Heavenly Homemakers

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Easy Candied Walnuts ~ 4-Ingredients!

December 15, 2016 by Laura 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Here’s to everyone who needs a holiday munchie that is in the “healthier” and “easier” category. These salty/sweet Easy Candied Walnuts can be made in five minutes. (Kinda makes up for rolling, and cutting, and baking, and frosting of cookies, eh?)

candied-walnuts-4-ingredients

The best thing about this recipe is that it’s made quickly on the stove-top and ready to eat immediately. I’ve kept some in a bowl in our living room since Thanksgiving, and it’s been a great hit with guests!

Easy Candied WalnutsYum

Easy Candied Walnuts ~ 4-Ingredients!
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Ingredients
  • 2 cups raw walnuts
  • ⅓ cup sucanat, brown sugar, or white sugar
  • 2 shakes of sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a large skillet.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sugar has been distributed over walnuts.
  3. Remove from heat and immediately spread the walnut out on parchment paper so that can cool and "candy."
3.4.3177

easy-candied-walnuts-4-ingredients

Want some other fun nutty-type munchies for Christmas season? Here are a couple I’ve shared in the past:

  • Cinnamon Sugar Pecans
  • Easy Pecan Pie Bites

Both are easy, and naturally gluten and dairy free if that is a need for you or for someone you love.

And for those who are interested in the rolling, cutting, baking, and frosting of cookies, here are some recipes for you:

  • Low Sugar Christmas Cookies (Yes, you really can make a low sugar cookie that tastes amazing!)
  • Peppernuts (These take quite a while to make, but are worth it!)
  • Frosted Sugar Cookies (These are the full-sugar variety. Whoa.)
  • Orange Cream Cheese Cut-Outs (Also full of sugar, but wow are they delicious.)

As for me, I’m going to do everything I can to avoid rolling, cutting, baking, and frosting cookies this year. There simply isn’t time since we’re planning to travel so much over Christmas. I will instead stick with making easy treats like these Candied Walnuts.

How about you? Making lots of treats this year?

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

Simple Pizza Chicken Bake

December 13, 2016 by Laura 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Once again, a Simple Recipe saves the day. Three cheers for Simple Pizza Chicken Bake! (Hip, hip…okay, let’s just get to the recipe.)

pizza-chicken-bake

Truth: I have been too busy to cook lately. Why? Well, for one thing, I’ve been quite occupied by writing about how to put simple meals on the table.

Do not miss the irony of this.

Oh my dears. We hosted people for Thanksgiving, then turned right around and traveled to Kansas. We arrived home a few days later happy and tired, and very behind on all of our work. We began to play catch up while getting ready for Christmas and finishing up our kids’ semester of school work. Our youngest has been in our big downtown Christmas play, so we’ve been running to practices and performances and hosting family who came into town to watch. We hosted Christmas parties for two groups of college students, and enjoyed a big basketball triangular in town with the team our two middle boys are involved with.

Did I mention we’re getting ready to drive to California to see family at Christmastime?

All this fun in the midst of trying to keep up with everyday life has threatened to push me into the next level of crazy-head. (No one wants to see what that looks like.) So when Matt got home from his current job site one day last week and asked how he could help with dinner, I looked up from my computer (where I was editing a post about keeping dinner simple) and said, “I’ve been too busy writing about how to put food on the table easily to actually get food on the table. I love you. I’m hungry. Malachi needs to leave for practice in 15 minutes.”

Fun times. I have no recollection of what we actually ate that night. But no one starved, and I think I’m back on track this week to at least have the brain power to throw something in the crock pot or oven at a reasonable time.

Keep this new Simple Recipe in your back pocket. It truly is a no-brainer, and maybe it’s just me, but I think we can all use no-brainer recipes this time of year and always.

Simple Pizza Chicken BakeYum

5.0 from 2 reviews
Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 14 ounces pizza sauce
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 6 ounces sliced pepperoni
Instructions
  1. Cut chicken into thin strips and spread them into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  2. Spread pizza sauce over the chicken.
  3. Sprinkle with cheese.
  4. Top with pepperoni.
  5. Bake, uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
3.4.3177

simple-pizza-chicken-bake

I’m happy to report that the work I was behind on is almost caught up, and the work I’m trying to get ahead on is coming along at a nice pace. I got to a good enough point a few days ago that I told Matt, “Hey, I think I’ll be able to go to California with you for Christmas after all.” Now here’s hoping he gets all his work done so he can go too.

