lemon

Lemon & Strawberry Oat Bars

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Lemon & Strawberry Oat Bars
Welcoming spring one sweet bite at a time.

There’s something so simple and sacred about baking with seasonal ingredients—especially when they bring brightness and joy into your kitchen. These Lemon & Strawberry Oat Bars are the kind of recipe that feels like a love letter to spring. They’re soft, golden, just the right amount of sweet, and filled with the zing of lemon and the goodness of strawberries.

Baking can be such a grounding, heart-opening ritual. As you stir and pour, layer and bake, you’re not just making food—you’re creating nourishment, comfort, and care. Whether you share them with loved ones or savor them solo with a warm cup of tea, I hope these bring a little sunshine into your day.

Spring calls for something sweet, light, and bursting with brightness. These Lemon & Strawberry Oat Bars are like sunshine you can taste—easy to make, naturally sweetened, and the perfect blend of tangy and comforting.

Made with fresh strawberries, zesty lemon, and wholesome oats, this treat is perfect for an afternoon snack, picnic, or simple celebration of the season. They’re gluten-free and can be made vegan with a few swaps.

Ingredients

For the base and topping:

  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup almond flour (or oat flour)
  • ? cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ? cup coconut oil or melted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

For the strawberry filling:

  • 1 ½ cups chopped fresh strawberries
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds (to thicken)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. Make the filling: In a small saucepan, combine strawberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Cook over medium heat until the berries break down and get jammy (about 8–10 minutes). Stir in chia seeds and set aside to cool and thicken.
  3. Make the base/topping: In a large bowl, mix oats, almond flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Stir in coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when pressed.
  4. Press about ? of the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan. Spread the strawberry filling evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the strawberries and gently press it down.
  5. Bake for 25–28 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool completely before slicing into bars.

? A Few Tips

  • You can use frozen strawberries—just thaw first and drain any excess liquid.
  • For a vegan version, use coconut oil or vegan butter.
  • These bars store well in the fridge for up to 5 days (if they last that long!).

Mindful Moment:

While the bars bake, take a moment to sit with a cup of tea and breathe in the aroma filling your kitchen. Gratitude lives in these quiet, simple rituals—the scent of lemon zest on your fingers, the sweetness of strawberries, the warmth of the oven.

Let this be a small celebration of the season and your own sweetness.

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Healthy Lemon Bliss Bars

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Healthy Lemon Bliss Bars (Gluten-Free & Naturally Sweetened)

Spring is the perfect time to refresh and renew—not just in our surroundings but also in the way we nourish our bodies. As the days grow warmer and brighter, lighter, citrus-infused treats feel like a celebration of the season. One of my favorite ways to embrace this fresh energy is with a healthy take on a classic lemon dessert. These Healthy Lemon Bliss Bars are naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and bursting with bright, tangy flavor—perfect for an afternoon treat or a guilt-free indulgence. Let’s welcome spring with a dessert that’s as vibrant and refreshing as the season itself!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

For the lemon filling:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour (helps thicken)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat & prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
  2. Make the crust: In a bowl, mix almond flour, coconut flour, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Press the mixture evenly into the pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. Let it cool slightly.
  3. Prepare the lemon filling: In another bowl, whisk together eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, coconut flour, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
  4. Bake: Pour the lemon mixture over the pre-baked crust and return to the oven for 18-20 minutes, until the filling is set but still slightly soft in the center.
  5. Cool & chill: Let the bars cool completely, then refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.
  6. Serve & enjoy: Dust with a little coconut flour or powdered monk fruit for a classic look, then slice and enjoy!

These bars are refreshing, lightly sweet, and perfect for spring! 

If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating.

Cream Cheese Danish

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These easy-to-make breakfast pastries are as delicious as they are beautiful! Fruit and cream cheese danish are ideal for relaxed weekend mornings, Sunday brunch, and I bet your mom would love these on Mother’s Day!

One of my favorite things to add to anything with berries it a little drop of Lemon Essential Oil. To me lemon and berries go hand in hand make the freshness of the berries burst with goodness. Be mindful thought to only use essential oils that are tested for purity and you know for sure have not been adulterated with synthetics. This gorgeous free ebook explains the difference and why using pure essential oils is so important.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 box of puff pastry dough (2 sheets), thawed
  • 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • Lime zest from one whole lime
  • 2–1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
  • Fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut in half
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing
  • Sanding sugar
  • Optional garnish: additional lime zest
  • 2 drop Lemon Essential Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Adjust your oven rack to the center position. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets on a lightly-floured board. With a large 4.5-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 4 rounds of dough from each piece. Lightly score the rounds with a slightly-smaller biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Transfer the puff pastry rounds to baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Gather together the remaining scraps of dough. Roll out the dough and create two or three more danish pastry circles. Add those to the baking sheets.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla extract. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated and the consistency is smooth and creamy. Place two tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each puff pastry circle. Using the backside of a spoon, spread it out, leaving a 1/4-inch rim.
  4. Arrange blueberries on half of the rounds. Artistically arrange strawberries on the rest of the batch.
  5. Bake for 15-16 minutes, or until the rims of the puff pastry desserts are lightly golden brown.
  6. Allow the cheese danish to relax on the baking sheets and cool down to room temperature. If desired, add a light sprinkling of lime zest to the middle of the strawberry breakfast pastries.
  7. Serve with coffee, milk, orange juice or tea.

