Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Fill the New Year with Prayer: For Your Marriage, For Your Kids

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23 years of being a wife and 20 years of being a mother have taught me this: Constant surrendered prayer for my marriage and for my kids is not just the best option; it is the only option.

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I have spent so much time and energy worrying over these people. Physical worry (can I keep them alive?) and spiritual worry (will they choose Jesus forever?). This has resulted in nothing but anxiety and fear, pain and discouragement. That’s why God tells us not to worry, which baffles us all as we say, “Lord! I’m trying! I don’t want to worry, but still, I worry.” And then we worry about worrying. Good times.

Hope for Peace

When my anxiety reached its peak a few years ago, when I was so overcome with worry, regret, and fear over helping my kids through their teen years and launching them out of the nest, when I was so distracted by the lies of the enemy that I couldn’t hear truth, when I turned all my angst onto my husband and started blaming him for all that wasn’t perfect – I found I had no choice but to seek help.

Help from others. And most importantly, help from the Father. Thus began a journey that can be described as both painful (because broken hearts hurt) and beautiful (because God heals broken hearts).

Never before had I truly surrendered myself to God. I’d been spending too much time striving to be right and do right and act right – you know, as if my right-ness would save me and produce a family who would choose right too. When I continued to fail at being right, the worry took over and completely crippled me.

God beautifully broke my heart to teach me that His peace and salvation don’t come from a person’s right-ness. Peace, hope, and salvation come from His righteousness. This righteousness can be ours, because of Jesus, praise God!

I love God so much. He is gentle, faithful, and if we can even begin to understand and accept His perfect and glorious love for us, peace, hope, and JOY will bubble right on out of our beautifully mended hearts!

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When I fall back on my own flesh, the anxiety comes back. When I trust the Spirit’s work and surrender my walk with Him, I am instead filled with the joy, peace, and love our Father promises.

Will you join me in this place of peace and joy? It begins and ends in surrendered prayer.

I wrote A Surrendered Heart Mini-eCourse and The Prayer Mugs Prayer Journal as a result of all I am learning through this journey of learning to truly surrender and trust God.

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A Surrendered Heart is written for wives as they pray God’s will in their marriage and truly give their husbands over to Him. The Prayer Mugs is written for mothers as they learn to fully trust God with their kids. I am so incredibly grateful for what God has been teaching me about surrendering my husband, marriage, kids, and life to Him daily. I know this journey of learning and growing won’t end until my time on earth is over. So while I’m here, I must daily give my heart to the God who promises goodness and hope.

Let’s surrender together. Let’s embrace the hope God gives. He doesn’t just promise it, He truly gives it! Peace is a gift that is absolutely ours, every single moment, every single day. Our only job is to accept the gift. To fill our hearts with Truth from His Word. To pray in confidence, knowing that God faithfully gives His good gifts to His children without holding anything back!

Prayer for your Marriage, Prayer for your Kids

A Surrendered Heart Mini-eCourse and The Prayer Mugs Prayer Journal are resources I’d love for you to have as you spend time in the Word, as you spend time in prayer, and as you grow with me in our journey in learning to trust and accept God’s gifts of peace and joy.

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When purchased separately, these downloadable and printable scripture studies and prayer journals cost a total of $30. For the next five days, we are packaging them together and offering them for a total of only $20!

Get your New Year off to a prayer-filled start. Surrender your spouse and marriage to the Father. Let go of fear and anxiety over your children’s welfare and your parenting struggles. Truly give your marriage and children over to the perfect care of our Heavenly Father! Join me in this place of peace in Jesus.

Our Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Members have access to this amazing resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more – for one very low price! Join us here!

Or purchase separately below:

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Pray for your Marriage and Picks Package Discount

This discount will be offered through Wednesday, January 17. Grab them now, download and print them, open your Bible, find your favorite pen, and get down on your knees. There is so much joy and peace here. Join me.

Our Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Members have access to this amazing resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more – for one very low price! Join us here!

Or purchase separately below:

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

Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests (on a Simple Budget)

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I first made these Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests on a Saturday morning in which we had no plans. No plans. None. I didn’t actually know what to do with myself.

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So I did something unwise and I drove myself to Wal-Mart. I know better. Going to Wal-Mart on a Saturday is a very bad idea. This is because everyone from the entire town and every surrounding town is there, making it one big party in which navigating through grocery aisles becomes an Olympic sport.

There are tight squeezes and dozens of “excuse me’s” and by the time I finally make it over to the frozen hashbrowns, the brand I’m hoping for is out of stock. Because, of course.

