Thursday, October 29, 2015

Essential Oils can make your house divine


Hi Nanette here - so Rochelle & I are pretty obsessed with essential oils - she's the super duper expert and teaches me stuff all the time!  In my other life I'm a realtor so I asked Ro for some tips on great oils to use in the house, thinking it would be so helpful to clients listing their homes, or good info for new home buyers to get into their new house and make it delicious. She gave me great ideas so I wrote a blog post over on my RocknRealty blog but thought it would be fun to share here too with all you goddesses! 

 Oils can be used in a ton of ways for the home - cleaning, odor eradicating, spirit uplifting, good vibe making, cooking even!  You can use these tips if you just want to make your brand  home as toxic free and groovy as possible, or if you are  thinking about selling your house these are AMAZING for clearing out any stuffy odors, creating a loving & enticing ambiance. 

On to the 5 oils - aside from some specific applications I mention - all the oils can be diffused in a diffuser to make the air deeeelicious
  1. Lavender - mmmm Lavender is well known for it's relaxation properties and all round sweet scent. In the home you can combine it in a spray bottle with water and freshen up your mattress, or linen closet or just the air.  Diffusing it will give a sense of calm and relaxation to the environment
  2. Lemon - this is probably one of the most versatile of all oils. Try adding a drop or two to water! It's super good for cleaning, add to a spray bottle with water for cleaning surfaces and countertops, you can polish furniture just by adding a few drops on the wood, soak a cloth with it to preserve and protect leather. Diffusing it creates an uplifting feeling!
  3. Envigorating Blend - ohhh my this one is a bland of Orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot, tangerine, clementine & vanilla.  It's dreamy and envigorating. Can also be used for cleaning surfaces, and smells amazing. Add a drop or two to dryer sheets for good smelling laundry. Diffusing can put you in a good mood!
  4. Protection blend - an amazing mix of Wild Orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary - this one is great for immune support.  Diffusing it purifies the air and is also energizing. Use it for wiping down surfaces
  5. Cleansing blend- this blend has lemon, lime, siberian fir needle (what??), Austrian fir needle (what again?), citronella, melaleuca (aka tee tree oil), and cilantro.  This one truly eradicates any funky smells, diffuse it to totally clear the air, wipe down surfaces, put some on a cotton ball and put it in the air vent, add a few drops to the rinse cycle of your laundry.  This is all especaially good when you want your house to smell great without that overwheling chemically smell of the typical plug in type air fresheners. Bonus Tip - diffuse a combo of cinnamon & clove  & ginger around the holidays to get in the festive season!
We would love to hear how you are using oils in you home!  Also, hit us up if you have any questions about how to use oils and diffusers and all that jazz 

xxo
Breathe & Shine gals 

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Pumpkin Kitchari - fall cleansing continues!




Nanette here - since the start of the Autumn Equinox and that last mega full moon we've had, i've been on an all round cleanse.  Multi faceted...I purged my closet and my bookshelves, i've meditated on and taken small steps towards changing old thought patterns and opening up new ones, and I coincided this all with a food type cleanse.

 I signed up for an Ayurvedic Cleanse with the folks over at the very awesome East Side Yoga - 15 days, follwing some Ayurvedic principals of cleansing including oil massage, meditation, gently yoga, and mindful clean food choices based on ayurvedic prinicpals too deatailed for this post.  The first 5 days were a straight up mono diet of Kitchari - split yellow mung beans, white basmati rice & spices.  I LOVE Kitchari so this was easy peasy. What was different for me was eating it for 3 meals a day and eating it plain with no veggies.  It was relaxing, delicious, it rested my mind from choices, gave my digestive system a break and all all round sense of peace surrounded me.

 When those 5 days are up, we move onto 10 days of whole food, seasonal, foods. I however still wanted kitchari, but I also am craving the tastes and colors of fall so BEHOLD! I found this absolutely amazing Vegan Pumpkin Kitchari recipe - i have made it twice now.  And i totally forgot to take pics both times.  FYI i don't have cinnamon bark so just put in some ground cinnamon, and the first time i didn't have cardamom pods so used that in powder form too.  Just wing it people!

Let me know how YOU like to celebrate fall - fave fall recipes, rituals, events.... bring it on!


Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Ro's pineapple upside down cake smoothie bowl… Yum!

I made this smoothie today as a mid week brunch but it could have been dessert! Here's the scoop if you want to try it out, too! 

1 cup milk of choice (I used almond/coconut)
1 date pitted
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used sun warrior)
1 teaspoon each of hemp and chia seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1-3 drops certified pure lime essential oil

Blend in high speed blender, pour into your favorite bowl, top with coconut pineapple and chia seeds and dive in!