Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

45% off Palm Shortening With Free Shipping! Plus 5 Of Our Favorite Pie Recipes

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chocolate_peanut_butter_pie

Yum

Guess who’s making pies this weekend!?

This is the time of year I go through quite a bit of Palm Shortening and learn all over again why I love it so much. I always watch for it to go on sale and sync up with a free shipping weekend at Tropical Traditions. That time is now!!

Tropical Traditions is offering a 45% discount on their gallon-sized bucket of Palm Shortening. Use the code 151214 to receive free shipping on your order. Then do a pie-making happy dance. It’s a Christmas tradition.

And now for pie recipes to go with this wonderful deal!

First, my favorite Whole Wheat Pie Crust recipe.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

I plan to make a triple batch of crusts so I can make several pies at once. We’ll eat some now (why not?) and freeze some for the week of Christmas. Here are more details on how to make frozen pies.

How to Make Your Own Frozen Pies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie is super and easy.

Plus, it’s chocolate with peanut butter so I don’t think I need to give you more reasons for why it is so amazing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Apple Pie is an old standby and a must at Christmas.

Malachi_apple_pie_1

Of course I’m making Pumpkin Pies.

Sometimes I cut the sugar down and we eat them for breakfast. Nobody argues.

pumpkin_pies

Honey Pecan Pie will amaze you.

Most recipes call for corn syrup. This one calls for honey. So good!

pecan_pie_2

What kind of pies are on your baking list this Christmas?

Check out the Palm Shortening deal at Tropical Traditions. Take advantage of this price with free shipping. It’s awesome! This combo offer (45% off with free shipping) is only good through Sunday, December 13 so you don’t want to wait or you’ll miss the sale price!

palm_shortening

P.S. If you’re new to Tropical Traditions and you shop through the links in this post (my referral links) – you’ll automatically receive a FREE Virgin Coconut Oil Book which is full of helpful information and great recipes. :)

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Our Family’s Favorite Board and Card Games

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By request, I’m sharing all of our favorite games. This post is always fun because we can all share our favorites in the comments, which gives us good Christmas gift ideas.

You’ll definitely see that we are a game-playing family! We don’t have as much time as we used to have to make a game night happen. But when we can, we love to play games for hours!

What Are Your Favorite Family Games

The top four in this list are games we got new last year, thanks to your recommendations! If we had to pick a favorite, it would be Settlers of Catan with a variety of expansions.

  • 5-Second Rule
  • Spot It!
  • The Game of Things
  • Rummikub
  • Settlers of Catan (With extentions, which you’ll need if you have more than 4 players.)
  • Settlers of Catan Cities and Knights (This is an expansion of Settlers of Catan. This is our favorite add on to regular Setters.)
  • Seafarers of Catan (Also an expansion of Settlers.)
  • Ticket to Ride
  • Carcossonne
  • Bohnanza (This one is unique. Great for older kids and adults. We love this one!)
  • Life
  • Risk
  • Manhattan
  • Guestures
  • Taboo
  • Blink (Malachi and I play this quick card game a lot while the older brothers are at basketball practice.)
  • Headbandz
  • Acquire
  • Sequence
  • Clue
  • Apples to Apple Junior (This is probably our favorite group game. We don’t recommend the regular version of this game because the cards are less familiar to the kids.)
  • Scattergories
  • Pictionary
  • Cranium
  • Boggle (This game totally counts as school work, but no one knows they’re learning.)
  • Monopoly
  • Sorry
  • Quelf (I’ve actually decided that I very much dislike this one. The kids like it though.)
  • Racko
  • Balderdash
  • Yahtzee
  • Farkle
  • Pass the Pigs
  • Huskerdu (great for younger kids – still fun for adults)
  • Mastermind
  • Skipbo

I love that many of these are inexpensive and some are even small enough for a stocking!

Now it’s your turn. Share your favorite games! What do we not have that you recommend? What games do you plan to get for your family this Christmas?

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When All Else Fails (and Is Too Expensive) While Christmas Shopping

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Christmas was much easier and far less expensive when my boys were into Tonka trucks, wooden puzzles, and plastic balls. My teenagers want guitar amps, video recording equipment, microphone stands…

We see these items as useful toward their careers someday, but the price tags are frightening. Doesn’t anyone in this house want a hot wheel or a pez dispenser? Anyone??

