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...
I recently read a quote about the importance of taking care of yourself first, so that you can take care of others then too. This quote really struck a cord with me; I’m always considering ways to self improve, whether that’s in my own health and wellness, my relationships, my spirituality or my business. And I’m a firm believer that life only gets better the more you know and learn and evolve.
I really just love that the concept of self care is so popular these days and our society is taking note of the importance of continuous self betterment. And as I mentioned last week as part of my morning ritual, I like to dedicate some of my quiet time to investing in myself.
I guess you could say that I’m an “always be learning” type of person, because I usually have about 5-6 books on my bedside table at one time. I’m also, of course, guilty of hoarding all of the beautiful ones that make for great coffee table books though too. Below, you’ll find my list of some recent and current reads that have really resonated with me, not to mention make for great conversation starters.
Do you have any favorite “self help” or holistic health and wellness favorites you’re reading? I’d love to know in the comments below so I can add them to my list! Truly, MKR
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I’ve heard so much about this book that I just had to get my hands on it! It’s written by New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein, and it guides readers to change their reactions that they make out of fear, into ones that they do out of love.
The book is incredibly inspiring about tapping into one’s spirituality and faith in the universe, looking for “signs” and learning to surrender to the bigger plan that God has for us all. Ultimately, I finished the book with a renewed sense of freedom and clarity. Definitely, definitely worth a read no matter where you are in life!
You know I’m obsessed with anything and everything GP and Goop, so this one is really a no-brainer on my list of wellness books.
This book is an incredible resource for looking and feeling your best every day. The editors of Goop share their favorite workout plans, recipes and top recommendations for living a well-lived life. And that comes in the form of healthy, glowing skin, great sleep and a balanced routine.
This is one of my favorite recent buys! It’s a simply stunning reference guide, teaching about the transformative power of crystals for wellness and beauty.
The pages include elegant photography and a stylish and modern take on the magic and magnetism of crystals and gemstones. It’s entirely refreshing seeing this elevated take on the holistic practice of healing crystals, with many tips for at-home self care techniques.
Even if you’re not a crystal guru, you’ll enjoy this gorgeous book; it makes for a great coffee table book with a nod to holistic health and wellness. I’m obsessed!
This one is by Erin Benzakein, the owner of Floret Flower Farm, and is equally inspiring as it is informational for growing and arranging fresh flowers year ’round. The stunning photography throughout makes it a beautiful coffee table book, and the step-by-step instructions and helpful tips leaves you equipped to create showstopping arrangements yourself. Get this for another flower lover.
Author Marianne Williamson discusses her reflections on the 1975 A Course in Miracles, where she learned to show love to others in the search for inner peace.
This book has helped me transform any negative and skeptical thoughts to positive and hopeful. It’s helped me become a believer in the power of love in every single application, no matter how small.
I’d recommend reading this one slowly; I had many moments when I read ideas that resonated and I really let them sink in. It’s such a beautiful collection of inspiring words!
Christy Wright, aCertified Business Coach and part of Dave Ramsay’s team, offers humble and clear advice for women hoping to run and grow their own businesses. I’ve found this book to be incredibly inspiring and motivational for all things Team WOM.
Inside, the book teaches you how to create a customized plan to start and grow your business, while giving advice on managing time and handling the nitty-gritty stuff like taxes and budgeting. I’d highly recommend it to any fellow lady-preneurs out there!
Featured image, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha
I’ve always been a fan of having frozen vegetables on hand. They’re the type of pantry staple that can help even the most uninspired nights get a little sustenance. So when Bird’s Eye® recently came out with the Steamfresh® Superfoods line, I was eager to see what it was all about. Bird’s Eye has long been a brand I seek out in the frozen aisle at Kroger, and this new addition seemed right up my alley. I mean, I’ll take all of the superfoods I can get, especially when frozen vegetables retain the same amount of nutrients as those bought fresh.
Big surprise here, but I was first inspired to try the Bird’s Eye® Steamfresh® Superfoods Quinoa & Spinach blend with my take on healthy stuffed peppers! You know how much I love peppers. I took a few plump poblanos, halving and deseeding them before throwing on the grill for five minutes—I prefer a bit of a crunch in my peppers, but if you like them more tender, keep them on the grill a few minutes more—before filling with the steamed blend straight out of the microwave.
I kid you not when I tell you that the meal took me no more than 10 minutes from start to finish. I used some spicy white BBQ sauce I had in my fridge to drizzle on top, though I want to try cheese or even a spicy ranch next time too. Voila! So easy.
The beauty with a blend like this is that its a great pantry staple that’s easy to mix into just about anything. It would be great on top of a salad, paired with chicken, as part of a nourish bowl and so much more.
I think you’ll find that the heartiness of the quinoa, paired with the steamed spinach, brown rice, cranberries & red peppers in a light red wine vinaigrette sauce is extremely satisfying however you fix it. I’m beyond thrilled to find a good frozen staple like this one. Have you tried anything of the collection yet?! Truly, MKR
Healthy Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Spinach & Quinoa Blend
1-2 bag Birds Eye Spinach & Quinoa Superfoods Blend
dressing of choice, I used a spicy white Alabama BBQ sauce
Instructions
Cook Superfoods Blend per bag instructions.*
Grill the halved poblanos for five minutes. I like them to retain a bit of crunch, but if you like them more tender, grill them longer.
Plate the Superfoods Blend, adding grilled peppers on top, and leaving the majority to fill and stuff the halved peppers.
