Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

  • Home
    • About
    • FAQs
  • Recipes
    • Bread and Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dairy
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes and Snacks
    • Desserts
    • Gluten Free
    • Instant Pot
    • Crock Pot
    • Heavenly Homemaker’s Weekly Menus
  • Homemaking
    • Real Food Sources
  • Store
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Simple Meals
  • Club Members!

What I’ll Be Doing This Weekend

November 14, 2014 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

If I thought I couldn’t keep up before with all that must be done each day, somehow I am finding it even harder now that our lives are so full of teenage activities. Throw in the fact that our oldest is a senior, and all that goes along with making decisions for next year, applying for scholarships, and taking college level classes. I officially surrender. I am beat.

Except that I’m not, because God is in control (not me!), my family is awesome, and if all else fails, I can buy a pizza.

Great Homemaking Doesn't Always Mean Make it Homemade

If you haven’t already, or if you need a reminder about what’s really important,
you should read this post.

This weekend, I find myself with only one kid at home (the rest are enjoying time with Christian friends at a youth rally). No school to teach, barely anyone to feed – I will be using this time to catch up and try to prepare for next week! I’m thankful God is giving me this little window of “down time.” Next weekend, basketball travel begins, then Thanksgiving, then more games, then Christmas…

We have much to be thankful for! Life is never boring, and what would we do without these amazing kids who keep us so busy? (Sleep, maybe? No, no. That was rhetorical.)

I’m writing down my weekend plan here to share with you. On Sunday, I’ll try to share an update on what I’ve accomplished.

Friday after school is (mostly) wrapped up:

  • Grocery shop to stock up on fresh produce for this week, plus to get remaining food needed to feed 30 teens at Sunday Night Huddle
  • Finish the Menu Planning Notebook – and upload it to my Shop – finally!
  • Make Chicken Broth
  • Clean out the fridge (wow, does it ever need to be wiped out!)
  • Enjoy one-on-one time with Malachi, the lone child at home this weekend

Saturday:

  • Make Coconut Fudge Bars to have on hand for snacking
  • Make 2 Creamy Chicken and Rice Casseroles – one to eat next week, and one for the freezer
  • Make a big batch of Chili

Doing those tasks, along with getting some writing done and maybe tackling my email inbox (yikes!) should help me keep my head above water next week.

How about you? What will you be doing this weekend?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

27 Recipes You Can Make Ahead for Your Lunch Box, Plus Easy Fruit and Veggie Add-Ons

November 13, 2014 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Before we talk about your lunch box, let me just ask:

Do you ever get sick of hearing me talk about eating more and more and more fruits and vegetables? I am…not even sorry. I believe in the Great Pumpkin (eating it, of course), and all the other Great Fruits and Vegetables our bodies are screaming for. I believe in this even more than I believe in eating real butter, and I believe you and I both know how misty-eyed I get over a stick of butter. Now let’s all grab a cucumber with a little homemade ranch and keep chatting, shall we?

love and butter

Several of you have seen this card and thought of me. Yes, yes, and yes.

Packing a lunch can become a little boring day after day, right? A sandwich, chips, maybe carrots or an apple…ho hum. I like that combo every once in a while, but I have some exciting news for you:  Packing a clementine and some sweet peppers is just as easy as packing an apple and carrots. Walk around the produce department a few minutes and just see what all you can find to liven up your lunches (whether you pack them to-go or not).

The Make-Ahead Lunch Box

Since beginning our Make-Ahead Lunch Box series, I’ve shared 12 fun recipes.

That’s a dozen new lunch box ideas that do not involve a package of lunch meat or a carrot stick.

  • Cream Cheese BLT Sandwiches
  • Zucchini Carrot Bread
  • Hot Chocolate Souffle
  • Lazy Dogs
  • Taco Quesadillas
  • Bbq Beef and Cheese Hot Pockets
  • Coconut Fudge Bars
  • Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Salad
  • Raspberry Lemon Cream Cups
  • Nectarine Cream Cups
  • Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad
  • Whole Wheat Pizza Swirls

Now, here are 15 more recipe ideas you should look through.

