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Blue Moon CBD Infused Night Time Tea

Jessica Strimpfel

Ending a busy day with a steaming mug of sleep aiding tea is how I’ve ended most days for the past couple of years. There’s just something so comforting about the warmth and relaxation it brings and the herbs in them have great health benefits so it’s a 2 for 1! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how I love things that do double duty!

I make this part of my one hour wind down to get ready for bed and it has ended the suffering with insomnia I had for so many years. The other sleep inducing product I incorporated is a few drops of Nature’s Ultra CBD oil just before I get into bed. If you already know about CBD oil you can skip down to the recipe below. Otherwise, I encourage you to explore what CBD oil does for the body as it’s really quite amazing!

Nature’s Ultra CBD is the brand I use and trust because of the Young Living Seed To Seal promise to always use top quality organic farms to produce their products. I also love the added benefits of the oil being infused with essential oils to give a truly unique product. The Muscle Rub has made us feel like we are 25 and not nearing 50!

CBD (cannabidiol) is extracted from the hemp part of the plant and is free of THC. Hemp is not a controlled substance and offers no mind altering high. Our bodies have cannabinoid receptors that control physiological processes that are stimulated when you take CBD oil and promotes optimal functioning of the systems the receptors regulate. They’re most commonly in the central nervous system, but are also found throughout the body to play roles in fertility, hormone production, cardiovascular health, digestion, and the immune system.

What Can CBD Oil Improve?

Most people are surprised to learn what CBD oil can improve in the body. Here are just a few of the systems it can support and the functions it can improve when purchased from a reputable source in high quality oils and taken at the right dose.

Brain: Antipsychotic, Depression, Anxiety, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimers, Parkinson’s, and Glioblastoma (brain cancer)

Skeletal System: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic pain, and stimulates bone growth

Eyes: Repairs damage from glaucoma

Lungs: Anti-inflammatory and reduces Asthma symptoms

Cardiovascular/Blood: Prevents plaque build up in arteries, reduces hypertension, and improves Diabetes

Digestive: Crohn’s Disease, IBS, and GERD

Reproductive: Aids in relieving menstral cramps, is used in treatment for pain and reduction of Breast Cancer, Testicular Cancer, and Prostate Cancer.

I only use it at night to promote sleep, but as you can see, it’s doing so much more for my body! Melatonin can’t do all that!

How Do You Use CBD Oil?

The most common question is “How do I know how much to take?” and the answer is quite complex, but I’m here to help make it easy! CBD oil comes in different strengths and within each strength, dosing is broken down even further into fractions of a milliliter. Dosing is dependent on a lot of things such as weight, reason for taking it, and the strength of your CBD oil. Here’s an awesome CBD Dosage Calculator to help guide you to a good starting point for your body. You can even search for dosing by symptom or disease to target your specific health goal. The results are given as a 3 step suggestion of your recommended dose to help you increase as needed depending on the amount and strength of your CBD oil.

Blue Moon CBD Infused Night Time Tea recipe

CBD oil isn’t the star of the show, but it’s surely a major supporter in this tea. Since it’s an ingredient less known to the general public, I felt I should explain it more. The other ingredients in this tea are also amazing for your health. The Almond Milk is rich in calcium, which helps the brain produce more melanin. It also contains magnesium, which is important for sleep regulation. Butterfly Pea Flowers reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Chamomile Flowers are a mild sedative herb that induces sleep and decreases anxiety. Lavender Flowers also aid in relieving anxiety, relaxing the nervous system, and inducing sleep. Blue Spirulina is a potent source of Amino Acids that ease stress related inflammation, produces melatonin to aid in sleep, and contains Vitamin B1, Calcium, and Iron. Raw honey is good for allergies, enhances brain function, and has a host of healing properties. All of these combine to make a nutritious and mental health boosting bed time concoction! So I’ve combined my routine of a mug of bedtime tea and my dose of CBD oil into this amazingly beautiful sip of heaven based on a post I read.

** It does help you to drift off to sleep faster and sleep deeper. However, you’ll still be able to wake up to tend to children or use the bathroom if the need arises in the night.

