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Super Healthy, Freezer Friendly Chicken Sandwiches

July 20, 2012 by Laura 54 Comments

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My wonderful friend Jenny shared this recipe with me. I love that these are so full of good protein, and have veggies in them too! What a great way to get more nutrients packed into a meal.

You can make up a big batch of these and freeze them for a quick meal another time. You know I love recipes like this that help me avoid a panic attack on busy days!

Chicken Patty SandwichesYum

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
6 eggs
sea salt to taste
Coconut Oil or Palm Shortening

In a food processor, grind raw chicken, garlic, carrots, and onions together. Add eggs and salt, blending all ingredients together well. Spoon mixture (about two tablespoons at a time to form a patty) into hot oil, frying on both sides for about 4-5 minutes each, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. (I use Palm Shortening from Tropical Traditions because heating it for frying purposes does not compromise its health qualities. I also sometimes use Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil as it is just as healthy.)

Makes about 10 patties.

These patties taste great without a bun, topped with a tomato and sandwiched between pieces of lettuce. We also really like them with sprouted wheat buns we get from Azure Standard. Oh, and melted cheese on top is pretty tasty too!

Chicken Patty Sandwiches

Allow leftover patties to cool, then place them in a freezer bag for another meal. Rewarm in the oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes.

I realize the following picture doesn’t look super pretty, but I wanted to show you the nice stack of chicken patties I was able to put into the freezer! You can’t even tell there are carrots in there. ;)

When served with lettuce and tomatoes, and a fruit smoothie or another side dish of fruits and veggies, this is one super healthy meal!

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How To Make Pizza on the Grill

July 10, 2012 by Laura 15 Comments

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Yum

I’ve always left the grilling up to Matt. He would head outside and cook the meat, I would be in the kitchen making the side dishes, and all was well.

But one day several weeks ago, I felt like cooking something on the grill for lunch. It just sounded good, you know? But Matt wasn’t home. It was then that I realized that I had no earthly idea how to even turn on the grill. Duh. But it’s true.

Why, yes I do feel ridiculous admitting that to you. And hey, if you want, I could list off all kinds of things I have no clue about.  Nah, how about we save that list for another day?

Well anyway, when he got home later that day, I asked my loving husband to teach me the fine arts of turning on a grill, which involved, as most of you probably already know, the push of a button and the turn of a knob. Wow, do I ever feel so much smarter than I did before.

With my newly found knowledge, I have become a little bit addicted to the grill. It is as if a whole new world has opened up to me. And this is why, after mastering burgers, hot dogs, bbq chicken legs, Italian chicken breasts, and several other varieties of meat,  I decided to try making pizza on the grill. I had heard it was great, so why not?

The good news:  Pizza on the grill tastes incredible and my whole family loves it. The bad news:  Pizza on the grill takes more time and effort than a hot dog or even chicken on the grill. Shucks. But hey, it sure beats heating up the house by baking it in the oven. And well, it tastes so good that I think it is worth the effort. 

How To Make Pizza on the Grill:

1. Make pizza crust – I used my favorite Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe. Roll it thin, and keep it small.  Individual sized pizzas are best for the grill.

2. Freeze the unbaked pizza crusts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. This will make your crusts much easier to work with on the grill. 

3. Prepare all pizza toppings. It is important to have this done before you begin cooking your pizzas. Really, really important.

4. Get your grill hot and ready. (If you need my husband to come show you how to turn on your grill, he is very nice and I’m sure he would be happy to walk you through this step.)

5. Place crusts on the grill on low heat, as many as your grill will hold. Close the lid and allow the crusts to cook on one side for about three minutes.

6. Remove the crusts from the grill. Turn them cooked side up and fill with sauce and toppings of your choosing. Go easy on the sauce, unless you want soggy pizza. 

7. Place the topped pizzas back on the grill, close the lid, and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Not that I personally experienced any moments of absolute insanity my first time making these, but be aware that you may be forced to deal with a bit of craziness while feeling like everything needs to be done at once and everyone needs to get out of your way and not ask you any questions while you are trying to grill the crust, top the crust, grill the pizza, and not burn anything along the way. Just so you know. (It does get easier after you’ve done it once.)

