Author: Christine

Having struggled with unexplained health issues and pain since childhood and finally finding healing & hope through nutrition and alternative methods, it has become my goal to share encouragement and information with others dealing with the same challenges.

Essential Oil Roller Blends

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When I use essential oils, I tend to want to mix several for maximum effectiveness. Plus, it’s good to dilute the oils with a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba to prevent irritation from the strong essential oils, especially when using on kids. Diluting does NOT dilute effectiveness, but I feel it has the added benefit of stretching how far expensive oil bottles can last.

Instead of mixing these each time, I’ve created some roller bottles that are handy to apply whenever I need. They are super easy to apply to your feet, stomach, wrists, neck, or wherever you need.

To get started, here’s what you’ll need to purchase:

Here are a few of my go-to blends. To make them, I put a few drops of each essential oil in the bottle and then fill the rest with the carrier oil.

SLEEP – 10 drops Vetiver + 3 drops Cedarwood + 10 drops Lavender

SLEEP FOR KIDS – 5 drops Peace & Calming + 5 drops Lavender

IMMUNE – 5 drops Lemon + 7 drops Frankincense + 10 drops Thieves

STRESS – 10 drops Valor + 3 drops Frankincense + 5 drops Lavender

TUMMY – 15 drops DiGize + 3 drops Peppermint

GROWING PAINS FOR KIDS – 4 drops Valor + 3 drops PanAway + 4 drops Lavender

HEADACHE – 8 drops Peppermint + 5 drops Cobaiba + 4 drops Lavender

THAT TIME OF THE MONTH – 2 drops Jasmine + 10 drops Clary Sage + 5 drops Copaiba

EARACHE – 10 drops Melrose + 4 drops Myrrh + 3 drops Lemon

PAIN – 10 drops PanAway + 4 drops Copaiba + 3 drops Clove

RESPIRATORY SUPPORT – 10 drops Raven or RC + 3 drops Frankincense + 3 drops Copaiba

CALM / OWIE / ITCH – 10 drops Lavender + 5 drops Frankincense

Do you have a favorite blend that I’m missing? I’d love to hear!

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Clean Wine: My Favorites on Thrive Market

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I recently posted about my Thrive Market autoship items, but sharing about my favorites and not mentioning their wine would be a miss. I LOVE their wine. I was getting the point where a glass of wine would give me a headache, sometimes lasting until the next day. Not with Thrive Market’s clean wines.

For a wine to be considered for the program, it has to abide by a certain set of standards:

  • Biodynamic, organic, or verified sustainable farming practices
  • Developed with minimal intervention
  • Sourced from small and mid-size producers
  • Minimal to no irrigation whenever possible (this lowers the mold content!)
  • No added sugar
  • Low sulfites whenever possible
  • No flash pasteurization
  • No oak chips, or flavorings
  • No use of dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC)

I started out by trying a Bundle of the Month half case – mine came with 3 reds, 2 whites and a rose. This gave me a good sampling to see what I liked. Now, you can choose to purchase just a bottle.

The selection of wines changes frequently, but these are my current personal favorites:

Red

Rich, fruity & flavorful, not acidic. Perfect before, with or after dinner.

White

This is my FAVORITE. Super delicious and versatile.

Rose

So light and delicate, this would be perfect by the pool.

Sparkling

Bubbly & fruity, but not too sweet.

P.S. If you love champagne, you must this stopper. It saves your wine so you don’t have to drink the whole bottle at once. Keeps it perfectly bubbly.

Get 40% off your first order from Thrive Market using this link!

To see some of my other Thrive Market favorites: Thrive Market: My Favorite Deals + Thrive Market: Favorite Toddler Snacks

Brazilian Cheese Bread

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We had these delicious, cheesy rolls at a Brazilian steakhouse years ago and I’ve been trying to perfect a home recipe ever since. Well, I think I did it. My family, especially my super picky preschooler, loves these.

