Are you On Guard?

As someone who suffers with auto immune issues I am always looking for natural ways to support my immunity ~ that is how I found doTerra in my search for organic and nature based solutions! 

If you are not following Dr. David K. Hill, DC on Facebook yet highly recommend giving him a like ~  he will be spotlighting doTERRA On Guard® Protective Blend during the coming months to provide tips on keeping your family healthy and happy.

We love our On Guard® protective blend for immunity support - a must have specially this time of year as we head back to group events like school, sporting and extra curricular events and into the holiday season of extra hugging and kissing! 

In addition to diffusing the blend in our playroom and bedroom diffusers to help purify the air we also love the companion products that doTerra has to offer to make life easier! 

On Guard® Foaming Hand Wash On Guard Foaming Hand Wash is a gentle, healthy alternative to harsh antibacterial soaps made with synthetic ingredients. Fortified with the power of naturally safe CPTG® essential oils, On Guard Foaming Hand Wash provides the protective benefits of one of dōTERRA®'s most popular proprietary essential oil blends. On Guard Foaming Hand Wash cleans and softens hands with the invigorating blend of essential oils that leave your hands smelling fresh! 

We typically use ENJO as our go to cleaning practices here ~ love that the fibres and water is all that needed. However when dealing with particularly tough areas or viruses in the house I like having something with a little extra punch! The On Guard® Cleaner Concentrate is the natural and safe way to clean your living space while leaving a clean and invigorating scent. Purposely designed to have a wide variety of uses, this specialized formula is derived from plant-based ingredients, with On Guard essential oil, for exceptional cleaning power and natural protection. Because it is non-toxic and biodegradable, it is friendly for the whole family as well as the environment.

With a houseful of active males at the moment we play hard and get dirty quick ~ having a laundry solution that helps to attack dirt, grime AND germs that are embedding in our laundry. On Guard Laundry Detergent is a naturally-based, highly-concentrated 6X laundry detergent that utilizes the power of On Guard Protective Blend and bio-originated enzymes for amazingly clean clothes.

• Each naturally sourced enzyme targets and gently removes a specific types of stains
• Contains 10 mL of On Guard Protective Blend (over $28 retail value) for an added cleaning boost
• Safe for the environment and the whole family
•  64 loads in each bottle; 1 Tablespoon = 1 load
• Great as a pre-treatment for those troublesome stains ~ yellowing from sweat, grass stains, tempera paint its been tackling them all for me!

We are loving dōTERRA®'s fluoride-free toothpaste and the fact that it provides the protective benefits of therapeutic-grade On Guard essential oils against germs and other harmful pathogens, while also reducing plaque, and whitening teeth with gentle polishing agents. On Guard's unique cinnamon-mint flavor, with xylitol, also leaves your breath (and your toothbrush), fresh and clean.

If I run out of toothpaste between order shipments I love that I can just add a drop or my On Guard blend to an alternative store brand toothpaste for its germ fighting benefits! 

The family is  also looking forward to trying the Protecting Throat Drops should the need arise this flu season as a convenient way to benefit from On Guard's immune-supporting properties in the easy on the go format to sooth the throat from dry scratchiness. I myself love just adding a couple drops directly to a hot water add a little natural stevia sweetener and making a tea with it!

So this is what we've been doing this year to battle the pending 'flu season' an so far its been making a lovely difference for us! 

What's your favorite essential oil for helping to boost immunity? 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Totallyawake4-life

Taco Tuesday with a Twist!

 Quick little dinner option that my family loves ~ for me it is a nice change from typical Taco Tuesday specially being grain free now and not having either the hard shells or soft shells and basically 'Taco Tuesday' is now 'Taco salad' which do not get me wrong I LOVE Taco Salad ... but sometimes its nice to have a change and Taco inspired stuff peppers hits the mark!

This puppies are very filling ~ for me and my step son typically ONE does the trick and my spouse will eat two leaving me a nice left over for the next day's lunch! 

