Product Reviews | Saved By Grace

OWG (Old World Gourmet) {Review}

April 18, 2024 By Christine 3 Comments

I am so glad the warmer weather is coming our way soon in Montana because that means backyard parties are about to start!

One company making waves for over a decade now is OWG. They have all your get-together foods ready to make and they make hosting easy as pie!

I tried several products of theirs to see how they stacked up. I was happy to see such a variety for pallets including sweets, drink mixes and salty snacks. You can’t be a host with the most without a variety!

I did a small get together to hopefully welcome spring with a couple friends to test out all of OWG’s products they sent me. We were lucky to try Cracker Smack, Chocolate Espresso Cream Cheese Chewies and Strawberry Margarita Mix. We tried the Cracker Smack as an appetizer, and after a lovely Sunday meal of home-cooked fried chicken and mashed potatoes made by yours truly, we dove into the Chocolate Espresso Cream Cheese Chewies and later in the evening, we had the Strawberry Margarita mix.

I should say that even though my “Welcome Spring” get together was bombarded by snow, we had no problem having a blast inside with a summer drink and good friends!

OWG makes not only the tempting treats we delve into, but also bread mixes, wine mixers, gourmet snacks and even “Parties in a pitcher”.

I altered the Strawberry Margarita mix to not include tequilla as I am not a fan, but instead used a blush champagne. I just poured it into a bowl, poured the champagne in and added a bottle of cold water. You can make these in the freezer or even enjoy them instantly in a blender with ice. I did the blender method and topped them with a fresh strawberry!

The Chocolate Espresso Cream Cheese Chewies looked delicious when assembled and ready to pop in the oven. They were even better when they were baked and cooled! Delicious!

Pros:

The Chocolate Espresso Cream Cheese Chewies smelled so rich and delicious when they were cooking in the oven. I couldn’t wait to try them! They were so easy to assemble and took very few extra ingredients. Cracker Smack was also easy to make and tasted wonderful. I served them with fruit, but these would go great with an assortment of cheeses. My favorite was the Strawberry Margarita Mix. In minutes, I had an amazing drink to die for and all my friends made comments that they couldn’t wait to try these again this summer!

Cons:

I did find that the Chocolate Espresso Cream Cheese Chewies were a little hard to get out of the pan and honestly, not as good as I had hoped. Don’t get me wrong, they were still good, but they could have been a bit less sweet. The Cracker Smack was a bit spicer than I had anticipated.

Verdict:

Definetly check out OWG before you plan your girly get togethers! They have everything you need to be the hostess with the mostest! The prices are just right!

To Purchase:

Chocolate Espresso Cream Cheese Chewies retail for $10.00, Cracker Smack is $5.00 and the Strawberry Margarita Mix is $10.00. These party products from OWG come with very generous portion sizes!

Filed Under: Food, Product Reviews Tagged With: food, Product Reviews

Monkey Mat {Review}

April 10, 2024 By Christine 2 Comments

With the weather getting nice outside, it is definitely picnic time! One problem many moms come across is how to let their little ones play outside and do so as clean as possible!

I am not a mom to little ones anymore, as I have a 10 year old, yet I still think the Monkey Mat is something every mom should have in her arsenal! (aka-”purse”). The Monkey Mat is a portable play mat that is so compact, it fits right in your purse, glove box and picnic basket!

The Monkey Mat is made out of a water repellant material and has weighted corners for keeping it in place. It also features an attached zip pouch for easy compact carrying.

I want to stress that this mat is not just for moms with toddlers! I am glad to have it for our many picnic outings as blankets are great, but they take up a lot of room and are not water repellant. The Monkey Mat folds out to a 5 x 5 ft size, so it has a lot of room on it for playing, outdoor exercise, picnics and outdoor concerts. Montana has so many outdoor events and I often wish I had brought a blanket to sit on. With the Monkey Mat, I don’t have to even think about it. I can just slip it in my glove-box and keep it there and wherever we are, the Monkey Mat is ready to go.

