Heavenly Homemakers

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Simple Snack Recipe: Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip

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When you eat Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip you might find yourself pausing to say out loud, “Is there anything better than this dip with strawberries? Anything at all on this entire earth?”

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Some of the children standing in the room might answer your rhetorical question and suggest that winning a soccer game, getting an A on a difficult test, or finally finishing Geometry for the rest of your life is better than the Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip. But then he will pop a chocolate dip-covered strawberry into his mouth and remember quite clearly that indeed, this snack is better than almost anything in the entire world. And perhaps it goes without saying that eating this Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip with strawberries immediately after winning a soccer game, getting an A on a test, or finally finishing Geometry for the rest of your life is the perfect way to celebrate all good things.

Far be it from me to ruin the strawberry-dipped moment by reminding said child that one day when he has a child of his own, he may encounter Geometry all over again as a dad who helps his kid try to understand linear equations and obtuse angles. This is not the time to speak of the Geometry of the future. Let the child enjoy this Geometry-Free Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip pleasure, am I right?

I guess now you know how we all feel about Geometry at our house. Sorry, Mathematicians. We try. And we appreciate your care and concern about figures that are congruent. We realize that life as we know it is so much better because of your vast knowledge. But we would prefer to create fun videos and music to entertain you in your down time. And we like making delicious food to feed you. Dear Mathematicians. May we interest you in a Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dipped strawberry? We think it will give your protractor a run for its money.

Truly, isn’t it a joy that we all have interest in different things? This is what makes the world go ’round. But also, this Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip!!!! As sure as the world is spinning, dipping your fruit in this will make each day better no matter your opinion of working with Isosceles Triangles.

Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip

5.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Snack Recipe: Creamy Chocolate Fruit Dip
 
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Serves: 3 cups
Ingredients
  • 8- ounces softened cream cheese
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Sweetener of your choice (30 drops liquid stevia, 3 Tablespoons real maple syrup, or ¼ cup sugar)
Instructions
  1. Blend ingredients together until smooth.
  2. Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
  3. Serve with fresh strawberries, bananas, raspberries, apples, or blueberries.

Simple Chocolate Fruit Dip
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Do you like math with your strawberries?

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Simple Snack Recipe: Easy Cheesy Popcorn (made with real cheese!)

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It’s too easy. This Easy Cheesy Popcorn? Prepare to be amazed.

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I’ve been meaning to share this Simple Snack Recipe idea with you for something like four or eighty years. Our friends often take this fun snack to share at get-togethers and it’s always a huge hit! Every time I think to myself, “I have GOT to learn their secret and share it with everyone at Heavenly Homemakers!”

And then I forget about it until the next get together that involves the Cheesy Popcorn and well, here we are four or eighty years later.

I finally did it though! Today, before every single one of us have become great-great grandparents, I finally thought of the popcorn. I finally remembered to ask and I finally learned all the tricks. Turns out, making Easy Cheesy Popcorn is as easy as adding butter, cheese, and salt to already popped corn. So you and I could have been enjoying this Cheesy Popcorn delightfulness long, long ago.

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Be impressed that I got all these details from the 13-year old son of the Family of Easy Cheesy Popcorn Experts. He was at our house hanging out with my 13-year old son. (By the way, we can no longer say “the kid came over to play” because when you’re 13 that is not cool. They hang out. They do not play.) Anyway, I interrupted a game of soccer they were playing to ask a boring recipe question. God bless the teenage boys who come hang out with my kids. What can I say? I knew that if I didn’t ask about the popcorn right at that moment another eighty years will go by and we would never learn these secrets.

So here you go. Easy Cheesy Popcorn. It is a snack of champions because it is loaded with good, nourishing fat and it tastes incredible too.

 Easy Cheesy Popcorn

Simple Snack Recipe: Easy Cheesy Popcorn (made with real cheese!)
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unpopped popcorn
  • Coconut oil
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (parmesan, Colby jack, or cheddar recommended)
  • Sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Pop 1 cup of popcorn in coconut oil or in an air popper.
  2. In a small saucepan, melt butter and cheese together, stirring until well combined.
  3. Shake a liberal amount of sea salt into the butter/cheese mixture and stir.
  4. Pour butter/cheese mixture over the popped corn and stir.
  5. Serve right away.