  1. Steep 1 TBSP Butterfly Pea Flowers, 1 TBSP Chamomile Flowers, and 1 Tsp Lavender Flowers in 1 Cup of boiling water. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

2. While herbs are steeping, heat 1 Cup of Almond Milk and 1/4 Tsp of Blue Spirulina over medium heat and use a frothing whisk to blend them and create a foam.

3. Strain your herbs or remove your steeper from the tea and add 2 Tsp of honey and 10 drops of CBD oil to your tea.

4. Pour your tea mixture into 2 mugs. Pour half of the milk mixture into each one and watch as the colors blend to resemble a Blue Moon! Give a little stir to mix the two together, grab a comfy blanket, and enjoy with a good book or while watching some TV! If you suffer from anxiety, this is something you could make minus the chamomile that will help with naturally regulating your receptors.

I purchased my herbs and powders from Starwest Botanicals and various organic suppliers on Amazon. Nature’s Ultra CBD Oil is an affiliate link and I may receive commission for your purchases if using my link, but all opinions are my own from experience. Using my link allows you wholesale pricing at 20% off as seen below after your $35 Young Living membership of the Basic Starter Kit and yours truly to help you with all of your health goals! Let me know how I can help you accomplish a healthier, better you!

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The Coconut Oil Connection

Jessica Strimpfel

Coconut oil is quickly gaining popularity in the Western culture for health conscious eaters and for great reasons! The compounds in it aid in fat burning, gives quick energy to the body and brain, raises good LDL cholesterol reducing Heart Disease, is used as part of a treatment for drug resistant Epilepsy, and is used to reverse Type 2 Diabetes just to name a few!

Isn’t Coconut Oil A Saturated Fat?

Yes. Coconut oil is considered a Saturated Fat, but unlike regular Saturated Fats that have Long Chained Triglycerides, Coconut Oil is a Medium Chained Triglyceride. This means when eaten, they go straight to the liver and are converted to a quick source of energy as Ketones. They aren’t stored as fat like Long Chained Triglycerides.

Ketones are essential for proper body and brain functions which is why they are being used as treatment for Epilepsy, Alzheimers, and Type 2 Diabetes.

The Connection Between Ketones & Epilepsy

A Ketogenic diet has been used for over a century to successfully treat patients with drug resistant Epilepsy. This lifestyle change has been proven to significantly reduce the number of seizures and their severity.

Over 50% of children who go on a Keto Diet have AT LEAST a 50% reduction in the number of seizures they experienced. 10-15% of children became seizure free! In 2010 John Hopkins opened the first ever dedicated clinic to treat, teach, and study the effects of the Keto Diet on Pediatric Epilepsy!

For Adult Epilepsy further diet modification was necessary to achieve the same results. A diet that’s a cross between Keto and Atkins Diets was shown to reduce seizure rates in adults by more than 50% within a few months!

Ketones & Type 2 Diabetes

If you read my article on Deleting Diabetes, then you understand the importance of balancing your blood sugar to avoid Ketone build up in the blood which can lead to severe and fatal illness. By consuming healthy fats like Coconut Oil, you increase the body’s ability to use Ketones VS store them in the blood which turn to poison. Adding healthy fats to the diet acts as an appetite reducer therefore reducing cravings. Healthy fats also stimulate the body to burn off fat helping you to lose weight and fight obesity that creates insulin resistance. In short, they help regulate the blood sugar!

What Else Is Coconut Oil Good For?

Coconut Oil contains about 50% Lauric Acid. When digested, it’s converted to Monolaurin. Both Lauric Acid and Monolauric Acid are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial killing health compromising infections like Staphyloccos and Candida.

Coconut Oil also improves Calcium and Magnesium absorption. This is great for bone and dental health fighting Tooth Decay and Osteoporosis.

The Medium Chain Triglycerides we talked about earlier also raise good LDL Cholesterol and lower the bad reducing Heart Disease by decreasing the amount t of fat retained in the body.

It’s also really great for moisturizing and conditioning hair and skin!

Sweet Tooth Satisfaction

If you have a sweet tooth, it can be hard to keep to your Keto Diet. Here’s a delicious sweet treat that will tame that craving and provide you with some good healthy fats that come with all the great benefits of Coconut Oil!

Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

  • Bottom:
  • 2 TBSP Coconut Oil
  • 1/4 C Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 TBSP Honey
  • 1/4 Cocoa Powder

In a large bowl combine ingredients until smooth. Pour a thin layer into baking cups or a silicone mold. Freeze for 20 minutes.

