Heavenly Homemakers

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Vanilla Extract in the Instant Pot. Is it Good??

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I’ve heard about making Vanilla Extract in the Instant Pot. But I had to wonder: Is it good? As good as the Homemade Vanilla Extract I usually brew for 6 months? I decided to give it a try!

Yum

I’ve been making my own vanilla extract since 2009. It’s super easy to make, but it does take 4-6 months to finish extracting so that we end up with good strong vanilla.

Recently I saw on the internet that you can make vanilla extract in the Instant Pot – in 40 minutes!!! Fun fact: 40 minutes is a lot less time to wait on homemade vanilla compared to waiting for 6 months. I figured it wouldn’t cost much to try it out and compare it to my super special 6-month homemade vanilla. So I gave it a try!

First, let’s look at how this works:

When I long-brew my vanilla extract, I cut my beans and put them into a big jar filled with vodka for 4-6 months. It’s as simple as can be and turns out THE MOST AMAZING vanilla extract!

The Instant Pot method for making vanilla extract takes fewer beans and way less time. I cut a total of 6 beans – first the long way, then in half so they fit into pint-sized jars.

I then fill the jars with vodka and put them on the trivet in my Instant Pot. Carefully set lids on the jars, but do not screw on tightly. Add water to the Instant Pot, seal, and set the timer to 40 minutes at high pressure.

Allow the vanilla extract to pressure cook for 40 minutes, then carefully quick release the pressure so that you can open your Instant Pot lid. The result?

Beautiful vanilla extract in just 40 minutes!!!

How to make Vanilla Extract in the Instant Pot

Vanilla Extract in the Instant Pot. Is it Good??
 
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Serves: 32 ounces
Ingredients
  • 6 vanilla beans (use the code HOME for a 15% discount!)
  • 1 quart of vodka
  • 2 pint jars with lids
Instructions
  1. Cut vanilla beans along down the middle of the bean, then cut them in half and place them into 2 pint-sized jar. (3 beans per jar)
  2. Pour vodka over the beans.
  3. Place a trivet into your Instant Pot.
  4. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pot.
  5. Set the prepared jars of vodka/vanilla beans onto the trivet.
  6. Loosely place the lids on the jars, not sealing tightly.
  7. Lock on the Instant Pot lid and seal the pressure valve.
  8. Cook on manual setting for 40 minutes at high pressure.
  9. Quick release the pressure valve (watch out for the steam!)
  10. Carefully remove the jar and allow the vanilla to cool.

How does it compare?

The old fashioned me wants to say, “Oh, the long brew method of making vanilla extract is so much better!!” But the truth is that I actually can’t tell much difference.

Therefore, the simple-cook me gets to say, “Hey, want to save A LOT of time and effort making vanilla extract? Try making it in your Instant Pot!!”

So in summary, we’ve got a win-win here! If you decide to stick with the regular, long brew method you’ll turn out wonderful vanilla extract! And if you have an Instant Pot and decide to make a fast batch, you will still turn out wonderful vanilla extract!

Make this for Christmas gifts!

If you do have an Instant Pot, you can order your beans and make a bunch of vanilla for gifts – it’s not too late!! People love receiving homemade vanilla as a gift – teachers, family members, neighbors, co-workers!

Where to buy vanilla beans:

I always buy my vanilla beans from Olive Nation. I’ve tried other sources to “save money” but instead ended up wasting money because the quality of the beans from cheap sources was terrible!

Olive Nation beans are so, so good. I’ve used their beans for years. They love working with us here at Heavenly Homemakers so they offer us 15% off when we use the coupon code: home. Plus we get free shipping on orders over $50!

Cost Breakdown to Make Vanilla in the Instant Pot:

I ordered the 25-bean package on this page and used the lovely discount code, home. This landed me 15% off plus free shipping, so total cost for 25 beans was $91.11. With these beans, I can make 4 quarts of vanilla!! (I’ve just made 1 quart so far.)

