It is not officially summer until you start marinading and grilling in the back yard, right?

Taking advantage of fresh summer vegetables is only smart.

There is definitely no comparison between a fresh tomato and one from the grocery store.  Fresh vegetables are something we add to every meal in the summer months and Lord willing we will have the same occur this winter with our greenhouse!  🙂

In addition to marinades, I LOVE making my own salad dressings too…  Be sure to stay tuned for my post sharing my favorite dressing recipes… ♥

Something else that excites me is to add the benefits of essential oils to your marinades, dressings and food.  Essential oils have SO many healing properties and to receive additional healthy benefits from a home cooked meals is just over the top for me!  I LOVE taking good care of my family and knowing that we are being good to our bodies and adding oils with healing abilities to our already wonderful wholefoods diet is nothing short of amazing!   I have not felt this good in a long time….

Balsamic Rosemary Marinade

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

2 drops Rosemary essential oil

* Recommended with beef

Rosemary essential oil stimulates the memory and opens the conscious mind.  Rosemary was considered sacred in many civilization.  It was used to protect against plagues and infectious illness and is commonly known to aid in alcohol addictions, antioxidant, arterial vasodilator, vaginal infections, vaginits, viral hepatitis, arthritis, Bell's Palsy, cholera, club foot, constipation, detoxification, diabetes, diuretic, fainting, fatigue, flue, greasy or oily hair, hair loss, headaches, inflammation, kidney infection, lice, low blood pressure, memory, muscular dystrophy, osteoarthritis, schmidt's syndrome and sinusitis.

I LOVE fruit on the grill too so the next one is a perfect blend of all my favorite things; cinnamon and pineapple….  You have to try this… ♥
Grilled Pineapple

1/2 cup Organic Sucanat or coconut palm sugar

1/2 pineapple peeled, cored, and cut

1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 drop Cinnamon essential oil

Mix sugar and cinnamon in a ziplock bag and add the pineapple.  Shake until all pieces are fully covered

Grill 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Cinnamon essential oil is an antibacterial, antidepressant, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-parasitic, antiseptic, light antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, immune stimulant, purifier, sexual stimulant, and warming.  So I know why I feel so good when I am making these kabobs and my pumpkin pies in the fall. 🙂

Honey Lime Fruit Dip

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp honey

1-2 drops Lime essential oil

Lime essential oil has a fresh, lively fragrance that is both stimulating and refreshing. Aromatically, Lime oil is helpful in overcoming exhaustion, depression and listlessness.  Internally, Lime oil is great for colds, fevers, energy, purification and sore throats just to name a few.

Something wonderful with this dip is that you can use a wide variety of oils such as Wild Orange, Lemon and Grapefruit to make a nutritious and cleansing fruit dip all in one.  Something else I enjoy doing is adding our homemade canned jellies and jams to the above recipe to even kick it up a notch!

FOR MORE MARINADES VISIT GNOWFGLINS TO SEE WHAT I AM SHARING THERE TODAY!