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Chocolate Pumpkin Bread, Spanish Rice, and Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip (Last Day for Our eBook Overload Amazing Sale!)

September 26, 2012 by Laura 23 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Is it just a little bit ridiculous that I’m the one who wrote the books, and I had forgotten about half of the recipes in them? {she asks, sheepishly…}

I get into recipe ruts, rotating through many of our “old faithfuls”. Or, on the flip side, I continue to experiment with brand new recipes in an effort to keep up with all of the great ideas you all suggest. 

But this week, since we are having a big sale on our Heavenly Homemakers eBook Overload (10 books for $20!) – I was inspired to start flipping through each of the books. Page after page I found recipes that I hadn’t made in a while. I got super excited and started cooking.

Question:  Why have I not been making my Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip from the time all of the bazillions of apples began making their way into my kitchen this fall?

I seriously couldn’t stop eating this once I started – even though I’d already had a big dinner.
Let’s blame it on my workout earlier in the day, shall we?

And since my Spanish Rice recipe is so very easy, wouldn’t it make sense for me to make it for a quick lunch more often?

I also pulled out my Chocolate Pumpkin Bread recipe. I had forgotten how moist it is.

As you can tell, I’ve been having way too much fun in the kitchen this week. It may not come as a surprise to you that none of the men in my life have complained about the fun I’ve been having revisiting some of our “forgotten” recipes. :)

Up next – Chocolate Mousse. I can’t believe I forgot about this recipe. 

Read more about our Heavenly Homemakers eBook Overload Sale, which will provide you with these healthy, family friendly recipes – plus loads more!

Take advantage of this deal for one last day. Sale ends on at 11:59 pm Thursday, September 27.

Heavenly Homemakers eBook Overload
$51.49

$40.00
$20.00

Add to Cart

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How is the Funky Fresh Challenge #5 Going For You? (Sneak Peek at my Whole Wheat Pitas)

September 25, 2012 by Laura 48 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I decided to check in with you mid-week to hear a little about how the Funky Fresh Kitchen Challenge is going for you so far. Remember, the challenge this week is to “Try Something New“. Have you figured out what to make? Have you given it a go yet?

I had a chance to experiment with Whole Wheat Pita Bread this afternoon. Success!! Oh – except for the fact that a Pig in a Blanket had apparently rolled off the baking pan and onto the oven floor a few days ago. Obviously, I was unaware of this at the time. When I heated my oven to bake the pitas (500°!), my oven started smoking something terrible. When I went to investigate, it turns out I had a blackened pig just a smokin’ away at the bottom of my oven.

Once I aired out my kitchen and continued making pitas, I was very happy with the results. (Happy, that is, with the results of my pitas – not so much my stinky kitchen.)  I’ll share the pita recipe on Friday and give you a chance to share what you tried too!

Now don’t you go telling anyone that the Heavenly Homemaker has pigs smoking in her kitchen. That just doesn’t sound right. ;)

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Funky Fresh Kitchen Challenge #5: Try Something New

September 24, 2012 by Laura 105 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

This is your fifth and final challenge during our month of the Funky Fresh Kitchen. How about that? We’re almost to the end of the month already!

This week, our Funky Fresh Kitchen Challenge is to try something new. 

I suppose I should clarify by letting you know that my intention with this challenge is that perhaps we all try a new recipe or two. But if you really want to take the challenge beyond my original intent, you are welcome to try sky diving, or walking backwards everywhere you go, or learning to speak Swahili.

Me? I’m going to try my hand at Whole Wheat Pita Bread. (Besides, I already speak fluent Swahili and had a lovely time sky diving with my family yesterday.)

Oh, I am so stinkin’ hilarious.

And boring. 

It is a fact that the idea of trying to make Whole Wheat Pita Bread makes me get all excited and jittery inside. But you couldn’t pay me a million dollars to sky dive. And I think we already know how many languages I speak. (Owhay aboutay uoyay?)

So, just supposing you also have already mastered the art of speaking fluent Swahili, how would you like to join me in trying a new recipe this week? 

Awesome.

Is there something you’ve thought about trying but just haven’t had the motivation to get it done? Now’s the time. Maybe you’d like to try making a Homemade Salad Dressing? Or how about Homemade Donuts? Whole Wheat Bagels? 

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How about trying your hand at Homemade Yogurt, Buttermilk, or Kefir? Or Alfredo Sauce? Or Cheeseburger Macaroni?

Oh, the list can go on and on. Take a look at all of the recipes I have posted on Pinterest. Or simply look through my huge recipes lists on the drop down Recipes link at the top of my site.

Or, of course, you’re welcome to try a recipe from another Website or cookbook. Try anything new that you think your family would like which will take you another step in the direction of having a healthy and Funky Fresh Kitchen.