Three out of four of our boys need tennis shoes. (Yep, the shoes are going under the tree. I buy all sorts of practical items the boys need this time of year. I have to buy them anyway. Might as well give them the pleasure of opening them as a gift.) My teens have adult feet and need quality shoes for their athletics. Target won’t cut it for my teenager shoes. But for Malachi, who is almost 11, I can still skimp on the everyday shoes. I look for quality, but try to pay less than $20.

This morning I clicked and clicked and clicked over all the sites I typically shop. I mostly shop Amazon, Target, Eastbay, and Kohl’s online – clicking back and forth to compare prices. All the shoes I found were ridiculously priced for kid shoes (or didn’t come in his size). Knowing he’ll outgrow them quickly or bust out the soles, I just couldn’t bring myself to pay $30+.

Finally, I remembered Zulily. I don’t know why I forget to look there. You never know what they might be featuring from day to day, but typically I’ve found our family’s essentials and almost always, their prices are competitive if not really, really good.

Look what I found for $12.99!!

zulily shoes

It’s not the finest shoe on the block, but it’s definitely not the worst either. Perfect for my youngest son. (Hey, Malachi. Probably not but just in case you get on Mama’s blog and see that shoe – that’s not the pair I got you. I posted a different pic just in case. Keep the magic alive, buddy.)

I snatched up the shoes and paid for shipping, which still cost less than all the other shoes I had looked at. Once I’d paid shipping, I qualified for free shipping on every other order today. Therefore, I went back and ordered a realllly nice coat for my oldest son, a pair of silly socks for another son, and this fun t-shirt for my boys to put their grandpa’s stocking when we go visit:

zulily papa

Today I checked Zulily as a “when all else fails” option. It has now bumped itself up on my list of “always check when shopping around.” I can almost always find a steal on something we need. At Christmastime, they always feature even more goodies.

Do you do most of your Christmas shopping online or in stores? Have you shopped Zulily before? 

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20 Ways to Use Leftover Turkey and Super Sales on My Favorite Things

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Hello, Dear Ones. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Today I want to share some of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey.

garlicchickenpastasm

20 Ways to Use Leftover Turkey

You’ll notice that these are many of my chicken recipes. How nice of turkeys and chickens to be interchangeable. Any time a recipe calls for chicken, just use turkey instead. See how easy this is?

  1. Turkey Sandwiches
  2. Turkey and Rice Casserole
  3. Turkey and Noodles
  4. Turkey Salad
  5. Turkey Roll Ups (Spread mayo and/or mustard on a soft flour tortilla, sprinkle on small bits of turkey, cheese, pickle, whatever…and roll it up.)
  6. Turkey Chef Salad  (Greens, turkey, cheddar cheese, boiled egg, carrots, tomatoes, peas…yum!)
  7. Turkey and Biscuits
  8. Turkey Pot Pie
  9. Turkey Tortilla Melts (Make these just like a quesadilla, just add turkey pieces)
  10. Turkey Tacos  (Simmer turkey in a little water with salt and chili powder…serve on flour tortillas with taco fixings.)
  11. Turkey Tortilla Soup
  12. Turkey Stir Fry
  13. Three Cheese Garlic Turkey Pasta
  14. Turkey Enchiladas
  15. Turkey with Spanish Rice
  16. Turkey Alfredo
  17. Turkey Quiche
  18. Turkey-n-Veggie Scramble
  19. Turkey Tostadas (Make like turkey tacos above, just fry your tortillas in olive oil to make them crisp.)
  20. Black Bean Taco Salad

I would have to say that my favorite way to use leftover turkey is in Turkey Salad. To make the most delicious Turkey Salad sandwiches, I make this easy Whole Wheat Stir-and-Pour Sandwich bread. Oh my goodness, that makes for an amazing meal when you add fruits and veggies on the side.

chicken_salad

Turkey and Rice Casserole is also amazing because it is a great way to use the turkey broth you’ve made while baking your turkey. And Turkey and Noodles? Well, this is what the family always requests after the holidays. It’s as much of a tradition as the holiday turkey itself.