What You Need 

• 1 Pound extra lean ground meat either beef, turkey, chicken, Italian sausage all work
• 1 glove garlic
• 1 Sweet Onion - diced
• 4 stalks celery - diced
• 2 cups of Salsa of choice ... either homemade or store bought. 
• Taco Seasoning * 
• 5 Large Peppers - flat on bottom as possible
• 1/2 cup of Old Cheddar Cheese - shredded
• Taco toppings of choice ~ sour cream, jalapenos, red hot sauce, etc.

What You Do

• Saute the meat until no longer pink. Strain if needed. Add in garlic, onion and celery cook until starting to caramelize.
• Add in your Taco seasoning and salsa and stir until mixed
• Cut the tops of your green peppers and  seed.
• Stuff meat and salsa mix into the peppers until flat along the top.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes
• Top each with some shredded cheese and return to oven until melted    

Serve with your favorite Taco Toppings ~ I love some extra Red Hots Sauce, Jalapenos and the kiddies like their sour cream! 

I love this dish because it is so versatile for myself it is 'grain free' but if others in the house are still wanting to eat 'grains' you can serve with 'corn tortillas' on the side for scooping up the mixture with and no concern for cross contamination! 

 DIY Salsa

•  3 cups of chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper
• 1 cup of onion
• 2 chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (keep seeds if you want heat)
• 1/4 cup fresh minced Cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (or 1 fresh squeezed lime)
• 3 tablespoons of Epicure Poco Picante Salsa
• Mix ingredients in bowl. 
• Store left overs in an air tight container in the fridge 
• If you do not have Epicure seasoning you can add 1/2 tsp cumin, salt and black pepper to season it.

Taco Seasoning 

If you want a ready made low sodium alternative Epicure has a very tasty option that we love to have on hand cause well sometimes taking the 'guess work' out of having to measure all the separate ingredients is handy especially for a working wife and mother who has a lot on the go but if you like to make your own the following also works great:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt ~ optional 

 Do you have a favorite 'stuffed pepper' flavor combination? Leave us a comment and tell us more!

Have an amazing day
Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life

Fall is here and so is the Apple Crisp

Yummy - so excited after our trip to the Apple orchard yesterday we spent this morning making some apple crisp with the kiddies! 

Since I wanted to be able to have some too we opted to try a grain free version to the ole favorite!

Ingredients 

• 5 Apples of choice - we used Honey Crisp
• 1 cup shredded coconut 
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup pecans chopped 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
• 4 tbsp Maple syrup 
• 4 eggs
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon or to taste or my favorite Epicure Apple Pie spice

Instructions 

• Core and Slice apples - we like skin here so we keep it on but if it's not your cup of tea feel free to peel them first. 
• Arrange in layers in your baking dish - great thing about using a stone is no need to grease your pan. I added the Apple pie spice sprinkles between our layers cause we love cinnamon.  
• In a bowl mix together coconut flour, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, cinnamon and maple syrup.
• Whisk eggs and add to bowl - should end up with a crumbly mixture.
• Spread over top of your apples.
• Bake 350F for 30-45 minutes until bubbling and crumble is crisp. 

Allow to cool a wee bit and than serve either plain or with ice cream or coconut whipped cream if your dairy sensitive! 

Should serve 8-10 depending on how big a serving you scoop out! 

For those who like nutritional breakdown if you serve 8 

I find this much more filling than traditional apple crisp so it was more a meal than a snack! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live well, Laugh often, Love much 

Totallyawake4-life.com 

Two Ingredient Icecream ~ YES PLEASE!

Dairy free ice-cream alternatives in the store are RIDICULOUSLY priced ~ which led me to look for homemade alternatives when I enrolled a 'dairy free' friend in my daycare and are specially helpful now that I myself and being more committed to respecting my dairy allergy to get my health back on track!

What You Need:

• 4 large very ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

 

 

 What You Do:

• Peel bananas and slice into 1/2 inch discs. Arrange banana slices in a single layer on parchment paper lined tray. Freeze for at least 1-2 hours.

• I like to keep a large quantity of the frozen banana in the freezer in a zip log bag and than I can just pull out what is needed for use in ice-cream, smoothies or banana bread. Great way to use up those bananas that have gone 'too ripe' by accident or when they are on 'sale' to get them for cheaper because they are actually 'sweeter' so your ice-cream or smoothie or recipe will need less sugar! 

