With Christmas just around the corner, this is our final bulletin for the year. So first, let me take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a joy–filled festive season. May it be a time of rest and rejuvenation, of the Spirit of giving, and may it be filled with beautiful surprises. 

Five years ago, I wrote a wonderful Christmas bulletin about Nutmeg oil. It was one of my favourites! With so many new members now reading my emails, I wanted to share again that inspiring story…with some added extras thrown in. 

It will not only give you some fun and simple spicy recipes for the festive season and beyond, but also introduce you to the wonders of Nutmeg oil. I know that after reading this bulletin it will become one of your “must have” oils in your collection, as it is in mine. Enjoy!

So as we close another year and another chapter of our lives, let’s take the time to be grateful for all that we have, including our beautiful miracles from nature (our Young Living essential oils). Make sure you do something special with your oils to welcome in the New Year. May your dreams come to life in 2023, and may you be blessed with happiness every single day…..from my heart to yours!

Why Nutmeg Oil?

Have you ever heard of Saint Hildegard of Bingen? This remarkable woman was a 12th-century nun, mystic, prophet, and healer. She led an abbey, communed with God, advised royalty, and chastised emperors. But… she also made cookies!

Her belief was that God has given us herbs, spices and foods to serve our body and keep us both healthy and full of joy and peace. This is what she wrote about Nutmeg:

“The wood and leaves of the nutmeg tree are harmful, but nutmeg itself gives a person a positive disposition and calms bitterness of the heart and mind.” (Von Bingen, 1155).

So it’s no wonder that Nutmeg oil has been found to stimulate the brain and remove mental exhaustion, temporary stress and anxiousness, and at the same time improve cognition. 

On an emotional level, it encourages us to trust in ourselves, so we can be more spontaneous in life. Releasing resistance and doubt, it allows us to live in a state of flexibility rather than an obsessive need to control.

But that’s not all this wonderful oil does. It can improve the quality of our dreams, making them more colourful and intense, and at the same time more positive. It also activates the sacral, solar plexus and heart chakras.

And because it is a culinary oil, it is a wonderful addition to any recipe in place of nutmeg spice. If you live in the US, use Nutmeg Vitality oil. And if you live in the EU/UK, use your Nutmeg Plus oil. 

Enjoy these wonderful Christmas recipes…but first, let’s start with my absolute all-time favourite essential oil blend containing Nutmeg oil!

Artemis’ “Divinity” Essential Oil Blend

This blend was made for me as a perfume when I attended the Certified Clinical Aromatherapy Level 1 & 2 training with ISHA, and it’s truly divine!!!

• 6 drops Tangerine oil
• 3 drop Nutmeg oil
• 1 drop Ylang Ylang oil

You can also make a Spritzer from this by adding this mix to 60ml of filtered water.

Recipe #1 – St. Hildegard’s Cookies of Joy

The following recipe was reconstructed from Hildegard’s circa 1157 treatise “Physica: Liber Simplicis Medicina”.

It’s amazing to think that these biscuits were first made over 900 years ago! She said to eat them at regular intervals to increase joy and positivity…you’ll see my adaptations to the recipe below, to incorporate essential oils.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (170g) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar (can substitute with a natural sweetener such as coconut sugar – I personally use 2/3 cup coconut sugar, so they are less sweet than the original recipe)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1.5 cups of flour (can substitute with a gluten-free flour mix)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or 1 drop of Cinnamon Bark oil)
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (or 1 drop of Nutmeg oil)
• ½ teaspoon of ground cloves

Directions:

Grind the cloves. Let the butter soften, then cream it with the sugar, and the dried spices or essential oils. Beat in the egg. Sift the remaining dry ingredients, add half of them and mix in, then add the other half and mix thoroughly. The dough can then be chilled so it’s workable.

If you own a Thermomix or other high speed blender, there’s a slightly easier and quicker way of preparing this dough: Simply grind the cloves in the Thermomix. Then add the softened butter, sugar and oils and blend. Then add the egg and blend. Then add all the remaining dry ingredients and blend thoroughly.