What are your favorite ways to use up leftovers after a holiday meal?

 

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How You Can Get a Completely Free $15 Gift (No Catch! You Could Actually Make Money on This.)

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What if you could get a fleece throw, a pajama set, a new top, a fun toy, jewelry, or another awesome gift of your choosing completely free? Man, I love coming across deals like this. It’s not just a deal. It’s a freebie. And if you work it right, you could even make extra cash on this.
topcashback1
Here’s the scoop: TopCashBack is a rebate site that offers a percentage value back on any purchase you make through their site. Sometimes they partner with other companies like Wal-Mart or K-Mart to give start-up freebies to new sign-ups. I’ve used TopCashBack for about 2 1/2 years now and have found them to always pay what they promise. You can trust this site.

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This time, new members can pick anything from the K-Mart website ranging from $1-$20. TopCashBack will refund $15 to you, which will turn “payable” within 30 days. At that time, you can transfer that $15 from your TopCashBack account directly back to your bank account. If it were me, I’d be grabbing something for less than $10 so that I don’t have to pay shipping and so that I get a completely free item. On the other hand, if you get something closer to $20, you’re still getting $15 back so you’re still getting a great deal. (Just don’t get something for over $20 or less than $1 or the deal won’t go through properly!)

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In addition to this – if you have a K-Mart close to you, you can select Free Store Pickup so you can get a free $15 item and avoid dealing with shipping costs altogether.

Are you ready for the specifics of how do get this deal?

How to Get a FREE $15 Gift

  1. Click this link to sign up for a TopCashBack account and to get all the details. (This offer is good for new sign-ups only, and that is my referral link.)
  2. You will be redirected to Kmart.com where you can select any item you like between $1 and $20.
  3. Add to your cart one item ranging from $1-$20. You may purchase anything you like, but in order for this deal to go through, you must not add any other items to your cart or transaction!
  4. If it is an option for you, click on “Free Store Pick-up” so that you won’t have to pay shipping. If that is not an option for you, I recommend selecting an item for less than $9 so that the $15 rebate will cover your shipping cost. No matter what you purchase, you’ll get $15 back. So if you spend less than $15, you’ll be making money on this deal!
  5. Don’t put anything else in your cart!! Proceed to check out and complete the purchase.
  6. Within 7 days, TopCashBack will refund $15.00 to your account.
  7. Within 30 days the $15.00 will become payable and you can transfer it to your checking account, your paypal account, or turn it into an Amazon gift card.

This offer ends Friday, November 27, 2015 at 11:59 pm PT. Do this now before you forget and enjoy your fun freebie!!

Let me know if you have any questions!

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54 Ounces of Coconut Oil for as low as $13.27!!

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I come across good deals for coconut oil, but never as good as this. Come closer my friends. This one is too good to pass up.

Right now, Vitacost lists their 54-ounce tub of Vitacost Brand Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for just $18.27. This price, in and of itself, is amazing. But here’s an even better deal you can get!

vitacost coconut oil 54

This one has coconut flavor and scent.
It is wonderful for baking.

If you are a new customer with Vitacost, you can get a $10.00 off coupon code to use on your first order of $30.00 or more when you click through my referral link. On top of that, shipping is free if you buy at least $25 worth of Vitacost brand products. Here’s what this could mean for you:

  1. Click here to get a $10 off coupon code.
  2. Place two 54 ounce tubs of Vitacost Brand Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil in your cart. This will total $36.54. (This qualifies you for free shipping and meets your $30 order minimum.)
  3. Use your $10.00 off code to bring your total down to $26.54.
  4. This makes each tub cost only $13.27!

Don’t think you’ll use two 54-ounce tubs very quickly? Just put one in your cart and check out all the other Vitacost brand items that you would use. Those items will help you reach your $25 free shipping minimum as well as help you make your way toward the $30 order minimum.

Questions? Let me know. I’m stocking up even though I don’t get the $10 off since this is such a good price!

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Look At This Pretty Bread Loaf Pan (Is Glazed Stoneware Safe?)