  • Top:
  • 2 TBSP Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 C Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 TBSP Honey

Remove mold from freezer. In a medium bowl combine ingredients. Pour evenly over peanut butter base layer. Freeze until firm. Enjoy responsibly!

**Recipe courtesy of Health Coaching Institute.

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Hearty Immune Supporting Soup

Jessica Strimpfel

Empty desks and substitute teachers at school; Coworkers MIA for days. It’s cold and flu season folks! Time to boost your immunity! Whether you’re trying to fend off the virus or you’ve already been hit, cook up a batch of immune supporting soup. It’s packed full of good for you ingredients that’s sure to cure what ails you. As Ann Wigmore’s quote says “The food you eat can either be the safest & most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, rough chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into slivers
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1-1/2 cup bok choy, chopped (separate the stalk and leaves)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon curry
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
  • fresh chopped cilantro
  • fresh daikon or alfalfa sprouts

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot. Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, bok choy stalks, and ginger .
  • Sauté’ 6-7 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the garlic, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the curry powder, turmeric powder, chicken stock, Green leafy part of the bok choy, and chicken. Stir to combine.
  • Continue to cook until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
  • Ladle into bowls and garnish with daikon or alfalfa sprouts, and cilantro to serve.

For more healthy recipes, visit my friend and fellow blogger, Sarah at Fresh Foodie Mama!

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Is Your Home Being Greenwashed?

Jessica Strimpfel

The movement of “Green Cleaning” has been adopted by so many of us with the increasing reports of cancer causing agents found in most common chemical based household cleaners. What’s more likely to be an issue, however is the respiratory, hormone, and immunity effects these cleaners have on you and your children. Mayo Clinic reports decreased lung function due to using chemical household cleaners and another study is circulating reporting an equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day in individuals who have used common household chemical cleaners in their occupation or regularly in their home over a 10-20 year span. Of course there are always 2 sides to every story so let’s dig a little deeper.

So maybe you already know the dangerous side effects or potentially serious long term effects chemical cleaners can have and you’ve made the switch to a “green” or “natural” cleaning product line. Good for you! Feels good to have tossed out the scary products and replaced them with good smelling, products that are safe! Or did you?? You might have THOUGHT you were using a natural cleaner, but you could be a victim of greenwashing.

What’s Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is a term used when a green marketing campaign deceptively uses phrases or key words to promote the PERCEPTION that an organizations products, aims, or policies are environmentally friendly.

It goes way beyond companies that are labeling cleaning products in a way that make you THINK they are safer. There’s so much advertising about being an environmentally friendly eating establishment to draw in those who are advocates of saving the Earth and using resources wisely. They promote practices such as no longer offering plastic straws, but if you look behind the scenes you’ll see they aren’t recycling everyday items or are cleaning the dishes and tables you eat from with harmful chemicals. Even beyond that are major energy corporations marketing themselves as the first to use 100% renewable energy, yet they don’t advertise they are still providing fossil fuel energy as well making their claim to be fully reliant on renewable energy false. Greenwashing America.

The Face-off

So now you know that you need to dig a little deeper to find out if the products you use in your home are safe, at what level, and to check for greenwashing. Here are just a few ways you can do this. You can read and research every ingredient on a bottle to know if they are safe. Alternately, you can use an app like ThinkDirty to get a detailed explanation of what’s in the product and how safe it is much faster. Or you can go to the Environmental Working Group website and find out a whole lot about the safety of a certain product- not just cleaning products.

One product that I was greenwashed by was Mrs. Meyers Multi-surface Cleaner. I’ve seen so much advertisement about the green company and the products smell amazing! They advertise to be aromatherapeutic to boot and this one comes in basil scent. Well alright! Sounded good to me in the store. I later learned that aromatherapeutic isn’t really a term, the bottle says basil scented which should have been a red flag since we don’t use products with fragrance, and if I read the ingredients all the way I would have known the statement this cleaner is a “naturally fresh way to clean your home” wasn’t true at all. My mind was tricked by pairing aromatherapeutic with the big basil label in the center thinking it was essential oil based, not fragrance based. I also didn’t read past the first few ingredients so I didn’t notice all of the really bad ingredients were listed last. I understood this company to be a healthy alternative to what I was currently using so I wasn’t looking for the proof otherwise.

