Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Easy Salads for Summertime

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Need some easy salads for summertime?

I’ve confessed here before that I often just grab mixed greens out of the fridge and eat them on the fly. No dressing. No bowl. No fork. Mixed greens are finger food for this busy mom.

But do I truly enjoy them that way? Not really. I just eat them because I need them and know that they will give me nourishment. Weird and boring…I know. But it works because I need it to work.

Meanwhile, these awesome salad recipes are sitting here waiting to be actually enjoyed. They taste amazing, include fantastic and flavorful add-ins, and they don’t take a lot of time to prepare.

My favorite by far is this BLT Chopped Salad. Wow is this a fantastic combination of flavors! This salad is worth getting out a bowl and a fork for!

Some of the salads in this list are an entire meal all by themselves. Some make a wonderful side dish. All of them are wonderful to take on a picnic or potluck. Some have fruit, some include greens, some even include cream cheese because God is good.

Easy Salads for SummertimeYum

What are your favorite summertime salads?

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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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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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Easy White Queso

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It’s my favorite splurge at any Mexican restaurant. So finally, I decided that it must be time to try making White Queso at home.

Why make White Queso at home?

Mostly, because of the deliciousness. Also, because of this:

At a birthday party several months ago, the hostess had picked up one of her birthday boy’s favorites: White Queso from our local Mexican restaurant. She set it out as a part of a delicious taco bar. Maybe I was just extra hungry that day (probably), or maybe my friend is an excellent cook (most definitely). But my taco plate that day tasted so good that I went back for more and wanted to duplicate it later at home.

So a few days later, I decided to surprise my husband and kids by picking up a large cup of White Queso to go with our taco dinner at home. Great idea, thought I. They will love it and be so surprised that Mom actually went to a restaurant to buy part of our dinner.

Were they surprised? Yes, and delighted. Was I a little bit sticker-shocked by how much it costs to buy a large, delicious cup of queso at the restaurant? Gulp.

So while it was fun and delicious, I knew I could only do something like that on a special occasion. A few months later, I was craving the White Queso and decided to try my hand at it. (Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long to try to make something at home. Isn’t this my hobby?)

Take a few seconds to watch this fun video Malachi helped me make to show you how easy it is to make Easy White Queso at home!

Easy White Queso – See how it’s made —->

Guess what? It takes less time to make White Queso at home than it does to stand in line at a restaurant waiting for them to bring you a cup and take your money. Obviously it costs less. And while the authentically made queso at the restaurant is still better than mine, I’m so excited to be able to make and eat this regularly now instead of waiting for the very occasional splurge at a restaurant!

Easy White QuesoYum

Easy White Queso
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 8-ounces cream cheese
  • 16-ounces pepper jack cheese
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
  • 10-ounce can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan.
  2. Whisk over medium or low heat until mixture has melted together smoothly.
  3. Serve!

See how easy that is!!?

What’s your favorite restaurant splurge?

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Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

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Our Homemade Chewy Granola Bars recipe has been one of our most popular ever since I originally posted way back in 2010! So I decided it was time to bring it back, update it, and put it back on your radar as we all enjoy a new school year.

The beauty of this recipe – besides the fact that it uses only real food ingredients and NO corn syrup – is that you can add any of your family’s favorite ingredients. Leave out anything your family doesn’t like, add what they love! I love versatile recipes like this!

Homemade Chewy Granola BarsYum

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • ½ cup peanut butter, almond butter, or sunbutter
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ¼ cup coconut oil (or another oil of your choice)
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 cup total of any combination of: sesame seeds, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.
  2. Remove from heat and add one cup of oats.
  3. Choose your favorite combination of coconut flakes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit and mini chocolate chips, to equal a total of ONE CUP. (I just got out my one cup measuring cup and poured in the ingredients until the cup was full.)
  4. Pour in and stir well.
  5. Spread mixture into a 8x8 or 9x4 pan.
  6. Chill for two hours, then cut into bars.