Easy Cheesy Popcorn

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Simple Snack Recipe: Honey Sweetened Flourless Peanut Butter Bars

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This Honey Sweetened Flourless Peanut Butter Bars recipe has been a family favorite for many years!

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Though actually, I used to always make this recipe into cookies. And I used to use regular sugar. And I used to use 2 cups of that sugar! (Whoa.)

Now I use just 1/3 cup of honey and I simply mix up the three needed ingredients to make Honey Sweetened Peanut Butter Bars instead of cookies.

I love that even though I’ve drastically cut the sweetener, these cookie bars are sweet enough that my kids still enjoy them, but they aren’t so sweet that I can’t enjoy them too. But the best part, of course, is that they stir together super quickly and provide a wholesome snack for the family in just a few minutes!

The cookie version of this low sugar recipe is great too. You’ll find it here. I just like the ease of spreading the batter into a pan and baking. Shortcuts are our friend!

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Honey Sweetened Flourless Peanut Butter Bars

5.0 from 1 reviews
Honey Sweetened Flourless Peanut Butter Bars
 
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Serves: 18
Ingredients
  • 2 cups natural peanut butter
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 1 egg
Instructions
  1. Mix the ingredients together until smooth.
  2. Spread mixture into an 9x13 inch baking dish
  3. Bake in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes or until bars are lightly browned.
  4. Allow the pan to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into bars.

I prefer making Homemade Peanut Butter, simply because it tastes amazing and I can be confident about the ingredients! Here are my two favorite Peanut Butter recipes/methods:

Honey Sweetened Flourless Peanut Butter Bars

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Simple Snack Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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These No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are full of fiber and protein, naturally gluten, dairy, and grain free, and sweetened with honey. Except for the chocolate chips. Those are sweetened with sugar. Meh, let’s live a little.

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I love these bars so much! They are a snack that fills the belly and satisfies the sweet tooth without being terribly sweet. They offer nourishment while still being fun. They are a perfect snack!

As you can probably see from the pictures, these No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars soften when out left out of the fridge too long. This problem is solved by grabbing a fork and right digging in. Or, you can still eat them with your hands. Simply lick your fingers after you enjoy a bar.

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This No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe was inspired by my No Bake Cookie Bites recipes.

No-Bake Cookie Bites - Easy Recipes!

You can make this No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe into bites if you like. Simply roll the batter into balls and refrigerate. Or, take the simpler route and press the batter into a small pan. Refrigerate, cut into bars, and enjoy!

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

4.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Snack Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
 
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Serves: 12
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. Press mixture into an 8x8 inch dish.
  3. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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Simple Snack Recipe: Creamy Italian Veggie Dip

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Creamy Italian Veggie Dip includes just three simple ingredients, not including the veggies. :)

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If you’re hoping to push the veggies, either for yourself or for your family, I think great dips are the way to go. Do not fear the dip! Unless they are full of ingredients like MSG or High Fructose Corn Syrup that hurt your insides. Otherwise, enjoy dipping your veggies in something fun and flavorful.

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I don’t know about you but I eat three times the carrots and cucumbers when I’m dipping them in hummus or some sort of creamy dip.

Once on the way home from a basketball game with my family I was ravenous. We got out the hummus and carrots to munch on as we drove home. I ate a half pound of petite baby carrots before we made it out of the city. I ate so many carrots my jaw got sore from all the crunching.

Veggie dip makes life better. It just does.

This Creamy Italian Veggie Dip is our newest addition to our veggie dip options in our fridge. I love how easy it is to stir a batch of this dip together. Long live veggie dip!

Creamy Italian Veggie Dip

Simple Snack Recipe: Creamy Italian Veggie Dip
 
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Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hain Safflower Mayo)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 Tablespoons dry Italian Dressing Mix (we have a simple homemade recipe for this right here at Heavenly Homemakers!)
Instructions
  1. Mix the three ingredients together.
  2. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.
  3. Serve with your favorite raw veggies.

Find our recipe for Italian Dressing Mix here.

Creamy Italian Veggie Dip

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Simple Snack Recipe: Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge (Stevia or Honey Sweetened)

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Who says we can only eat fudge during a holiday season? This Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge is so low in sugar we can eat it in the middle of February, every other Thursday, and if you’re really feeling sassy, on a Monday afternoon after you’ve washed the breakfast dishes.