These have been on my website for quite some time. All of the ideas will work great to make ahead, then pull out to pack for a lunch:

  •  Taco Corn Fritters
  • Taco Salad
  • Turkey Ranch Pinwheels
  • Snowflake Quesadillas
  • Salmon Patties
  • Pasta Salad Bar
  • Pigs in a Blanket
  • Easy Cheesy Bean Dip
  • Chicken Salad
  • Black Bean Salsa
  • Black Bean Taco Salad
  • BLT Wraps
  • Calzones
  • Chewy Granola Bars
  • Cranberry Nut Trail Mix

Don’t forget our newest challenge: Add Spinach to Everything! With many of the 27 recipes listed above, you can add spinach for extra nutrients.

27 Real Food Make-Ahead Lunch Box Recipes

Now let’s look at good fruit and veggie add-ons. I listed apples and carrots first, because those are a given. But wait till you see all the other fun options to give your lunch box some life!

  • Apples
  • Carrots
  • Bananas
  • Clementines
  • Oranges
  • Applesauce
  • Peach Cups (100% juice)
  • Grapes
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Side Salad
  • Blueberries
  • Sliced Strawberries
  • Raspberries
  • Blackberries
  • Sliced cucumbers
  • Celery
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Pears

That’s 20 yummy possiblities.  I’m sure you have thought of others I didn’t mention.

This has been on my mind lately as basketball season is starting up again at our house. This means that many weekends now through March, we will be on the road. We don’t mind eating out here and there, but to save money and to pack in the nutrition, I’ve been brainstorming options for food we can pack to-go.

Hearing your ideas always inspires me – so leave comments to share how you pack a healthy lunch box. Also, fill in the blank:  There is little in life that could not benefit from a little love, a little time and _____________________________. How would you finish that phrase?! :)

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Easy Noodle Stir Fry – Share Your Story

November 12, 2014 by Laura 4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Share Your Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Story

If you haven’t tried our Easy Noodle Stir Fry recipe, you’ve gotta do it. It’s such a fantastic way to eat veggies. You can pick and choose your favorite veggies, which is always nice. Here’s what Virginia had to say about this recipe:

Hi Laura!

We had the Easy Noodle Stir Fry tonight and it was a huge hit!! In fact, my pickiest eater, came downstairs and declared, “Mom, what is that delicious smell?” as I was finishing it up. By the way, that’s him on the right- with a mouthful because he couldn’t wait to eat for the picture! ;) (I do need to give a shout out to my oldest, not pictured, who missed out on what would be a favorite of his for sure- sorry, buddy, next time!)

I have always been intimidated by stir fry but your recipe is truly simple, very versatile, and definitely delicious! Thank you!! :)

Virginia

photo 1
I love the kids’ matching shirts. :)  Look at them eat all the good stuff!
Happy children, eating vegetables. It is so possible. :)

 Thank you, Virginia, for sending your story and picture!

Have a favorite Heavenly Homemaker recipe? Whip it up, snaps some photos, and send in your story. I love reading how you are using our recipes to bless your family and others!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don’t forget! MadeOn is giving all of us a FREE Pocket Sized BeeSilk Hard Lotion with any purchase. Read my experience with these lotion bars here.  Take advantage of this wonderful deal – today only. I grabbed several lotion bars this week, so I’ll be stocked up and have lovely hands all winter long!

Add the pocket size Beesilk to your cart, then apply the code HHNOV.  Code expires Thursday, November 13. Receive free shipping on orders over $45.

beesilk hard lotion bars in hand

This post contains affiliate links.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with Stevia Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

November 11, 2014 by Laura 14 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

If it’s made with whole grain, is low in sugar, includes an entire cup of healthy fat, has 4 eggs, and one of its main ingredients is a vegetable – you can use the words “cake” and “breakfast” in the same title. Of course, nothing is stopping you from using the word “birthday” and “cake” in the same title for this very recipe. After all, who says birthday treats have to be loaded with sugar? I just love that this recipe is healthy and filling enough to be a great breakfast option. I serve this with a side of applesauce and my family loves it!

You might look at this recipe and think that it is surprisingly similar to my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe. That’s because it is.  ;)  I took the recipe, and made it into a cake with a stevia sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting. See? It’s not so hard to be creative in the kitchen.

Pumpkin Breakfast Cake2

Pumpkin Breakfast CakeYum

3 cups whole wheat flour (I used freshly ground hard white wheat)
1/2 cup sucanat
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
2 cups pureed pumpkin (or one 16 ounce can)
1 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)

Stir together flour, sucanat, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add eggs, pumpkin, and melted coconut oil. Spread batter into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before frosting.

Stevia Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (I use 2 droppers full)

Whip ingredients together until smooth. Spread over cooled Pumpkin Cake. Store in the refrigerator.