When I did some research on the products at the advise of a friend, I saw the score on ThinkDirty was 8 out of 10 and 10 is BAD! It’s high in fragrance and 11 of the 17 ingredients scored a C or D for health. It goes on to explain that a score in this range may cause hormone disruption, reproductive issues, systemic toxins, neurotoxins, triggers asthma, lowers immunity, and aids to allergy suffering. Only 4 ingredients are listed as safe- one of them being water! It also states it’s not considered a green cleaner.

I looked up the same product on the Environmental Working Group website and it scored it as a C. It reports some concern for asthma and respiratory safety, skin allergies, and irritation. It also goes on to report that it’s moderately unhealthy for the environment. The final statement says “May contain ingredients with potential for acute aquatic toxicity; nervous system effects, skin irritation, and allergies.” Wow! Okay, so that’s going in the trash too. What do I use now?

I had a packet of Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner that came with my essential oils kit that I never opened. I started looking at the ingredients and did some research to find out if this was just another ploy to greenwash America or if it could be a viable alternative to everything we’ve tried so far. What I found was pretty impressive. If you do a Google search for Thieves VS household cleaners, you’ll see thousands of experiments and research conducted to determine the effectiveness of essential oils used to clean even better than common household cleaners without the harmful effects.

Thieves Household Cleaner is derived of plant based ingredients (mostly from coconut) and essential oils of clove, lemon, cinnamon, rosemary, and eucalyptus. That’s it. No chemicals, no harmful side effects, no secrets about the safety of using it. On the contrary, it helps build your immune system because all of the essential oils used in it that naturally support immune health.

What’s even better, is this one cleaner can be used for all of your household cleaning needs. It can be diluted to clean glass and furniture, it can be amped up to clean greasy messes, and it can be added to an abrasive to get to scrubbing tough grime.

The best part about living in a technology era is the ability to have knowledge that gives you power to choose what’s best for you and your family. Using a better, safer product to clean your home may not prevent any of these health concerns from happening to anyone in your home, but for us we made the choice to give it our best shot to live our most healthy lives!



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3 Ways To Find Allergy Relief Naturally

Jessica Strimpfel

Some of you are still getting fresh blankets of powdery white snow, while those of us in the southern states are getting fresh blankets of billowing yellow as the tree pollen blooms. We don’t need a forecast to know allergy season is upon us. Itchy watery eyes, sneezing and runny noses are the new normal. Your automatic response is likely to reach for the allergy medicine you know best, but did know your body can become dependent on medications and cause reactions that mimic the need for the medication!? We used to reach for OTC allergy medications too, but after experiencing dependency and a host of side effects, we did research that lead to some natural alternatives. These alternative methods of relieving allergy symptoms have eliminated all OTC allergy medications, nasal sprays, and have kept allergy induced asthma under control for us any many people we’ve taught the power of the oils. We get questions of what we do for allergy relief so often, I thought I should write up a tutorial on it to help you get through this season too!

The essential oils of lavender, lemon, and peppermint are the most common essential oils for allergy relief and have been dubbed as The Allergy Trio for their combined power. However, some more severe allergy sufferers need a bit more of a boost with some essential oil helpers we’ll talk about in a bit. Let’s get started with finding some relief!

Allergy Relief Using Essential Oils Internally

If you’re a severe allergy sufferer, an allergy shot to you is going to the allergist every month to have an antihistamine injection. A natural alternative commonly referred to as an allergy shot is not painful and can be done in your own home. However, before you make any of these recipes, please be sure the oils you’re using are labeled as safe for applying to the skins and safe for ingestion.

We use Young Living Vitality oils for dietary support. They are the ONLY oils I use or recommend for internal use because of their seed to seal standards. Please do your own research to determine if what you’re using is safe and understand that results may vary if using other brands of oils.

Allergy Shot
Fill a shot glass with water or juice and add:
2 drops Peppermint Vitality  3 drops Lavender Vitality 3 drops Lemon Vitality

Drink it 1 to 2 times per day when you know allergy season is coming and continue through the season to manage allergy symptoms. For an added boost, make your allergy shot with Ningxia Red, like me!

