~My intorduction to essential oils was not as I expected it to be, but I’m glad it happened the way it did. On a cold November morning I logged onto my computer to finish a draft of a blog post I was working on (it would later become my farro post) when I hear my phone ping across the room. I had received an e-mail from WordPress notifying me that someone had contacted me through the blog. I was definitely curious and excited, it was the first time I had been contacted before!
The sender of the e-mail was from a woman named Misty, who had noticed my card at the local Starbucks. She is a certified holistic health coach and an essential oil wellness advocate for doTERRA, the world’s largest essential oil company. She said that she was excited to be following my blog and was happy that there was someone else that shared her views of healthy living. As I read the remainder of the e-mail I thought to myself “I have a fan!”. I know that sounds silly, but for someone like me to start a blog on a subject I didn’t have a ton of experience with and have people like it, it’s an awesome feeling 🙂
I sent her a reply saying thanks for reaching out to me and following the blog, and also asked her a few questions about oils and what being a holistic health coach entails. Through a series of back and forth e-mailing, not only was I gaining knowledge of the vast uses of oils, but also a potential blog associate/friend. After a few weeks of e-mailing we decided to meet at the Starbucks that started it all. I admit I was nervous, it felt like being on a blind date haha. But once we met face to face and started conversing, my nerves dissipated. I had told her in one of our previous correspondences that I suffer from headaches and the occasional migraine. She then pulled out a large black box and opened it to reveal dozens of teeny tiny sample bottles of oils.
The first of many samples she pulled out was peppermint, which is helpful for headaches. When I feel a headache coming on or when it’s relatively dull, I put a couple drops on my temples, forehead, above my eyebrows, behind my ears and on the back of my neck. Grant it essential oils aren’t a cure-all, but it does help to take the edge off. A few other samples she gave me were oil blends called Cheer, Balance and Past Tense. I really enjoy the aroma of Cheer, its delightful subtle notes of citrus and herbs actually do put me in a good mood. Plus it helps bring me back down to Earth when I’m in the middle of an anxiety attack.
A few weeks ago we had another meeting after we collaborated on the idea of cooking with essential oils. I browsed the large list of recipes from doTERRA’s website, picked a few I liked and Misty was kind enough to give me the oils needed in the recipes. Those oils were clove, cinnamon, basil, rosemary, cilantro, lemon, lime and wild orange. My first experiment cooking with the oils was last week when I made tacos for dinner. I seasoned the meat with a drop of the cilantro oil, along with salt, pepper, and onion powder. It actually turned out pretty good! The cilantro flavor was duly noted but not overpowering. My next cooking concoction, however, didn’t turn out as well 
Friday I decided to make my own version of spaghetti and meatballs, substituting traditional ground beef with bison and using organic pasta. Being predominantly Italian, my family cooks with a lot of fresh basil. Since I was staying at my aunt’s house last week, there was no fresh basil so I used the basil oil. Little did I know that one drop would have been plenty sufficient. I put like 5 drops in there, not sure how much to use. The meatballs were a hot mess. Not only did I use too much basil oil, they were dry as hell. My poor grandmother, may she rest in peace, would have been disappointed in me.
I’ve come to learn that so far my favorite way to use the oils has been to infuse it in water. I bring a reusable water bottle to work, and I decided to put a few drops of the lemon and lime oils in. It was so good! And tonight, as I type this, I’m sipping water blended with ginger and wild orange 🙂
To be honest, I was very skeptical of the efficacy of essential oils but Misty was able to open my mind to new possibilities. I was blown away with the many aliments oils are used to treat and the different ways to use them. Thank you Misty for inviting me into your world of peace and tantalizing scents.
*To learn more about Misty and her health journey, visit her website at
www.mistytotzke.com
*And check out doTERRA’s website as well, they have an awesome offer going on right now! If you spend $100 this month and $100 next month, you’ll get 100 oils FREE! Use the promo ‘new year new you’ www.doterra.com
The Garden Goddess 