Carrot-Oat Breakfast Cookies

In the past I have posted about my favorite, cookies for breakfast!

Click here to check out that post.

But just to recap... I occasionally receive a small recipe booklet in the mail from Ralph's (or Fry's here in Arizona) grocery store. They have done a lot over the years to appeal to the more health conscious customers, and so far all of the recipes I have tried have been very tasty!

These cookies are healthy'ish, at least in my opinion anyway. They are high in Vitamin A and are naturally sweet without using anything but maple syrup and coconut oil to sweeten it. I made a few tweaks to this recipe to make the cookies a tad bit healthier. The original recipe called for using canola oil, but I used coconut oil instead. I found the original recipe to be a bit runny, so I suggested to use 1/4 of ground flax seed in the recipe as well, which the original recipe did not call for. I'm glad I found a good reason to add in so much flax seed, as it provides a ton of Omega-3's and has numerous health benefits.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 10-12 minutes | Total Time: 30-32 minutes
Makes About 20 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat four
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup Grade B maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in the work bowl of a stand mixer outfitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until well blended.

Add maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, coconut, grated carrots, walnuts and cranberries. Stir just to blend.

Arrange the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Let cookies cool completely before removing from baking sheet.

Serve immediately or store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Pan Fried Tilapia w/ Lemon Cream Sauce

Food is definitely one of my favorite things to blog about. Lemon essential oil in a cream sauce over crunchy fish? Yes please! I discovered this incredibly delicious dinner recipe at mamalovesheroils.com. I don't typically fry my fish, as it's not the healthiest option, but this recipe is a winner. My picky children actually love how this fish is prepared, and don't hesitate to eat every bite. That alone makes this recipe a keeper! It also doesn't require a ton of ingredients and it is easy to prepare; a bonus for us busy families.

Ingredients:

• 4 tilapia fillets
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• salt & pepper, as needed

Essential Oils:

• 10 drops of Lemon Essential Oil

(You could also substitute lemon juice for the essential oils.

I only use therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe for consumption.

For more information on how to purchase these oils, please feel free to contact me.)

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat.

In a shallow dish, combine 2 tablespoons flour, lemon pepper, panko, and salt & pepper if needed.

Whisk the egg in a separate dish.

Dip the fish in the whisked eggs, then coat the fish with the panko mixture and add to frying pan.

Cook for 3 minutes, then flip at cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to cool.

To make the cream sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for one minute, or until filly combined.

Add the milk, onion powder, lemon essential oil, salt & pepper.

Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until sauce thickens, stirring constantly.

Serve fish with lemon cream sauce drizzled over top with a side of veggies. 

Nerdy Extras:
Lemon Essential Oil is a powerful antioxidant, and can help ward off free radicals. It has been known to aid in digestion, help support healthy respiratory function, and to promote a positive mood and cognitive ability.

FDA Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Immune Enhancing Pumpkin Smoothie

Forget about the Pumpkin Spice Latte, and try this smoothie instead! It has all of the traditional flavors of Fall, only with an added immune enhancing element. And, let's be honest, who doesn't need a little extra immunity this time of year?!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 semi-frozen bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
• 1 cup ice

   

Essential Oils:
2-3 drops Protective Blend

Instructions:
Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.

Nerdy Extras:
Almond Milk is cholesterol free which can help enable a healthy heart. It can also aid in maintaining and lowering blood pressure.1

Pumpkin is a source of beta-carotene. It can help reduce risk of getting heart disease & asthma.2

Bananas have a significant amount of potassium. Consuming potassium and lowering your sodium intake can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart disease. They are also helpful when fighting off viruses because they are easily digested and can provide necessary nutrients without upsetting the stomach.3

Protective Blend Essential Oil helps to support healthy immune function & is full of antibacterial properties. It's a blend made up of orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, & rosemary essential oils.

