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.

It always aggravates me when I want to pin a recipe, to make at a later time and I can't do it without signing up for some website I don't want to join!  Uuugh! so I copied this recipe from a Facebook post and here it is:  I'm hoping to make these for my kids for a quick breakfast as we are running out the door!

Zucchini Tots By Metabolic Cooking Book http://tiny.cc/Metabolic

Ingredients:
1 cup zucchini, grated
1 large egg
1/4 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup reduced sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
salt & pepper to taste
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

Grate zucchini into a clean dish towel. Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt & pepper to taste.

Fill each muffin section to the top, pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it's nice and compacted so they don't fall apart when you take them out of the tin.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Use a plastic knife or rubber spatula around the edges of each tot to remove them from the muffin tin. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information:
Servings per recipe 3, Serving size is 4 tots, Old Points: 2 pts, Points+: 3 pts, Calories 108 per serving (4 tots) , Fat 4.3 g, Protein 6.8 g, Carb 11.5 g , Sugar 2 g, Sodium 262 mg (if you do not use salt)

No Bake Banana Chocolate Protein Bars

Now you can quickly and easily make your own protein bars at home! This no bake recipe takes high quality protein powder and combines it with wholesome, real food ingredients to create a delicious protein bar to power your day. Store these in your freezer, then simply allow to defrost for a few minutes before enjoying. Serving: 10

Here's what you need...

• 1 cup vanilla protein powder
• /4 cup coconut flour
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water (and more if needed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
• 1 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher)
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

1. In a medium bowl combine the protein powder and coconut flour.
2. In another medium bowl mash the bananas. Add the coconut milk, water and vanilla, mix until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. If the batter is dry then add a few more drops of water. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. Line a freezer-safe plate with wax paper. Form the dough into 10 bars. Place on the wax paper and put in the freezer for 20 minutes.
4. In a double boiler over medium-low heat (make your own by placing a small saucepan directly in a skillet that has few Tablespoons of water) melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil.
5. Remove the bars from the freezer and drizzle or dip in the melted dark chocolate. Return to the freezer for 10 minutes until the chocolate has hardened.

Nutritional Analysis: One bar equals: 183 calories, 6g fat, 11g carbohydrate, 99mg sodium, 5g fiber, and 18g protein

I found this great recipe for homemade coffee creamer on Facebook yesterday!  I couldn't wait to try it out, I have been using only whole milk in my coffee. But it just isn't the same!

So I cut & pasted this recipe from a Facebook post written by: 

Journey To Health With Tonya

Homemade Coffee Creamer – Over 2 Dozen Flavor Varieties!

Ok, so for whatever flavor of creamer you want, you start off with the same basic ‘base’ recipe.

14oz sweetened condensed milk
1 3/4 cup milk or cream (whole, lowfat, skim, almond, soy, heavy cream, half & half etc – whatever your preference, however the more fat, the more creaminess)

Mix the ingredients together well. I like to add them to a mason jar and shake it like crazy. You could also opt to use an old (washed) creamer container.

In all these recipes, anything that has a dry or thick ingredient (like cinnamon, honey, etc..) should be heated up with a small amount of your milk/cream from the base recipe so it can dissolve properly. You don’t want grainy creamer! Then, add the rest of the milk/cream along with the sweetened condensed milk.

If you want really creamy creamer, use heavy cream instead of milk in your base recipe.

I stick a piece of tape on my mason jar lid with the expiration date from the milk I used. I use this as a guideline as to when the creamer should be used by.

Please feel free to play around with amounts of extracts and other ingredients used if you like stronger or less intense flavors!! And, let your imagination turn, and make up your own combinations. Use this as inspiration to create your very own perfect homemade flavored creamer!
 

