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...
Oh, happy day! Your favorite grad is about to celebrate a huge milestone in their life. But right about now you may be scrambling to find the perfect gift to commemorate this special occasion with them. You’re in luck, however, with today’s list of great graduation gift ideas on any budget.
Whether the soon-to-be graduate is your son, daughter, cousin or friend, coming up with the perfect graduation gift can be tricky. But this list of graduation gifts gives you a good starting point with things that are all timeless, versatile and can grow with the grad during this time of transition. Think that fancy Apple Watch they’ve been talking about, a fun trinket tray or maybe a personalized set of stationery. Below, find our top 10 graduation gift ideas, and be sure to pop over to the shoppe to find our full collection of graduation gifts. Who are you celebrating this spring? Cheers, Kat
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There’s something special about having an address book—one you can actually hold—as you get older. As everyone gets older and goes on different paths, it can be difficult to keep track of mailing addresses, email addresses and birthdays. This is a great addition to any grad’s desk.
Celebrate a bright future for the young grad with this pretty little trinket dish. This one is very reasonably priced, and includes ready-to-gift packaging to keep things simple.
These bluetooth ear buds are the perfect gift for the grad that has a job lined up with a commute ahead of them. They’re wireless, sleek and downright cool.
Got a day dreamer on your hands?! This gorgeous journal is just the gift that will make them smile as they start the next chapter in their lives, documenting goals, thoughts and dreams as they grow.
Love this idea! It’s a simple gold necklace that secretly contains an intention, wish or goal, and it’s meant to be worn closely to the heart. This is a great gift idea to encourage thoughtful living as the grad comes into their own.
A personalized keepsake like this beautiful lucite tray makes for a great milestone gift idea. Each tray offers customizable options, including color, font, handle style, etc. Such a beauty!
Nothing says milestone or forever like diamonds, am I right?! These pretty little studs would make any grad very, very happy for years to come. Commemorate this special memory for a loved one with this timeless gift idea.
Apple Watch Series 2 with Midnight Blue Sport Band
Here’s another personalized gift that is sure to be a hit! New grads will appreciate Parker & Thatch’s gorgeous stationery sets that give a whole new meaning to snail mail.
Featured image, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha
I love a good caesar salad. The sad thing is nothing on a classic caesar salad is relatively healthy. So I tried to fuss with the standard recipe a bit to make it a more on the healthy side. And this amped up jerk chicken caesar salad with cherry tomatoes, fresh avocado and croutons hits the spot.
I’ve come to find that I really prefer my chicken, or any proteins on my salads to be warm. That’s where the grilling comes in; you know I love grilling on our Big Green Egg. But since I was making this salad for lunch, I simply used my Le Creuset cast iron griddle on my stovetop.
When cooking or grilling chicken it can be tricky; you can’t have it pink and you don’t want it dry either. So my trick here is to use a grill press like this one under $30 that applies pressure on the meat to help it cook evenly throughout. I use my grill press for burgers, sausage links, bacon, you name it…and it always proves to be a great thing to have.
For my jerk chicken caesar salad I season the chicken quite liberally with a jerk dry rub. Then I get the griddle, sprayed with organic high heat non stick, to as hot as it can get. I place the chicken on the griddle and use my grill press to press down. I grill each side for about 3 minutes or until the grill marks are pressed in and the outside is just a tad on the crisp side. Then I turn the heat down to a medium low or low, and continue to cook the chicken through.
Lastly, I rely on a meat thermometer that tells me when the chicken is five degrees under being done—at 160 degrees—and I pull it out to let it rest. Like all meats, the chicken will continue to cook after it’s removed from the heat, so I give it a five degree window.
The rest of my jerk chicken caesar salad is easy breezy to pull together. In this recipe, I use both iceberg lettuce and a romaine blend; I know iceberg doesn’t bring a whole lot of nutritional value to the table, but I do like the texture and the cold crunch that comes with it. I roughly chop both types of lettuce, and combined them together to form the base of the salad. Next, I add lines of fresh avocado, jerk seasoned chicken cut into thin strips, halved cherry tomatoes and garlicky croutons.
