April, 2015 | Saved By Grace

Sesame Ginger Kabobs

April 21, 2024 By Christine Leave a Comment

I was sent food from Chicken Soup for the Soul and Zaycon Fresh in order to facilitate this story and recipe.

I don’t know about you, but I grew up reading the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I remember one title in particular that was extra special to me and that was Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. I was given it when I had a particularly hard time in my teenage years and I read it from cover to cover many times, and wrote in the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Journal as well. I loved the stories because they just made your heart glow and they opened up opportunities to have conversations about things that really matter.

I was happy to find out that one of my favorite brands of fresh foods, Zaycon Fresh, is teaming up with Chicken Soup for the Soul to bring easy to prepare foods like BBQ sauces, Meal Builders and Broths to make it quick to the dinner table so you can start these heart-felt conversations in your own family.

I was sent the Sesame Ginger Meal Builder and I made these easy to do Asian Chicken Sesame Ginger Kabobs that will be perfect for a summer night when I am in a hurry and want to serve something quick and delicious for my family without the hassle. As and added bonus for me, and since packaging waste is such a huge concern of mine (see my rants about it right here on the blog!), I was happy to see they use Tertra-Pak and glass to serve up their sauces and memories.

So pull up a chair and create some of these delicious kabobs and share some memories with your family! It really couldn’t be easier with this combination of fresh foods from Zaycon Fresh and meal helping products from Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Sesame Ginger Kabobs

Ingredients

1 lbs Zaycon Fresh Chicken
½ Jar Chicken Soup for the Soul Sesame Ginger Meal Builder
½ lb Oyster Mushrooms
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Bunch of Scallions (Green Onions)
8-10 Skewer Sticks

Instructions

If you are using bamboo skewer sticks, make sure to soak them for 20-30 minutes before using. Preheat oven to 375 F if not grilling.
Trim any fat away from Zaycon Fresh Chicken and cut into cubes. Place it into a bowl with ½ jar of Chicken Soup for the Soul Sesame Ginger Meal Builder to Marinate.
Cut scallions into 1-1½ inch pieces and set aside. Cut up bell pepper the same.
Remove mushrooms from bunch and set aside.
When you are ready to assemble, order everything in any way you want. Make some vegetable only or mostly chicken. However you like them!
If you are baking in the oven, place on a non-stick sheet with parchment paper down. If grilling, stick directly on the grill.
Halfway through, make sure to turn. These cook pretty fast, in about 10-15 minutes. They are done when chicken is no longer pink in the middle. If desired, you can broil them for 2-3 minutes.

Notes

DO NOT save the leftover Chicken Soup for the Soul Sesame Ginger Meal Builder if chicken was in it. In order to avoid food safety issues, toss it.

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Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Food, Recipes Tagged With: chicken skewers, zaycon chicken, zaycon foods, zaycon fresh

Seedling Earth Day Cupcakes

April 9, 2024 By Christine 2 Comments

It’s probably no surprise here that Earth day is very important to me. I am one of those hippie people who believe “Earth day is Every Day” yadda yadda yadda, but on actual Earth day, I feel extremely blessed to call such a beautiful creation home and I Feel compelled to celebrate it.

This year, I made some Earth Day Cupcakes that look like one of my favorite parts of spring; seedlings coming up after a cold winter. With these little mounds of “dirt”, and a few sprigs of mint, I created a cupcake that looks like a portable seedling that is delicious to boot.

The best part of these cupcakes is, they are make with great ingredients and I substituted butter for coconut oil, as well as used real homemade vanilla extract and 100% organic peppermint extract. I suggest also using sustainably sourced cocoa powder as well as farm fresh eggs over store bought ones.

These cupcakes are a hit here, so why not make them for your Earth day celebration?

Seedling Earth Day Cupcakes

The recipe is adapted from the blog Nellie Bellie. You can find other great pins for earth day on my board, It’s Easy Being Green.

To decorate, Crush up chocolate sandwich cookie parts (no cream filling-just remove it) to make a fine dirt. I like Newman’s own, but there are many great brands out there. Place your frosting on your cupcake once it is cooled and top with your “dirt”. Place a small sprig of fresh mint on top of each cupcake to look like a seedling. Refrigerate until ready to serve so the mint does not wilt and the frosting stays solid.

