Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

  • Home
    • About
    • FAQs
  • Recipes
    • Bread and Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dairy
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes and Snacks
    • Desserts
    • Gluten Free
    • Instant Pot
    • Crock Pot
    • Heavenly Homemaker’s Weekly Menus
  • Homemaking
    • Real Food Sources
  • Store
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Simple Meals
  • Club Members!

What Air Fryer I Recommend

July 3, 2022 by Laura 4 Comments

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

I’ve had multiple people ask me what air fryer I recommend. I’m finally getting around to sharing!

(I’m sharing my recommendation with Amazon links to make it easier for you to find. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

What Air Fryer I Recommend

A few years ago, Matt and the kids got me this air fryer for Christmas. We have given this a big workout and WE LOVE IT.

The one drawback:

It isn’t big enough for our family. Ha, but do they make air fryers big enough for our family?? Others with large families – I’d love to hear what you use!!

I’ve been looking into this so that I can save time in the kitchen. This 10-quart air fryer looked pretty great, so I recently picked it up at Sam’s. WE LOVE IT.

There are fancier air fryers out there, but the simpler the better in my opinion. That’s why I’m drawn to this brand.

What we make in our air fryer

I’ll admit: most of what we make in our air fryer is from a bag. :) Chicken nuggets, fries, tator tots, and sweet potato fries.

Surprising items: We love to rewarm pizza in our air fryer. We also use it to warm up these burritos. And…we toast bread or bagels for 3 minutes in our air fryer. So we no longer use a toaster at all – we use our air fryer for all toasting needs!

Occasionally we make green beans in the air fryer like this.

Do you have an air fryer? What kind do you like? What do you make in your air fryer?

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

May 2022 Grocery Spending (Big Family Food)

May 30, 2022 by Laura 1 Comment

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

Currently, there are 10 of us at home for the summer. Here’s a look at the groceries I bought and how much I spent in May.

I’ve been surprised this month by how little I was able to spend to keep us all fed!

May 2022 Grocery Spending

Walmart Pick-Up 

Sorry I forgot to take pictures before putting Walmart groceries away!! :) But here are lists of what I got:

May 7 –

  • Onion
  • Cilantro
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Lunch meat for kids’ field trips
  • Juice bottles for kids’ field trips
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Yogurt for these smoothies
  • Frozen strawberries and bananas
  • Mixed greens
  • Spinach x2
  • Ice cream x4
  • Crackers

Total: $74

May 23 –

  • Apples (3 pounds)
  • Strawberries (4 pounds)
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Spring Mix
  • Spinach x2
  • Milk x3
  • Cream
  • Half and Half
  • Ice Cream x4
  • Cake Mix x4
  • Canned Pears x6
  • Canned Pumpkin x6

Total: $97

Sam’s Club

You may recall that I have both a Costco and Sam’s membership. I love them both for different reasons. During May, I was only able to shop at Grand Island (instead of Lincoln) so I did the majority of my shopping at Sam’s.

My favorite Sam’s feature: Scan & Go!!!!! Oh my goodness, this is such a fantastic option! My shopping trips look like this:

I love that I simply scan each item into the app on my phone as I’m filling my cart. Then all I do is “swipe to pay,” show the exit worker the code on my phone, then head out to my van. It is sooooo easy and saves me so much time compared to having to take everything out and repack it as I go through a checkout line!

This Sam’s trip I got:

  • Chicken thighs x2
  • Hamburger patties (which I won’t buy again because while they tasted good, they were pretty pricey for only 8 patties)
  • Popcorn chicken
  • Beef hotdogs
  • Sausage links
  • Bagels
  • Rolls (for sliders!)
  • Hotdog buns
  • Hamburger buns
  • Pizza kit
  • Tortilla chips
  • Cases of canned pineapple, peaches, and mandarin oranges
  • Case of applesauce squeezies
  • Case of yogurt
  • Corndogs
  • Taquitos
  • Orange Chicken
  • 1/2 and 1/2 x2
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Cottage cheese
  • Avocado mash for baby girls
  • 3 pack of Applesauce jars
  • Watermelon
  • Apples
  • Kiwi
  • Strawberries x2
  • Raspberries
  • Blueberries x2
  • Spinach
  • Mixed greens
  • Goldfish crackers (we baggie these up to take in the diaper bag for church snacks)
  • Cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers to take on walks this summer
  • Oatmeal
  • Coffee x2
  • Coffee creamer for our boys and for guests
  • Dressing for marinating chicken
  • Colby jack cheese slices
  • Cream cheese
  • Butter
  • Mayo
  • Mac and cheese
  • Turkey lunch meat
  • Apple juice