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Someone was asking yesterday about what kind of loaf pan I use to bake my Stir-and-Pour Sandwich Bread. I went online to find something similar, but instead I found this.

ceramic bread panI mean, I also found what I have. But what I have. And it’s just plain ol’ stoneware. 

Also? It comes in red. Cranberry to be specific. That sounds even prettier than red. Bread would taste so good coming out of these! Obviously, the taste of the bread is directly related to the pan it comes out of. Obviously.

ceramic bread pan2

It is true though that just like cast iron makes food taste better, my experience is that bread baked in stoneware tastes better. Much better.

What I don’t know is this:

Is glazed stoneware safe and good and healthy?

What do you all know about glazed stoneware? I have not researched this. I was just drawn in by the prettiness of the bread pans. I love that they are stoneware. I love that clean-up on these looks very easy. I love the price. I love the colors. And I’m just a little bit obsessed with Stir-and-Pour Sandwich Bread.

Reading through some of the information listed along with the pans, it says that these are lead-free. I like that. Come to think of it, I do have some glazed stoneware like this. Here’s the bread pan version:

ceramic bread pan 3

I’m liking the price on this one even better. ($14.99!)

I guess I didn’t question the safety of these dishes since the inside looks more earthy. (I have the pie pan and the 9×13 casserole dish and love them.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have any pans like these? Do you know anything about the safety of glazed stoneware?

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BOGO Coconut Oil With Free Shipping (And My Favorite Ways to Use Coconut Oil)

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I love coconut oil and buy other brands when I find a good deal. But the Tropical Traditions brand is by far my favorite and by far the best in quality. So when it’s on sale (with free shipping), I get very excited!

tropical traditions coconut oil 2

This weekend, Tropical Traditions is offering a Buy-One-Get-One-Free deal on their 32-ounce jars of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil – the highest quality they offer. This is the best of the best!

On top of that, they are offering FREE SHIPPING on orders over $19. Use the code 19151 at check out for free shipping to apply. This is what awesome is!

5 of My Favorite Ways to Use Coconut Oil

In my opinion, if there was a be-all-and-end-all item, coconut oil would have to be it. It has so many uses and so many health benefits. Truly, I say “use coconut oil for that” at least once a day. (And also, “go take a sip of water.” My kids love how predictable I am.)

Below are five of my favorite uses for coconut oil, in no particular order…

1. Sunburns

We try very hard not to let ourselves get sunburned. But we were on the soccer field all last weekend, which was very sunshiny even if it is October. Our faces all turned pink. We all slathered cheeks, foreheads, and noses in coconut oil. So soothing and healing!

2. Popcorn

We pop corn in an air popper, then stir in melted coconut oil and sea salt. It is the best popcorn in the world.

White Chocolate Popcorn

And then after you’ve popped your corn and stirred in the coconut oil,
you should make this White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn.

3. Skin Issues

Whenever any of us has something weird going on (any variety of weird) with our skin – the first thing we always try is coconut oil. It can’t hurt, and it almost always helps.

4. Frying Food

Most oils become hydrogenated (aka terrible for the body) when heated to high temps for frying. But coconut oil and palm oil are an exception to this. They can withstand high temps and remain stable. Hallelujah french fries! I prefer frying food in palm shortening or expeller pressed coconut oil because they are both flavorless. (The above mentioned coconut oil that is on sale this weekend has coconut flavor.)

sweet_potato_fries_2

Sweet Potato Fries
You’re going to need to make these.

5. Baking

Every muffin, quick bread, or cake I make with melted coconut oil is amazing. It’s also wonderful in my Whole Wheat Waffles. And Chewy Granola Bars. Here are some of my favorite recipes made with coconut oil:

Low Sugar Chocolate Cake

I think we can all see now why we need a lot of coconut oil in our lives (and it may or may not have something to do with chocolate cake).

Take advantage of the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil deal with free shipping (code 19151). New customers with Tropical Traditions who click through the referral links in this post automatically receive a free Virgin Coconut Oil Recipe Book with their order!

Leave a comment to let us know your favorite ways to use coconut oil.