• Place the banana slices in a food processor or powerful blender. I love my BLENDTEC for this it is one of the many reasons I bought one. 

• Pulse the banana slices, scraping down the bowl as needed. Continue to pulse until the mixture is creamy and smooth* Add the peanut butter and puree to combine.  Some machines, like the Blendtec, actually have an 'ice-cream' button you can just press and it will puree and pulse for you!  

Baking Tips

* if you have a hard time creating a creamy consistency, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut, almond or regular milk to help puree the banana slices. 

Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream consistency. If you prefer harder ice cream, place in the freezer for a few hours and then serve so that you can get a nice 'scoop' presentation such as this one.

Make sure you use a powerful food processor or blender for this ~ I have tired this recipe before my Blendtec and it did not work ~ had to add way too much almond milk and it ended up being a milkshake that when I put it in the freezer to firm up did not have the same creamy texture I get from my Blendtec!

 

 Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life

Tasty Grain Free Teriyaki Sauce

So with the change to clean eating and wanting to ensure that there is no 'gluten' hidden in my foods it means finding the time and tasty recipes to make sauces, dips and marinades to go with my food from scratch. This one is a tasty one I came across on Pinterest and I wanted to try it out with a stir fry we were having this week. 

 

 

Tasty Teriyaki Sauce

 

What You Need

• ½ cup coconut aminos
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice and a bit of the rind zest for extra flavor
• 3 tablespoon raw honey
• 2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or pureed store bought
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1/8 teaspoon chili flakes ... this is for a mild sauce feel free to add more if you like a bit more 'heat' in your sauce I will admit that I used a whole teaspoon in mine shown below cause it was just for myself and my spouse
• 2 teaspoon tapioca flour (optional- if you want your sauce to be thicker quickly OR you can just boil it down on the stove to reduce to thickness desired. This is my preference cause than no added calories)

What You Do

• Mix the coconut aminos, orange juice and zest, honey, ginger, garlic and chili flakes in a small saucepan and heat it over medium heat.
•  If you are using tapioca flour, mix it with 2 tablespoon of cold water and add the mixture into the sauce and cook until thicken. 
• If not using tapioca, just simmer the sauce until thickened.
• Store in an air tight container in the fridge ~ will keep for a couple weeks

 Nutritional Information

Now the nutrtional breakdown from Calorie Count says that it is 'high in sugar' but that is natural sugar from the honey and orange juice verses refined sugars found in most 'store bought' sauces and marinades ... in comparison it is also much lower in calories and sodium than a store bought Teriyaki sauce would be PLUS I have the added confidence of knowing there is no cross contamination with gluten in the processing of the recipe!

This sauce is awesome as a glaze over salmon, chicken, beef on the BBQ or as a stir fry sauce, the based for a Pad Thai sauce and so forth!

If you give it a try would love to here your thoughts on the tastiness factor!

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life
 

Cinnamon Calm

The smell of Cinnamon definitely makes me think of Fall and the upcoming holidays ... it has such a nice 'comfort' feeling associated with it of love, laughter and good times with family. It also has HUGE health benefits from improving brain function, blood circulation, pain relief, blood glucose and aromatherapy speaking it is a great air cleanser and freshener and well the lists of potential benefits goes on an on. 

As a result I love both baking with it, adding it to my smoothies and PLAYING with it with the kiddies ... we also love adding the doTERRA Cinnamon Bark essential oil to our favorite play dough recipe for an amazing sensory experience ... plus the added benefit that the cinnamon helps to reduce any little 'hand germs' that might try to take up root in the dough while playing!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Play Dough

Original base recipe for the dough comes from the Celiac Disease Foundation  I  adapt / tweak for my preference

What you need:

• ½ cup white rice flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• Food coloring, if desired. We added a little 'orange' to ours for fall.
• 3 drops Cinnamon essential oil you can also use 1 tablespoon actual ground cinnamon but it will change your texture a bit. 

What you do:

• Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until it forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag.

 Player's note

Cinnamon can be an allergen or skin irritant for some ~ if it is your first exposure to it please use with caution on a small area of skin.

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life 

Sweet Potato Burgers OH MY!

