Smoothie of the Day: Beets!

I love smoothies.  It is a great way to start the morning. Especially if you are like me and do not like to eat breakfast right when you get up or have a large meal first thing in the morning.

I love beets but do not like the hassle of peeling and cooking them.  On my last run to Costco, I found these organic roasted beets that are shelf stable.  

Not only are they pretty, but according to this Livestrong.com article, they are packed with nutrients, heart healthy, and may help prevent some chronic diseases.  What better way to start the morning than a boost like that?!

BEET SMOOTHIE

1/2 medium sized or one small precooked beet

1/4 avocado

1 hand full of baby spinach

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

enough walnut milk to get to the consistency and volume that you want, I use a bout 1 1/2 cups. 

optional:stevia or other sweetener to taste

Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and pulse until well blended,

Music Mondays: Sources for new music.

I don't know about you but I am always searching for new music.  Music, for me,  is an integral part of my day.  It makes chores more enjoyable.  It makes car rides better. It lifts my mood, when I am feeling down.  It enriches our lives in so many ways.  Maybe that is why I married a musician!

One of my favorite sources for new music is NPR Music.  I discovered my favorite band, Elephant Revival, on there and am so thankful for that. I will write more on this incredible band later but here is their new music video for Petals

Another one of my NPR favorites is A Prairie Home Companion  (APHC) I have been listening to this radio variety show for years.  Last year Garrison Keeler, retired and they very talented Chris Thile (of The Punch Brothers and Nickle Creek) took his place.  This came with some great musical changes of guests that I feel are targeting a younger audience.  There have been so many great guests this season including, Regina Spektor, The Avett Brothers, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jack White, Andrew Bird, The Shins, Jesca Hoop, to name a few.  AND,  one of my favorite things about the new APHC is that one of my favorite solo artists, Sarah Jarosz is on as a regular guest.  I discovered on PBS's Austin City Limits and finally was able to see her in concert this past summer at Interlochen in Michigan.  She didn't disappointment.

I am very sad to hear that #45 is starting the process to stop funding the National Endowment For The Arts.  I have used so many public sources to find new music.  While I give monthly to NPR and PBS, and I know many others do, I know they rely on the federal funds that they receive for most of their programing. Please consider donating here:  Donate NPR or PBS

What are some of your favorite sources for new music?

Sinusitis

The dry winter air has been reeking havoc on my sinuses.  I have been getting cracking in my nostrils and sinusitis (swelling in the sinuses).  I routinely use a neti pot and have used Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oils in the past with some relief.  A few months ago I found this great EO app on Google Play Ref. Guide for Essential Oils.  I looked up Sinusitis and decided to make a blend of the oils it had listed that I have on hand.  I ended up using castor oil as the carrier oil in a 50ml dropper bottle with 10 drops each of Eucalyptus Radiata, Eycalyptus Globuls, Rosemary, RC, Melaleuca Ericifolia , Peppermint, Sage, and Lemon.  I have been using two drops in my neti pot and also taking a cotton swab and coating the inside of my nostril with it 3 times a day.  Over the past week my nose has completely healed.  On top of that, my husband has been fighting a nasty cold so I also starting rubbing this on my face over the sinuses under my eyes (careful not to get in my eyes) figuring that it couldn't hurt.  I haven't been able to breath this well in weeks!!!!

I have my husband now using it to help him get over his cold, rubbing on his chest, face, and swabbing his nose.  

I am hoping this helps with my seasonal allergies, too!  I will let you know as that is right around the corner.

There is a burning in his heart and it ain't love.

My hubby suffers from heartburn.  He was taking a prescription medicine but we found out last year that proton pump inhibitors have some bad side effects.  We gave Digize Vitality a shot and it seems to be helping him.  I put 3 drops in a veggie capsule and fill the rest with grapeseed oil.  He has been taking them at night before going to bed. 

Young Living has a whole line of dietary supplement oils called Vitality! I also have been using a lot of them in cooking. Click here to see them all: Vitality

Natural Cleaners

Now that I am a Domestic Goddess again,  I am trying to get caught up on cleaning.  I didn't realize until I started how dirty my house had become.  I have been using natural cleaners for years but have not always been happy with the results.

Thankfully I had just ordered the Thieves Essential Rewards Kit which includes the following:

• Thieves essential oil blend, 15 ml
• Thieves AromaBright Toothpaste, 4 oz.
• Thieves Household Cleaner, 14.4 oz., 2 bottles
• Thieves Mouthwash, 8 oz.
• Thieves Foaming Hand Soap, 8 oz., 2 bottles
• Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier, 1 oz., 2 bottles
• Thieves Spray, 1 oz., 2 bottles

These are the cleaners I made yesterday:

Thieves surface cleaner:

In spray bottle:

1 cap full of Thieves cleaner

1 squirt of Bronner's Salsuds

10 drops of YL Citris Fresh 

10 Drops of YL Orange

20 Drops of YL Rosemary

Fill bottle 1/2 white vinegar and the rest with distilled water 

I use this on bathroom surfaces, my stove top, and my non-wood kitchen counters and as a spot cleaner on our hard surface floors (bamboo, cork, and Forbo Marmolium).

For the toilets:

1/2 cup of baking soda

1 cap full of Thieves Cleaner

2 cups of white vinegar 

10 drops of YL Citris Fresh or Orange

Glass cleaner:

1 14 oz glass spray bottle full of white vinegar 

10 drops of YL Lemon

10 drops of YL Orange

use newspaper instead of papertowel

This worked amazing!  The photo below is my husbands mirrored wardrobe which was covered in finger prints. I should have taken a before photo.  I also used this on the bathroom mirrors and on my window above my kitchen sink.  I worked beautifully to get all the splashes off. 

Wood cleaner:

I just squirted the wood with food safe mineral oil and about 5 drops of YL Orange Vitality (FDA approved for oral use, so safe for food areas)  

This stuff smells amazing, got all the gunk off my wood surfaces and conditions the wood.  I am going to try this on my bamboo and wood cutting boards!

Kitchen counter

What natural cleaners do you use?

Oily Journey

So,  I put in my two week notice at my JOB and am returning to my position as Domestic Goddess and going to try to build my Young Living lifestyle.

I have used essential oils for years.  About a year ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Young Living Oils.  They are all therapeutic grade and so much better, in my opinion, than the other high end oils I had been buying.  My collection has steadily grown to over 50 oils that I am currently using.  I will be posting a lot in the near future how I use all these wonderful oils to support my natural lifestyle.

In the meantime,  one of things that I love is if you order a starter kit, you get the wholesale prices for life, even if you do not want to sell them.  Here is a link to get that deal Young Living

There is also this cool thing called Essential Rewards where you can earn points to use for free products and also get free oils.  This is  the current monthly special:

I took advantage of that and ordered a Thieves Kit to try the pre-made Thieves products and some other oils that I wanted and got the maxium freebies for the month.  All of the oils on the left were free! 

I am really excited to try the Thieves cleaner, it is concentrated it will last a long time and you can make spray cleaner out of it.  

I will be posting recipes for things you can use YL oils for in the future.

Thank you for joining my on oily journey!