 

We often bag these individually to take on the go. I usually make them with whatever we have on hand, but I always have chocolate chips on hand, so it is a given that I always add them to these granola bars. Is there really any other way? (Well sure. Another way is to skip the chocolate chips and instead add chocolate chunks. I am nothing if not flexible.)

What are your favorite Granola Bar add-ins?

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Homemade Crunchy Granola Bars

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I’m sure you’re wondering: Why did Laura decide to make Homemade Crunchy Granola Bars?

Oh, you weren’t wondering? You’re just so used to me sharing recipes that you never question what inspired the recipe? And really, you probably don’t even care too much as you really just want to take a peek at the recipe to see if it looks easy and good enough to try.

It get you. I’m a “scroll to the bottom of the post and just read the recipe” kind of a gal too. But still, I wanted to tell you the question I asked myself before I looked up ideas for how to create Homemade Crunchy Granola Bars. The question was this:

What is a better use of my time – going to the store or making these at home?

It wasn’t really about money, even though making these homemade is going to save a buck or two. It wasn’t about the ingredients, even though making these homemade is going to ensure we only eat the best of the best. What was it about then?

See, now that we have little ones in the house again (currently a 5-year-old and an 8-month-old), along with our teens and college guys home for the summer, I am questioning my best use of my time for EVERYTHING. Not one minute can be wasted, you know?

We’ve been on a bit of a Nature Valley Granola Bar kick, because God is bigger than store-bought granola bars when you have a lot of people to love on. But then we ran out of the bars, and quite a few other staple snacks too. I mean, I did add them to the grocery list, but on that particular day and week, I was trying to avoid going to the store for as many days as possible.

We had fresh produce from our garden and milk from the farm. So all other meals and snacks could be made from what we had so that I wouldn’t have to mess with lugging babies to the store. Can anyone else relate to this?

So while Boy Babe was napping, Bonus Boy and I mixed these up after looking up a few ideas online. He had fun, I had fun, and you can bet that this recipe is super simple because if I’m too lazy to go to the store, I’m certainly not willing to make a difficult recipe, right?

We are very pleased with how these turned out! They include only simple, real food ingredients. They are great for breakfast or for a snack. And they pack well in the diaper bag to, you know, take to the store with us should we ever decide to go again. :)

Homemade Crunchy Granola BarsYum

5.0 from 1 reviews
Homemade Crunchy Granola Bars
 
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Serves: 15
Ingredients
  • 3¼ cups rolled oats
  • ⅔ cups flour (I use freshly ground soft white wheat)
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar or sucanat
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  2. Add honey, coconut oil, and vanilla, stirring until well combined.
  3. Press mixture down into a parchment paper-lined 9x13 pan.
  4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Remove pan from oven, and press the bars down with another piece of parchment paper so that they stay nice and tight while cooling.
  6. After 15 minutes, remove the bars from the pan to cool for a few more minutes.
  7. Cut them into 12 bars or break into snack-sized bites.
  8. Allow approximately 2 hours for the bars to become crunchy.

In your current season of life, what is your preference? Buy most food store-bought or make do with what you have at home so you don’t have to mess with a grocery store run?

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Simple Layered Pudding in a Jar

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Did you see our Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe? Now you’re going to need this Simple Layered Pudding in a Jar idea to go with it!

This idea is so fantastic because you can mix and match and make a treat exactly to your liking.

Take it to go!

This idea is beautiful enough to make for special gatherings, parties, and showers. But it’s also practical enough that you can make several jars ahead and take them on the go with you. Pack them for lunches. Carry them for snacks. Make everyone around you jealous that while you are eating a gorgeous and delicious Layered Pudding in a Jar treat, they are stuck with…well, anything but a Layered Pudding in a Jar treat.

Hmm, perhaps you should carry around extras to share with those around you. :)

Simple Layered Pudding in a JarYum

Simple Layered Pudding in a Jar
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 batch of homemade vanilla pudding*
  • 1 batch of homemade fruit syrup**
  • Whipped cream***
  • Slivered almonds or other nuts that you prefer (optional)
Instructions
  1. Make pudding, fruit syrup, and whipped cream as directed in each of the links below.
  2. Layer each in a jar according to your preference.
  3. Top with whipped cream and nuts if you like!
  4. Cover and store in the fridge to eat as needed.

