Laura, Author at Heavenly Homemakers

Menu Plan for the Week

July 31, 2011 by Laura 4 Comments

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

This weekend, I created a big bread mystery at our house. I made a double batch of Honey Whole Wheat Bread, making two regular loaves and two Cinnamon Swirl Bread loaves. I failed to pay attention to the pans I put them each into, therefore, when I pulled them out of the oven, I had no idea which loaves were regular and which loaves were cinnamon swirl. (duh)

One of them, I could quickly label by (pardon me) sniffing it’s underside. The other still remains a mystery. Here’s hoping we figure it out before it’s time to make tuna sandwiches. ;)

This week is our official first week of school for this year. Books are ready, plans are made, boys are excited. I’ll share more about our schedule and curriculum in upcoming posts!

Here’s our menu for the week:

Sunday, July 31
Cinnamon swirl bread, peaches
Cheeseburger macaroni, green beans, grape tomatoes
Youth dinner at our friends’ house

Monday, August 1
Whole wheat cinnamon rolls, apple slices
Taco corn fritters, fruit smoothies
Cheesy beef and rice, stir fried zucchini and yellow squash

Tuesday, August 2
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, applesauce
Meat and cheese burritos, carrots with ranch dip, pears
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, peas

Wednesday, August 3
Scrambled eggs with cheese, creamy orange cooler
BLTs, chips and salsa, cantaloupe
Grilled steak, creamy cole slaw, corn on the cob

Thursday, August 4
Pancake sausage muffins, blueberries
Black bean salsa with organic corn chips, watermelon
Alfredo sauce with pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots

Friday, August 5
Peanut butter honey toast, strawberry-peach slushies
Hamburgers on homemade whole wheat hamburger buns, corn on the cob, sweet peppers
Creamy mac and cheese, peas, fried okra

Saturday, August 6
Applesauce muffins, bananas
Homemade pizza, plums
Leftovers

Be sure to visit our brand new sponsor: The Modest Mom!

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

Teaching Your Kids to Cook and Learn to Cook Books

July 29, 2011 by Laura 17 Comments

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

We are excited to announce that our new books, Teaching Your Kids to Cook and Learn to Cook, are now ready for purchase! We are offering these books as a download (pdf file), so you can purchase and receive a download link directly in your email inbox. In addition, we are offering you a chance to purchase both Teaching Your Kids to Cook and Learn to Cook in a package, offering you a hefty discount!

Teaching Your Kids to Cook – For Parents of Kids Ages 2-12

Teaching Your Kids to Cook is written for parents who desire to spend time helping their children learn their way around the kitchen. Filled with instructions, tips, activities, printables and over 45 simple, kid friendly recipes – you and your kids will have many opportunities to make messes together and get chocolate in your hair. Here’s hoping your kids learn how to put basic meals and treats together and learn to serve others too!

The recipes in this book include only wholesome, easy to attain ingredients. Teaching Your Kids to Cook is perfect for families with young children – oh the memories you will make!

Help yourself to free sample pages of Teaching Your Kids to Cook.

Learn to Cook – Because You Gotta Eat

Learn to Cook is written to anyone old enough to use a stove (I’d say ages 8 and up). Not only for kids, this book may also be helpful for adults who are new to cooking. This book can be handed directly to “the student” and while you should certainly be available to guide them along as they learn new kitchen skills, your sons and daughters, newlyweds and cooking novices can read Learn to Cook on their own and take off with all of the new skills they are learning! From measuring to menu planning to grocery budgeting – this book covers all the kitchen basics. Not to mention, it includes over 55 simple to prepare recipes!

The recipes in this book include only wholesome, easy to attain ingredients. Learn to Cook will equip the reader with basic kitchen knowledge – an incredibly important life skill!

Help yourself to free sample pages of Learn to Cook.

[wp_eStore_fancy1 id=17]

The Package Deal

Depending on the ages of your kids or the needs of your family, you may be interested in owning both of these books! We’ve combined them into packages and chunked off a nice piece of the price, as several of the recipes and printables in the books are duplicated.

[wp_eStore_fancy1 id=8]

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

New Family Picture

July 29, 2011 by Laura 14 Comments

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

Hey, guess what? We finally have a new family picture on our About page. The boys are glad that our picture has finally been updated. I’m just glad that everyone is actually smiling and looking at the camera at the same time.

