Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies

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 I think I’d make this dish every other day if my family would let me get away with it. It is the perfect combination of flavors and I LOVE IT. It’s great because you can use leftover chicken if you have it, any veggies you have on hand…and if you have fresh pineapple? Well, be still my heart.

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I don’t have an exact recipe for this dish. It’s more of a “throw food together” kind of dish, depending on what you have on hand. Then, make some brown rice and whip up some Teriyaki Sauce to pour on and you’ve got a great meal! So, forgive me for not putting exact measurements on this “recipe”. Just make enough for your family!

Here’s what you need:

Here’s what to do:

Get your brown rice cooking. (I have easy directions for cooking brown rice here.)  Mix up Teriyaki Sauce and have it ready to go when chicken and veggies are done.

Chop up your veggies and stir them around in a skillet over medium heat with olive oil until they are tender. If your chicken needs to be cooked, throw that in too. (See what a fancy cook I am?)  :)  If you want, you can season your veggies and chicken with garlic.

Toss pineapple into the veggies to cook for just a few minutes.

Serve rice, veggies, pineapple and chicken with Teriyaki Sauce poured over the top!

Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables

What veggies would you throw in to create this meal?  I know my menu plan said something different, but I think I’m making this tonight anyway. :)

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Homemade “Larabars” for a Gluten Free Snack!

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Ready to learn how to make homemade Larabars?

larabars_remade

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Ever since I got to try some Larabars for a review back in March, I’ve been hooked. They are amazingly yummy, incredibly healthy and what do you know…they are gluten free!

I’m amazed that they contain so few ingredients…my favorite Cashew Cookie bar is made of only dates and cashews…that’s IT. And it really does taste like a cookie. Only better.  :)

Since doing that review, I’ve done two things regarding Larabars:

1)  I used some of my Swagbuck earnings to order more from Amazon. I wanted to have these awesome snacks on hand for grab and go moments. They have come in very handy!
2)  I used Katie’s Healthy Snacks to Go eBook to make my own.

You have GOT to try your hand at Homemade Larabars.

I can’t believe how easy they are, and the homemade bars taste even better (because homemade always tastes better, right?)!

Malachi is not a big fan of nuts in any form, mostly because he really just hasn’t given them a chance. :)   This has been a challenge during our Gluten Free Experiment because I would really like to be able to feed him nuts as a snack. So…I didn’t call these Larabars. I told him that these were a “gluten free bar” that I had made. He didn’t ask what was in them. I didn’t tell. He saw the chocolate chips. That’s all he needed to know. :)

He gobbled one right up, exclaiming over and over how good it was. (yay!) I think we may be going through a lot of nuts and dates while I continue to “play” in the kitchen. :)

Regarding nuts, be sure to check out Braga Farms as a wonderful source for organic nuts! Braga Farms is a fabulous family farm to purchase organic nuts from. You can not beat their quality or their prices! I just placed an order and I can’t wait to get my great box of organic nuts!

Ever tried making your own Larabars?  I think we’ve decided to call our homemade bars “Mamabars”. And wow, there’s only one left so I’m going to have to make another batch! :)

Homemade Larabars

Homemade "Larabars" for a Gluten Free Snack!
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups raw cashews
  • 8 dates (remove pits)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup add ins like mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, or fresh fruit like blueberries (optional)
Instructions
  1. Grind cashews in a food processor until fine.
  2. Slowly add dates, vanilla, and water and pulse until the mixture forms a dough.
  3. Fold in chocolate chips or fruit.
  4. Press mixture into a parchment paper-lined 8x8 inch pan.
  5. Refrigerate for about one hour.
  6. Cut into 12 bars.

Homemade Larabars

 

Need more healthy snack ideas? You’ll love this wonderful and helpful eBook full of 227 Healthy Snack ideas and recipes!

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Gluten Free Peanut Butter Honey Balls

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If you haven’t made this Peanut Butter Honey Fudge…you are missing out on one of the easiest treats ever! For a little variation this time, I decided to roll some of the squares into balls. 

It may be fun to roll these balls in coconut flakes too!

Okay…Peanut Butter Honey Fudge – you have to try it! Three ingredients, that’s it! Peanut butter, honey and chocolate chips.  Find the recipe here!