Seedling Earth Day Cupcakes

Ingredients

¾ cup Coconut Oil, when melted
2 eggs
1¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 cups natural sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1⅔ cups milk
½ Cup Chocolate chips

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees F.
Mix or sift dry ingredients together and set aside.
Add melted coconut oil to a mixer and whip for a few minutes until it is somewhat frothy. Add in your sugar and cream together.
Slowly add eggs, and mix them in well.
Add vanilla extract and mix.
Mix the dry ingredients in thirds, beating after you add each amount to incorporate well.
Finally, add your milk and mix well. You may need to add more milk if you find this is too dry. The batter should be thick, but not dough-like. It should have the consistency of thicker pancake batter.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon into a lined cupcake tin and bake for approximately 20-22 minutes. Check after this time and cook for a minute or two more if needed. They are done when a cake poker or toothpick inserted is dry.

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Coconut Oil Chocolate Mint Frosting:

1/2 Cup solid Coconut Oil

1 16 oz bag of Confectioner’s sugar

1/2 Cup Milk or Almond Milk

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Mint Extract

1/2 Cup cocoa powder

Cream the oil and sugars together in batches. Add in the cocoa powder slowly and whip. Add the rest of the ingredients, slowly. Adjust as needed to get desired consistency. This must be refrigerated until ready to use as coconut oil will melt and make it too soft.

Filed Under: Desserts, Food, Green Living, Recipes Tagged With: dirt cups, earth day, earth day cupcakes, mint chocolate cupcakes

DIY Magnesium Oil Pain Spray

April 8, 2024 By Christine 5 Comments

I suffer from chronic pain and one of the things I hate the most about that is taking narcotic pain meds. I try to avoid them as much as possible. They have the potential for addiction, they make me feel gross and I just like to try to manage my pain as naturally as possible when I can.

I started taking detox baths a while ago for my chronic pain symptoms and I found that they really helped. The magnesium in the Epsom salt used in these baths is what is the “secret”. Although these baths help a lot, sometimes I just don’t have time to dip in the tub and when I saw you can make your own magnesium body butter, I wanted to make the oil that is used to make it. In addition to this oil (which is not actually an oil at all, but more of a thick solution), I added a bit of my Panaway essential oil blend from Young Living oils to give it an extra boost in pain relief. You should NOT use Epsom salt to make this. The kind of magnesium I used is different than what is found in Epsom salt. I used Pure Magnesium Flakes for this DIY magnesium oil pain spray.

Why You Should Use Magnesium Oil

Magnesium is a mineral our bodies need for everything from controlling muscle relaxation to being vital for our hearts. Magnesium oil can be taken through the skin so well because it absorbs into your blood so quickly this way bring relief for pain and aches within 5-10 minutes rather than the half hour to 45 minutes it would take a narcotic pain reliever. Since this is a homemade version, you also know exactly what is in it. For me, this is a huge plus. Magnesium oil is completely safe to use as well. You can use it on children to adults.

How to Use Magnesium Oil

Magnesium oil is like the coconut oil of spray on relief. I say this because it can be used for so many things! Here are a few ways you can use magnesium oil in your life:

Spray it on your feet for better sleep. do 5-10 sprays on the top of each foot and rub in. If using on children, use a bit of raw Shea butter (if they don’t have a latex allergy) or coconut oil as a carrier.

Spray 5-20 sprays on painful areas. Rub it in or allow it to sit on your skin. You will find relief within 5-10 minutes for mild to moderate pain.

Use it to boost massages. A back massage will never be the same when you spray this on before you rub it in. It will help with all those aches that we get from a long day.

The best part about magnesium oil is your aches, pains and cramps should get less and less frequent as you get your body up to par in it’s magnesium load. Most people are seriously lacking in magnesium in their bodies and this contributes to pain!

How to DIY Magnesium Oil Pain Spray

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DIY Magnesium Pain Spray

Ingredients

1¾ Cups Pure Magnesium Flakes
2⅓ Cups water
15 Drops Panaway Essential Oil blend from Young Living

Instructions

Bring water to a boil and add magnesium flakes. Gently give it a stir to dissolve.
Add your drops of essential oil.
When completely cool, give it a good stir again and pour into a spray bottle.

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A Few Notes About Magnesium Oil

You may feel some slight stinging or tightness when you first start using it. This should get less and less as you continue to use it. If the stinging is too much for you, use it with a carrier oil such as avocado or coconut.

If you see a while film on your skin after, don’t panic. It is just the magnesium that didn’t absorb. Just brush it off.