I’ll report back on Friday to let you know how my Whole Wheat Pita Bread turns out. I’ll provide you with a chance to link up to share your progress too!

Be sure to leave a comment on this post, sharing what you plan to try during this challenge! All comments will be entered in our giveway for two $25 and one $50 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.

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

Nutrimill Giveaway from Paula’s Bread!

September 17, 2012 by Laura 4,212 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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It’s time! 

You know how much I love using my Nutrimill to make freshly ground flour for our baked goods. Not only are our breads, muffins, cookies, noodles, and tortillas much healthier when I use freshly ground organic white wheat – there is no comparison in taste compared to store-bought wheat flour. It’s incredible.

How about the cost of buying a mill and grinding our own flour? Well, I worked and saved up hard to buy one, and found that with the money we now save on wholesome, healthy baked goods, my machine paid for itself in no time. And of course, the savings will continue for years, since grinding flour and making our food homemade costs so much less than if I were to buy it pre-made.

www.paulasbread.com

A huge thank you goes out to Paula from Paula’s Bread for offering this giveaway! She always offers the best prices on Nutrimills and other great kitchen appliances. Plus her customer service is wonderful. (I know this because I dropped my canister and cracked it. She had a new one sent out to me before I could even start to cry. Love her.)

Ready to sign up for the giveaway? Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win.

If you would be interested in receiving optional extra entries to this giveaway (yes, I figured you would be) – you can do any or all of the following, but you MUST leave a separate comment here on this post for each of these tasks that you do:

  • Sign up to receive the Paula’s Bread Newsletter  (I love receiving these!)
  • Like Paula’s Bread on Facebook
  • Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook
  • Share this giveaway on your blog
  • Email your friends about this giveaway
  • Tweet about this giveaway
  • Like Heavenly Homemakers on Facebook
  • Subscribe to Heavenly Homemakers

Look at that. If you do all of the above, you’ll have all kinds of chances to win!

 I will draw a random winner on Monday, September 24. Please watch for a post stating the winner as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen.

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

Funky Fresh Challenge: Eat More Fruits and Veggies

September 16, 2012 by Laura 133 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

You know I have to throw this “eat more fruits and veggies” challenge out every few months or so, right? During our month of the Funky Fresh Kitchen, it seems like a perfect time to bring it up again. :)

If you already eat lots and lots berries, salads, apples, steamed veggies, raw veggies, bananas, etc. each day, you can leave a comment, check this challenge off your list, and cheerfully go eat another green bean.

But if eating fruits and vegetables is something you struggle with, then can I encourage you to move out of your meat and potato comfort zone just a little bit? I’m not knocking meat and potatoes. I love ’em myself! I just know it’s important to eat many fruits and vegetables along with our steak and spuds.

 

Keeping plenty of fruits and vegetables on hand and serving them regularly for snacks and meals is a great way to have a Funky Fresh Kitchen and to take your family on a journey toward better health.

Feel like giving us excuses like “fresh produce is more expensive than other snacks”? Sorry, I’ve already done the research and the math on that one. It just ain’t true.  (Wow, look at me – pulling out poor grammar just to prove a point.)  Also, I’ve written another post in the past I think you should read encouraging us to be intentional about eating fruits and vegetables. I even went so far as to give you a detailed list of how you can make this work. It looks something like this:

1. Buy fruits and vegetables.
2. Eat them.
3. Repeat.

This is the perfect time of year to get your hands on awesome fresh produce for a great price. We currently have a kitchen full of fresh apples, pears, peaches, sweet peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and okra that we are enjoying constantly…with our meat and potatoes and pasta. See, eating more fruits and veggies doesn’t mean you have to give up other stuff you love. (Except for the junky junk food you should be giving up. For Pete’s sake.)  You just need to be sure you’re getting a diet rich in the nutrients only vegetables and fruit can provide.

Ready to accept this Funky Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Challenge this week? Simply commit to adding a few more servings of these jewels to your menu each day. Then, don’t forget to eat them (see number 2 above).

Leave a comment on this post, sharing what your favorite fruits and veggies are and how you plan to eat more in the upcoming week. All comments will be entered in our giveway for two $25 and one $50 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.

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

Funky Fresh Kitchen Challenge #3 Check In ~ Serve Someone {Barbeque Brisket and Cake Boys Episode 4…But not at the same time.}

September 13, 2012 by Laura 74 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I have loved reading all of your comments this week as you’ve been serving friends, family, church members, and neighbors this week. Thank you all for joining with me in this Funky Fresh Service Challenge. I know that many have been blessed this week because of you. God is glorified! If you haven’t yet had the chance to serve someone, join this challenge anytime!

Our family had several friends over on Sunday for a meal and to play games. We served Barbecue Brisket, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Cream Cheese Corn, Tossed Salad, and Death by Chocolate.

