I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Well, guys, by now you’ve realized how much of beauty buffs we are. In fact, we were starting to run out of names to call these roundups! Ha! So say hello to our new series, The Beauty Breakdown. In this series, we’ll be sharing our current favorite beauty and self care finds, and any and all products that we’ve recently tried that are worth talking about.
First up, I HAD to get my hands on a Hanacure face mask after seeing the crazy photos of everyone wearing them, looking 2348234 years old. And I was really impressed with W3LL PEOPLE for its completely nontoxic line of makeup. I’m so thrilled that makeup is starting to offer benefits of skincare, with clean ingredients that make us look great AND nourish the skin while they’re at it.
On this list, also, is Osmia Organics, a brand that’s new to me but worthy of the much coveted counter space on my vanity. Think luxurious, velvety textures with subtle and irresistible scents. They make self care easy!
Like everyone else, I had seen the ads for this miracle mask and I couldn’t help but be intrigued. This multi-action treatment mask promises to dramatically transform the appearance and texture of the skin. It works to remove the impurities from your skin, helping it look more firm and lifted, smoother and evenly toned.
I was completely shocked to find out that the mask ingredients list was a lot “cleaner” than I expected. It’s formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and it’s hypoallergenic and not tested on animals.
My verdict? I’ve got to admit that the tightening was really intense after applying. I mean it was TIGHT. But I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling, too, and I noticed my pores appeared smaller afterwards.
Oil pulling is an ancient practice that is receiving recent interest thanks to its key role in oral hygiene. I especially love this brand because it’s the only 100% raw, alkaline coconut oil in the world. It’s been cold-processed, and kept under 100 degrees Fahrenheit, making it truly raw. Most coconut oils can have up to 20% fillers according to the current FDA regulations; this one is 100% pure.
If you’re just starting out with oil pulling, try to swish the oil around inside your mouth for about 5 minutes, then work your way all the way up to 20 minutes. It’s the cleanest your mouth will ever feel!
A luxurious multi-use oil? Sign me up. This one by Aveda is great for your body, bath and scalp. The nourishing blend delivers a really calming scent as it moisturizes your skin and hair. It works its wonders in the bath too, with a few drops added to the warm water as you lay back and unwind.
I can’t get enough of these sugar scrub cubes from our shoppe! Available in several “flavors”, they exfoliate and nourish the skin, offering just the thing to pamper yourself after a long week. And to my surprise, the apricot is my favorite! Makes a sweet gift when paired with other simple self care favorites.
This all-natural setting powder from W3LL PEOPLE might just be our desert island product: used alone, the translucent formula controls oil, minimizes pores, and smooths our complexion; used over foundation, it provides serious staying power creating a polished, soft-focus, matte look.
You know me, always on the hunt for a serum that brightens my skin tone and smoothes my complexion. I recently tried this one by Osmia, and I’ve really enjoyed its velvety texture and irresistible scent. It works fast to soothe any redness or irritation I may have, and it has made the feel of my skin improve tenfold.
If I’m ever experiencing a pesky breakout, I know I can act fast with a spot treatment (I have several in my stash!). This one is at the top of my list right now; it’s proven to be really effective with a breakout even before it fully surfaces. While it’s a natural acne treatment, it actually doesn’t have tea tree oil in it, so the scent is a lot nicer than expected.
If you’re looking for a deeply hydrating, luxurious addition to your bathtime ritual, look no further. Welcome a light, yet indulgent scent of natural coconut and vanilla to your suds, and prepare to feel silky soft skin afterwards. This bath soak, which is also incredibly affordable and giftable and a bestseller in the shoppe, only contains four natural ingredients too. #winwinwin
My eyes are starting to show my age, so any and every nontoxic eye cream is welcome by me. I’m especially impressed with beautycounter’s version; it works to reduce morning puffiness, while also tightening the fine lines and helping any sign of dark circles under my eyes.
Like the rest of the beautycounter line, this product’s ingredients are good too. It’s made up of a soothing blend of wild algae, caffeine, flower extract, vitamin E and more.
W3LL PEOPLE Bio Tint Multi-Action Moisturizer SPF 30
Love a good skincare-makeup hybrid! This organic, tinted SPF 30 has quite the lineup of benefits, including a boost in collagen, hydration, as well as smoothing and brightening effects. I’ve found that it gives me medium coverage; my pores appear smaller and my overall texture is a bit smoothed out. It’s winning major points in my book because it’s completely nontoxic.
Nontoxic mascara that actually works well is hard to come by. Believe me, I’ve tried a bunch of them. That’s why this one by W3LL PEOPLE is worth sharing; its all-natural, pro-grade formula really gives mine a boost. The wand is designed to not clump, instead hitting each and every lash for consistent application. My lashes seem to be happier and fuller, now that they’re getting the nutrients they deserve (instead of being stripped of them like with other mascaras!).
Love, love, love this new vegan Bio Extreme Lipgloss from W3LL PEOPLE. The “bio active” lip plumping system uses peptide technology, volumizing liquid crystals, hydrating coconut oil and soothing organic aloe to give your lips the attention they deserve. SUPER hydrating with coconut oil and organic aloe…I’m in love!