Give your oil a gentle shake before each use to make sure it is well distributed.

This can feel drying to your skin. Feel free to apply a lotion over it after 10-15 minutes when it has mostly absorbed into your skin.

Please keep in mind that I am not a medical professional. The information here is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or ailment and should not replace seeing a medical professional.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: benefits of magnesium, DIY magnesium oil, how to make meagnesioum oil, magnesium oil, magnesium oil spray

5 Easy Ways to Green Your Child’s Daily Routine

April 6, 2024 By Christine 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

#NaturalGoodness #CollectiveBias

When we think of greening our homes, for many people, it’s the big things like recycling, buying sustainably grown food and maybe even driving a hybrid or good furl economy car. While these make a big impact, it is often the little things that make the biggest impact in the long run. It’s the things that we do out of habit that reduce our carbon footprints. As moms, we are professionals at getting our kids into daily habits and routines and these habits we teach our kids now will set them up for success in the future.

For instance. we teach our kids the importance of brushing teeth daily because we want them to grow up healthy and carry that habit into their adult years. We teach them the importance of eating healthy for the same reason.

Do you try to run a green household and find yourself not really explaining why to your children? The one thing I have found with most kids is, they are eager to keep mother earth happy. They love to feel like they are able to do something significant at such a young age. I know my daughter has always been big on doing things that make an impact on other people and the earth we live in. For example, when we go on hikes or walks in parks, she is always wanting to pick up trash along the way so she can throw it away.

If you are looking to take your green routine even further with your kids, here are 10 ways to green your child’s routine.

5 Easy Ways to Green Your Child’s Daily Routine

1. Switch out their toothpaste. Did you know Tom’s of Maine makes a green kid’s toothpaste in Silly Strawberry flavor? Tom’s of Maine has been a favorite brand here for a while and it’s because it contains no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners like saccharin. Plus it is not tested on animals. My daughter loved it when she was younger. Now she uses the same stuff we do. I like either the Tom’s of Maine Whole Care or Antiplaque and Whitening. They also don’t contain any of the stuff that is found in other brands. I love that Tom’s of Maine has been around for so long. It’s definitely a brand I trust. Plus, It’s now available at Walmart so it’s a totally reasonable price (and even better with this $1.00 off coupon for any Tom’s of Maine product)and convenient.

2. Stop using brown bags for lunches and get a reusable lunch bag. This is a big one and while you are at it, skip the plastic zipper style baggies and instead check out the options for reusable ones. There are many available that are even dishwasher safe.

3. Don’t buy individually wrapped snacks. There is so much waste created with these packages. Instead, buy larger sizes of things and divide them yourself or even make some of your own. I made some delicious Elderberry Blueberry Fruit Leather the other day that was definitely kid-approved around here!

4. When they hit teens or preteen years, start them off with a no aluminum deodorant. Tom’s of Maine has a great smelling Fresh Apricot aluminum free deodorant. This works great for my 12 year old and I like knowing that I am not introducing her to the things that are in other deodorants. Tom’s of Maine contains natural ingredients and no artificial colors, fragrance or preservatives. Plus, they are not tested on animals.

5. Buy self care tools that are earth friendly. Our family uses toothbrushes made out of recycled plastic, but there are also ones made out of bamboo as well. One of my daughter’s favorite brushes is one that is made of Eco-friendly material. Oddly enough, while it was a little more expensive that other brushes I had bought, it has lasted the longest. To me, that is the biggest reason to buy them as well; less waste.

What kind of green practices do you have at home with your child’s daily routine? I would love to hear about it in the comments!

More Tips for Going Green:

7 Ways to be more Sustainable this Summer

6 New Frugal Ways to Go Green in 2015

What to Use instead of Plastic

12 Green Bloggers Tell You How to Go Green Right Now

How to Cut your use of Plastic

Filed Under: Green Living, Health

Green Road Trip Tips

April 3, 2024 By Christine Leave a Comment

When you think of taking a road trip, you don’t really think that it’s a green thing to do, but did you know that even if you travel across the country in a car you use less fuel than a plane? Stay sustainable on the road with these green road trip tips!

Green Road Trip Tips

Give your car a checkup before you go. Make sure your oil is changed and your filters are clean. Doing so will make sure that your car is running the most efficiently that it can and using less gas in the process. Also check to see if your car’s emissions are good. If you don’t live in a state that requires it, you can and should see if you are not letting off too much into the air and fix it. It can cost less than $100 to fix in some cases.

