Holiday Treat Twists--Oatmeal Cookies and Snack Mix with Wolfberry Crisp Bars

Young Living has many ingredients for spicing up your everyday holiday goodies! One of the more unexpected is Wolfberry Crisp Bars. They are typically a satisfying snack bar, made with hearty grains like quinoa and flax, pea protein, almonds, wolfberries, of course, and coated in chocolate. Yum, right? Once again, with some help from my foodie big bro, I have 2 great recipes to repurpose them unconventionally to jazz up your holiday treats. So get out that food processor (or a good old fashioned rolling pin!) and get cookin!

First, mix them into tasty oatmeal cookies.

1 1/4 Cup (2-1/2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
3/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 drop cinnamon Vitality
1/4 Teaspoon grated nutmeg or 1-2 drops nutmeg Vitality
2 Cup(s) Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup Wolfberry Crisp crumbs (pulse in food processor to crush)
1 Cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 Teaspoon salt (optional)

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, died fruit, and Wolfberry Crisp crumbs; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375°F 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie or 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.


You can also turn Wolfberry Crisp Bars into dust with a food processor and make it into a coating for a cereal, nut, and pretzel snack.

8 cups of rice and corn cereal (aka Chex®)
1-2 cups nuts of your choice
1-2 cups small cut pretzels
¾ cups packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup Wolfberry Crisp crumbs (pulse in food processor to crush)

Mix cereal, nuts, and pretzels in a large bowl.
Microwave brown sugar, butter, corn syrup & crisp crumbs for 2 minutes (stirring well after 1 minute). Stir in baking soda.
Pour microwaved mixture over the dried ingredients and stir well to coat. Cool, store tightly sealed, and enjoy a sweet and savory holiday snack!

Remember that Chocolate-Coated Wolfberry Crisp Bars are exclusive to Young Living and are made with all natural-derived ingredients, with no GMO ingredients, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. They are super delicious and super good for you all by themselves! I hope you'll feel inspired to look at an ingredient in a new way. Happy snacking!

Tastes of the Season: Fall 2016

I think you're getting the idea by now that I love to use Young Living Vitality Essential Oils in my food and drinks all the time! Well, I've been sharing the love an I've recruited my brother, Jeff, our family's resident food and drink connoisseur, to share some Tastes of the Season recipes featuring essential oils. He's been in the restaurant and hospitality biz for years, and has literally eaten his way around the world! Here's what he shared:

The 2016 Essential Oil Culinary Collection has several oils great for seasonal dishes this Fall, for all times of the day. Try adding 2-3 drops drops each of Lemon Vitality and Ginger Vitality with a tablespoon or 2 of ricotta cheese to pancake or crêpe batter for a spiced up Autumn breakfast or brunch treat! Reserve a little of the ricotta mixture to top your pancakes along with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Or use a little bit of seasonal jam (apricot, perhaps???) instead of syrup. Pair with seasonal fruit, like apples, figs, cranberries, or plums, to complete the meal. This will look and taste so sophisticated. It's perfect for everyday, or a social brunch.

Or how about mixing Rosemary Vitality with some olive oil to coat your roast, chicken, turkey or rack of Lamb for a rich, pine, & earthy flavor? 1-2 drops per tablespoon of olive oil should be plenty! Rosemary is a strong flavor! Any single, or combination of herb Vitality oils would do nicely here. Add salt, pepper, oven roast as usual, and voilà, a holiday feast!

If you like to entertain during the holidays (and who doesn’t?) you can prepare a holiday cocktail for you and your guests by adding Peppermint Vitality to chocolate liquor, vodka, and half & half to make delicious peppermint patty martinis or cocktails! Peppermint essential oil is really strong, so if you are making only 1 serving at a time (I know, but you never know!), try drawing a clean toothpick along the inside of the top of the bottle, then stirring it in to the cocktail mix. 1 drop would better serve 4 or so. For a twist on this, go hot toddy style, with spiked peppermint hot chocolate! 

Not sure if your essential oils are safe with food and drinks??? I can help you with that! If your essential oils do not specifically say they are safe for internal use, or have supplement information on the label, don't use them! Not all essential oils are the same quality and purity. Young Living's exclusive line of Vitality oils are all safe and labeled with directions for internal use. Learn more about them HERE!
Ready to get your hands on some and try some great recipes? Start HERE!