As you can imagine, I will be adding some pureed spinach to this cake next time I make it. Why not, right?

Here’s another Breakfast Cake recipe our family loves. Now tell me: What will your family say when you tell them you’re having cake for breakfast?!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Gratituesday: Girl Time for Me

November 10, 2014 by Laura 12 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

gratituesday[2]

I have had a very fun 2 days full of girl stuff. Yay me!

My household of men is tremendous, fantastic, and wonderful. It’s just fun to hang out with girls sometimes, you know?

Yesterday, three college girls came for lunch. Today, I got to go out to lunch with a dear girlfriend I hardly ever see. (We sat in the restaurant for 2.5 hours. Awesomeness.)  Later this afternoon, I grabbed two of my young girl friends and headed to a Jamberry nail party. We did nails, we oohed and aahed over the catalog – it was all very girly.

I came home to two of the boys playing soccer in the living room. (Don’t worry, they are allowed to kick a small, soft ball in that room. I don’t have knick-knacks. I know better. Plus I hate dusting them. The knick-knacks, not the soccer balls. Not that I would ever dust soccer balls. Anyway…)

School books hadn’t been put away, a light saber was on the couch, a nerf sword on the rug, a journal opened and smashed onto the tile. This is home. They don’t see the mess, and they don’t care about details. I love my boys.

But shucks was it fun to be a little girly today (and yesterday) and to talk to people who speak that language (the one which frequently says, “oh how cute” and uses more words than, “huh”).

God is good, isn’t He? Having a little girl time was super fun. He knew I needed it. It even helped me see my boys in a special way when I got home.

Oh, and the variety of Jamberry nails I ordered for myself? They have basketballs on them. I enjoyed my girl time, but my boys are my focus and basketball games start up soon. I’ll be rockin’ my basketball fingernails to next week’s games. I think my boys will actually notice and like them. What do you think?

jamberry

Leave a comment – share what you are thankful for this Gratituesday!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Add Spinach for Extra (Inexpensive) Nourishment

November 9, 2014 by Laura 12 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Money Saving Monday Banner

Have you heard the news? Spinach is the new chocolate. It’s showing up in everything. People can’t get enough. It’s highly addicting. Spinach makes people sooooo happy.

I just made all that up.  Chocolate will always be chocolate, and spinach will…not. But at our house, the “can’t get enough spinach” statement is very true. I’ve been adding spinach to everything. (Actually, I haven’t been adding it to my coffee. I do draw the line there.)  It’s almost become a joke. The boys sit down to eat and say, “So did you add spinach to this, too?”

The good news is:  They are eating it. ALL of it. And they aren’t complaining. Even the pickiest one. Why aren’t they complaining? Because you can add spinach to many, many recipes and it will not change the flavor. It will only add nutrients. And…it might turn the food green, but whatever. I’m not trying to hide the spinach. I’m just trying to add goodness to our food in every way possible.

While I continue to learn more about eating well, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is this:  Healthy eating is not just about what you eliminate from your diet. It’s about making sure you’re filling your body with as many good nutrients as possible so that it can thrive. I’ve also learned never to overfill my blender, which is an equally important lesson, though not so much about nourishment as it is about the regret of finding crusty peach milkshake on the ceiling three days after the episode. But about adding nutritional value to our food…

Spinach has 19 amazing nutrients. Nineteen!!!! Vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C, fiber, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, protein, and choline – all in a spinach leaf.  Impressive.

Add Spinach for Extra Inexpensive Nourishment

The best news of all? Adding spinach to your recipes is a very inexpensive way to eat healthier. I paid $6 last week for a pound of spinach. That sounds like a lot of money until you recognize that spinach is very light weight and one pound of spinach is enough to stuff my pillow. I add spinach to meal after meal after meal. Just think of it. For about 75¢ per meal, I can add 19 fantastic nutrients to my dish.

How to add spinach to your food:

I find that simply tearing up handfuls of raw spinach with my hands and throwing it into the cooking pot works great. My cousin said that she dumps a package of raw spinach into her food processor, adds just enough water to help it spin, then purees it. Then, she freezes the pureed spinach in ice cube trays, throwing a frozen spinach cube into recipes. Brilliant!