Cost for one quart of vanilla in my Instant Pot:

  • 6 beans = 21.84
  • 1 quart of vodka = $5.50
  • TOTAL = $27.34

With this, I can put together four 8-ounce bottles of vanilla for gifts!! This makes each 8-ounce bottle cost just $6.84! That is an incredible price!!

(Cost at the store for high-quality vanilla? Most of what I find has water added, and it’s still $8.97 for just TWO OUNCES. Homemade cost for two ounces is just $1.71!!!)

Extra resources:

I’m super excited about this option for making vanilla extract! Have you tried it before?!

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Food Ideas For Feeding a Large Group

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Need some food ideas for feeding a large group? Here’s what I’ve been working on recently!

I’ve been prepping to feed our York College soccer teams several times during our pre-season this fall, so I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to! (My husband is one of the women’s coaches so we are blessed to be heavily involved with the teams. Plus our third son, Elias, will be the fourth Coppinger to be on the YC men’s team!)

If you think I’m crazy for taking this on while chasing our busy 6-year-old and two 1-year-old toddlers, I’d probably agree with you. BUT, all I can say is that I had a strong desire to do this. God said yes. I love food, I love feeding people, and I especially love feeding our YC soccer teams as they transition back into a school year and a new season.

We are praising God that we can have a soccer season and an on-campus school year at this point. We are taking all the precautions to stay safe and the fact that we can have such a beautiful opportunity to enjoy community in this way is such a joy to us. We are SO THANKFUL.

How I can feed a large group while chasing babies

Even if I wasn’t chasing babies, I still have to do the following to make this work:

  1. I have to be very organized.
  2. I have to keep my menus very simple.
  3. I have to ask for help.
  4. I have to get as much food prepped ahead of time as possible.

So I’ve detailed my meal ideas. I’ve made thorough grocery lists (Wal-mart grocery pickup for the WIN!). I have lists of tasks others can take off my plate when they come into the kitchen and say, “What can I do to help?” And I started baking five weeks ago!

The plan right now is that I will feed:

  • The guy’s team one evening in our yard.
  • The girl’s team the next evening in our yard.
  • Both teams during an entire weekend retreat (6 meals)

I’ve been feeding big crowds (and chasing littles) for many years now, so I’ve definitely learned a lot about what works well and what doesn’t. I used to go all out and make everything from scratch. Phew, not anymore! I still do what I can, but wow have I simplified compared to making homemade ice cream sandwiches for everyone like I used to!

Food Ideas When Feeding a Large Group

Here’s a simple list of what I’m planning to feed everyone (about 80 people) during the weekend retreat. I’ll share more details below.

Friday Evening: Crock Pot Beef and Chicken Fajitas with Fixins, Watermelon, Butterscotch Bars

Saturday Morning: Egg Casseroles, Quick Breads, Fruit

Saturday Lunch: Dips with Chips, Dips with Veggies, Dips with Fruit, Brownies

Saturday Dinner: Lasagna, Salad, French Bread, Green Beans,  Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Sunday Morning: Cereal, Fruit, Yogurt, Leftover Quick Bread

Sunday Lunch: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Chips, Baked Beans, Leftover Veggies and Fruits and Dips

During the weeks leading up to the retreat, I have cooked or baked a little bit each day to put food in the freezer to get ahead and prepared for the retreat.

Here’s my countertop one morning after I started cooking Fajita Meat in two crockpots,
Stick of Butter Rice in my Instant Pot,
and pulled three loaves of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread from my oven.

What Can Be Made Ahead of Time and Frozen

What Can Be Made Ahead of Time and Refrigerated

In Case You’re Curious:

  • Fajita Fixin’s: tortillas, prepared meat, rice, black beans, shredded cheese, salsa, sliced olives, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream

What I Can Ask Others to Help With

It’s helpful for me to have a list made for ways others can help simply because while I’m in the middle of cooking before a big meal starts, my brain can’t always think of what to say when someone offers, “What can I do to help?”