Other Simple Recipes I’ve Shared Recently:

  • Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
  • Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
  • Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
  • Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
  • 20-Minute Taco Soup
  • Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
  • Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
  • Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
  • Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple Taco Rice Dinner
  • Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
  • Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick
  • Simple Beanie Weanies
  • Simple BBQ Spareribs

If you haven’t joined Simple Meals, we invite you to come aboard! We’ll provide the plans. We’ll provide the recipes. We’ll provide the grocery list. All you have to do is take a deep breath and enjoy how simple your life in the kitchen has become! Join Simple Meals!

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

Easy and Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

December 11, 2016 by Laura 17 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

I have eaten at least three of these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups every single day since September. Please, you must join me in delighting in this simple, and apparently necessary, pleasure of life.

chocolate-peanut-butter-cups

Before I share more about this recipe, allow me to tell a story so that when you eat these in front of others, you will not make the same mistake I did.

See, it all started out back in September when I learned that I needed to add a significant amount of good fat to my diet if I wanted to improve my health, have more energy, and get rid of my brain fog. Seeing as I had no desire to lick coconut oil off a spoon or peel open a stick of butter like a banana, my quest to figure out how to easily eat all these good fats led me to discover these Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs.

They changed my life, and I’m not exaggerating. They are so very nourishing, made with loads of healthy fat and protein, and sweetened with stevia (stick with me though, even if you hate stevia). The fat bombs are delicious and I started feeling better immediately after I began eating several each day. Who knew? My body had been screaming for more nourishment from healthy fats!

Well, back to my story of what not to do.

We had company one weekend in October. I was eating a Fat Bomb while preparing breakfast. (Had to get my brain going, you know?) One of our guests walked in and asked, “Oh, what are you eating?” Suddenly I found myself in a quandary about how to answer. I could have simply said, “It is a healthy Peanut Butter Cup.” Right? Couldn’t I have just said that??

But no. I found myself launching into a very long narrative about my health journey during the past four years and how I’d been feeling awful during the past few months and couldn’t figure out what I could eat that wouldn’t make me feel awful. The very minute I started the story, I wanted to stop. I quickly realized that the kind ears listening to my “what are you eating” explanation were on extreme overload and most definitely confused. But I couldn’t stop because I’d already started and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to wrap it up. So I kept going on and on. I even found myself using phrases like “adrenal fatigue” and “intense detox.”

The poor dear. Some people want to know more about natural doctors and bad bacteria lurking in the gut. But some people just want to know, “Hey, what are you eating?”

So you guys. Make these, eat them, enjoy them, and let them nourish you. But for the love of pleasant conversation, when an innocent person asks you what you’re eating just say, “It’s a healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup.”

Now, it is Christmastime and treats are fun at Christmas. That’s why I’m re-sharing this recipe. But today I’m calling them Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups to ease the pain of anyone you might be having a conversation with over the holidays. You are so very welcome.

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter CupsYum

(Let’s all practice saying it together:
They say: What are you eating?
We say: “It’s a Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup.”
There now. Was that really so hard?)

Easy and Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • ½ cup coconut oil (I use expeller pressed so the coconut flavor didn't overpower.)
  • 1 heaping Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter
  • Liquid stevia to taste (I use 1½ droppers full of NuNaturals Brand.) OR 2-3 Tablespoons of honey or maple syrup
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, heat and stir together coconut oil, cocoa powder, butter, and peanut butter.
  2. Once melted and mixed, remove from heat and stir in stevia.
  3. Pour into 12 muffin lined muffin tins.
  4. Freeze for 20 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours.
  5. Store in fridge and eat as needed.
3.4.3177

By the way, these really taste best when they are right out of the fridge!

healthy-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups

I love that these are completely free of sugar when made with stevia. But if you don’t like or don’t have stevia, you can use maple syrup or honey instead. These will still be wonderful for you and only lightly sweetened.

I use silicone muffin cups like these when I make these “Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.” This makes it so very easy!

Ever found yourself in an uncomfortable conversation while trying to explain something “weird” that you’re eating? Fun times.