Ready for the recipe links?

*Homemade Vanilla Pudding

**Homemade Fruit Syrups:

***Homemade Whipped Cream

Don’t want to mess with making homemade fruit syrup?

Simply toss in sliced fresh fruit.

The sky is the limit to how you can create your Layered Pudding Parfaits. It should come as no surprise that strawberry is my favorite syrup to make and add to my pudding. But since I don’t want/need the added sugar needed to create a fruit syrup, I usually just add the strawberries as-is!

Enjoy and have fun!

Want more Food-in-a-Jar Ideas?

You’ll love these!

Need to know where to get great jars?

This post shares all!

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No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites – (Gluten and Dairy Free)

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You might notice that this No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites recipe looks identical to our No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars recipe. This one is a fun one to make with your kids!

Yep. You figured it out. Same recipe. One shaped into bars. One shaped into balls. We are so creative, are we not?

Speaking of creative, we’ve got three other simple varieties of this recipe here. Just a few ingredient variations will give you one of these!


Grab the No-Bake Cookie Dough Bite recipes here:

Need Coconut Flour?

I found a great price here!

Need Almond Butter?

It’s hard to find a good price on this! Aldi has been my best option, if and when I can make it there to shop. (I live an hour away from the closest Aldi, boo!) Try to find one without added sugar. Or better yet, if you can find a good price on almonds, make Homemade Almond Butter!

Need Honey?

I much prefer and recommend buying local honey! Otherwise, I recommend buying a big jug from Azure Standard if that is an option for you.

Need Chocolate Chips?

My very favorite chips are these Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips! They are usually more expensive in the summer as they don’t ship well in the heat. So watch for them to go down in price in the fall and winter months, then stock up!

Need Vanilla Extract?

Oh how I love making it myself! Unfortunately, the price of vanilla beans has gone up over the years. Boo. Still, I think it’s best to make it ourselves if we can! Learn how here!

And now, grab your kids and let them help you make these awesome little treats!

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough BitesYum

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites - 5 Ingredients
 
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Serves: 12-15
Ingredients
  • 1 cup natural creamy almond butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
  2. Roll the mixture into teaspoon-sized (or whatever sized) balls.
  3. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

We like using a cookie scoop like this one to make these Cookie Dough Bites.

Looking for more help as you pull your kids into the kitchen with you?

If you really want to go all in and teach your kids to cook this summer, I encourage you to invest in Katie Kimball’s Kids Cook Real Food eCourse. I used this course with Malachi and plan to use it with Bonus Boy too. It is FANTASTIC!!! Get the details here. And pick up her awesome FREEBIE —>

 

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Simple Seasoned Potato Wedges

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If these Simple Seasoned Potato Wedges are healthy to eat, they must be free of fat and flavor, right? Otherwise they couldn’t possibly be healthy, right? Wrong. It’s time to pull out the fryer, my friends.

I love that when made with good oils, fried food can be healthy. I mean, fried food tastes sooo good!

(Let’s be real. Don’t tell me you prefer fresh broccoli over fresh French fries. Okay then.)

No doubt, we need balance, and plenty of fresh green veggies too. But how sad to think we have to avoid chicken strips and French fries simply because they are fried.

Obviously, not all fried food is created equally – and many fried foods are unhealthy for our bodies. But the only thing that makes them unhealthy is the oil that they’re fried in. IF you fry your food in Coconut Oil or Palm Shortening/Oil – oils that can withstand high frying temperatures without compromising their health quality – you can enjoy fried food without guilt.

And I do mean enjoy. C’mon now, fresh French fries?? There’s almost nothing better.

If you don’t have a fryer, you can brush these Simple Seasoned Potato Wedges with oil and bake them in the oven, as they are super tasty that way too! I have and use this fryer, given to me by my men for Christmas several years ago. But either cooking method works great!