During the retreat, soccer team members will be coming into the kitchen to help me (or grabbing babies to take them outside to play while I cook!). So here’s what I plan to turn over to the students:

  • Prep Fruit – Apples, Bananas, Peaches, Strawberries, Grapes
  • Prep Veggies – Carrots, Broccoli, Cucumbers
  • Slice Quick Breads
  • Shred Cheese
  • Wash Dishes! ;)

Meals in our Yard

The week after the retreat we’ll feed each team once at our house. I haven’t done any prep work for these yet, but I plan to make the same meal both nights for both teams to save effort and my brain energy. :)

What are your go-to meals when feeding large crowds?

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How to Easily Freeze Oranges for Smoothies (plus a recipe!)

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You can easily freeze oranges for smoothies. Here’s how!

I never liked oranges in smoothies until I invested in a Blendtec. Regular, inexpensive blenders don’t have the power to puree fruit like oranges. This is fine – if you like to chew your smoothies. :) But a high-power blender like my beloved Blendtec easily blends all fruits until they are super smooth. Here’s more info about why I love my Blendtec and why I feel it’s worth the investment!

But back to freezing oranges…

I recently found myself with 5 extra pounds of clementines that were looking a little bit pitiful. Knowing we wouldn’t eat them all before they had to head to the compost, I simply peeled them, separated them, and put them into a freezer bag.

Now, when we want orange flavor in our smoothies, instead of pouring in orange juice, we blend in a handful of these frozen orange slices. These are great with strawberries, bananas, and well, just about any fruit combination!

Here’s our favorite recipe that includes frozen oranges:

Tropical Smoothies

How to Easily Freeze Oranges for Smoothies (plus a recipe!)
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups frozen mango chunks
  • 1½ cups frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1½ cups frozen orange slices
  • 2 cups plain yogurt, milk, or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor together.
  2. Blend until smooth.

It’s tough to beat pineapple, mango, and orange all together in a glass! Use coconut milk in this recipe if you want your smoothie to be extra-tropical tasting. And if you do that, it will be naturally diary-free too!

Do you freeze oranges? How do you use them?

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Start Making Vanilla Extract for Christmas Gifts!

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Now’s the time to start making Vanilla Extract for Christmas gifts!

Christmas in July is fun. :) Start a batch of homemade vanilla extract now and it will be ready just in time to bottle up and give as gifts this December!

Bottles of homemade vanilla are extremely awesome gifts! However, you need to start making it now because it takes 4-6 months for a big batch of vanilla to be strong and delicious.

How do you make vanilla extract?

It’s actually super easy, though the result will make you feel like you’ve made something gourmet! People love receiving this as a gift.

Find a thorough tutorial here to learn the specifics about making homemade vanilla. Or, if you’re feeling comfortable, simply follow this easy recipe:

How to Make Vanilla Extract

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Start Making Vanilla Extract for Christmas Gifts!
 
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Ingredients
  • 1.75 liters of inexpensive vodka
  • 25 Vanilla Beans enter code HOME for a 15% discount on Vanilla Beans through Olive Nation!!
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.

Once your vanilla as finished extracting 4-6 months from now:

Here’s how to finish and bottle up your homemade vanilla!

Where to buy vanilla beans:

I always buy my vanilla beans from Olive Nation. I’ve tried other sources to “save money” but instead ended up wasting money because the quality of the beans from cheap sources was terrible!

Olive Nation beans are so, so good. I’ve used their beans for years. They love working with us here at Heavenly Homemakers so they offer us 15% off when we use the coupon code: home. Plus we get free shipping on orders over $50!

To make 1/2 gallon of Homemade Vanilla Extract you need:

  • 25 vanilla beans = $91 after coupon code HOME
  • Shipping = FREE on orders over $50
  • 1.75 liter bottle of vodka = Approximately $11

Your total cost for 1/2 gallon of homemade vanilla extract will be about $102. This breaks down to $1.59/ounces which makes 4-ounces of vanilla cost $6.36

BONUS

You can save your beans after you make a batch of vanilla and reuse them to make a second batch!!

