Patriotic Shish Kebobs with Essential Oil Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3–4 drops of lemon essential oil

Instructions:

1. Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and lemon essential oil with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
2. Serve with your choice of fresh fruits (we used bananas, strawberries, and blueberries threaded on shish kebab sticks!).

Visit www.simplepleasure.biz for your essential oil needs.

Foods that you eat can trigger your allergies.

Are your allergy symptoms always awful? The foods you’re eating might be partially to blame. Many raw fruits and vegetables have proteins similar to those found in tree, grass and weed pollens, so your body responds to them in the same way.

Telltale signs of a so-called cross reaction with food or drink–which up to a third of people with seasonal allergies experience–include an itchy mouth and tongue and swollen lips. Consider cutting the following edibles from your diet (or peeling or cooking them before eating–which can reduce the effects) during allergy season to ride it out more comfortably.
• If you’re allergic to tree pollen, avoid almonds, apples, celery, cherries, hazelnuts, parsley and pears.
• If you’re allergic to grass pollens, avoid melons, oranges and tomatoes.
• If you’re allergic to weed pollens, avoid bell peppers carrots, celery, coriander, fennel, parsley and sunflower seeds.
• If you’re allergic to ragweed pollens, avoid bananas, cantaloupe, chamomile tea, cucumbers, honeydew, watermelon and zucchini.

Volumize Thin Hair the Natural Way

To maintain lustrous full locks, busy model, author and TV host Carol Alt tells us she uses a homemade rosemary mask. “I mix together 1 egg, half an avocado, ¼ cup of coconut oil and 15 drops of rosemary oil. I put the mixture on my hair and leave it for 20 minutes before rinsing with cool water,” she notes. “It keeps my hair looking shiny and vibrant."

Orange Probiotic Smoothie

This smoothie gets its health-promoting punch from probiotic-rich kefir. The bifidobacteria in yogurt and kefir has been shown to strengthen the intestinal wall, so undigested food particles and toxic waste can’t leach out of the gut and trigger fat-promoting cellular inflammation. In fact, Finnish researchers found that consuming this probiotic strain reduces the risk of weight gain by 22 percent.

Plus, the probiotic strain L. acidophilus in yogurt and kefir lowers levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone leptin, according to research in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The credit goes to the friendly bacteria’s ability to increase the absorption of hunger-satiating nutrients.

Here’s the yummy recipe:

1 medium orange, zested, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup plain kefir, or 1 (6 oz.) container orange yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

In blender, puree chopped orange, 1/4 tsp. orange zest, and remaining ingredients 30 sec. or until smooth.

Three things you should know before adopting a new pet.

3 Things You Should Know Before Adopting A Pet

Before you pick out your pet, read these tips from Lena C. France, DVM, the ALL YOU veterinary expert.

1. Get to know the breeds
Do research to figure out which breeds or mixes would be good fits for your family—and your home. Australian shepherds, for example, are smart, work-oriented and full of energy, so if you have a small apartment and a 9-to-5 job, you probably cannot give that kind of dog the space or people-time it needs.

2. Conduct a personality test
Many shelters have private rooms where you can interact one-on-one with a cat or dog. Take advantage of that, so you choose one that jibes with what you're looking for. If you have young kids, you'll ideally want an animal that seems pretty relaxed—anxious dogs might nip out of fear. But do keep in mind that it's stressful to live at a shelter, so timid animals could turn out to be social.

3. Look out for health issues
Sick pets need to find good homes, too. But if you think you won't be able to pay big vet bills right off the bat, check to see that the animal doesn't have watery eyes or discharge from the nose. In dogs, those symptoms can indicate canine distemper; in cats, they could signal feline herpes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

 

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb (about 3 stalks)

3/4 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced    

 

1 tablespoon lemon juice   

2 tablespoons cornstarch

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Mist with cooking spray.
2. Make crumb mixture: Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, combine butter, flour, salt, vanilla and 1 cup sugar until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread 1/2 of mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan and press down.
3. Make filling: Combine rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl. Spread evenly over crust in pan. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over fruit. Bake until bubbly and browned, 45 to 55 minutes. Let pan cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Using foil overhang, carefully lift bars out, peel back foil and cut into 9 squares. Serve at room temperature.

