Essential Oils?  Hmmmm?

In my never ending quest for ways to help my family become "healthier", I have read a lot about the use of Essential Oils. In May of this year I had my 2nd and hopefully last, spinal surgery.  Since that time I have been determined to eat only healthy unprocessed foods.  Not always an easy task with our busy schedules and tight budget.

It blows my mind how much I used to rely on fast food restaurants to feed my family.  I pass by them now and think how gross their food is.  I picture in my mind the hamburg being washed with chlorine to "clean" it!  Uuugh! Yuck! Maybe that was not a true story I had once read, but it certainly helps explains why the food never decomposes!  That I know is true!

Never the less, we are in the midst of cold and flu season here in Western New York again.  I truly hate the thought of getting my kids the flu shot.  I struggle every year with the thought of what is being put into their bodies, and what effects it may have on them in the future.  So I search for less chemical alternatives to keeping our home clean and our family healthy.

It has been a long journey to this point, many things I will share in future posts that have become tried and true ways to clean our home and save our family a ton of money!

Maybe it was divine intervention, or maybe I just happened to stumble upon the use of Essential Oils.  Who knows?  I do know even my husband was Amazed the first time I went into our local herbal shop and asked the Aromatherapist for help.  Both my children had come home from school with NASTY colds, Sneezing, Dripping, Yuck!.  She gave me samples of  doTERRA's EO blend OnGuard to rub on the bottom of their feet and Breathe to rub on their chests'.  I was Amazed at the improvement I saw the very next day.  By Sunday they were markedly improved.  They never had to miss any school, and we were able to visit family on Sunday.  Wow! I thought, maybe there is something to this!

That was back in September, and since that time I have used OnGuard numerous times to stave off a cold, and to help my son with his allergies.  I have a wary soul, so I did a lot of research, and found a lot of positive information about EO's.  So I have decided to take the plunge and try one of the protocals to decrease my Fibromyalgia symptoms using doTERRA brand products.  I am now anxiously awaiting the Family Physicain kit of EO's I ordered so that I can get started.  I will keep you updated on how I am progressing!

If you are interested in learning about EO's you can go to my doTERRA website, or you can check out this post at Crunchy Betty 21 Things You should Know About Essential Oils and learn more!

I am definetely going to try this for Saturday's Dinner!  It looks so easy, and I love that I can add Kale to this recipe and/or use fresh produce!  Yeah! I got this from a fellow blogger at the The Simple Dollar!

It only take 4 hours to cook, so he recommends using an outlet timer if you can't be home to start it at the appropriate time.  I would have never thought to use one for the crock pot.  Such a great idea!

Crock Pot Lasagna

What You Need:

2 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (drained) or about three and a half pounds of fresh tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, chopped into a near-paste
3 tablespoons oregano
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 bunch Swiss chard or kale, chopped with stems removed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
8 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked – not “no bake” noodles
(optional) 1 lb. ground beef and one small onion, chopped

What You Do:
 
1. If you’re using ground beef, cook the ground beef and onion together in a skillet until the ground beef is done. You can add half the oregano and garlic here, if desired.
2. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper – call it “tomato mix.” In another bowl, combine all of the cheeses except the mozzarella – call it “cheese mix.”
3. At this point, you’re just going to layer the stuff into the slow cooker. Start with the tomato mixture and layer as desired. I suggest using all of the mixes in thirds so you can make three layers out of them. With the noodles, break them to fit and make a single layer out of them as one of the layers. Make sure that you have a layer of mozzarella on top. One good way to do it would be to have a layer of tomato mix, a layer of noodles, a layer of cheese mix, a layer of greens, a layer of meat, and a layer of mozzarella, then repeat this whole thing twice.
4. Put the slow cooker on low for four hours. If you’re going to be gone for more than four hours, use an outlet timer.