I put my used beans into a lesser amount of vodka to get more bang for my buck. So for instance, for the first round, I use 25 beans in 1.75 liters of vodka. Then for the second round, I use the same 25 beans soaked in half that amount of vodka (.88 liters). The result is still amazing and I just spent a few dollars for a quart of great vanilla extract!

Extra resources:

Go get your beans!

And yeah, go get your vodka. :) :) :)

Make yourself a delicious batch of vanilla extract and get ready for Christmas!

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

How to Make Stick-of-Butter Rice in the Instant Pot

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If you have an Instant Pot, this method for cooking Stick-of-Butter Rice cuts the cook time in half!

Yum

Once I learned to make Stick-of-Butter-Rice, I’ve never gone back to making it the “regular” way again. This recipe is TOO DELICIOUS. My entire family likes this – even the ones who never really cared about rice before. It’s the butter, of course. Also the onion. And the broth. The mixture makes incredibly tasty rice!

If you bake this recipe in an oven, it takes a solid hour. This is fine if you have an hour. If you don’t, and you have an Instant Pot, try it this way instead! It can be done in just a half hour!

I love making batches of rice ahead of time. Typically I’ll make this and use what we need for a meal, then use the rest to stir into recipes like:

Then I can get two meals out of one!

Here’s how we often eat our freshly made rice, served with:

But truly, this rice is so flavorful that it’s perfect as a side dish all by itself. I think you’ll be like me once you try this and never go back to regular rice again!

How to Make Stick-of-Butter Rice in the Instant Pot

How to Make Stick-of-Butter Rice in the Instant Pot
 
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Author:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2 cups brown rice (uncooked)
  • 2 cups beef or chicken broth
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons dry minced onions
  • 1 stick of butter, cut into 6 chunks (1/2 cup)
Instructions
  1. Place ingredients in your Instant Pot and stir.
  2. Seal pot and cook on the manual setting at high pressure for 22 minutes.
  3. Allow the pot to release naturally after cooking.
  4. Stir and enjoy!

 

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Can You Save Money Making Vanilla Again?!

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It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to share this wonderful idea of making homemade vanilla! Is it possible that we can save money making vanilla again?

I did the math! I secured a discount! It’s possible! During this time when people are looking for ways to cut back and save money (and even make money) – I am so happy to share this idea again!

Laura’s Vanilla Bean and Homemade Vanilla Extract History

Way back in 2009, I discovered how wonderful it is to make homemade vanilla extract. The positives:

  • It is completely pure
  • It saved lots of money
  • It is beyond delicious
  • We could use half the amount of vanilla called for in recipes because this homemade vanilla is so strong, which results in even more money savings!

Many of you jumped on the Homemade Vanilla Extract train. It was so much fun!

Then around 2014, there was a crop failure and the price of vanilla beans went through the roof. No longer was I able to share that we should all make vanilla. :( I kept waiting and waiting for the prices to finally go down. But year after year, the prices of vanilla beans have remained crazy high.

This, of course, has affected the price of pre-made vanilla extract at the store. I’ve watched those prices creep up through the years, too. Such a bummer!

But what if here in 2020 we can now make vanilla extract affordable again!!!

How to make homemade vanilla extract affordable

I have always purchased my vanilla beans online from Olive Nation. They consistently offer the best price for the highest quality. And because they like working with us here, they offer all Heavenly Homemakers readers a 15% off discount code (HOME)! Plus they offer free shipping on orders over $50!

I’ve checked their site for the past few years to see how the vanilla bean prices are doing. Ouch. They’ve been so high! And I’ve known that if they are high at Olive Nation, they are higher from other places. So I’ve waited.

This week I saw that one of their varieties of beans is LOWER again!!! (Plus they give us a 15% off discount when we use the code HOME at checkout.)

