Essential Oil Series: Essential Oils 101

November 29, 2018 The Provident Princess 0 Comments


I am so excited about the curiosity around Essential Oils these days. I grew up in a pretty holistic, alternative medicine using home so when I first heard about essential oils, almost 10 years ago, I was intrigued and open to the idea. The thing I liked most about them were that they were all natural, pure ingredients. Not the synthetic stuff from a lab which we are usually prescribed. 

As a pregnant mother for the first time, I also loved that they were safe enough to use on babies. There is almost nothing you can give to a baby medicine-wise, so I loved feeling like I had some control over my baby's wellness. We have been using them to support our health ever since and I am happy they are getting more and more mainstream. Kind of like green smoothies.

Essential Oils are finally having their moment and it is well deserved. We know, and love to use herbs because they are so good for us; but guess what? Essential oils are about 50-70% more potent than herbs. 1 drop is actually equivalent to drinking 28 cups of tea from the same source. Since they are so potent you only need 1 or 2 drops, it makes them very affordable overall.

WHAT IS AN ESSENTIAL OIL  ____________________________________________________

But what exactly are essential oils you might wonder? Well basically, they are the aromatic compounds seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants that have made them sought after for food flavoring, mood enhancing and healing aids for centuries. In fact, most medicine is based off of the molecules found in the natural world known for their healing properties. And, their natural form provides an all-natural health option to benefit our bodies.

The most common method of extracting essential oils is low-heat steam distillation where pressurized steam is circulated through the plant material. The essential oils are extracted from the plant and carried away by the steam and then collected as the water and oil naturally separate. The more pure the essential oil, the more powerful the results.

PURITY  ________________________________________________________________________

Essential oils are definitely not created equal. Many essential oils on the market are not pure. Often, they contain up to 80% filler or other elements that dilute and alter the purity of the oil which then diminishes the healthful qualities of the oil. Just like with food, quality and sourcing matters.

Since I have researched to much into the benefits of eating clean food, I already knew I would not use essential oils from companies that couldn't prove how pure their oil is. I found what I believe is the best company producing the highest quality products and best practices. DoTerra.

"Each doTERRA essential oil is also carefully and thoroughly tested using the strict CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® quality protocol. Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognize the superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective therapeutic-grade doTERRA essential oils."   -Doterra Website

Doterra essentially (see what I did there?) wrote the book on essential oil purity testing. No one had or has a higher grade of pure oils than them. I love that there are quality controls in place by testing EVERY batch. I also appreciate that they source their products from small farms in the countries where those plants are native grown while paying a fair wage to the farmers and distillers. They are involved every step of the way so they know with confidence that their oil is pure.

Up next, I am sharing about How to Use Essential Oils but if you are ready to get started now click



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How to get Food Grade Buckets for FREE

November 27, 2018 The Provident Princess 0 Comments

I'm excited to share with you a trick I have been using for years to store my bulk food safely and inexpensively. Who else is gearing up for all the Christmas baking coming just around the corner in December? It seems like I am always cooking or baking something extra in the weeks leading up to Christmas. As someone who cooks a lot anyway, I like to have all of my dry ingredients on hand.

For those of us who cook a lot and like to save money, buying in bulk is a necessity. But when you buy food in bulk, it usually comes bagged in plastic or thick paper packages. Those are nightmare to scoop out of without making a mess. They tip over easily and pests can quickly chew through the thin layers to the food beneath. Not to mention issues with humidity and food going rancid.

Luckily there is an easy way to prevent that from happening. Food. Grade. Buckets.




The good news is that food grade buckets are really easy to get. You can buy them for about 4 dollars a piece. Buying 1 or 2 like that isn't a big deal. But if you want to stock up it can quickly make a pretty big dent in your budget. Some people try to get around this by buying the buckets at like Home Depot because they are less expensive, but you shouldn't do that.

You might be asking yourself if just any plastic bucket will work as long as it is clean. The answer is no. The plastic used for food grade buckets must be free of dyes, additives and recycled plastic products shown to be harmful to humans. The reason for this is that some foods will leach additives and chemicals from their containers which can poison your food. Most food grade plastic is in the HDPE category or high density polyethylene with the plastic code 2. You can find it buy turning the product over and looking for the number in the triangle.

I don't love the thought of spending $100 on buckets just to store my food. I'd rather spend it on yummy food! So one thing I found out many years ago is that you can go to your local grocery store bakery and ask they if they have any left-over buckets. They are usually happy to wash them out and give them to you for FREE. I just call ahead and ask and they will put some aside for me until they have as much as I need.

 What I love most though is that they come in a range of sizes from 5 gallons down to 1 gallon. My favorite size is actually the 3.5 gallon. It seems the perfect size for most packages of grain I get from Costco. And, they fit the same kind of lid as a 5 gallon bucket so I can use my favorite Gamma Seal Lids. Guys, if you haven't tried these, you are missing out. There is a ring that goes around the bucket then an inner lid screws on top making it so easy to get to your food without having to pry off the whole lid. It keeps it totally airtight and they come in a range of colors so you can color code your food easily. Love them.

These are the sizes of buckets I use

  •  wheat in 6 gallon buckets (which also can fit the gamma seal lids)
  • sugar, flour and long term storage grains and other food in 5 gallon buckets
  • rices, oats, quinoa, lentils, long term storage beans in 3.5 gallon buckets
  • beans and specialty rice like basmati or jasmine in 1.5 gallons buckets 
I have saved a ton over the years by storing my bulk foods in these buckets I've gotten for free. If for some reason you don't have a grocery bakery by you that has these buckets, I have 1 more tip. Pickles usually come in a 5 gallon buckets so those would be easy to grab from a fast food restaurant, or other restaurant that uses pickles. Just make sure you wash them VERY well to make sure you get the pickle smell out. 

Have any of you tried this? What is your favorite size of bucket?

XOXO,

Provident Princess





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