During this shopping endeavor while breaking into a sweat and attempting not to crash into fellow shoppers at Aisle 9, my biggest goal is to keep a smile on my face. “Shine for Jesus, Laura!” I tell myself. “What would Jesus do?” I ask myself.

Well, Jesus probably wouldn’t have gone to Wal-Mart on a Saturday, because of His ultimate wisdom.

When I finally got home from the store that day, I could think of nothing I would love more than to make a huge feast for my family because after all, my morning had been so laid back and relaxed so far. Thank goodness for the ease of recipes like this one for Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests. They made their way into the oven very quickly and I think it goes without saying that after my taxing morning, I was ready to sit down with my family and eat a second breakfast.

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These Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests are incredibly tasty and would make a wonderful dish to serve at dinnertime. That’s why I’m qualifying it for a Simple Meals on a Simple Budget recipe. Making these quickly in the evening and serving them with salad, veggies, and fruit will make a great dinner!

Oh. But don’t go to the store at 5:00 pm on a weeknight to get these ingredients for your dinner because in my experience, that time is worse than a Saturday morning at the store and I think we all know how I feel about that.

Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests

5.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests (on a Simple Budget)
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 15-ounces frozen shredded hashbrowns
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (we like Colby jack or pepper jack best, but any variety will work!)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Mix ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
  2. Scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins (I find that it works best to melt a bit of oil in each tin so that the baked nests pop right out!)
  3. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Simple Hashbrown and Egg Cups

Catch the running list of Simple Meals on a Simple Budget here.

Simple Recipes on a Simple Budget

Want even more Simple Recipes?

Enjoy all these recipes without effort when you become a Simple Meals member! Every week we’ll send you a great menu plan full of Simple Recipes like this one. We’ll equip you with a grocery list. We’ll break everything down so that your meal prep is as simple as possible. We’ll give you bonus tips and recipes and freebies. And this is all for just $1 each week. You’ll love it!

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Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken (on a Simple Budget)

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My favorite meals to make are the meals I can dump into the crock pot and forget about until dinner time. This Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken is one of those meals. It turns out juicy, flavorful chicken with no effort!

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While I like cooking my chicken in the crock pot, I’ve started always cooking my rice in my Instant Pot. What did I ever do without my Instant Pot!?

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Grab out some greens, steam a veggie, and this meal is perfection on a plate with very little effort!

Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken

Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
  • ⅔ cup natural applesauce
  • ⅔ cup BBQ sauce
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Chili powder to taste
Instructions
  1. Place chicken pieces at the bottom of a crock pot.
  2. Sprinkle salt and chili powder over chicken.
  3. Drizzle on applesauce and bbq sauce.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
  5. Serve over rice or potatoes.

Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken

Catch the running list of Simple Meals on a Simple Budget here.

Simple Recipes on a Simple Budget

Want even more Simple Recipes?

Enjoy all these recipes without effort when you become a Simple Meals member! Every week we’ll send you a great menu plan full of Simple Recipes like this one. We’ll equip you with a grocery list. We’ll break everything down so that your meal prep is as simple as possible. We’ll give you bonus tips and recipes and freebies. And this is all for just $1 each week. You’ll love it!

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

Simple Banana Pancakes (on a Simple Budget)

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What is it that makes serving breakfast for dinner so much fun? These Simple Banana Pancakes are extra delicious at night. I don’t know why, they just are.

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Also, it’s seems that pancakes taste better when cooked over an open fire while camping.

So let’s review. Pancakes taste better when cooked at night for dinner or when cooked over an open fire while camping. Why do we even think about making these in the morning for breakfast, anyway?

Well, because they taste great in the morning too. Okay, then. Pancakes taste amazing no matter when you make them and where you cook them. Pancakes are fabulous. Add banana to the pancakes and they become extra special.

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Once again, we can brag that this meal offers extra money savings! As we work our way through the month sharing Simple Meals on a Simple Budget, we can be amazed at how many great meals we can make that come together without much effort but still save us money too!

Simple Recipes on a Simple Budget

Have you tried the other Simple Meals on a Simple Budget we’ve shared so far? There are many more to come, but here are the two we’ve posted at this point:

And of course, all the Simple Recipes we’ve shared during the past year:

And now, without further ado, I present to you the most wonderful breakfast or dinner time Simple Banana Pancakes!

