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MaryEllen, Author at Imperfect Homemaker - Page 76 of 121

All Posts by MaryEllen

Savory Roasted Vegetables

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gro-ables. All opinions are 100% mine.

Savory Roasted Vegetables

I am looking forward to spring so much!  We are hoping to plant a few vegetables this year, and I cannot wait to have fresh food on hand to prepare dishes such as these savory roasted vegetables.

 

Savory Roasted Vegetables

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Then chop up some veggies and herbs and toss them in some olive oil. Squash, peppers, onions and tomatoes are a good combination. Add some fresh herbs like basil, parsley and oregano.

Mix all your ingredients and wrap everything in foil on a baking dish. Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes or so. Drizzle with your favorite balsamic reduction and serve over rice, quinoa or just have it by itself.

Do you want to have your own fresh veggies growing right in your backyard?  Gro-ables seed pods are a great option for beginning gardeners or those with a brown thumb!

Gro-ables is a new product from Miracle-Gro that is designed for people new to gardening.  When used as directed, they are guaranteed to grow!  And they are super-affordable at $1.29 – $1.49 per pod.

Each pod contains all you need to grow your own food:

  • Specially selected non-GMO seed at just the right depth
  • Growing materials to protect the seed and keep it moist
  • Plant food to help it grow and build strong roots

There are 17 different varieties of vegetables and herbs that you can grow and use to create delicious recipes like the one above.

And if you are really bad about remembering to water your plants like I am, Gro-ables also work together with the Sprout It app.  Just enter the date you planted it in your app, and you will receive reminders to water your plant as well as other helpful tips.

Yellow Zucchini photo 12_MG_YellowSquash_5497_1209002_V01_zpsc90bc415.jpg

 

What fresh vegetable or herb are you most looking forward to growing?

Visit Sponsor's Site

Printable Healthy Living Worksheets

Some of you may have printed these back in the fall, but I want to make them available to you again as a part of Project Simplify.

healthy living printable pack If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you have to make it easy for yourself to do so. That takes planning, and I've put together some helpful worksheets to help you do that.

What you get:

Menu planner – plan out your meals and snacks ahead of time.  You will be amazed how much time, money, and stress this will save you. Menu planner

Daily Schedule – keep track of appointments and your to-do list.  There are also places to mark off as you drink your water, exercise, and take your supplements, and a place for you to keep a food diary.

Daily Schedule

Shopping List – after you make your menu, add the ingredients you need to your shopping list.Shopping List

 

Meal Tracker – keep track of what you eat and how you feel.  If you suspect food sensitivities or you're finding that you have low energy levels, you'll be able to narrow down what you're eating that makes you feel better or worse. (If you're needing more help overcoming fatigue, you'll want to check out my eBook, Farewell, Fatigue.)Meal Tracker

 

Supplement tracker – There are several supplements I take every day, and I can feel a noticeable difference in how I feel if I forget to take them.  Remind yourself what you need to take and mark off when you've done that.Supplement Tracker

To get your printables, just enter your name and email address, and your pack will be delivered to your inbox.  (Be sure to check your spam folder if you don't see it.)

*Please note: by entering your email address, you will be subscribed to an email newsletter with (very infrequent) updates whenever I have news that I think you'll really want to hear.  Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to communicate with you!*

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When the Tears Just Don’t Fall

This is somewhat of a follow-up to Laura's guest post about tears.

I really appreciated that post because Laura verbalized a lot of the thoughts I had been thinking lately.

So many times I have prayed and asked God to give me a greater burden for the lost, I've begged Him to give me those tears and a broken heart for those who are facing an eternity without Christ.

But here's the thing.  If I don't tell others the way of salvation, it's not God's fault.

I can't base what I do on how I feel.

 love and feelings quote

To be honest, I often feel nothing.  Maybe you don't have that problem, but I do.

I try to look at the faces I walk past in the store and view them not just as a body, but as an eternal soul.  I try to think about whether that soul will spend eternity in heaven or in hell.  I try to let those thoughts really sink in and create a burning desire to point them to Jesus Christ before it's too late.  But still, so often, I feel absolutely nothing.  My humanity still sees that person as nothing more than a body in front of me, making my time in line last a little longer.

My lack of emotion does not excuse me from obeying Christ's command to preach the gospel to every creature.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, “Love is an action.”

And it is.  If I love Jesus, I will do what he says. (John 14:15)

And in the case of lost souls, he has told me to give them the gospel.  If I don't do that, I am demonstrating not just my lack of love for them, but a lack of love for Jesus Christ himself.

So, the question I must ask myself is, “Do I love Him?”

If the answer is yes, I cannot wait for the tears to fall.  I must obey not as a result of my feelings, but as a choice.

Feelings are usually secondary to actions.  When we act on our love toward others, the emotions usually follow.

Perhaps my tears don't fall because I haven't acted on what I know I should be doing.  Perhaps when I make the choice to reach out to the lost, a heart that is broken over their condition will follow.

So today, just as I have asked myself “Do I love Him?”, I challenge you to ask yourself the same question.  If the answer is yes, then I simply say to you, “Prove it.”

DIY Valentine’s Day Vases

Valentine Vases

Since Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, I decided to turn my winter vase into a collection of Valentine's Day Vases.

I took 4 of these vases from Dollar Tree and applied fabric glue with a paint brush.  Then I wrapped some brown yarn around them until they were covered.

I used various white or off-white items from around the house to spell out the word “LOVE” – a piece of lace, a felt rosette (here's a tutorial), buttons, and a piece of white yarn.

And there you have it.

DIY Valentine's Day Vases

And now, my dear readers.  Here's a question I have for you.

I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to filling vases.  And, to further add to my problem, my decorating budget is $0.  I have to use what I have around the house.  And in this case, these are the only flowers I had that were white or pink, or any sort of Valentine-y colors.  So, do you have any ideas for how to fill the vases using only these flowers or things I could find outside?  I'm no good at this.  Help!

Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

You all know I love me some chocolate. But I really try to stay off the sugar.

These homemade peanut butter cups are one of my favorite healthy treats!

And what I love about them is that they are so easy to make – no melting down the chocolate and trying to coat the peanut butter mixture like so many other recipes for homemade peanut butter cups.  Nope.  Just mix it all up and you're done.   Easy Peanut Butter Cups So I'll stop talking and just give you the recipe:

 

In a small saucepan, melt together

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut oil (Tropical Traditions is my favorite, but sometimes I get the inexpensive stuff from Vitacost.)
1/4 cup raw honey (Tropical Traditions is my favorite, but local honey is awesome too!)

Whisk in

1/4 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder) (I get raw cacao very inexpensively through Vitacost. Get a $10 off $30 coupon when you sign up through my referral link.  Or get it here if you already have an account.)

Note: I used the natural peanut butter from Aldi, which has some molasses added to it. If you're using unsweetened peanut butter, you may want to add a little more honey.

Spoon into mini muffin liners and freeze until hardened. Keep frozen or refrigerated until served.

 

easy and healthy peanut butter cups