Abundant Health™ Blog

February 25, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

Herbed Chicken and Veggie Wraps

These delicious wraps make a wonderful healthy lunch or a great appetizer for a party! They are super easy to make and are full of vibrant colors. You can make them just like we did or try different toppings. Try your favorite mix of meats, cheese, and veggies for a customized, delicious meal!
Wrap-2-AH

Herbed Chicken and Veggie Wraps

Servings: Yield=3 wraps | Time: 20 minutes active | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 Tbsp. ranch dressing
  • 1 drop rosemary essential oil
  • 3 tortillas or flat bread
  • 1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
  • 1 tomato, thinly sliced and sprinkled with salt
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced and sprinkled with salt
  • 1 cup fresh spinach

Instructions:

  1. Stir together ricotta cheese, ranch dressing, and rosemary essential oil in a small bowl.
  2. Spread ricotta mixture on tortillas.
  3. Layer the tortillas with chicken, tomato, avocado, and spinach.
  4. Roll tortillas tightly.
  5. You can eat the wrap as is, or your can slice it in 1 inch increments to make pinwheels (the pinwheels are perfect for serving as a party appetizer).
  6. Enjoy!

AH-Wrap-3

February 20, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Enjoy this delicious honey butter with a slice of bread or a warm dinner roll.

Honey-Butter

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Servings: 10–12 | Time: 10 minutes active | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter (softened)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 toothpick cinnamon essential oil

Instructions:

  1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth.
  2. Add honey, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and blend until well combined.
  3. Dip a toothpick into the cinnamon essential oil, and then swish the toothpick around in the butter mixture. Mix to incorporate.
  4. Serve with warm rolls or bread.

February 18, 2016
by Abundant Health™
6 Comments

Moisturizing Shampoo with Essential Oils

Would you like to try making your own shampoo? This recipe combines the grease-cutting properties of Castile soap with the moisturizing properties of coconut milk. We also added a little honey, jojoba oil, and vitamin E oil to nourish and strengthen your hair. And, of course, the essential oils you add will increase the benefits this shampoo gives your hair.

Some great essential oil combinations include the following:

  • 8 drops each of lemon, lavender, melaleuca, and rosemary essential oils (great oils for dandruff)
  • 12 drops clary sage, 8 drops lavender, and 8 drops orange essential oil (great oils for fragile hair)
  • 8 drops each of rosemary, peppermint, cedarwood, and lavender essential oils (great oils for hair loss)
  • 10 drops peppermint and 15 drops lavender essential oil
  • 10 drops peppermint and 15 drops orange essential oil
  • 10 drops lavender, 15 drops lemongrass, and 8 drops lemon essential oil

AH_Shampoo

Moisturizing Shampoo with Essential Oils

Servings: Yield = 8 oz. | Time: 10 minutes active | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a bowl, and whisk until well combined. An immersion blender, BlenderBottle®, or regular blender may help with this step.
  2. Transfer shampoo to bottle.
  3. To use, shake to combine; then take a small amount (about 1 tsp.), and rub it into the scalp and down the hair follicles. Make sure to rinse well.

Note: If you find this shampoo leaves your hair a little greasy, you may want to mix together 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of water to use as a rinse after shampooing your hair.

February 16, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

Chicken Salad Croissants

Share your love of essential oils through food! These chicken croissants are so good, and they are a perfect finger food for a bridal shower, baby shower, family luncheon, or anything else.

Croissants-AH

Chicken Salad Croissants

Servings: Yield=9 croissant sandwiches | Time: 25 minutes active | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1 cups grapes, sliced
  • 1 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1 large chicken breast, cooked and diced
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 drops lemon essential oil
  • 2 Tbsp. ranch
  • Salt to taste
  • 9 small croissant rolls

Instructions:

  1. Combine the grapes, celery, and chicken in a medium-size bowl.
  2. Stir together the mayonnaise, lemon essential oil, and ranch.
  3. Stir mayonnaise mixture into the chicken mixture until well incorporated.
  4. Add salt to taste.
  5. Spoon mixture onto croissants, and serve!

February 12, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

White Chicken Chili

Warm up during the cold winter months with this healthy white chicken chili, infused with the health benefits of cumin, oregano, and lemon essential oils.

White-Chicken-Chili-DSC00919_export-H

White Chicken Chili

Servings: 8 | Time: 15 minutes active; 1 hour inactive | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • 4 cups cooked chicken, diced
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 3 cans white beans
  • 2 cans green chilies (4 oz. size)
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 2 tsp. chili powder
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
  • 2 drops cumin essential oil
  • 1 toothpick oregano essential oil
  • 2 drops lemon essential oil

Toppings:

  • Crushed tortilla chips
  • Grated cheese
  • Chopped green onion
  • Sour cream
  • Cilantro
  • Avocado
  • Salsa

Instructions:

  1. Pour olive oil into a large pot, and brown the onion over medium-high heat. Add celery, and cook slightly.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the essential oils), reduce the heat to low, and then let simmer for at least one hour. Remove from heat.
  3. Add essential oils, and let the flavors blend for at least 5 minutes before serving.
  4. To serve, place 2 Tbsp. of crushed tortilla chips and 2 Tbsp. of shredded cheese in soup bowls. Ladle in the soup. Top with additional crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, green onion, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, and salsa. Serve immediately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww5MpQ6enhA?rel=0

February 9, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

Strawberry Lemon Sweet Rolls for Your Valentine

Make something sweet for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day. These delicious sweet rolls will say “I love you” in a big way.