My philosophy, when it comes to croutons, is that if you’re going to waste the calories then go big and get a great crouton. I love picking up the garlic and olive oil ones from Whole Foods if I’m tight on time, like I did here today, but if I ever have a French bread baguette in the house, I rough chop it and drizzle olive oil, garlic and salt on it then pop it in the toaster oven till it turns a golden brown. Homemade croutons are surprisingly SO easy to make, and they last a really long time once they’re cooked and sealed in an airtight container. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
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When I first got into essential oils, I never imagined just how big a role they’d play in my everyday routine. I also had no idea essential oils would be my gateway into anything remotely “woo-woo” like healing crystals.
Fast forward a few steps into my wellness journey, and I here I am, using 15+ oils every day, and am a true believer of the benefits of having a holistic health practice, with countless healing crystals lying around my house to boot.
But because I know there’s still some skeptics out there, and because I know once you give everything a chance you’ll be as hooked as I am, I’m giving away this set of five crystal roller bottles, our favorite books on healing crystals and essential oils plus four Young Living essential oils to get you started!
I first caught wind of Whimsy & Wellness, an Etsy shop ran by Haylee in Sacramento, over the holidays when I was getting really “oily” and looking up dozens of DIY essential oil roller bottle blends. Whimsy & Wellness is the center of genius for the covetable roller bottles that I kept seeing everywhere. So of course, I just had to get my hands on the holiday set in gold. And since then, I’ve embraced every excuse to stock up on more including her amazingness including her cleaning bottles. You didn’t think essential oils where just for diffusing did you?
Anyway, ever since Haylee went to the huge Tucson gem show, we’ve impatiently awaited the release of this set of gorgeous crystal roller bottles. Perfect for all our essential oil combos, each one of the 10-mL crystal roller bottles feature a matte gold lid and 2-3 grams of healing crystals hand-chosen and crafted. Below, I’ve broken down each crystal, its meaning, and an easy DIY roller blend to try with each!
Plus don’t forget to enter to win your own set of five crystal roller bottles, a copy of Essential Healing Crystals, a copy of Essential Oils for Beginnersand a bottle of Sacred Frankincense, Blue Cypress, Tangerine Vitality and Lemongrass via the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck! Truly, MKR
P.S. If you’re interested in adding essential oils to your wellness journey, check out our close-knit group and all the FAQ’s over at HERE. It’s impossible not to fall down the rabbit hole with all things “oily” and we’d love to be part of your journey. In fact if you end up signing for a Premium Kit…11 of the best Grade A, Therapeutic Essential Oils and diffuser, DM us and we’ll refund your shipping costs! Truly, MKR
Garnet: This deep red stone is very uplifting, giving off a positive energy and inspiring love and devotion. If you or someone you know is suffering from the post-baby blues, try this easy blend with your garnet crystals. DIY Roller Blend to Try: 5 drops Lemon + 5 drops Lavender + 2 drops Frankincense + carrier oil of choice such as rosehip seed oil to top it off Tangerine Quartz: This golden orange crystal can encourage you to let go of the past, while offering emotional grounding and soothing vibes. It also may boost self esteem and creative energy, which is always welcome by us! If you’re looking to soften your or someone else’s heart and promote feelings of calm and confidence, give this easy blend a try with your tangerine quartz. DIY Roller Blend to Try:3 drops Grapefruit + 2 drops Lavender + 1 drop Clary Sage + 1 drop Geranium + carrier oil of choice such as jojoba oil to top it off
Aquamarine: A vibrant, blue-green crystal, Aquamarine helps promote feelings of courage, while calming the mind and promoting self-expression. It is often used for closure. Try the following essential oil blend if you’re looking for some help grounding yourself. DIY Roller Blend to Try: 3 drops Vetiver + 2 drops Orange + 2 drops Ylang Ylang + carrier oil of choice such as fractionated coconut oil to top it off
Tourmaline: This dark stonepromotes an understanding of self, while attracting inspiration and compassion. If you’re looking to take a peek inward and realign, try the following essential oil blend.
DIY Roller Blend to Try: 1 drop Frankincense + 1 drop Sandalwood + carrier oil of choice such as vitamin E oil to top it off
Apatite:This beautiful cool blue stone promotes a feeling of motivation, energy, goals and growth. Try this essential oil blend and enjoy feelings of spiritual nourishment as you accomplish goals on your personal path. DIY Roller Blend to Try: 2 Bergamot + 3 Orange + carrier oil of choice such as vitamin E oil to top it off
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