Fluffy Hungarian Apple Poppy Seed Cake - quick & easy!

You know those Sundays when you feel like baking something but you don't want to labour in the kitchen all day? You feel like something yummy to have with your cup of tea or coffee?
Poppy seed is my BIG favourite! Hungarians LOVE poppy seeds and they make some incredible cakes, strudels and pasta with poppy seeds!

This is one of my favourite recipes because it's quick and easy and the cake is fluffy and delicious!
When I made this the first time, it brought back memories of my family, baking with my Mum, dad watching sports on the TV and beating the egg whites for mum to help with the cake! Precious and fun times!

Today when I prepared this recipe again, I decided to use my doTerra essential oils so I included how to replace lemon with oils! These oils have become my best friends for many reasons. It's easy to place a drop on my wrist a few times during the day and taking supplements done! Tick! I love putting some in my water! Immune system protection and weight loss management done! Tick! I love smelling them! Little pleasures of the day, tick! They make me feel good. Mood enhancement, tick! I love smelling good. Being aromatically dressed, tick! Love massaging oils onto my skin. Massage, beauty treatment, skin care, tick! Now, that was enough...what not to like about essential oils? But wait!...... You even can cook with them! Just make sure they are 100% pure, Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade!

I have been experimenting using my oils in different recipes. It is fabulous that if I don't have lemon, basil, rosemary, lemongrass or other herbs at home fresh, I still can prepare that recipe! I almost wanted to write that it turns out better than with herbs... The flavour is definitely more intense even from 1-2 drops of oil!

So, let's bake that apple poppy seed cake!

Ingredients
1 egg
100g sugar
100g flour
1 teaspoonful of bi-carb soda
100g ground poppy seed
1 grind of a lemon and a tea spoonful of the juice (you can replace the lemon juice and the grind with 2-3 drops of Lemon Essential Oil by doTerra)
100ml oil (coconut oil, melted butter, sweet almond oil, whatever you have home)
250ml sour cream
2 apples (grated on the larger cheese grater)

Method of preparation
Start the oven and preheat it to 180C. Line a baking spring form or a baking dish with baking paper.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl in the same order as they are listed  above. Pour the cake batter into the baking form and place it in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

This recipe takes for me 40 mins in my oven. I find that many cakes collapse after taking them out of the oven because the middle is not properly baked, even when the pin test comes out clean. I tried an extra 10-15 mins extra baking time and it results in better consistency! Just make sure than you keep an eye on your cake and don't burn it! So I add another few minutes after the pin or the fork came out clean!

Tips:  In my family we put a tiny rum to almost every cake recipe! I started to follow this tradition and I like it better! A little alcohol makes almost every cake recipe taste better!
This cake is delicious with some vanilla custard, cream or raspberry sauce! True indulgence but you are worth it! And what are Sundays for if not spoiling yourself and your loved one!

Why Essential Oils?

Essential oils have also been used for thousands of years for cosmetic purposes, as well as for their spiritually and emotionally uplifting properties. Essential oils can be used for a wide range of emotional and physical wellness applications. They can be used as single essential oils or in complex essential oil blends depending on user experience and desired benefit.

When inhaled, "the absorption of essential oils by the nose is as fast as an intravenous injection," Gerhard Buchbauer said, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Vienna in Austria.

In comparison, the absorption of essential oils through the skin is slower, because some of their chemical compounds need to pass through the fat layers under the skin and may even get stored there, Buchbauer said.

About 100 different essential oils are used for medical aromatherapy in Austria and other European countries, Steflitsch told Live Science.

How To Use Essential Oils
Any time you hold a bottle of our powerful essential oils, you are holding the pure essence of health-promoting botanicals that can be diffused (in a water-based diffuser or waterless diffuser), inhaled, applied topically (neat or diluted), incorporated into massage (as single oil or as a blend, neat or diluted) or taken internally (under the tongue, in water or in honey or other food). Make sure that the essential oil you use is 100% pure, a Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade and has a food label on it. If not, do not take it internally. I would not even put on my skin that way.

Inspire a positive emotional state
Love the way the spritz of fragrance from a fresh orange peel can brighten your day? Each essential oil’s complex, pleasant, and unique scent activates the limbic system—the brain’s centre of emotion and memory—differently. Essential oils can be your key to a more fulfilling and balanced emotional life. 

