Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Fast No-Brainer Stir-Fry!

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Don’t feel like cooking? Here’s how to make Fast No-Brainer Stir-Fry!

Yum

I promised you meal ideas for the hot summer days when you just can’t find inspiration to cook.

Did you try our 5-Minute Crock Pot Chicken yet? It truly only takes 5-minutes of effort to make. Perfect for this summer (or next winter, obviously).

And now, I encourage you to spend a few minutes putting together some Stir-Fry Packets so that you can quickly make stir fry on a busy evening.

It looks something like this:

  1. Gather Veggies.
  2. Rinse Veggies.
  3. Chop Veggies
  4. Baggie Up the Veggies.
  5. Freeze the Veggies.
  6. Pull Out the Veggies on an “I Don’t Wanna Cook” Day

Oh, and while you’re at it, make several baggies at once. It only makes sense!

Having baggies of chopped veggies like this truly has been a life-saver for me. It makes for very quick meals, and does it go without saying that these meals are full of veggies? What a perk!

My favorite ways to use Stir-Fry Veggies are:

With gardens in full swing right now, it’s a smart idea to chop and freeze excess garden veggies anyway.

  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Summer Squash
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Onions
  • Green Beans
  • Any of your favorites!

Use these veggies for a side dish!

Here’s another idea: Use these stir-fried veggies as a side dish with this 5-Minute Crock Pot Chicken. Or with any meat that you might throw on the grill.

What are your favorite Stir-Fry Veggies? Have you put together Veggie Packets for your freezer like this?

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7 Meals in Minutes (Grocery List Included!)

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

Is it really possible to make meals in minutes? Yes!!! All of these meals I’m about to share can be put together and served on super short notice! No thaw. No fuss. No problem. My family loves these meals, so I think yours will too!

By the way, these are all perfect for summertime when we need something fast on a hot day. And guess what? I have some amazing summer snack recipes ready for you too, so stay tuned!

You’re going to want to keep all of this information handy!

These recipes and ideas are for:

  • the days we forget to thaw meat.
  • the meal times that come around that leave us feeling stumped as to what to make.
  • the times nothing sounds good but the family is getting hungry.
  • the days we don’t feel like cooking.

7 Meals in Minutes

I’m going to give you 7 complete meal ideas plus a quick-grab grocery list. The grocery list will help you to be able to have every ingredient on hand at all times, giving you the ability to make any of these meals in minutes! To make this even easier, I put all of this great info into a (free!) eBook so you can download it and print it to use all the information super easily!

None of these Meals in Minutes ideas are fancy. But for some reason, my family considers them all to be a treat. And so do I, because they are all effortless to make!

When I was putting together the grocery list for these 7 Meals in Minutes, I got extra excited! As it turns out, it only takes 20 ingredients to make all 7 of these meals. And you probably already have most of them on hand!

Get the grocery list and recipe eBook:

Here’s how 7 Meals in Minutes works:

I try to keep every single one of the needed ingredients on hand so that at any time, on any day, I can put any of these seven quick meals together. This is so helpful to just “shop in my own pantry/fridge” for our fast meals!

There are 7 complete meal ideas here. These are great all year ’round, but I’m putting this together now so that we can use them during the summer for lunches when everyone is home from school. And for quick supper ideas after everyone has spent the afternoon at the pool and comes home starving. :)

7 Meals in Minutes

Ask us to send you our complete grocery list and free 7 Meals in Minutes recipe eBook here. Here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients I keep on hand and the meals I can make with them:

  1. Cans of Chicken and Tuna to make Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad for sandwiches or wraps
  2. Refried Beans, Salsa, and Cream Cheese to make Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip
  3. Nitrite-Free Hotdogs and cans of Baked Beans to make Simple Beanie Weanies
  4. Pizza Crust, Pizza Sauce, Shredded Cheese, and Pepperoni to make Pizza or Pizza Boats
  5. Pasta, Milk, and Cheese for Creamy Mac and Cheese
  6. Pasta, Sauce, Shredded Cheese, and Pepperoni to make Pizza Pasta Bowls
  7. Eggs and Cream for Crepes

In addition to the ingredients needed to make the above meals, I always keep a supply of fresh or frozen vegetables, and fresh, frozen, and canned fruits on hand so that I have easy, healthy side dishes to go with all of our meals.

