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Emotions and BBQ!

Wow, what a beautiful couple of weeks weather wise we have just had. It’s been great to get outside. I feel it has made lockdown a little easier being able to go outside, whether in a garden, for a walk, or to a local area, adhering to social distancing rules. Sunshine often makes us happier, many of us plan summer holidays to destinations where we have ‘guaranteed’ sunshine! It makes me wonder, why do we love sunny weather? Is it the warmth of the sun on our skin, or the fact we can go outside in wide open spaces, or maybe its certain smells we associate with the season as they make us happy, such as a BBQ smell or freshly cut grass!

Our sense of smell plays an important part with our emotions, hence the reason some smells you love (come from a fond memory) and some smells you may hate (associated with something that makes you sad/angry). Do you associate certain smells with summer? Can you think of at least two now? When you breathe in a certain smell, it can trigger all kinds of memories that play on our emotions. Essential oils can help with mood, especially if you have a certain smell that triggers happy memories and thoughts. Our emotions play a huge factor in our mental health, I often find the citrus oils are very uplifting on our mood. I also love floral smells but I have met quite a few people who associate certain floral smells with a not so great memory, giving them a negative association with that small. You have to find the right oils for you.

Now back to a summer smell…..BBQ coals burning!!! It reminds me of groups of friends and family, sitting near the BBQ sharing good food and enjoying each others company. The yummy taste of BBQ food, also adds to the senses…..I am not so keen on the clearing up though!!!! I do enjoy hosting a BBQ, and now we can share a BBQ with a small set of people, I will continue to be able to enjoy the smell and associated memories for a little longer this summer.

As time has moved on, we (me and hubby) have developed our BBQ menu’s over the years. One of our favourite accompaniments now is Tabbouleh. I love the fresh taste of the ingredients bringing a natural, fresh clean taste to the palette. I first tasted Tabbouleh in Dubai, (bringing back fond memories of me and hubby’s first holiday together). Above is a picture of my Tabbouleh accompaniment with my BBQ food. I used about 5 drops of pure lemon essential oil in this recipe (start with less as it is so potent), first I mixed it with olive oil and crushed garlic, then poured it over the bulgar wheat mixture and continued to stir it in. What’s great about this dish is that each day the taste progresses if you make too much! It is an easy recipe, why not give it a try, and if you haven’t got pure grade lemon essential oil, you can use a lemon. Enjoy x

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