1/20/17

Wild Orange - Essential Oil Smoothie!

Wild Orange is the new Green . . . 

When it comes to smoothies that is! For a while there is seemed like everyone was drinking Green juices, or Green smoothies. Vegetables and fruits in a drink of sorts for health and fitness reasons was a super popular idea. One, I admit, that I totally got caught up in. It was fun and fresh, and even more than all those vegetables, I got sucked into the magic of beautiful flavors from yucky foods!

However, after a few experiments with adding more fruit (because the Hubby and Kids complained about too many vegetables, especially the leafy ones) I found that Green smoothies can actually be any color in the Rainbow. What's even more wild? Rainbow is the new Green. 😊 After a LOT of experimenting, and trial and error, I have learned how to make them taste just as good as the beautiful colors I create.
Wild Orange Essential Oil Smoothie

Discovering Essential Pleasure...

Have you heard of them? Essential oils have become a huge deal! Have you been invited to like a million parties like me? I have, by all my friends and even those people who are acquaintances on my social media. I don't normally buy into fads. BUT SERIOUSLY!!!! I love my Essential Oils, like a ton! Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint are my favorite for health, baths, and using with my kids, and they love it too!

However, recently I found a great way to use another essential oil, and it's my pleasure to share it with you all.   Normally I focus on making healthy kid friendly smoothies with vegetables, essential oils, legumes, and plant protein powders. So when I say kid smoothies, I have to get really creative sometimes in how I "hide" the healthy stuff. This recipe I'm sharing below, doesn't have a lot of vegetables, because sometimes its also nice to just have a fresh fruity blast of goodness.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

Welcome to my newest favorite essential oil: Wild Orange.  Most people add a drop or two to water for taste, or to an air freshener for the freshness, I found a way to add to the flavor oranges in a smoothie and it is essentially pleasurable.  ~Enjoy~

Wild Orange Smoothie

(made with essential oils from doTerra)

8oz Orange juice
4 drops of Wild Orange Oil (we got ours from doTerra)
1 cup Papaya (canned is all I could find at the store, so I drained it)
1 cup Mango (canned is all I could find at the store, so I drained it)
1/3 cup carrots (steamed)
1/2 cup Greek Coconut Yogurt
2 tsp Chia seeds (ground)
2 tsp Flax seeds (ground)
1 cup Pineapple (fresh frozen)

*Blend until smooth.  This will make 2 servings, you will get a really good taste of the wild orange and the pineapple flavorings.

*DISCLOSURE - Anytime you plan on using essential oils in a recipe or for ingestion you must first consult the manufacturer. DoTerra very clearly marks their bottles with whether or not they can be ingested, and instructions on how to do so. NEVER ingest essential oils without first consulting a trusted source.

Click Here! for an informative Ebook on how to use Essential Oils!

Thanks for reading. If you have other cool Essential Oil Recipes or cool ideas, please share them with us by commenting!

You should also check out our awesome review of Lavender Essential Oils!



1/19/17

Curse Breaker: Enchanted Book Review

Curse Breaker: Enchanted Book Review

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Boy with special powers is trying to live his life, help his brother, and keep a secret protected, but he works for a powerful man and an odd group of people.  The people who he works for care about him and want to keep him safe from bad people, but they've broken his trust and can't get him to talk to them.  Something bad happened in the land, and magic has called to the boy, now the ghosts from that incident are also asking for the boy to help them, their only issue is that they can't talk to him.  Can he solve the mystery before he runs out of time?  Can he solve the mystery, keep his secret, and help his brother into collage?  The boy has a really rough life, with too many people asking too much of him, but can he endure and come out conqueror in the end?

Sexual Content update: Though I put that there is some sexual content let tell you what I mean.  There are no sex scenes, which is great for me, because I'm not a fan of those.  However the main character is drawn into sexual thoughts about a beautiful woman.

