This shortbread recipe is one of my favorites. I love it with essential oil flavors or just plain vanilla. Sometimes I dip half of each cookie in chocolate. I have included the chocolate coating recipe in case you want to do that. It’s a fun option. 😉


Lemon Vitality Essential Oil Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Vitality Shortbread Cookies


2 cups blanched almond flour
½ cup einkorn flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup Swerve or Monk Fruit (I always do a blend of 2 natural sweeteners)
½ cup salted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl combine almond and einkorn flour, salt and baking soda.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together Swerve, butter and vanilla
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Place dough in the center of a large piece of parchment paper and form into a large log approximately 2½ inches in diameter
5. Place in freezer for one hour, until firm, unwrap and cut into ⅛ inch thick slices
6. Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet
7. Bake at 350° until lightly golden, 7-10 minutes
8. Cool and serve
Makes 24 cookies


To make Lemon Vitality Shortbread Cookies, use Lemon Vitality Oil

Add 2 or 3 drops of Vitality Essential Oils of whatever flavor you want:
Lemon, Orange, Lime, Lavender, Peppermint, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cinnamon
Adjust drops to desired taste.


Option: Sometimes I dip half of each cookie in chocolate. Here is the recipe I use for the coating:


Chocolate Coating:
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces food grade cocoa butter
6 Tablespoons Swerve or other sugar substitute
1/4 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a chocolate melter or double boiler, melt all chocolate coating ingredients together. Dip cookies in the chocolate halfway covering the cookie.



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school-young-living-essential-oilsIt’s back to school season again. With that comes more exposure to whatever will be going around this season. You will want to support your family’s healthy immune system all seasons, but especially during the school year. NingXia Red and Thieves products are a great way to start.

NingXia Red is a powerful antioxidant drink that contains whole Ningxia wolfberry puree and a super blend of blueberry, aronia, cherry, pomegranate, and plum juices, natural stevia extract, grape seed extract, vanilla extract, and orange, yuzu, lemon, and tangerine essential oils. Its health benefits include support from head to toe, via a whole body nutrient infusion.

Thieves Products
Thieves essential oil is a powerful combination of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary essential oils. Inspired by the legend of four 15th-century French thieves who formulated a special aromatic combination composed of clove, rosemary, and other botanicals used while robbing the dead and dying, this blend is a main ingredient in all the Thieves products.

All of the Thieves Products are essential to have on hand all year but especially when you have a bunch of kids in close contact. Diffusing Thieves oil and rubbing it on the feet in the morning before going to school and at night before bed is a great way to support healthy immune systems. Thieves Vitality can be consumed internally as a supplement in capsule, in NingXia Red or other beverages.

Keeping hands clean is an important part of protecting your immune system. Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier , Thieves Bar Soap and Thieves Foaming Hand Soap are powerful tools for keeping hands clean.

Washing your hands with soap and water isn’t always an option. Kids can carry Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier to school in their back pack for a gentle, skin-friendly way to clean their hands with the power of Thieves oil!

Thieves Household Cleaner – An all-purpose, environmentally friendly cleaner with lemon essential oil for added cleaning power. Keeping surfaces clean is important when defending a healthy immune system.

Thieves Spray – comes in a convenient, 1-ounce, take-anywhere spray bottle. It is ideal to clean surfaces where multiple hands touch.

Spritz on countertops, lunch tables, door handles, armrests, mouse and keyboards, toilet seats, and any surface that needs
cleansing to protect from dust, mold, and undesirable microorganisms.

Thieves Wipes are also wonderful for cleaning surfaces as well as keeping hands clean.

Citrus oils such Lime help support the body’s natural defenses. Plus, the fresh, vibrant citrus scents can also help boost your mood.

Support respiratory health with Breathe Again Roll-On.

There is often anxiety on returning to school at the beginning of a new year. There are always many changes: New teachers, new classes, peer pressure, worries about fitting in, bullies, studying for tests, and the list goes on.

