Of course, you can just go to the store and grab a bottle of some massed produced seasoning, but then you are are at the mercy of that manufacturer when it comes to ingredients and quality. It could have MSG and who knows what else in there. 

What we like to do is make our own spice blends using the best quality ingredients we can find and store them to use for the next few months. 

Spicy SPG (Salt – Pepper – Garlic)

SPG is a fairly common seasoning mix. It forms the basis for a lot of the house spice or house seasonings out there. Our take is a little different because it’s quite spicy. It’s got the black pepper bite you usually see with SPG with a pronounced fiery hit from the toasted chilis. 

Spicy SPG

2017-03-21 23:14:23

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Prep Time

5 min

Prep Time

5 min

Ingredients

1. 2 TBSP Himalayan Salt
2. 2 TBSP Dried Cayenne or Red Chilis
3. 1.5 TBSP Cracked Black Pepper
4. 1 TBSP Granulated Garlic
5. 1 TBSP Coriander Seeds

Instructions

1. Toast the coriander seeds and the chilis over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
2. Combine the toasted chilies and coriander in a mortar and pestle with the remaining ingredients. Grind until fine and uniform in appearance. A spice grinder works fine as well.
3. Transfer to a spice container for storage.

By Saved by the Kale

Saved by the Kale http://savedbythekale.com/

2 Other Superstar Seasonings

One of our all-time favorite spice blends is Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasnoning. It’s the Cajun seasoning by which all others are judged. We use it on sautéed chicken and fish multiple times a week. 

This is one that we’ve mentioned a few times before, but the Hot and Numbing Wing Spice from Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats is amazing. It’s the perfect wing spice. Put this on crispy wings and I can’t get enough. 

Storage

If you are going to take the time and effort to make your own homemade spices then you are going to want to make sure they stay fresh as long as possible.

That is why we use these glass jars from Infinity Jars for proper storage. They are air proof, light proof, and will keep your spices fresh for many months.

Just look at this example they have on their website.

2 Month Chive Test

This is a lab test comparing effectiveness at storing chives in (from L to R) the Infinity Jar ultraviolet screwtop jar, an amber screwtop jar, and a clear glass jar. Infinity Jar clearly out-performed the other jars by keeping the chives green and fresh. Chives are among the most fragile and easily perishable herbs you can find at a grocery store. Much like your lotions, essential oils and other products, improper protection against visible light, as seen in the amber and clear glass, will lead to a fast decomposition and degradation.

What initially drew my attention to these screw top jars was the beautiful, dark violet glass and the sleek design. The deep violet color looks great and is the secret to the their impressive preservation capability. It blocks out harmful light rays that degrade organic matter, while allowing two beneficial light rays that are laboratory proven to preserve and extend shelf life for up to 2 years! You won’t find that at your grocery store!

What are your favorite spice blends and how do you like to store them?

The post Healthier Alternatives to Store Bought Spice Blends appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

My coffee has evolved over the years. I use to brew my coffee, sweeten it with sugar or sometimes artificial sweeteners (I know, yikes!) then add french vanilla creamer to it.

Then I couple of years ago I decided to try a different route. I started making my own cold brew. I would blend that with a couple of dates, a tbsp of coconut oil, and coconut milk. This was high maintenance as it required a blender. I also wasn’t happy with consuming all the sugars from the dates so early in the morning.

So for the last year I have been drinking my coffee like this: my cold brew, coconut water (I like to use a high quality one like Harmless Harvest), and my homemade coconut milk. I never measure it out. I just pour some coconut water in, then coconut milk and then fill up the rest of my glass with cold brew. It’s completely customizable and delicious. The coconut water adds sweetness, the milk makes it creamy and the cold brew is smooth and strong. It’s dairy free, gluten free, soy free and sugar free. It’s how I start every day!

Cheers!

The post Coffee Without All The Junk appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

I love Thai food, it’s full of flavor and never boring. I’ve never had a Thai dish that I didn’t like. Over the last couple of years I have realized the importance of knowing the ingredients that goes into my food.