My Opinion:  Let me start by saying I'm not normally a sci/fi book lover.  It has to be the right type of fantasy book or right type of scientific book for me to want to read it, and then enjoy reading it.  I'm more of a historical fiction, Christian, hallmark happy story type reader.  So when I say that I like a fantasy book, that is big for me.  Now for the cliche' I really did enjoy this book, I was constantly finding ways to sneak in and read it during my days over the Christmas/ New Year's holidays.  One of the reasons I really enjoyed reading is because there was a wonderfully well planned history of where Sarn (the main character) lived, his back story, and why things were the way they were.  However, this backstory was interwoven into every aspect and chapter, so you don't get the whole picture until the end, just puzzle pieces throughout the book.  Melinda's characterization is very much in the same level as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.  You get to know each Ranger who works with Sarn, their individual quirks, ticks, and cares on thejob.  Sarn's world is divided into when he's on the job and when he's off the job, so when the author mixes the two into one, she is very successful!  The ghosts mentioned in the plot summary are my favorite characters of the whole story, they frustrate me, I like them, feel sorry for them, and wish I had power to help them communicate with Sarn while I was reading.  When an author captures your own imagination and sucks you into the story as a character, you know they are very talented, and have worked hard at their skills.  My only issue with the book, that kept me from giving it a 5 star rating, is that Sarn is a really rough life, too rough to be realistic in my opinion.  I feel like there was so much bad happening to him that when something good did happen, it was glossed over just a little bit.  Much like Harry Potter, my issue is the same; so much bad happened to Harry too, but he had those periods of regular life too, just not enough to make it realistic.  I would have liked to see more good, or at least longer periods of time between each trial that happened to Sarn for my own personal reasons.

Interesting Details: This book review is from the ebook version.  It is totally worth getting, because you can read it so much faster, and anywhere you go, easier than carrying a book around.  I used the Amazon Kindle Unlimited app on my phone to read this ebook version.  It was perfect.  It automatically kept my book mark whenever I stopped.  It also let me know how far along I was in each chapter and in the book as a whole, so that I knew how fast I was reading.  The auther Melinda Kucsera has an amazing imagination.  The way this novel is detailed it can compete with Lord of the Rings and even Harry Potter in the way that as you read this book comes to life.  You are thrown into the book as a character shadowing the main character, but are able to float around watching those whom the main character Sarn interacts with.

To comply with the Federal Trade Commission's regulations, I must mention as part of every review; that the publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of the book, through Amazon, in exchange for an honest non biased review. There are no affiliate links, nor payments made for this review.  I have posted a review on Amazon as well.

1/18/17

DoTerra Essential Oil - Lavender Magic!

So you've more than likely heard about Essential Oils by now. And you're probably wondering if they work, right? 

I remember growing up on natural remedies. Do you remember something called "Sun Rider"? Well I do, it stunk like something awful, and burned a little too. But you know what? It seemed to work on a sore throat! Crazy. And maybe it was a placebo affect, who knows, but in the end I felt better. Natural remedies have been around for thousands of years, and even though a lot of them may not match the potency of modern day medicine, they make a difference.

So with all the buzz lately, my husband and I decided to do our own research using DoTerra Essential Oils. Is it really all that it's cracked up to be? Do they make a difference? Based on our experience, the short answer is yes, but we're not yet sure if they do absolutely everything they promise to do.

how to use essential oilsBut for now let's focus on the positive with a good story. 😄 Not too long ago my husband was helping me in the kitchen with some cooking and somehow managed to accidentally grab a super hot casserole dish, that he didn't know was hot! haha Needless to say it left a nasty mark and burned his right hand pretty good. Based on a book that we purchased on when to use certain oils, we found that DoTerra's Lavender Essential Oil would supposedly help with mild burns, so we decided to throw some on. Why not?! Because we all know that burn creams are dodgy at best.

So we grabbed the bottle and put a couple drops on his hand, and low and behold it worked almost instantaneously! The burning sensation went away within a minute or so, with no blisters, and no scar. Needless to say we were SUPER surprised and pretty impressed.


So as we continue to learn and grow with Essential Oils we'll be sure to post them here.

So there is a quick review for you based on a real life experience, and we hope to post a lot more!

Feel free to comment below and share your experiences with us! In the meantime here is a little video we found on YouTube explaining some of the benefits of Lavender.


Check out another one of our articles on Essential Oils

1/10/17

Lymphatic System and Burdock Root

Several years ago, I was informed by my doctor that the large lumps under my armpits were not due to cancer, thank goodness, but due to clogged lymph nodes.  I was told to stop using deodorant, especially antiperspirants immediately.  Well that was easy, I didn't use any.  I didn't sweat, period.  That raised some concern with the doctor.  He then told me to increase my daily water consumption and make sure I drink 8-10 glasses of water daily, not counting any other juices, milk etc.  I don't remember what all else I was asked to do, but I did notice that within a couple of weeks, the lumps under my armpits had significantly diminished.