Do a check on your tires. Most people don’t realize how much a worn set of tires will suck their car’s fuel efficiency away from their vehicle. You will also want to see if your alignment is good because that can wear your tires down quickly, especially when going down the freeway.

Rent a green car. If you will be traveling in your car for a long distance, consider renting a hybrid to get you to your destination. You can rent fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles at major car rental places and they don’t cost much more than a compact car does to rent. The price often goes down when you rent for a longer period of time and sometimes you can find lightening deals.

Only pack what you will actually need. The more weight you have in your car, the lower your gas mileage will be. Try to only bring the minimal amount with you and plan on wearing things more than once on your trip. Unless you are doing something super active, your outfits should be fine.

Roll down your windows. AC sucks power which means that it sucks your gas mileage. It also produces pollution if your car is older. If you are flying down the highway, you should be able to stay cool enough without it.

Bring your own snacks. Not only will this save money, but you can control what you eat and you will cut out plastic packaging and wasteful fast food containers.

Use cruise control and try to stay out of cities. Using cruise control allows your car to control the furl efficacy and staying out of cities as much as possible lets you avoid stop and go traffic which is the worst kind of traffic when it comes to getting good gas mileage.

More Travel Tips:

Holiday Travel time savers at the Airport

Auto Safety Checklist

Filed Under: Green Travel Tagged With: fuel efficiently, green road trip tips, green travel

7 Ways to Be More Sustainable this Summer

April 1, 2024 By Christine 16 Comments

Thanks to Gurus for sponsoring today’s discussion.

Being more sustainable in every day is so important to my family. Being that we live in an apartment, my off-the-grid-gal is screaming for ways I could be sustainable if only we had our own place, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to do what I can to live a more green lifestyle when I can.

If you are looking for more ways to be sustainable in the upcoming heat of summer, here are 7 ways to be more sustainable this summer.

7 Ways to be More Sustainable this Summer

Drink more tap water. One of my biggest beefs with packaging is plastic water bottles. I cringe when I have to buy one because I forgot my reusable bottle with me. I make an effort to use it at least 1 more time before getting rid of it and I look for the kinds of plastic that can be recycled. If you drink more tap water, you won’t have a need to buy water bottles.

Wear sustainable footwear. In the summer, we often but cheap plastic or foam flip flips to wear for the season, but these are simply not a sustainable option. Look for ones made of natural rubber such as the ones from Gurus. I was curious about them and was recently sent a pair to try out and I absolutely love them. They are made from sustainably sourced natural rubber and they even plant a tree when you buy a pair. Plus, you can’t beat the unique India-inspired design. If you are wondering about the design and how comfortable they are, my answer is a YES! They are actually very comfortable. I would say more so than traditional “flipflops”.Scroll to the bottom of this post if you want to win a pair! You can also use the code savedbygrace at the checkout and get 15% off your order!

Hang-dry your clothes. Skip the dryer and go outside to line dry your clothing if you can. Not only will you save energy from not running your dryer, but you won’t heat your house up causing your air conditioner to work overtime and your clothes will smell amazing!

Shop local farmer’s markets. If you are lucky enough to live in an area that has farmer’s markets, shop them for the best local stuff. You will be supporting local business and making sure to get stuff that doesn’t have to shipped, packed and refrigerated for 100’s of miles.

Skip Styrofoam and plastic at picnics. When people go for picnics it is very common and let’s face it, convenient, to use throw away utensils and plates. This creates huge amounts of waste each summer! Although it may be just a bit more trouble, use ceramic or bamboo plates. You can give them a quick rinse before packing them away to be taken home and washed.

Travel in energy efficient rental cars rather than flying. Did you know you can rent hybrid cars? Well, you can and driving may not seem like the green thing to do, but traveling by car (even a regular furl style one) saves fuel and Co2 emissions when compared to flying.

Walk more for shorter distances. If the place you are going to is less than a mile away, there is really no need to get in the car and drive there unless you have a physical reason you can’t. Walking is better not only for your health, but also your wallet when you consider the cost of fuel and parking in many areas.

Would you like to win a pair of Gurus for yourself? Here’s your chance! Just enter below until 4/10/2023 when one winner will be chosen.

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Filed Under: Green Living Tagged With: going green, natural rubber shoes, summer, sustainability