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Gluten Free – Dairy Free Muffins

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I think this is the recipe I’m most excited about from all my gluten free recipe experimenting last week!!! Cher left this recipe in the comments section in my Gluten Free Experiment post and since I had all the ingredients on hand, I gave them a try. (Cher, I’d like to give you a BIG hug!!!)

Coconut_Flour_Muffin

Upon first glance, it seems that there would be too much liquid in these, making for a really runny batter. But nope…it’s just right. I mixed them up, baked them, then held my breath:  Would my kids like them? They smelled good…they looked good…but would they taste good?

Oh. My. Muffin.

EVERY boy in my house scarfed these up…my pickiest son exclaiming, “Mom! These taste like CAKE!”

It’s only been a week, but I think I’ve made three batches of these already. We all love them.

Gluten Free – Dairy Free MuffinsYum

Gluten Free - Dairy Free Muffins
 
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Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 6 eggs
  • 4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup Coconut Flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Add-In Ideas:
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup fresh berries
  • ¼ cup chopped, dried fruit
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together, throw in an add-in if you'd like, then pour batter into a well greased muffin pan.
  2. Bake at 350 for 15-17 min.

By themselves, these muffins are awesome…but with chocolate chips. Oh my!

With both Coconut Oil and Coconut Flour in these, you would think they would have an overpowering coconut flavor. You can taste a bit of coconuty-goodness, but it’s not strong. Read this post explaining about the differences in coconut oils – try expeller pressed coconut oil if you don’t like the taste of coconut!

So where can you get Coconut Flour? I usually get mine from Tropical Traditions, but just saw this great pack of Coconut Flour at Amazon and decided to snatch it up. I think we’ll be making a lot of these muffins in the future…whether we remain gluten free or not. What an EXCELLENT little healthy muffin!!!

Have you ever baked with Coconut Flour? I’m hoping to figure out more Coconut Flour recipes. It’s super good for you! What add-in ideas can you think of for these muffins?

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Gluten Free Pasta that Tastes Good

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I decided early on in Malachi’s Gluten Free Experiment that I wasn’t going to buy lots of “specialty gluten free” foods. They are crazy expensive and many of them are void of any kind of nutrition. 

However, I’ve made a couple of exceptions, in the name of sanity and so that I can present something “normal” for Malachi. For instance,  if we’re eating pasta, I’d like him to be able to have pasta. I found and purchased one small bag of Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta at Walmart, thinking that if he liked it and if it actually cooks up nicely, maybe I’d look into purchasing more to have on hand. The ingredient list didn’t even make me squeamish!

I am VERY happy to report that Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta DOES cook up nicely and that Malachi DOES like it!!! Keep in mind, Malachi is six years old…he’s not just eating it to be polite. That means he really does like it! :)

The Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta worked great for our Lasagna Casserole.

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AND…you know my unique method for making Healthy Creamy Mac and Cheese? 
This Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta even worked in THAT recipe!!! SO good!!!

I couldn’t be more excited!!! (Okay, c’mon. Sure I could.  Gluten free pasta that tastes good isn’t that amazing. There are more exciting things in the world.)

Still…I’m pretty excited. Now, when some of you leave comments on my various pasta recipes, asking if rice pasta will work…I’ll be able to say “yes!”. 

And for the record, the Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta is, unfortunately, a significant amount more expensive than the Whole Wheat Pasta I normally buy. But since I’m just using it for one person in our household, that one bag of Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta is lasting us a long time. 

Have you tried Gluten Free Pasta before? What has been your GF Pasta experience? Don’t you wish I would pass out forks so you could take a bite  of Malachi’s Creamy Mac and Cheese up in that picture?

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Mock Frozen Yogurt

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High Five Recipes 2

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Can I now offer you the perfect little side dish to go with your Taco Corn Fritters? This Mock Frozen Yogurt is so very easy and really, really tasty too.

I have no idea why I felt the need to say that. It really is sort of a “duh” statement because if I didn’t feel like it was tasty, would I actually post the recipe on my blog? How would that look…”I don’t really like eating this dish, but I thought I’d post it for you anyway so you could be grossed-out along with me. Feel free to stink up your kitchen and tell your kids that the Heavenly Homemaker made you do it. Be sure to come back and share your gag stories.” I would never do that. And yet I still felt the need to point out that the recipe tastes good. Duh.

