#31 drops of oil – October 15

Another easy way to incorporate the healthful benefits of essential oils into your everyday life is to add essential oils directly to your water or other beverages such as hot of iced tea.  Many oils taste great when added to drinks and you are getting valuable health benefits, as well.

And this is quite important:  doTERRA is the only brand I'd ever recommend taking internally.  Please make sure any essential oil you want to use in this manner has a Supplement Facts (deemed safe for internal consumption of by the FDA) on the bottle.

My favorites? 

• Bergamot or Lemon added to hot tea.
• 2 drops of Lemon + 1 drop of Peppermint added to about 16 oz iced water or sparkling water if I want something fizzy.
• 2 drops Grapefruit + 1 drop Cassia to ice water
• Sometimes, depending on what I need at the time, I heat up a cup of water and add oils to that:  peppermint and lemon are very soothing, add some honey for a little extra comfort.

Some people say that oil and water don't mix ... It's true that some of the oil will be on the surface of the water, but somehow - and honestly I don't have a scientific explanation for this - when you add essential oils to water it permeates all the way through the drink.  For instance, when I'm drinking my Lemon-Peppermint water, I can taste the oils through to the last sip.

Everyone has their own taste preferencees, of course.  If you are seeking the health benefit of a certain oil but don’t care for the taste, add 2 – 4 drops to a Veggie Cap instead.

Tip #15: Add just a couple drops of essential oils to your drinking water for the taste and health benefits. Always use a glass, ceramic cup or stainless steel water bottle as essential oils can degrade some plastics.

Missed a day (or three)?  Get caught up here on 31 drops of oil! 

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If you are wondering how to buy dōTERRA and get your own wholesale shopping portal and password for 25% off, click here.

***
​Look for me over on Facebook -- Hope Bennett Reese -- for daily tips and current specials.

***
Do you want to know what the BEST and SMARTEST way is to start with essential oils?  Here it is ... with me and my awesome team!  We will give you tools to get started, plus on-going support through classes, *private* on-line support groups, team-only emails and more. A trusted, guiding hand is so important when you're just getting started learning how to take control of your health.

Thanks to the wonder of the internet, it really doesn't matter where you live -- our help is right at hand! You'll become an essential oil expert with our assistance.

And please, please remember -- One of the most vital things you must know about essential oils is not all essential oils are created equally. Many - if not most - brands should not be ingested as they are not tested for purity.  In fact, most of them are worthless to your health and often synthetic.

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Chai latte.  Perfect cool-weather spicy comfort in a cup.  

But it's a bit of bother to make from scratch.  Which I've done for years using a real-deal chai recipe (straight from a missionary in India!):  chopped and smashed fresh ginger, crushed green cardamom pods, simmered with cinnamon, black tea, sugar and finished off with milk.  


Then I was introduced to essential oils. Transformative!


So here's a quick and easy way to make chai.  Honestly, my from-scratch recipe is a 10 on the 1 - 10 scale of goodness.  This quick version is a good solid 9.  If I can get 90% of the goodness with about 2% of the effort, that's a pretty decent trade off, right?!

And this recipe has nice health benefits from the addition of essential oils:  immune and digestive support in particular.  Especially important as we head into winter!

easy chai latte with essential oils (10 - 12 oz cup)

• make a cup -- about 8 oz -- of strong black tea
• add these oils:  Start with one drop*, add or subtract** to fit your preferences: ginger, cardamom and cinnamon
• add 2- 4 oz milk, cream or half-and-half -- to taste -- if you have a frother, all the better!
• add sweetener of choice to taste

* drop: For recipes, I highly recommend removing the dropper top and using an eye dropper for better control of quantity. Usually the drop-size is smaller, too, giving you even more control.  The difference between one drop and two is huge!
** how do you subtract and use less than one drop?  You can dip a toothpick into the oil and then swirl into your tea.  Clever!
​***
If you are wondering how to buy dōTERRA and get your own wholesale shopping portal and password for 25% off, click here.