Pros:

I love the water repellent materiel. Montana mornings often mean dew on the ground and this is perfect. I love how portable and light-weight this is and the how easy it is to fold out and put back in the attached pouch. I also love that it has weights on the ends to keep it in place. There are even loops on the ends to tie it down if the weather is extra windy! Moms with toddlers and babies will appreciate the loops it has on the indie of the mat for tying down toys!

Cons:

I wish it was just slightly larger. That is really the only complaint I have about it!

Verdict:

Please, don’t think this is only for babies! This mat grows with your child and is even useful for adults! I would highly recommend this awesome product!

To Purchase:

Head over to the website to purchase the Monkey Mat for $39.99. You can also check out the local places it is sold in states such as California, Colorado and New York!

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: Family, Kids, Product Reviews

I Heart Keenwah {Review}

April 5, 2024 By Christine Leave a Comment

In my quest to eat healthier, especially in the snack department, I am always open to trying new products on the market. I was intrigued when I was asked to give I Heart Keenwah (Quinoa) a spin. I love cooking with quinoa, but never really thought of it as a snack food. The folks at I Heart Keenwah have made an all new snack out of one of my favorite side dishes and stuffings.

The variety I was given to try was the Almond. Not being a big fan of almonds, I was hesitant to try it, but went ahead and gave it a shot. I Heart Keenwah is full of (you guessed it) Quinoa, which is full of whole grain as well as being a complete protein on it’s own. I Heart Keenwah is gluten free as well.

Pros:

The crunchy texture was that of a crunchy granola bar that I love and enjoy. It was a good combination of nutty and sweet. I think this is a healthy snack food that doesn’t taste as you would expect. It is a far cry from the tasteless cardboard often found in healthier snacks.

Cons:

There was not as much Almonds as I had thought. In the picture on the packaging, it shows large nut pieces and inside, there is hardly any detectable nut clusters. For someone like myself, this is not a bad thing, but my husband was a bit disappointed.

Verdict:

I say give it a try. It is a great snack for taking with you this upcoming warm season for hikes because it is full of protein and a good, healthy source of carbs. There are several varieties including the almond I tried as well as Cranberry Cashew, Chocolate Sea Salt and Ginger Peanut.

To Purchase:

I Heart Keenwah is available at Abe’s Market or on the site in bags of over 12 for bulk direct ordering. Follow I Heart Keenwah on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: food, Green Living, Product Reviews

Parnevu Shining Gel {Review}

April 3, 2024 By Christine 1 Comment

I am loving Parnevu products! This is my second review of some of their products for dry hair, a significant problem for me.

I started noticing that my hair was changing as I hit my thirties. Along with my hair, was skin issues (another post entirely!) I thought to myself, “Why does my hair hate me?!”

Over the past year or so, I have tried several products to bring back the luster and shine my hair once had. None of them seemed to work all that great and I tried everything from sprays, to special conditioners.

Parnevu asked me to review their Shining Gel for Extra Dry Hair and I was happy to oblige. In the past I reviewed the Hair Mayonnaise and I loved it, so I had high expectations for the Shining Gel as well!

Pros:

The Parnevu Shining Gel has a pleasant smell. It may seem silly, but that is important to me. I was pretty amazed at how well it really did make my hair shine. I love that the texture of it was no “gooey” and slimy as well! Take a look at this picture of before I put it in: (this is on dry hair)

Now, if you look at the “After” shots, you will see the shine got kicked up a notch in a major way! I honestly have not seen my hair this shiny since my teen years! Just look at how well it even defined curls in my naturally wavy hair!

Cons:

The formula can have a greasy texture when applied and it leave a film behind on your hands. This wasn’t overly troublesome as it didn’t seem to terribly weight my hair down or make it appear unkempt and greasy.

Verdict:

I think the Parnevu Shining Gel would work best on hair that is not fine in texture as I can see it might weigh down super fine hair. I have a medium texture to my hair.

To Purchase:

This product retails for an awesome $5.00. I can’t say enough about the amazing value and quality of Parnevu Products!