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How to Make the BEST Pancakes (Psst…Cast Iron is On Sale!)

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Ever since I splurged on a Cast Iron Griddle, two things have happened:

  1. I can make three times as many pancakes at one time since the griddle covers two burners.
  2. My pancakes are three times as tasty.

Cast iron is simply the BEST.

There’s just something about how food tastes when cooked on cast iron. It is so good. (Unless it gets too hot. Then the food blackens and tastes, you know, blackened. I know this too well. Turn the burners up to hi heat to get the griddle hot, then turn them down to medium to maintain heat without burning your food.)

cast iron griddle

I’ve avoided Teflon for the past ten years or so – but for making pancakes, I struggled to find a good alternative. A well-buttered stainless steel skillet sort of works, but it’s not great. How in the world did people make pancakes before Teflon??! Cast iron, of course. My small cast iron skillet worked wonderfully, but I could only make one pancake at a time.

Do you know how long it takes to feed my family when I can only make one pancake at a time? Oy.

Big cast iron griddle to the rescue. Beyond pancakes, I also use this griddle for grilled cheese sandwiches. The best! (Both in taste and in the fact that I can whip out six sandwiches at once.)

I wanted to let you know that this Lodge Cast Iron Griddle is something to check it out. Help yourself to one, save yourself a lot of time, and make your family the best pancakes ever. Just don’t drop it on your foot. This sucker is heavy!

P.S. This is our favorite pancake recipe. We also love Quick Mix Pancakes. And while I’m sharing recipes, I’ll remind you that we are loving this Raspberry Pancake and Waffle Syrup right now. Mmm!

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Cold Weather Equals Dry Hands? I Don’t Think So.

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Last week I sat in the sunshine in a tank top. This week I got out all my winter clothes and put on four mis-matched layers to go freeze through two soccer games. This is fall in Nebraska. 

Proof of the scary mis-matched outfit, paired with soccer game hair, and a 10-year old photo bomber:

mom and malachi

Brown sweater over green shirt over cream shirt over black shirt.
I’m willing to come over and help you choose attire at any time. For free.

I’m sure many of you are experiencing similar weather changes where you are too. What I’m not loving is this: my hands were perfectly fine one day; then when it turned cold, my hands turned dry and threatened to start cracking. This happened overnight.

Whereas I used to brace myself for the long haul and have miserable hands all winter long, this time I just looked at the little white flakes on my fingers and said, “Oh I don’t think so.” (I said it with sass, so make sure you go back and re-read that sentence with proper attitude and inflection.)

One healthy rub-down of BeeSilk Hard Lotion and my hands were perfect and pain-free again. Take that, cold weather! 

Since BeeSilk is the be all and end all for me and I will use it from now until the rest of my life because I love it so much – I asked Renee at MadeOn if she’d want to throw us a discount so we could stock up and be ready for winter. Within just minutes she blessed us with 15% off any BeeSilk product order (not including the DIY kit). Love her.

The discount only lasts for two days – Monday and Tuesday. That’s today and tomorrow. October 5 and 6. Of this year, 2015.

BeeSilk MadeOn Hard Lotion

I love BeeSilk because it is so pure and safe for the skin. Ingredients include coconut oil, shea butter, and unbleached beeswax – that’s it! It’s different from regular lotion because it’s a hard lotion – in bar form. You hold it in your hands for a few seconds to warm it, then rub it around to soften and moisturize your hands. Man, I love this stuff.

MadeOn offers free shipping when your order is $45 or more. Here’s what I’ve found to be the best bang for my buck while preparing for winter. (My entire family uses these products.)

1 BeeSilk Family Bar $12.95
1 BeeSilk Family Bar Refill Pack $16.00
5-Pack BeeSilk Pocket-Sized Lotion Bars $27.80

You can check out the BeeSilk products here. Use the code hh15off for the 15% discount.

Here’s one more fun treat Renee is offering, and I think it is so cool!

madeon giveaway

How fun that you and a friend could both win! Get the details here.

Winter and dry skin will not go hand in hand. (Oh my goodness – is that not the best pun? Be in awe of my wit.) We will move through the cold months with soft, comfortable skin. Thank you, MadeOn!

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