 It was a blessing to have so many friends here, especially during our busy season. Taking time to relax, play games, and visit was just what we needed.

Later in the week, our boys made cupcakes to hand out to our York College Ladies Soccer Team. They recorded another episode of Cake Boys during the process.

Serving others is always a blessing to our family, and I’m so thankful that our boys are learning to experience this joy as well.

I’d love to hear more about how you were able to serve someone this week! Leave a comment here to share. All comments will be entered in our giveway for two $25 and one $50 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.

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

Funky Fresh Freebie – Downloadable Fall Recipe Card Set (Free to all, no limit!)

September 12, 2012 by Laura 118 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

We’ve got another Funky Fresh Freebie for you! 

This time, I took some of my favorite fall recipes and had Char, my designer friend, create a Funky Fresh Recipe Card Package for all of you. I think she did a beautiful job with these!

This freebie comes at a perfect time, since you’ve been challenged to serve someone this week. I was kind of thinking that you might want to print off these cards, bake up one of the recipes, tie up the recipe cards, and deliver the cards along with your goodies. 

Why? Because these recipes are pretty and fun, and they are made to be shared. They are for each of you, but they are also free for you to print and give away to others as a gift. How fun would it be to bake some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and deliver them along with this card to the person you have chosen to serve?!

You certainly aren’t limited to this small package of recipe cards in your service challenge ideas, I just wanted to offer it as an additional suggestion. Regardless of how you use these cards, we hope you enjoy them and feel inspired by them as you create your Funky Fresh Kitchen!

Download Fall Recipe Cards Here

Details and instructions for downloading and printing these recipes cards:

Once you click this link, you will need to click “save as” to save them to your computer. Then, you can open the folder. These recipe cards are in a “zip file”. If you are unsure how to open this to access the recipe cards, here is a simple tutorial that will show you how to open a zip file.

These cards were designed at 300 DPI, and are 4×6 in size. You can print them on your home computer/printer, or take them to your favorite photo processing place for printing. (Walmart and Walgreens make excellent prints for less than 20 cents per card).

While you may NOT print these cards and resell them, there is no limit to how many cards you may print and give as gifts!

All comments will be entered in our giveway for two $25 and one $50 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop. Be sure to check out all of the posts in our Funky Fresh Kitchen series this month. You may want to subscribe to Heavenly Homemakers and/or join our Facebook page so you don’t miss out on any posts or giveaways!

 

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

Funky Fresh Challenge #3 – Serve Someone

September 10, 2012 by Laura 110 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Of all the challenges during our month of the Funky Fresh Kitchen, this one is probably my favorite. Having clean and organized kitchens is wonderful. Stocking our shelves with wholesome, healthy ingredients is fantastic. But taking the time out of our busy lives to serve someone? Now that’s more beautiful than any sparkling clean kitchen I’ve ever seen. 

While we focus this month on starting fresh, developing a routine, getting ahead, and becoming more organized…let’s also take a moment to look beyond ourselves. Is there someone you know who could use a good dose of something funky and fresh (and delicious!) from your kitchen? A family who could use some encouragement? A neighbor who needs a helping hand? A friend who has served you and you’d like to say “thank you”? 

Spend some time in prayer about this one. Who is God putting on your heart to reach out to? Listen.

Then get into your kitchen and bake up something funky and fresh to deliver to someone. Or cook an extra casserole to share. Or do whatever you feel you can/should do that will bless someone else.

Depending on what you feel you should do, this challenge may not actually involve food. Do you  need to simply make a phone call to chat with someone? Should you write and send a card? Can you focus some prayer time on someone specific?

This challenge really is about taking a deep breath, slowing down, and taking the time to love on others. As an added bonus, I encourage you to get your kids involved. If you’re going through the Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve curriculum, you’ll easily be able to double up on this one. Oh, and we’ve got a new Funky Fresh Freebie coming up tomorrow that might give you more ideas! :)

malachi_apple_pie_344
Here’s Malachi taking a pie to our friends last year.  :)

As you think of ideas to complete this challenge, please leave your comments here. I know we will all love reading about ways you are planning to serve, and will be inspired by your ideas. All comments will be entered in our giveway for two $25 and one $50 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.

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 Challenge #2 Check In – Have You Been Able To Get Ahead?