These simple and super buttery little pastries are so good and look gorgeous. These are perfect for any special occasion or just to treat yourself!

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Lemon Essential Oil Uses

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Spring Cleaning is here! I love this month to de-clutter and deep clean.

If you’ve been feeling the itch to get some spring cleaning done, you may notice some areas of your home have been neglected for far too long.

Luckily, doTERRA Lemon oil ?can help make cleaning those long-forgotten nooks and crannies easier. Here are 10 ways you can use Lemon to clean your home.

?1. Microwave—Microwaves are notorious for being tough to clean, especially after mishaps involving spaghetti sauce or tomato soup. To ease the pain of cleaning, simply microwave a cup filled with water and a few drops of Lemon, then wipe clean!

?2. Dishwasher—Pour distilled vinegar into a dish and add 5–10 drops of Lemon oil. Place this dish in your empty dishwasher and run on high.

?3. Stove Top—Lemon oil makes cleaning one of the dirtiest areas of the kitchen easy. Add vinegar and Lemon to a spray bottle, and watch the grime disappear!

?4. Appliances—From dust to greasy food spills, appliances collect more dirt than you might think. A simple solution of Lemon oil, water, and vinegar will help you clean toasters, refrigerators, mixers, and more.

?5. Garbage disposal—If you’ve been smelling something funky coming from your sink, it might be time to clean the garbage disposal. A simple DIY disposal recipes listed below.

?6. Ceiling Fan—Fan blades collect dust at turbo speeds and cling to them for as long as you let them. To avoid choking on dust bunnies while cleaning your ceiling fans, spray the inside of an old pillow case with a Lemon/water mixture and loop the fabric around each blade.

? 7. Washing Machine—Run a mixture of Lemon oil, baking soda, vinegar, and water through your empty machine on the hottest setting to break up dirt build-up and mildew. Scrub any excess with a sponge, then run the machine again with fresh water.

?8. Trash Cans—Regularly cleaning out trash cans can eliminate odor. For indoor trash cans, spray the inside and outside of each can with a mixture of water, Lemon oil, and vinegar, then scrub with a sponge.

?9. Windows and Windowsills—The same mixture of Lemon oil, water, and vinegar in a spray bottle that you’ve been using all around the house will do wonders for your windows and windowsills. Simply spray glass and wipe with a clean cloth or paper towel, then move onto ledges and sills with a toothbrush or damp sponge.

?10. Air Vents—One of the most overlooked areas to keep clean in your home is the air you breathe! Clean vents with a sponge dipped in warm water, vinegar and Lemon oil to help eliminate allergens and dust from filling the air around you.

?Lemon oil acts as a powerful cleaning agent and the possibilities are truly endless! Share this post and let us know how you like to clean with Lemon oil.

Garbage Disposal Refreshers

With everything that goes into the disposal, odds are that odors could be accumulating in there. Try this simple DIY recipe to make your own garbage disposal refreshers that will help freshen, clean, and deodorize your garbage disposal.


Ingredients
2 cups baking soda
1 cup salt
½ cup water
? cup unscented liquid castile soap
30 drops lemon essential oil

Note: Liquid castile soap is a vegetable-based soap commonly found in health food stores.


Instructions

  1. Combine baking soda and salt into bowl.
  2. Add castile soap and essential oil into mixture.
  3. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, while stirring with hands until it forms into the consistency of “damp sand”. It should stay together when you press it together. If you add too much water just add some more baking soda and salt until the consistency is right.
  4. Grab a tablespoon measurement device and scoop packed spoonfuls onto parchment paper.
  5. Once the mixture has been scooped, let dry for 24 hours or until they are hard. One batch should make about 36 garbage disposal refreshers.
  6. Put into glass jar and use the next time you do dishes. Just put 1–3 refreshers into the garbage disposal and turn it on. You will immediately smell the refreshing scent of Lemon essential oil.

So easy, eh? I store mine in a cute jar…these also make great toilet bowl cleaning tabs! So versatile!

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