• Balance
• Breathe
• Cheer
• Citrus Bliss
• Console
• Forgive
• Motivate
• Passion
• Peace
• Serenity
• Elevation
• In Tune
• PastTense
• Purity
• Whisper

Enhance your physical wellness
Modern lifestyles don’t always create optimal conditions for physical wellness. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and an overabundance of environmental toxins can leave the body unbalanced and diminish energy levels. From cleansing and weight management to supporting every system of the body, essential oils and essential oil-infused supplements can provide the targeted solutions you need to restore balance and feel your best. 

• AromasTouch
• ClaryCalm - Monthly Blend for Women
• DigestZen - Digestive blend
• OnGuard - Immune system
• Smart & Sassy - Weight management blend
• Zendocrine - Cleansing blend
• Frankinsence
• Helicrysum
• Ginger

Purify your home
Harsh chemical formulas aren’t your only home cleansing option. Enjoy peace of mind without compromise when you polish countertops, clean sticky messes, and cleanse dirty surfaces with the gentle but effective power of essential oils: 

• Purify Cleansing Blend
• Lemon
• Lime
• Lemongrass
• TeaTree
• Eucalyptus
• White Fir
• Citrus Bliss
• OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate

Eliminate chemicals and toxins 

I must admit, I got extremely exited when I discovered that doTerra not only cares about what we put on our skin but what we use to clean our homes and what we do washing with. In the end, it all goes on our skin and into our body. I love the idea of having a natural, fluoride- free, essential oils based toothpaste, a plant-based, Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils based surfactant cleaner concentrate and a natural, essential oil-based ultra-concentrated 6x laundry detergent that is not only great for the family but for the environment, too! It leaves clothes refreshingly clean. 

• Lemon (add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar and add 5-10 drops of lemon oil for a great cleaning mix) 
• OnGuard blend
• OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate
• OnGuard Foaming Hand Wash
• OnGuard Natural Whitening Toothpaste 
• OnGuard Natural Laundry Detergent

Athletes, Aches and Pains 

Aches and pains are a big part of most people's life. Kids get terrible growing pains in their

legs, adults get sore after working out, the body of a professional athlete frequently get injured and is under a lot of stress. A back pain or sore muscle, even a terrible nerve pain can last for a long time not dealt with properly. Ice Blue or as it is called in the USA market Deep Blue is a life saver. Use it as a rub in cream, add a drop of oil to your lotion or apply the light version during massage, whatever suits your lifestyle, you don't need to put up with the pain. Ice Blue has definitely changed my life and helped to improve much faster than anything else I have tried for years. 

• Ice Blue Athletic Blend
• Ice Blue Roll-On
• Ice Blue Athletic Rub
• Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex Capsules (USA)
• Deep Blue Rub Liter (USA)

Refine your Skin and Hair
Purge chemicals from your beauty routine and rediscover your natural glow. An ancient skin care secret, essential oils can help promote a clear-looking complexion, soften the appearance of signs of ageing, and nurture healthy-looking hair. Using only natural ingredients, these advanced skin and hair care solutions make it easy to enjoy the beautiful benefits of essential oils every day. 

• Rose
• Helichrysum
• Lemon
• Lavender
• Geranium
• Grapefruit
• Myrrh
• Roman Chamomile
• Sandalwood Hawaiian
• Ylang Ylang
• Verage Skin Care Family
• HD Clear Skin Care
• Essential Skin Care
• doTerra Spa
• doTerra Salon Essentials Hair Care

Create deep spiritual awareness
Incense and essential oils from plants have always played an important part in religious and

spiritual ceremonies, helping participants to transcend the trivial and connect with something larger than themselves. Research shows that the pure constituents in these oils stimulate olfactory receptors and activate regions in the brain’s limbic system associated with memory, emotion, and state of mind. To enhance your spiritual practice, dilute and apply meditative, empowering essential oils directly to wrists, feet, and behind the ears, or diffuse in a quiet space. Popular essential oils and blends for spiritual focus include:

• Frankincense
• Sandalwood Indian
• Balance
• Serenity

Why choose doTerra
When you choose doTERRA, you are choosing essential oils gently and carefully distilled from plants that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy.

Each doTERRA essential oil is also carefully and thoroughly tested using the strict CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® quality protocol. Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognise the superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective therapeutic-grade doTERRA essential oils.

While there is a science to the distillation of essential oils, it is also an art. Distillers not only rely on years of experience, they also employ modern technologies and techniques.

