Top Five Essential Oils: Citrus Oils

Ok, so Citrus Oils is more than just one oil- but for today let’s go with a category of oils!

And those would be Citrus Oils! Some of my favorite citrus oils are pictured below, but there are so many other ones!

One of my favorite ways to use Citrus Oils is to add a couple of drops into my water. Before ingesting oils, make sure 1) they are high quality oils (I only suggest Young Living Essential Oils), 2) You are using a glass cup or water bottle, citrus oils can eat through plastic and 3) Look at the labels on your Young Living Oils. If they can be consumed they will be labeled as dietary.

Here are some of my favorite water combinations:

– Grapefruit, with fresh mint leaves and some fruit
– Orange with fresh basil leaves (sounds weird, but it’s good! The basil leaves give the water a little zing)
– Here are some great recipes for “Spa Water” In the place of the fruit you can add in your oil! So for Grapefruit Basil Water add the basil and 1-2 drops of grapefruit to your glass!

I love using Lemon oil in place of lemon juice in recipes. Since the lemon oil very concentrated, i only need 1 or 2 drops of lemon oil!

Here are some other ways to use citrus oils:

Citrus Fresh
+ Consist of Orange, Tangerine, Grapefruit, Lemon, Mandarin and Spearmint
+ When diffused Citrus Fresh creates a clean, fresh scent in any environment
+ Add to lotions or bath and shower gel to create an uplifting aromatic experience
+ Add to laundry for a revitalizing aroma
+ May be worn topically as a perfume to refresh and inspire
+ Maintains the appearance of healthy, toned skin
+ Great for a topical application to beautify skin

Grapefruit
+ Use to enhance the flavor of foods and water
+ Is an important ingredient in Young Livings Slique Essence and Power Meal.

Lemon
+ Used to enhance the flavor of foods and water
+ Is a key component in the popular products Thieves, NingXia Red and Inner Defense
+ It takes 75 lemons to make one 15ml bottle of Lemon

Orange
+ Used to enhance the flavor of foods and water
+ Important ingredient in many products, including NingXia Red and ImmunPro

{For more information on Young Living Essential Oils and how you can buy any of the oils listed click here}

{Disclaimer: Any suggestions made on this blog are very specific to Young Living essential oils and should not be used with oils from another source. Statements made on this website about Young Living Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician. If you are currently on medication, please DO NOT STOP. For full disclaimer please click HERE}

Top Five Essential Oils: PanAway

Time for my Day three in my top five essential oils post. If you missed it Lavender was Day One and Peppermint was Day two!

Now onto PanAway! This is probably our most used essential oil! Between Scott standing on his feet all day, me walking up and down stairs at work and us both participating (and I use that work very lightly for myself) in Crossfit- we use PanAway ALL THE TIME! I splurged and bought us a 15 ml bottle this month! (Any Parks and Rec fans reading this? This was a Treat Yo Self moment!)

I think part of my love for PanAway is the smell. When I was little , I use to stay with my Granny on the weekends. And the smell of PanAqay reminds me of the smell of Bengay that my Granny would rub on her legs each night before going to bed. Every time I open the bottle it takes me back to those memories!

PanAway has a stimulating aroma and is ideal to apply topically after exercise, and supports the appearance of healthy skin coloration.(1) This is one of Young Livings best selling blends formulated by Young Living founder D. Gary Young.

Ways to Use PanAway
+ Rub PanAway essential oil blend across your lower back if you feel discomfort from sitting in front of a computer.
+ Rub PanAway essential oil blend on muscles to help alleviate stressed muscles or other physical discomforts.
+ Rub PanyAway essential oil blend on your temples to ease minor head tensions.

Citing:Young Living Essential Oil: PanAway

{For more information on Young Living Essential Oils and how you can buy any of the oils listed click here}

BLT & Avocado Wrap

I made a Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado Wrap for lunch that was AMAZING! The recipe came from the cookbook “The Virgin Diet”. The Virgin Diet is an elimination diet- no gluten, no soy, no milk, no eggs- From the sound of it, it sounds just awful! But I tell you-I’ve made two recipes out of the cookbook so far and they have both been great!
I wish I had a better picture, but I wanted you to see the colors! Doesn’t it look yummy!

What you need:
* 1 brown rice tortilla { I bought these, At Publix they can be found in the freezer section with the gluten free items}
* Mixed Greens
* 1 small tomatoes
* 1 Avacado
* 4 strips of Gluten Free, Non-Nitrate Bacon

{As with any food sensitivities or elimination diet, be sure to read the label first}

To Make:
1) Fry the four strips of bacon til they are to your liking (i like mine almost burnt)
2) Drain off grease and heat tortilla in same pan, (about 30 seconds on each side)
3) Cover inside of wrap with Avocado Sauce
4) Add mixed greens, tomatoes, bacon and avocados

Avocado Sauce
*1/4 of Avocado
* Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
* Olive Oil
– Mix til well combined

Flour-less Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cookies were the go-to snack growing up in my family. There’s nothing like a warm cookie at night while watching a really good chick-flick! (Or growing up it was TGIF, you know you loved Friday nights!) So imagine my surprise/shock when I was at a friends house in college and his mom whipped up Chocolate Chip Muffins for the movie sweet treat! WHAT?!?!? Blueberries are suppose to go in muffins! But I will tell you, after that, those little things were quickly added to the list of late night snacks at my house!

So when I had these flour-less chocolate chip muffins in Sunday School, I knew I needed the recipe

I’ve only made the pre-packed chocolate chip muffins before- but these home made ones are delicious. And to make it even better-depending on what ingredients you use, can be gluten free!!

Here is what you need:
1 large egg
1/2 cup almond butter or peanut butter *
1 medium or large banana
3 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract*
1/4 teaspoon baking soda*
mini chocolate chips*

*NOTE: Please read the labels on these ingredients to make sure they are gluten free! Even products that are labeled gluten free may contain soy, which could lead to cross contamination. If you have a gluten allergy, Please err on the side of caution. These things are too good for you to get sick!

What to do:
1) Pre-heat oven to 400 and spray a mini muffin pan (If making GF, make sure your cooking spray is GF)
2) Mix first six ingredients in a blender until smooth.
3) Add as many or as little chocolate chips as you want and mix together (you can also add walnuts, coconut, whatever you would in normal muffins. I haven’t tried fruit in these- so I’m not sure how that would turn out)
4) Spoon mixture into muffin pan and fill 3/4 full
5) Bake for 8-9 minutes or until toothpick comes out clear.

Eat and Enjoy

(It you omit the chocolate chips this recipe is a lot healthier)

Christmas Movie List

Scott and I have our Christmas movie list written out, but we haven’t watched a single one yet! It’s a little sad. I’m wanting to get some in this week (esp since it is the week of Christmas). But we did realize a couple of weeks ago, that our Christmas movie DVD collection is a little slim – we would always borrow movies from our siblings. But I’m sure we can find the ones we are missing on Netflix or On Demand or somewhere.

So here is what is on our list.

The Holiday