Here is my Go-To Grocery List for fast fruit and veggie side dish options:

  • Canned pineapple
  • Applesauce squeezies
  • Peach, Pear, and Mandarin Orange Fruit Cups in 100% Juice
  • Gala Apples
  • Grapes
  • Bananas
  • Fresh Fruit that is in Season (Berries in the summertime!)
  • Frozen Fruit to make Smoothies
  • Mixed Greens
  • Avocados
  • Fresh Broccoli
  • Petite Carrot Sticks
  • Frozen Green Beans
  • Frozen Peas
  • Frozen Corn

What do you think? Will your family eat all or some of these simple, tasty meals? You will love how quick they are to put together! And if you have all the ingredients on hand? All you have to do is run to the pantry and grab a few items to throw a quick meal together!

Let us email you a full, fun (FREE!) pack of resources so you can get your pantry ready! Get it here.

Bonus!

I’d love for many more people to have access to this fun and helpful information. So I created one more fantastic freebie for you! If you share this post with your friends on social media so that they can come to grab the resources too, we’ll send you this brand new recipe eBook! You will love these recipes!!

Perfect Summer Snacking is filled with brand new no-bake recipes. I’m super excited to share this with you because I’ve been recipe-testing these with my kids and the treats have been a huge hit. These are going to be so wonderful to have on hand this summer! OH! And all of the recipes in this eBook only call for 5 or fewer ingredients. So easy!

Here’s a list of some of the great no-bake recipes included in our free Perfect Summer Snacking eBook:

  • Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
  • Strawberry Cheesecake Pops
  • Snickerdoodle Fruit Dip
  • Frozen Yogurt Meltaways
  • Tangy Lemon Yogurt Cups
  • Perfect Peach Sorbet
  • No-Bake Brownies
  • MORE!

All of these recipes include real food ingredients and very little sugar. But the kids won’t care about the fact that they’re eating healthy snacks. They’ll just think their summer treats are amazing! Perfect Summer Snacking even includes a set of gorgeous printable recipe cards for even easier use!

Let us give you Perfect Summer Snacking bonus for free when you help us spread the word about our resources!

Ready to make your kitchen life simpler than ever?

  1. Sign up here so we can email you our fun free 7 Meals in Minutes eBook and grocery list resource packet. (There’s even a big surprise coupon inside this packet. You want this!)
  2. Share this post with your friends on social media so they can enjoy this too.
  3. Email me a screenshot of your social media share. I’ll email you your bonus Perfect Summer Snacking ebook! (There’s another big surprise coupon in this ebook you’re going to love!)

Get all of this for free!

Thank you for joining us, for sharing the fun freebies, and for putting your family first this summer!

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

Foods to Purchase and Have on Hand for Busy Days

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Here are some of my best tips for foods to purchase and have on hand for busy days!

If you haven’t already, go check out all these amazing ideas for ways to get ahead in the kitchen!

Beyond homemade food, which of course we all love best, it’s nice to have some healthy convenience items on hand for busy days.

Foods to Purchase and Have on Hand for Busy Days

You know I’m going to start with this one:

1. Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Just do it. These are so easy to purchase and so easy to serve and eat! Eating lots of fruits and veggies is the biggest, best way to be sure we’re getting lots of nourishment. And when we’re talking about busy days and maybe eating on the fly, we can feel good about what we’re eating or serving our families if we are making sure we’re/they’re eating an apple with their frozen pizza (or whatever). ;)

Great fresh fruit and veggie ideas that can be easily eaten on the run:

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Berries
  • Oranges or Clementines
  • Carrots
  • Mini-Sweet Peppers
  • Sugar Snap Peas
  • Pears
  • Peaches
  • Grapes
  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Cucumber Slices
  • Prepared mixed greens for quick salads

Regarding fresh veggies? I’m all about the dips. If ranch dip helps you or your kids eat the veggies? SERVE THE DIP. Veggies with dip is better than no veggies at all, am I right?

Need some dip ideas and recipes?

2. Frozen or Packaged Fruits and Veggies

These are great because they can be eaten or prepared quickly!