When it comes to sauces and oils at restaurants it can be a crapshoot. It is amazing where they can slip in soy, gluten, dairy, and sugar in places you wouldn’t even think to look. Because of this we cook the majority of our food at home. This year we decided we wanted to learn to make curry. We did some research and decided to purchase this curry paste (affiliate link). I carefully checked the ingredients and knew what they all were. It didn’t have any of the things that I try to stay away from. We purchased it and a few days later we were on our way to having delicious Panang Curry.

We chose to make it with chicken but you could use any kind of protein you like. Beef, Shrimp, or even just vegetables would be great! This is completely customizable you could add any vegetables you like. We chose to use onions, snow peas, carrots, squash, and broccoli. 

Panang Chicken Curry

2017-01-10 21:37:07

A sweet and spicy dish that is gluten free, soy free and dairy free.

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

1. 2 TBSP Panang Curry Paste (We use Mae Ploy Thai Panang Curry Paste - 14 oz jar)
2. 2 1/2 C Coconut Milk
3. 1/3 C Water
4. 1 C Onion (sliced)
5. 1 C Broccoli
6. 1/2 C Snow Peas
7. 1 Yellow Squash (sliced in chunks)
8. 1 TBSP Coconut Sugar
9. 2 TSP Salt
10. 2 TBSP Coconut Oil
11. 1 LB Chicken Breast (cut into chunks)

Instructions

1. Using coconut oil as needed, work in batches to stir-fry the chicken and vegetables in a wok. Remove from wok when finished.
2. Use 1 tsp of coconut oil to stir-fry the curry paste.
3. Then add coconut milk and water to the paste and bring to a boil while stirring to incorporate the paste.
4. Add the chicken and vegetables back to the wok.
5. Stir together well and let it cook together for 2 minutes and then you are done!
6. Serve over rice.

Notes

1. This can get pretty spicy, so feel free to add extra coconut milk or water to tone down the heat a bit. Conversely, add a little more curry paste if you want more heat.

By Jen @ SavedbytheKale

Saved by the Kale http://savedbythekale.com/

The post Panang Chicken Curry appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

As I am staring 2017 straight in the face I’m really not sure what it will hold or what I will bring to it. I feel like I am at such a crossroads  in my life. I can see what I want it to look like, I’m just not sure how to get there, or maybe how best to get there. There is a part of me that just wants to run off to an island, totally isolated, not worrying about all the trivial things that sometimes preoccupy so much of my mind. Would that work, would all my troubles disappear…probably not, but it’s a nice thought sometimes. So what can I do…

A Year of Simple Living

I do know that I want to structure my life in a way where I actually enjoy whatever it is that I am doing. I want to be present and focused. I want to develop a habit of staying in the moment. I want to wake up every morning and feel grateful for another day.

I want to look whoever I am talking to in the eye and give them my full attention instead of worrying about all the other things I “need” to be doing. I don’t want to be thinking about how I am going to answer them, I want to just listen. How nice would that be?

I want to focus on single-tasking instead of multi-tasking. Multi-tasking leads to stress, it divides our focus and causes us to lose the ability to live in the moment.

I want to appreciate nature. I want to look at the sky, watch the squirrel look for a nut it buried last month. Stop and listen to the wind, feel it on my skin.

I want to slow down and savor my food, you know actually sit down and eat it instead of standing at the counter cleaning up the dishes while I’m trying to eat my lunch. I want to taste it, really taste it. I want to be mindful of my food, where and how I am eating it. 

I want to live a better quality of life with less stress. Life can be so much more than just getting through another day. Life can be an amazing adventure.

I think this quote by Abraham Lincoln sums it up best. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Thanks Amanda for letting me think out loud.

The post What I Want My Life To Look Like In 2017 appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

Rich in knowledge.

Rich in adventure.

Rich in laughter.

Rich in family.

Rich in health.