Total: $572

Other

  • Local Grocery Store: $45
  • Farm Milk: $50

Grand total for all our May groceries: $838

This was way under budget, so that felt good! I didn’t skimp, but I have been focused on making meals that are less expensive overall. I believe the main reason for coming in so far under budget is that I have been intentional about making meals with what we have on hand instead of putting in frequent Walmart pickup orders.

So there you have it. I’ll be starting my June shopping in just a few days, and I plan to keep track of what I get and how much I spend so I can share with you!

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

Golden Latte Recipe (oh so delicious!)

December 29, 2021 by Bethany Lotulelei 2 Comments

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

For years I’ve seen other bloggers post pictures of Golden Lattes. I’d skim the recipe, and stare in disbelief at the list of ingredients: coconut milk, black pepper (!!), turmeric, cinnamon, ginger…it sounded more like a stirfry than a sweet drink.

(Laura’s note: Bethany has done it again! Enjoy this awesome recipe idea!)

And yet…

I couldn’t get it out of my head. These mugs full of golden, frothy goodness. Not only did they look amazing, but their ingredients were so healthy. So many health benefits are tied to ground turmeric, and ginger. They are immune-boosting, and anti-inflammatory, but also just plain delicious. 

I just had to try it.

So one chilly evening, I pulled out a jug of coconut milk, and poured it in a saucepan. I added a crazy amount of ground turmeric, a hesitant shake of black pepper, a large spoonful of other spices, and some honey. I stirred and stirred, and then when it was hot, blended it with an immersion blender to give it some froth.

Then I poured it into a mug, and gave it a taste.

You guys: oh wow. This drink is so unbelievably good. It is as comforting as hot chocolate. It has the spice of a chai tea and the sweetness of a vanilla latte.

We’ve been making these lattes almost every night, and now I’m eyeing bulk ground turmeric. At this rate, we’re going to have to begin purchasing bulk spices. 

Try it! You won’t be sorry!

A few questions…

What if I don’t have all the spices?

It’s okay! Use what you have. When I made my first Golden Latte, I only had pepper, ground turmeric, and cinnamon. So that’s what I used. As time has gone by, I’ve added the other spices to my latte as well!

What kind of milk should I use?

We use coconut milk, but it would be just as delicious if you used dairy, almond milk or another type of milk!

Why is it called a latte when it doesn’t have coffee?

There are many recipes that include instant espresso. You can add some to your latte if you prefer! I just like a nice, caffeine-free drink for the evenings, but a bit of espresso gives it an extra kick if you drink it earlier in the day.

Why black pepper?

You barely notice it, but it does give the drink a nice, spicy kick. Also, did you know that turmeric is WAY more anti-inflammatory when you eat it with black pepper? It’s true! Add a pinch of black pepper every time you cook with turmeric to get its full anti-inflammatory benefits.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Golden Latte Recipe (oh so delicious!)
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Ingredients
  • 1 cup milk of choice
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ T raw honey or maple syrup
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Pinch of ginger powder
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
  2. Pour into a small pan and heat for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
  3. Enjoy!
3.5.3251

What’s your favorite hot drink?

 

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

Don’t Have Time to Cook Dinner? Make This!

December 26, 2021 by Bethany Lotulelei 2 Comments

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

Laura’s note: Enjoy this fantastic, helpful post from Bethany!!

Don’t have time to cook? Eyeing the fast food line? Wanting to eat at home, but don’t have the time for lots of prep work? Here is what I make when I’m in survival mode.

Don't have time to cook dinner? Here's a list of easy recipes to make at home within minutes!

Yum

I used to cook and bake for fun. Before I had kids (barely remember those days!) I’d spend all morning on Saturdays leisurely whipping up cinnamon rolls, soups, muffins, and pastas. I remember those easy breezy mornings: listening to my podcasts, humming away, stopping to leisurely sip my hot coffee in silence.