And that is why it is very important that your pizza toppings are prepared and ready ahead of time. I am so not kidding. ;)

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Icey Lemon Limeade

July 3, 2012 by Laura 11 Comments

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Pardon me for being boring and talking about the weather, but wow – it’s hot outside.

In an effort to avoid having melting children, I experimented one day recently by putting crushed ice into some homemade Lemon Limeade. The result? The children didn’t melt and they all loved the treat. The adults didn’t mind the refreshment either.

Iced Lemon LimeadeYum

8 cups cold water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4-1/2 cup real grade b organic maple syrup
2 cups of ice

Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until ice is crushed and ingredients are well blended. Serve immediately.

I hope you all have a lovely 4th of July!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

June 22, 2012 by Laura 24 Comments

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
This recipe was given to me many years ago by my dear friend Jill. I typically make this pie once a year, on Father’s Day, as it is one of Matt’s favorites. I would make it more often, but it is a dangerous item to have in our refrigerator. It is rich, incredibly tasty, and I have a hard time controlling myself when it is around.

And here Matt thought I made this pie for him on his special day…

Chocolate Peanut Butter PieYum
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used homemade creamy peanut butter.)
4 squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4 cup sucanat (or sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs (I trust free range, organic eggs for this pie.)
1 baked pie crust (Here’s my whole wheat pie crust recipe.)

Bake a pie crust. I recommend this recipe. Allow crust to cool.

In a small saucepan, melt butter, peanut butter, unsweetened chocolate, and sucanat together, stirring frequently. Pour melted mixture into a mixing bowl. Beat in vanilla and eggs – ONE LITTLE EGG AT A TIME.

It is very important that you add eggs one at a time, allowing time for each egg to thicken the mixture and to help the mixture to become creamy. I got lazy once and just threw all the eggs in at one time and I can assure you, my laziness did not pay off. Take the extra few minutes to follow directions. We make our kids do it, right? Set an example to your children and for Pete’s sake, follow directions. Your chocolate peanut butter happiness depends on it. ;)

Once the mixture is thick and creamy, pour it into the pie shell. Chill for at least two hours before serving. Lick the bowl before anyone comes into the kitchen to fight you for the beaters.

Oops, did I just say that out loud? ;)


FYI – If you whip some fresh cream and plop it on top of your piece of pie, this amazing dessert, if it is actually possible, becomes even more amazing.

I feel as though I should now give some sort of disclaimer about eating raw eggs, so here is my smallish attempt at it. Because of the research I’ve done, I completely and totally trust the organic, free range, farm fresh eggs that we are able to obtain, and I do not hesitate to eat them raw in our smoothies, milk shakes and this pie. Not only do I not fear that they will harm us, I love them for their wonderful health benefits. I do not feel the same way about conventional, store-bought eggs, but that’s just me. I’m not a risk taker, but neither do I have one little hesitation about eating this pie when I make it with our good eggs. (Trust me, you should have seen me eating this pie, without hesitation, on Father’s Day, with a big chocolaty grin on my face.)  Feel free to make your own decisions about this, and we can all still be great friends. :)

So, how long would this pie stay in your fridge before it got eaten?

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Grilled Barbeque Chicken

June 19, 2012 by Laura 18 Comments

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Grilled BBQ Chicken
This meal could not get any easier. (Especially if you hand it over to your husband to cook it on the grill…you know…while you sit down, put your feet up, and read a book – ha!)  ;)

We made this for Father’s Day, for the first time – go figure. Why in the world we haven’t made this before I will never know. It’s not like it’s any kind of mysterious, hard to come by recipe. You marinate your chicken in barbeque sauce and then you grill it. The end. Make a salad and cook up some veggies and you’ve got the easiest, healthy meal ever.

Our boys, who are typically pretty good eaters anyway (except for when they’re not, of course), devoured this chicken and declared it to be the best they’d ever eaten.

