Cooking with Essential Oils: Escalopes à la Crème

When I was in my 20s, I spent some time in Switzerland and was introduced to this wonderful dish.  It's one of my kids favorites.  I love it because it's yummy and so easy to make.

Escalopes à la Crème:
4 chicken tenders, cooked and diced
1 quart heavy cream
4 Tbsp Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard
Salt and Pepper
1 carton Fresh mushrooms -sliced
Lemon Essential Oil or Real Lemon
Cooked Rice (3 cups uncooked rice + water)

Grill chicken in a little bit of butter on the stove top.  Remove from pan and dice.  In same pan, add heavy cream and mushrooms.  Cook for a few minutes over medium high heat until mushrooms start to soften, just a little.  Add mustard, salt and pepper.  Add back in diced chicken.  Add 2-3 drops Lemon essential oil or 1 tsp Real Lemon.  Stir.  Serve over rice.  This recipe feeds our family of 5 with leftovers.  Enjoy!

Guacamole with Essential Oils

I love eating chips and guacamole.  Some people love chocolate or soda or candy, not me, I love my chips and guacamole.  A friend shared this yummy recipe with me that uses Lime and Cilantro essential oils.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.


Guacamole Recipe:
2 avocados (ripe)
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro or 1 drop Cilantro essential oil (1 drop creates a very strong cilantro flavor.  You may want to start with just dipping a toothpick in the cilantro essential oil and stirring that in.)
1/3 cup salsa
2 drops Lime essential oil

Peel avocados and mash in mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Chicken Lime Quesadillas

The other day for lunch we made Chicken Lime Quesadillas and they are now my favorite way to eat a quesadilla.

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 can black beans
1 can corn (drained)
1 toothpick dipped in Cilantro essential oil (or 1/2 cup chopped cilantro)
2 drops Lime essential oil
2 tomatoes
1 avocado
1 tsp olive oil
Diced onions (optional)
Tortillas
Shredded cheese

In a small bowl, add the olive oil.  Swirl the toothpick dipped in Cilantro essential oil in the olive oil.  Add the 2 drops of Lime essential oil.

In a medium size bowl, mix together the chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes and avocado.  Take the oil mixture and drizzle over the other ingredients.  Stir

Heat up griddle.  Place 1 tortilla on griddle and spread a small amount of black bean mixture on half of the tortilla.  Sprinkle cheese on the tortilla and fold.  Allow the tortilla to heat up and the cheese to melt.  Repeat with as many tortillas as desired.

This recipe makes about 10 tortillas, depending on how much you put in each one.

Enjoy!

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender is one of my favorite essential oils.  I use it all the time for so many things.  I like to make sure that I have extra bottles in my food storage so that I am never without my lavender.  Here are some great ways to use Lavender:

• Add a few drops of Lavender to pillows, bedding, or bottoms of feet for a restful night’s sleep.
  
• Keep a bottle of Lavender on hand for minor burns, cuts, and scrapes.
  
• Freshen your linen closet, mattress, car, or the air by combining Lavender with water in a spray bottle.
  
• Add to bath water to soak away stress or apply to the
  temples and the back of the neck to ease muscle
  tension.
  
• Use in cooking to soften citrus flavors and add a
  flavorful twist to marinades, baked goods, and desserts.
  
  

Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner

I'm trying really hard to get rid of the toxins in my home in an effort to create a healthier environment for my family.  I've switched out all my spray cleaners for safe and effective cleaners that I make with essential oils.

Here's the Toilet Bowl recipe:
1/4 cup Castille Soap (can get this either at Walmart or a Health Food Store)
1 3/4 cup water
2 T baking soda
5 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a metal bowl.  This is enough for 2 toilets.  Pour half into each toilet and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Scrub.  Let sit for 10 more minutes, or longer and then flush.

How well does it really clean?  Confession time: one of my toilets hadn't been cleaned for 3 weeks (yikes) and it sparkled when I was done scrubbing it.  I felt like it did just as good a job as Clorox without any toxic fumes.  So next time you have to clean, try this easy and safe alternative, your lungs will thank you.