Fast forward to present time: I now have three kids, ages four, two, and four months old. Gone are the leisurely baking hours. Now I’m just desperately trying to get something—anything—in the oven with two toddlers clinging to my legs, and one baby in the baby carrier on my chest. If the something I get in the oven is healthy than I feel like I officially deserve a gold star. 

It’s called survival mode, and I for sure am in it these days. The first few months after having my third, we had a wonderful meal train and lots of help. But now that baby girl is a bit older, we are self-sufficient, and I’ve had to figure out how to feed us all (three times a day!) without hitting up the fast food line too often. 

Here are the dishes I turn to again, and again when I just need to throw something quick into the oven or crockpot to get food on the table, and into bellies without a lot of chopping or prep.

Simple Cheesy Salsa Chicken

This is one of the most incredible main dishes, if you ask me. It takes TWO MINUTES to prep this. Just throw three ingredients in your crock pot or Instant Pot, turn it on, and walk away. The most laborious thing you might have to do is shred the cheese, but you can even skip that step if you purchase shredded cheese. It couldn’t get any easier!

I use this to make soft or hard tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, or for soups! It’s the best!!

Beanie Weanies

Is it glamorous? Probably not. Is it easy and does it fill tummies, and make my toddlers happy? Yes, yes, and absolutely yes.

Easy Noodle Stirfry

My husband LOVES Chinese food, but none of us like how we feel after getting food from the restaurant. When I tried this Easy Noodle Stirfry, I was blown away by how good it was! Now, it does require some vegetable chopping (which is stressful if you’ve got a bunch of littles around) so I like to prep the veggies early in the week, so it takes just minutes to throw this together. I chop up a bunch of veg on Sundays and then use it throughout the week to make easy, nutritious meals!

Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken

This one’s right up there with the Cheesy Salsa Chicken in the easy category. You guys, it is SO simple to throw together, and incredibly delicious! I like to quickly get some rice simmering as a side, and then set out fresh fruit and we’ve got an entire, nutritious meal that took minutes to prep!

20-Minute Taco Soup

Here’s what I do when I make this soup: toss the ground beef in the skillet, and walk away. Stir it now and then. Pour in the salsa and broth. Stir in the cheese. And done. It has only four ingredients, and doesn’t require anything of me except perhaps opening the salsa jar. It’s delicious, nutritious and a crowd pleaser!

Simple Barbecue Beef RoastIs there anything better than coming home to a roast in the crock pot?

Here is what Laura says to do to make this recipe:

  • Walk to the freezer and get out a roast. (30 seconds)
  • Open the package and put it into a crock pot. (20 seconds)
  • Get out some barbecue sauce and dump it on the roast. (20 seconds)
  • Grab an onion, pull off the outer layer, rinse it, and quarter it, then threw it in with the meat. (40 seconds)
  • Plug in the crock pot, turned it on low, walked away. (10 seconds)

Now that’s my kind of recipe! The fact that it tastes AMAZING is a bonus.

Those are my favorite recipes to make when I don’t have the time to cook. Try them and be amazed at how much easier they make your life!

Your turn to share! What’s your favorite easy-peasy recipe to make when you are in survival mode?

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

Merry Christmas 2021 From Our Family!

December 23, 2021 by Laura 4 Comments

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

God grew us more and more this year – in so many ways. Spiritually, physically, and numerically.

From our house to yours, Merry, Merry Christmas!

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

Why I Don’t Make a Traditional Christmas Dinner

December 12, 2021 by Laura 16 Comments

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

What? I don’t make a traditional Christmas dinner at our house? Well, it’s traditional…for us. But it’s not normal for most.

First, let’s talk about how much I love Christmas. I MEAN I LOVE IT. So much. I go all out at Christmas and I don’t feel bad about it. (Though it’s going to look different from past years simply because we have so many kids now! It’s going to have to be smaller simply because we’re bigger. Eh?)

Current family count: 14
2 parents, 6 sons, 4 foster daughters, 1 daughter-in-law, and 1 very serious girlfriend.
This is amazing.
Side-note: If you’re going to date a Coppinger, you need to love babies.

Christmas last year looked like this:

But of course, that was before we filled our “loving room” with people.

And I mean FILLED. It gets nuts. The baby gate can’t handle how crazy this is. I have so much fun spoiling everyone at Christmas and in short: I don’t want to cook that day.