Immune Support with Thieves Tea

It's that time of year again! As the season changes and the weather yo-yos, our bodies seems to be more susceptible to all kinds of ickiness going around. Now is the time to work some little steps in to your day to ensure that your immune system is tip top and working hard for you! One way I like to do this is with a Thieves Tea. Now, "tea" is really a misnomer. There is no actual tea in this recipe! Which is kinda nice, cause you can drink it any time of day without worrying about caffeine. Here's what you need:

1 drop Thieves Vitality essential oil
1 drop Copaiba Vitality essential oil
2 drops Lemon Vitality essential oil
up to 1 tsp honey
very warm water

Put warm water in a mug. (Remember not to use water that's too hot, like boiling water. High heat can damage the therapeutic properties of the oils and we definitely don't want that!) 
Put a small but of honey on the spoon, then add your essential oils to the spoon. I have a squeezy honey bear and I like layer honey, oils, honey on mine. I feel like it blends the 2 better. 
Rock the spoon a couple of time to combine, or stir with a toothpick. 
Then, stir the oil-infused honey in to the warm water. 

I've discussed Vitality essential oils before. They are exclusively from Young Living and are labeled with directions for internal use.

Thieves Vitality essential oil is a blend of clove, cinnamon, rosemary, lemon, and eucalyptus oils. Thieves is the super cleaning blend and the Vitality variety does that for your body! It is the best for supporting a healthy immune system. Keep in mind that Thieves is a hot oil and without the honey (and for some, even with the honey), it can cause a mild burning sensation. I think it feels nice going down, but if it's too much for you, try drawing a toothpick around the top of the bottle and swirling that in your honey instead. You'll still get the same benefits, but using a bit less oil!

Copaiba Vitality essential oil is a single oil and Young Living exclusive. It is a booster oil and naturally supports your body's natural response to an irritant, keeping those natural defenses primed! It adds a lightly woodsy note to the "tea" since it's derived from tree resin.

Lemon Vitality essential oil is a great little detoxifier. It's cleansing properties are great for your body, including your digestive system, which is a vital part of your body's total defense system. And it tastes like, well, lemons!

Together, these taste delicious and very appropriate to the cooler months! The cinnamon really comes through the most for me! My husband and I enjoy this drink on a regular basis not that the weather is changing. So, even though it doesn't actually have tea in it, it is still tasty, warm, and comforting, and doing amazing things for our bodies!

*Please note that pictured essential oils do not reflect current labels for Young Living Vitality oils. The labels have been redesigned.

DIY Mouthwash

Mouthwash you say? Yep! This recipe is free of alcohol, sweeteners, dyes, and artificial flavors. It's so easy and cost-effective you'll never want to put that other stuff in your mouth again!

You only need 3 ingredients: baking soda, water, and top quality essential oils like these!  The essential oils do the heavy lifting here and you absolutely want to be sure you are using oils that are safe to use in your mouth! If the you have an essential oil that says "for external use only," BELIEVE THEM!

Popular oils include peppermint and the Thieves blend (which you can learn a little about here). Me? I love wintergreen! I've always preferred it to peppermint, whether it's candy or gum or whatever. But here is a great opportunity to customize it to your taste and your needs!

Add around 8 drops of each oil of choice to 1/4-1/2 tsp baking soda at the bottle of a glass bottle (mine is 8oz). Fill with water, and shake to combine!

Want a bonus secret ingredient???  Hydrogen peroxide! Based on the labeled instructions, you can use up to 50% of the 3% hydrogen peroxide with 50% water. It is well known as an antiseptic and oral debriding agent, which basically means it cleans stuff out really well. Added bonus? Whitening power! If you can tolerate the taste, it's an effective addition!

Check out my video to see how quick and easy it is to whip up a batch with my favorite oil combo!

NingXia Red FroYo Fruit Pops

It's July and it's hot! Basically everywhere, right? Who couldn't use another way to cool down? Maybe a way that's even a healthy snack? I've got a great recipe for you!

My homemade ice pops feature Young Living's NingXia Red. NingXia Red is a supplement drink featuring the super fruit wolfberries, giving it its signature red color, and includes blueberries, cherries, plums, and pomegranate juices and extracts. It's loaded with antioxidants and citrus essential oils to support overall health and energy. It's so powerful, a recommended serving is only 1-2 ounces! Each ounce, btw, only has 20 calories and 2 grams of sugar. It is a great way to introduce ingestion of essential oils to kids, and so is this recipe:

• 1 singles-serving size cup of vanilla yogurt (they make them a weird size now... like 5.something oz, so I re-use that empty cup to get equal parts, and save on a dish!)
• 1 of the same "cups" of NingXia Red
• 1 of the same "cups" frozen strawberries
• 2-4 drops of Lime Vitality Oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and let 'er rip until well blended. 
Pour in to molds (try to avoid plastic if you can! Plastic and citrus oils don't get along!) 
Freeze and eat! 