Go check it out if you care to peek. :)

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

Give to One Another

July 28, 2011 by Laura 5 Comments

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

~Appreciate Your Spouse~~Buoyancy in Marriage~Consult Your Partner~
~Dream Together Part One ~Dream Together Part Two~
~Empower Your Spouse~Have Fun With Your Spouse~

Give to One Another

Give and Take – Matt’s Thoughts

Every healthy relationship must consist of both give and take for it to last. We’ve got the “TAKE” part down with our hands tied behind our back and our fingers, toes, eyes and mid-digital hairs crossed. So we need to put our efforts into the “GIVE.”

Give your sweetie a back-rub (if you know he/she would enjoy it). Give your spouse a break today from what is usually their duty or household chore by doing it for them – and then whether that act is noticed or not, give him/her a hug or a kiss. The paradox is that when we give, we are blessed tremendously. For one, usually our spouse will recognize our efforts and appreciate us for it. Sometimes they go after paybacks. When our spouse gives and we catch them, why not have some fun with it and say something like, “I’m gonna get you back,” and look for an opportunity soon for “paybacks.”

Secondly, I’m guessing you’ve experienced this paradox found in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” You set out to serve someone else and in doing so you are blessed more than you bless those you serve. Maybe it is therapeutic or cathartic for you to look outside of yourself. More than likely, you benefit relationally because your interaction with those you are serving is insightful, memorable, or even profound. Most importantly, your heart becomes more like God’s. That heart gives and … gives some more.

Did You Even Notice? – Laura’s Thoughts

I’d like to go with what Matt said about “whether that act is noticed or not…”

Wouldn’t we like all of our acts of service and giving to be noticed? Don’t we want to be verbally appreciated and lavished with praise for all we do? When we perform acts of kindness, break our backs doing the dirty work, unselfishly – day after day – work to meet the needs of our family…we’d all really like to be told thank you and to be given a wonderful appraisal of how great we are. Of course we all love appreciation, and we should obviously be appreciating each other continually.

Oh my, but did I just say, “work unselfishly”? Why did that word burst forth out of my little typing fingers?

Yes. Did you know that we can do all varieties of acts of kindness and service to our spouse, and much of it can be done with a heart of selfishness? With an attitude of martyrdom? With thoughts of “poor me, I work so hard to please my spouse – and for what?” haunting our minds while we labor? I know it’s true because I’ve been guilty of it many times.

When we give to our families by serving and loving them – and especially when we offer love and care to our spouse, we must surrender our selves to God and to our dear one.

We don’t give of ourselves so that we’ll be noticed, patted on the back or lavished with praise. We give of ourselves because this is what God calls us to do. We love and serve our spouse because we made the commitment on our wedding day to love, honor and cherish.

We give of ourselves because it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

Ladies, we know you’re reading here more often than the guys. ;) We’d love husbands to read this article as well. If you feel so inclined please send the link to your husbands, or if it’s easier, we’ve created a downloadable article for you to quickly print off and share. Healthy Marriage Tips A to Z – Give

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

Healthy Foods for the Freezer

July 27, 2011 by Laura 28 Comments

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

One of my big Two Week Tackle projects was to pre-make some healthy convenience items for our freezer. This way, on busy days all I have to do is grab burritos or pizza pockets out of the freezer and warm them up quickly for us to eat.

I didn’t do all of this cooking at once. This is the result of 14 days of off and on work in which I simply made one extra batch of food to put into the freezer, whenever I could find a spare moment. Sometimes, I just doubled what we were making for dinner and froze half. This is the best way (in my opinion) to do freezer cooking without stress!

I feel like it’s possible that I’ve broken some sort of tortilla making record during the last few weeks. I lost track of how many tortillas I rolled out and cooked. I think I made at least five double batches, in which we ate or made into burritos. We now have loads of frozen burritoes and around 18 plain whole wheat tortillas in our fridge for easy quesadillas next week! (Just doing some quick math, I think this means I may have made 120 tortillas between last week and this week. Not that you cared. I just felt like multiplying it out. Why do I do these things?)

I was excited to try making Chicken Burritos and will be sharing the recipe soon.

And, not that you can tell them apart, but because I somehow feel the need to prove my tortilla making madness, here is a big batch of meat and cheese burritos. (Are you bored with my tortilla picture parade yet?)