We had exactly one drumstick left at the end of the meal. Then, on “leftover night” a few days later, everyone was left on their own to warm up whatever they wanted from the fridge. When Matt found out the meal plan for the evening, he said, “You guys can have whatever you want, but I call dibs on that last piece of Father’s Day chicken.”

Oops, too late. Elias, our ten year old, looked up with a guilty grin, with bbq sauce on his face as he finished off the coveted chicken leg. :)  I guess we’ll need to make this again very soon so Daddy can have more.

Grilled Barbeque ChickenYum

10-12 chicken legs (or other chicken pieces that you may prefer)
1 batch of homemade barbeque sauce (or your bbq sauce of choice)

Place thawed chicken in a glass dish. Spread barbeque sauce over all sides of each piece of chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours – depending on what works best for your schedule. Grill slowly and on very low heat for 45 minutes to one hour, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Spread additional barbeque sauce over the chicken as it cooks if you like.

Grilled BBQ Chicken

I do recommend making homemade barbeque sauce so that you can avoid MSG and/or high fructose corn syrup that many bottled sauces contain. And I also recommend making sure the ten year old offers the chicken leg to his dad before inhaling it on leftover night. ;)

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Whole Wheat Calzones

June 13, 2012 by Laura 49 Comments

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We have some lovely friends in town that make delicious homemade pizza. Their last name is “Tandy”, and because they have made their awesome pizza for so many, most people around here who know and enjoy their pizza lovingly call it “Tandy Pizza”. If you say, “We’re going to have Tandy’s Pizza for lunch,” everyone will get excited. This family has turned their pizza into a ministry, feeding loads of teenagers each week, making their pizza for large groups, baking it for kids at church camp, and the list goes on. Everyone loves the Tandys and their pizza ministry.

Well, a few weeks ago, I finally perfected my own homemade whole wheat pizza crust, and then adapted it to make calzones for a quick, grab and go meal. Malachi, our seven year old, took one bite of his and excitedly declared it to be “as good as Tandy Pizza!”. Now that is quite an honor. Ever since, Malachi has been calling these calzones “Tandy Pockets”. It seems as though the Tandys are getting the credit for allllll my hard work, but hey, I’m okay with that. (And P.S. it doesn’t really take a lot of hard work to make these. I just wanted to sound momentarily pitiful.)  ;)

How to Make Whole Wheat Calzones

Whole Wheat Pizza DoughYum

5 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground flour from hard white wheat)
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 2 pouches)
2 cups warm water (The water should feel warm to the touch, but  not burn your finger. How’s that for a specific temperature. This is how thorough I am…)

Mix all ingredients together, knead for 3-4 minutes, then allow the dough to “rest” for about 10 minutes (give or take). Use the dough to make two pizzas, baking for about 25 minutes each. (More specific pizza instructions coming eventually). :)

To make Calzones:

Prepare filling ingredients your family enjoys (sauce, shredded cheese, meat, peppers, olives, veggies, etc.).

Divide prepared dough into 18 balls. Roll each on a well floured surface. Top with pizza filling of choice.

Fold pocket in half and pinch ends together. Place each calzone on a baking sheet until pan is full.

Bake the pan of calzones at 375° for about 25 minutes or until calzones are golden brown. Makes about 18 calzones. Serve immediately. Or, allow the calzones to cool completely, then refrigerate or freeze them to serve another time. To reheat, place cold or frozen calzones in an oven or toaster oven for 8-15 minutes or until they are heated through.

You can also freeze these before baking if you prefer. Simply place the raw, shaped calzones on a baking sheet and freeze immediately after forming. Transfer frozen calzones into a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen state in a 375° oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Making these Tandy Pockets Whole Wheat Calzones is super easy, and a perfectly wonderful “Make Ahead Meal“. What are your family’s favorite pizza pocket fillers? And oh yes, these would be perfect for meat and cheese pockets, breakfast pockets, and what else can you think of?

 

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Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes (and My Peanut Butter Addiction Confession)

May 29, 2012 by Laura 77 Comments

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Peanut Butter Pancakes? Oh yes.