Stress Away Roll-On can be used in the morning before heading off to school or after school to unwind from a stressful day. Apply generously to wrists, temples, neck, or any desired area as needed.

Clarity supports alertness and clear thinking when studying and taking tests. Put a couple drops on your hands, rub hands
together, cup your hands over your nose and deeply inhale, then add a drop to each temple. You can also diffuse Clarity.



Back To School Focus Roller
15 drops Cedarwood
15 drops Lavender
15 drops Vetiver
1 TBS carrier oil – grapeseed or coconut oil mix oils together in a roller bottle.



GeneYus is a sweet blend of Spearmint, Peppermint, Tangerine, and other essential oils that’s great for young minds that are focusing on projects. Apply GeneYus to your child’s wrists or back of neck before he or she heads off to school to encourage their efforts.

Joy oil is very mood uplifting. If the children are feeling bummed out because the summer is over and they have to get back into the grind of the school schedule, Joy oil may be helpful in lifting their spirits. Start the morning off on a good note by diffusing a little Joy essential oil blend in the morning as children are getting ready for school.

Motivation may help with fear and procrastination and stimulate feelings of moving forward to accomplish new things. This is always a good one when starting a new school year or any other project.

You could also drop add a couple drops of essential oil onto a diffuser necklace for your child to wear while at school. Clarity, Motivation, Joy, Stress Away are a few options.

Healthy Snacks:

Wolfberry Crisp Bars – Includes whey protein crisp and pea protein crisp, einkorn flour, grains, fruits, nuts and whey coated in chocolate.

NingXia Zyng – Skip the vending machine snack and sip a chilled NingXia Zyng and a Wolfberry Crisp Bar.

Swap NingXia Zyng for conventional carbonated beverages in your office refrigerator. You won’t miss the soda fix! Keep
NingXia Zyng chilled for an extra-invigorating way to start the morning.

Add a tube of NingXia Nitro to your can of NingXia Zyng for a sweet twist that supports cognition.



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summer-travel-essential-oils200x150What oils do you like to keep on hand for the summer months? Essential oils are amazing in all seasons but I find them especially useful when traveling. I have lots of oils in my summer survival kit but here are a few of my top favorites.


Lavender – Diffuse for a comforting and calming scent. Unwind by adding a few drops to a nighttime bath. Diffuse for a fresh, clean scent and to eliminate odors.

LavaDerm After-Sun Spray
This naturally derived after-sun spray offers temporary relief from the pain and itching of minor burns, minor cuts, sunburns, scrapes, insect bites, and minor skin irritations, so your family can keep playing all day.

Using menthol from mint, this spray soothes and cools the skin. Plus, its moisturizing qualities—from ingredients such as aloe, Lavender essential oil, and Helichrysum essential oil, also, help prevent peeling from sunburn and leave skin feeling soft and smooth instead of tacky or sticky. With a vegan-friendly formula and made without alcohol, synthetic fragrances, or synthetic colorants, LavaDerm After-Sun Spray is ready for the whole family to use at the beach, on a hike, or during any outdoor play time.

Formulated without alcohol, parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, animal-derived ingredients, synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, or synthetic colors.


Lavender and Peppermint Foot Soak
2 drops Lavender
2 drops Peppermint
2 drops chamomile
Cool, soothe and relieve your feet after a long day. Add essential oil blend to a large bowl of warm water. Soak your feet for at least 10 minutes. You could layer those oils on the bottom of your feet as an alternative.

Citronella
This is an essential oil that is awesome to have for summer activities to help keep pesky bugs from bothering you during fun summer activities.
Wear Citronella when you are out planting your garden or having summer fun. Using your diffuser on the patio instead of a citronella candle is a healthier way to go. Citronella candles are usually full of harsh petrochemicals and synthetic citronella!

Purification – Apply topically to enjoy the outdoors annoyance free. Add to distilled water in a small spray bottle and use when traveling to freshen the air and eliminate odors.


Thieves – Supports healthy immune function.