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Form walnut-sized balls of dough, place on a greased and floured cookie sheet or a sheet of baking paper, and press flat. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place the biscuits onto a cooling tray. Serves 30.

Recipe # 2 – Nanny’s Christmas cake

This scrumptious recipe has been handed down for generations, from “Nanny cake-lady” – Belinda Forsyth’s great grandmother – and Belinda has adapted the recipe to use essential oils. Thanks so much Belinda for sharing this with us!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg mixed dried fruit
• ½ cup brandy or whiskey
• 1 grated Granny Smith apple
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 250g melted butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of plain flour or gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg powder or 1 – 2 drops of Nutmeg essential oil
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder or 1 – 2 drops of Cinnamon Bark essential oil

Directions:

Soak fruit in alcohol overnight. Add dried fruit, apple, sugar, honey and eggs into a large mixing bowl. Melt butter, and add to the mixing bowl, mixing well. Sift the flour into the mixing bowl, adding spices and oils. Mix well.

Baking options:

1. Press into a 23cm baking tray which is lined with 2 layers of baking paper (so that the paper extends 2cm/0.5 inches above the tin). Bake at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit). Cover the tin with foil for first 1½ hours, remove foil and cook for another 1½ hours.
2. This recipe also works well in 1 cup muffin moulds. They make lovely gifts in this size. These only need to be baked for approximately 30 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit).

Recipe # 3 – Artemis’ Chocolate & Nutmeg Protein Smoothie

Ingredients: 

• 600ml of “healthy” milk (eg. almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, organic goat’s milk, etc.)
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla powder
• 1 medium-sized ripe banana
• 1 Medjool date (seeded)
• 1 heaped teaspoon of raw cacao
• 1 – 2 drops of Nutmeg oil
• 4 drops of Tangerine oil
• A scoop of protein powder, such as Young Living’s Balance Complete or Pure Protein Complete
• 1 teaspoon of bee pollen (optional)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Start with 1 drop of Nutmeg oil, and add an extra drop to taste (if too much is added, it overpowers the flavours in this smoothie). Chill and add ice if desired. This makes enough for 2 people, and tastes absolutely fantastic!!! Not only is it a great Christmas treat, it’s an all-year-round treat!

Recipe #4 – Franczesca’s Rice Pudding – ’cause it’s raining!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rice – you can also use Arborio rice if that’s what’s in the cupboard!
• 7 cups of milk (your choice) – I know, a lot – but there is more!
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of butter – I recommend the real stuff

Instructions: 

Franczesca heats her mix in the microwave to save time, using “Rice – Special Cook – 5”. It takes about 20 minutes until the rice is cooked, and she stirs it once (at around the 10 minute mark).

If you have a healthy objection to microwaves, you can cook this on the stove-top instead. It will take longer, but taste ever so good! 

Then it’s the fun part! Stir your rice, whilst adding one tin of coconut milk – yes, it does take it! 

Grate the rind of 1 whole orange into the mixture, and finally add 4 drops of Nutmeg oil and 8 drops Orange oil. I LOVE Orange oil, so maybe start at 4 drops and taste… every one is different.

Serve warm with cream or cold for a festive breakfast. Yummmm!

Recipe #5 – Lucinda’s Roast Pineapple with Honey, Ginger, Cinnamon Bark & Nutmeg

A delicious Friday night treat! I only use Young Living Culinary Essential Oils because their Seed to Seal guarantee is the guarantee of quality and purity that I trust absolutely.

Simply peel your pineapple, cut it in half and lay on a baking tray. Sprinkle with a little bit of Cinnamon powder. Meanwhile, melt down a couple of tablespoons of local honey, and add 2 drops each of Ginger, Cinnamon Bark and Nutmeg oil to the mixture. Give it a stir and pour over your pineapple. Now it’s ready to go!