The yogurt keeps it a creamier texture, more like a sorbet and it's so refreshing! It's a bit more hearty than your typical water-based pop. Serve it to your kids for breakfast! They will love you for it!

You can, of course, substitute out the strawberries for a different frozen fruit you like, and same for the Vitality oil.  You can also adjust the size of your batch to accommodate the number of molds you have. The important thing is equal parts.

You can actually get an ice pop set with NingXia and silicone molds from Young Living (safe for citrus oils!) here! Want to get it wholesale? Check out this page!

Don't wanna go for pops? Put in single-serving dishes, or a big bowl, and freeze that way. Mine got a bit more hard going that route, but still just as yummy! A grapefruit spoon was perfect for my larger bowl.

UPDATE! We made this with frozen peaches and lemon Vitality oil and it's SO good! Light and refreshing!

Olive Oil + Vitality Herb Oils = YUMMY Dinner!

Do you like Italian food? How about Americanized Italian-inspired food? :) One of our favorite side dishes around here is bread with dipping oil. We mix up some dried herbs with olive oil and dip a warm, crusty bread in it...mmm...Since I've discovered Essential Oils that are safe to ingest (PLEASE follow labeled instructions! They aren't all safe! Get safe ones HERE), I like using them to jazz up my food dishes and this is a perfect one! It already uses a carrier oil and herbs in the same family. Any of the herb oils, like rosemary, oregano, Taste of Italy blend, or even lemon, would be tasty in this dish! And the herb oils are so great for supporting a healthy immune system. This is a great, raw application, where you don't risk high heat damaging the therapeutic properties of the oil.

• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp raw, minced garlic
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Italian dried herb blend (I use a combo that is 2 pars each basil and oregano, 1 part each thyme, rosemary, and parsley, stored in its own spice jar)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 drop Vitality Essential oil 

All you have to do is combine and enjoy! There is a lot of flexibility in the recipe. Just use what you have, and as much or as little as you like!  Precision is not important. I never even measured it until I got ready to share!  Remember to start with less, cause you can always add more.

I also love to translate this recipe to chicken. Simply modestly sprinkle the same dry ingredients on the chicken (I like boneless, skinless white meat for this).  Then I pan fry it in my cast iron skillet, on medium heat, using the Vitality infused olive oil to cook with.  Now, cooking with the essential oil, you do run the risk of damaging its therapeutic value, but you are still getting the great boost of flavor. I usually eat these two dishes together, with a little side salad, for a simple, healthy supper. 

UPDATE: I used this oil blend on diced red potatoes, then roasted in the oven, at 425 for 20-25 min... OMG! YUM!

Check out my video for a few more tips on making this dish happen! 

DIY Capsules

I've talked about Vitality oils before (see Infused Water). What do you do if there is a Vitality oil you want to use, but it isn't really appetizing to you? Or maybe it's a hot oil, and when you add it to water it's still uncomfortable for your lips? Enter capsules! Capsules are cheap and easy to use. Don't believe me? Check out my video showing you just how I make 'um and take 'um!

Please remember that not all essential oils are safe for internal use! Please follow labeling instructions and DO NOT ingest oils that don't specifically say it's ok! Young Living makes it easy with their line of Vitality oils! These are their same great essential oils, labeled for internal use. You can learn more about them here!

Infused Water

Warm weather us upon us! At least, I hope it is warm where you live by now! Vitality essential oils are a great way to give you water a boost. You can create all kinds of interesting flavor combinations while letting top notch essential oils work their magic on your body, keeping it happy and healthy all summer long! I like to use a combination of essential oils and fruits. This is a healthy way to have something interesting and refreshing to drink! Essential oils are super concentrated, relative to their source material. 1-2 drops in a tall glass is plenty to get the taste and benefits in a more convenient way. They can be used to support the health of over system in the body and support overall wellness. The shelf life is way better too!

Please remember that not all essential oils are safe for internal use! Please follow labeling instructions and DO NOT ingest oils that don't say it's ok! Young Living makes it easy with their line of Vitality oils! These are their same great essential oils, labeled for internal use. You can learn more about them here!

Check out my video with a couple of recipes I like, and a few tips for creating delicious infused water with essential oils!

Here are some of my other favorite flavor combos!