soothing and relaxing to young children during or after a stressful day (always remember to dilute for children or babies before applying). Included in this blend are essential oils of Tangerine, Orange, Ylang Ylang, Pathchouli and Blue Tansy, a perfect blend at the end of a long and stressful day (s).
Joy™ is an uplifting blend containing the essential oils of lemon, mandarin, bergamot, ylang ylang, rose, rosewood, geranium, palmarosa, Roman chamomile and jasmine. These essential oils are calming to the nervous system so that joy and happiness are not overshadowed. When there is grief, the adenoids and adrenal glands shut down. Joy™opens these glands. The alluring fragrance has an uplifting, magnetic energy that inspires joy and love, and remember, the energy of love is the true source of all healing.
And finally, are candy canes still lingering around your home? Many of us are still enjoying the sweet, fresh peppermint taste that is such a part of the holiday time. Peppermint is, as many of you know, a powerful essential oil. It that has been studied as an effective treatment to tension-type headaches as well as emotional irritation, depression and apathy and research has found that as well as increasing athletic performance, peppermint oil can increase the mental accuracy in students by up to 28%. Peppermint is purifying and stimulating. All of that and it tastes great too!!!
I invite you to experience the enchanting and powerful benefits of the oils, and the miracles of your own oil story. If in doubt, use Lavender. Lavender is a universal oil that has traditionally been known to balance the body, and to work wherever there is need. Lavender has been called "the swiss army knife" of essential oils because of it's versatility. It can be difused or applied topically.
In addition to it's wonderful fragrance, Lavender is well regarded for skin care. It can be used to cleanse and soothe cuts, bruises and skin irritations. It is especially soothing to heat stressed skin. You can apply Lavender directly onto burns to help prevent scarring. When feeling tense, or the approach of a headache, I reach for the Lavender bottle (one drop on your index finger, applied to both temples and one drop on the back of the neck), and one drop on your pillow may lead to a relaxing and peaceful night's sleep.
|