Of course, the price is higher than it was when I started making vanilla in 2009. But seeing as the price of almost everything is higher than it was in 2009, I can be okay with that. Especially since the price I found for beans today is finally making it a possibility for us all to make Homemade Vanilla Extract again!!

Take note: Your initial look at the current vanilla bean pricetag may shock you still. Vanilla beans aren’t cheap!! But that’s why I did a complete price breakdown for us so we can see that when it’s all said and done, our Homemade Vanilla Extract can be made for HALF of what we can purchase it for at the store!!

To make 1/2 gallon of Homemade Vanilla Extract you need:

  • 25 vanilla beans = $88 after coupon code HOME
  • Shipping = FREE on orders over $50
  • 1.75 liter bottle of vodka = Approximately $11

Total cost for 1/2 gallon of Homemade Vanilla Extract = Approximately $99

This breaks down to $1.59/ounces which makes 4-ounces of vanilla cost $6.36

Compare this to the cost of lesser quality, but still good vanilla purchased elsewhere:

  • $13.62 for 4-ounces of Flavorganics brand at Azure Standard
  • $9.69 for 4-ounces of McCormick brand at Walmart

BONUS

You can save your beans after you make a batch of vanilla and reuse them to make a second batch!!

I put my used beans into a lesser amount of vodka to get more bang for my buck. So for instance, for the first round, I use 25 beans in 1.75 liters of vodka. Then for the second round, I use the same 25 beans soaked in half that amount of vodka (.88 liters). The result is still amazing and I just spent a few dollars for a quart of great vanilla extract!

How to Make Vanilla Extract

5.0 from 3 reviews
Can You Save Money Making Vanilla Again?!
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 64 ounces
Ingredients
  • 1.75 liters of inexpensive vodka
  • 25 Vanilla Beans enter code HOME for a 15% discount on Vanilla Beans through Olive Nation!!
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.

This vanilla extract is so strong that you can use 1/2 the amount called for in recipes to save yourself even more money. :)

Your Homemade Vanilla Extract is wonderful for your own use and to give as gifts!

Bonus Resources:

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Graduation Party Food Ideas

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Need some graduation party food ideas? I’ve done this a time or two and I do have some ideas…

Here I am, almost ready (or not) to graduate our Boy#3.

I’ve done this before, so I haven’t been quite as emotional this time around. That is, until I pulled this gem out of the archives. I haven’t stopped crying since…


This was Elias with Keith last winter just a few weeks after the precious babe was placed with us. One of my favorite things about watching Elias grow into a young man ready to graduate has been seeing him with our foster and adopted kids. He has been selfless and servant-hearted as he’s helped us care for and love these babes.

I sent him off to prom last year, and soon we’ll be sending him off to college.

Fun fact, taking in foster children and adopting little ones who’ve experienced trauma has influenced Elias’ career path. He’s chosen to go to York College and major in Psychology. We’ll see where God takes him from there. What a fantastic young man!!

Curious how we have a homeschool graduation for our kids?

It’s a pretty special time, and it looks like this.

And now that I’m teary-eyed, we will talk about food.

I’ve always left most of the menu choices up to my graduate. It’s their celebration, after all! Of course, I do guide them toward choosing food that is fairly easy to make for a large crowd. And I also steer them toward a menu that will allow me to have most of the food prepared ahead of time so that I can enjoy the party with our guests!

Graduation Party Food Ideas

These are ideas I’ve either used myself or have eaten at parties we’ve enjoyed with friends. There’s really no limit to graduation party food ideas, but I do think these should be taken into consideration:

  1. What does the graduate want/like?
  2. What can be made ahead of time?
  3. What works well to feed a crowd?
  4. What can be turned over to friends and extended family so that the immediate family can enjoy the guests and the graduate?

So with that in mind, here are some great party food ideas!

Taco or Nacho Bar

It’s quite simple to make nacho or taco fixin’s ahead of time. Set out a buffet of chips or taco shells, meat (in a crock pot to keep it hot), cheese, salsa, sour cream, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and whatever else you might like.

