Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Simple Coconut Blueberry Lime Smoothie

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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

 

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The Best Recipes That Use Cream Cheese

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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.

What are your favorite ways to use cream cheese?

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Homemade Chocolate Bar

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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

Homemade Chocolate Bars
 
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Author:
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.

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!

Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing

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Tasha’s here again with an awesome new recipe just in time for spring!

Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing

by Tasha Hackett

What’s with the Paleo, Tasha? Okay! Sorry, just read this instead: Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Salad Dressing that will make you and your family cry tears of joy. Better? Hmm. But really, I can hardly describe the level of happiness this paleo salad dressing makes me. I never knew a salad dressing was capable of bringing forth such an emotion. Almond butter and orange juice? Who knew! Don’t be scared. This paleo salad dressing is delicious on, wait for it, SALAD, but also works great as a veggie dip. In fact, it is even edible straight from the table as pictured below. Not recommended. But acceptable.

toddler messes

Yum

My salad dressing is better than your salad dressing.

The original recipe that I adapted had a few more ingredients and it only made one tiny serving of dressing. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to go through all the trouble of making a salad dressing from scratch to eat with my paleo food . . . I’m making more than one tiny serving. Clearly, the chances are high that I will be eating salad again in the near future. I’ve made some version of this dressing at least 5 times in the last month. If you’re drinking your salad, skip the dressing and add some fruit. **Insert puking face if you just envisioned drinking a garlic and olive oil flavored smoothie.

Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing

Make as directed for a typical dressing consistency. Though if you want it thicker, just add more almond butter. My salads are usually quite epic. I will rarely just eat lettuce, but this dressing has enough going on, that I have eaten it on plain old leaves before. My kitchen hack with this paleo dressing is to make it in my almond butter jar when there’s about half a cup left. Saves times scooping almond butter AND I don’t have to wash any jars just yet. Sometimes I’m pretty smart like that.

My new favorite salad includes the following:

  • Mixed greens (heavy on the spinach)
  • Chopped romaine hearts
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Chopped avocado
  • Slivered almonds
  • Dried cranberries or cherries
  • Chopped cold meat of some kind (ham, chicken, salmon, tuna, or even boiled/scrambled eggs, etc)
  • Chopped dill pickles (tricks me into feeling like I’m having a sandwich)

Yes. My toddler eats salad. What can I say? I think it’s the dressing.

Toss it all with Almond Orange Paleo Dressing and my kids fight for the last serving.

I’ve been serving my family made-from-scratch salad dressings for years and I absolutely love how freely we use them. No worries here about what we’re smothering our vegetables in. As a result, we don’t skimp on the dressings for health reasons. Everything in this dressing is Food. For. Fuel! Go make ya some and tell all your friends about how amazing it is and then invite them over for salad. I dare them to go home hungry.

Salad for dinner! Again! #paleohasmelike #sorrynotsorry #iheartsalad

Almond Orange Paleo Salad Dressing
 
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Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dressing
Serves: 2 Cups
Ingredients
  • ½ Cup Almond Butter
  • ½ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Olive Oil (Can use part MCT oil or other oils)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Granulated Garlic Powder (Or two fresh cloves, minced)
  • Juice of two Oranges
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients and stir or shake vigorously.
  2. Taste and adjust to preference.
  3. For a thicker dressing, add more almond butter.
  4. For a sweeter dressing, add a splash of apple juice.
  5. Store in the refrigerator.

 

Quick! What’s your go-to salad dressing? Store-bought or make your own?

Lastly, be sure to check out some of the other dressings on our site.

Tasha HackettTasha Hackett, friend of Laura and author of Bluebird on the Prairie, a Christian historical romance releasing Spring 2021, is fueled by sunshine, paleo pudding, or hot chocolate—whichever is more readily available. Though 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. 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 or for Laura @heavenlyhomemaker.

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

Paleo Southwest Crockpot Chicken Supper

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Since when does Laura care about paleo foods? Oh, dear. Well, she doesn’t. But Tasha is trying a new thing with surprisingly great success. Paleo Southwest Crockpot Chicken Supper has been a favorite and it will definitely be added to the regular rotation.