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

30 of Our Family’s Favorite Holiday Recipes (with a throw-back picture from 2007!)

December 8, 2016 by Laura 10 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

I’ve shared nine years worth of holiday recipes here at Heavenly Homemakers. Nine! 

You guys. Our boys looked like this back in 2007 when my site first became a thing:

boysbytree2sm2

Now they look like this. As you can tell, we got a taller tree. (I’m sure that’s the first thing you noticed.)

family-christmas700

Isn’t that a nice picture? Yes. Of course, this one is more normal:

family-christmas-silly700

I can’t get over how quickly my boys turned into men. I was there, and now I’m here, and I’m not sure how it happened. With love, prayer, tears, and lots of green beans, no doubt.

Today I decided to share 30 of the recipes that I’ve posted through these many Christmas seasons. You can bet the recipes that used more sugar were from my earlier blogging years! Slowly but surely, we’ve cut back on sugar content in our treat recipes. Somehow, the boys have still grown and lived to tell about it.

If you come across any of these older recipes and you think, “Hmm. I wonder if I can cut the sugar down in any of these?” the answer is most likely yes! The treats will still be delicious and your family’s Christmas will still be merry.

30 of Our Family’s Favorite Holiday RecipesYum

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

Peppernuts

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Low Sugar Frosted Sugar Cookies

Low Sugar Frosted Sugar Cookies

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mousse

chocolate mint mousse 3

Hot Cocoa

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Peppermint Cream Cocoa

Peppermint Cream Cocoa

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn

White Chocolate Popcorn

Cranberry Orange Scones

Orange Cranberry Scones

Caramel Popcorn

Caramel Popcorn With No Corn Syrup!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Balls

chocolate_peanut_butter_balls_2

100% Juice Sparkling Punch

Christmas Brunch Punch {with 100 juice!}

Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffle

christmas_truffles

Christmas Spice Cookies

christmasspicecookiessm

Chocolate Snowballs

snowballcookies3sm

Reindeer Cuties

reindeercookies5sm

Snickerdoodles

snickerdoodlessm

Coconut Macaroons

coconutmacaroonssm

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies

pbchocstartreats

Peppermint Patties

Homemade Healthier Eggnog

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Men

Warm Vanilla Soother

warmvanillasoother2sm

Sweet Pepper Fritata

Quick Eggnog Muffins

Vanilla Muffins with Crumb Topping

Strawberry Christmas Salad

Strawberry Christmas Salad
Christmas Sourdough Biscuits

christmasbiscuitssm.JPG
Christmas Graham Crackers

christmasgrahamcrackerssm.JPG

Christmas Pizzas

christmaspizzassm.JPG

Christmas Donuts

christmasdonutssm.jpg

You’ll want to pin this so you can make these treats from now until the new year! —>

30-favorite-holiday-treats

 

Please leave a comment to tell me how long you’ve been reading here! Were any of you around when my boys were as little as that first Christmas picture?

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

Simple Crock Pot BBQ Spareribs

December 6, 2016 by Laura 5 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Here’s the thing about making BBQ Spareribs:

You can go to a lot of trouble and take several steps to make them taste incredible. Or, you can spend five minutes to throw them into your crock pot, pour on your favorite BBQ Sauce, and then watch them fall off the bone in amazingness at the end of the day.

You know me. I will always choose the five-minute method.

bbq-ribs

The only trouble I run into with making ribs at my house is that only so many will fit into my crock pot, so it doesn’t turn out to be an all-you-can-eat rib fest for my men. Other than that, making ribs has become one of my favorite fall back meals.

Who knew making a meal of BBQ ribs would be easier than making a box of mac and cheese? Who knew?

Just last week, I put some ribs into my crock pot before heading out of town for the day. This took no effort except for the tiny amount of finagling it took to manhandle a big rack of ribs down into my oval crock pot. Never fear. Laura: 1. Ribs:0. Mom for the win. It probably helped that I had just had my morning coffee, which pretty much ensures I can conquer the world.

I arrived back home later that night to delicious meat falling off the bone. I steamed some veggies, got out the mixed greens for salad, and dinner was served.