Di­Gize – Add to a gel capsule. Add 2 drops DiGize™ and 1 drop Peppermint to water for a stimulating beverage. Use with every meal along with Essentialzyme­s-4. Use as a dietary supplement in water when traveling abroad. Add 2­–3 drops to honey for a tasty snack.


PanAway – Apply topically after exercise or a long day walking.

Insect Repellent
Young Living’s Insect Repellent is clinically tested to repel mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas using only 100 percent naturally derived, plant-based ingredients.


You can use it on your little ones and not worry about the synthetic chemicals used in many traditional repellents. You’ll also love the pleasant, citrusy aroma and smooth, non-greasy, non-sticky application.


Cel-Lite-Magic Massage Oil
Are your legs ready for summer? Cel-Lite Magic Massage Oil tones and nourishes the skin with pure vegetable oils, vitamin E, and authentic essential oils. Grapefruit oil improves the appearance of skin texture, while Juniper oil helps cleanse.


Cel-Lite-Magic is so good for the back of those legs. Use it with a cellulite brush or roller you can find on amazon. Or use your FasciaBlaster if you have one.


After a hot shower or bath, gently pat skin it dry and immediately apply Cel-Lite-Magic to both thighs and rub vigorously with a FasciaBlaster or your knuckles and fingertips in a back and forth motion for 5-10 minutes. Apply once a day for up to 2 weeks then rest for one week. Drink at least 80 ounces of water per day during application days or no less than half your body weight in ounces.


Mineral Sunscreen Lotion
Made with ingredients you can feel good about, Young Living’s Mineral Sunscreen Lotion provides protection against UVA and UVB rays without harsh chemical ingredients. Instead, it offers broad-spectrum SPF 10 protection using naturally derived plant- and mineral based ingredients, including non-nano zinc oxide—a physical UV blocker. Formulated to smooth onto skin easily without a white residue, this lightweight, non-greasy lotion lets you get back to enjoying the sunshine.


For those days when you do too much in the garden or play too hard:

Cool Azul Essential Oil Blend includes the light aroma of Dorado Azul and the warm fragrance of Plectranthus Oregano (both Young Living exclusive oils), along with Peppermint, Wintergreen, Sage, Copaiba, Blue Cypress, Elemi, and other oils. Cool Azul is ideal for use before, during, and after physical activities.


Cool Azul Pain Relief Cream provides cooling relief from minor muscle and joint aches, arthritis, strains, bruises, and sprains. Our plant-based formula combines the power of Wintergreen essential oil with our exclusive Cool Azul essential oil blend. With two powerful, synergistic active ingredients, this cream provides pain-relieving benefits in two ways: methyl salicylate found in Wintergreen helps alleviate pain deep in the muscles and joints, and natural menthol found in Peppermint provides a cooling effect.


Cool Azul Sports Gel delivers a cooling sensation to the skin with a unique, plant-based formula that includes pure essential oils. With over 10 ml of Essential Oils, Cool Azul Sports Gel contains an unparalleled amount of essential oils: a full 10 percent of the formula! That means that each 3.4-oz. tube contains enough essential oils to overfill a 10-ml bottle. This amount is significantly higher than similar products on the market, more than 2–3 times as much in some cases.


The formula features 13 distinct essential oils that work together for a power-packed essential oil: Young Living exclusive Dorado Azul, Peppermint, Wintergreen, Sage, Copaiba, Plectranthus Oregano, Tea Tree, Lavender, Blue Cypress, Elemi, Caraway Seed, Vetiver, and German Chamomile. The base ingredient in our Cool Azul Sports Gel formula is aloe vera, while other comparable products use water as their main ingredient. This gives Cool Azul Sports Gel a thicker base, while giving you the smooth, cooling hydration of aloe vera.


Cool Azul Sports Gel conveniently fits in a purse or gym bag, so whether your day is spent at an amusement park or running a marathon, you can easily keep a tube with you.