Rich in love.

ThinkGrowProsper

The post Happy New Year! appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

In December I wanted to….

Keep posting on the blog twice a week. This I have done or at least I will have done once I do my last post for this week.

Read 2 books I read one book. Scrappy Little Nobody, Anna Kendrick’s memoir and it is fantastic!

Plan a weekend trip for just Jim and I, or at the very least a date night No weekend trip for just Jim and I but we did have a date night and a date day

Pack minimally for an overnight trip Yay! I might be most proud of this! I packed all of mine and Jim’s stuff in one carry on suitcase! 

Plan our New Year’s Eve Party Done! and I can’t wait for Saturday night!

Practice not looking at my phone when I first get up in the mornings. I’ve done so so with this. Some mornings I’ve not looked at it and others I have.

Continue to say NO to things that do not make me happy or add value to my life. Check, this I have done!

In January I want to …..

Meditate 3 minutes a day.

Read 2 books.

Decide what direction I will take the blog in.

Treat myself with kindness.

Paint the living room.

Start our 3 month spending ban.

The post January Goals appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

Here are a few of those things for me this week :

The Girl’s Gingerbread House

The Occasional Starbucks Drink

This Song

Have a lovely weekend and Merry Christmas!

The post Grateful Friday #14 – There is Always a Reason to Smile appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

The post Not Really Feeling It appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

When things go terribly wrong you have 2 choices….

You can wallow in your mistakes, you can be a victim, you can beat yourself up, you can give up and decide that nothing really matters.

or

You can decide that those choices will not define you. That you can get past it. It may not be easy, it may take a long time but you can move forward one hour at a time. Then one day at a time until maybe one day it doesn’t take up so much space in your mind and in your life. You can decide to be the best YOU that you can be. You can refocus your attention on things that will bring you closer to the person that you know you are. You can remind yourself to never give up on YOU. You have to fight for yourself, you have to believe in yourself. You have to move forward even if you are not sure how… I really believe that ability to move forward is the defining difference. The difference between letting something crush you or make you stronger. I want to choose the later.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

I’m joining Amanda this morning for Thinking Out Loud

The post The Choices You Make When Life Gets Tough appeared first on Saved by the Kale.

2016 is the year that I fell in love with podcasts. I cannot even express how much value these podcasts have added to my life. If I am doing a mindless task around the house or in the car by myself I am most likely listening to one of my favorite podcasters! You know what it is awesome, when you find a new to you podcast and there is like 100 episodes, binge binge binge! I really don’t know what I would do without these, they truly bring me so much joy. It’s my hope that these handful of podcasters keep doing what they do for many years to come!

The Minimalists Podcast

Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus, known as “The Minimalists” to their 4 million readers, help people live more meaningful lives with less through their website, books, podcast, and documentary.

The Mind Palace

The Mind Palace is a weekly podcast which explores what it means to live a well-curated life. We discuss minimalism, living intentionally, and applied philosophy. 

The Slow Home Podcast with Brooke McAlary

Listen in to learn what makes people change, how life is different once you adopt a slower way of life, and what their advice is to anyone looking to get out of the fast lane.

The Simple Show

The Simple Show is a podcast where we explore unconventional ways of living and making the most out of things like work, travel, and family. I talk shop with other people about what that looks like for them—food, travel, writing, books, parenting, work, fashion, and everything in between.

Live Immediately with Mike Campbell

The Live Immediately Podcast is where I have conversations with people who inspire me, who have taught me something, who have helped me grow and who are living life on their own terms. We dive into those big moments that have pushed them through the fears and self-limiting beliefs that hold so many of us back.

So, if you are at all interested in living more mindfully or slowing down and doing the things that you truly love then I highly recommend any and all of these. Do yourself a favor and listen, it could change your life and the way you see the world. 

Do you have a favorite podcast? I’d love to know what it is!

The post My Favorite Podcasts about Minimalism and Intentional Living appeared first on Saved by the Kale.