Check out doTerra's 100% pure, Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils, blends, natural toothpaste, skincare, cleaning products, personal care, weight management products and supplements. DoTerra also has an incredibly simple and affordable marketing plan and business opportunity. Visit: www.doterra.com and quote ID: 3424449

Why to wear colours and forget black

Colours and their Sound and Frequencies

RED - Activates, vitalizes, intensifies, releases blocked energy, produces collagen. It is the longest wavelength and penetrates the deepest. It is used for rheumatics; arthritic pain; liver stimulant; LBP; pigmentation; stretch marks and circulation. 650-780nm - root chakra

ORANGE - Restores, animates, warms, stimulates, works more gently than red, building up energy step by step, unlocks deadlocked processes, cheers up. Those who love orange are said to be extroverts who often love cooking and are often creative. It helps puffy skin; spleen; hernia; muscle prolapse; sinus;
It represents the spleen, gut energy centre and eating. 570-650nm - sacral chakra

YELLOW - Fortifies, tones, opens, brightens, stimulates without exciting, extends energy, reinforces weak processes, loosens overly rigid structures, strengthens the nerves; stimulates connective tissue; eczema; flatulence; lymph drainage; skin troubles; nervous exhaustion. It represents the central nervous system 510-700nm - solar plexus chakra.

GREEN - Equalizes, relaxes, calms down, keeps physical and mental energy dynamically balanced, releases tensed-up, painful processes, brings profound serenity. Recent studies have shown it to be good for acne lesions. It helps heart problems; HBP; burns; cuts; bruises; pigmentation 475-510nm - heart chakra.

BLUE -  Reduces inflammation (as in acne). Recent studies into the use of blue light suggests that it may be useful in preventing or controlling suggests that it may be useful in preventing or controlling periodontal conditions, which can result in the loss of bone and teeth It has also been discovered that blue produces restful sleep. insomnis; sunburn; toothache; rashes; laryngitis; It also soothes, focuses, cools down, collects and structures energy, re-regulates hyperactive, inflammatory and derailing processes, brings serenity and clarity. 445-475nm - throat chakra

INDIGO - Raises concentration; Detoxing and cooling; It strengthens lymphatics; muscle toning; reduces bleeding; astringent; has high level of vibration; is known for its effect on eyes, ear ,nose, throat and sinuses; lungs; migraine; sinuses. 400-445nm - third eye chakra.

VIOLET - Inspires, attenuates, transforms energy on a higher level, supports mental processes, relaxes the nerves, soothes nervous irritations and relieves pain. It aids HBP; acne blemishes; lymph drainage; neuralgia; muscle relaxer; rheumatics; rosacea; sciatica; anti inflammatory. 380–450 nm crown chakra

Color	Characteristic	Gland	Qualities	Imbalance	Resonance Frequency
Red	Physical	Gonads	courage, action, grounding, stabilty, survival	violence, greed, self, centeredness	194.18Hz
Orange	Social	Spleen	passion, trust, emoltions, health, pleasure, let go	Jealousy, envy, aimlessness, obsessiveness	210.42Hz
Yellow	Intellectual	Adrenals	personal power, self esteem	fear, anger, hate, power	126.22Hz
Green	Self assertive	Lymph	Acceptance, forgiveness, love, radiance	Instability, repressed, love	136.10HZ
Dark Blue	Conceptual	Thyroid	Communication, truth, creative/arts	Depression, ignorance	141.27Hz
Indigo	Intuitive	Hypothalmus, Pituatry	Perception, realisation, intuition, clairvoyance..	Fear, tension, headaches	221.23Hz
Violet	Imaginative	Pineal	Fulfilment, inspiration	Confusion	172.06Hz

What is Music Therapy and Sound Therapy?

Music therapists work in a variety of settings including halfway houses, hospice programs, medical hospitals, nursing homes, private practice, psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitative facilities, schools, wellness programs, etc. An introduction to music therapy can systematically address addictive/dependency disorders, brain injury, emotional intimacy, music assisted childbirth, neurological impairments, pain management, physical limitations, reality orientation, self awareness, self expression, speech and hearing impairments, stress reduction, etc. Music therapists use music to assess cognitive skills, communication abilities, emotional well-being, motor skills, physical health, social development, and spiritual enhancement through musical responses. Interventions may include active music making, music improvisation, drumming, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance, and learning through music. 