What I’ve added spinach to successfully:

  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Salads (obviously)
  • Smoothies
  • Alfredo Sauce with Pasta
  • Beefy Vegetable Soup
  • Cheeseburger Soup
  • Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Chicken Patty Sandwiches
  • Chicken Salad (I didn’t stir it in, just ate it with the chicken salad)
  • Easy Noodle Stir Fry
  • Lasagna
  • Pizza Boats
  • Pizza Soup
  • Potato Soup
  • Salmon Patties
  • On top of Homemade Pizza
  • Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes
  • Runza/Bierock Filling

What I haven’t tried yet, but you better believe it’s on my list:

  • Baked Three Cheese Chicken Pasta
  • Barbecue Beef and Cheese Hot Pockets
  • Beef Stew
  • Calzones
  • Cheddar Ranch Burgers
  • Chili
  • Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
  • Italian Cream Cheese Chicken
  • Italian Pasta Bake
  • Lasagna Casserole
  • One Dish Meat And Potato Casserole
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Spanish Rice
  • Quesadillas
  • Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies
  • Turkey Sausage and Red Bean Stew
  • Taco Meat
  • Muffins and Quick Breads

If you haven’t tried adding spinach to your recipes, I highly recommend it! If you have tried it, leave a comment to share what has worked for you.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week and What to do With Beets??

November 9, 2014 by Laura 54 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

You know how dads are supposed to “bring home the bacon?” Well this week, my husband brought home some beets and collard greens. That’s almost the same thing as bacon, right?

Matt’s been working over at a gentleman’s house, painting a shed. As he was leaving Friday, a neighbor handed him an arm full of awesome produce. Awesome – except for beets and collard greens are two veggies our family isn’t very fond of. We’re determined to find creative ways to eat them though as we know they are very good for us. That’s where you come in. A little beet and collard green help please??

After an internet search Friday night, I made smoothies with shredded beets, pineapple, orange juice, avocado, spinach, and strawberries. They were actually pretty tasty, and the beets made them beautiful. I’m not sure my family will go for another round of them though. Tell me what you do with beets and collard greens. :)

In other produce news, I loaded my cart at the store on Saturday so that I’d have plenty to work with for our meals this week. A lady at the check-out was like, “Wow, stocking up?” I’m so used to plowing through loads and loads of food each week, I forget what my cart-fulls must look like to others. I had to tell her, “Nope, I have teenage boys. This is all for just this week.” ;)

Sorry about the picture quality. The sun was shining on our kitchen table (yay sunshine!!), which caused a glare on my plastic containers. Below, if you could see beyond the glare, you would find:  Baby Spinach, Mixed Greens, Petite Carrots, Carrots, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Romaine Lettuce, Raspberries, Zucchini, Asparagus, Clementines, Cabbage, and Sweet Peppers.

groceries 2014

I’m excited that at least for right now, our Wal-Mart and another small local grocery store in town  are carrying more organic varieties of produce for very reasonable prices. Here are the meals we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday –  Matt teaches a college age Bible class on Sunday mornings, and I try to take home-baked goodies to share with the students. This week I’m taking Apple Crisp. We’re having company after church, so I’m making Chicken Noodle Soup, a plate of Carrots, Sweet Peppers, and Cucumbers, Olives, Dill Pickles, and Butterscotch Bars. Tonight there is a church fellowship, so I’m taking two Apple Pies. (Yes, we still have lots of apples at our house!)

The rest of the week, here’s what we’ll be working with:

Breakfast

  • Bacon Cheese Muffins
  • Blueberry Coffee Cake
  • Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
  • Crepes with fruit and/or Cream Cheese Filling
  • Scrambled Cheesy Eggs
  • Pumpkin Pie (will be a great breakfast since I’ll be cutting down the sugar in this recipe quite a bit)

Lunch

  • Hamburger meat cooked with cabbage and onions, served on a bun
  • Corn Dogs (hoping to make extra to stash in the freezer)
  • Chili with cheese on baked potatoes
  • Chicken Salad
  • Hamburger Sauerkraut Dip with chips
  • Leftovers

Dinner

  • Chicken Pot Pie
  • Cheeseburger Macaroni
  • Flounder (Thanks to you, we tried this last week. It turned out ugly, but delicious!)
  • Italian Pasta Bake
  • Homemade Pizza
  • Salmon Patties with rice

Fruits and Veggie Sides and Snacks

  • Clementines
  • Apples
  • Raspberries
  • Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes (If you haven’t tried these yet, you should. Amazing!)
  • Sweet Potato Fries
  • Roasted Asparagus
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Green Beans
  • Peas
  • Mixed Greens
  • Spinach
  • Stir fried broccoli, carrots, asparagus, and zucchini
  • Applesauce
  • Homemade Dill Pickles
  • Fresh Pineapple
  • Beets and Collard Greens, apparently  ;)
Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Your Skin Does NOT Have to Be Dry This Winter!