Roast your pineapple slowly at 160 degrees Celcius (320 degrees Farenheit) – keep checking until it’s beautiful and golden and ready to eat!

Did you know….?

• Ginger essential oil is a popular essential oil with a warm, energising spicy aroma. Ginger oil benefits include its topical, aromatic and culinary uses, whether the oil is being diffused during a long road trip, applied during a massage, or included in a savoury or sweet dish like this one!
• Nutmeg essential oil has a sweet and distinctly spicy taste, making it both a powerful and versatile oil. It is particularly good to enhance the flavour of roast vegetables. Whether it’s baked into spice cake or blended into tea, this pungent spice offers a warm, nostalgic taste and aroma.
• Cinnamon Bark essential oil is a concentrated and potent flavour that complements a variety of classic culinary treats, bringing a warm taste and sensation to your favourite dishes.

Recipe #6 – Chef Kate’s Chocolate and Cherry Christmas Pudding with Nutmeg Oil

Create happy memories with this delightful Chocolate and Cherry Christmas Pudding! Your family and friends will love these delicious festive puddings. The Nutmeg essential oil gives the puddings a sweet and nutty festive flavour.

Pudding Preparation Instructions:

1. Drain all the cherries over a bowl and reserve the liquid. Reserve ½ cup of cherries, for serving and then cut the remaining cherries in half. Peel the pear and coarsely grate.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the cherries, pear, raisins, apple juice and 2 tbsp of reserved cherry liquid and stir well. Heat to medium and cook for 2 – 3 minutes then remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes to soften and plump the fruit.
3. Then stir the chocolate, 100gm butter and Nutmeg oil into hot fruit until melted and allow to cool uncovered for approximately 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, rub 1 tbsp butter around the inside of a 1-litre pudding steamer and set aside. Then lay two sheets of baking paper over each other and butter the one on top. Then while holding both sheets together fold a 3cm pleat across the middle of the baking paper and set aside.
5. Place the beaten eggs in a large bowl and sift in the flour, mixed spice and cocoa powder mix well. Then pour in the chocolate, fruit, breadcrumbs and sugar and mix well. The batter will be quite a wet mixture. Spoon into prepared steamer and smooth over top.
6. Cover pudding with the buttered baking paper (buttery-side down), scrunching it over the edge of steamer and tie firmly with string to secure.
7. Trim baking paper so that there is an overhang of approximately 5cm left sticking out, then tuck the overhanging baking paper up and under itself neatly. The goal is to keep the pudding watertight beneath the baking paper.
8. Put the steamer on a heatproof saucer in a large stockpot and add enough boiling water to the pot to come halfway up the side of the steamer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and boil gently for approximately 2 ½ hours or until pudding is cooked. Check the pot a few times as you may need to add a little more water as the pudding steams. Test by inserting a skewer through the baking paper. If there is any wet mixture, continue steaming for 15 minutes longer and check again and continue steaming until pudding is set.
9. Cool and chill the pudding until you are ready to serve or serve immediately. To reheat before serving, place the pudding steamer in the stockpot, add boiling water halfway up the pot and steam for 30 minutes. For serving, turn the pudding out onto a platter, top with the extra cherries and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Serve with whipped cream (or coconut cream) mixed with a swirl of nutmeg oil, if desired. Top with a few fresh cherries and mint leaves for a lovely presentation.

Chocolate Suace Preparation Instructions: 

1. Toothpick Method: Dip a clean toothpick in your oil bottle and swirl it around a little to coat with oil then swirl the toothpick into the chocolate sauce and stir to incorporate the oil, taste and repeat if desired with a clean toothpick.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When melted, completely remove from heat, but leave the pan with the melted chocolate in the warm water.
3. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Check to see if it is sweet enough. Add more sweetener if desired and stir well. The mixture should be like thick hot chocolate. Any leftover sauce can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to a week and gently reheated in a double boiler before serving.
4. Enjoy!

How to Order…

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