Weight Loss & Lavender: Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

Weight Loss & Lavender: Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions By: Cristin McDonnell If your New Year’s resolution is to hit the gym in January, lavender will not only  aid in weight loss, but will help you keep the weight off.  Here are 3 reasons why. 1.) Drink Lavender Green Tea: Doing a teatox has become a trendy way to… Read more »

Lavender Chips

Lavender Chips by Cristin McDonnell This is an Armenian recipe for chips called lavash.  The recipe for lavash is from allrecipes.  I found a recipe for the lavender seasoning at Discover Lavender, a blog for cooking with culinary lavender.  When I saw that the recipe included dried seasoning, I went ahead and came up with my… Read more »

Culinary Lavender and Wine Pairings: A Holiday Menu

Culinary Lavender and Wine Pairings: A Holiday Menu by Cristin McDonnell The holidays are a chance to take your regular menu and enhance it by cooking with a variety of herbs that you may not regularly use.  This year I am taking our usual holiday menu and adding a taste of Provence by cooking with… Read more »

Butternut Squash Soup with Lavender and Sage

Butternut Squash Soup with Lavender and Sage By Cristin McDonnell This is a healthy fall/ winter dish.  Part of what makes this recipe healthy are the benefit that comes from cooking with high quality culinary grade lavender. Ingredients: 1 tbsp dried lavender 6 sage leaves (or 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked) 3 lb butternut… Read more »

Benefits of using Essential Oils in Clay Diffusers

Benefits of Using Essential Oils in Clay Diffusers by Cristin McDonnell Using a soapstone or clay diffuser has many health benefits over using an electrical diffuser.  Chemical air fresheners that plug-in to electrical circuits or that are sprayed are reported to have these four basic ingredients: formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, aerosol propellants, and p-dichlorobenzene.   All four can… Read more »

Preparing for Seasonal Change: Essential Oils and Ayurveda

Preparing for Seasonal Change: Essential Oils and Ayurveda By: Cristin McDonnell Colds, allergies, and seasonal influences seem to present themselves predominantly around December 21st , the winter solstice, and  March 21st, during the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.  How often have you look forward to spending the holidays with family or finally having time off from work… Read more »

Lavender Focaccia

Lavender Focaccia Lavender focaccia bread is great served as an hors d’oeuvres.  If you are looking for a fun addition to your holiday meal, this is it.  It can be served plain and dipped into olive oil or if you have made a chicken or a turkey, it turns that bird into an incredible sandwich! Besides incredible… Read more »

Diluting Essential Oils for Faster Healing

Diluting Essential Oils for Faster Healing by Cristin McDonnell I am originally from Virginia.  While living in Virginia I have had minimal issues with my skin breaking out.  When I moved to California for four months, my skin did not fair well and I was continually broken out on my face.  I tried applying lavender… Read more »

Food is Medicine: Cooking with Dried Herbs

Food is Medicine: Cooking with Dried Herbs By: Cristin McDonnell As a student of Ayurveda, I have become very aware of the healing properties of plants. I use many high quality herbs in capsules, but I also use fresh and dried herbs in drinks and in cooking. I say this from a perspective that when… Read more »

IPA’S and the Antibacterial Properties of Lavender

IPA’S and the Antibacterial Properties of Lavender By: Cristin McDonnell California is known as the Golden State, but what it should really be called is the BYOB state. Yes, Bring Your Own Beer! Not being from this state, I am learning that it is best you check out if an event or restaurant will be… Read more »