Lastly, drizzle preferred dressing on top. Here you can also add cheese if you want!
Notes
*Microwaving proved to be the best way when I tried cooking it as it creates the perfect steaming bag.
By Mandy Kellogg Rye @ Waiting on Martha
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha | This post is in collaboration with Bird’s Eye®, a brand we love and adore. All opinions are 100% our own.
By now you know how much I enjoy discovering new all natural beauty and personal care products. And when I find good buys I want to sing it from the rooftops, like this Glo Pro microneedling tool and a completely clean and hypoallergenic perfume. I just love the fact that so many clean, nontoxic brands are surfacing now that we’re putting a focus on the ingredients and processes behind them. Today, I’ve included a few game-changers in my weekly beauty routine that nail all of the above.
Read more about all of the products below, and tell me if you’ve given any of them a try too! I loved talking to so many of you at our grand opening of Waiting on Martha Home about natural beauty and skincare, and I’m thrilled to find so many of you enjoy the finds as much as I do and have interest in learning about new products. We have more exciting brand launches coming to The Well Code collection soon! Truly, MKR
P.S. For more all natural beauty must-haves and tools, be sure to browse HERE. xo
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I’ve written often about my love affair with dry brushing after learning about how potent this simple tool can be. It can help exfoliate the skin, while stimulating the lymphatic system for full-body health.
I love to dry brush in the morning before I take a shower; it helps to wake me up and slough off dry skin before cleansing. Always dry brush in circular motions, starting at the feet and moving over the entire body with light pressure in the direction of your heart.
This convenient monthly subscription service makes taking your vitamins as easy as can be. Ritual changed the game recently when it came on the scene, offering the nine essential nutrients that women lack the most, leaving out the common multi-vitamin ingredients that we don’t actually need.
Ritual has taken the guesswork out of what vitamins to buy, keeping a monthly delivery plan affordable, and for that I’m definitely drinking the Kool-aid.
Really pleased to see the big dogs like L’Oreal come out with 5-free formulas that don’t include harsh sulfates, salts or surfactants that strip hair. I’m always on the hunt for nourishing shampoo and conditioner that can help my dry and brittle locks after years of heat damage, and I’m thrilled to have this duo as part of my hair routine. It’s especially gentle on color, and it smells divine.
Merben Coconut Foot Brush with Healing Foot Butter Set
This handmade foot brush is the secret to a great foot massage at home, and summer-ready feet! I’ve found that it helps relieve aching feet, while also sloughing dry skin. I follow the dry brush massage with the foot butter that’s included in the pack for maximum TLC.
Microneedling is a wonderful way to help your skin undergo the rejuvenation process, creating new collagen and restoring skin’s volume. It also helps your skincare products be absorbed 200x more!
GloPro is definitely more of an investment than the microneedling tools found on Amazon, but it also includes a red LED light that helps cells grow 150-200% faster. Also, once you buy the main device, the attachments aren’t too expensive to add on. I recently purchased the body attachment for my décolleté area.
I’ve found that my skin feels firmer, smoother and altogether better after using this tool at night, usually 2-3 times per week.
Did you know that according to the EWG, companies that manufacture personal care products are required by law to list the ingredients they use, but fragrances and trade-secret formulas are exempt? Your fancy perfume is most likely laden with toxic ingredients. And I recently read that fragrance can even be considered the new “second hand smoke” these days. #Yikes
Skylar, on the other hand, believes that amazing scents come naturally. The brand offers all natural, cruelty-free and hypoallergenic scents that happen to smell beautiful.
I picked up this mint Satin Facial Scrub as part of my Young Living Essential Rewards order last month, and I really enjoy using it a few times per week. It’s a water-based exfoliant that contains super nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil, mango butter, MSM, aloe, and revitalizing Peppermint essential oil. It’s thought to minimize the appearance of pores and invigorate dull skin.
Being present is one of my biggest focuses these days, especially with a million moving pieces going on at once for WOM. I’m really taken by this all natural essential oil blend right now, and I’ve started to incorporate it into my morning ritual as I tell myself intentional mantras before I start my day.
The brand also offers samples to help you test blends with your body chemistry before committing to full size products. I found this to be a really helpful way to decide which one resonated the best with me.
The second that I watched this Instagram post, I knew I had to order this thing ASAP. As you may know, cupping is known to reduce fine lines and deep wrinkles, while boosting collagen production and improving the overall look and feel of the skin. And it only takes 3-5 minutes per day to see results…I’m hooked.
This simple cupping massage set can be found on Amazon under $30, and used in the comfort of your own home. I’ve found that it calms me and even boosts my mind when I do it! The set includes two face cups (face, neck, décolletage), two eye cups, and a free exfoliating brush.
These beautiful, handmade soap bars include a mix of nourishing and healing ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, shea butter and essential oils. Each 4 oz bar has been traditionally air-cured for six weeks.
The nontoxic blend helps make bath time more intentional and simply more of a self care treat. And not to mention, the bars make wonderful gifts for family and friends when paired with a sea soak or sea polish!
I LOVE this super-rich body moisturizer. It actually has facial-grade ingredients that are blended specifically for the body, including an ultra-concentrated combination of vitamin C ester, papaya enzymes and organic shea oil. The mixture works together to deeply hydrate and gently exfoliate. Not to mention, the oil leaves skin smelling amazing.
Featured image, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha
