July, 2014 | Saved By Grace

Crock Pot Mac n’ Cheese Delight

July 15, 2024 By Christine 6 Comments

This recipe is unlike most of my other recipes. It is not carb friendly, or calorie friendly, but it is very hearty and delicious. It is especially inspired by a friend who was a roommate of mine in college that made a similar version of this. We can’t eat healthy all the time here or I would go insane. I allow myself cheats and this is one of my favorite ways to cheat! This delicious concoction started as a one dish meal that I made on the stove-top, but I changed it to be a crock pot meal to see if I could get rid of the Velveeta in it because I still am trying to eat healthier even when I make “junk”. With the summer months here, I use my crock pot a lot, so here is my version of Mac n’ Cheese that I affectionately dubbed “Cheesy Delight”.

Crock Pot Mac n’ Cheese Delight

5.0 from 1 reviews

Crock Pot Mac n' Cheese Delight

Ingredients

2 lbs Colby Jack Cheese
2 Cups Milk
1 tsp White Pepper
½ tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Onion Powder
1 Bag Frozen Asparagus
1 Large Ham steak
1½ boxes of Noodles (short ones, not spaghetti style)
¼ Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Shredded Parmesan
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 Sick Butter, salted

Instructions

Place your milk in the crock pot and turn it on to high heat.
Cube up your ham steak, Colby cheese and butter. Add them to the crock pot. Add in your seasonings and allow the butter to melt and then add in the noodles.
Give it a good mix to incorporate the noodles in well. Add in the ham steak and Parmesan cheese.
Leave on high for 3 hours (until noodles are about half soft).
Add in your sour cream and asparagus and fold into the noodles. Turn down the heat to low. Allow to cook for 2 more hours, checking regularly about every half hour or so to test softness of noodles.
When noodles are soft, top with shredded sharp cheese and allow to sit in pot (turned off with lid on) for about 15 minutes until it is melted.

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Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Food, Money Saving Meals, Recipes

Dreadlock Q & A- How to Start Dreadlocks

July 14, 2024 By Christine 4 Comments

I decided to do my hair in dreadlocks last month for a couple reasons. One is that I just have always loved the natural look of them and the second is kind of a private spiritual one for me. I also want to be as natural as possible and many shampoos, hair products and so on contain many kinds of chemicals. In a way, dreadlocks (or “dreads” how I prefer to refer to them as) are a frugal hair style. I no longer need to buy shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, hair ties, hair treatments, or even get hair cuts. I have had many questions asked of me on my short journey and I wanted to take some tike to answer them.

Dreadlock Q & A

Do you wash your hair? Yes, I actually wash it about once every 3 days. Truthfully, this is about as often as I washed my hair pre-dread because my hair is somewhat dry. And, hair will actually not dread up or mature as well if it is not clean.

What do you use to wash your dreads? I use Dr. Bronner’s castile soap and water. I don’t condition it and I don’t use regular shampoos because they contain sulfates and chemicals and I don’t want a film left behind on my dreads.

How did you get them to start dreading? There are several techniques. I used the backcomb method. I sectioned my hair off into parts about an inch thick. I used a dog’s comb with metal teeth on it to carefully and tightly backcomb each section. I used the metal toothed comb because it can be hard on a plastic comb to do it as tight as you need it.

This is a great video that tells you the different ways you can start:

Don’t they smell bad? Actually, no. As I stated, I wash them. They actually currently smell like almonds because I used the Dr Bronner’s Almond scented soap.

Why do they look frizzy still? They are what dreadheads like to refer to as “baby dreads”. The fully mature dread most people think of is a process. This can take anywhere from 6 Months to a year (or longer) to start to mature. Having dreads is quite a commitment!

How long was your hair? How long does it need to be? I had hair halfway down my back in layers. Most people will recommend that you have at least 3-4 inches of hair to work with.

Aren’t dreads a hairstyle for African Americans? Dreadlocks are a style for anyone! Anyone’s hair will dread up because that is what all hair naturally does if untouched by a comb. Some textures are ideal for creating dreads, but it is not true that others have to work to create them or that they shouldn’t have them because of race or ancestry.

Did you use wax? No. I had heard that it could be a giant mess so I never wanted the wax in my hair.

What did your dreads look like over the past month or so since you put them in?

Here are some pictures of how they changed over the past month:

Right after I backcombed:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 4 (1 month) Front and back:

Will you have to shave your head if you decide you don’t want them anymore? No. Actually, I can just use a lot of conditioner and take some time and slowly comb them out.

Do you have any more questions for me about starting dreads or dreads in general? I would love to hear them in the comments!

UPDATE!
6/8/2024

I have had my dreadlocks for a year now and let me tell you, get ready for shrinkage! You can see how long my hair was before, well check it out now! I plan on keeping my dreadlocks a lot longer and I am happy with how they are progressing at this stage.

blogpicture

Filed Under: Beauty, DIY Beauty, Green Living

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Sauce

July 9, 2024 By Christine 6 Comments

I am a lover of sauces. When I went to culinary arts school, this was by far my favorite class. It was kind of a surprise that I loved it so much, actually. I was not looking forward to it thinking it would be boring. I really wanted to take baking, actually. Needless to say, my desires did not dictate my talents. I failed baking, miserably I might add, not once, but 3 times. This was a huge shock for me since all the women in my family are amazing at it. I just didn’t get that gene, I suppose.

I did find my hidden talent in sauce and soups production, though. I love making both of them and have been told I should even consider bottling some of my concoctions. This cauliflower sauce came after I discovered how low carb cauliflower is and how it can be used for a variety of things from pizza dough to thickening sauce. I made it curry becaus ethat is another weakness of mine, but you could easily adapt it for anothe rtast that suits your dish more. Enjoy!

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Sauce

5.0 from 1 reviews

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Sauce

Recipe type: sauce

Ingredients

2 Bags Frozen Cauliflower
½ Cup Curry Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
1½ Tsp Garlic Powder
½ Tsp Salt
½ Cup Sour Cream or Greek yogurt
1 Cup Milk
¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded or grated
1 Tbsp Concentrated Vegetable Stock, Paste form, gluten free or your own
1 Pinch White Pepper

Instructions

Start by steaming the frozen cauliflower. You will want it almost mushy.
pour the milk into a heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium. Add in the sour cream.
When the cauliflower is cooked, add it into the milk mixture. Bring the mixture up to a simmer. Stir regularly.
Add in the cheese and salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Slowly whisk in the curry. It chunks up pretty easily so make sure to whisk well.
Add this mixture to a food processor or a high powered blender and pulse until mostly smooth. You can also use an immersion blender as well.
Serve over rice, chicken, beef, whatever tickles your fancy!

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Filed Under: Diabetic Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Food, Recipes

How to Save Money on Family Portraits

July 8, 2024 By Christine 5 Comments

I always mean to get family pictures taken every year. It is sometimes a money issue, but more often than not, it is a time issue. I just forget and by the time the “good season” to do it is over, I say,”Oh well, maybe next year.”.

It has actually been a couple years since I have gotten them done. I think it’s about time I schedule that and make it a priority. Family portraits can cost a pretty penny, though, especially if you don’t want to just head to your local sears studio. Here are some tips for saving money on your next family portrait session.

How to Save Money on Family Portraits

Ask your friends and family who they recommend. They may know of a hidden gem of a photographer that does it at a low rate. These photographers often just rely on word-of-mouth advertizing as to avoid too many people booking them at this low price.

Contact your local photography school. There are often students hoping to fill their portfolios and needing the practice. If you are OK with the work not being overly perfect, this is a perfect option for you. Don’t worry, most students will ask for help with editing, formatting and even technique from their teacher. You may even get lucky and get their instructor to come along for the session.

Look on Craigslist. I have often seen local newbie photographers advertizing their services looking for “models”. This can sometimes mean something else entirely, but it never hurts to ask what kinds of models they are looking for as they could simply be looking for folks to photograph to work on their technique.

Barter. Do you run a business that could benefit the photographer personally or professionally? If you do, you may be bale to barter services. This is often something photographers who are building their business may be interested in, especially. It won’t always work, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Many people are still open to the idea of bartering.

Sign up for photographer’s newsletters well before you want to book a session. This way, you will be able to see short term specials photographers are offering and jump on them when they are available.

Read the “small print”. Many times, people end up spending more than they had intended because they don’t read exactly what a session includes.Sometimes, there are extra fees, a specific time limit without an extra charge or a certain number of prints in one session. You will save more money if you understand up front what a session entitles you to.

Carefully examine packages of prints. Often these are like vacation packages that are not as good as they sound with extras you don’t want and items not included that you do. Sometimes, depending on your needs, you can get a better deal if you order prints a la cart.

If you are in the Missoula, Montana area, I suggest contacting Jen at Mountain Pearl Photography. She took my picture for my blog’s sidebar as well as some others you will find on my “about me” page.