November 7, 2014 by Laura 16 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

hands

Want to avoid dry, cracked, red, rough, bleeding, miserable hands as we head into the colder months? Meeeeee too! I have two wonderful pieces of advice for you:

1. Wear rubber gloves when you wash dishes.

Keeping my hands out of the water as much as possible is a huge help in keeping my hands soft and healthy. I slip on gloves every time I rinse or wash dishes, wipe off the countertop, and load or unload the dishwasher.

Now as we all know, I personally love and recommend wearing mis-matched rubber gloves every time you wash dishes. Two left-handed gloves are best. Be sure to wear these when you have company so they will notice how absurd you look. Wear them proudly.

crazy gloves

Please note that the above tip actually works to keep your hands from getting dry even if the gloves are a matched pair, directly out of the package – if you can possibly imagine me wearing such a normal item.

2. Avoid harmful chemical-filled lotions and creams.

For as long as I can remember, my hands suffered greatly in the wintertime. I lathered them up constantly with fragrance-filled commercial lotions, yet they stayed miserable and even got worse. This became a vicious cycle of having cracked and bleeding hands, rubbing on harmful lotions to “help,” breaking out worse, rubbing on more lotion… It was awful. I tried all variety of lotions, hoping I’d find the magic one that would cure my painful skin. Nothing helped.

I finally realized that part of my problem was the lotion I was using. I trashed all my store-bought lotions that turned out to be full of unhealthy ingredients which were causing more harm than good. I began using lotions from companies like Tropical Traditions I’d learned to trust. I’m so thankful for this, as I now see how important it is to be very careful about what we put on our skin. What goes on the skin is immediately absorbed into our bodies. That’s a huge reason to be super cautious!

The bad news:

Even using healthier lotions did not help my dry skin. I was so disappointed. My hands continued to be miserable during the winter – bright red, burning, cracked, bleeding. Nothing helped.

Until I was introduced to MadeOn BeeSilk Hard Lotion. <——That’s the very, very good news.

I received it in the mail, taking note of its different appearance. This stuff doesn’t come in a bottle or tube. It’s a hard lotion bar, which softens as you hold it – then you rub it on your skin. Within minutes – minutes – I noticed a difference. I had immediate relief from my painful hands. Still I was sceptical. Would my hands still feel good an hour later? Three hours later? Six hours later?

Yes, yes, and yes.

The fact that BeeSilk Hard Lotion is made with only three completely healthy ingredients is the best part of all. I’ve used MadeOn Hard Lotion for four years now and have never looked back. Do I still occasionally have dry hands? Well, only if I’ve been too lazy to rub on some BeeSilk before bed. This lotion works every time, all the time. I always keep a supply on hand (literally – ha!).

Guess what? Renee at MadeOn was kind enough to agree to my request of offering a free gift to EVERYONE with your purchase. Even better? That free gift is none other than my favorite product:  a Pocket Size BeeSilk Lotion Bar (worth $6.95). So…you order whatever you need (like lots of BeeSilk Lotion Bars and refills to have on hand for this winter). Then use the code “HHNOV” to receive a free Beesilk pocket size lotion bar with the purchase of any MadeOn product.

Add the pocket size Beesilk to cart before applying the code. Code expires Thursday, November 13.

Thank you, Renee! Here’s to a winter with soft, comfortable hands!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Cream Cheese BLT – The Best Sandwich You’ll Ever Eat

November 6, 2014 by Laura 5 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

We had decided to go on an unplanned road trip. I was determined to avoid the grocery store and instead work with the abundance of food we had on hand to put together a meal we could take along with us and eat in the van. However, I had no bread, no lunch meat, no tortillas, and no cheese. It was time to get creative.

I quickly made a batch of One Hour Whole Wheat Yeast Rolls. Seriously, these rolls practically make themselves. (Although they are terrible about washing their own dishes.)  I almost always have a supply of bacon and cream cheese on hand because those are staple foods at the Coppinger house, along with butter and cocoa, of course. Therefore, I decided to take my BLT Wrap idea and turn them into sandwiches.

What makes a BLT even better? Cream cheese, of course. This “to-go” meal was a hit, though the sandwiches were a tiny bit messy. Eh, that’s what napkins are for, right?