Feeling a little bit busy these days with so many holiday preparations and activities? Let your crock pot make you some BBQ Ribs. At the end of a busy day, you’ll shock yourself with how awesome you are that you actually managed to make such a delicious meal when, in fact, you spent the day addressing Christmas cards and trying to locate the missing gifts you put in a safe place for no one to find. (Sounds like you found a pretty good hiding spot.)

Simple Crock Pot BBQ SpareribsYum

Simple Crock Pot BBQ Spareribs
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3-4 pound package of beef or pork spareribs
  • 1-2 cups of your favorite BBQ Sauce*
Instructions
  1. Place spareribs in your crockpot. I typically have to fold them over to get them to fit.
  2. Spread BBQ Sauce over the meat.
  3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is falling off the bone.
3.4.3177

*Here’s our favorite BBQ Sauce recipe!

simple-crock-pot-bbq-spareribs-5-minute-prep

Other Simple Recipes I’ve Shared Recently:

  • Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
  • Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
  • Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
  • Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
  • 20-Minute Taco Soup
  • Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
  • Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
  • Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
  • Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple Taco Rice Dinner
  • Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
  • Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick
  • Simple Beanie Weanies

It’s recipes like these BBQ Spareribs that makes Simple Meals such a life saver for families. We’ll provide the plans. We’ll provide the recipes. We’ll provide the grocery list. All you have to do is take a deep breath and enjoy how simple your life in the kitchen has become! Join Simple Meals!

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

Easy Low Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake Whip

December 4, 2016 by Laura 1 Comment

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Who even cares about a cheesecake crust? I’ve always been in it for the cheesecake filling anyway. Therefore, I have been making Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling and eating it with a spoon right out of a bowl.

For breakfast.

pumpkin-cheesecake-in-a-bowl

The way I see it, I’m eating a vegetable for breakfast, so I’m getting nourishment. I’m also eating good fat, so I stay full for longer than five minutes.

What else? Well, there’s hardly any sugar in this, so I feel no guilt that way, nor do I experience a mid-morning sugar crash. I should add to all of the above that this Pumpkin Cheesecake Whip tastes like spoonfuls of holiday happiness.

So between the vegetable thing, the good fats, the low sugar content, and the fact that this tastes wonderful – I think our holiday season will continue to get better by the bowlful.

Also, it only takes five minutes to make. This is what every Christmas recipe should be like.

Easy Low Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake WhipYum

Easy Low Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake Whip
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2 8-ounce packages softened cream cheese
  • 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups pureed pumpkin
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 Tablespoons real maple syrup plus liquid stevia to taste (I used 2 droppers full of stevia)
Instructions
  1. Blend all pumpkin cheesecake filling ingredients together until smooth.
  2. Chill in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.
3.4.3177

easy-low-sugar-pumpkin-cheesecake-whip

Now let’s just say you’re a “gotta have a cheesecake crust” sort of a person. This is no problem. I have a crust recipe that is also low in sugar and incredibly delicious. You’ll find this recipe here.

no-bake-pumpkin-cheesecake

Or say you want a cheesecake crust, but you also want your cheesecakes to be cute and little and ready to serve to individuals. This is also no problem. I have Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups for you. You’ll find that recipe here.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Now, it doesn’t take too much reading to realize that these are all the same recipe, just tweaked slightly to make them crustless, regular crust, or individual cup-sized crusts. We aim to please, and also we are suggesting that you eat cheesecake for breakfast, so now’s who’s your best friend?

No need to answer that. I mean, go ahead, though, if you want to.

 

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

The Simple Meal I’m Almost Embarrassed to Tell You About

November 29, 2016 by Laura 14 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

It happened the day we were putting up the Christmas tree. I was also trying to help guide Justus, our 16-year old, as he was finishing a big research paper for his college class. Decorations had exploded all over the living room, and I’d just discovered that not one, but two of our strings of lights for the tree weren’t working.

Such is life. Tis the season. No big deal. But it was almost lunch time and not only was food not prepared, I hadn’t even found a moment to figure out what lunch was yet. “Help me with a quick idea for lunch, Malachi, then we’ll run to the store and get more lights for the tree.”

Malachi’s solution to every lunch would be hot dogs if I would allow it. So it was no surprise when that was his suggestion this day too.

Aha! That gave me an idea. I said, “Malachi, go grab a package of hotdogs from the freezer and get two cans of baked beans. We’ll make Beanie Weanies when we get home.” And there was much rejoicing by all.

