Beachy Diffuser Blend - Using Oils from your Premium Starter Kit

I LOve, loVE, LOVE this blend.  

Not only do I like it, but EVERYONE in the house does, too! That is saying something, because we tend to each respond in different ways when trying new oils.

I found this particular blend while scrolling through Pinterest one day and found an info-graphic on diffuser blends to mix from your Premium Starter Kit.  (*see footnote)
I automatically tried this one first because my 19 year old son responds well to Stress Away, and my 9 yr old daughter can't get enough of the Lemon Oil.

To the diffuser of your choice, add 3 drops of Stress Away and 2 drops of Lemon.
This has a light scent that reminded me of digging my toes into the warm sand on a beachy vacation.
The combination of relaxing Stress Away with energizing Lemon made for a very pleasant focus of energy.
We diffused this during school-time last week with good results as well as during the normally hectic morning rush.

I definitely recommend this trying this blend!

*based on infographic posted on Facebook by Oilways Essential on Mar 25. It included a total of 15 diffuser blends based off the YL Premium Starter Kit.  I encourage you to refer to @OilwaysEssential for more blends.

Easy Corn Salsa - A Flexible, Addition to a Diet Sensitive Taco Bar

I'm going to start right off with the Salsa. 

This was a quick throw-together recipe born of the fact that I accidentally broke off a vine loaded with green tomatoes.  Hmmm... how to use those up? See below for ways to substitute various items.

Easy Corn Salsa
4 Green Tomatoes
4 Red Tomatoes
1/2 red onion -optional
1 lb bag Frozen Corn
1 lime
1 bunch cilantro -optional
salt & pepper to taste

Ready?     Dump the corn into a large bowl.  (Bigger than the one I have pictured here.) Chop the tomatoes into small bites and add to corn. Mince the onion and add. Mince the cilantro and add. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the bowl.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper to taste. Stir, and let sit a few minutes to let flavors blend and let corn thaw. !(This is when you can make some rice or something to go with the salsa.) Stir once more before serving, and Enjoy!

The best thing about this recipe is that it is totally flexible depending on what you have on hand. 

Don't have green tomatoes? Use an equal amount of tomatillo.
Out of red onion? No worries, substitute a couple cloves of minced garlic or a tsp of garlic power. Forgot to pick up cilantro? Leave it out!

The first time I made this, I didn't have cilantro. It was still delicious. The second time, no onion. Still awesome!  I was going mostly for a even color mix of yellow, green and red.  Didn't it look pretty?

Now, what to do with this yummy blend?  

!!!Taco Bar!!!

We have a few different dietary issues here. It seems like that is becoming more and more common in families.  I have often found that presenting a mix that individuals can pick and choose from is easier than trying to make a single casserole or dish that encompasses everyone's needs.

Above I have (clockwise) tortillas, lettuce, sprouts, rice, Easy Corn Salsa, cheese, Hamburger filling, and TVP vegan filling.

The gluten sensitive ones could choose rice. The vegan could choose TVP. And someone trying to avoid carbs could make a salad bowl base dressed up with all the fixings. And a Raw Vegan could combine a balanced plate.

Very flexible!

Cooking the two fillings was not much more difficult than making one. I chopped onion and garlic and split them between two pans. One received the re-hydrated TVP, the other the burger.  Both were seasoned with taco seasonings, but I added a couple Tbs of Bragg's Liquid Aminos to the TVP for depth of flavor.  They were both finished at about the same time.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and how I tried to prepare one meal that would meet the needs of several people with restricted diets.

Up Next?  A favorite diffuser blend using oils from the Young Living Premium Starter Kit.  (It's really mellow and relaxing.)

What is a Starter Kit from Young Living? And, why should you want one?

When you decide to try Young Living essential oils,
You could buy single bottles or opt to try one of the Premium Starter Kits.

Pros and cons?
Single bottles allow you to try out this "oil thing" without getting a whole shelf full of product. Maybe a friend made a recommendation of a specific oil and you just want to try that. Or maybe you want to compare brands.
The cons to this are. ..you don't get an awesome variety of oils to try and mix and experiment with. Single bottle are sold at retail price which is slightly higher. 

What about the Starter Kits? By becoming a wholesale member, you receive significant discounts of retail prices. You get to try several of Young Living's most popular essential oils. And, best of all, there is no commitment to buy more. (Although, I really think that you will! )

So what is available?  There are three main types of kits based on popular interest.
The Thieves Starter Kit- geared toward people who are focused on detoxing their home. It includes 15ml Thieves Oil, Thieves toothpaste and mouthwash, Thieves Household cleaner and spray, Thieves Hand soap and Hand purifier, 5ml Stress Away oil, as well as several samples packs of various oils and NingXia Red.