But Laura. You love to cook!

Yes, but not on Christmas day. I don’t want to miss one second of our Christmas fun! And there’s something else:

We eat turkey at Thanksgiving. Sometimes ham. Plus several days of leftovers. So we kind of want something different for Christmas.

What is our traditional Christmas dinner?

Lasagna, baby. It’s a family favorite and after so many years, it is now our Christmas favorite.

My personal favorite thing about lasagna for Christmas is that I can make it weeks ahead of time and freeze it. Then I pull it out and bake it low and slow while we’re enjoying our gifts. Mid-afternoon when we come up for air, we head into the kitchen and eat lasagna with salad and sparkling juice.

It’s easy. It’s delicious. It’s one of our favorite traditions!

I’m chuckling at this picture because it’s an old one from back in the day when one 9×13 pan would be enough to feed our family. Now I usually make huge lasagnas in these. They freeze great. And then we throw the pan away.

(Wow have I changed a little bit from back in the new HeavenlyHomemaker days, huh? Aluminum pans? Chuck it after using it? Yes. I’ve learned that people are a much more important focus and I don’t feel bad about taking some shortcuts so I can instead focus on people.)

How to Make Lasagna Ahead of Time

  1. This is the easiest way to make lasagna ahead of time. I make several at once.
  2. Freeze it.
  3. Cover it with foil, put it into a COLD oven, turn the oven to 250 degrees, and let it bake for 3 hours or until cooked through and through.

So there you have it. We enjoyed turkey at Thanksgiving. We got tired of turkey. I don’t want to mash potatoes on Christmas day. We eat Lasagna.

God bless us everyone.

What’s your traditional Christmas dinner?

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

To Everyone Who Needs a “Mental Health Day”

October 17, 2021 by Laura Leave a Comment

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

Feel like you need to take a Mental Health Day? What should it look like?

To Everyone Who Needs a “Mental Health Day”

Do we all need to take a Mental Health Day sometimes? Absolutely. God calls it a “Sabbath” and I don’t know…it’s like He totally knew we’d all need them, like, regularly. Crazy, right?

I’ll admit that hearing young people claim their need for frequent Mental Health Days has had me a bit concerned. After all, back when I was in college, those weren’t a thing. And now that I’m a mom with incredibly full days and a lot of children who need me, I don’t get to just decide: “Naw. I’m not going to mom today. Imma take a Mental Health Day. I’ll just change that diaper tomorrow.”

But then again, God knew from the beginning that we’d need days of rest and recovery. He instituted the Sabbath and He told us to take one every seven days. So I’ve gotta hand it to all the young people claiming that they need a Mental Health Day. Yes, actually. You do. So do I. Let’s do this!

Ah, but how?

I’m in a season of life that taking any time off during the week feels almost impossible. The amount of laundry that piles up with having six little ones? The amount of food? The number of diapers that get changed every day? The homework that needs to get done with the older ones? The gross floors? The paperwork? The dishes? And oh yeah. I work sometimes – you know, on this blog? Can’t give it up because we rely on the income, plus I love my work and want to do it.

I’m not able to simply “take a mental health day” anytime I feel overwhelmed or exhausted. And young people? I’m not sure you should either, at least in the way I hear that you’re taking them. If you’ve got a paper due, write your paper. If you are scheduled to go to work, go to work. If you put off completing (or starting) that project that’s got to get done by tomorrow – don’t ask for an extension because it’s stressing you out. GO DO YOUR PROJECT. (xoxoxo)

Do we all need to rest?

YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. Again, God tells us to rest – at night and for an entire day, once each week. So hang with me here as I flesh out my thoughts about taking a Mental Health Day…

How NOT To Take a Mental Health Day

If your work and responsibilities are all piling up, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and wanting to check out for the day, don’t:

  • Decide to stay in bed in your PJs binge-watching shows all day long (you’ll feel like blah at the end of the day instead of feeling energetic from the “rest”)
  • Ignore all your work and get even farther behind than you already are (this will make you want additional Mental Health Days, oy!)
  • Sit around eating junk food and drinking junk drinks (because you’ll feel like a junk-ball-of-grease-coated-in-sugar is hanging out in your gut by noon, and then you’ll need to take a Physical Health Day)
  • Hang out on social media and Tic-Toc for hours (when did looking at all the great things other people seem to be doing make any of us feel better about what we are or are not doing?)