This is where I pause to tell you how silly I feel right now. I’m actually writing a post to tell you this:

When you’re in a hurry and you don’t have anything planned for your meal, make Beanie Weanies.

I know this isn’t a typical recipe idea you’re used to hearing about from me. But there really is something about a pot of bubbly baked beans with bites of hotdogs that is comforting, am I right? Plus, this meal doesn’t have to be unhealthy if you use the right ingredients. Even the most health conscious among us need a fall back meal sometimes. Beanie Weanies it is. Rock on.

simple-last-minute-meal

Yum

Best tip of the day: Keep a supply of canned of baked beans in your pantry. Keep a supply of better-than hot dogs in your freezer. When you’re in a hurry and need a fast meal, mix them together and lunch is served.

You’re welcome, I guess.

simple-beanie-weanies

Not only did we manage to finish Justus’ big research paper that morning and put (working) lights on our Christmas tree, we had a fantastically satisfying meal that only took about ten minutes to make.

Am I weird? Is my whole family weird? What can we say? We all really love this meal. The Beanie Weanies tasted great along with a mixed green salad, clementines, sweet peppers, and slice pears. The sides took hardly any effort to prepare so I’m not kidding when I say that this meal really only takes about ten minutes to make.

simple-last-minute-beanie-weanies

Other Simple Recipes that are a little more “normal”

  • Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
  • Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
  • Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
  • Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
  • 20-Minute Taco Soup
  • Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
  • Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
  • Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
  • Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple Taco Rice Dinner
  • Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
  • Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick

‘Fess up! Who’s a Beanie Weanie fan? 

Let Simple Meals save you money, time, and energy so you can enjoy your family! (Remember, the plans will be extra simple this holiday season. Sweet!)

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

Easy, Low Sugar, Mini Crustless Cheesecake Recipe (and an amazing Blendtec Giveaway!!)

November 23, 2016 by Laura 220 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

This has got to be one of my most exciting giveaways to share with you! Why? Because ever since I invested in a Blendtec my kitchen life has become soooo much simpler! I wish I could give one to every person reading this.

I haven’t splattered cream all over my countertops and walls in months. Why? Because I don’t have to whip cream using my hand mixer anymore. Instead, I pour cream into my Blendtec and it whips it for me in less than 30 seconds. It is so, so easy.

I use my Blendtec for homemade applesauce now, throwing cooked apples in peel and all, and it makes beautifully smooth sauce. I use my Blendtec to mix muffin batters, cake batters, cheesecake, and so much more. Of course I use it for smoothies and all the normal blender needs. I use it at least once every day if not three times.

But about the cheesecake! Please allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite new recipes to make:

easy-mini-crustless-baked-cheesecake

I throw the five ingredients into my Blendtec, whip it for a few seconds until it is smooth, pour it into muffin cups, and bake. The stevia sweetens it, the small amount of maple syrup takes away any stevia aftertaste, and I’m left with the most delicious treat!

blendtec1

blendtec3

blendtec-2

Here’s the recipe, and check out the wonderful giveaway below!

Easy, Low Sugar, Mini Crustless CheesecakeYum

5.0 from 12 reviews
Easy, Low Sugar, Mini Crustless Cheesecake Recipe (and an amazing Blendtec Giveaway!!)
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 full droppers of liquid stevia
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
  2. Pour into 12 muffin cups.
  3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
  4. Turn off heat, open the oven door, and leave the cheesecakes in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. (Cheesecakes will puff up during baking but deflate while continuing to sit in the oven.)
  5. Transfer cheesecakes to the fridge and chill for at least two hours before serving.
3.4.3177

easy-low-sugar-mini-crustless-cheesecakes

My family likes pouring homemade fruit sauces over the cheesecakes!

Check out Blendtec options here.

 

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

Simple Last Minute Lentil Chili

November 20, 2016 by Laura 18 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Raise your hand if you’re busy this week. (Unless, of course, your hands are in the middle of de-boning a turkey. You can just give me a nod.)

Our oldest son is home from college right now, so we are a family of six again. So what if he’s been “away,” living in his college dorm only 8 blocks from home? We don’t see him much and we miss him. Having him home for longer than five minutes has been a joy.