References:
1 https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/almond-milk.html
2 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/279610.php; http://www.livingwithasthma.net/fall-favorite-asthma-pumpkins-carving/
3 http://www.livestrong.com/article/505406-top-ten-health-benefits-of-bananas/; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271157.php

FDA Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Banana-Peanut Butter Cookies

Occasionally I receive a small recipe booklet in the mail from Ralph's grocery store. It's actually one of the few random mailers I like. Ralph's (or Fry's here in Arizona) has done a lot over the years to appeal to the more health conscious customers. When they came out with a few breakfast cookie recipes, you know I was game!

Cookies for breakfast you say? That doesn't sound very healthy. Well, surprisingly, they are! At least in my opinion anyway. It may not be conventional, but can be a well-balanced start to you day. Especially when you pair them with fruit, a smoothie, or some yogurt. Even the ingredients on their own are healthy - whole wheat flour and oats add fiber to your diet, while peanut butter adds protein and healthy fats which help you to stay full and avoid snacking.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Bake Time: 10-15 minutes | Total Time: 20-25 minutes
Makes About 12 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 large, ripe banana, mashed
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lined baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine peanut butter and banana in a bowl until smooth and blended.

Add sugar, vanilla, oats, flour, milk, and baking soda. Mix until blended.

Drop cookies by heaping spoonful onto cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies.

Gently flatted the cookies into little discs.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Let cookies cool completely before removing from baking sheet.

Serve immediately or store in airtight container in the refrigerator. 

FDA Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Essential Oils & Your Brain

There is a filtering mechanism in our bodies that protect the circulating blood from interacting and damaging brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. This natural defense is called the blood-brain barrier. It protects bad things from entering our brain, but also makes it difficult to get things into the brain.

Did you know that approximately 98% of small molecule drugs can not pass the blood-brain barrier? However some of the chemical constituents found in oils like frankincense and sandalwood are known to pass through this blood-brain barrier, allowing them to impact the brain (neurotransmitters) therapeutically.

Other oils that cannot cross over into the blood-brain barrier can still affect the brain through our sense of smell! Ever wonder why we have intense emotional reactions triggered by smell? The smell of grandmas house, bringing feelings of joy. For me, just smelling coffee brewing can trigger an awakening response.

Our sense of smell and our emotions are processed in a part of our brain called the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for processing emotions, memories, and smell. No other sensory system has the ability to interact with our brain like smell. The amygdala gland, found in our limbic system, has been shown to play a huge part in the storing and releasing of emotional trauma.

(I only use therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe for consumption.

For more information on how to purchase these oils, please feel free to contact me.)

FDA Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Homemade Puppy Shampoo

Happy National Dog Day! I recently got a Boston Terrier puppy. Her name is Lucy. She is so sweet and makes my life so much more joyful (potty training aside, haha). It's crazy how one tiny little puppy can literally transform the mood in my home for the better. After making the move out to the gorgeous Sonoran Desert, things got a little complicated. Everyone in my home was homesick in just about every way. Then little Ms. Lucy came along and turned things around. She has been a total Godsend. I had been wanting to test out my essential oils and homemade products on pets, so I thought making a DIY puppy shampoo would be the perfect way to jump start my new interest.

The shampoo worked so much better than I expected!

Her coat was so soft and shiny and she smelled great! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oatmeal
• 1 tablespoon Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon of vitamin E (or approximately 5 capsules)

Essential Oils:

• 3 drops Peppermint
• 2 drops Lavender
• 2 drops Cleansing Blend
• 1 drop Cedarwood

(You could potentially omit the essential oils.
Although, in my opinion, it is what makes this recipe so amazing.

I only use therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe for consumption.

For more information on how to purchase these oils, please feel free to contact me.)

Instructions:

Add the oatmeal to a blender and mix until it becomes a powder consistency.

Heat the water up until it is very warm. Add the hot water to the oat powder inside the blender. Mix until well combined. Let it sit for a few minutes, until it thickens.

Add castile soap, apple cider vinegar, and vitamin E to the blender. Mix until combined.