Baked Potato Bar

Bake potatoes in a crock pot like this (or in an Instant Pot on manual pressure for 10 minutes). Set them out with a variety of toppings like taco meat, chopped ham, bacon bits, shredded cheese, sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, green onions, tomatoes, black beans, chili, jalapenos, banana wax peppers, olives, steamed broccoli, steamed peas, and whatever else you might like.

Smoothie Station

A friend of ours did this for their son’s graduation and it was brilliant! They had several tables set up with blenders, and had friends running each smoothie station. Party guests could select their smoothie ingredients, and they offered choices like frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mango, pineapple, and banana. They had milk, yogurt, and orange juice as add-ins. Whipped cream to spray on top – fun straws and colored napkins. It was fantastic!

Finger Foods

A table filled with finger foods like cheese and crackers, chips and dips, veggies and dips, fruits and dips, meatballs, smokies, cookies, and such? You can’t go wrong! It’s simple and fun!

Here are our favorite dip ideas:

  1. Easy White Queso – My Current Favorite!
  2. Simple Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip
  3. Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip
  4. Creamy Italian Veggie Dip
  5. Cream Cheese Salsa Dip
  6. Bacon Ranch Chip Dip
  7. French Onion Dip
  8. Bacon Tomato Dip
  9. Black Bean Salsa
  10. Easy Veggie Dip
  11. Healthier Cheese Dip 
  12. Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
  13. Nacho Cheese Pretzel Dip
  14. Easy Guacomole
  15. Easy Cheesy Bean Dip
  16. Hamburber Sauerkraut Dip
  17. Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Simple Cake or Cupcakes

No need to serve an entire meal if you don’t want to. There’s nothing wrong with setting out cupcakes or a special cake for the graduate, and leaving it at that! Consider the cake flavors and colors that the graduate likes, then bake and decorate accordingly. (Or order from a bakery because if you have a graduate, you probably don’t have time to bake and decorate.)

Dessert Bar

How about serving a fun variety of dessert options cut into small portions? Cheesecake is always a hit! A variety of cookies on trays, cupcakes, donuts – what are the graduates favorites? Go with it!

Fun at the Grill

Serve burgers, hot dogs, and brats for an outdoor party if the weather is nice. Set out fixins, chips, fruit, and veggies. It’s simple, yet most everyone loves a meal like this!

Here are our favorite special burger recipes:

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

It’s super easy and quite inexpensive to slow cook a large pork butt or two. Shred it and serve with with a variety of sauces and buns or tortillas. Add chips, fruit, veggies, and drinks – and you’ve got yourself a simple but great party!

Coffee Station

Here’s a fun idea for setting up an Iced Coffee Bar. Use the same concept for hot coffee too!

The ideas for graduation party food ideas are endless! Make the most of your time celebrating your graduate!

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How Your Entire Family Can Learn About Eating Healthy!

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Looking for a simple way for your entire family to learn about eating healthy? It doesn’t get any easier than this!

We just rolled this out, and it’s packed with great information while being as simple as can be!

What is the Healthy Eating Jumpstart Basic Nutrition Class?

You won’t believe all that you’ll get in this fantastic online class! Healthy Eating Jumpstart includes:

  • 10 easy lessons to walk you through the basics of eating well
  • 10 fun videos to watch and use with each lesson
  • A practical packet full of worksheets and printables to use with each lesson
  • A beautiful bonus Jumpstart eCookbook filled with 51 easy recipes that will jumpstart your entire family on a journey to healthy eating
  • A Lesson Guide and Checklist packet to walk you through completing each lesson

How can you best use this Healthy Eating Jumpstart Basic Nutrition Class?

  • Work through it as a family and set goals together toward taking steps for healthier eating
  • Work through it on your own and start making small changes in your kitchen for your family
  • Hand it to your older kids to work through as part of their homeschool lessons or life skills learning
  • Hold on to it and utilize it again and again for yourself, your kids, and your entire family as needed

Your Entire Family Can Learn About Eating Healthy!

