Vegan Peppermint Mocha

I love peppermint mochas just as much as I enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, but now that my diet and exercise are finally starting to pay off some (I am loving TRX and hot yoga at the moment!) I want to continue staying away from high calorie drinks.  An 8 ounce peppermint mocha from Starbucks has 220 calories.  This recipe has approximately 45 calories (depending on how much coconut milk you put in).  The great thing about this recipe is that if you don't enjoy coconut milk (I typically use Thai Coconut milk or other canned coconut milk vs. carton coconut milk) you can substitute almond milk or soy milk (although I tend to save my soy intake for edamame).

Recipe:

- One cup of coffee (any kind will do - although I am currently drinking Jamaican Blue Mountain   Coffee for added motivation for getting in vacation shape ;)
- 1/4 or as much as you desire for coconut milk (again you can use almond milk or soy milk, but I find coconut milk from a can gives this drink a creamy taste and feel)
- 5 drops of Sweet Drops liquid stevia in chocolate
- 1 drop DoTerra Peppermint oil

Stir all of the ingredients into the coffee and enjoy!

If you have any questions about DoTerra oils or would like to start using them in your daily cooking/cleaning/healthcare please let me know.  I am always happy to share information about DoTerra oils as they have become a huge part of my daily life.  Enjoy! ~ Corinne

Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie

So I am a stereotypical thirty year old and therefore you might have guessed I too am obsessed with fall!  I have Bath and Body Works Leaves candles all over the house and even make my husband use Pumpkin Spice soaps.  I also love pumpkin lattes; however, pumpkin lattes (dairy in general) are on the no-no list as I am working towards loosing some weight for my cousin's wedding in Jamaica at the end of next month.  So to help with my pumpkin latte cravings, I came up with this recipe to help keep me full until lunch time instead of relying on caffeine and sugary drinks.  I call it my Vegan Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie.  It has approximately 24 grams of protein in the 32 ounce serving I drink in the morning and approximately 255 calories all while being gluten free and dairy free.  In a large Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Latte (20 ounces) you will be taking in approximately 360 calories and 16 grams of protein in addition to the dairy.  The other bonus is it contains DoTerra Cinnamon Bark oil which can help increase blood circulation.  So for others of you looking for a quick vegan protein shake this fall or if you are like me and are craving a pumpkin drink without all the calories and still being hungry try this smoothie out!

Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie:

Ingredients:
4 cups unsweetened original almond milk
2 scoops of Raw Protein Chocolate Vegan Protein
3 tablespoons of hemp hearts
4 tablespoons of pumpkin puree (make sure its 100% pure! :)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 drops DoTerra Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend well.  Then add one glass of ice to help it get a smoothie consistency vs. it becoming too watery.  Once blended add a straw and enjoy!  My husband also loves them despite not being a fan of all my pumpkin favs :)

Here is the final product!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!  If you have any questions please feel free to ask away!  I would also love to help answer any questions about DoTerra Oils or help you order them if you are a first time user.  They have helped change my life and I would love to share them with you!  Enjoy!

Grilled Blue Cheese Potatoes

I had some leftover blue cheese after a wine and cheese party and some delicious sirloin steak. I didn't want to cut the steak up into a black and blue salad so after some thinking I came up with this recipe for grilled blue cheese potatoes with DoTerra oregano oil and home grown parsley. The result was fantastic! Here is the recipe:

First wash and cut red potatoes into bite size pieces.  I was lucky enough to have some amazing sweet corn from Central Illinois as well which also made an amazing addition to this meal!

After putting the potatoes into a large bowl, I added salt, pepper, and fresh dehydrated parsley I grew in our garden.  In a small dish pour in approximately 1/5 cup olive oil with one drop of DoTerra oregano oil.  Mix well and then pour mixture onto the potatoes and seasoning.  Mix all ingredients together well.

After mixing, spoon the potatoes onto a large piece of foil and create a foil pack you can place on the grill.  I folded it together well to allow for flipping.  It takes a while for the potatoes to cook and grill temperatures vary greatly.  Therefore I recommend checking to make sure your potatoes are throughly cooked before pulling them off to ensure they are not too underdone.

After cooking, I threw the potatoes into a large bowl and added blue cheese.  You can add as much or as little as you want depending on your preference.  I suggest adding two teaspoons or so to start and then adding more if desired.  

Here is the final meal!  It was amazing and so simple.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or if you would like information on purchasing DoTerra oils.  The flavor they produce is much more vivid than just dry spices alone and they are super easy to add to any meal!  Good luck and happy cooking!

The Essential Greyhound

This cocktail is a perfect way to end a hot and humid summer work day. I love grapefruit, and the Simply Balanced grapefruit soda from Target is great with vodka only it can get a bit sweet. I like to add one or two drops of grapefruit oil to take away the sweetness.  Here is the recipe:

Fill a tall glass with ice and then add one shot of vodka. Fill to the top with Simply Balanced grapefruit soda. Add one or two drops (depending on your preference) of Doterra grapefruit oil. Stir and enjoy! 

I hope you enjoy the drink and if you have questions about Doterra please feel free to ask away! :-)

Doterra on the go

Drinking Doterra lemon, lime, grapefruit, or slim and sassy oils in my water has helped me to increase my water intake, but most to go mugs are made of plastic. I've all but destroyed my tervis tumblers attempting to put lemon oils in them. After searching high and low I finally found this water bottle made by Ello. It's glass with a cute bamboo lid. I have received tons of compliments on it. You can get them at Target for around $13. It's also lightweight and easy to carry around unlike other glass bottles I've tried.

This is our dog Cooper Marley! We recently moved across country and this poor guy had to ride in the back seat of our truck for over 4 days! He loved having lavender oil rubbed on his ears during the journey. It helped him stay calm and relaxed. We use this trick on him when he gets overly excited around guests as well!

Hi! My name is Corinne Matesic and thank you for checking out my new site.  I hope to use this space to share tips and tricks of natural remedies and food recipes I test out.  My goal is to come up with quick and easy meals that are healthy as well as natural remedies for you and your family.  I try to stick with a gluten free diet and cut out as much dairy and animal protein as I can, but it is hard to eat plant based on the go, so I will try and share all of the fun, easy, and delicious recipes I come across.  I also love the Doterra line of essential oils and try to use them daily.  I hope to share new ideas on how to incorporate them into your daily life!  I hope you find my posts helpful and feel free to ask any questions!  I would love to help you start using Doterra in your home as well! :)