Allergy Capsules

For those of you that don’t want to taste the essential oils or don’t want to take time to prepare the allergy shot, you can make capsules. You can make several at a time and freeze them, then just take one out each morning and night and swallow with liquid. Here’ what you need:

Empty Vegetarian Capsules 2 drops each Lavender Vitality, Lemon Vitality, Peppermint Vitality. Fill the rest of the capsule with fractionated coconut oil. Put the top on the capsule and store in a freezer safe jar. I use a mason jar to keep and keep in the freezer.

Topical Allergy Relief

The skin is the largest organ of the body and one we often overlook. Essential oils used topically enter the skin through the dermis and continue down through the capillaries into the bloodstream. They can also enter the blood stream from the hair follicles and sweat ducts. Absorption is increased when circulation and warmth are increased. That’s why the roller method of applying the allergy trio and a few other oils are so effective in relieving allergy symptoms. As the oils are massaged into the skin, the warmth and friction increases circulation and absorption allowing the plant constituents to do their jobs more effectively. Here are a few ways to make an allergy roller:


Standard Allergy Trio

15 ML roller bottle  8 drops each lavender, lemon, and peppermint Fill with carrier oil. Shake. Roll on wrists and behind the ears and down the neck. Massage into the skin


Enhanced Allergy Roller
15 ml roller bottle 8 drops each lavender, lemon, peppermint, and copaiba Fill with carrier oil. Shake. Roll on wrists and behind the ears and down the neck.


Breathe Better Roller
15 ml roller bottle 10 drops peppermint
10 drops eucalyptus (or RC)
10 drops Raven
5 drops Frankincense
5 drops copaiba
Fill rest of bottle with carrier oil and say goodbye to heavy chest and wheezing!!!! Apply on back of ears/neck and on your chest.

The Nose, Knows

The saying the nose, knows makes good sense here. When essential oils are released into the air and used aromatically, it only takes seconds for the brain chemistry to begin changing. Diffusing, wearing diffuser jewelry, and inhaling essential oils are some of the ways to use aromatics.

Diffusing- Not all diffusers are created equal. Make sure you have a good quality diffuser that doesn’t heat the oils, but rather uses ultrasonic technology to disperse the essential oils. Diffuse any of the allergy blends above adjusting the drops to 3-5 drops of each essential oil. Do not use the carrier oil in your diffuser!

Diffuse during the day for clear sinuses at your desk or in the area you spend most of your time. Diffuse RC or Raven at night to keep the nasal passages clear!

Diffuser Jewelry-Many people like to wear diffuser jewelry. Who wouldn’t! It’s pretty and functional! You can find lots of retailers on Amazon and Easy for just the right piece. Put some RC on it and you’ll be breathing easy all day! It can also be used for any other essential oil, not just allergy related!

Direct Inhalation- In this application, direct inhalation will be directed at allergy relief. However, this method is exceptional at relieving so many other things like stress, anxiety, lifting mood, and focus! One of our favorite allergy relief oils is RC. It’s a blend of Spruce, Cypress, and 3 Eucalyptus oils. When my husband has a cold, he literally carries this oil in his pocket and applies it to the bridge of his nose and rubs it in his hands and breathes it in deeply to open up the nasal passages and chest. It has also replaced his prescription nasal spray morning and night for allergy relief.

This method can be done after applying the allergy relief roller blend of your choice and rubbing it in. whatever is left on your hands, rub it together and cup your hands over your mouth and nose and breathe in the aromas deeply a couple of times.

You can mix and match any variety of these methods using one or all. When my allergies are really bad, I will do an allergy shot morning and night and apply the Enhanced AllergyRoller to my neck and wrists, and apply RC to the bridge of my nose and do a few deep breaths of it with my hands cupped over my mouth and nose.

I’d love to hear from you about how you use essential oils to find allergy relief. Or if you tried any of my suggestions, what did find most helpful?

Ready to purchase your own Young Living Essential Oils? Start here with the premium starter kit! You’ll not only get 12 essential oils, you get personal support and education and be added to a Facebook group of over 3000 members to learn from!

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The Journey Begins

Jessica Strimpfel

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

This quote is so true! I would still be struggling with a blog name, images, and colors for the website without the good company of my friends and family. This has been a long time coming, and I’m excited to get started on this journey with you by my side.

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