Here’s a peek at the Lesson Book intro page so you can get an idea of what this class will cover…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ready to begin your Healthy Eating Jumpstart Class?

GREAT NEWS!!!! If you are a Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Member, this fantastic product is already yours!!! Find it on your eCurriculum page (because this is a great educational resource for your family!) and on your Kitchen Tips page. Then dive right in!!!

Not a Club Member yet? It is WORTH IT to be a member so you’ll have access to this amazing new Healthy Eating Jumpstart resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more (over $1000 worth!) for just $10/month!

Join us here! You won’t believe all you get for such a low monthly cost!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you prefer, you can purchase this online class separately. Ready to get started? Purchase here:

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Make healthy eating EASY!!!!! This class will help!

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Easiest Healthy Pancake Recipes

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Did you see our post sharing Easiest Whole Wheat Bread recipes? I thought it would be fun to follow that one with a post sharing Easiest Healthy Pancake recipes!

Easiest Healthy Pancake RecipesYum

We all love pancakes at our house – often for dinner even more than for breakfast! We’ve tried many recipes through the years, and these are our favorites. For the record, we find that pancakes made on a Cast Iron Griddle taste the best!

Simple Pancake Mix Pancakes

I used to make pancakes from scratch each time, which is quite easy and fast because pancakes aren’t hard to make in the least. But for the past couple of years, I’ve been making huge batches of Pancake and Waffle Mix from the recipe in the Simple Mixes to Save the Day eCookbook. Now making pancakes is even faster and easier than before. I love this mix!

—– > I just discounted the book so everyone can have access to it at a much lower cost. All of the mixes in that book are a huge time and money saver! < ——

Check out this book here.

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Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is my tried-and-true pancake recipe that inspired the Pancake Mix recipe above. This recipe is easy and quick, truly perfect for breakfast or dinner!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Want a little protein in your pancakes? These are so delicious, and if you add chocolate chips to them? Well, we all know how good peanut butter and chocolate tastes together!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes taste perfect during crisp fall weather days.

Easy Whole Grain Chocolate Pancakes

It goes without saying that these taste great topped with berries. Or we can go with the chocolate/peanut butter idea from above and spread peanut butter all over these cakes.

Simple Banana Pancakes

Have over-ripe bananas but want to make something other than Banana Bread? Whisk them into these Banana Pancakes. So good!

Whole Wheat Applesauce Pancakes

Like the Pumpkin Pancakes mentioned above, these are wonderful in the fall!

Baked Apple Pancake

Speaking of fall and apples, if you have an abundance of apples and want to try something new, this is an amazing option!

Easy Pancake Muffins

Here’s a super fun variety to a traditional pancake. These work great to take on the go!

Whole Wheat Waffles

Not to be outdone, here’s our favorite easy waffle recipe!

If you give a friend a pancake recipe, you’ll need to give her some pancake toppings to go with them…

Here are our favorite pancake toppings:

I think it’s time for a pancake dinner!

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

Dear Everyone Who Hates Meal Planning…

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

Just in case you missed this back in May, we wanted to offer an exclusive deal to bless you as we all begin a busy new school year…

1/2-price Simple Meals Subscription!!

As if getting an entire year’s worth of Simple Meals planning packets for half-off is not enough to convince you that now is the time to grab on, allow me to share more reasons you need a Simple Meals subscription.

Dear Everyone who hates menu planning (or simply doesn’t have time for it anymore),

In all my years of being a homemaker and talking to other homemakers (25 years, thanks for asking), I have learned that VERY FEW of us actually like meal planning. I’m one of the weird ones who actually enjoys it. But most of you? Disgusted. Completely annoyed. Hate every minute of it. ABSOLUTELY OVER IT.

Dear friends. This post is for you. (And maybe for those who do enjoy meal planning but still sometimes forget to thaw the chicken.)

