A guide to cooking with essential oils

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s time to start preparing for parties and family get-togethers. Of course, one of the best parts of these gatherings involves food!

Adding essential oils to your meals can make a huge difference. Here’s a guide on how to incorporate essential oils into your cooking.

Essential Oils for Cooking

Essential oils have a much longer shelf life than herbs and spices. While essential oils may seem pricey at first, they can be more affordable in the long run because they last a long time. There are several essential oils commonly used for cooking including:

• Ginger
• Clove
• Cinnamon Bark
• Lemon
• Orange
• Grapefruit
• Oregano
• Lavender
• Peppermint
• Lime
• Thieves
• Rosemary
• Black Pepper
• Thyme
• Basil

Tips on How to Use Essential Oils for Every Meal

Now that you know which essential oils are commonly used in cooking, here are some tips on how to incorporate essential oils into meals each day.

Breakfast

Waffles or Pancakes: Add 1-2 drops of Orange essential oil to the batter before cooking.

Oatmeal: Add 1-2 drops of Cinnamon Bark, Lemon, or Orange essential oil into your bowl of oatmeal and stir.

Smoothies/Protein Shake: Add 1-2 drops of Orange, Lime, Lemon or Grapefruit essential oil into your favorite smoothie combination. Blend in the oils or stir, depending on your desired way to prepare a smoothie. Some of the best ingredients to include with essential oils include spinach, kale, bananas, carrots, blueberries, strawberries, almond butter, Greek yogurt, mangoes, pineapples, peaches, lemons, limes, and oranges. Need protein for your smoothie or shake? I recommend Young Living’s Pure Protein Complete.

Lunch/Dinner

Salad dressings: Essential oils can provide a natural flavor to your salad dressings instead of unhealthy ingredients like vegetable oils, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. For citrus vinaigrette, essential oils like Orange, Lemon, and Lime are great options.

Sandwiches: Add 1-2 drops of Lemon essential oil to an egg salad or tuna fish mixture. You can also add your 1-2 drops of your favorite essential oils from the list above to the bread dough of any bread you make for your sandwiches.

Meat Marinades/Sauces: Essential oils can add a delicious flavor to any meat marinade or sauces. Some of the best oils to use include Basil, Ginger, Clove, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Black Pepper, Lemon, Lime, and Oranges.

Beverages

Essential Water: Add 1-2 drops of any of the essential oils above to a glass of water. Feel free to mix a combination of the essential oils above into the water for added flavor. Water with Lemon and Lime essential oils is always a favorite.

Lavender Lemonade: Squeeze fresh lemons and add water and a natural sweetener. Then, stick a toothpick into a bottle of Lavender essential oil and then stir it into the beverage.

If you would like any more ideas of how to include essential oils in your cooking, leave a comment below or contact me. Be sure to also follow this blog for more essential oil ideas.