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Or not. I mean, you don’t have to actually wash the dishes before rewarding yourself with this fudge. I think it is enough work to have dirtied the dishes in the first place, am I right? Indeed. Fudge all around!

This Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge needs no special occasion. Though it will feel like a special occasion while you’re eating it because of the fact that it is fudge and it tastes amazing. I suppose the fact that it has the word “cheesecake” in the title also proves its greatness. You will be tempted to feel guilt over splurging on this treat since Christmas was two months ago and you’ve been doing such a good job of eating right since the first of the year. But no guilt is allowed or even warranted because this fudge isn’t full of sugar! Yep. It’s sweetened with a little honey and a little stevia. That’s it.

Of course this qualifies as a Simple Snack Recipe because you can blend all the ingredients together in just a couple of minutes. What a treat!

Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge

Simple Snack Recipe: Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge (Stevia or Honey Sweetened)
 
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Serves: 18 pieces
Ingredients
  • ½ cup softened butter
  • 8-ounces softened cream cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 30 drops liquid stevia (I like NuNaturals brand best)
Instructions
  1. Blend ingredients together in a high power blender.
  2. Spread mixture in an 8x8 inch dish.
  3. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
  4. Cut into pieces and serve.
  5. Store fudge in the refrigerator.

Simple Low Sugar Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge

This recipe is easy to adapt. Add more or less honey, stevia, and cocoa powder per your preference. You can find NuNaturals Liquid Stevia here (my affiliate link).

Looking for more Simple Snack Recipes?

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Simple Snack Recipe: Sweet and Salty Almonds or Pecans

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We thought you might like a simple snack that is a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and obviously, a little bit nutty. Everyone likes to be a little bit nutty sometimes. So how about some Sweet and Salty Almonds or Pecans?

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When I first decided to experiment with this recipe, I planned to surprise Matt with Sweet and Salty Almonds after he’d put in a hard day’s work. So I searched the pantry. No almonds. I searched my freezer. No almonds. I searched my other freezer. No almonds. I searched my other freezer. (I have a lot of freezers.) No almonds.

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What I did find was package after package after package of pecans. Apparently my desire to stock up for our Pecan Pie needs way back at Christmas time took over my brain and prevented me from ever adding almonds to a shopping list. After all, there’s no such thing as Almond Pie. At least I don’t think there is.

Anyway, Matt never knew about the Sweet and Salty Almonds because on the day of this nutty experiment, I presented him with Sweet and Salty Pecans and all was well.

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Aside from the time it took for me to search through all my freezers behind all the leg of lamb, cube steak, and bags of peaches from last summer’s harvest in a futile effort to find almonds that didn’t exist, making these Sweet and Salty Pecans was super fast and easy.

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So grab either almonds or pecans (or both if you’re feeling extra nutty). Make a batch or three of these Sweet and Salty Nuts. They make a great snack to enjoy when you need a pick-me-up!

Simple Snack Recipes Series

Sweet and Salty Almonds or Pecans

Sweet and Salty Almonds or Pecans
 
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Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole almonds or pecans
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, maple syrup, or sucanat
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Stir water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium sauce pan.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Pour the almonds or pecans into the boiling liquid, stirring for about one minute until the nuts are coated with the syrupy mixture.
  4. Spread prepared nuts onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
  5. Cool and serve or bag them up to give as treats!

Simple Sweet and Salty Almonds or Pecans

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Simple Snack Recipe: Parmesan Crisps

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How many recipes can you make with just one ingredient? Can this even qualify as a recipe? Have you ever tried anything like these Parmesan Crisps? Should I write this entire post in question form?

parmesan crisps11

These Parmesan Crisps are about to become your new best friend. They are so fast to make that you have no choice but to stand right in front of the oven while they bake because there is no time to walk away and come back before they are finished and ready to pull out. I mean, you slide these into the oven, you take a moment to breathe, then you open the oven and your snack is ready to eat.

For me, the most difficult part of making these Parmesan Crisps is getting out a cookie sheet while preventing my muffin tins to clatter down out of the cabinet at the same time. Someone should really organize that cabinet before someone gets hurt.

Simple Snack Recipes Series

Once the cookie sheet has been successfully acquired, I find it best to lay down a silicone baking mat. At the very least, spread parchment paper on your cookie sheet so these crisps won’t stick to the pan. Then scoop about one tablespoon of cheese into little piles on the pan, leaving about one inch of space in between each pile like so:

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Slide the cookie sheet into a hot oven for 3-5 minutes so the cheese can melt and brown and tada! You have Parmesan Crisps.

parmesan crisps13

parmesan crisps14

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You can eat these right off the pan, but we like them best dipped in salsa.