3. Whole Grain Breads

I prefer to make this Simple Stir-and-Pour Bread. But lately, since I haven’t had time to bake, I find that having 100% whole grain breads and bagels on hand has been very helpful.

These give us breakfast, lunch, and snack options from simple bread and butter to peanut butter sandwiches or lunch meat sandwiches.

Sometimes, on my busiest days, all I have time to serve is a peanut butter sandwich with one of the fruits or veggies listed above. It fills their bellies and offers nourishment too. I call it a win!

4. Boneless Chicken or Chicken Legs

My favorite is boneless chicken thighs. My second favorite is a package of chicken legs. If I have these in the freezer and I don’t have time for anything else, I can easily dump some sauce on some chicken and put it into the crockpot, into the oven, or onto the grill.

I serve the chicken with a steamed veggie (from the frozen veggies mentioned above) and a fresh fruit and we have a fantastic, healthy meal that hardly took any time to prepare!

5. Potatoes

I am not a fan of russets, but we love Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes! We can make so many fast meals with potatoes, specifically:

Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot – which can be topped with anything we have in the fridge! Ham, leftover chicken or hamburger or taco meat, cheese, sour cream, broccoli, peas…

Baked potatoes make quick meals or side dishes.

6. Frozen Hashbrowns

This Mr. Dell’s brand of hashbrowns contains only potatoes, which I love! I buy them in 5-pound bags and use them to make so many of these recipes. Fast, easy, good for us!

7. Packaged Convenience Foods??!

Yep, I just said it. This is where I’m at now that we have so many kids and so much going on. Loving people is more important than standing in the kitchen. So some days, we eat the packaged nuggets and the frozen pizza. I feel no guilt about this. We eat salad with our pizza, we still have energy to smile at each other. It’s a win!

What do you purchase to help you get through busy days?

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5 Easy Ways to Get Ahead in the Kitchen

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Want to try to get ahead in the kitchen this month? It’s a great idea! After all, April and May are typically a pretty busy months as we wrap up a school year and head into summer.

Here are 5 ways to get ahead in the kitchen. If you do even some of these, you’ll find your days just a little bit less hectic on extra busy days!

5 Ways to Get Ahead in the Kitchen

Ready for lots of links, recipes, and lots of ideas? We are going to have a lot of fun getting ahead and making our lives easier!

1. Make and freeze some breakfast foods.

All of these recipes can be made the day before and served right away in the morning!

You can make these cereals to make for super fast breakfasts:

If you have these in your freezer, you can thaw and rewarm in the oven or toaster oven!

This super easy Stir-n-Pour Bread takes practically no effort, but turns out a delicious loaf of bread. When I have this on hand, we can slice it and make:

  • Peanut Butter Honey Toast
  • Fried Eggs on Toast
  • Cinnamon Toast
  • Scrambled Egg Sandwiches
  • Simple Buttered Toast

2. Make and Freeze Muffin Batter

This could have fit up in the breakfast bullet point above. But I wanted to feature it separately because it deserves a headline of its own! We can make and freeze muffin batter!

\silicone muffins 2

I like to do this with silicone muffin cups like these. Then I pop out the frozen batter and can bake muffins any time I need them for snacks or breakfasts.

With so many little ones in the house again, we go through a lot of muffins! Read more here about making and freezing muffin batter.

Need some muffin recipes? We have a couple:

3. Make Salad Dressing Mixes

Our house favorites are Ranch Dressing Mix and Italian Dressing Mix.

If I have a jar of these mixes on hand, I can quickly make Ranch Salad Dressing, a Ranch Cheese Ball, Ranch Potato Wedges or Cheddar Ranch Burgers.

ranchdressin2sm.JPG

With Italian Dressing Mix I make the obvious Italian Salad Dressing. And I use it for these easy recipes: Italian Cream Cheese Chicken, Italian Roast Wraps, and Italian Stew. It also makes a great marinade for grilled meats.

So many great salad and meal options to be made when we have these mixes on hand!

4. Make some Bacon

I love having pre-cooked slices of bacon and pre-cooked bacon bits in my freezer.