I bet you’re wondering what’s with the trendy diet we’ve jumped on. Here’s the thing… I’ve never been inclined to jump on any type of diet because I didn’t believe in the idea of cutting out entire food groups. Let’s not even get into the details about how jumping is a high impact exercise and could be harmful if you are dealing with chronic achy joints and headaches. (I recommend yoga and stretching for beginners.) But elimination diets? I’m not here to argue the case of the paleo food choices. Except I will tell you, I paid a good amount of money to a doctor to get to the root of my achy joints and headaches and weird mood swings. He is making me eat paleo. At first, I was incredibly discouraged. I ranted and raved about how much I disagreed with the concept.

What is Paleo?

NO Dairy and NO Grains (including corn, oats, rice, quinoa, etc) and NO Legumes (including peanuts and soy) and NO sugar. WHAT IS LEFT!?!?!? BROCCOLI AND CHICKEN!? Poor Tasha. She can only eat broccoli and chicken. I was at Laura’s house (and we should have snapped a picture to document the momentous occasion) and I pulled a Laura and ate the spinach leaves directly out of the tub because I was so stinking hungry, but a few days later an amazing thing happened.

First, I must have gotten over the sugar craving hump because I wasn’t starving all the time anymore. Secondly, I discovered recipes that included a variety of flavors and foods I had never tried before. Dressing recipes with fresh squeezed orange juice, almond butter and garlic. Say whaaa? But it was amazing. I began making my own nut butters because all the ones I found in the store were too expensive and had added sugars.

Paleo supper isn’t always simple . . . so far.

paleo chicken supper

Yum

Because I’m still in the newish phase of this paleo food thing and I’m following a lot of other people’s recipes, food prep has been a priority of my life lately. Slowly I have been adapting the recipes I like to fit the simple standard that Laura has been teaching us. But the amount of chopping and sautéing that I’ve been doing the last 45 days is more than I would prefer. One important thing I’ve been learning is to start seeing onions and peppers as a solid filler, not a seasoning. Many of the paleo recipes call for a hefty amount of vegetables.

Southwest Crockpot Chicken Supper

paleo chicken

From start to finish this recipe took 5 hours. 10 minutes of chopping (but I use my nifty food processor for onions and garlic), leave it in the crockpot for four hours. Another 10 minutes of work to shred the chicken, chop the peppers and then let it simmer together for a few minutes. Work time for this paleo chicken supper? Perhaps 15 minutes. I served with avocados on top and ate it as-is. You could serve on top of a bed of greens or if you’re not on a restrictive diet, then you can add chips or tortillas and sour cream.

Paleo Southwest Crockpot Chicken Supper

Paleo Southwest Crockpot Chicken Supper
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Southwest
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 2 red onions, chopped
  • 4 cups salsa
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
  • 2 jalapeño peppers (optional)
  • 4 bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 avocados, chopped
Instructions
  1. In a crockpot, combine everything except the bell peppers and avocados.
  2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
  3. Remove chicken and shred with a fork and return to pot.
  4. Chop peppers and sear in a skillet for 4 to 5 minutes until roasted.
  5. Add peppers to crockpot.
  6. Stir and cover.
  7. Let simmer on high for another 20 minutes, adding water if needed for desired consistency.
  8. Top each serving with chopped avocados.
  9. Reheats well for left-overs.

Paleo tricks

Did you know Laura already had a ton of paleo recipes on her blog? Or at least ones that are easily made paleo by adjusting only a few ingredients. Here are three treats that I have returned to a few times this year.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (subbing almond butter and I use double the cocoa powder and a pinch of salt)

Simple Almond Flour Muffins (either cheat and use the butter or sub coconut oil)

Vanilla Pudding (Sub coconut milk and top with fruit and nuts for a full breakfast)

Do you have any favorite dairy-free, grain-free, legume-free, sugar-free recipes?

Tasha HackettTasha Hackett, friend of Laura and author of Bluebird of the Prairie, (a Christian romance releasing Spring 2021), is fueled by sunshine or hot chocolate—whichever is more readily available. Though 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. 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 or for Laura @heavenlyhomemaker.

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

30+ Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

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With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about menu plans! Today I’m sharing our absolute favorite Thanksgiving side dish recipes!

30+ Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes!

If you are hosting this year, you might be prepping to roast a Turkey, and whip up the Turkey Gravy. With the main dishes already set in stone, perhaps you are looking for a new side dish or two to bring to the Thanksgiving table.