How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

Tossing and turning at night? You may be sabotaging your sleep cycle and not even know it. Learn what little changes will help you to clock the hours you need every night and wake up feeling refreshed every morning.

 

Skip Alcohol in the Evening

Your body has to work hard to digest alcohol, so you’re likely to wake up more often in the night—interfering with the deep, restorative stages of sleep your body needs to undo everyday damages. If you want to enjoy a glass of wine, have it with dinner or at least two hours before going to bed. Stop at one drink, so it will wear off by the time you lie down.

 

Check Your Medications

Numerous medications can disrupt sleep, including cold and allergy medicines. Review which ones you are taking and talk to your doctor to find out if the medications you take could be disrupting your sleep. Sometimes it may even be as simple as changing your dosing schedule.

 

Hit the Gym In the Morning

Working out too close to bedtime can be detrimental to your sleep cycle—your body temperature goes up, then doesn’t fall until about six hours later. Aim to work out at least four hours before bedtime. A mid-afternoon stroll can reduce stress, promote blood flow and oxygen all over your body and help you sleep through the night. Don't belong to a gym?

Make a Sleep Schedule

With a set schedule, the release of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, peaks at the same time every night, making it easier for you to fall asleep and sleep soundly. Don’t vary your routine by more than an hour on weekends or you may throw your circadian rhythms out of whack. Some people also find it helpful to keep a journal if you tend to ruminate in bed. You don't have to write down deep thoughts; spending even 5 to 10 minutes jotting down whatever is on your mind — stray to-dos, reminders — can help your brain deal with information overload.

 

Cut Caffeine

It’s not always obvious which foods and drinks contain caffeine. Read the product labels and avoid consuming caffeine after noon (once it’s in your body, it takes about six hours to eliminate just half of it).

Dim the Lights

Bright lights can delay the release of melatonin. Turn down the lights half an hour before bedtime. Put a nightlight in the bathroom and a dimmer switch in your kitchen, if you use the bathroom or get a drink during the night. Use blackout shades to block outside light.

 

Pass on Spicy Foods

Skip spicy foods if they give you heartburn; stomach-burning discomfort can keep you tossing and turning until morning. Try eating food that contains tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey, chicken, cheese, eggs and nuts.

 

Keep Pets Out of the Bedroom

As much as you love them, your pets' noises and movements can wake you up slightly without you realizing it. Keep pets out of the bedroom or at least off the bed. Run a fan or a white-noise machine to muffle their night sounds.

 

Get Balanced

Shifts in estrogen and progesterone during the premenstrual phase, pregnancy and perimenopause can alter the time you spend in the deeper stages of sleep. Talk to your doctor about different solutions such as low-dose birth control pills, hormone therapy or even something as simple as exercise to help regulate your hormones.

 

Night-Proof Your Partner

If your sleep mate’s tossing wakes you, place a large pillow between you or try a movement-absorbing foam mattress. If snoring is the problem, use earplugs or a fan to drown out the racket. Have him see a sleep specialist to treat (or rule out) apnea or restless leg syndrome.

 

Allow Time to Unwind

Hearing upsetting news (on the TV or radio), having difficult conversations, paying bills or checking e-mails before bed can hype you up. Instead, make a point of doing something relaxing, such as taking a warm shower or bath (afterward you experience a drop in body temperature that mimics the one you undergo during the early stages of sleep, making your drowsy) listening to soothing music, doing yoga or meditating, or reading a book.

Don't Hit the Snooze Button

By waking up and going back to sleep several times, you’re missing out on the opportunity to activate neurons that make you feel alert. Move your clock away from your bed so you’re forced to rise when it goes off—and then stay up.

 

 

Homemade Sunscreen

Homemade Sunscreen 1 Tbsp Shea Butter 3-5 drops Jojoba Oil 3-5 drops Vitamin E Oil 15 drops Lavender Essential Oil 10 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil 5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil 1 Tbsp Zinc Oxide Powder   Add coconut oil, Shea butter and jojoba oil to a double boiler. Heat on low until Shea butter is just melted. Remove from double boiler and allow to cool a little. Add zinc oxide powder, vitamin E oil, and essential oils. Stir well to combine. Store in a Dark Jar in the Fridge. Keeps 6 Months. Visit www.simplepleasure.biz for your essential oil needs.