With homemade bacon bits I can make simple Bacon Cheesy Eggs, plus recipes like Bacon Cheese Muffins, Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Salad, BLT Chopped Salad, or BLT Wraps.

Pre-cooked sliced bacon in the freezer means that we can have a side of bacon with our pancakes and eggs with just a quick bacon warm up!

5. Cook hamburger meat for quick meal prep

Here’s how I cook 5-7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat in my Instant Pot in 30 minutes. This is a game changer at our house! Having pre-cooked hamburger meat means I can put together any of these meals (plus many others) super quickly:

Coming up next, I’ll share some great foods to purchase and have on hand for busy days!

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Tips and Tricks for Baking with Toddlers

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My toddlers love being in the kitchen with me. But mixing up bread or muffins while two sets of eager little hands grab at the bag of flour, and measuring spoons? It can be very stressful! That’s why I’ve developed a few tips and tricks for baking with toddlers.
Tips and Tricks for Baking with Toddlers
I want to raise kiddos that enjoy spending time in the kitchen, and love to bake and cook. And while I do plenty of baking on my own (sometimes I let the babies spend time with their Dad while I get some work done in the kitchen) I do find that including them in the household work makes them so very happy, and helps them develop new skills of their own.

Tips and Tricks for Baking with Toddlers

1. Give them their own little mixing bowl and measuring spoons.

Sometimes I will let them measure the ingredients for what I am making, but other times I find that they are just as happy if I set them up at the table with their own bowl and measuring cups. Then as I carefully measure out my ingredients, I can be dictating to them how much of each ingredient to measure in their own bowl. Having two separate areas really helps me not to make big mistakes in my baking, but lets them practice measuring and dumping out ingredients.

2. Set them up at the counter on a Kitchen Helper Stool

One of the biggest anxieties I have, when my toddlers are trying to help out, is that they are always clambering up and down off of the kitchen chairs, in order to see what I’m doing. To solve this issue, I’ve been keeping an eye out for a Kitchen’s Helper Stool! This neat stool was created especially for toddlers, and keeps them safe while they are helping at the counter. I have friends who say they use these stools daily, and they are such a life saver! Here’s one on Amazon, or there are many DIY plans out there as well!

3. Give them a job

For toddlers who are a bit older, you can set them up with a job of their own! Have them peel the bananas for the banana bread, grease the muffin pan, or put away the ingredients when you are done using them. Toddlers love to help, and they really can make your life a bit easier while they practice doing chores!

4. Choose a day a week to make a recipe they want to eat

Got a picky eater? Kids are more inclined to try new foods that they helped prepare! Every week, let your toddler choose a new recipe from a cookbook, and help put it together! Our new print cookbook, High Five Recipes, is a great resource for this, since it only includes recipes with five ingredients or less! Let your kiddo choose a recipe or two to try and then spend part of an afternoon making it!

5. If all else fails, let them play with this toy sink

Some days, letting them help in the kitchen doesn’t work out. There’s flour everywhere, it’s the end of a long day, and I just need a few minutes of (relative) quiet to finish up a recipe. When this happens, I pull out their Christmas present–this play sink with a working faucet!! It runs on only two batteries, and keeps them busy for a long time! I set it on a few towels on the floor, and then carefully wash all their dishes while I finish up my kitchen tasks. It’s definitely been worth the money!

Do you have any additional tips for baking with toddlers helping out? Share below!

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Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing

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Tasha’s here again with an awesome new recipe just in time for spring!

Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing

by Tasha Hackett

What’s with the Paleo, Tasha? Okay! Sorry, just read this instead: Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Salad Dressing that will make you and your family cry tears of joy. Better? Hmm. But really, I can hardly describe the level of happiness this paleo salad dressing makes me. I never knew a salad dressing was capable of bringing forth such an emotion. Almond butter and orange juice? Who knew! Don’t be scared. This paleo salad dressing is delicious on, wait for it, SALAD, but also works great as a veggie dip. In fact, it is even edible straight from the table as pictured below. Not recommended. But acceptable.

toddler messes

Yum

My salad dressing is better than your salad dressing.