I LOVE discovering helpful, new apps. I mean there’s literally an app for everything; they’re not just limited to social media and online banking anymore. And both MKR and I have been raving about several new-to-us iPhone apps lately, and we honestly now can’t imagine life without them.
These apps I’m sharing below, including the Headspace meditation app and the MyFlo period tracker, are definitely technology for GOOD, and they’re improving our day-to-day routines with more mindfulness and intention.
When we started The Well Code, our sister wellness brand, we wanted to tap into the feeling of “keeping your well full.” These apps I list below all help us do that, whether it’s through yoga on-the-go, a few minutes of meditation and more understanding of our health and our own bodies.
I’m really excited to share these new finds with all of you in hopes that you’ll enjoy the simple benefits of them throughout your day, too. I’d love to know if you use any of them, or which ones you’re downloading today! And if you’re on a downloading spree, check out these apps too. Cheers, Kat
P.S. MKR and I have both reformatted our apps on the phone by categorizing them and putting them into folders. We’ve found that this has been a real game-changer in keeping us streamlined when we pick up our phones! This way we don’t get as distracted or inundated with the ever-growing ability to access just about everything at the touch of a button. xo
Meditation has been shown to help people stress less, focus more and even sleep better. Headspace is meditation made simple, and both MKR and I swear by it. Headspace is the go-to app for making meditation simple. The voice is absolutely amazing (he’s Australian I think?) and the messaging is extremely relevant and helpful in introducing more mindfulness in just a few minutes each day. Highly, highly recommend this app!
This one’s pretty simple and straight forward, but one not to be missed. Sometimes you just need some relaxing melodies without all the fuss.
I find myself needing soothing background music and white noise a lot of times throughout my day if I’m trying to meet a deadline, taking a few moments to meditate and breathe, and of course when I’m falling asleep at night. This app is one of my favorites, and it’s free!
I’ve been really fascinated with hormone health lately, as I’ve been learning how much our hormones affect our energy levels, our metabolism, our moods, and really just overall health. After reading this post and this post, I was ready to give MyFlo a try.
This period tracker and fertility app tells you what to do to be symptom-free and feel 100% all month long. You can learn why you have specific symptoms during each of the four phases of your cycle, and what actions to take to fix them, like workouts to do, conversations to have, foods to eat, and simple self care reminders. This app has changed my life!
With more than 4,000 classes, this easy app helps you practice mindfulness on-the-go wherever you are. At $18/mo and a 15-day free trial, it’s cheaper than one class at most studios, too. MKR uses this app to take classes throughout her week, and loves that they can be as short as 5 minutes and as long as 120 minutes. The app syncs to all of your devices too, in case you want to toggle between iPhone, iPad and laptop.
MKR can’t stop hyping this app and I really just need to download it now. It boasts mood lighting with a sunrise simulation, which is HUGE this time of year as it starts to get darker in the mornings. It also features real-time traffic alerts, seamless Spotify integration to get you going with your favorite playlist, USB charging and more.
I love tacos. My husband love tacos. We make it Taco Tuesday pretty much any day of the week when the craving hits. So I’m always on the hunt for new, creative, and most importantly easy, takes on our beloved tacos.
I’ve seen hobo pack fish and fancier dishes buzzing around my Pinterest feed and have always wanted to try these little packs of goodness. The folded packets, usually seen in aluminum foil with an inner layer of parchment paper, steam their contents and make clean-up easy too. And besides the easy clean up the entire process is genius, because the result is juicy, flavorful, and usually quite healthy.
Anyway, like I said I’ve seen hobo packs mostly made up of seafood, but one night when I was crunched for time and needed to be doing ten other things besides cooking dinner I thought why not whip up a a few hobo packs full of everything you need for a great taco. Chicken breast cut into strips, peppers, onion, jalepeno, my favorite chili lime seasoning, and fresh limes.
With these hobo pack chicken tacos, I opted against using aluminum foil and used unbleached parchment paper instead. I’ve heard that aluminum foil can possibly leach aluminum into the food, and I find that parchment paper can be used in its place more often than not…just to be safe. And if I’m honest I was out of aluminum foil.
These packs can also be made-ahead, if you ever want to assemble and chill them before cooking, for up to two days. And if you need a little help folding your packs I use the pleat method seen here. Tell me, what are you folding up into your hobo pack tacos tonight?! Truly, MKR
Spray a sheet pan with oil so that the parchment paper of the pack does not stick.
Cut 8 pieces of 12x16" parchment paper.
Layer 2 pieces of the parchment paper in 4 different stacks.
Divide an even mixture of chicken, onions, peppers and limes among the prepared packs, arranging in the center of each piece of parchment. For proportions as you're packing everything, you'll want about chicken breast per packet, about 1 pepper per packet, onion, jalapeno, with 2 slices of the lime.
Bring the edges of parchment paper together to enclose each pack, covering completely, then crimp to seal packs closed.
Cook the hobo packs for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm tortillas for serving the tacos.
Carefully open the packs (there will be a lot of steam!) and dish onto warm tortillas.
Squeeze fresh lime juice, garnish with fresh cilantro, salsa, sour cream and enjoy!
Notes
You'll get about 2-3 tacos out of each hobo packet. This recipe serves about 4 people.
By Mandy Kellogg Rye @ Waiting on Martha
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