I hate to disappoint you, but the rest of the pictures have nothing to do with tortillas. Instead, we have a pan full of lovely pizza pockets that are now frozen and ready to bake for a quick lunch.

I made a batch of homemade hamburger buns and didn’t let us eat any of them. Buns in the freezer means easy burgers, sloppy joes or even turkey/cheese melts.

I made a quadrupal batch of Whole Wheat Waffles – these are the BEST for toasting in the morning when we need a fast breakfast.

One of my favorite main dishes: BBQ Meatballs. I intentionally made way more than we needed for one meal so that I could freeze the leftovers. Meatball subs anyone?

I needed a batch of homemade rolls for something last week. Therefore, I made bunches. I have no idea what happened to the rolls in the upper right-hand corner. Mysteries like this happen in my kitchen regularly. We may never get to the bottom of it.

I surprised the boys one morning with homemade donuts, then because we had quite a few leftover, I froze them for another breakfast soon.

Last but not least, I shook up a jar each of Taco Seasoning, Ranch Dressing Mix and Italian Dressing Mix. I LOVE having these in my pantry to grab and use in a moment’s notice.

And that, my friends, is the result of the intentional extra cooking I have been doing in an attempt to get ahead before August begins.

What are your favorite ways to get ahead in the kitchen? (Yeah, yeah…I know. Getting ahead in the kitchen is almost like getting ahead on laundry – next to impossible. But still.)

In case you’re curious, here are a few posts that might help answer some of your questions about how I freeze foods and try to get ahead in the kitchen:

How I Freeze Food

Two Simple Ways to Get Ahead in the Kitchen

All of my Make Ahead Meals posts and ideas

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

“Learn to Cook” and “Teaching Your Kids to Cook” Book Celebration GIVEAWAY!!

July 27, 2011 by Laura 402 Comments

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

I’m not sure if you could hear me shouting for joy in celebration all the way from my computer here in Nebraska, and just be ever so grateful that you couldn’t see me dancing with happiness. (I have no idea how to dance – it ain’t purty.)

I’m always excited when I complete a new ebook for our shop, but just as with the Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve curriculum kit I completed last year, these two new books: Learn to Cook and Teaching Your Kids to Cook were a much bigger project and took up a lot more time than a typical ebook. Completing these projects has been a huge endeavor, and I’m so thankful to my family who has lovingly supported and helped me in extra ways over the past few months.

I love writing and have enjoyed everything I’ve written up to this point, but I have to say that writing Learn to Cook and Teaching Your Kids to Cook has been my most enjoyable writing experience ever! I put my heart into these books, writing what I would have loved to receive as a youth, and writing what I feel will help parents most as they teach their kids to cook. My goal has been to inspire, encourage and to give you tools to equip your kids with the skills they need in the kitchen. And of course, if I can help anyone learn to love cooking and serving others with the gift of food, that would just be the icing on the cake!

Learn to Cook is written to anyone old enough to use a stove (I’d say ages 8 and up). Not only for kids, this book is also helpful for adults who are new to cooking. This book can be handed directly to “the student” and while you should certainly be available to guide them along as they learn new kitchen skills, your sons and daughters, newlyweds and cooking novices can read Learn to Cook on their own and take off with all of the new skills they are learning! From measuring to menu planning to grocery budgeting – this book covers all the kitchen basics. Not to mention, it includes over 55 simple to prepare recipes!

Our goal is to offer these books (both downloadable and printed varieties) in our shop this weekend!!!! (Uh-oh, I feel a happy dance coming on again.) We’ll share free samples of the books so that you can peek inside get a better idea of what the books include. We’ll also put together a package deal so that if you feel that both books match your families needs, you can buy them at a discount.

While we put on the final touches, let’s celebrate with a giveaway! We’ll give away one copy of each book (the downloadable copy) and will announce the winners on Friday, July 29.

If you’re interested in winning one of these books, leave a comment on this post letting us know which book sounds the best for you and your family.

If you’re interested in joining me in my happy dance, feel free to jump right out of your chair and participate. Just don’t be surprised if my clumsy dancing knocks you over. I apologize in advance.

This giveaway is now closed – click here to purchase these books!

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

Homemade Non-Toxic Liquid Hand Soap

July 26, 2011 by Laura 339 Comments

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

I have something to say.