The original recipe that I adapted had a few more ingredients and it only made one tiny serving of dressing. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to go through all the trouble of making a salad dressing from scratch to eat with my paleo food . . . I’m making more than one tiny serving. Clearly, the chances are high that I will be eating salad again in the near future. I’ve made some version of this dressing at least 5 times in the last month. If you’re drinking your salad, skip the dressing and add some fruit. **Insert puking face if you just envisioned drinking a garlic and olive oil flavored smoothie.

Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing

Make as directed for a typical dressing consistency. Though if you want it thicker, just add more almond butter. My salads are usually quite epic. I will rarely just eat lettuce, but this dressing has enough going on, that I have eaten it on plain old leaves before. My kitchen hack with this paleo dressing is to make it in my almond butter jar when there’s about half a cup left. Saves times scooping almond butter AND I don’t have to wash any jars just yet. Sometimes I’m pretty smart like that.

My new favorite salad includes the following:

  • Mixed greens (heavy on the spinach)
  • Chopped romaine hearts
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Chopped avocado
  • Slivered almonds
  • Dried cranberries or cherries
  • Chopped cold meat of some kind (ham, chicken, salmon, tuna, or even boiled/scrambled eggs, etc)
  • Chopped dill pickles (tricks me into feeling like I’m having a sandwich)

Yes. My toddler eats salad. What can I say? I think it’s the dressing.

Toss it all with Almond Orange Paleo Dressing and my kids fight for the last serving.

I’ve been serving my family made-from-scratch salad dressings for years and I absolutely love how freely we use them. No worries here about what we’re smothering our vegetables in. As a result, we don’t skimp on the dressings for health reasons. Everything in this dressing is Food. For. Fuel! Go make ya some and tell all your friends about how amazing it is and then invite them over for salad. I dare them to go home hungry.

Salad for dinner! Again! #paleohasmelike #sorrynotsorry #iheartsalad

Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing
 
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Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dressing
Serves: 2 Cups
Ingredients
  • ½ Cup Almond Butter
  • ½ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Olive Oil (Can use part MCT oil or other oils)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Granulated Garlic Powder (Or two fresh cloves, minced)
  • Juice of two Oranges
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients and stir or shake vigorously.
  2. Taste and adjust to preference.
  3. For a thicker dressing, add more almond butter.
  4. For a sweeter dressing, add a splash of apple juice.
  5. Store in the refrigerator.

 

Quick! What’s your go-to salad dressing? Store-bought or make your own?

Lastly, be sure to check out some of the other dressings on our site.

Tasha HackettTasha Hackett, friend of Laura and author of Bluebird on the Prairie, a Christian historical romance releasing Spring 2021, is fueled by sunshine, paleo pudding, or hot chocolate—whichever is more readily available. Though she often pretends to be a ballerina while unloading the dishwasher, her favorite thing is writing with hope and humor to entertain and encourage women. Her time is spent with four chatty children and an incredibly supportive husband. They give her the kind of love people write books about. You can connect with her at www.TashaHackett.com or Instagram @hackettacademy or for Laura @heavenlyhomemaker.

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

Are Vanilla Bean Prices Going Down?

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Is it true? Are vanilla bean prices going down? After several years, I can finally tell you yes!

What happened to the vanilla bean prices?

Back in 2017, there was a major vanilla bean crop failure which caused a shortage of beans and a huge price spike. It was a big bummer for those of us who love to use vanilla extract for cooking and baking, but even more so for those of us who love to make our own vanilla.

Finally, about a year ago, I checked prices again and found that there was a little bit of a rebound. Prices were lower. Not low, mind you. But lower than they had been. So I did the math and began to again recommend that making vanilla would save you money. (Because the price of commercial vanilla had also gone way up! Making it at home saved money even though vanilla bean prices were still on the high side.)

{Bonus! Olive Nation gives us an extra 15% discount when we use the code home, so that helps even more!}

Then, just a few weeks ago, a reader emailed to clarify what kind of vanilla beans I usually buy. See, in this post I had said that you can buy 25 beans for $91 after our special 15% discount. But she saw the regular price for 25 beans listed at $62. Was she looking at the correct beans?

I didn’t read her email correctly at first, so I thought, “Oh no! Did the price go up again?” Haha, Laura. Read the email again. :) :) Not up, but down! The price went down!!!