Sweet Bacon Burgers

Inspired by this pin over on Pinterest  wanted to try the 'sweet potato' addition to bunless burger night.

We did not have any ground turkey on hand so I made mine with ground beef and we use regular bacon cause my other half wont do 'faux bacon' he likes is bacon to have oinked at one point in its life!

However they turned out so tasty so wanted to  share our version ~ not sure if it is still as 'Fix approved' but it was totally Margaret approved! 

What you need

• 1 cup ground, extra lean turkey or beef
• 1 cup finely shredded sweet potato
• 6 strips turkey bacon or regular bacon ~ cooked but not too crispy and chopped finely
• Seasoning* & Pepper to taste

 What you do

• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and form into 6 even patties 
•  Cook on the BBQ or grill until cooked through 165F in the middle OR for an alternative you can place into 'muffin cups' grease the tin with coconut oil and make a dozen little slider hamburgers. Bake in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes 
• Serve either bunless or on  your favorite bun with burger condiments of choice. 

Totally Tasty Sweet Potato and Bacon burger with BS Fries

*Seasoning notes ... the initial recipe called for salt however I personally do not add salt to my cooking so we opted for some Epicure Burger seasoning which has gone 'back in the vault' for Fall but we always stock up near the end of the season!

I look forward to trying this combination with different spices! You can season with whatever works for you garlic, onion, chipolte seasoning would all be tasty! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life 

Diffuser Blends for Autumn

Love this recipe from doTerra for Autumn diffuser blend ... nothing lifts my mood better than some Wild Orange but the combination of these aroma's is just taking it to a next level! 

A little more about the amazing benefits of these aromatherapy essential oils ...

Wild Orange  

 Citrus sinensis

This is one of dōTERRA’s top selling essential oils due to its energizing aroma and benefits. Wild Orange possesses stimulating and cleansing qualities and it can be used on surfaces as a natural cleaner.

Ginger
Zingiber officinale

Although ginger is an indispensable component of worldwide cuisine, it is most notable for its abililty to ease indigestion*. Ginger's sweet, citrusy fragrance accompanies a multitude of other therapeutic benefits. For topical, aromatic, or dietary use.

 
Clove Eugenia caryophyllata

Clove has been used for years in dental preparations, candy, and gum for its flavor. Clove naturally contains eugenol, which gives this essential oil a very sweet, stimulating and energizing aroma. 

Frankincense
Boswellia carterii, frereana, and sacra

Frankincense is one of the most prized and precious oils. Its soothing and beautifying properties are used to rejuvenate skin and reduce the appearance of skin imperfections.

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

 Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life

Pumpkin in the air

Image and recipe sourced from doTERRA blog

Fall is my favorite season ... I love the changing colors of the leaves, the cooler nights, the crisp smell and I love PUMPKINS ... the look of them and the taste of them!

I am not sure about your neck of the woods but here it is still nice and warm during the day and well I am not a coffee drinker anyway to enjoy all those Pumpkin spiced Latte things at the coffee shops but THIS hits the spot for me PLUS with it being back to school the GERMS are working on overtime with the Fall Flu season getting an early start so the short of the +doTERRA International  On Guard is specially helpful to help with immunity!

What you need

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin spice*
• 2-3 drops of On Guard Protective Blend
• 1 cup ice
• Optional ~ scoop of vanilla protein powder to make it pack a punch

What you do

• Blend all ingredients together in your blender
• Garnish with a dairy free coconut whipped cream
•  Sprinkle with more pumpkin pie spice  

* Spice options

I love Epicure's convenience so typically use their combo ~ found here  or you can make your own by mixing the following together and storing in an airtight jar.

• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground all spice

Have an amazing day
Margaret
Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 frozen bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
2-3 drops On Guard Protective Blend
1 cup ice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Note: For a garnish, add some whipped cream and pumpkin pie seasoning.
Makes 4 servings.
- See more at: http://doterrablog.com/essential-recipe-on-guard-pumpkin-smoothie/#sthash.yHtRaELF.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 frozen bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
2-3 drops On Guard Protective Blend
1 cup ice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Note: For a garnish, add some whipped cream and pumpkin pie seasoning.
Makes 4 servings.
- See more at: http://doterrablog.com/essential-recipe-on-guard-pumpkin-smoothie/#sthash.yHtRaELF.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 frozen bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
2-3 drops On Guard Protective Blend
1 cup ice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Note: For a garnish, add some whipped cream and pumpkin pie seasoning.
Makes 4 servings.
- See more at: http://doterrablog.com/essential-recipe-on-guard-pumpkin-smoothie/#sthash.yHtRaELF.dpuf

Stuffed Jalepeno Peppers

Cocktail party potluck part two ... being grain free with competing food allergies I always like to bring a couple options to any potluck so I can be assured to at least be able to eat a 'sweet' and a 'savory' item of choice. So last week I shared our Stuffed Strawberries and Figs with you and forgot to share our 'savory' offering ... Stuffed Peppers. I made two versions one 'mild' and the other 'El Diablo spicy' for myself who loves things SPICY! 

What you need

• 12 Jalapeno peppers  and 12 mini red or yellow peppers OR 24 of one version
• 1 pound of ground Italian sausage ... I love Johnsonville because it is gluten free and comes in HOT version as well as a MILD 
• 1 package of cream cheese 
• 1/2 cup of mozzerella shredded
• 1/2 cup of old nippy cheddar shredded     
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan shredded 
• Rubber gloves - optional. This is to protect your skin from the jalapeno oil cause if you seed bare handed you WILL get hot pepper oil in places you do not want it even when you wash your hands it hangs on for a long time. Trust me here!

 What you do

•  Cook the Italian sausage ~ I use mild when I am making these for company cause not everyone can manage the hot. Drain in a strainer to remove all the fat ~ I use a paper towel to press out as much as possible.
• Don your gloves Slice your peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds while the sausage simmers.
• Place peppers onto a flat stone or bake-ware
• Once sausage is cooked and drained return to the stove and over the burner that it was on but with it 'off' use the remaining heat to mix in the cheeses. First the cream cheese until its evenly distributed and than the shredded. You do not want the shredded to be fully 'melted' but enough to help you 'stick together' some of the meat to fill the poppers.
• Using a spoon scoop and fill each pepper with the sausage and cheese mixture until they are all full. If you have leftover mixture that wont fit it tastes yummy in an omelet.
• Once all stuffed bake in the over on 350F until the peppers are el dante and the cheese is starting to brown.
• I serve with additional 'hot sauce' for the daring!

 My spouse also loves these 'leftover' as a tasty snack ~ he eats them cold right out of the fridge.


Have an amazing day!
Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much 

Totallyawake4-life 

Buffalo Wings Cauliflower Style

Spicy Buffalo Cauli-Wings

OK ~ so my mission as we wrap up the last quarter of 2015 is to actually tick off all the 1000's of  recipes I have 'pinned' and see how they fair. I have been eyeing all the Buffalo Cauli-Wings that show up in my feed and seeing as trying to add more veggies to my diet now that I am going grain free I thought why not?

Except all the recipes I have pinned have some sort of 'batter' on the veggies and well right now I am trying to loose weight so 'batter' is not an ideal addition to my dinner plate ~ so using their inspiration I created my own quick and easy version ... chopped the head of cauliflower to bite size and tossed it in the bowl with about a 1/4 cup of Red Hot's Original Tabasco sauce and a tablespoon of Epicure Poco Picante Salsa  layered them onto a cookie sheet covered with Parchment paper and baked for 20 minutes on 450F and than 3 minutes on broil at the end to help caramelize the sauce!

Ingredients

• 1 Head Cauliflower ~ rinse and chopped bit size
• 1/4 cup Red Hots Original Tabasco sauce
• 1 tablespoon  Poco Picante Salsa

Instructions

• Rinse and chop cauliflower to bite size
• Toss in a bowl with the Tabasco and salsa seasoning 
• Bake for 20 minutes at 450 F
• Broil for 3 minutes to caramelize the sauce
• Serve with your choice of side

These were VERY tasty and totally hit that 'chicken wing' craving for me and for those who are doing it totally #21DayFix approved recipe! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Much, Love Often

totallyawake4-life.com