They are naturally gluten-free because they are made with tapioca flour, which gives them a super unique (slightly gummy, but don’t let that scare you!) texture. Since I now have a chicken egg sensitivity, I make these with duck eggs that I get at the farmer’s market. Filled with tons of healthy fat, these are more nutritious than you’d ever dream based on how scrumptious they are. Just try not to eat all 12 yourself.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups tapioca flour (I buy this from Thrive Market)
  • 1 egg (works best if room temp, but I almost always forget, so it will be okay if you do too)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of pink Himalayan salt
  • 1/3 cup of olive or avocado oil
  • 2/3 cup of coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined and lumps are gone.
  3. Grease muffin pan (I use spray olive oil for this) and fill each cup about 1/2 full.
  4. Bake for 17 minutes or until golden on top. When you touch the top, it will be hard.
  5. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Thrive Market: My Autoship Items

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I’ve been a Thrive Market customer for years… when you buy high-quality products & mostly organic, value is essential. It’s been awhile since I shared some of my favorite products to order from Thrive Market (see previous posts- Thrive Market: My Favorite Deals and Thrive Market: Favorite Toddler Snacks)… And as they have come out with more of their own branded items that are super budget-friendly, there is so much more to share.

Plus, now they have an Autoship feature that automatically applies an additional 10% discount (!!) on items, and you can edit dates at any time + set frequency for individual items. Just before my ship date, I add whatever else I need to the order or delay the things I don’t need to restock.

Today I’m sharing what you’ll find in my Thrive Market Autoship Cart. If you want to try it out, get 25% off your first order from Thrive Market using this link!

Pantry

I’m sensitive to garlic, but tolerate this!!
For when I do bake +
morning oatmeal
Recipe: Layered Chicken Enchilada Bake
to refill my pepper grinder
one of the few pre-made without garlic
Einkorn flour is such a healthier choice when you do need to use flour
For my morning coffee
Ground beef + this yummy sauce = dinner
perfect for stovetop + baking
Recipe coming soon that uses this unique ingredient!
Spaghetti and lemon shrimp scampi are go-to meals around here
My favorite with Italian sausage or fresh basil pesto
the BEST salsa ever and
it is garlic-free!
to refill my salt bowl

Snacks

Thrive doesn’t carry the dark chocolate chips, but those are also a snack-staple in our house

Household

I use this to make homemade foaming hand soap
Lots of benefits for a raw food
diet for pups!

Vitamins

We are big fans of gummies over here! I’ve always struggled to take vitamins because they make me nauseous, but these are great. The Calm gummies have made a big difference in my daughter’s sleep too!

For post-workout, to have on hand during illness or just those days I need an energy boost. This electrolyte drink mix gives you the essential minerals without the extra sugar.

What’s your favorite Thrive Market find?

Layered Chicken Enchilada Bake

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It’s Cinco de Mayo! Here’s a dinner idea that is so easy & quick to prepare. I call this a layered bake because I don’t roll the enchiladas to save time. It’s the perfect weeknight meal.

I promise this will never be a blog where you have to scroll forever to get to the recipe. So annoying, right!? But, a quick note on this recipe- it is garlic-free. Since I did food sensitivity testing and realized I was reacting to garlic, I have been avoiding it (and feeling SO much better!!). Try avoiding garlic in anything pre-made… it’s impossible! I found and now love the Fody brand sauces- their taco, enchilada, BBQ, teriyaki sauces & salsas are low-fodmap, which means they are free of onions and garlic.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb organic, free-range chicken breasts or thighs (you could use a rotisserie chicken to make this faster)
  • 12 organic corn tortillas (I love Food For Life brand for their simple, clean ingredients)
  • Fody Green Enchilada Sauce
  • Organic Pastures Raw Cheddar Cheese (I shred around 1/2 of this block) or Organic Valley Raw Cheddar (I shred the full block), which amount to about the same as a standard bag of shredded cheese.
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Avocado (optional, sliced for topping)

Preparation:

  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then cook in an Instant Pot or slow cooker. Sometimes, I’ll put some salsa in with the chicken for extra flavor. Once it is cooked, shred the meat.
  2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  3. In an 11×13 glass pan, layer 6 corn tortillas along the bottom of the pan.
  4. Then, layer with half of shredded chicken, half of the bottle of enchilada sauce, then with half of the cheese.
  5. Repeat by layering tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese again.
  6. Bake 10-15 minutes, or at least until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
  7. Top with sliced avocado and serve with a salad for a super green meal.

Enjoy!