You guys! This is all so exciting! We’ve waited a long time for this and we can all get vanilla beans at a much lower price and make vanilla extract again for huge money savings! Not to mention – homemade vanilla is amazing!! 

Where I get my vanilla beans

I always buy from Olive Nation. I’ve worked with them for years and am always so happy with all they offer. Their prices are the best. Their quality is the best.

Side note: Once, a long time ago, I bought from another source and the beans were dry and shriveled. Never again. Olive Nation always now for me!

Because Olive Nation has worked with us here for so long, they really appreciate Heavenly Homemakers readers. They give us a forever discount because they want us to be extra happy with our purchase. They know we all love to save money as we care for our families well. So they’ve set up the code home and it gives us all a 15% discount on our vanilla bean orders! (Orders over $50 also receive free shipping so there’s that perk too!)

What kind of vanilla beans do I buy?

I currently purchase Olive Nations Papua New Guinean Beans. Why? Because they are the lowest in cost right now.

When the vanilla bean shortage made prices go up, Olive Nation started bringing in a supply of beans from several different countries. The prices from each range from $62-$172 for 25 beans from different areas around the globe. I’ve definitely found that the quality of the less expensive beans is still wonderful! So I go with the $62 bean package and have been very happy with what I get!

Another side note: I rarely only buy 25 beans at once. Usually, I buy two-four times that many. But I’m using that as an example because I’m guessing some of you don’t make homemade vanilla in such bulk quantities!

Is it hard to make Vanilla Extract?

Not even a little bit. It’s incredibly easy. Get all the details and see a full tutorial here. Or follow these simple instructions:

Are Vanilla Bean Prices Going Down?
 
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Author:
Serves: ½ gallon
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Slice through each bean lengthwise, leaving about one inch at the top of each bean uncut so that it stays together.
  2. Place all of your cut Vanilla Beans into a half-gallon jar.
  3. Fill the jar with vodka.
  4. Secure the lid and put the jar in a dark place (like in the back of a cabinet).
  5. Allow it to sit and "extract" for 4-6 months.
  6. Every few weeks during extracting time, shake the jar to mix it up a bit.

Bonus Resources:

Time to make vanilla again!

Enjoy this fun price dip and the discount we receive to go with it. Make some vanilla to enjoy in your kitchen – how fun!!

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10 Easy Food Items You Didn’t Know You Could Make at Home (Save $$!)

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I bet you didn’t know you could make these food items at home! (Actually, if you’ve been reading here long, you probably do know about most of these, but act surprised anyway.) ;)

The old me used to make EVERYTHING from scratch. Some of you probably remember that girl. I made homemade ketchup, homemade tortillas, homemade grape nuts cereal, homemade hashbrowns, homemade tator tots… Wait. Homemade Tator Tots?? Yes. It was a reader request and I figured out how to do it! I was what one might call “an overachiever.” (Or “that really crazy heavenly homemaker lady.”)

Now I’m in a different season in life with a big houseful of littles and have decided that there are some food items that aren’t worth my time to make at home. Loving my people is more important than making Homemade Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. Oh my goodness yes. I even tried that too.

But today I want to share 10 food items that are easy to make at home, will save a lot of money, and are worth your time!

10 Easy Food Items You Didn’t Know You Could Make at Home

1. Vanilla Extract

We’ll start with my favorite! This saves a lot of money and is amazing to make in your very own kitchen!

2. Peanut Butter (super creamy – spreadable, like Skippy or Jif)

This tastes so much better than any store brand and is so much fun to make. Watch peanuts turn into peanut butter! So cool.

3. Gatorade

This costs pennies and is so much better for us!

4. Chicken Wings

I always thought this was restaurant food. Turns out, it’s super cheap Friday night dinner at home.

5. Whipped Cream

No, it isn’t cool whip. It’s 1,000 times better.

6. Ranch Salad Dressing

Hidden Valley who?

7. Poptarts

These taste so incredibly good and are easy to make in bulk amounts to freeze and pull out for easy breakfasts!

8. Graham Crackers

The kind from a box will never taste as good as these gems. You can even make them chocolate!

9. Instant Oatmeal Packets

Make a bunch of packets or make a big batch in a jar for easy, inexpensive breakfasts!