Simple Banana Pancakes

Simple Banana Pancakes (on a Simple Budget)
 
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Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole grain flour (I use freshly ground hard or soft white wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed or pureed
  • 1½ cups milk
  • ¼ cup melted butter or coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
  2. Cook on a hot griddle, turning once bubbly, about 2 minutes on each side.

Simple Banana Pancakes

Enjoy all these recipes without effort when you become a Simple Meals member! Every week we’ll send you a great menu plan full of Simple Recipes like this one. We’ll equip you with a grocery list. We’ll break everything down so that your meal prep is as simple as possible. We’ll give you bonus tips and recipes and freebies. And this is all for just $1 each week. You’ll love it!

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Does your family enjoy eating breakfast food at dinner time?

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

Simple Tuna Patties (on a Simple Budget)

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These Simple Tuna Patties are definitely going to become a new staple around our house.

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Anytime we eat tuna, I like to use yellow-fin tuna in water. If I wait for sales and then stock up, I can get it for around $1.14 per 5-ounce can. There are even cheaper varieties, but those tend to include unnecessary ingredients I want to avoid. This one only contains tuna, water, and salt. :)

Since we’re talking about Simple Meals on a Simple Budget right now, how about we do a little math story problem?

Laura needs three cans of tuna to make Simple Tuna Patties. Her tuna costs $1.14 per can. What is the cost of her tuna for this recipe?

This is math in the real world, Baby. It’s the answer to, “But when will I ever use this stuff in real life?” that we all asked back in our middle and high school days. Though I’ve still never used one lick of the Geometry and Alegebra 2 I worked so hard to learn in high school so I’m still a little bit bitter about that.

Well anyway, $3.42. The answer to my tuna math problem is $3.42.

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I will admit that before trying these, I thought the idea of mashing tuna into patties and frying them sounded weird. So if you also saw the title of this recipe and got weirded out, let me assure you of how wonderful these taste! Every single person in my family loves these. They are easy, filling, delicious, and inexpensive. So how about another tuna story problem? This one is more complex. Prepare yourself.

Laura pays a minimum of $5.60 for one pound of grass-fed ground beef. If she makes hamburger patties for her family, she uses two pounds of ground beef. How much money does she save when making one recipe worth of Tuna Patties instead of hamburger patties?

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Here, I’ll make it easy. Two pounds of burger = $11.20. $11.20 take away $3.42 is $7.78 and that is how much money I save when making these Simple Tuna Patties for my family’s lunch.

(I used a calculator to solve this problem because my high school math teachers are no longer the boss of me. Also, they told me I would use the sine, cosine, and tangent stuff in my future and that was a lie. So I’ll use my calculator if I want. And I will apparently go off on a tangent. So at least I’m using that one.)

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Simple Tuna Patties

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Simple Tuna Patties (on a Simple Budget)
 
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Serves: 6-8 patties
Ingredients
  • 15-ounces canned tuna in water, drained
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • Oil for frying (I recommend palm shortening or refined coconut oil as these are both flavorless and remain stable at high temperatures.)
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, stir together all ingredients except for the oil.
  2. Heat about 3 Tablespoons of oil in a skillet.
  3. Drop a large scoop full of tuna mixture into hot oil, pressing to flatten into a patty.
  4. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until both sides of the tuna patty is golden brown.
  5. Serve right away.

Simple Tuna Patties on a Simple Budget

Here’s one more math story problem for you:

If Susie becomes a Simple Meals member for the tiny cost of $1.00 per week, receiving complete and easy meal plans, grocery lists, recipes, time-saving tips, and more, how happy is Susie every single week of her life? And how much time has Susie saved each week? And how much money has Susie saved? And how well does Susie’s family eat??

Well now, this one is a no-brainer. :) Join us here —>

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Simple Lentil Nachos (on a Simple Budget)

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Simple Lentil Nachos is a don’t plan ahead, don’t thaw meat, don’t worry about dinner recipe! If only all meals could be this easy. Oh, and it’s also a don’t spend much money recipe. High fives all around.

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Welcome to the first recipe in our Simple Meals on a Simple Budget series! 
Watch for more recipes like this all month long. :)

Now you know me. I’m a meat-lovin’ girl, living in a household of meat-lovin’ men, all of whom are athletes who need large amounts of protein every day. So I always cringe just a little bit when discussing “meatless recipes” because while I love that this is a great way to save money, I don’t love how unsatisfied meatless meals leave my sons. They love carbs and can eat potatoes until the cows come home, but well, they definitely need the cows to come home. And then they need said cows to land on their plates in the form of a roast or a patty.

