Clear Conscience Blog | J.R. Watkins Naturals

She’s an accessories designer, a business woman, a blogger and one very inspirational woman. Her mission? To help people design lives with intention. Jess Constable openly and honestly shares career, lifestyle and business advice on her blog Makeunder My Life and as a Living Well columnist for The Everygirl. We can’t help but feel motivated and inspired after reading her words and viewing her designs. Jess lives in Chicago, and her home and designs have been featured on The Nate Berkus Show, Rue Magazine and Apartment Therapy. We tapped Jess to share some of her signature advice with readers of the Clear Conscience Blog.

Clear Conscience Blog: How did Jess LC get started? What was the first accessory you ever sold?

Jess Constable: The company got started when I was 15 years old. It started by accident; I was sitting at a pool making (ugly) ankle bracelets when two women came up and asked me to sell them. So after six hours sitting at a pool, I walked away with $30. As they say, the rest is history. The fateful first piece I sold poolside was a beaded ankle bracelets I named “Starlettes.”

CCB: We love the advice you share on Makeunder My Life. What is some of the best advice you’ve received?

JC: I think the best advice I’ve ever received comes from two sources: 1) A quote by Oprah Winfrey, “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” 2) Every word of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

CCB: For the busy, frazzled reader who is balancing work/family/friendship and wanting to give every aspect of life fair attention but not sure how, what would you say? Where to start?

JC: I personally am a big believer in boundaries to help myself stay in the present moment. So that means no emails at night and during weekends (I’m even limiting my email checking during the workday to three times a day to stay productive). I also choose to focus on work when I’m at work. I don’t allow myself too much distraction by social media or texting. By keeping these sections of my day separate, I can stay just a little bit less frazzled and more relaxed and attentive.

CCB: Summer is a great time to kick back and enjoy some good reads in the sun. What books would you recommend?

JC: As I mentioned before, The Seven Habits is a foundational book for me personally. But I also really like “The Alchemist” as a summer read that is equal parts story and inspiration.

CCB: We remember excitedly spotting a J.R. Watkins Hand Soap in a picture in one of your blog posts. What is your favorite Watkins product?  

JC: Right now I’m loving them all, but the best for me is the Grapefruit All-Purpose Cleaner. Knowing that I’m cleaning my sink with a natural product that smells and looks good at the same time is a huge plus. I like not worrying about whether it touches my skin as I clean. 

We found another gem in the J.R. Watkins Cookbook! Whether you are entertaining or looking for a way to put your garden vegetables to good use, our Black Bean & Citrus Salsa is sure to hit the spot. 

This healthy salsa is a refreshing (and delicious) snack to enjoy while beating the heat. For a fun twist, throw in some fresh avocado right before serving!

Black Bean & Citrus Salsa
1 large tomato, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 small bunch scallions, chopped
1 tsp Watkins Cumin
1 tsp Watkins Garlic Powder
1 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce
1 tbsp Watkins Cilantro
1 tbsp Watkins Salsa & Sour Cream Snack and Dip Seasoning
1 tbsp Watkins Garlic and Parsley Grapeseed Oil
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
Freshly-ground Watkins Sea Salt
Juice of half a lime (optional)

Combine all ingredients; refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

J.R. Watkins ingredients available at www.JRWatkins.com.

BIG news, everyone.

We are releasing our Foaming Hand Soaps next month! Are you as excited as we are? We think that this will be the next big thing overtaking your kitchen and bathroom sinks. We included fan favorite scents Grapefruit and Aloe & Green Tea and also introduced two brand new ones - Coastal Breeze and Kids’ Juicy Sweet Apple.

The gentle foaming formula is dye-free and packaged in PETE easy-to-recycle-plastic. And like all of J.R. Watkins Home Care products, the Foaming Hand Soaps feature non-toxic, biodegradable materials and are free of ammonia, bleach, isopropyl alcohol, sulfuric acid and other chemicals. The packaging is more petite than our traditional Hand Soaps, a modern version of our signature trial-mark bottle. We think you’ll love it!

Look for these to officialy launch in August, on JRWatkins.com and in Target stores, for $4.99. 

The recent heat wave probably had you dreading stepping even one foot outside. Hopefully you don’t have that same dread over opening this month’s utility bill. We wanted to share with you a few energy saving tips that will both help save kilowatts per hour and the money in your wallet.

Tip #1: Did you know nearly half of your utility bill goes towards cooling and heating your home? Stay in your comfort zone, but set your thermostat as close to the outside temperature as possible, the closer the better. In the summertime, wear lighter clothing in the house. A few degrees can make a huge difference in your monthly electric bill.

Tip #2: Not only do trees and shrubs add visual appeal to your home, but they also help to naturally keep it cool.

Tip #3: Who wants to stay cooped up inside on a beautiful summer night? Plan your get togethers to be held outdoors in the evenings and cut costs on indoor utilities.

Tip #4: Be cautious to not over-freeze your foods! Keep your refrigerator set between 37˚ F to 40˚ F and your freezer at 5˚ F.