I love a good Netflix show. I enjoy scrolling Pinterest or Facebook to relax. But if I’m behind on work and feeling overwhelmed, none of those sedentary activities rejuvenates me. It actually tends to make me more anxious as I neglect my responsibilities and focus on things that aren’t important.

What a Mental Health Day should look like

I’m no expert. I’m simply learning more and more how to take good care of myself. Admittedly, taking an entire day to rest is almost impossible during my current season in life. But if I ever feel like I’m melting down, I pray about what God wants me to do to find rest in Him.

That’s the key: Finding rest in Jesus. Not just resting and ignoring my responsibilities. Instead, here’s what I find to be restful and refreshing so that I can keep my mental health healthy:

  • Take a long walk or get some other form of exercise
  • Take a nap
  • Drink extra water
  • Sit in the sunshine
  • Eat nourishing food that I love – like an apple with this special cheese or a tasty smoothie
  • Take a few minutes throughout the day to knock out a few looming projects (it’s amazing how refreshing it can be to know I finally checked some extra chores off my list!)
  • Turn on music and open the curtains to let the light shine in while I tackle a normal activity like folding laundry or loading the dishwasher
  • Take some time to read a book
  • And yes, sometimes as a way of refreshing I may sit for an hour during the kids’ naptime and watch an episode of a favorite show, eat a treat, or do something else that feels like a lovely change of pace from the grind of the normal day-to-day. There’s nothing wrong with this!! As long as it isn’t used as a way to avoid the actual needs our bodies and souls need!

Above all, pray.

Taking a Mental Health Day will only be a tiny bandaid to your weariness if you don’t use your time to talk to God and let Him talk back to you. If we are exhausted, feeling depleted, overwhelmed by stress, and overworked – the only real solution to finding rest is to seek God’s Truth and to let Him fill us back up in all of our empty places.

Need a day off? Get dressed and grab your Bible. Sit for as long as you can with it open in your lap, breathing in its Truth and Hope. Let it teach you, enlighten you, and fill you with love. Meditate on it, pray over it, and let it fill you and refresh you.

Taking care of ourselves is important!

But self-care rarely involves online shopping and time on Snapchat. Self-care should be all about letting God give us all that He knows we need. Seeking Him through this is crucial, and yep, we should actually schedule it in. I believe God calls it a Sabbath? But we’ve been through that already. :)

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

Simple Coconut Blueberry Lime Smoothie

July 25, 2021 by Tasha Hackett Leave a Comment

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

Another great smoothie!

by Tasha Hackett

You’re surely not tired of them yet, are you? This coconut blueberry lime smoothie is going make you do a little hula dance right there in your kitchen. Or in your friend’s kitchen when you make it at her house. Or in the camp kitchen you’re working at this week.

blueberry lime smoothie

Simple Coconut Blueberry Lime SmoothieYum

I (Tasha) have been on a paleo diet since before Christmas. You could say it’s been the year of the smoothies. Even more than most years. It’s just so easy to get in the vegetables this way! Ack… this one doesn’t even have vegetables in it. I’m sorry. But you can go drink your salad another time.

While I’m at camp this week, I brought my Blentec—blender snob alert… yes, it’s me. High calorie smoothies like this one keep me from starving to death when not eating camp mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets.

I did say simple smoothie, didn’t I?

If my daily chocolate shake has too many ingredients for you, try this one! The recipe is in the title… Ding-a-ling! Easy peasy. It’s coconut milk, frozen blueberries, and the juice of one lime. You can stop there, or you can add a touch of sweetener:

  1. 13 oz. can coconut milk (I currently use Nature’s Greatest Organic 17% Coconut Milk Fat)
  2. 2 cups frozen blueberries (Or other berries, but then it wouldn’t be a Coconut Blueberry Lime Smoothie now would it?)
  3. Juice of 1 lime (Or 2-3 tsp of lime juice if you don’t have time for the squeezing of the lime… but I recommend the real deal.)
  4. Blend until smooth****

****If your kids are, well, you know, average kids, you may need to add a touch of a sweetener of choice. I use 1/2 teaspoon of THM Super Sweet stevia blend.