I have no idea what my deal is lately, but during the past few weeks, I have become completely addicted to peanut butter. I can not seem to get enough. I want peanut butter in and on everything. Well, maybe not everything. I suppose spooning a dollop of peanut butter onto my taco salad or chicken fried steak would not be as tasty. But bread and pancakes and cookies – bring it on. I am, of course, okay with you giving me a little chocolate with my peanut butter. But you probably already figured that one out.

Over Memorial Day weekend, my dad’s wife made a delicious Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, which may have been one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten. And I may have topped it with Homemade Butterfinger Ice Cream. Twice. (And yes I am a little sheepish to admit that.)  Remind me to get that cake recipe, because I think I need to adapt it and share it with you, don’t you think so?

Because I can’t come up with a better reason, I have decided that my peanut butter addiction is most likely because of all of the workouts I’ve been doing. Yes, walking and weight lifting make a person very hungry for peanut butter. I believe there is even some extensive research and scientific data to back up that statement. As a matter of fact, I even found and read an article recently which stated:  Be sure to drink plenty of water…and eat lots and oodles and gobs of peanut butter after exercise!!!

Okay, not really. Or if I did, I would surely have been the one writing it.

In all seriousness (if I can, in fact, write something in all seriousness), I truly do believe that the real reason I am loving peanut butter so much right now is because my body needs the extra protein to help me along in my fitness goals. Jen, my trainer friend, agrees with me, and tells me that in fact, I do definitely need extra protein now. She’s the expert, which makes me feel better about my peanut butter consumption so that I know that I am not completely nuts. Get it – nuts? (Oh brother.)  Anyway, I am definitely eating plenty of protein in the form of good meat, eggs, and yes…peanut butter.

(Now, what excuse can I come up with to justify eating chocolate do you suppose? Jen, do you have anything for me on that one?? Please?)

I went into all of that simply to let you know why I created a Peanut Butter Pancake recipe. It sounded like a great way to add protein to our breakfast, so I gave it a try. And, it made it possible for me to feed my addiction first thing in the morning. Yay for me. :)

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter PancakesYum

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes (and My Peanut Butter Addiction Confession)
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 5 Tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter (I use homemade creamy peanut butter)
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 eggs
Instructions
  1. Mix flour, baking powder, and sea salt. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and peanut butter together, stirring so that it won't scorch.
  2. Pour melted butter and peanut butter, along with the milk and eggs into the flour mixture.
  3. Whisk until well mixed.
  4. Cook the pancakes on a buttered griddle or skillet, flipping halfway through cooking.
  5. Serve with real maple syrup or your favorite pancake topping.
  6. Makes about 20 three inch pancakes.
3.4.3177

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Incredible with a glass of milk…

My apologies to all of you who have a peanut allergy and had an allergic reaction simply by reading this post that was so full of nutty information.

Are you a fan of peanut butter? Which do you like best, creamy or crunchy? Ever tried making homemade peanut butter? It is the best stuff ever!!!

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How My Kids Adapted a Recipe to Make it Healthier, a Brownie Pudding Cake Recipe, and a “Teaching Your Kids to Cook” eBook Giveaway!

May 23, 2012 by Laura 216 Comments

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While I do the majority of the cooking at our house, simply because I love it so much, we have slowly but surely been training our boys to read recipes and put simple meals together. Remember how they cooked for me on Mother’s Day? Dad played a big role in that, but still, it was impressive to me (as I sat locked in my office listening and blogging the play-by-play of the action) to hear that our boys know where ingredients are, and how to figure out a brand new recipe.

Most impressive to me, however, is the fact that our boys have learned to adapt recipes to make them healthier. I really had no idea that I was inadvertently teaching them this skill as we’ve cooked together. But as our two middle boys (ages 10 and 12) dug through our Better Homes and Gardens cookbook one day recently and decided to make a Brownie Pudding Cake, I found myself preparing to walk them through how to exchange less healthy ingredients for those that we typically bake with.

To my surprise, my assistance was never needed. I heard them reading the recipe aloud, “1/4 cup sugar – okay, I’ll get out the sucanat.” and  “1 Tablespoon cooking oil…I think coconut oil would be the best one for this cake.”