Put the essential oils in the mix, again, blending until combined.

Pour finished shampoo into a glass jar to store.

Apply a quarter sized drop over dog and massage into coat, leaving on your pup for as long as they will tolerate it, or about five minutes. Be sure to rinse well.

Nerdy Extras:

Oatmeal is great for your dogs coat. It has many vitamins and minerals that helps their skin heal faster. It can help soothe skin irritations and itchiness, making it an excellent choice for dogs battling hot spots, eczema, and psoriasis. Living in the desert, the humidity is generally pretty low, so dogs around here can get pretty dry and flaky. Oatmeal helps battle that by moisturizing, cleansing, and softening your dogs coat.

Castile Soap has so many uses, but as a dog shampoo it helps to remove dirt, oil, and even pests. It is very gentle on sensitive skin and great for dogs who have itching issues.

Apple Cider Vinegar helps to clean your dogs coat/skin. Bonus - It is also a natural flea repellent!

Vitamin E can help support the skin of your dog by reducing flakiness. It also promotes a healthy, glossy looking coat.

Peppermint Essential Oil is excellent at repelling insects and supporting healthy circulation.

Lavender Essential Oil is a very safe and gentle oil to use on your dog. Our veterinarian even diffuses it in her office for the dogs in there.

Cleansing Blend Essential Oil Blend is great at neutralizing odors and soothing skin irritations.

Cedarwood Essential Oil is a natural antiseptic and flea repellent. It helps with circulation and is a powerful coat conditioner. 

FDA Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Mint Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies

Life can get pretty hectic at times, especially during this time of year when the season of change is upon us. I don't know about you, but when too much change is going on in my life, I get a little stressed - and when I get a little stressed I crave sweets! Horrible habit, I know; but I'm working on it! Here's to my 80/20 rule! Anyway, I feel good about these cookies because even though they are full of butter and sugar, they contain a few healthy ingredients too, ha! Plus they are super filling and really you only need one to satisfy your sweet tooth and fill your belly.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter, softened (2 large sticks)
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar (or any granulated sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons of organic vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of finely shredded dehydrated unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons of carob powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips (1/2 bag)

Essential Oils:

• 5-10 drops of Peppermint

(You could also substitute cocoa powder for the carob powder, 
and peppermint extract for the peppermint essential oil.

I only use therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe for consumption.

For more information on how to purchase these oils, please feel free to contact me.)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.

Cream butter and sugars.

Mix in eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint essential oil until well combined.

Slowly mix in the flour, coconut, carob powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add in the chocolate chips. I used 1/2 a bag, but you could add a whole bag if you wanted. Stir until combined.

Drop large tablespoon sized balls onto baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring .

Nerdy Extras:

You could always throw in some extra healthy goodies like flax, wheat germ, or even some rolled oats like I did for this batch. Sometimes I even like to sprinkle a little bit of flax on top of the cookies before baking. 

Dehydrated, shredded coconut -- also called dessicated coconut -- also makes an excellent add-in. It's full of dietary fiber, which helps stave off hunger and helps prevent digestive disorders (ie. constipation, hemorrhoids). It also full of minerals, like iron, which helps with circulation. Iron drives new cell growth, and helps to maintain healthy tissue function. I know a lot of people tend to shy away from coconut due to its high fat content. Coconuts are full of healthy fats though, and it's important to incorporate them into our diet. These fats can even help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 

Peppermint Essential Oil promotes oral and respiratory health, along with alleviating occasional stomach discomfort. 

FDA Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Roasted Cherry Smoothie

What better way to celebrate summer produce than with some fresh cherries! My husband just adores cherries. Usually it's cherries paired with something chocolate, but this time he actually suggested that I incorporate a cherry smoothie into our lineup. After 11 years of marriage, I knew he wanted something with a lot of flavor, something spiced, something rich. I am a huge fan of incorporating essential oils into our recipes for their added health benefits, so I had to add some of those in for good measure. Here is what I came up with...