So yeah, this recipe is really tasty! You should try it sometime! Anyway…

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it works great as a side dish or snack, but is also sweet enough to be a dessert. And in case I failed to mention it, this Mock Frozen Yogurt is really quite tasty. :)

Mock Frozen Yogurt

3 cups any varieties of frozen fruit (I used blueberries, peaches and strawberries)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup grade B real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place frozen fruit in a food processor.

Add plain yogurt, vanilla and maple syrup.

Blend until all ingredients are well mixed. Easy as that!

Serve right away as a side dish, snack or dessert! I LOVE it when desserts are this healthy!!

And there you go. Come back for more tasty (and gluten free!) recipes all week long!

What are your favorite frozen fruits to use in treats??

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Taco Corn Fritters

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When Matt and I were at Whole Foods recently, we saw that they had some sort of Jalapeno-Corn fritter for sale on their hot bar. They looked SO GOOD, and while I didn’t figure our kids would appreciate the jalapenos, immediately my brain started thinking through how I could create something like this for a quick lunch that would be a little more kid-friendly. Feel free to add jalapenos to this recipe if you want. Just don’t touch your eye after messing with jalapenos. Or at least have milk handy if you do. But really…just don’t touch your eye.

Taco Corn Fritters

I kind of wanted an “all in one” meal, which is why I put taco meat in our fritters. Then, since it had taco meat, I figured it needed cheese. Those items are optional…but wow are they good! Of course though, I’m the girl who needs her beef. ;)

Taco Corn FrittersYum

1/2 pound cooked hamburger meat seasoned with taco seasoning mix (Many commercial taco seasonings contain gluten! I highly recommend making and using this wonderful homemade recipe!)
2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups frozen or canned corn
oil for frying (I used palm shortening)

Brown hamburger meat and add  taco seasoning mix to taste. Mix together remaining ingredients, stirring in the seasoned meat. Melt palm shortening in a skillet. Scoop 1-2 Tablespoons of corn mixure into the hot oil and press down to form a “pattie”. Fry for 5-7 minutes on each side until cooked through. (I had my electric skillet set to 350°.)

The great thing about these Taco Corn Fritters is that they even taste good cold, which means they would make a great grab and go lunch or snack!!! I haven’t tried freezing these (because we eat them too quickly!), but I’m pretty sure you could make up a big batch and freeze them for “fast food”.

So would you put jalapenos in these, or not? How would your family like them best?!

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It’s a Gluten Free Recipe Parade!

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Many of you may remember the Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Parade we had back in October, when I spent the entire week posting new and fun recipes, giveaways and cooking tips. It was a blast and it made us all hungry to try all the new and healthy recipes!

Well, thanks to all of your encouragement on our Gluten Free Experiment post, and because I just can’t seem to stop myself when it comes to tinkering with new recipes…I’ve been having a good ol’ time in my kitchen the past few days playing with some of the recipe ideas you all sent my way, or just making up fun recipes for foods to eat that don’t contain gluten.

In my quest to create dishes that Malachi (and the rest of us) would enjoy, I have been quite determined NOT to try looking high and low for “specialized gluten free” ingredients.  I know they are available, but they are pricey and many of them do not contain much in the way of nutrition.

Besides, I want to come up with recipes that EVERYONE can appreciate and enjoy…not just those who have to eat a gluten free diet. I’m out to prove (to myself, most of all) that there is no end to all the yummy and fun dishes and treats you can make without gluten. I’m also out to prove that eating a gluten free diet doesn’t have to be expensive!

And so…next week we’ll be having a great big Gluten Free Recipe Parade here at Heavenly Homemakers!

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I have quite a few recipes to share, and even if you don’t have any gluten free needs in your household…I think you’ll still love all the new ideas to try for your family. I was making some of them before our experiment started…I just hadn’t had the chance to share them with you yet.

In addition, I’ve got several great and wonderful giveaways lined up that fit right in with our Gluten Free Recipe Parade! This place is sure to be hopping next week as you never know when I’ll be posting a new recipe or giveaway post. Prepare yourself for lots of fun starting Sunday night, April 3!

ALSO…because it’s so much fun to do this…I’ll be giving away five $10 Heavenly Homemakers Shop Gift Certificates during the Parade, good for use on any of our downloadable products! All comments left on ANY post that features the Gluten Free Recipe Parade button (shown above) will be included in the drawing. If you leave a comment on every single post featuring the Gluten Free Recipe Parade button…you  have LOTS of chances at winning one of the certificates!!!