 Music is processed by the emotions, through mental imagery, intuitively, analytically, and physically. Music is immediate, always changing and moving, encouraging the listener to be present and mindful of what is taking place. By listening and responding to these energy patterns a person gains insight into one’s own energy patterns. The main priority in music therapy is to address the individual’s needs and problems through music, not to promote or perpetuate music as an art form for its own sake. Within music therapy, the behaviours of primary interest are those that have a significant effect on the person’s adaptation, education, or development. Music in this context is used to increase, decrease, modify, or reinforce carefully defined target behaviours.

Researchers at Beth Israel Medical Center's Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine conducted the study, which included 272 premature babies 32 weeks gestation or older in 11 mid-Atlantic NICUs. They examined the effects of three types of music: a lullaby selected and sung by the baby's parents; an "ocean disc," a round instrument, invented by the Remo drum company, that mimics the sounds of the womb; and a gato box, a drum-like instrument used to simulate two-tone heartbeat rhythms. The two instruments were played live by certified music therapists, who matched their music to the babies' breathing and heart rhythms.

The researchers found that the gato box, the Remo ocean disc and singing all slowed a baby's heart rate, although singing was the most effective. Singing also increased the amount of time babies stayed quietly alert, and sucking behavior improved most with the gato box, while the ocean disc enhanced sleep. The music therapy also lowered the parents' stress.

The healing power of vibration

At its core, music is sound, and sound is rooted in vibration. Led by Lee Bartel, PhD, a music professor at the University of Toronto, several researchers are exploring whether sound vibrations absorbed through the body can help ease the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia and depression. Known as vibroacoustic therapy, the intervention involves using low frequency sound — similar to a low rumble — to produce vibrations that are applied directly to the body. During vibroacoustic therapy, the patient lies on a mat or bed or sits in a chair embedded with speakers that transmit vibrations at specific computer-generated frequencies that can be heard and felt, says Bartel. He likens the process to sitting on a subwoofer.

In 2009, researchers led by Lauren K. King of the Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo, Ontario, found that short-term use of vibroacoustic therapy with Parkinson's disease patients led to improvements in symptoms, including less rigidity and better walking speed with bigger steps and reduced tremors (NeuroRehabilitation, December, 2009). In that study, the scientists exposed 40 Parkinson's disease patients to low-frequency 30-hertz vibration for one minute, followed by a one-minute break. They then alternated the two for a total of 10 minutes. The researchers are now planning a long-term study of the use of vibroacoustic therapy with Parkinson's patients, as part of a new partnership with the University of Toronto's Music and Health Research Collaboratory, which brings together scientists from around the world who are studying music's effect on health.

The group is also examining something called thalmocortical dysrhythmia — a disorientation of rhythmic brain activity involving the thalamus and the outer cortex that appears to play a role in several medical conditions including Parkinson's, fibromyalgia and possibly even Alzheimer's disease, says Bartel, who directs the collaboratory.

"Since the rhythmic pulses of music can drive and stabilize this disorientation, we believe that low-frequency sound might help with these conditions," Bartel says. He is leading a study using vibroacoustic therapy with patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The hope is that using the therapy to restore normal communication among brain regions may allow for greater memory retrieval, he says.

"We've already seen glimmers of hope in a case study with a patient who had just been diagnosed with the disorder," Bartel says. "After stimulating her with 40-hertz sound for 30 minutes three times a week for four weeks, she could recall the names of her grandchildren more easily, and her husband reported good improvement in her condition."

The goal of all of this work is to develop "dosable" and "prescribable" music therapy and music as medicine protocols that serve specific neurologic functions and attend to deficits that may result from many of these neurologically based conditions. Rather than viewing music only as a cultural phenomenon, Bartel says, the art should be seen as a vibratory stimulus that has cognitive and memory dimensions.

"Only when we look at it in this way do we start to see the interface to how the brain and body work together."

Information from the American Psychological Association.

Music Therapy is a form of therapy is process-based and relies heavily on the therapist’s knowledge of music’s structure, rhythm and melody to influence, motivate or effect physical, emotional, or social changes in a person.

With Sound Therapy - Sound Healing, as with music therapy, both can use instruments or the voice to impact a client’s wellbeing; both can engage the client in music making.

The differences between music therapy and sound healing are subtle but distinct: The intent of sound healing is to facilitate and direct specific sounds, and their resulting vibrations, to impact well being.

