Freshen up! Our Room Fresheners are the perfect way to spritz up a room. Combined with open windows and fresh air, these are the perfect remedy for kickin’ back at home.

Planning a fiesta this summer? Our cumin rubbed chicken tacos are sure to spice things up!

Cumin Rubbed Shredded Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs

1 tsp. Watkins Cumin

½ tsp. Watkins Chili Powder

½ tsp. Watkins Sea Salt, ground

¼ tsp. Watkins Paprika

2 tbsp. Watkins Original Grapeseed Oil

Salsa

1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large tomato, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 Anaheim or poblano pepper, diced

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped

4 green onions, chopped

1 tbsp. Watkins Salsa & Sour Cream Snack & Dip Seasoning

1 tbsp. cilantro

1 tsp. Watkins Cumin

1 tsp. Watkins Garlic Powder

1 tbsp. Watkins Garlic and Parsley Grapeseed Oil

Shredded lettuce for garnish

Chicken Directions

Rub chicken breast with spices. In a large skillet sauté chicken in grapeseed oil. Cook over medium high heat, turning once, for 10 to 12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Shred chicken for tacos, enchiladas or fajitas.

Salsa Directions

Combine all ingredients and serve on top of tacos with lettuce.

Something we’re really proud of here at J.R. Watkins is our history. In honor of #tbt, we thought we’d share a few fun facts from the past 100+ years! For more of our history, check out the timeline on our brand new website.

1868: Introducing Liniment, our very first product. Fun fact: it’s still sold today!

1912: Construction was completed and we moved into our administration building located in Winona, Minnesota! Fun fact: this building is still our headquarters.

1928: We were awarded gold medals for our Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon and Black Pepper. Fun fact: you can still find these on our packaging today!

2011: We opened our very first retail store, located in Orange County, California!

We love our rich history and enjoy hearing fond memories from fans, as well. What is your favorite Watkins memory?

Ready for BBQs and picnics this summer? Bring this side to complete the meal!

Ingredients

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp Watkins Original Grapeseed Oil

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1½ tsp Watkins Ginger

1½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

To taste, Watkins Black Pepper

3 cups broccoli coleslaw mix (shredded hearts of broccoli, carrots and cabbage)

¾ cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

¾ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

Directions 

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, grapeseed oil, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, sesame seeds and pepper. In large bowl, combine broccoli slaw mix, bean sprouts, mushrooms and red pepper. Pour dressing over top and toss lightly. Refrigerate until serving time. Drain before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Image found at: http://bit.ly/11FvnyR

Out of a spice with no time to run to the store? Check out these substitutions!

If a recipe calls for:

• Allspice – you can use cinnamon, cassia, a dash of nutmeg or a dash of cloves
• Aniseed – pull out the fennel seed or anise extract
• Cardamom – ginger is a great alternative
• Chili powder – use a dash of bottled hot pepper sauce mixed with a little oregano and cumin
• Cinnamon – nutmeg or allspice can be used, just make sure to use ¼ of the amount
• Cloves – cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger
• Ginger – can you guess these ones? Allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg can all be used to substitute ginger
• Nutmeg – cinnamon or ginger; easy alternative 

And just like that, your recipe is saved!

Sun protection is important all year long, but especially now as the summer season quickly approaches! Lather on the sunscreen! 

Life Time Fitness’ new race series, Esprit de She, is the nation’s premier athletic event series for women and J.R. Watkins is thrilled to be one of the partners! In the coming weeks, we’ll be giving away entries to some of the races. To see the full list, visit here: http://www.espritdeshe.com/events.

Today we are giving away TWO entries to Minneapolis area running races; either the 50^th and France 5k on July 25^th or the Maple Grove 5k/10k on September 19^th (your choice!). Interested? YOU could be the winner! Here’s how to enter:

1. Follow J.R. Watkins (@JRWNaturals) and Esprit de She (@EspritdeShe) on Twitter.
2. Leave a comment below telling us why you’d like to win an entry.
3. That’s it!

Winners will be randomly selected (using the Random.org tool) the week of May 13 and notified. Good luck! 

(Additional race entries will be given away here on the blog in the coming weeks – stay tuned for details!)

Yum! This tasty treat is light and perfect for an afternoon snack or a party dip! 

Ingredients

½ cup finely-chopped walnuts

1 package reduced-calorie cream cheese

½ cup reduced-calorie sour cream

1 package bleu cheese, crumbled

1 tbsp chopped pimentos

1 tbsp minced green pepper

½ tsp Watkins Garlic Powder

½ tsp Watkins Onion Powder

Dash Watkins Black Pepper

Pan-roast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, shaking skillet and/or stirring constantly, until golden brown. Cool slightly. Beat cream cheese in bowl until smooth and creamy. Blend in sour cream, bleu cheese, walnuts and remaining ingredients; mix well.

Spoon into attractive serving dish. Keep refrigerated. Makes 2 cups. 

Serve with unsalted crackers, party rye or French bread.

One of our staple products, perfect for every season, is our line of Sugar & Shea Body Scrubs. The best part? They do double duty. Not only do they exfoliate, they also moisturize and rehydrate your skin! Have you tried them?

Ingredients

2 ½ to 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp Watkins Garlic Powder

½ tsp Watkins Curry Powder

¼ tsp Watkins Purest Ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Watkins Black Pepper

Freshly ground, to taste Watkins Coarse Sea Salt

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

Combine lemon juice with all ingredients except chicken; mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat all sides. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Grill or broil chicken 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.