Put the lime in the coconut…

If you’re looking for more great smoothie ideas, search smoothie over there on the search bar on this sight and be wowed by the variety. How about this cinnamon one? And a homemade Orange Julius. Remember your high protein chocolate shake here. And lastly, don’t be scared to throw a few goodies in the blender and see what happens! Just PLEASE and I mean, PLEASE stay away from arugula in smoothies. Spinach and maybe some kale, but arugula does not play nice in a smoothie. That is my best advice to you. And beets… unless you like eating pink dirt. Haha. Some people will fight me on this one, but that’s a topic for another day. For now, go enjoy this fresh summer treat.

blueberry smoothie

 

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

The Best Recipes That Use Cream Cheese

April 18, 2021 by Laura 1 Comment

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

Who needs recipes that use cream cheese? All of us, that’s who. Everything tastes better with cream cheese.

If you disagree with that statement, we can still be friends. In fact, I’ll just take one for the team and eat all of your cream cheese for you. Notta problem.

The idea to share my cream cheese recipes came after a conversation I had with a college student recently. He sat at my kitchen counter and he couldn’t stop dipping into my Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait. He was like, “This is the best whipped cream I have ever eaten in my life!” and I was like, “Well, that’s because there’s cream cheese in it.”

And then we both declared that OF COURSE it was the best whipped cream he’s ever eaten because:

Everything tastes better with cream cheese.

So.

It only makes sense that I now provide you with easy access to all of my recipes that use cream cheese. First, here’s how I find affordable cream cheese:

  1. Buy at Aldi.
  2. Buy at Costco.
  3. Watch for sales and stock up at your local grocery store.

Cream cheese to avoid:

  1. Walmart brand cream cheese
  2. I repeat, never buy the Walmart brand cream cheese.

Some off-brands of cream cheese are just as wonderful as the Philadelphia brand, and I love that these good off-brands cost half as much. But I’ve never been happy with the results of my recipes when using the Walmart brand of cream cheese. And now on to the wonderful recipes!

Recipes That Use Cream Cheese

  1. Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait (My very favorite thing to eat in all the world.)
  2. Chocolate Cheesecake Parfait (My second favorite, and another huge hit when feeding guests.)
  3. Cream Cheese Pastries (You should make these next Saturday.)
  4. Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Bread (Every word of that title should make you want to bake this.)
  5. Easy Low Sugar Cream Cheese Cookie Cutouts (The best sugar cookie you’ve ever eaten.)
  6. Easy Chocolate Cream Cheese Marble Cake (The cake is moist, and then there’s the cream cheese part. Always enjoy with coffee.)
  7. Cream Cheese Corn (This is a favorite side dish to share on special holidays. And also on Tuesdays.)
  8. Cream Cheese Salsa Dip (You haven’t had chip dip until you’ve had this dip.)
  9. Easy Chicken with Cream Cheese Sauce (This makes people cry tears of joy whilst they eat it. Beware.)
  10. BLT Wraps (You’ll never go back to a regular BLT again.)
  11. Crepes with Cream Cheese Filling (Fix these when you don’t want to work hard, but you do want your family to think you are extra amazing.)
  12. Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins (There’s an actual wedge of cream cheese in these. Check them out!)
  13. Easy Cream Cheese Fruit Dip (Fruit is good. Fruit with this dip is 100% better.)
  14. Flaky Cream Cheese Pastry (Made with homemade dough instead of the kind that pops out of a can. So good.)
  15. Italian Cream Cheese Chicken (The meal one of my sons requests for every birthday.)
  16. Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars (Cookie and cheesecake all in one!)
  17. Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake Bars (For dessert or for breakfast. Or both in the same day.)
  18. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups (These are a big reason to be thankful at Thanksgiving.)
  19. Mini Crustless Cheesecakes (I love having these on hand for grab-and-go snacks!)
  20. Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert (It’s like a fancy dessert that is easy to make. Love!)
  21. Cream Cheese Fruit Dip (You’re going to need a lot of apples to go with this because people can’t stop eating it.)

Cheesecake Topped Muffins

You can make muffins. Or you can make muffins topped with cheesecake. I think we all know the right choice to make.

  • Easy Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins
  • Easy Banana Cheesecake Muffins
  • Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
  • Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Muffins
  • Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Muffins
  • Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

What are your favorite ways to use cream cheese?