Here is what Jonathan Goldman, a pioneer in sound healing, had to say about his work:

“… the basic principle of sound healing is that everything is in a state of vibration, including our organs, bones, tissues, etc. If these parts of the body become imbalanced they may be healed through projecting the proper and correct frequencies back into the body. This works for imbalances and over- or under-activity in the chakras and the energy fields.”
So, to summarise, both forms of therapy use music as a basis for impacting clients’ well being. Music therapy bases its protocols on what is known about music’s structure and rhythm to actively engage a client in music making for the purpose of addressing a specific health outcome.

Similarly, sound therapies use music to guide healing, but protocols are not based solely on the process of music listening or creation, but rather on finding and producing specific frequencies, which may be unique to the individual, that then can be directed internally to facilitate healing.

The human voice is a very powerful instrument. Our voice provides clues of our well-being and emotional state. 

"We arrive on this planet with every thing that we need to heal ourselves, and when we came; our voices were rich with all the necessary frequencies to maintain us in a healthy state of resonance. Due to the conditioning of childhood and the suppression of our true thoughts and feelings and the accompanying sounds that go with them, by the time we arrive at adulthood our speaking voice no longer contains the same frequencies it did as a child. Our voice will always reflect our current mental and emotional states of being. When a person feels alive, healthy, happy and abundant, their voice sounds much different than if they are depressed, unhappy, angry or afraid. You may notice a difference in your own voice when speaking your truth compared to when you are not, it feels different in your body as well, and from an energetic standpoint the cells of your body are not getting the frequencies they need to stay healthy."  The Healing Voice

Sound therapy
Sound therapists believe that our bodies contain 'energy frequencies' and that sonic frequencies can be used to re-attune these energies when they go off key. All you have to do is lie down and bask in the tuneful beauty of 'pure' sound.
We are all made up of different energy frequencies. They use sound frequencies to interact with these, thus attempting to rebalance the body's energy.

Before each session, the practitioner will ask the client about their medical history and any current health problems. The practitioner will then adapt their treatment accordingly, using relaxing or stimulating sounds to try to rebalance the body - gongs, drums, bells, bowls, tuning forks and the human voice are all used. According to practitioner Lyz Cooper: "Clients are wrapped up in [these sounds] like a cocoon, and allowed to go on a journey."

A recent study conducted by the British Academy of Sound Therapy (BAST) found that

95% of clients suffering from stress-related disorders felt an increased state of calm following treatment (though of course, this can hardly be called unbiased research!)
Another preliminary study conducted by BAST measured the effects of sound therapy on the autonomous nervous system (ANS). Clients were connected to a machine that monitored stress responses (much like a lie detector).

Each client demonstrated an overall decrease in arousal of the ANS compared to the control group, who were lying down relaxing. This study suggests that sound therapy has a deeply calming effect on stressed-out clients.

Sound has been used as a healing or calming tool for thousands of years. Himalayan singing bowls (standing bells that "sing") have been used throughout Asia for thousands of years in prayer and meditation, and are now used to promote relaxation and wellbeing. Sound therapy was formally introduced to the UK in 2000 with the establishment of BAST (The British Academy of Sound Therapy and Soundworks.). Sound therapy is a complementary medicine designed to work alongside orthodox medicine. BAST attempts to treat individuals with fertility issues, chronic pain, cancer, stress-related illnesses, IBS, ME, tinnitus, mild depression, anxiety and arthritis. BAST founder Lyz Cooper believes: "Whether you come for a regular tune-up or relaxation session, or have a chronic long-term illness, sound could help you to enjoy a better quality of life."

Sound therapy is said to help not only physical illness, but also help balance the emotions and quieten a busy mind. Most people feel calm and relaxed following treatment. For some, this feeling will last several days. You may also be given exercises to practise between treatments.

Contra-indications
Pregnant women are not advised to undertake sound therapy and anyone with serious mental health problems should consult their doctor before receiving treatment.

New directions in Sound Healing - Biofield Tuning Sound Balancing
Biofield Tuning is a unique non-medical therapeutic method that uses sound waves produced by tuning forks in the bio-magnetic field, or biofield, that surrounds the human body. Biofield Tuning was developed by pioneering researcher and practitioner Eileen Day McKusick and is based on her 20 years of clinical inquiry into the Biofield Anatomy. It is a simple, non-invasive, and efficient method that can produce profound and powerful outcomes.