Even better news: This idea works with any cheese you like. Colby jack is a winner. Cheddar. Pepper Jack. This is all too much fun.

Parmesan Crisps

5.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Snack Recipe: Parmesan Crisps
 
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Serves: 1-2 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  3. Scoop about one Tablespoon of cheese onto the pan, leaving about one inch of space in between each pile of cheese.
  4. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Watch to be sure they don't over-bake!

Simple Parmesan Crisps

I think the best thing about this Parmesan Crisps idea is that you can make them very quickly when your family needs a snack. This is a huge win at our house as we almost always have cheese on hand.

As for my cookie sheet and muffin tin cabinet, someone really should do something about organizing it before someone gets hurt.

Looking for more Simple Snack Recipes?

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Simple Snack Recipe: Easy Pineapple Coconut Quick Bread (With Real Food Ingredients)

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Want to know why this Easy Pineapple Coconut Quick Bread qualifies as a Simple Snack Recipe?

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Because you can throw all the ingredients into a high powered blender, give it a whirl to mix, pour the batter into a bread pan, and you’ve got yourself a delicious snack! I love being able to mix up a recipe so quickly.

I love taking simple shortcuts like this. I have a Blendtec, which has saved me hours of time in the kitchen since I invested. I make all my quick breads in it now, tossing in all the ingredients and letting my Blendtec do the hard work.

In this recipe, the blender purees the pineapple while mixing all the ingredients together. Simple, simple, simple!

pineapple bread12

Easy Pineapple Coconut Quick Bread

5.0 from 1 reviews
Easy Pineapple Coconut Quick Bread (With Real Food Ingredients)
 
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Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups whole grain flour (I use freshly ground soft white wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 4-ounces softened cream cheese
  • 8-ounces canned pineapple with 100% juice (do not drain)
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a high powered blender.
  2. Blend mixture until batter is smooth.
  3. Pour into a buttered 9 inch bread pan.
  4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Pineapple Coconut Quick Bread

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

Congratulations to Tara Butterworth and Amanda Herndon, winners of the Lilla Rose $50 shopping spree!

Remember these amazing Heart Locket Flexi-Clips? Here’s your reminder to grab yours while they are available. Sweetest Flexi ever!

antique brass locket

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Simple Snack Recipe: Cream Cheese Salsa Dip

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Two ingredients. TWO. That’s all it takes to make this simple and delicious Cream Cheese Salsa Dip.

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Some of you might remember this recipe. I added it as a tiny little page way back in the beginning days of this site. I decided it was high time I re-share it as an actual post in easy-to-read and print form. It’s especially exciting to share as I’ve recently learned how to put it together more easily.

See, before it took six whole minutes to make. Now it only takes three. Too bad there’s not a way to cut every job in half. We’ll keep trying, though. :)

The six minute version: Put ingredients in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Watch to see that cream cheese and salsa don’t fly up and smear your glasses and forehead. Clean up many splatters all over the kitchen countertop. But at least the dip is good.

The three minute version: Put ingredients into a high power blender. (I have a Blendtec and don’t know how I ever lived without one.) The end.

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My kids make this Cream Cheese Salsa Dip regularly. They love eating it after soccer or basketball practice. It’s great to take to parties. It’s a huge hit no matter who we serve it to, and have I mentioned that it’s made with only two ingredients? Any guesses as to which two ingredients? It’s a tough one, given the very vague title of the recipe. Take your time.

Cream Cheese Salsa Dip

Simple Snack Recipe: Cream Cheese Salsa Dip
 
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Serves: 3 cups
Ingredients
  • 16-ounces salsa (any variety)
  • 8-ounces softened cream cheese
Instructions
  1. Blend ingredients together (preferably in a blender, but a hand mixer works too!).
  2. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

Simple Cream Cheese Salsa Dip

I daresay this Cream Cheese Salsa Dip with tortilla chips with a side of a No Bake Cookie Cup is a pretty good combo. A little sweet. A little salty. A lot of happiness.

Stay tuned for more Simple Snack Recipes still to come! Subscribe here for free so you won’t miss the fun!

Simple Snack Recipes Series

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