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

Homemade Chocolate Bar

April 11, 2021 by Tasha Hackett 1 Comment

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

Want to make a Homemade Chocolate Bar?! And here’s a fun new treat recipe from Tasha!

homemade chocolate

Homemade Chocolate Bar

by Tasha Hackett

This homemade chocolate bar recipe is everything I ever thought it could be. I tend to eat it all and so I make it small batches. Apparently, I have the self-restraint of a two-year-old near a puddle. Which is none-at-all. In case you haven’t been around two-year-olds lately, they pretty much do what they want. Thankfully this homemade chocolate is a good source of calories and protein.

 

Yum

A now a word about our homemade chocolate bar sponsor.

Laura once shared a recipe about Fat Bombs and we all said, “Ew, no.” Every now and then she talks about how hungry she is and is she ever grateful for these amazing goodies and we say, “Ew, no.” Initially, she explained how fat is good for our bodies because woman cannot live on salad alone. Secondly, she tried to be sneaky and change the name of these treats to “Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.” Nice try, Laura. I can still read and the recipe is the same and know it consists of butter, coconut oil, peanut butter, cocoa powder, and a drizzle of honey. And I said, “Ew, no.” 

And Laura shook her head and thought, “Oh ye of little faith.”

When I was literally starving after switching to a paleo diet (not for weight loss, but for other health reasons) she said, “Tasha, you have to make the chocolate peanut butter cups.” I can’t decide if that’s hyperbole or not about the starving. I was ravenously hungry all the time. If you’ve ever cut out sugar and grains, you know how your body freaks out for about a week. I’ve been eating a paleo diet for over four months and chocolate is life. Except, you know, after Jesus. Obviously. He’s literally life and light and I hope we know I’m speaking superfluously here. But figuratively . . . chocolate is life. I can honestly say that I’ve used significantly more cocoa powder the past four months than I ever have in my life before. 

Why buy the chocolate when I can easily make the chocolate? 

I confess, when Laura shares a recipe, I glance at it and then I take it cruising through the backroads. Is anyone else guilty of this? Therefore, keep reading Laura’s post if you want simple. If you want mostly simple and a heck of lot more ingredients, then also read my posts . . . Whew. Glad I got that off my chest. 

It is here. The chocolate bar that beats all chocolate bar cravings. Come one, come all, and enjoy the gluten-free, dairy-free, honey-sweetened granola chocolate snack thing that will make you wish I was your favorite aunt. 

I have been known to eat these in public and then share the bounty with my fellow mom-friends. (Living the dream over here. There are friends, and then there are mom-friends. #ifyouknowyouknow) This homemade melty chocolate bar has been met with surprise statements of, “This is really good!” As if they, clearly, didn’t think homemade paleo “sugar-free” chocolate would be any good. Oh ye of little faith.

Boy, we showed them! 

I mean, eh-hem, I am modestly pleased when others enjoy the food that I make. So how’s about it? You ready for me to quit gabbing and give you the recipe to my honey-sweetened granola chocolate bar thing?

Okay, it is practically Laura’s Honey Sweetened No-Bake Cookies. Except I took her recipe, skipped off the highway, and drove through the country roads and a few corn fields. Figuratively. Literally, my car would be ruined and there would be no chocolate. Maybe a huge fine. Possibly jail time. Is there chocolate in jail? If so, it wouldn’t be as wholesome as this one.

homemade chocolate bar

This is a huge batch I made to share.

A word about the ingredients in this chocolate bar:

I replace all peanut butter with almond butter. Thankfully, I find it at Sam’s Club for a reasonable price or I make it myself. I go through about a tub a week. Yet I continue to lose weight. Figures. Feel free to use a natural (thick) peanut butter.

Butter is not technically paleo. Use ghee or make your own ghee by warming the butter and scraping off the white foamy stuff. But I’m not concerned about butter. Also, ghee is expensive and I always have butter in the freezer because I buy all of it when it goes on sale. (That’s a hyperbole, I don’t literally buy it all. That would be ridiculous. And rude. And against the rules. I have a heart.)