Commercial non-toxic liquid hand soap is way, way too expensive. Since switching over all of our household products to chemical free varieties, purchasing liquid hand soap is something that always makes me choke. We need easy access to soap at our sinks, but good grief all the options I found to order were crazy expensive -like around $5.00 for 12 ounces. Ouch.

Shame on them.

Do you know how much it cost me to make an entire gallon of non-toxic, all natural, organic liquid hand soap? Three dollars and fifty cents. Total. For an entire gallon. (A gallon, by the way, is 128 ounces. That’s some awesome savings!)

This may have been one of the easiest items I’ve ever made. It took hardly any time. And it only cost me $3.50. (Pardon my redundancy. I’m hung up on the fact that it only cost me $3.50 for a gallon of the healthiest hand soap ever. $3.50. $3.50!)

Because of this, I plan to get on a soap box (ha!) and encourage all of us to save a bunch of money by making homemade liquid hand soap.

Other recipes I’ve seen call for several ingredients I didn’t feel safe to use. Then, my friend BryAnna told me she’d been playing with making soap and had found these simple directions. She’s a genius. I love her.

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

Homemade Non-Toxic Liquid Hand Soap

4 ounce bar of natural soap (I used a bar of coconut oil soap from Tropical Traditions. Any natural bar of soap would work. I think the bars from Victorian Rose Soap Company would be great!)
1 gallon of water

First, heat the water in a pot, just long enough to steam:

In the meantime, grate your bar of soap.

Take the steaming water off the heat. Immediately pour the grated soap into the water. Stir the mixture, then let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Use a hand mixer to blend the soap and water mixture well. Let it sit overnight.

The next morning, use the hand mixer again to blend well. Done. You have a gallon of non-toxic liquid hand soap!

When my friend BryAnna made her batch, she found that it was quite thick and almost gel like the second day. My batch, on the other hand, was still quite runny. If your soap is too thick, you may want to blend in a little extra water. If your mixture is too runny…it doesn’t matter. It works just fine!

I had some extra pump bottles around the house which I filled and put by each sink. The remaining liquid soap, I funneled into a gallon water jug for storage.

If you’ve never tried making your own liquid hand soap, you’ve got to give this a try. So simple. So safe and pure. And so, so, so much less expensive.

Like, only $3.50 for a gallon. Or did I mention that already?

Ever tried making your own soaps? Which kind(s) have you tried? Hand soap? Laundry detergent? Bar soap?

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

Gratituesday: Calm Before the…Structure

July 25, 2011 by Laura 22 Comments

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

I had a difficult time knowing how to title this post. It’s not like there’s really a storm coming in our lives (that we know of), so I couldn’t really call it the “Calm Before the Storm”. Everything upcoming in our lives: soccer season, feeding many extra people, school starting, gardening/preserving season – we love all of it. I almost called it “Calm Before the Crazy”, but that didn’t quite define it either because I’ve been working really hard to get organized before this busy season hits. I’m really hoping that it will all run smoothly and not be crazy.

I finally settled on “Calm Before the Structure”. I’m not sure that’s an accurate title or not, but it’s the best I could come up with.

Here’s the thing: This is our last week of “down time” before our family begins our structured school year, before soccer season starts, before tomatoes start to overtake our kitchen and before we begin our new high school Sunday night ministry. It may not be crazy (one can hope) but life is just about to get a lot busier. I’m not sure where that “busier” is going to fit in with our already very busy days, but I’m bracing myself because it’s a comin’!

As of Saturday, the new books I’ve been spending so many hours writing the past few months are allllllllmost finished. My Two Week Tackle List is dwindling. Ladies and Gentleman (because really, how many gentlemen are really reading this?) – I hereby declare that this week I’m taking a little time to relax!

I spent several hours today organizing our school books (which really doesn’t feel like work to me). I also allowed myself to read several chapters of Jane Eyre just because I wanted to! Wednesday, I’m taking all the boys to the $1 movie. Thursday we’ll all go out and do our traditional “back to school supply shopping” and go out for lunch. What a treat! The boys and I have been sitting and reading fun read alouds like The Toothpaste Millionaire and The Family Under the Bridge.