But this is what I’ve learned: While it doesn’t work well to go meatless for an entire day at my house, it certainly is possible to offer one or two meatless meal every couple of days. As long as I try to balance our meatless meals with plenty that are meaty, and as long as our meatless meals are still full of protein, we do okay.

Phew, kind of sounds like we’re high maintenance around here. Nope. Just hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry.

So…Simple Lentil Nachos. This recipe is ridiculously easy so brace yourself for the simplicity. It’s also relatively boring if not dressed up with tasty toppings. But rest assured, once you’ve filled your bowl with all that you love, scooping this onto a chip is actually quite good!

Here’s how simple it is to make Lentil Nachos:

1) Cook lentils (which is, by the way, effortless).
2) Add salsa and salt.
3) Serve in a bowl with your favorite nacho fixins.
4) The end.

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Don’t tell all the other beans, but lentils have become my favorite legume because of how effortless they are to prepare. No need to plan ahead or soak. Just boil and serve.

Simple Lentil Nachos

Simple Lentil Nachos (on a Simple Budget)
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dry lentils
  • 2½ cups water
  • 16-ounces salsa
  • Your favorite nacho toppings like cheese, olives, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and onions
  • Your favorite tortilla chips
Instructions
  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together lentils and water.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender.
  4. Stir in salsa, heating for an additional 2 minutes.
  5. Serve mixture with tortilla chips and your favorite nacho toppings

Simple Lentil Nachos

Start your new year off right by becoming a Simple Meals member! Every week we’ll send you a great menu plan full of Simple Recipes like this one. We’ll equip you with a grocery list. We’ll break everything down so that your meal prep is as simple as possible. We’ll give you bonus tips and recipes and freebies. And this is all for just $1 each week. You’ll love it!

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Want more Simple Recipes?

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

Simple Meals on a Simple Budget (Check out our plans for the New Year!)

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We’ve been offering Simple Meals planning packets for over a year now. It’s been a blast helping so many families put delicious, nourishing meals on the table in such a simple way night after night! To kick off the new year, we’ve got some big plans. But in keeping with the theme, the big plans are still simple. :)

Pssst! If you aren’t a Simple Meals member, please join now! The price is unbeatable and you will love how Simple Meals helps you put great food on the table in a ridiculously short amount of time each day, with minimal effort. Simple Meals saves your family time!

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All this month, we’ve got new Simple Recipes to share that are incredibly easy on the budget. We always try to keep costs down, but the next 10 recipes we share are going to be extra inexpensive!

So, prepare yourself. As if Simple Meals wasn’t already great, now more of the recipes will feature money-saving ideas that will allow you to serve your family food that costs a minimal amount while still being super tasty and of course, simple to prepare!

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Here’s a sneak peek at one of our favorite Simple Meals and on a
Simple Budget recipes I’m getting ready to share with you!

By the way, did you know I’ve shared 50+ Simple Recipes since we began offering Simple Meals subscriptions? These recipes have ruined me forever for any recipe that requires more than just a few steps or a few ingredients. I’ll consider a new recipe and see that it says “saute then slice then do other things and work very hard” and I cannot handle it. We’d like our food to be “put it in a pan, slide it in the oven, yum, and you’re welcome” and if it isn’t, we just move on.

It’s a good thing there are now so many Simple Recipes being offered here so we can stay on the easy train. And this month we can look forward to — more recipes! And every single one of them is super low in cost!!

Simple Recipes on a Simple Budget

So let’s review.

Simple Recipes on a Simple Budget During the Month of January

  1. Recipe is very simple to put together…check.
  2. Recipe is family friendly…check.
  3. Recipe will take hardly any time to make…check.
  4. Recipe uses only real food, nourishing ingredients…check.
  5. Recipe costs very little to make…check.

What else could we possibly want in a recipe? Oh!! 6. Recipe tastes delicious…check.

Well, I guess that really does cover everything!

I recommend subscribing here to receive our free email each time we post a new recipe this month. That way you won’t miss out on anything new!

Watch for our upcoming Simple Recipes on a Simple Budget. Here’s the running list:

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

Need to Detox After the Holidays?

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Sure, I’ve eaten a few salads, steamed veggies, and raw veggies during the past few days of holiday fun. But I’ve also eaten a few too many bowls of chip and dip, a couple slices of pizza, and some amazing French fries that were well worth the splurge. It seems that perhaps a detox after the holidays is in order?

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Hmmm. You too?