I would say that we’re taking life easy while we prepare for Thanksgiving, but would you believe our son #2 has two huge projects due for his online college history class on Thanksgiving day? What? And yes, he would have had them done ahead of time except that it wasn’t possible because of all the other projects he had due before these.

I’m telling you, these online classes my kids take are threatening to kill us all with a long slow death. (The on-campus classes are much more managable.) Well, anyway.

We’re hosting Thanksgiving this year for 15-20 people from town. Then we’ll head to Kansas to celebrate “Thanksmas” with my side of the family. I baked the turkeys over the weekend. The green bean casserole is in the freezer. Slowly but surely I’m pulling the meal together so that come Thursday, I can actually enjoy the day instead of cooking and cleaning for hours!

In the meantime, the six of us still need to eat regular meals. (They didn’t like the idea of fasting in preparation for Thanksgiving. Whatever.)

Meals like this Simple Last Minute Lentil Chili are amazing for weeks like this! Thaw no meat. Soak no beans. Just go to the stove and put this soup together.

Truth: I didn’t think I would like chili that didn’t have meat in it.

I am such a meat loving girl! We are a meat loving family.

But in fact: My family didn’t even notice this didn’t have meat in it until I told them an hour after they ate it. “Really?” they said, “It tasted like it did!”

Score.

lentil-chili

Simple Last Minute Lentil ChiliYum

3.7 from 3 reviews
Simple Lentil Chili
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3 Tablespoons minced onion
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried red pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tsp. chili powder
  • 16 ounces dry lentils
  • 32 ounces tomato sauce
  • 32 ounces vegetable or chicken broth*
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, heat and stir olive oil with minced onion, garlic, and red pepper.
  2. Add chili powder, lentils, tomato sauce, and broth.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
  5. Serve with cheese and/or sour cream if desired.
3.4.3177

last-minute-lentil-chili

Let this chili recipe save you some evening this week while you’re busy preparing to host or travel!

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Simple Chicken Cheeseballs With a Kick (naturally gluten free)

November 17, 2016 by Laura 15 Comments

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I experimented with these Chicken Cheeseballs on a whim. It was a simple recipe and I figured chicken and cheese – sure, they’ll probably be pretty good. Pretty good? I should say so! I turned right around (did the hokey-pokey) and made these again three days later. These cheesy little meatballs are incredible!

simple-chicken-cheeseballs1

The first night I pulled a batch of these out of the oven, one by one my men came into the kitchen, took a look at the meatballs, and popped one into his mouth. I think each one, in turn, said the same thing, “Whoa. What are these? These are amazing! You can make these again!” (Don’t mind if I do.) I wouldn’t say my family is very picky, and yet, when every single person in the family likes a recipe, this is a huge score.

simple-chicken-cheeseballs2

You might be wondering, like I did, “What holds these meatballs together? Don’t we need flour or bread crumbs or a bisquik type baking mix to make this recipe work? Nope. They stay together just fine even though they are made with only ground meat, cheese, and a few spices. They take only a few minutes to mix up and scoop into a pan. You can make the side dishes for your meal while they bake. AND, if you have time, you can make a double or triple batch to freeze so that all you have to do at mealtime is grab out the amount you need and bake them!

I used a scoop like this one to make these meatballs. Whoa, does that little kitchen gadget come in handy!

Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick

5.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Chicken Cheeseballs With a Kick
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds ground chicken
  • 4 cups shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
  • 1½ teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons hot sauce (I use Cholula)
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
  2. Scoop mixture into 1" balls into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until balls are nice and brown.
  4. Pour off excess grease that has accumulated before serving.
3.5.3229

simple-chicken-cheeseballs

Use ground sausage or ground beef if you prefer in this recipe. You can use these Chicken Cheeseballs on a holiday snack buffet table, serve them for breakfast, or serve them as a main dish at dinner – they are perfectly versatile. I’m looking forward to keeping these in my freezer for quick, simple meals in the future!

More Simple RecipesYum

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  • Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
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  • 20-Minute Taco Soup
  • Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
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  • Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
  • Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
  • Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
  • Simple Taco Rice Dinner
  • Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate

Simple Meals is where it’s at.

Let us do your planning for you, and don’t worry, we’ll keep it simple!

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