This week, we don’t have much of a schedule and it’s really, really nice. We’re gearing up for structure and full, full days. We can’t wait for all the fun! But this week, we may not get dressed until noon. We may play games until way past bedtime. We may eat ice cream for breakfast.

It’s a calm week, and I’m loving every minute of it!

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday,
please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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

Meals to Feed to a Large Crowd

July 24, 2011 by Laura

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

Have a large crowd to feed? We have over 39 great ideas to help you keep it simple!

I frequently feed crowds of 20 or more. I’ve truly gotten to a place where I can say, “Oh, it’s easy.” How? I keep these meals very simple! And my best tip of all:

The side dishes I serve are made up of fresh fruits and vegetables. Nothing fancy or difficult! I simply wash strawberries and put them in a big bowl. I dump baby carrots onto a tray, slice some cucumbers, and set out some ranch dip. I steam several pounds of frozen green beans, peas, or corn.

My buffets always look so pretty and inviting because of these fruits and veggies! People love this! But I’ve gone to very little trouble. It’s a great win-win!

bunco_food

junefood 1

Tips for Feeding a Large Crowd

Do as much food prep ahead of time as possible. Here are my best tips about working ahead before company arrives.
Don’t be afraid to say yes to help! If someone asks, “What can I do to help?” give them a job!
Create a menu with one simple main dish (ideas below) and as mentioned above, set out simple fruit and veggie side dishes to accompany the meal.
Watch for French and Italian bread on the mark-down trays at your grocery stores. Slice them in half length-wise, butter them, and warm them in the oven for an additional, filling simple side dish.
If you’re going to make mashed potatoes (for a crowd or just for your family) you must follow this simple mashed potato making method!
Serve water. Other fun drinks are great if you have time. But when I have a houseful of teens or college students, I usually set out jars of water and a stack of solo cups. It’s easy and well, spilled water isn’t a concern like spilled grape juice. Oy!
Smile often. Smile while you prepare the food and while you’re serving it. Let your guests know you are glad they are there!
Good home design can also play a factor in making your kitchen more functional for large groups. If you are building a home or remodeling your current kitchen, consider an open plan with an island or plenty of countertop space for buffet-style entertaining. Staying up-to-date with the best home décor ideas from sites like DesignIdeasGuide can spark your creativity.

Meals to Feed to a Large Crowd

burrito buffet

Setting up a buffet in which people line up and fix their plate according to their preference is the easiest all the way around. This also ensures that people with food allergies or those who are picky can fill their plate the way they need and like. Here are my best ideas for simple main dishes that can be made in bulk and fed easily to a large crowd:

Build-Your-Own Burrito Bar
Breakfast Burrito Buffet (great any time of the day!)
Nacho or Taco Bar (This meaty cheese dip recipe is our favorite! It’s easy to make in bulk and is always a crowd pleaser.)
Baked Potato Bar (Bake potatoes in a crock pot or large roaster to make it easy. Set out diced meat or chili, grated cheese, chopped veggies, sour cream, and olives for toppings.)
Sub Sandwich Bar (Set out hoagie rolls, a variety of lunch meat and sliced cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, olives, and any other favorite sandwich fixins.)
Chef Salad Bar
Pasta Salad Bar
Simple Spanish Rice Bowls
Sloppy Joes
Chili (served with toppings like Fritos, shredded cheese, sour cream, and olives)
Burgers and Dogs on the Grill (great for spring and summer!)
Simple Grilled Chicken

How about casseroles that are easy to make in bulk to feed to a large crowd?

After all, if you’re going to make one, you might as well make…more than one. Each of these feeds 8-12, so double or quadruple accordingly!

Lasagna (Use this method to make it easy to build several Lasagnas at once. This is always a huge crowd pleaser!)
Easy Breakfast Casserole (served with a variety of homemade muffins – recipes below – and fresh fruit)
Simple Crock Pot Taco Pasta
Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
Simple Lasagna Casserole (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)
Simple Hashbrown Casserole (For Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Oven!)
Simple Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
Layered Cheesy Salsa Enchiladas
Beefy Enchilada Bake
Cheesy Beef and Rice
Pizza Casserole
Italian Pasta Bake

Easy Meat Dishes that are Great to Feed to a Crowd

You’ve got to love how the word “Simple” is in each of these. These recipes each take just a few minutes of prep!