French Vanilla Creamer
2 teaspoons vanilla extract OR vanilla coffee syrup

Vanilla Bean Coffee Creamer
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Chocolate
2-3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
(1 tsp vanilla extract, optional)

Chocolate Almond
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon almond extract

Strudel
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Vanilla Caramel
2 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Raspberry
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons raspberry syrup

Irish Cream
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Coconut
2 teaspoons coconut extract

Samoa (like the Girl Scout Cookies)
2 teaspoons coconut extract (or sub coconut milk or cream of coconut, heated & strained, for the milk/cream)
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping

Peppermint Patty
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Cinnamon Vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pumpkin Spice
3 tablespoons pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Honey Vanilla
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Almond Joy
1-2 teaspoons coconut extract (or sub coconut milk or cream of coconut if you heat it first, strained, in place of the milk & extract)
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Sweet Cream
Use 1 3/4 cups of heavy cream instead of the milk in the base recipe
2 teaspoons vanilla extract OR the inside of a vanilla bean, scraped
1 teaspoon almond extract

Chocolate Orange
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1-2 teaspoons orange extract

Hazelnut
2 teaspoons hazelnut extract

Chocolate Hazelnut
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 teaspoons hazelnut extract

Cinnamon Cake
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Salted Caramel
2-3 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping
1/2 teaspoon salt

Eggnog
replace milk in base recipe with equal amount of heavy cream
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Toasted Almond
2 teaspoons almond extract


Enjoy!!! For more tips join us! >> Journey To Health With Tonya

 “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Life is getting really crazy in our household!  It seems that once Thanksgiving hits, life accelerates for busy families.  Getting ready for the Holiday's tends to put most households on edge.  The pressures to buy the right gifts, decorate, bake, attend holiday parties, and manage all the rest of our "normal" crazy lives tend to really stress us out!

For our family this time of year has been leading up to my daughter's performance in the Nutcracker!  Our ballerina has been working hard for months rehearsing with the cast to get ready for one weekend of Holiday Magic!  Just watching her first night of dress rehearsals last night got me teary!  It truly has become a holiday tradition for our family.

However, as rehearsals went on until 8:30, and I was driving home with my interior light on, and my daughter in the passenger seat trying to finish her math homework. I was regretting letting her attend our Girl Scout meeting where we worked on Christmas ornaments for the Christmas trees we are donating to needful families in our area.  This is our first year that she has 2 nights of ballet classes each week, and bigger roles in the Nutcracker.  Meaning she has 2 LATE nights of rehearsals this week also!

Needless to say, she is not going to get much sleep this week, which will put our whole family on edge.  Tweenage girls don't do well with lots of added stress, and less sleep than normal!

In my mailbox I came across this wonderful blog post  "Be the Change You Want to See In Your World" by Trent A. Hamm over at The Simple Dollar!  We have all seen the quote “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi.  Trent does a great job of breaking it down and really hammering it home!

Never more relevant a post for me and my family right now for certain.  After I had dropped my children off at school this morning I was thinking to myself that this week is going to be rough for our family, and it would be up to me to hold it all together.  We all know as Mom's we are the ones who set the dynamics in our family. Read the blog, take it to heart.  Know that I am right there with you struggling to keep my cool during this busy holiday time!

Good Luck!

Cleaning With Vinegar!

I am all about healthier and easy products for taking care of our families.  For a couple of months now I have been using a vinegar water solution to clean everything from windows to my refrigerator.  Vinegar is a great all purpose cleaner and it is made from corn!  I never knew that!  No preservatives, no additives, all natural!  Love It!  Vinegar has been used for 10,000 years. It just might be the world's oldest ingredient!

So very easy to make, fill a re-purposed spray bottle with 50% water - 50% white vinegar.  That's it, and it cleans like a dream!

Another thing I just learned today about Vinegar:  An open dish of white distilled vinegar will help remove paint smells from a room. Bonus!

Due to it's high level of acidity it kills most mold, bacteria, and germs.  I would much rather spray my counter tops with vinegar than a bleach spray to kill bacteria after I have been slicing and dicing raw meats!  There are so many more ways to use vinegar in your cleaning routines, I could never list them all, so I suggest you explore them at 1001 uses for White Vinegar!  There are a ton of great ideas I could have never thought of!

I also wanted to share with you a way to improve upon an already great cleaner.  I came across this great idea to create Scented Vinegars Cleansers that a fellow blogger , Monica created at her site The Yummy Life!  I am so loving these ideas, I plan to pick up some fresh lemons today!

How Great is this?  All natural, non-toxic and you can make it smell any way you like!  And its easy!  Love It!