Cream Cheese BLT

Cream Cheese BLT SandwichesYum

8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
Tomato slices
Lettuce

Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in bacon crumbles. Spread mixture on bread or buns and top with lettuce and tomatoes. Delicious!! This mixture makes enough for 10-12 sandwiches.

The best news of all is that you can add this Cream Cheese BLT Sandwich idea to your Make-Ahead Lunch Box list. Simply make the bacon/cream cheese/mayo mixture ahead of time, prep your lettuce and tomatoes, and put it all together on bread, buns, or tortillas when packing your lunch box. It’s a great change of pace from a regular ol’ sandwich.

You’ll definitely want to check out the inspiring idea behind this recipe:  BLT Wraps. Whether in a tortilla, on a bun, or even simply wrapped in lettuce – these are truly amazing.

BLT Wraps

Need more Make-Ahead Lunch Box ideas? Look through all these posts of yumminess.

These BLT Wraps and Cream Cheese BLT Sandwiches rich and filling, so the sides you’ll want to go alongside these need to be simple and light. Our favorites are:

  • Carrot sticks
  • Sliced cucumbers
  • Apples
  • Sliced sweet peppers
  • Pears
  • Applesauce

Now go get out your cream cheese and bacon. Wait. You do have these staples on hand, right?! :)

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

An Egg Free Version of Warm Vanilla Soother ~ Share Your Story

November 5, 2014 by Laura 7 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Share Your Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Story

Our Warm Vanilla Soother recipe is a favorite around here. It is rich and comforting with its whole milk, maple syrup, and eggs. But for everyone with an egg allergy, it seems that this recipe is a no-go for you. I can adapt many of my recipes to become allergy friendly, but for this one? I’ve been at a loss as to how to substitute the eggs.

Why did I even think I needed to try? All of you make Heavenly Homemakers such a wonderful forum, helping each other, offering suggestions, and sharing your experiences. I see dozens of comments on past posts every day in which you are interacting with each other and blessing each other with what you know. This is just one of the many reasons I love you all!

Jenny was one such reader. While others have left comments on my Warm Vanilla Soother recipe post asking how I would adapt it to make it egg free, and I was all, “uhhh, I totally have no idea…” Jenny took her experience and expertise and gave it a try. It worked!!! She emailed to share her story so that I can now share it with you!

Dear Laura,

Two of my kiddos have egg,  peanut and tree nut allergies. So I usually alter your recipes. I was the one commenting on your warm vanilla soother. I kept the egg yolks out but put 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3 tablespoons coconut oil and 3 tablespoons water (mixed together is my sub for 2 whole eggs). It turned out awesome. So delicious. Love your recipes.

Jenny

Oh my goodness. Can Jenny’s little boy get any cuter?

egg free warm vanilla soother 1

Well yes, apparently he can.

eggless warm vanilla soother 2

Here is the complete recipe for Egg Free Warm Vanilla Soother…

Egg Free Warm Vanilla SootherYum

3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons baking powder, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, and 3 tablespoons water mixed together
1/3 cup real maple syrup
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or corn starch
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, baking powder/oil/water mixture, maple syrup, and arrowroot powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (I use a whisk) until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir until creamy. Pour into mugs and serve warm.

Jenny, thank you so much for figuring this out for everyone!

For those of you with milk allergies, coconut milk works great in this recipe. :)

Please continue to send in your stories. I love reading them and sharing them here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

stretch island strawberry

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!
« Previous Page
Next Page »

Join Our Community!

 Facebook Twitter E-mail Instagram Pinterest

Popular Posts

~ Will All of the Real Moms Please Stand Up?
~ Easy! Stir-and-Pour Whole Wheat Bread
~ How to Make Gatorade
~ 31 Real Food Breakfast Ideas
~ Dear Teenage Girls...
~ When Mom Takes a Step Back
~ The Inexpensive Health Insurance We Love!
~ Let's Talk Real Food Grocery Budgets

Check out our latest posts!

  • Big Family Food and Fun: May 31-June 6, 2026
  • Big Family Food and Fun: May 24-30, 2026
  • Free 7-Day Summer Menu Plan
  • Big Family Food and Fun: May 17-23, 2026
  • Easy Side Dishes for Summer
Home  ~  Simple Meals  ~  Club Membership  ~  Shop  ~  Privacy Policy  ~  Disclosure  ~ Contact

Copyright © 2026 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in