Peppermint is very stimulating and wonderful for those summer days that are full of busy activities. Inhale it & put a drop or 2 on your big toes. Put a couple drops of peppermint in water and drink it. Always use essential oils in glass containers.

Digestion: Peppermint or DiGize. Put a few drops in an empty capsule and take internally after a heavy meal. Rub 4-6 drops in the palm and rub over stomach and around the navel.

AromaEase or Peppermint for those times when you want to read while riding in the car. Or if you get motion woozy when in a boat or plane. Put a drop of peppermint on your tongue, then on your hand and inhale it.
Another way is to rub several drops of peppermint on the abdomen.

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There are a lot of things that can disrupt a good night’s sleep. This is especially true during busy stressful times of the year. Tight schedules, rushing here and there to get things done, people are stressed out in general these days. After a busy day running around, you have tense muscles and to top it off, these stressful, busy days are the times when you may grab quick foods that aren’t the best option. All of this can interfere with a good night’s sleep.

We have all the felt the effects of sleep deprivation: that zombie-like feeling that consumes us the moment we roll out of bed. Our eyes are heavy, we can’t think straight, everything in a blur. Like mechanical robots, we go about our day not fully comprehending what is going on around us.

The negative effects of sleep deprivation are quickly becoming an alarming issue. According to a recent poll, 58 percent of adults in the US experience sleep problems several nights a week.

Sleep-deprived individuals find it hard to concentrate or feel productive during the day. Perhaps worst of all, more and more are driving drowsy. In fact, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 100,000 of reported crashes occur as a result of drowsiness.

Getting a good night’s sleep is important for mental health and normal functioning, but it’s pertinent for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some natural tips for a good night’s sleep during stressful times:

Keep your bedtime routine consistent.

Remove televisions, computers, phones, and unnecessary lighting.

Eliminate Caffeine and Sugar after 12 noon.

Add essential oils to your routine. Here are a few ideas:

Take a Lavender Bath – a few drops of Young Living St. Marie’s Lavender essential oil in your tub!

Put essential oils on your feet before you go to sleep. I keep RutaVaLa, Cedarwood and Lavender essential oils next to my bed so I can apply before I go to sleep.

Ruta is an oil that Gary discovered and distilled in Ecuador. VaLa stands for Valerian and Lavender. So RutaVala is a combination of Ruta, VALERIAN, and Lavender in a super awesome blend!
RutaVala 5ml, Order Code: 3419

I am so impressed with the oil blend RutaVala. If you haven’t tried it yet, I really encourage you to do so. RutaVaLa supports relaxation of the body and mind. It is wonderful for supporting a good night’s sleep. I keep a bottle of it next to my bed and use before bedtime or if I wake up in the night and can’t get back to sleep.

Gary recommended applying RutaVaLa on the brainstem is a good place to put the oil. This is the back of the neck, on the soft spot before base of skull (hits neurotransmitters) It is so calming and relaxing.

How to Use RutaVala:
-l5-20 drops in water or empty capsules. (although some people feel effect with just 2 to 3 drops in water)
-bottom of feet
-back of neck
-breathe
-put on temples
–Use with raindrop, massage, auricular application.

Layering the essential oils of Raindrop Technique on the bottom of your feet before bed time can be a nice support for restful sleep.

Since you end up going 6–8 hours without any liquid at all, drinking water throughout the day and before you hit the sack is essential to keeping yourself hydrated. Try adding Young Living Lavender Vitality essential oil to your water or herbal tea for a calming influence. Aim for an hour before bed, so you aren’t waking up in the middle of the night for a bathroom trip.

Young Living Sleep Essential Oils

Take Young Living SleepEssence 30-60 minutes before bed time. SleepEssence combines Lavender, Vetiver, Ruta and Valarian essential oils with melatonin to support a good night’s sleep.