Last tip: enjoy the summer! 

Baby Back Ribs are such a treat. Especially when prepared the Watkins way. We can’t keep a secret, though. But, really why keep this recipe to ourselves? In this case, the secret really is in the sauce. Take notes, and good luck getting it just right!

Watkins Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:
5 lbs/2.27 kg pork loin back ribs
2 cups/500 mL water
1/2 cup/125 mL apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup/80 mL J.R. Watkins Gourmet Original Barbecue Sauce
1 - 1/2 tsp/7.5 mL J.R. Watkins Garlic Powder
1 - 1/2 tsp/7.5 mL J.R. Watkins Seasoning Salt

Root Beer Barbecue Sauce:
2/3 cup/160 mL J.R. Watkins Gourmet Original Barbecue Sauce
2 tsp/10 mL J.R. Watkins Root Beer Extract
1/2 tsp/2.5 mL J.R. Watkins Ginger
1/4 tsp/1.2 mL allspice
J.R. Watkins Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Place ribs in large, shallow roasting pan, bone side down. Combine water, vinegar, and barbecue sauce pour over ribs. Sprinkle with garlic granules and seasoning salt. Cover and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until ribs are tender. Let cool.

(Ribs can be covered and chilled at this point if you wish to make them ahead.)

Place ribs on grill over indirect heat or bake at 400ºF/200ºC for 20 to 30 minutes or until warm and tender. Brush the ribs with Root Beer Barbecue Sauce.

Sprinkle with J.R. Watkins Sea Salt and Black Pepper (optional).

This spring, we hosted an event at our Irvine boutique with a group of fabulous SoCal blogging gals. We love their style, and wanted to share with you today a few of them that we visit regularly!

Wendy Will Blog
Wendy might just be one of the strongest ladies we’ve ever met —- and that’s reflected in her blog about marriage, motherhood and surviving breast cancer. She also just finished (and organized for fellow bloggers) a fun, fitness challenge called #IWillRockThis, which we proudly donated prizes for. Wendy writes with such a real style and is so inspirational. Readers will find a true connection to the stories she posts. Bookmark her now! And read all about #IWillRockThis here.  

Beauty Junkies Unite
Amber is the ultimate beauty encyclopedia —- with the latest and greatest on new product launches and plenty of beauty tips and advice. We had so much fun meeting Amber live and in-person, and love following her beauty adventures. We like that she tells it like it is, and we’re betting you will, too. Check out Amber’s blog and this post that includes J.R Watkins Sunscreen in a list of 8 Fab Sunscreens to Try This Summer!

Mamabub
Megan is a hip OC mom to a Bub and Bubette, who keep her busy and provide her with plenty of blog content. She shares her stories and advice on MamaBub. We love her blog posts as they’re full of variety and useful information, like what to read and cute gift ideas! Mixed in are some very cute toddler tales, so we can’t resist. If you’re looking for some summer reads, check out Megan’s list of recent books here.

Romy Raves
Usually Romy does all of the raving —- about beauty, skincare, food, wine, fashion and more —- but it’s our turn to rave about Romy. She offers quality reviews and shares her fab (rave-worthy) experiences living in Los Angeles for us all to enjoy. She recently raved about J.R. Watkins Lemon Hand Cream, too! Check out Romy’s thoughts on it here.

Fresh fruit is always a perfect summertime treat, and with a little creativity, it can be easy to dress up for your summer celebration. Plus, we also really like food on skewers (so do kids!) In honor of the 4^th, we put together a festive medley of red, white and blue fruit with a side of Watkins Vanilla-infused yogurt dip.

Here’s the how to:

 Ingredients:

• Strawberries

• Blueberries

• Bananas 

• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

• 1 tsp. Watkins Vanilla Extract

• ¼ cup powdered sugar

• Wooden skewers

Instructions:

Wash fruit. Slice bananas and cut tops off of strawberries. Skewer fruit in the pattern of your choice (note: fruit types can be substituted).

Dip: Mix yogurt, vanilla and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until blended and smooth. Chill and serve.  

Summer is in full-swing. We’ve had a few scorching heat waves and have relied on the grill almost exclusively for dinner since Memorial Day. Oh, and the amount of sunscreen we have already used this summer is staggering (but necessary).  Now, we have fireworks and 4^th of July celebrations upon us. 

We also have some very summery specials happening this month on JRWatkins.com to help your survive the rest of these sunny days.

A beloved seasonal favorite, J.R. Watkins Gourmet Potato Salad Seasoning blends the flavors of onion, garlic and a spice medley that brings out the best in any potato salad recipe. And it’s on sale in July.

With all the grilling going on, we don’t where we’d be without our all-natural grinders (Steak & Chop, Chicken, Pizza & Pasta and Seafood). If you purchase one in July, you’ll get $2 off our Sea Salt grinder.

Snag Watkins Original Barbeque Sauce for $1 less in July and spice up your backyard barbecue!

Happy 4th!