***
​Look for me over on Facebook -- Hope Bennett Reese -- for daily tips and current specials.

***
Do you want to know what the BEST and SMARTEST way is to start with essential oils?  Here it is ... with me and my awesome team!  We will give you tools to get started, plus on-going support through classes, *private* on-line support groups, team-only emails and more. A trusted, guiding hand is so important when you're just getting started learning how to take control of your health.

Thanks to the wonder of the internet, it really doesn't matter where you live -- our help is right at hand! You'll become an essential oil expert with our assistance.

And please, please remember -- One of the most vital things you must know about essential oils is not all essential oils are created equally. Many - if not most - brands should not be ingested as they are not tested for purity.  In fact, most of them are worthless to your health and often synthetic.

Is there anything more perfect than Lemon Icebox Pie?  Don’t even bother thinking.  The answer, even in this age of division and controversy, is a unifying affirmation:  Lemon Icebox Pie is perfection, happiness and yumminess, defined.  

What's happier and sunshine-ier than a nice cold fresh creamy citrus-y Lemon Icebox Pie?  Hmmm?  Nope, not a single thing.

It's like taking your mouth on a little trip to a beach.  Not a hot, sweaty, sandy beach.  A mountain lake beach.  And maybe there's a snowy mountain way off in the distance.  It's shady and cool and there's a hammock tied between two pines beside the lake.  Oh and a blanket, definitely -- there's a folded blanket in the nook of the hammock.   There's tall pines and soft pine straw all the way down to the water's edge.  With a cool sweet-tart perfect lemonade on a wicker table beside the hammock.  That kind of beach.

A very nice feature of this recipe: this pie can be made (through Step 2) the day before.  In which case, you might want to make two.  Just in case you and your mouth decide to take a much-deserved and extended holiday to the beach before your company arrives.  Just a thought.

And, okay, you got me.  This isn't exactly health food. But as an occasional splurge -- it is sweet-tart cool perfection. 

This recipe is slightly modified from the June/July 2013 issue of Cook's Country.

Lemon Icebox Pie (serves 8)

• 9 whole graham crackers, broken into 1 inch pieces
• 3 T sugar
• 5 T unsalted butter, melted
• 2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3/4 c + 2 T lemon juice (5 lemons)
• 2 drops doTERRA Lemon Essential Oil
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1/2 t vanilla extract

1.  Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Process crackers and sugar in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds.  Add melted butter and pulse until combined, about 8 pulses.  Transfer crumbs to 9 inch pie plate.  Using bottom of a measuring cup, press crumbs into bottom and up the sides of the plate.  Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, about 15 minutes.  Let crust cool completely on a wire rack, about 35 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.

2.  Reserve 3 T condensed milk.  Whisk remaining condensed milk and egg yolks together in bowl until smooth.  Slowly whisk in lemon juice and essential oil.  Pour filling onto cooled pie crust.  Bake pie until edges are just beginning to set but center still jiggles when shaken, about 15 minutes.  Let cool on wire rack.  Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

3.  Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream, reserved condensed milk and vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute.  Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 - 3 minutes.  Spread whipped cream evenly over top of pie.  Serve.

​***
If you are wondering how to buy dōTERRA and get your own wholesale shopping portal and password for 25% off, click here.

***
​Look for me over on Facebook -- Hope Bennett Reese -- for daily tips and current specials.

***
Do you want to know what the BEST and SMARTEST way is to start with essential oils?  Here it is ... with me and my awesome team!  We will give you tools to get started, plus on-going support through classes, *private* on-line support groups, team-only emails and more. A trusted, guiding hand is so important when you're just getting started learning how to take control of your health.

Thanks to the wonder of the internet, it really doesn't matter where you live -- our help is right at hand! You'll become an essential oil expert with our assistance.

And please, please remember -- One of the most vital things you must know about essential oils is not all essential oils are created equally. Many - if not most - brands should not be ingested as they are not tested for purity.  In fact, most of them are worthless to your health and often synthetic.