Turkey stuffing, cranberry relish, and dinner rolls might make an appearance on your Thanksgiving menu every year, but if you are like me, it’s fun to shake things up, and whip up a few new recipes every year!

In our family, no one wants to bring the relish tray. Sure it’s great to have a platter of fruits and veggies, but everyone wants to bring a dish with more pizzaz than simply celery and carrot sticks. Side dishes are so much fun! You can get creative with them, and pretty soon that recipe you tried a few years ago has become the dish you are asked to bring again and again. The recipes we cook year in and year out become a part of our family culture, and holiday traditions.

So are you ready to find a new family favorite dish? Here is a list of my absolute favorite Holiday side dishes for you to try. Your family is sure to love them!

Veggie Side Dishes

Fruit Side Dishes

Bread Side Dishes

Desserts

I hope you try (and love) these recipes!

Now you’re time to share! What is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe? Share below!

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How to Have a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

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Hosting Thanksgiving is a lot of work! Today we are sharing with you how to host a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner, but still have the time to enjoy time with your family. Ready to have a stress-free Thanksgiving?

How to Host a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

There have been years when I’ve spent the majority of the holiday in the kitchen–roasting the turkey, whipping the mashed potatoes, and simmering the gravy. While I love making food for my family and friends, I felt sad that the majority of Thanksgiving was spent making food, serving food, and cleaning up afterwards.

I know families that purchase Thanksgiving dinner so that less time is spent on cooking, and more time can be spent visiting! But I do love all my homemade food. What’s a mom to do?

That’s when it occurred to me: what if I prepped most of the food in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and then the day of I could simply pull out the pre-made food for my family to enjoy! Homemade food, and still time to catch up with my fam? Yay!

I am here to tell you what I wished I knew all those years ago: make your Thanksgiving meal ahead of time! The key to a stress-free holiday starts weeks before Thanksgiving day. Try it this year, I know you will love it!

How to Have a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

One Week Before Thanksgiving

Two Days Before Thanksgiving

One Day Before Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day

  • Enjoy a large cup of steamy coffee in my recliner for a very long time (because I can)
  • Everyone on their own for breakfast (probably cereal)
  • Mix dry ingredients together for Stir-and-Pour Rolls (for easy, no-brainer mixing about an hour before meal time)
  • Put Cranberry Apple Cider into a crockpot to heat (this is a huge hit with guests!)
  • Set out butter to soften for rolls
  • Plates, silverware, cups, and napkins set out

About 1 1/2 hours before serving time, I will bake or re-heat prepared foods. Then I will make gravy and bake the rolls. Easy peasy!

Here are the quick links to all the recipes you’ll need:

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Low Sugar Granookie: Granola Cookie

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Tasha brought these Granookies to our family along with a meal when our newborn moved in with us in September. They are SO GOOD and I felt great letting our toddlers eat them along with the rest of us! (Bonus peek at “Baby Sister”—>)


Low Sugar Granookie: Granola Cookie

by Tasha Hackett

When you want a cookie, but you’re actually starving and what you need is a hearty snack or breakfast? Never fear, granookie is here! Granookie is a granola cookie and is the next best thing to stir-and-pour bread. (Go ahead and add Granookie to your dictionary.

No, it’s not spelled wrong, your computer just isn’t up with the times.) It’s not simple, being that it has about a thousand ingredients and then there’s the whole stirring and making into cookie balls and baking. . . okay, it’s still pretty simple. Especially so because this recipe makes 5-6 dozen cookies. I bake one pan for eating right away, and I freeze the rest into premade cookie balls for a fresh granookie snack or breakfast or dessert for later. Tip: Freeze on a flat pan and then transfer to a bag once frozen.

bagged granola cookie

Yum

Granola Cookie: Granookie

Before you skim straight to the recipe for the granookie, you may want to take a few things into account. These are low-sugar and mildly sweet, but not nearly as sweet as cookies, nor even as sweet as traditional granola. In addition, there is a hearty mix of nuts and seeds that makes them deliciously healthy, along with the whole grain addition to stock you up on healthy carbs, fiber, and an exorbitant amount of vitamins and minerals. However, can we cut the healthy talk and just be amazed at how delicious these are and hand them out guilt free? 

Whole grain for the win!