Where to get Cocoa Powder

Remember that cocoa powder is not all created equally. I buy Better Body Foods Cacao Powder from Amazon and it’s yummy. Actually, I subscribe to it and it shows up on my porch. *Voila* But I’m not going to tell you how many bags I’ve used since January. Mind your own business, mmk? Whatever you do, do not buy the cheapest store-brand variety, it’s not as good. Laura recommends this kind and it’s her favorite. (<— use the code home to get 15% off your purchases at Olive Nation!)

If you’re a rule-keeper and legalistic, there is sugar added to dried cranberries and cherries. If you can find some without sugar, the more’s the merrier. Dried cherries are my all-time favorite, but they’re expensive. I hoard them. Therefore, I share less frequently with my children. Literally. 

Always buy unsweetened coconut flakes. There are tons of varieties all over. (Figuratively. There are literal tons of coconut flakes. But only a figurative ton of brand varieties because brand names cannot be weighed.) I subscribe to Terrasoul on Amazon and get six bags at a time and they’re squirreled away in the basement pantry. 

A homemade chocolate bar blessing

May your homemade chocolate be as delightful as watching your toddler march his new rubber boots into a puddle.

Go ahead, bless your neighbors, your friends, your family, and your mom-friends.

chocolate blessing

Typing this out at the library and chuckling to myself every now and then has been a delight. But now I’m going to mosey around the bookshelves and look for a new historical romance to enjoy. Before I go to bed tonight, I will make myself another batch of homemade chocolate because somebody ate the last of it a few days ago and now that somebody is going to do something about it. Literally. 

chocolate bar recipe

Homemade Chocolate Bars

5.0 from 1 reviews
Homemade Chocolate Bars
 
Save Print
Author: Tasha
Ingredients
  • ½ - ¾ cup honey
  • ⅔ cup natural almond butter
  • ½ cup butter or coconut oil
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3-4 cups total of a combination of dry ingredients such as: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped pecans/walnuts, dried cranberries/cherries, unsweetened coconut flakes.
  • Suggestion: 1 cup pumpkin seeds, 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 cup dried cherries, ½ slivered almonds, ¼ cup sunflower seeds
Instructions
  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together honey, almond butter, butter or coconut oil, salt, and cocoa powder,
  2. Melt and stir ingredients over medium heat until well combined and slightly bubbly.
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. Add vanilla extract and dry ingredients and stir until coated.
  5. Scoop 1-2 Tablespoons of mixture onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet OR pour into a parchment paper lined 9X13 for a granola bar OR pour into one or two parchment paper-lined cookie sheets for chocolate bark.
  6. Chill Homemade Chocolate Bars in the refrigerator until they are set, about 1 hour. Cut into bars.
3.5.3251

Go forth and make a homemade chocolate bar!

Thanks for sharing and blessing others with this recipe! Finally, be sure to let us know when you take a recipe and cruise through the backroads. Take us on the scenic route with you.


Tasha HackettTasha Hackett is a friend of Laura and author of Bluebird on the Prairie, a Christian historical romance releasing Spring 2021. Sunshine, homemade chocolate bars, or hot chocolate—whichever is more readily available is her fuel. While she often pretends to be a ballerina while unloading the dishwasher, her favorite thing is writing with hope and humor to entertain and encourage women. Most of her time is spent with four chatty children and an incredibly supportive husband. They give her the kind of love people write books about. You can connect with her at www.TashaHackett.com or Instagram @hackettacademy

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

Join Our Community!

 Facebook Twitter RSS E-mail Instagram Pinterest

Popular Posts

~ Will All of the Real Moms Please Stand Up?
~ Easy! Stir-and-Pour Whole Wheat Bread
~ How to Make Gatorade
~ 31 Real Food Breakfast Ideas
~ Dear Teenage Girls...
~ When Mom Takes a Step Back
~ The Inexpensive Health Insurance We Love!
~ Let's Talk Real Food Grocery Budgets

Check out our latest posts!

  • Make an Amazing Costco Salmon Meal for just $2.20/person
  • Easy Way to Make Freezer Food (Without Trying)
  • Bake Strawberry Shortcake in the Crock Pot
  • How to Get Dinner on the Table Fast!
  • Our $0.99 Per Plate Costco Meal!
Home  ~  Simple Meals  ~  Club Membership  ~  Shop  ~  Privacy Policy  ~  Disclosure  ~ Contact

Copyright © 2022 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in