10. Frappe

Because why pay $5 at a coffee shop when you can make it for much less at home?

Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Frappe

Which of these have you tried? Ready to try something new?!

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My Favorite Hot and Cold Drinks

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One of my favorite parts of winter is all the warm, cozy drinks we can enjoy! I love making a few special, warm mugs full of hot chocolate, or cider, or tea in the evenings. So today I am sharing my absolute favorite hot drinks to serve my family! With that in mind, here’s a list of my favorite hot and cold drinks to serve your family!

Are you a fan of chocolate or vanilla drinks? Sweet or savory? Either way, you are sure to find a drink you will love included on this list!

Choose a couple to try this week, grab the ingredients, and then enjoy the comfort of a warm mug of yum after a long day along with your spouse and kiddos. It’s simply the best.

Favorite Hot Drinks to Serve Your Family

1. Chocolate Mint Soother

This drink is filling, comforting, and so delicious. A perfect way to warm up on a chilly day!

2. Warm Pumpkin Custard

This is a great after dinner dessert – or because it’s so full of rich, hearty, nutritious ingredients – I think it would be great for breakfast even!

3. Warm Vanilla Soother

This drink is so incredible. It’s warm, filling and nourishing. As I drink this, I always feel like someone just handed me a delicious mug of comfort. Mmmmm Warm Vanilla Soother.

4. Peppermint Cream Cocoa (or Coffee)

I put this together one afternoon, plopped a generous serving onto a cup of freshly brewed coffee, and immediately decided that I needed to sit down, close my eyes, and relish the moment. It was hot beverage deliciousness in a mug. The rest of the family enjoyed this special whipped cream on their hot cocoa, and we all declared it to be ah-mazing.

5. Hot Vanilla Milk

This Hot Vanilla Milk is a fun option to offer when you need a little variety in your hot drink repertoire.

6. Simple White Hot Chocolate

If you’re a white chocolate fan, this one is for you. And no doubt, if you are a fan of easy recipes (who isn’t?), you will definitely love this delicious holiday drink!

7. Coffee with Chocolate Caramel Creamer

Ingredients: One cup of hot coffee that smells really good, one teaspoon hot fudge sauce, one teaspoon hot caramel sauce, and a few teaspoons of cream. So, so good.

8. Crockpot Cranberry Apple Cider


This spiced apple cider not only tastes delicious, but also makes your house smell amazing when it simmers away in the crockpot! Win-win!

9. Chocolate Whipped Cream on your Coffee

You have GOT to try this Chocolate Whipped Cream on your coffee. Oh my. So incredible!

In the mood for a chilled drink, instead? Check these out!

Now only one question remains: which one will you try first?

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How to Use a Cast Iron Skillet like a Pro

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I’ve loved and recommended using a cast iron skillet for years. Today, Tasha will tell you how to use one like a pro!

How to use a cast iron skillet like a pro

by Tasha Hackett

I didn’t know how to properly cook with a cast iron skillet until very recently. 

Even though I have prepared food almost exclusively on my cast iron skillet, I continually burned food or the food stuck so badly I spent far too long scraping it off the bottom and reseasoning again. 

I burned the pancakes on my cast iron again and I was sad. As I served my family I said, “I know it’s burned. Sorry. It is what it is. This is the last of the flour, I’m not making anything else. Sorry. Just eat it. I know it’s burned. Sorry. Don’t ask me why it keeps burning.” 

I burned the zucchini patties and I was sad. “I don’t know why they’re burning! The bottom is burned before I can even flip them without it falling apart! I turned it down and they’re still burning.” 

The scrambled eggs stuck to the bottom of the pan so badly I felt like I sacrificed two whole eggs to the cast iron gods. 

Please tell me I’m not the only one who struggles with the cast iron skillet? 

Figuring out how to use a cast iron skillet shouldn’t have taken me this long.

 

With all my struggles, you may be asking, “Why do you even use it if it causes so much trouble?” A few reasons. 

Now that I know how to use a cast iron skillet, I love it even more.

