Do you know what’s in your essential oil? Or where it comes from for that matter?

These are just two of the questions posed by a recent study done by Consumer Advocates, a national organization who strive to educate consumers on their rights.

Recently a spokesperson (Sam Klau) for the organization reached out to me to inform me of a new study they conducted on the safety, sourcing, and consumer education when it comes to a company’s commitment to transparency.

I have always been one to research a company before I use their product (especially essential oils) but not all consumers do.

It’s extremely important to know the quality, purity, and even the business practices of the company who’s oils you are consuming/using/buying.

Mr Klau had some nice things to say about my blog, particularly this post.

He would like me to share the report he shared with me with all of you, and I agreed. It’s a lengthy, yet informative report that any consumer who loves their essential oils should read.

After going over the report again, I found no reason why I should not share the company’s findings with all of you, they only want to educate and protect us consumers.

Here is what went into this report:

• 600+ hours of research
• 42 different sources were used
• 11 companies were vetted
• 21 features reviewed options
• 11 top pics

You might be surprised to see one of your favorites on the list, I know I was! Not naming any names, but one of the companies I have purchased from in the past showed up in the report as having one of their oils adulterated. (peppermint)

This was a shock to me, since as I said, I do my research on a company before I buy from them. Sometimes things get overlooked though. Like checking the testing reports.

I learned something else to: Therapeutic grade is a made up term. What?? Did you know that? That’s just one of the reasons I feel you need to check out this report.

It answers questions like: Do they practice safety? Do they all perform quality testing? Do they practice sustainable sourcing?

When a company tells me their oil is 100% pure, organic, quality essential oil, I need to be able to trust that. Some oils I don’t just diffuse, or use topically. This is extremely important!

Some oils are meant for aromatherapy only, I understand that. It should clearly state that on the label and the website. I used to think if an oil was therapeutic grade, that was the gold standard for safety and that meant ok for ingestion.

Of course, I told my doctors how I’d been using certain oils, like lemon and frankincense, yet not all doctors are trained in all things essential oils. Of course they were agreeable.

Another factor I’ve always considered is cost. If an E.O. is cheap, it’s not to be trusted for anything other than aromatherapy. Not always, and vice versa.

One more surprise in the report was that one of the major players in the essential oils game threatened to sue!! That gives one pause for sure!

Do me a favor. Read the report and let me know what you think. I would especially like to invite my friend Roxy to check it out, it’s brand new, you have not seen this yet!

Check the consumer report out here.

We’ve all heard about a Pinterest fail, right? If it’s edible though, is it still a fail?

So today I wanted to try a sweet recipe using Fathead Dough (Keto) so I checked my Pinterest board and decided on cinnamon roll bread.

The original recipe is from Forget Sugar Friday, a great site I reference all the time. Check out all her posts and this recipe by clicking the link.

I took a screenshot of what the bread is “supposed” to look like right before it goes in the oven, since I forget to do that.

Mine almost didn’t come together! Finally, after much stirring, it formed a dough and I poured it onto my pan, exactly like hers in the photo below..

I placed it in the oven for 6 minutes as instructed and then pulled it out and put on the yummy cinnamon topping. Mine was much darker than hers.

Two changes I made to her recipe were 1) I used Paleo flour combo, which had almond, coconut, and arrowroot in it. 2) Instead of brown Swerve, I used coconut sugar to get the brown color.

The original recipe uses just coconut flour, but I was out. My gluten free flour would not work because it’s not Keto.

First thing that happened due to something on the bottom of my oven ( I guess) is that the smoke filled the house. The smoke alarm went off three times.

Also, the cinnamon topping flowed on to the Silmat, and that burned a little bit, which also made smoke. 🙄

I had to open the patio door and a window and run my tiny fan at full force, light a candle, and finally after an hour or so, it cleared out. 🤣

Once I pulled it out, it could have been frosted, but I wanted to see how it tasted before I wasted those ingredients. Ok, y’all know that pizza dessert you get at Pizza Inn?

That’s as close as I can come to describing the taste, yet without the yummy, gooey frosting. It certainly didn’t taste like toast!

Once cut, I thought it looked pretty good.

Now let me show you hers.

I’m still amazed that bread, pizza crust, and bagels can be made from these simple ingredients; coconut flour, mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, eggs, baking powder, and salt.

This one also had the addition of heavy whipping cream, Swerve Confectioners sugar, and cinnamon, of course!

I don’t know why my dough was so hard to come together unless it was my flour. You are supposed to be able to manage it with your hands. Ha!

Now, my last picture shows that my dough even had pockets of air. I don’t cook enough to know if this is good or bad.

The last picture is hers, a screenshot of how it looks frosted, which I’m definitely doing next time!!

So, have y’all tried this recipe or some other easy sweet recipe using Fathead Dough? Tell me about it!

PS: I like Swerve sweetener because it has no after taste, it’s not bitter, and it’s even safe for people with diabetes! (I don’t have that by my friend Stephanie does)

Normally, I use Pyure Brand Stevia Blend, but I’ve been out and tried the Swerve. The frosting uses it too. Get the recipe at Forget Sugar Friday!

Hey, good morning! How many of you have ever heard of Fathead Dough?

It’s all the rage in the Keto world, simply because it’s a way to enjoy bread again! It’s made of mozzarella cheese, almond flour and egg, with many variations on the recipe, it’s very versatile!

This morning I am attempting to make bagels from Fathead Dough, and once they are out of the oven and I’ve sampled them, I’ll let you know if it was a success! 😉

I got the recipe from Mad Creations on Pinterest, and I had no almond flour, so I subbed a mixture of coconut flour and golden flax meal. Click the link for the whole recipe!

For the topping, I used chia seeds and pink Himalayan salt. I plan to eat them with cream cheese.

My measurements were not entirely accurate, so they will be smaller than hers, plus, they don’t seem to want to brown, so I may have to take them from the oven to the toaster oven to crisp up.

They smelled good, yet felt heavy and still not brown when I took them out, so I’ve got them in the toaster oven to finish up.

Now I can tell you after sampling my “bagel sandwich” it was delicious! Not as chewy as a traditional bagel, but definitely tastes like bread, the flax and coconut flour combo worked! Savory, salty, and slightly cheesy.

I am so exited and anxious to try the dough with almond flour, so I need to stock up on that and mozzarella cheese. Using the shredded is fine!

I made my sandwich with cream cheese and a thinly sliced Black Forest ham! Not bad for my first attempt!

I cannot wait to make pizza or cinnamon rolls! I’ve been hearing so much about this versatile dough, why did I wait so long to try it??

The addition of flax and the topping of chia seeds adds fiber and should also give me energy! I desperately need that recovering from knee surgery!

I have to admit, I’m not sure that this dough will make a good sweet bread, but I’m willing to give it a try, stay tuned for that! I will certainly be doing more experiments with this dough!

Tip: I had to click the conversion button on the recipe for US measurements.

Let me know if you’ve tried it and share your favorite recipes with me!