Summer Essential Oil Blend

Yummy "Sweet Summer" Diffuser Blend:

 

4 Drops Tangerine

2 Drops Lavender

1 Drop Lime

1 Drop Spearmint

 

Combine all oils in your diffuser or in a spray bottle with water.

 

Visit www.simplepleasure.boz for your essential oil needs.

8 Essential Oils for Summer Vacations

AromaTouch Massage Blend

•After a long day of walking around sightseeing, this blend feels fabulous massaged into your legs and feet.
•Great to apply to your feet before a flight to help increase circulation. Right after you go through security is a great time to apply.
•Soothing in a bath after a day of travel to calm tension.

DigestZen Digestion Blend

•Great for motion sickness due to travel, amusement park rides, etc.
•Travel food can cause digestive upset and this blend is amazing to help restore balance to the system.

Peppermint

•Add a couple drops to a spray bottle and use to cool and uplift after a long day at the beach, in the sun at fairs, parades, and parks.
•Keep a spray bottle with a couple drops of peppermint in the car to freshen the air and uplift the mood of travelers on a car trip.

TerraShield Repellent Blend

•Great for keeping insects at bay during outdoor activities. I make a spray bottle with water and 40-50 drops or apply the blend directly to the skin with a carrier oil.
•Make a spray and use as a gardening help to deter insects and pests from your plants.
•Use indoors to keep insects away.

Melaleuca (Tea Tree)

•Great for minor skin irritations. You can make an “owie” spray with a couple drops of lavender and melaleuca in water. Keep with you hiking, camping, and other outings where irritation might occur.
•Apply directly for skin blemishes and breakouts.
•Use a carrier and apply to the chest or sinus area to help improve respiratory function.
•Great one to help enhance immunity and help you feel better.

Lavender

•Soothe mild sunburns and other occasional burns. You can make an “after-sun” spray with a couple drops of Lavender and Peppermint in water. Shake and spray after a day at the beach, swimming, or just being outside. Calms and soothes skin and feels great!
•Help skin recover quicker. Apply around the area or make an “owie” spray with melaleuca.
•Make a linen spray and spritz bedding in a hotel, tent, or other temporary room to promote a restful sleep in an unfamiliar place.

Lemon

•Combine 2 drops each of Peppermint, Lemon, & Lavender for seasonal threats. Great for when you are outside with pollen and other stressors.
•Lemon is a great oil to remove sticky things such as sap and sticker residue and markers and crayons. You never know when you’ll need this. I’ve used this on sap covered kid hands in the woods and permanent marker in a condo. It’s a lifesaver!
•Great one to spray rooms, cars, and enclosed spaces where the mood needs lifting. I keep a little tiny sprayer in my purse and use it a lot.

On Guard Protecting Blend

•This oil smells like fall with orange and clove, but it’s a great one to have handy during the summer months too. Keep a mini spray bottle with a couple drops of OnGuard to spritz down surfaces in public spaces.
•Use it daily to help maintain healthy immunity during the summer months, no one wants to get sick on summer break.
•Diffuse it to help energize and uplift.

Visit www.simplepleasure.biz for your essential oil needs.

Essential Oil Scents That Heal

Peppermint (Feel Alert)
Smelling peppermint essential oil made driver's perkier in one study.  In another, basketball players who sniffed peppermint oil had more energy and performed better.

Lavender (Sleep Better)
Research shows, it increases brain alpha waves associated with relaxation and might also alleviate PMS symptoms.

Ginger (Ease Nausea)
It reduced queasiness of all kinds.  Cancer centers use it for patients who've had radiation.

Grapefruit (Curb Appetite)
One study found that inhaling grapefruit oil aroma inhibited a key gastric nerve, dulling hunger pangs.

Eucalyptus (Stop Sniffles)
A study suggests it diminishes nasal congestion in people with sinusitis.