Foremost, I like the simplicity of it. I use this one pan multiple times a day. I clean it after each meal and it lives on my stovetop. The nostalgia that this is the same type of pan the pioneers used hundreds of years ago speaks to my author soul. I don’t wear 1800’s dresses, or travel by horse or train or write letters with an inkwell, but by golly I can cook with the same pan! (In theory, except I was disproportionately burning everything.) Another main reason I like to use it is that I don’t trust modern technology when it comes to our health. Teflon is bad for you–correction, teflon is bad for you when heated. HA! 

I know there are other non-stick pans out there today that claim to be non-toxic, but I haven’t had the time to look into them yet. (I’ve been far too busy wondering why I keep burning the Simple Tuna Patties.)

cast iron eggs

Here are my how-to tips for using your cast iron skillet:

  1. Start with a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Which I have. Many times. Keeping it well-seasoned was my problem. Seasoning a skillet is simple: Clean. Dry. Rub a teaspoon of vegetable oil or lard all over. Top, bottom, outside, underneath, and the handle. Bake upside down in a 350* oven for an hour. Let it cool in the oven before putting it away.
  2. Be patient. Let the pan preheat at a low temperature for up to five minutes before cooking on it. A drop of water should immediately sizzle and then you may add the oil. If the butter, oil, lard, etc., is smoking, that means your skillet is too hot. Heating a cast iron skillet/pot/pan on high heat right away, especially on an electric stove, causes the iron to expand and heat unevenly and can cause warping. This is one of the only things that will ruin your skillet.
  3. Preheat the oil. Do this after the pan is preheated. Again, if the oil smokes or burns, this is a bad sign. If the butter is burning, the pancakes will soon be burning. (You’d think I could have figured that out sooner.) On my gas stove, I do most of my cooking just above Low or directly between Low and Medium. On my stove, the butter burns at Medium. Once the pan is heated, if you turn the temperature down it will not immediately make a difference. One of the pan’s strengths is the ability to hold heat. Therefore, adjusting the temperature up and down while you’re cooking isn’t going to work well for your food or your taste buds. Or your family’s trust in your cooking abilities. Have patience while preheating, and you will quickly learn where to set the temperature and can leave it there.

  4. Do the sizzle dance.

  5. The food should sizzle as soon as it touches the pan. Food that doesn’t sizzle means your pan wasn’t preheated enough and now your food is going to stick and then probably burn. (Preheat the skillet even if you are baking cornbread in the oven. The sizzle as you pour in the cornbread batter will create a delicious crust and keep the wet cornbread from sticking to the pan.)
  6. A properly seasoned cast iron skillet is easily cleaned with a wipe-down of a paper towel or hot water and plastic scraper. Boiling water in the pan, using soap, or not properly drying will cause your pan to rust and this is bad. If the pan rusts, you get to scrub it off with a steel brush and do the reseasoning thing again.
  7. Whenever dry spots appear on the pan, it’s time to reseason. If you use enough oil while cooking on the pan, you shouldn’t have to do the reseasoning thing more than a few times a year. If that. But… if you were anything like me and frequently burned the food and then had to scour it off with hot water, reseason it as often as necessary until you’ve perfected the patience that is required for preheating your pan. 

And that’s how to use your cast iron!

cast iron onions

This pan was not preheated. There was no sizzle when the onions were added. The butter wasn’t melted and then it will later burn.

I’m curious, how many of you have skillets passed down from your grandma? Years of history and thousands of meals prepared in a pan that is still in great use today? Amazing!

I love to invest in things that will last. Cast iron is just one of those things. Now that I know how to really use mine, I foresee some delicious pancakes in my family’s future. 

Tasha HackettTasha Hackett, friend of Laura, is fueled by sunshine or chocolate, whichever is more readily available. Recently embarking on a paleo journey to combat some chronic inflammation, she is still finding ways to eat chocolate. Though she proudly sings every word of the Wee Sing Silly Songs albums and often pretends to be a ballerina while unloading the dishwasher, her favorite thing is writing with hope and humor to entertain and encourage women—specifically young moms. Most of her time is spent with four chatty children and an incredibly supportive husband. They give her the kind of love people write books about. Her debut novel, Bluebird on the Prairie, a heartwarming Historical Romance will release spring, 2021. You can connect with her at www.tashahackett.com or on Instagram @HackettAcademy. 

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