I stayed out of the kitchen the entire time. They had it under control and knew just what to do. Might they still need my assistance at times while they are cooking? Of course. Not everything about “healthifying” a recipe is as easy as switching out sugar for sucanat, one for one. But it goes to show that if you talk through recipes while you’re cooking with your kids, they will learn an incredible amount, whether you realize it or not!

In case you’re interested, here is my boys’ version of a very tasty cake. They even got a picture…after we taste tested it. :)

Coppinger Boys’ Brownie Pudding CakeYum

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sucanat
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sucanat
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water

Stir together flour, 1/4 cup sucanat, 1 Tablespoon cocoa, and the baking powder. Add milk, oil and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Spread batter in a 1-quart baking dish. Combine 1/3 cup sucanat, and the remaining 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

I’ve created a free downloadable Healthy Recipe Substitutions Chart
that you are welcome to print and keep in your kitchen.
Here is more information I’ve written on substituting healthy ingredients.

And now for the giveaway!

I’ve found that summer is a perfect time to give my kids more time and experience in the kitchen. Interested in joining me in this endeavor? (With your own kids, of course. My kids would probably love to come cook in your kitchen, but they’ll be too busy scrambling eggs and making muffins in mine. Sorry.)

Last summer, we finished and launched to new books:  Teaching Your Kids to Cook (written for the parent) and Learn to Cook (written for the student). We’re giving away one of each today (the downloadable version) as a way to encourage you to get your kids in the kitchen with you. And watch closely over the next few days. There may or may not be a sale on those books soon. :)

If you’re interested in winning one of these books, head over to the book description page and look them over. Come back here and leave a comment, letting us know which one would work best for your family. If you’d like extra entries for more chances to win, share this giveaway on Facebook, like me on Facebook, follow me on Pinterest, subscribe to my blog, and/or come mop my floors. I’d be happy to give you extra entries for any or all of the above. ;)

I’ll draw two random winners on Monday, May 28. Please watch for a post stating the winners as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen.

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Healthier Cheesecake Brownies

April 24, 2012 by Laura 43 Comments

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Warning: The following post is full of calories, sugar, and rich gooey chocolate. Reading this post will not result in any weight gain, neither will you have a sugar crash when you are finished looking at the pictures. However, baking and actually eating these Cheesecake Brownies in real life is a different story – especially if you struggle (like I do) with over-indulging in such things as cheesecake or brownies or a fantastically incredible combination of the two. These are made with healthier ingredients such as whole grain flour and unrefined sugar, but it’s not like these are made of green leafy vegetables. Oh how I wish. Therefore, I recommend that if you make these Cheesecake Brownies, you should plan to take them immediately to a potluck or otherwise heavily populated event where there are many servant-hearted people to help you consume them. Participating in a short time of “quality control” before taking them to an event is acceptable, as long as you don’t feel that you need to test the quality of the entire pan of goodies.

———————————–

Trust me, I am offering this warning from the botom of my sugar-loving heart. I am the girl who, when asked, “Which do you like best? Brownies…or Cheesecake?” I always answer with an definite and enthusiastic, “Yes!!!” I love them both, but put them together and that pan of Cheesecake Brownies and I could have a fine party, just the two of us. But I’m also working hard to get in shape and to eat a healthy diet. Cheescake Brownie binges and my running shoes just don’t go together.

In other words:  Share the love, people.

Cheesecake Brownies

Brownie LayerYum

1 cup melted butter
2 cups sucanat
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Cheesecake Layer

2 – 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together melted butter, sucanat, and cocoa powder. Add eggs and vanilla, stirring well. Mix in flour and stir until thoroughly mixed. Spread the brownie batter into a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream together all cheesecake layer ingredients:  softened cream cheese, eggs, sucanat and vanilla. Once it is well mixed and creamy, spoon the mixure into about twelve “plops” over the top of the brownie batter.

Use a butter knife to “cut” and swirl the cheesecake mixture through the brownie batter.

Try not to hyperventilate while you anticipate how good these will taste once they are baked. Good luck.

