Monthly Archives: June 2015

Recipe: Lavender Blueberry Banana Bread

Posted in Essential Oils, Recipes by

Blueberry Banana Bread Recipe-2Making banana bread is my favorite way to use ripe bananas… and adding a touch of lavender makes the bread a special treat. When adding essential oils to food recipes, make sure you are using a therapeutic grade essential oil such as doTERRA, which is meant to be ingested. Do not use off-the-shelf oils which may be full of synthetic additives.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened
  •  3/4 cup brown sugar
  •  2 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 2-3 drops Lavender essential oil (I use doTERRA)
  •  1 teaspoon baking soda
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  •  3 large ripe bananas, mashed
  •  1 1/4 cups blueberries
  •  1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
  •  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt  and beat into the butter mixture. Fold in the bananas, blueberries, walnuts, lavender, and vanilla.
Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Remedy: Maintaining your diffuser

Posted in Diffusers, Remedies by

SpaRoomBlackAromaMist_zpscf2ea9fa Just like any small appliances, an ultrasonic diffuser needs to be cleaned and maintained. I like SpaRoom diffusers because I know I can get help if I need to trouble-shoot a diffuser issue.

Here are some pointers that will help keep your diffuser running smoothly and last longer:

1. Wipe out the water reservoir with a paper towel and pay attention to the ultrasonic mechanism at the bottom of the cup. Change the water at least every other day.

2. Unplug the unit from the wall before detaching the power cord from the unit. If you detach the power cord from the unit while it’s still plugged into the wall, you can get sparks.

3. Once every week or so, give your diffuser a 10-minute soak with plain white vinegar. That will help remove any mineral deposits or gumminess. Just fill the diffuser cup past the fill line with white vinegar and just let it soak 10-15 minutes. Then dump it out, rinse with plain water and dry with a paper towel. (You’ll notice the difference!)

4. For a deep clean, use a citric acid based product such as SpaRoom’s Klenzor tablets. Fill your diffuser (slightly past the fill line) with water and drop in the tablet like an Alka Seltzer tablet. Run the diffuser for about 2 hours, rinse, and dry.

The better you take care of your diffuser… the longer it will last.