Over the years, I have come to realize that my lymphatic system was not functioning like it should since I was a very little girl.  From about age two, I was a very sickly child.  I got all of the childhood diseases, plus a few more.  About the only thing I didn't get was polio.

Needless to say, I've been on a quest to clean my lymphatic system most of my adult life, but especially as of late.  I've made great progress.  I've been reading and studying up on it, and have realized just how important this system is. The lymphatic fluid rests just below the skin; if it is toxic or sluggish (from processed foods, smoking, chemical body products, lack of exercise), the skin simply won’t look good. A healthy glow comes from the inside out. Even the fluid in the eyes is lymphatic fluid. The cleaner your are inside, the brighter and clearer your eyes will be – truly a window to your health!

The following is by Reuben Chow, reported in the Natural News. "The lymphatic system is part of the body's immune system and functions as the body's "drainage" system. While it often doesn't get as much attention as the cardiovascular system, it actually plays vital roles in maintaining good health and combating disease."
Below are key points regarding the functions of the lymphatic system:

• Lymphatic vessels remove blood proteins and excess water from spaces surrounding bodily cells - this allows the cells to receive critical oxygen. A congested lymphatic system results in oxygen-deprived cells, which in the long-term can lead to various pains and diseases.
• Lymph fills spaces between bodily cells, bringing nutrients to the cells as well as removing unwanted materials from them - these include dead cells, bacteria, heavy metals, fatty globules, and other waste products.
• Bringing toxins away from cells is actually the lymphatic system's main function. Lymph circulates through the lymphatic system, carrying waste materials away from various parts of the body.
• The 
lymph nodes then filter the lymph, neutralizing and dumping bacteria and other pathogens, as well as neutralizing and getting rid of other toxins. They then bring these materials to the bloodstream, while the lymphocytes are allowed to pass through.
• Thereafter, the unwanted toxins are brought through the blood to the kidneys and liver, organs of detoxification, where they are dealt with and then excreted from the body. Some of the 
lymph is also dumped straight into the large intestines, where it is excreted with the feces.
Knowing this, I now needed to find ways to clean my lymph and strengthen it so it would function properly.  Key points to help with this task are:
  • ·         exercise regularly, especially rebounding (mini-tramp)
  • ·         dry skin brushing
  • ·         eating healthy, especially more fruits and vegetables
  • ·         drinking the right amount of water for your body
  • ·         deep breathing to increase oxygen to your cells
  • ·         lymphatic massage

burdock root
Burdock Root (Powder)

Herbs also play a vital part in healing and cleansing the lymph system.  They include:
  • ·         Cleavers
  • ·         RedClover
  • ·         BurdockRoot
  • ·         Astragalus
  • ·         Echinacea
  • ·         Goldenseal
  • ·         Pokeroot
  • ·         Wild Indigo Root

These are all excellent herbs that will help cleanse the lymphatic system and flush out toxins accumulated in the lymph. All herbal products should be taken in conjunction with an organic food diet or food which is free of any and all chemical products and substances.
Burdock Root is especially good for:
  • Detoxing Blood and Lymph (It is a blood purifier.)
  • Relieves liver and gall bladder ailments
  • Acne
  • Psoriasis
  • Eczema
  • Promotes Perspiration
  • Has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties
  • Releases Water retention
  • Aids in circulation
Bulk Supplements Burdock Root
1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon daily
As I have been taking a combination of several of the above herbals, and constantly strive to drink 8-10 glasses of water daily, exercise daily-especially those that stimulate the lymph such as rebounding and jump roping, doing the dry skin brushing etc., I have noticed a big improvement.  I see it in my eyes, and I feel it in my legs, as well as the lymph nodes under my arms.  My eyes are becoming greener every day, the orange haze is disappearing.  My legs, specifically my calves, do not swell as much.  I now sweat which keeps my underarm lymph nodes from swelling.  I rarely get sick, but when I do, I feel it is more a detox cleanse type of being sick, rather than catching the next virus going around.  I am more healthy today than I was during my childhood.


Like I've mentioned before in other posts, Bulk Supplements are a great place to obtain many of the herbs listed above.  They offer the cleanest, purest forms of dry herbs and supplements.  I have recommended them to friends and family.