Second, the NingXia Red Starter Kit comes with NingXia Red, a blend of powerful fruits and essential oils. This kit is geared toward the person who is looking in use essential oils to support their physical and mental fitness goals.  It also includes Stress Away essential oil blend as well as several sample packets.

And last, the Premium Essential Oils Starter Kit includes eleven different

essential oils (both singles and blends), a diffuser of your choice, as well as samples of the NingXia Red blend and other essential oils that you can either use or share.  This is the kit I choose because I wanted to experience and experiment with a variety of oils.

This kit has the Option to to choose from several different infusers. Your choice of diffuser will effect your final cost. 

Are you interested in trying a Starter Kit or even a single essential oil?
Order Young Living  (link to YoungLiving.com for more details, prices, and options.

Up Next:   Easy Corn Salsa, and cooking for multiple dietary needs (without being a short-order cook)!

Look Mom! No Hives! - review of Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier and Foaming Hand Soap

My daughter is super sensitive to soaps, and lotions on her hands. We've tried various hand sanitizers in the past, but every time, she would break out in itchy, red patches. So, I just stopped trying.

To be honest I'm not very germ-phobic, and generally feel eating a little dirt every day does a body good. Right?       That said, there were times a good hand sanitizer would have come in handy: after a library visit during flu season, after pushing a cart at the local grocery store, after visiting a rest room stocked with industrial grade, hand striping, detergent based soap.

The first thing I ordered from Young Living (in addition to my starter kit) was the Thieves Essential Rewards package. If you read my previous post,  you know I LOVE Thieves oil. So it's a given that I wanted to try the home cleaning products that feature it.

This review is for the Waterless Hand Purifier and Foaming Hand Soap. 

My strongest recommendation is in the happy fact that Elizabeth did NOT BREAK OUT when she used these.

*obviously every body is different and if you also have sensitive skin, do a spot test before using. *

The hand soap has a pleasant, spicy scent.  Cinnamon and orange oils are what stand out to me, but the product also contains clove, lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils.
The hand purifier, smells mainly of peppermint at first, then the Thieves scents emerges as the ethanol (denatured with peppermint) evaporates.

I am very happy with these two products, and will most likely order them again.

Are you interested in trying something from Young Living's line of Thieves products?
I would be happy to help you choose a product that would best serve your needs!

What's up next? 
A overview of what you receive in a Young Living Premium Starer Kit.

Don't forget to subscribe to this blog for honest reviews, recipes and artsy fun!

Young Living Essential Oils - my newest adventure!

How I was won over by 

AWESOME products, INCREDIBLE education, and RESULTS I could feel.

Have you ever been skeptical?  Heard about something that was supposed to be the next Wonder of the World and thought, "I'm sure it's good... but not THAT good"?  That was what I thought of essential oils.
I've always been interested in alternative medical therapies- herbal medicines, chiropractic, nutritional healing, etc.  But somehow I had mentally classified Essential Oils under the spa health category instead of alternative therapy.  A nice, smell-good splurge.  They are soooo much more!

Friends around me started talking about the EO's they were using, different brands, diffusers, how they were using them to overcome all sorts of things.  Skeptic that I am, I thought, "Well, that's nice, but it's pretty expensive for a tiny bottle of oil. Maybe someday, when I have extra $$."  (Yeah, like that will ever happen.)

What changed my mind?  Thieves oil.
 An amazing blend of oils that supports the immune system.  I researched and counted the cost.  Perpetually sick kids vs trying something new.  I figured, well, at least it can't hurt and invested in my first oily purchase.  Let me just say, I was amazed.  It really worked!

Then I began researching more uses for EO's, and looking at the different brands available to me.

What was important to me? 

 High quality product.  

Educational support. 

 No purchase commitment.

I found all these and more in Young Living.  For the cost of my starter kit, which I wanted to purchase anyway, I could also become a distributor with the possibility of earning back my original investment.  And the cost... that thing which holds so many of us back from trying essential oils... When I realized that the cost per drop was pennies, that the bottle would last for many, many dosages.  I was finally won over.

If you've never thought about essential oils, I encourage you to look into them.
https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start
Whether you are interested in trying just one oil as a Retail Customer, or getting all the discounts of a Member, use my member number #3974560 when you place your order.  I would be happy to help you.