Make as many or as few as you would like, generally about one potato per person.

Simple Seasoned Potato WedgesYum

Simple Seasoned Potato Wedges
 
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Ingredients
  • Yukon gold potatoes (any potato variety works, but these taste much better!)
  • Refined coconut oil or palm shortening
  • Seasoned salt
Instructions
  1. Wash and cut potatoes into 8-10 wedges each.
  2. Fry in hot oil for 6-10 minutes or until wedges are as crispy as you prefer.
  3. Remove from oil and sprinkle liberally with seasoned salt.
  4. OVEN METHOD:
  5. Melt coconut oil or palm shortening (about 1 Tablespoon per potato).
  6. Cut potatoes into wedges and spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
  7. Brush melted oil over each wedge.
  8. Sprinkle liberally with seasoned salt.
  9. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and crispy

Grab our Seasoned Salt recipe here. Otherwise, you can purchase some like this.

Not sure where to find healthy oils to use in frying? Here are some quick links:

Want some tasty recipes to serve alongside your Potato Wedges?

‘Fess up! What are your favorite fried foods?

Some of these links are my affiliate links.

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Easy Peanut Butter Fluff Fruit Dip

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You need just three simple ingredients, plus some bananas, apples, grapes, or berries – and you can enjoy this wonderfully refreshing treat: Easy Peanut Butter Fluff Fruit Dip!

This is one of those delightful recipes that you can hand off to your kids to make! Not only will it give them experience with cooking and reading recipes, but it will also invite them to eat fruit.

I like to make homemade peanut butter – which is easier than you think! Here are the recipe links that explain how to make peanut butter. But of course, if you prefer to buy it at the store, just be sure the ingredients are wholesome!

Along with peanut butter, all you need is yogurt and honey. Easy peasy! See? Your kids can make this!

Want to get your kids involved in the kitchen with you?

We have a list of great resources for you here. Plus, we encourage you to take recipes like this Easy Peanut Butter Fluff Fruit Dip and use it to help your kids get excited about helping you in the kitchen!

Easy Peanut Butter Fluff Fruit DipYum

5.0 from 1 reviews
Easy Peanut Butter Fluff Fruit Dip
 
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Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
Instructions
  1. Blend ingredients together in a blender or with a hand mixer.
  2. Serve with your favorite fruit!

Love recipes like this Easy Peanut Butter Fluff Dip that have five or fewer healthy ingredients?

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Want more great dip recipes?

We love making entire meals out of fruits, veggies, and chips with dips! Here are 16 more of our favorite dip recipes:

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

 

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INCREDIBLE Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

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Stop what you are doing right now and make these Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake Bars!! Well, maybe finish reading this post so you can get the recipe. Otherwise though, the making of these bars should become a very high priority. My family is in love with them!

As it happens, one day I decided to experiment with combining my Raspberry Oatmeal Bar recipe with my Crustless Cheesecake recipe. The result is this incredible, layered dish of delightfulness.

The cheesecake filling bakes right into the bars, creating a fantastic moist texture with raspberry cheesecake flavor. Truly, each bite of these bars is full of WOW.

As a bonus to the deliciousness of these Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, we get to enjoy the nourishment of whole grains, healthy fats, and low sugar content. I personally find nothing wrong with serving these bars for breakfast. But they are also wonderful as a dessert!

Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake BarsYum

5.0 from 1 reviews
Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1½ cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • ½ cup 100% raspberry jam
  • CHEESECAKE LAYER:
  • 8-ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tablespoons real maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Mix together flour, oats, sucanat, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Stir in melted butter until the mixture resembles crumbs.
  3. Press half of the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking pan.
  4. Spread jam over the top.
  5. In a blender or with beaters, whip together cream cheese, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla.
  6. Spread this cheesecake layer over the top of the jam.
  7. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top of the cheesecake layer.
  8. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Not a fan of raspberries? Substitute any of your favorite jams or jellies. And my next experiment will likely include something involving chocolate too! (You are shocked, I’m sure.)

Want more info?

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