Rolls-3

Strawberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

Servings: Yield=16 sweet rolls | Time: 40 minutes active; 2 hours inactive | Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:

  • Sweet dough (see recipe below)
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
  • Strawberry filling (see recipe below)
  • Lemon frosting (see recipe below)

Instructions:

  1. On a floured surface, roll out sweet dough in a rectangle shape about 1/8 inch thick.
  2. Spread butter evenly across rolled out dough.
  3. Spoon strawberry filling onto dough, and spread evenly.
  4. Starting on one of the long ends, roll dough up tightly into one long roll. (Note: if a lot of the strawberry filling squeezes out while you are rolling, you can spoon some of it back on top of the sweet rolls before baking.)
  5. Using a long strand of dental floss, cut the rolls to about 1 inch thick, and place them in a greased baking dish.
  6. Cover the baking dish with a clean towel, and place strawberry rolls in a warm place to rise.
  7. Once the sweet rolls have doubled in bulk, bake them at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15–20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
  8. Allow the strawberry rolls to cool slightly, and then spread the lemon frosting on top.
  9. Serve warm or cold—either way is delicious!

Sweet Dough

Servings: 16 | Time: 25 minutes active; 2 hours inactive | Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 Tbsp. butter, softened
  • 2 1/2–3 cups flour
  • 1 egg

Instructions:

  1. In an stand mixer bowl with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water.
  2. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, and butter.
  3. Add 1 cup of flour and the egg to make a batter; mix for 1 minute.
  4. Add the remaining flour, and mix until well incorporated to form a soft dough.
  5. Remove dough from mixture, knead a few times, and then place in a greased bowl with a towel over it.
  6. Place dough in a warm place to rise until double in bulk.

Strawberry Filling

Servings: Yield=2 cups | Time: 20 minutes active | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups strawberries, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions:

  1. Place strawberries in a saucepan over medium heat, and warm until the berries start to release their juices, stirring frequently.
  2. Stir together the sugar and the cornstarch, and then stir them into the strawberries.
  3. Continue heating until the mixture start to thicken, stirring frequently.
  4. Remove from heat, stir in lemon essential oil, and place in the fridge to cool.

Lemon Frosting

Servings: Yield=Frosts 16 sweet rolls | Time: 10 minutes active | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1–2 Tbsp. milk
  • 3 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions:

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together melted butter and powdered sugar.
  2. Add lemon juice, and stir to incorporate.
  3. Add milk until you reach your desired consistency.
  4. Stir in lemon essential oil.
  5. Use to frost strawberry sweet rolls.

Strawberry-Rolls-Pan

February 8, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

Essential Oil Spotlight: Rose

iStock_000025760514_Small

Rose essential oil is steam distilled from the flowers of Rosa damascena, or the Bulgarian rose. Historically, rose was known for its healing properties and has been utilized in medicine throughout the ages. Some of the oldest uses of rose essential oil include digestive and menstrual problems, headaches and nervous tension, poor circulation, and fever.

Rose essential oil is commonly used to help with calming, poison ivy, relaxing, and scarring. The beautiful fragrance of rose essential oil is aromatically known to be stimulating and elevating to the mind and creates a sense of well-being.

Rose oil may also help with aging, asthma, chronic bronchitis, frigidity, gingivitis, herpes simplex, infections, skin disease, tuberculosis, ulcers, wounds, and wrinkles.

Rose is known for its antibacterial, antihemorrhaging, anti-infectious, aphrodisiac, and sedative properties as well as its powerful effect on emotional balance.

Would you like to learn more about rose essential oil? See the Reference Guide for Essential Oils for more information about this and many other pure essential oils.

Source: Reference Guide for Essential Oils, 2014 Edition, p. 116–117

February 4, 2016
by Abundant Health™
1 Comment

Romantic Cream Bath Salts

Do you and your spouse like to enjoy a romantic bath together? These bath salts will not only enhance the mood with the aroma of essential oils, but the cream will make your skin feel silky smooth! Add a few rose petals for the perfect final touch!

AH_RomanticCreamBath

Romantic Bath Salts

Servings: 1 | Time: 5 minutes active | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Epsom Salts
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 5 drops ylang ylang essential oil
  • 2 drops geranium essential oil
  • 2 drops rose essential oil
  • 2 drops orange essential oil
  • 1 drop sandalwood essential oil
  • 16 oz. PET Jar

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a 16 oz. PET Jar. Shake to combine.
  2. Place the jar under the water spout as you fill the bathtub, and let the water push all the ingredients out and disperse them throughout the bath.
  3. Add rose petals to the tub or candles around the room to enhance the mood.

January 28, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

Winter Wellness Diffuser Blend

Do you have the post holiday blues? Try this new diffuser blend; it’s sure to clear your head with its simple, peaceful aroma. Need a new diffuser? Click here to view our wide selection of diffusers to find the right one for you!

Winter-Wellness_diffuser-blend

January 27, 2016
by Abundant Health™
0 comments

Tools to Make an EO Life Easier: The Hole Punch

Today’s post in the series “Tools to Make an EO Life Easier” is about our Sample Vial Hole Punch.

AH_9576

This hole punch is the perfect size for attaching sample bottles (1/4 dram and 5/8 dram sizes) to any paper product.

AH_HolePunch1

If you have information about essential oils, you can use this hole punch to attach a sample vial to it and pass it along to someone who needs it. The hole punch works best with thicker paper, such as cardstock, photo paper, business cards, greeting cards, recipe cards, etc. You can even attach a sample bottle to a Mini Reference Card!

AH_HolePunch3

To assemble your sample cards, simply punch the card or paper you would like to share, and attach a ¼ dram or ⅝ dram sample vial through the hole by taking off the cap, sliding the neck of the vial through the hole, and putting the cap back on. For more accurate cuts, try using the hole punch upside down. It also has a lock on the bottom that accommodates for safe, stackable storage.

What would you attach a sample vial to?