Make a Relaxation Roll-On:

Mix 25 drops each of Valerian, Vetiver, Cedarwood, and Geranium essential oil in an empty 15-ml bottle, then fill it to the top with V-6 Vegetable Oil Complex or other carrier oil, then add the roller top. You can buy roller tops from Young Living. AromaGlide Roller Fitment (ITEM # 4578)

Diffuse Young Living Lavender, Stress Away, or your favorite blend of essential oils with comforting aromas as you prepare for bed. Rubbing a couple drops between your palms and brushing them over your pillow can also boost the relaxing aromas and can make jumping into a cloud of pillows and blankets feel extra luxurious.

Diffuse your favorite Valerian infused essential oil blend in the evening before retiring for bed.
Here is a diffuser blend I love:
4 drops Valerian
3 drops Lavender
3 drops Tangerine

Treat yourself to a soothing massage with Valerian essential oil after an exhausting workout or a long day at work. Valerian’s grounding aroma is also perfect for relaxing while you massage sore muscles, achy feet, or a tight neck.

Marjoram is an wonderful essential oil for relaxing muscles – and relaxing the brain. Apply 1-2 drops over the brainstem (the soft semi-circle at the base of the skull in the middle at the back) and on the temples and cup hands over nose, inhaling deeply 6-8 times.

Make a home made linen Spray by combining water and a few drops of your favorite calming essential oil in a glass spray bottle. Spray over sheets. Lavender, Peace & Calming, Tranquil are a few possibilities.

Add some relaxing oils to your nightly moisturizing routine. Combine Valerian with your favorite skin-care products for a natural yet bold scent.

Add one drop of Cedarwood and one drop of Valerian oil to a pump of body cream before applying to dry areas of the body.
Create a homemade dry-skin face serum with one drop each of Valerian, Rosemary, and Lavender, and a few drops of jojoba—or your favorite light carrier oil. Rub into your face at night to help alleviate dry skin.

Relaxing Whipped Body Butter

1 cup organic coconut oil
1 cup organic solid cocoa butter (do not use lotion)
15 drops of your favorite essential oil – Cedarwood, Lavender, Frankincense, Valarian, Tangerine, Peace & Calming, Tranquil are a few possibilities.

Warm a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, then add coconut oil and cocoa butter. Melt until completely liquefied, about 4–5 minutes.
Pour into a glass mixing bowl and place in refrigerator for 30–45 minutes to cool and just set but not harden.
Stir in essential oils.
Using an electric hand mixer, whip until firm peaks form, about 10 minutes.
Gently transfer to a seal-able jar or container. Store at room temperature to avoid melting or solidifying.

Lavender Cedarwood Essential Oils Sleep

Have you used essential oils in the laundry?


Ditch the harsh chemical dryer sheets and switch them for something natural and chemical free! Wool dryer balls dry and soften your clothes faster, without using chemically loaded dryer sheets or fabric softener.


Did you know that dryer sheets are loaded with harsh chemicals? Sure they make your clothes smell nice but that scent is actually synthetic and could contain up to 200 different chemicals. Dryer sheets have been linked to asthma, allergies and even respiratory issues and skin problems. Not to mention, the ingredients found in chemical softeners and dryer sheets are not environmentally friendly and can be quite harmful.

Dryer Balls with Essential Oils
You will LOVE the way wool dryer balls will fluff your clothes and you can use them to infuse your laundry with essential oils!


To help with static, use white vinegar and 2 metal safety pins.


Using white vinegar in the dryer is great trick for eliminating static. You can simply spray a clean washcloth, sock, pre-cut piece of cloth, or dryer balls with vinegar and a few drops of Tea Tree, Lavender, Lemon, Bergamot, or other essential oils. This item is then tossed into the dryer with everything else.


You can also pour about 1/4 c. of white vinegar into the fabric softener dispenser on your washing machine. You can’t smell the vinegar.


Another trick to help cut down on static is to pin two safety pins on two different items in the dryer. I have seen people attach the safety pins to 2 of the wool dryer balls.


Click HERE to Order Young Living Essential Oil Blends for cleaning, laundry and lots of other awesome uses.

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