September 9, 2012 by Laura 90 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

First, let’s talk menu plan. Then, we’ll talk challenge. :) 

Here’s what we’re looking to eat this week:

Sunday, September 9
Oatmeal, fruit
Barbecue brisket, baked potatoes, green beans, tossed salad, death by chocolate
High school huddle (hosted by our friends, but we are going over to help)

Monday, September 10
Whole wheat pancakes, blueberries
Hamburger patties, steamed broccoli, corn on the cob
Creamy chicken and rice casserole, carrots, tossed salad

Tuesday, September 11
Scrambed eggs with cheese, peaches
Salmon patties, potato wedges, peas
Pizza casserole, tossed salad

Wednesday, September 12
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Potato soup, carrot sticks
Teriyaki chicken and vegetables

Thursday, September 13
Homemade poptarts (from the freezer!), bananas
Pizza pockets, fruit-kefir smoothies
Tuna casserole, peas

Friday, September 14
Flaky cream cheese pastry, kiwi
Taco corn fritters, apple slices, baby carrots
Shepherd’s pie, tossed salad

Saturday, September 15
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, applesauce
Leftovers
Grilled burgers, ranch potato wedges, tossed salad, watermelon

So how has the Funky Fresh Challenge #2 been going for you so far? Many of you shared your plans and ideas. Have you found some time to get ahead a little bit? If not, I encourage you to keep plugging away! Any time you can squeeze in to do something extra is great! You’ll appreciate it so much!

I didn’t finish everything on my to-do-list, but that’s okay. I am just thankful that I could find a few extra hours in the kitchen before chasing off to soccer games. Our mornings will go more smoothly now with these extra breakfast foods in our freezer. Or, for at least a few mornings, I’ll be ahead of the game, right? 

Giant Breakfast Cookies, 2 loaves of Cinnamon Swirl Bread, 2 loaves of Honey Whole Wheat Bread, Homemade Poptarts

As of now, we’ve already eaten one loaf of cinnamon swirl bread, both of the loaves of honey whole wheat, and several of the breakfast cookies. That’s okay though. I made them so we could eat them, and as we all know, I’m trying to do a better job of actually serving the foods I make for the freezer!! :)

Your turn! How has Challenge #2 gone for you so far? Leave a comment on this post to let us know what you’ve been able to accomplish, or what you might plan to do to get ahead in the coming days. If you have a blog, write a post about what you’ve done for the challenge, then come link up here so we can read about it. All comments and blog entries will be entered in our giveway for two $25 and one $50 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.

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

Funky Fresh Kitchen Challenge #2: Get Ahead ~ Do a Little Something Extra

September 6, 2012 by Laura 150 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Well, how did our first challenge go? Did you Toss Something Out and Make a Switch? I was super impressed when I read all of your comments sharing what you were planning to do and what you actually accomplished. Way to go!

This weekend, I’d like to extend challenge #2. (If your weekend is full, that’s perfectly okay. Maybe you can find time early next week to do a little something extra?)

You all know how much I love making food ahead of time and putting it into the freezer for busier days. Not only do I love doing this…I have found that this practice has almost become a necessity for me. Having healthy, pre-made foods in the freezer makes putting nourishing meals on the table so much easier. It’s also a perfect way to save money and time.

Your new challenge is to simply do one extra little something in the kitchen. Maybe you are making a casserole, so you can just go ahead and make a second one for the freezer. Maybe you can prepare some vegetables to have on hand for snacking. Maybe you want to spend several hours making a few different types of healthy convenience foods for your freezer or to feed your family next week.

Me? I’m feeling desperate to have some easy breakfast foods in my freezer. With soccer practices and/or games most evenings and school work beginning first thing each morning – I just need some healthy breakfast items that can quickly be warmed up in the mornings. This weekend, I plan to squeeze the following in between soccer games and…life in general. :)

  • Giant Breakfast Cookies
  • Cinnamon Swirl Bread
  • Homemade Poptarts
  • Whole Wheat Waffles
  • Honey Whole Wheat Bagels (I’ve been planning to make these for weeks. Maybe this time I’ll actually get it done?)

I know the challenge is just to do one thing, but I’m hoping to get on a roll and knock out a bunch of these so that I’ll be ahead for the days upcoming. Feel free to do more than one thing for this challenge if you would like. :)

So are you ready? Pick something – anything that will help you get just a little bit ahead in the kitchen. It likely won’t take you long. If you’re already making a mess in the kitchen, just go with it and get ahead!

Feel free to look through all of my Make Ahead Meals posts to see if you might can find a recipe or two that will inspire you.

Or maybe you just need to do a little extra cleaning in your kitchen to continue to make it more functional. Did you get your copy of Do the Funky Kitchen yet?

Whatever you choose, leave a comment here with your ideas. Each comment entered gives you another chance to win one of our Heavenly Homemakers Gift Certificates. If you have a blog, feel free to share with your readers about this challenge and about how you plan to participate, then come over and link up with us below. Or…want to share with us more about how Challenge #1 went for you? Please do!

I will be sharing an update on my “getting ahead” progress on Sunday, September 9, and will at that time give you an opportunity to share as well. Can’t wait to hear!

You all are so inspiring with all you are getting done in your kitchens to make them Funky and Fresh! Let Challenge #2 begin!

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