I always use fresh-ground flour when baking these. Either soft or hard wheat will work, though I use soft white wheat as it is marginally cheaper than hard wheat. If you’re using store-bought flour, you may need a touch less in your recipe. But it’s a fairly forgiving recipe. 

I developed over the past year after much frustration of my granola crumbling everywhere. I’ll sheepishly tell you that I changed it every time because I didn’t follow the recipe… but people kept asking me how to made these granola cookies (and I’d correct them, “It’s called a granookie.”) so I was determined to write down legit measurements and this is the winner! 

Granola Cookie

Enjoy!

homeschool momTasha Hackett is a friend of Laura and a bedroom closet jalapeno Cheeto eater. She lives in the great Midwest where the winter whisks your breath away and the summer smothers. Laura is still here, but likes to take a shower every now and then and let Tasha play on the blog. In other news, Tasha’s debut novel, a historical fiction romance, is currently being evaluated by a publisher. She’s been lost in the 1800’s for decades, dreaming of ways to bring her heroes to a happily ever after.

 

Low Sugar Granookie: Granola Cookie

Low Sugar Granookie: Granola Cookie
 
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Author:
Recipe type: cookie
Serves: 60
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups of Butter
  • ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
  • 5 Eggs
  • 1 tsp Caramel Flavoring (I use this one.)
  • 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
  • 1½ tsp baking soda
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 3 Cups Thick Rolled Oats
  • 1 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 1 Cup Slivered Almonds
  • ½ Cup Pumpkin Seeds
  • ⅓ Cup Sunflower Seeds
  • 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
  • ½ Cup Butterscotch Chips
Instructions
  1. Whip the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the eggs, flavoring, and dry ingredients. Add the nuts and seeds and chips. Dough will be quite firm.
  2. Form into cookie sized balls and bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes (until golden brown). They do not flatten much.
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A Chance to Win a Cookbook (Plus $250 in other fun prizes!)

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I had a chance to include my Simple Real Food Recipes Cookbook in this huge giveaway and couldn’t pass it up! So now I’m passing it on to you for a chance to win this great big beautiful package!

Head here to sign up!

And after you do, take note of all the options to earn more entries. Super fun!

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Easy Spicy Chicken Pizza

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I  have discovered Spicy Chicken Pizza, and I’m not sure how any of us ever lived without it.

Listen, this is the easiest dinner you can make, and your family will think you went to so much trouble that following the meal, they will wash all the dishes and give you a backrub. Every bite of this pizza will be taken with delight, and everyone will shed many tears – not from the spice, but from joy and appreciation brought on by consuming this masterpiece you have made.

Let them all cry their tears and give you all the backrubs. There is no need to tell them that in order to make this pizza, all you had to do was grab a pizza crust and slather last night’s Spicy Chicken Cheese Dip over the top.

Allow me to explain:

To make this Easy Spicy Chicken Pizza, you simply need to make the recent wonderful recipe I shared for Simple Spicy Chicken Cheese Dip. We already established how simple it is to make the dip. Now all you have to do is spread this dip over a pizza crust and bake it to perfection. You’ve spent just a few minutes cooking, dinner is beyond fantastic, and everyone is crying tears over how wonderful you are.

Live in the moment. Silently high-five and fist bump all of your Heavenly Homemakers readers who also made this pizza tonight as we humbly appreciate that feeding our families amazing food is much easier than everyone thinks that it is.

Here are the specifics…

Easy Spicy Chicken Pizza

Easy Spicy Chicken Pizza
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 8-ounces softened cream cheese
  • ¼ cup hot sauce (your favorite)1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • 1½ cups cooked, shredded chicken
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (we use Colby jack)
  • 2 pre-made 10-12 inch pizza crusts*
Instructions
  1. In a blender or with a hand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, hot sauce, and ranch dressing until smooth.
  2. Fold in shredded, cooked chicken and shredded cheese.
  3. Spread mixture over the pizza crusts.
  4. Bake in a 400 degree oven until cheese is bubbly and pizza is golden brown.

To make this pizza taste even more amazing, toss some sun-dried or chopped fresh tomatoes on just before baking it. Truly incredible.

*Our very favorite pizza crust is this one. You can make it any size and you can make them ahead of time for ease!

If making homemade pizza crust doesn’t work for you, feel free to grab pre-made pizza crust at the store.

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Want more Simple Real Food Recipes? We’ve got a beautiful cookbook full of them!

 

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