Ingredients:

• 1 pound Fresh Cherries
• 5 ounce serving size of Greek Yogurt (I used a 5.3oz container of plain Chobani)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Essential Oils:

• 2 drops of Lime
• 1 drop of Digestive Blend 

(You could also substitute lime juice and star of anise for the essential oils.

I only use therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe for consumption.

For more information on how to purchase these oils, please feel free to contact me.)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

You are going to need to wash your cherries and remove their stems. I left the cherry pits in when roasting them to give them a fuller flavor. Set aside.

Mix the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and essential oils in a baking dish.

Add the cherries to the baking dish.

I used my hands to mix all of the ingredients together.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over the cherries and place in oven for 30 minutes.

When done cooking, remove cherries from oven, and let cool until room temperature.

At this point you are going to want to remove the pits from the cherries. I used my hands, tossed the seeds into the trash and the usable portion of the cherries into the blender.

Pour the remainder of the juices from the baking dish into the blender as well. 

Add the yogurt and vanilla extract into the blender. 

Place 1 cup of ice cubes into the blender, turn it on, and blend until smooth. I used the "Smoothie" button on my Blendtec. Pour into a cup (or two) and serve!

There you have it, folks, a delicious smoothie - or even dessert! It was rich and tart with a little spice. The color was gorgeous as well. 

Nerdy Extras:

You could always throw in some extra healthy goodies like flax, chia, or hemp seeds. These seeds are mild in taste and should not alter the taste of the smoothie too much.

There is so much more to cherries than their amazing taste. They're packed full of antioxidants and offer a multitude of health benefits. Cherries help ward off belly fat, lessen joint and muscle pain, help with insomnia, and are an excellent fruit choice for diabetics. Studies show that cherries can help fight off Alzheimer's and colon cancer, and reduce the risk of stroke and hypertension

Cinnamon is another antioxidant powerhouse - Like cherries, cinnamon helps to fight off Alzheimer's, has a strong Anti-Diabetic effect, and reduces the risk of heart disease. It has also been studied for its use in cancer prevention and treatment, and has strong anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. 

The Lime Essential Oil used helps support healthy immune function. I can also positively affect mood with its simulating and refreshing properties. 

The Digestive Blend Essential Oil used aids in the digestion of foods. It soothes occasional stomach upset, and helps to maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract. 

FDA Disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Recipes

Eating is quite possibly one of my greatest pleasures. I particularly love eating foods that are high in nutrients and loaded with flavor; because, obviously, those are the best ones for your your body. That being said, I have an appetite for practically anything; from calorie rich desserts to vegan dishes. In my opinion, the best kinds of desserts are the ones with healthy additions. That way I feel a little less guilty about eating them!

I don't think of myself as a dieter, but I have definitely adopted a healthier lifestyle over the years. I tend to eat pretty clean, not only for my figure but also for my skin and overall well-being. Eating foods that complement my exercise routine, rather than take away from it, is a no-brainier. As we age, diet plays such a crucial role in our appearance. I am a firm believer that you are what you eat, so it's important to me that my household eat organic foods, free from dyes and yucky additives. That being said, I also like to have fun and indulge once in awhile, so I like to live by what I call the 80/20 rule. Meaning 80% of the time I eat nutritious foods, and 20% of the time I allow myself to splurge on junk food.

Like most people, I always seem to have a To-Do list jam-packed full of things that I have a hard time completing. For that reason, it's important to me that recipes are fairly simple and have as few ingredients and steps as possible. I need things to be simple and practical if I'm going to incorporate them as regulars on my food-planning menu. I will be posting some of my favorite recipes here. I would love any feedback if you decide to try them for yourself. I would also love to hear from you if you have a similar recipe. I'm always looking for ways to fine-tune and improve all things in my life, and food is certainly no exception! Thanks for stopping by and reading! Happy Cooking!