Fourth of July Recipes

It is tough this year with all that is going on to think about fun BBQ, fire works, celebration, good food and being with family and friends. It is hard to social distance during holiday's, birthdays and funerals. Everyone has different opinions, all I can say is be smart, be safe and be kind.

There are five of us in our family, we will be celebrating at home without friends and family and hopefully we will see some fireworks.

Here are some great recipes from doTERRA blog I wanted to share. Enjoy, let me know what you made and how you liked it in the comments below, and have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July.

Summer barbeques are a great way to enjoy warm weather with friends and family, but these gatherings often involve trays of unhealthy desserts and sides that can leave you feeling sluggish. If you're looking for a healthier way to incorporate a little sweetness into your summer, these lemon berry chia pudding parfaits are a delicious, satisfying alternative.

The chia seeds and fresh berries in this dish provide an excellent source of nutrition, plus, this recipe contains Lemon oil, which helps naturally aid the body in digestion.* Do yourself, and your taste buds, a favor and make this sweet treat today.

Lemon-Berry Chia Pudding Parfait

Ingredients

12 ounces vanilla yogurt

1 cup coconut milk

2 drops Lemon essential oil

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 cups assorted fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries etc.)

¼ cup granola

Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk yogurt, coconut milk, chia seeds, and Lemon essential oil together.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or until mixture forms into pudding consistency.
3. When ready to assemble parfaits, place 1 cup of berries in a separate bowl and mash with a fork.
4. To assemble parfaits, place a layer of chia pudding in the bottom of a glass.
5. Top with a layer of berry puree followed by 1 tablespoon of granola.
6. Repeat layering until glass is full.
7. Top with fresh mixed berries.

Fruit Flag

Looking for a festive Independence Day dish? Try this easy fruit flag with Wild Orange yogurt pretzels! This unique dish is healthy and easy to make. This is one of my favorite things to make and my kids love it!

Ingredients
2 pints raspberries, washed
2 pints blueberries, washed
2 pounds strawberries, washed
1 bag cherries, washed
24 ounces pretzels
2 cups powdered sugar
4 cups plain Greek yogurt
3 cups vanilla protein powder
4–7 drops Wild Orange oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. Combine the sugar, yogurt, protein powder, and Wild Orange essential oil.
3. Dip the pretzels into the yogurt mixture one at a time, using chopsticks or tongs.
4. Arrange the coated pretzels on a wire cooking rack with a baking sheet underneath it.
5. Turn the oven off and put in the wire rack and baking sheet.
6. Leave the oven door slightly ajar.
7. After several hours, when the coating is hardened and set, take the pretzels out of the oven.
   
   Note: Make sure to fill the stripes with stacked fruit and pretzels, since abundance looks best.
    
8. Place the blueberries in the small square dish on the upper left-hand corner of the serve-ware you wish to use.
9. Fill the space to the right with raspberries, then do a stripe of Wild Orange yogurt pretzels underneath.
10. Do a stripe of strawberries, another stripe of Wild Orange yogurt pretzels, and top it off with a row of cherries on the bottom.

Fourth of July Natural Sugar Scrub

It's time to cheer up your skin with this festive and naturally-colored Fourth of July Berry Scrub. After using this scrub, your skin is left smooth, glowing, and sweetly scented. You can make without the freeze dried fruit and use any essential oil of choice. I love the Cheer blend!

Ingredients:
¼ cup freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries
¼ cup freeze-dried blueberries
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil
6 drops doTERRA Cheer®

Instructions:

1. Place freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries in separate large plastic bags, and crush with a rolling pin.
2. In three separate bowls, add ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup sugar, and ½ cup sugar.
3. In bowls with ¼ cup sugar, add crushed freeze-dried strawberries to one and crushed freeze-dried blueberries to the other.
4. In each bowl, add ¼ cup Fractionated Coconut Oil, and 2 drops doTERRA Cheer Uplifting Blend and stir until combined. If mixture looks too dry or wet, add more sugar or Fractionated Coconut Oil.
5. In an airtight container, layer the sugar scrub in a red, white, and blue pattern.
6. To use, take a handful of scrub into hands and rub together until sugar dissolves. Rinse under warm water and pat dry. For added softness, rub hands with doTERRA SPA Hand & Body Lotion. 

And  I am saving the best for last. 

Patriotic Cupcakes

Natural food-colorants are hard to come by and can sometimes add a funny flavor to your favorite treats. These patriotic cupcakes are dyed with freeze-dried fruit and add a delicious berry flavor to your already-loved cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients
2 ¾ cups cake flour
1 ⅔ cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup butter, softened
4 egg whites, plus 1 whole egg
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1–2 drops Lime oil

Naturally Colored Cream Cheese Icing
1 cup butter, room temperature
16-ounces cream cheese, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1 pod vanilla beans, or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 drop Lime oil
¼ cup freeze-dried strawberries
¼ cup freeze-dried blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Put cupcake liners into muffin tins.
3. Mix dry ingredients on slow speed for two minutes until blended.
4. Add the soft butter and mix in until evenly crumbly.
5. Add egg whites one at a time, then add one whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with each egg addition.
6. In a small bowl, whisk milk with vanilla and Lime essential oil. Add to the batter ⅓ cup at a time. Beat one to two minutes after each addition until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
7. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
8. With an electric mixer, and using the paddle attachment, not the whisk, mix the butter and cream cheese together for about three minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
9. Add vanilla bean pod or extract and mix. Slowly add powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get desired sweetness and thickness.
10. Divide frosting into three bowls.
11. In two separate plastic bags, add freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries. Using a rolling pin, roll on top of freeze-dried fruit until they are small crumbs.
12. Add crushed freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries into separate bowls and stir to combine.
13. In the third bowl of plain frosting, add one drop of Lime essential oil and stir to combine.
14. Add each frosting into a separate pastry bag. If you don’t have pastry bags, you can put it into a plastic baggie and snip the corner of the bag.
15. Using a pattern of red, white, and then blue, gently pipe a small layer of each frosting onto cupcakes. Once done, you should have a beautiful and tasty patriotic cupcake. For an extra flair, add an American flag toothpick on top

Enjoy!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.