Soups and Stews That Are Great to Feed a Large Crowd

Make a big pot or two of these. Serve with fresh fruits and veggies, maybe bread, muffins, or corn chips. So easy and good!

Pssst! If you like keeping life in the kitchen simple, while still putting nourishing and delicious food on the table for your family, you should consider becoming a Simple Meals Member! We cut down on your time and effort, save you money, and provide you with all that you need to make great and simple meals all week long!

Desserts that are Great to Feed to a Large Crowd

soccer_food_12

I typically choose to make cookies into bars when I am feeding a crowd. This cuts down on my time investment!

Butterscotch Bars (my most requested dessert recipe when I’m feeding a crowd!)
Monster Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Build a Brownie Sundae Bar
Peanut Butter Apple Cookie Bars
Build a Fruit Salad Bar

Easy Bread and Muffin Recipes to Feed a Large Crowd

Four Varieties of Cheesecake Muffins
Peanut Butter Muffins (naturally grain, gluten, and dairy free!)
Twenty-Three Wholesome and Delicious Muffin Recipes
Whole Wheat Stir-and-Pour Bread (unbelievably easy!)

Now your turn! Please share in the comments any and all of your ideas for cooking for a crowd. What are your favorite dishes to make for company? What dishes work well to make for large groups of people? If you have recipe links, share those too. Thanks all!

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

Menu Plan + Two Week Tackle Update

July 24, 2011 by Laura 15 Comments

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

Green beans from our garden!

First today, I’ll share our menu plan for the week. Then below, I’ll give you an update on how my Two Week Tackle is going!

Sunday, July 24

Coconut flour banana muffins, applesauce
Teriyaki chicken and veggies
Grilled cheese sandwiches, chips and salsa, honeydew melon

Monday, July 25
Turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, oranges
Homemade corn dogs, green beans, carrot sticks with ranch dressing
Taco potatoes, watermelon

Tuesday, July 26
Giant breakfast cookies, plums
Chicken veggie quesadillas, tossed salad
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Wednesday, July 27
Pancake and sausage muffins, cantaloupe
Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, peaches, carrot sticks with ranch dressing
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad, zucchini

Thursday, July 28
Smoothies, toast
Turkey ranch pinwheels, strawberry-peach slushies
Grilled burgers, sweet baked beans, corn on the cob

Friday, July 29
Blueberry streusel muffins, bananas
Alfredo sauce with pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots
Italian roast wraps, tossed salad, corn on the cob

Saturday, July 30
Easy breakfast casserole, grapes
Leftovers
Lamb chops on the grill, Italian pasta salad, zucchini

And now, my updated Two Week Tackle List:

Organize school books and create a schedule for our school year
~~Clean out kitchen cabinets – replace shelf liner~~
Deep clean the entire house
Plan and begin to prep soccer meals
~~Make and freeze healthy convenience foods for the month of August~~
~~Make homemade hand soap~~ and laundry detergent (just because I really want to try)
~~Experiment with homemade white chocolate and butterscotch chips for the Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Challenge~~
Finish creating the Whole Foods Pantry resource list that so many of you have been requesting

~”Deep clean the entire house” is never going to be crossed off the list, mostly because it’s a never ending job. We’ve accomplished a lot, and plan to begin our school year on August 1 with a nice, clean house…but come August 2, there will be more cleaning to do. If only dust understood that once we’ve rid our house of it, it is not supposed to return. Ugly little intruder.

~The Whole Foods Pantry resource list has a small start, and I’m hoping to dedicate more time to it this week. All the extra time I’ve had on the computer recently has been devoted to editing the new kids cooking books. (Watch for an update about those very soon!!!)

~I’ve got a list started for soccer meals and hope to fine tune it within the next few days. I’ll be asking for your help regarding these meals, so watch for a post about cooking for a crowd!

~Books. Books. Books. They fill my living room. I’ve been saving this job for last because I LOVE sitting down and organizing and planning our school year. This will be my reward for checking the other items off the list. But, I can’t wait much longer because we officially begin our new school year in 8 days!

~Throughout the next couple of weeks, you can expect posts showing you how to make butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and homemade hand soap. I am taking “make homemade laundry detergent” off my list for now – I’ll come back to it when I have more time because I’m really excited to try to make homemade detergent without borax. But not this week. I have books to organize!

What all did you get accomplished last week? Did you cross anything off your list?!

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

« Previous Page