AND…on Friday, April 8, you will have a chance to link up YOUR favorite and healthy gluten free recipes to share with all of us. This is what I look forward to most – reading all of your great ideas for recipes that do not contain wheat, oats, barley or rye. Even if you aren’t a gluten free gal…I bet you have some great recipes to share!!

If you haven’t already, you may want to subscribe to Heavenly Homemakers so that you don’t miss any of these great posts! You can Subscribe in a Reader or Subscribe by Email!

Let the Gluten Free Recipe Parade fun begin!!!!

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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce (No MSG or HFCS!)

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Ever noticed how tough it is to find dressings and sauces that don’t have MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)? MSG, by the way, is a flavor enhancer that is made up of a bunch of chemicals I can’t pronounce and a bunch of scary stuff I don’t want to know about. You can read all the big words here.

I’ve been so excited each time I figure out how to make a new homemade salad dressing or condiment (see the whole list of healthier condiment recipes on our site)! Making your own condiments is not only much healthier, it’s often quite a bit cheaper too. And, lo and behold, these items are easy to make.

Shall we now all take a moment and enjoy a collective sigh of wonderment? Yes indeed recipes that are healthy, cheap and easy. All at the same time.

The beauty of homemade condiments too is how delicious and flavorful they are…all by themselves. We do not need to add MSG and HFCS or BGNJ to make our food taste good. (I made that last one up just for kicks and it was very fun.)

Well, apparently that was my little “rant” for the day. Try homemade condiments. They taste so good and pure.

And now for the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe!

Teriyaki SauceYum

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce (No MSG or HFCS!)
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup tamari soy sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger or dry ground ginger (more or less to taste)
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 2 Tablespoons organic cornstarch
  • ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
  1. Combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
  2. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup cold water and add to sauce.
  3. Stir constantly and allow the sauce to thicken.
  4. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of water or soy sauce to thin.

(I use Organic Tamari Soy Sauce from OliveNation which is gluten and MSG free!) We LOVE this Teriyaki Sauce on chicken wings.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe

And with that, the Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Challenge continues. I’ve almost got another recipe ready to share. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but I will tell you that it starts with chocolate and ends with milk. Otherwise, I’m not giving any hints.

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Healthy(er) Rice Crispy Treats

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This is one of my favorite new recipes, so I chose to show you this one first in the Heavenly Homemakers Parade of Recipes and Cooking Tips!

I rarely buy cereal because it is expensive and no matter what kind you buy, it is generally not very good for you. However, occasionally I’ll buy a Mom’s Best or a Kashi variety. We all have “those mornings” when we just want to grab out a box (or two) of cereal and call it breakfast.

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking around on Amazon for organic cereal choices and was excited to find Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal for a very reasonable price and with ingredients I didn’t feel too bad about. I used my Swagbucks and ordered some.

Because this cereal is made with brown rice, it’s a little bit different from your “normal” Rice Krispie cereal, but since cereal is a special treat around here, we all like it just fine. Well, then…I got to thinking that it sure would be fun to make some sort of “rice crispy treat”. I miss Rice Krispie treats. They’re so easy and yummy.

While this recipe doesn’t taste entirely like a real Rice Krispie Treat, it does have the feel and crunch of one – plus they taste really, really good!! I still haven’t tried making homemade marshmallows, so I skipped that idea altogether and just used honey to sweeten and make the cereal “stick together”. All of us have declared this recipe to be quite tasty…and I, the mom, have declared it to be one of the easiest recipes ever. It takes about five minutes to throw these together!

 

 

Stay tuned to see what’s coming up next in our Parade of Healthy Recipes and Cooking Tips!!

 

Healthy(er) Rice Crispy Treats
 
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Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups Crispy Rice Cereal
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan, melt and stir the peanut butter and honey together. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in Crispy Rice Cereal. Spread in a 9x9 inch pan and allow to cool.
  2. For fun, you could add 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips as you're stirring in the cereal. We LOVE these soy free mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life!
  3. I love that this recipe is gluten free, easy, fast, healthier and crunchy! This is SUCH a simple snack to throw together. I think I'll try to make some with Sunbutter for Malachi - I don't know why it wouldn't work!

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