Bake in a 350° oven for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the Cheesecake Brownies to cool completely before slicing. Makes 24 servings.

I will say it again:  This recipe makes twenty-four servings. These cheesecake brownies are not to be consumed by you alone – not even in 24 different settings. Not even if you first ate a good dinner. These are to be shared. Do not forget this important information.


Oh, but when you do indulge in your Cheesecake Brownie, I give you full permission to thoroughly enjoy yourself. Savor each rich, chocolaty, cream cheesy bite of gooey goodness. Put your feet up, turn on some music, and make it an event. And if you think of it, call me. I like events that include brownies and cheesecake.

What would you answer to the question of:  “Which do you like best? Brownies…or cheesecake?” (“Yes” is an acceptable answer.)

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Baked Oatmeal Cups (Bird’s Nests)

April 10, 2012 by Laura 111 Comments

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Baked Oatmeal Cups are perfect for a spring breakfast.

Baked_Oatmeal_Cups

My four boys are just about getting too old to appreciate anything cutesy I try to make with food.

When they get up in the morning, they bound into the kitchen, excited to see a big pile of bacon on a tray with a dozen scrambled eggs and mountain of pancakes. Does it really matter to them if I tried to arrange the food in such a way as to make the platter look pretty? Do they even care that I woke up extra early, and lovingly mustered all of my artistic ability to form the pancakes into the shape of the country of India? After all, we’ve all been enjoying our studies about William Carey and his missionary efforts there. Who wouldn’t have fun smearing butter all over Calcutta? I figured they’d be thrilled!

But no. They don’t care at all. They just want me to hurry up and pass them the maple syrup and while I’m at it, another slice of bacon.

I’m telling you, I am sooooo unappreciated around here. From now on, I think I’ll just flip some boring ol’ round pancakes straight off the griddle and onto their plates ten feet away. I’ll skip the serving platter. I won’t mess with a lovely presentation of fruit arranged on a plate in the shape of a clown face. They can just stuff their faces with “normal” food for all I care.

Hmmph.

Now that I’ve thrown a fit that is so becoming of a grown-up, I suppose I should now confess that my intentions and my artistic abilities are not even close to being able to pull off much of the above. I’ve never really attempted to make pancakes into the shape of India – or any other country for that matter. Incidentally, I did turn out the state of Texas once, but that was totally an accident and as usually happens when I have not gone out of my way one little bit, my boys were actually quite impressed.

“Whoa Mom! You made a Texas pancake! Can you make me a Maryland and an Idaho next?”

I obviously got right on that, but ended up instead with a lopsided gourd and another pancake that resembled the fuzz under my couch. I gave up at that point and figured they could chew the pancakes into the shapes of their requested states, because really, have you ever tried to pour Florida onto a griddle with a spoon?

This leads me to the special breakfast I made recently in an effort to be cute. It is spring after all. Doesn’t the idea of eating a bird’s nest for breakfast sound simply delightful?

Okay fine. We can just call these Baked Oatmeal Cups. Either way, these are easy to throw together and are versatile enough to add variety and meet your family’s taste preferences.

Baked Oatmeal Cups (or Bird’s Nests if you’re feeling cute)Yum

5.0 from 1 reviews
Baked Oatmeal Cups (Bird's Nests)
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup sucanat or honey
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ⅓ cup melted butter
  • Topping choices: mini chocolate chips, raisins, other dried fruit, coconut flakes, apple chunks
Instructions
  1. Mix together oats, sucanat, salt and baking powder.
  2. Stir in eggs, milk, and melted butter.
  3. Scoop batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups.
  4. Sprinkle toppings of choice into the center of each cup.
  5. Bake in a 350° for about 30 minutes, or until the oats are golden brown.
3.4.3177

These are easier to eat with a fork, unless you like cleaning partial bird’s nests up off of your table and floor.

If you prefer, simply spread the mixture into a 9×9 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 25-30 minutes.

Do you try to be cute when you cook and bake at your house? And how do those efforts go over for you? Ever tried to make India out of pancake batter?

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