Also, if your kids clean the bathroom, they can now safely clean the toilets without being exposed to dangerous fumes.

Non-Toxic Cleaning

A few months ago I started doing some research on the harmful effects of the cleaners that I was using in my home.  I was shocked at what I found.

"Research tells us that ingredients in common cleaning products are associated with asthma, endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects, neurological and respiratory disorders and more"(Studies of Health Impacts Associated with Cleaning Products)

"When we look at what is causing prevalent childhood diseases such as allergies, autism and asthma, we're finding that genetics is only part of the story.  Today, we have sophisticated scientific research tools that show us that childhood exposures to chemicals found in everyday common household products can be permanently affecting a child's health and brain development." (Dr. Philip Landrigan, renowned pediatrician and director of

Mount Sinai's Children's Environmental Health Center in New York)

Dr. Landrigan works with Healthy Child Healthy World, a nonprofit organization that strives to protect children from harmful chemicals.  Read more at www.heathychild.org

Did you know that air fresheners are also incredibly toxic?  They contain chemicals called phthalates.  The EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services has labeled some types of phthalates as "probably carcinogens".  Studies suggest that "high exposure to certain kinds of phthalates can cause cancer, developmental sex-hormone abnormalities(including decreased testosterone and sperm levels and malformed sex organs) in infants, and can affect fertility" (http://www.today.com/id/26903507/ns/today-green/t/dirty-truth-about-cleaning-products/#.UpOHIWRgaqx and http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/allergy-and-asthma/articles/2008/07/25/health-hazards-in-household-cleaners-exposed)

I honestly had no idea that I was exposing myself and my family to so many potential health problems.

We decided to "clean up our act" and get rid of the toxic cleaners.  I was surprised at how simple and inexpensive it was to make non-toxic cleaners.  We used ingredients that were already in our home and essential oils.  

Here are some of my favorite cleaning recipes 

Air Freshener
Fill 2 oz glass bottle with distilled water.  Add 6 drops total of any combination of oils that you like.  I like Lime + Peppermint.  Shake the bottle before spraying.

This air freshener does an incredible job at getting rid of smells.  It can be used in the bathroom, in your home or at work.  

Soft Scrub for Tile, Counter and Toilet

3/4 rounded cup baking soda

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon vinegar

5-10 drops Lemon essential oil.

All Purpose Cleaner

Fill an 8 oz glass bottle with distilled water.  Add 2 Tablespoons Vinegar and 3-5 drops of essential oils of your choice

Ideas: 

Lavender and Lemon, 

Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Orange or

Grapefruit  

According to WebMD, "These products [antibacterials and harsh cleansers] don’t work any better than their natural or non-toxic counterparts, and they damage the environment and potentially place our long-term health at risk" http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/green-cleaning.

So next time you reach for your traditional toxic cleaner, think twice about the harm you are causing to your body and the environment.  Just think of this as one more little step toward staying healthy.  It's worth the small effort.

Happy Cleaning!

Wallpaper Remover

Have you ever had to remove wallpaper from a wall?  If your wallpaper is old or you have a lot of wallpaper, it can be a daunting chore.  I've removed quite a bit of wallpaper in the homes that we have remodeled over the years.  Back then I had the option of steaming, using chemical solvents, or using fabric softener.  I've tried all three techniques with some degree of success and failure.

The other day I discover my new favorite wallpaper remover.  Lemon essential oil!

My friend had a wall in her kitchen that was covered with blue flowered wallpaper.  She had tried removing the wallpaper with fabric softener and was not having much luck,  in fact, she was ready to knock down the wall instead of removing the wallpaper.  I decided to intervene and help her out.

I brought over an 8-ounce glass spray bottle full of water and added 5 drops of lemon essential oil.  I shook it up and then sprayed it on the paper and voila!, the paper stared coming off.  Not only did it work, but it smelled amazing.  

Lemon is a great wallpaper remover because it breaks down petrochemicals.  Lemon is also great for removing gum from hair and removing permanent marker.

So next time you need to remove wallpaper, use lemon essential oil, a safe and effective alternative.