In an effort to be fun (!!!yeah right!!!) and not at all discouraging (???sob???), I decided to do some math and point out what I believe makes most people so very frustrated about meal planning. Are you ready? You’d better sit down for this.

Not even including the thoughts we must think about what we will feed our families for breakfasts and lunches every day, if we all run a household for 50 years, and we multiply those years by the 365 days we must figure out what to put on the table for dinner each night – the total, painful number of meal planning days is (gasp, sob):

18,250

Meals. That we have to plan. In our life. Not counting breakfast.

Oh, but should we count breakfast and lunch too, just for fun? (Laura’s idea of fun is weird and not actually fun.)

54,750

Total meals. That must come out of our heads, through our hard-working hands, and onto our bountiful tables.

Now listen. I know we all realize that we are a blessed group of people and that whining about meal planning is ridiculous and petty. After all, are we not thankful for the families we get to feed and for the food we have in abundance in which to feed them?! Yes. We are. We are very, very thankful.

But we also have to remember to buy toilet paper and make it to the appointments and sign the documents and get to all the places on time. So while we are grateful for our lives, we also recognize the truth that trying to think of what food to prepare and feed our families each day is a…

VERY BIG JOB, AMEN.

There now. I have now given us all permission to feel what we feel about food. It sure tastes good, and we sure are thankful for it. But it doesn’t appear on the table without someone thinking ahead about it, buying it, preparing it, cleaning up after it, and then doing it all again for 18,250 tomorrows.

But we do it because:

  • We love our families.
  • We want our families to be healthy.
  • And eating isn’t something that we can’t avoid.

Other jobs that we don’t like we can just ignore, you know? (I’m looking at you – baseboards that need to be dusted.) But figuring out what to feed our families every day – we have to do it whether we like it or not.

So here is my number one, very best suggestion for you…

If you hate meal planning, do this:

Figure out what you will make for dinner each night IN THE MORNING.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT wait until dinner time to plan dinner. At that time, you are hungry and tired. Your family is hungry and tired. The food is probably still frozen. And ain’t nobody happy.

If you are in the habit of waiting until it’s almost time to eat to figure out what you are going to eat – you are going to run into frustration almost every time. Or, you’re likely to fall back on unhealthy and expensive habits like grabbing take-out or ordering pizza. Those fun options should be reserved for our extra busy days or special occasions – not for the five days a week you failed to plan ahead, again.

And so, in the morning before work or school or before moving forward with whatever it is that keeps you busy each day – figure out what you are going to make for dinner. Then, put that thing in the crock pot, in the fridge, or on a list. Your entire day will go more smoothly, knowing that your evening meal is figured out and can be executed quickly at dinner time.

Now’s the part where I tell you something even better.

If you truly hate meal planning, or if you are too busy to think about what to make for dinner each night, why not reference the very wonderful and beautiful Simple Meals plans we make every single week and send to your inbox every single week? Please, please take advantage of this!!!

We do all the thinking and planning for you!! We offer specific yet flexible meal suggestions, we give you all the recipe links, we prepare your grocery list, and we put it right in your lap. Here, take a peek:

Download a free Simple Meals Plan here to see what it looks like!

Just think. You could have that in your hands every week, and then all of your meal planning tears will stop. ;)

This is not just me trying to sell you something. This truly is me trying to help your life become easier. Because I get it!! Meal planning can be stressful and difficult. Why should every single one of us invent the wheel (or in this case meal) every single night?

What if, instead, just one of us makes the plan, and everyone else gets to look at it and use it? Doesn’t that just make sense and sound fabulous!?!

It’s only $1.00 per week. $0.50/week all year long!

That makes this a no-brainer, because think of the time and money you’ll save figuring out every dinner of the week!

Get all the details here.

Your first entire year will cost only $0.50/week! Ready to join? Can’t wait to save your family time!

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This 1/2 price offer expires September 4. Your subscription will automatically renew in one year at full price (still inexpensive!!), and you can cancel for next year if you choose by simply emailing me!

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