Yesterday I went to the store and restocked all our fruits and veggies. I came home and immediately ate a half a cucumber all by myself. Never before had a cuke tasted so good. Then I dove into the carrots and avocado. Okay fine. I ate my avocado in the form of dip with chips. Whatever. I’m working my way off chips and dips slowly. It’s still the holiday season, right?

I do have to say that I am amazed at how good I feel, even with the junk food splurges, since I started drinking Javita products. Every day I start by drinking a Fiber drink. Then I enjoy a Burn and Control Coffee. Both of these have been fabulous to naturally rid my body of toxins. Since I started drinking these every day (since July of 2017) my gut is lighter, my pants fit better, my blood sugar is more regulated, and well, I go to the bathroom better. (Where is a cute little poop emoji when I need one?)

So first things first, if you’re interested in a natural way to detox every single day, read more that I wrote about Javita products here. I’ll be spending the next several days drinking extra water, eating extra greens, and being very thankful for Javita drinks and all the ways they help keep us healthy.

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Eating Better in 2018

Next, if the end of the year has you thinking about how you want to take more steps toward healthier eating in the future, I definitely want to turn your attention toward this gem being offered right now.

We created Simple Meals in 2016 as a way to save you hours of time and oodles of money every week while still putting great real food meals on the table regularly. This has been a huge help to many of you, and the price to be a member is ridiculously low! So if you aren’t yet a Simple Meals member, we excitedly invite you to become one!

OR

Perhaps this fun (limited time) promotion will be a perfect match for your family’s food needs!

Through January 5 only, you can pick up one (or more) of these Healthy Menu Planning Mini-Bundles that are beautifully categorized and highly discounted to meet your needs and to encourage you to start the new year off right! The mini-bundle recipe categories include:

  • Budget Meals
  • Freezer & Batch Cooking
  • Gluten-Free
  • Instant Pot & Slow Cooker
  • Ketogenic
  • Meal Planning
  • Paleo
  • Quick & Healthy
  • Real Food
  • Vegan

See any in the list that you want to jump in and focus on in 2018? Each mini-bundle is loaded with ebooks, recipes, and menu plans!

I’m most excited about the Instant Pot & Slow Cooker bundle, the Budget Meals bundle, the Freezer & Batch Cooking bundle, and the Quick and Healthy bundle. Which of these would you use the most?

The beauty of how this promotion is set up is that if I buy one mini-bundle it will cost $27. But if I want more than one, I can pay just $20 more and get THEM ALL!!

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Having access to all 10 categories gives us all 100 digital resources, 3,800 recipes, and 100 weeks of made-for-you menu plans. I’m in it for the whole package, baby!

Quick review: If you have special dietary restrictions you can pick one of the mini-bundles and get recipes dedicated to your way of eating for just $27! Or for just $20 more, get all 10 mini-bundles with every single recipe, eCookbook, and meal plan!

But you have to act fast — this sale ends on January 5th! Go get yours HERE.

I’m looking forward to getting back on track with regular healthy meals, how about you? And now, I shall eat the other half of that cucumber.

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The 3 Best Decisions I Made in 2017

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I don’t think I’ve ever come to a year’s end and felt quite so satisfied with specific choices God has led me to make.

Well, I did feel pretty good about my decision to say “yes” at the end of 1993 when the cute soccer guy asked, “Will you marry me?” Good choice, Laura. Good choice.

But here we are, 24 years and many thousands of life lessons later. As 2017 comes to a close, I have been exceedingly joyful about making three important decisions during the past twelve month that have – if I may sound so dramatic – changed my life.

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This picture was the result of my oldest son taking family pictures,
turning his camera suddenly toward me, and saying, “Hey mom!”

Choice #1

After considering it for years and being too intimidated to follow through with it, I finally decided to hire someone to help me clean my house. Sound frivolous? I thought so too. But my house is big and my schedule is full. While my sons are incredibly helpful with so many of the basic and necessary daily and weekly chores around the house, there were too many deeper cleaning jobs that we never, ever got around to.

This weighed on me heavily. So I finally made the phone call. I pay for just four hours each month and the change it’s made in my home and in my stress level has been incredible. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and worth every penny. Hooray for a cleaner house in 2017 (and for the dear friend who fills my home with love while she clears away my dust)!

Choice #2

After being completely overwhelmed with the fact that I could no longer keep up with all the work it takes to run this blog, I asked God to guide me in finding help. He provided not one, but two gals who are a perfect match to help me do what needs to be done regularly so that I can focus more on what I love: writing and creating recipes!

Not one day goes by that I fail to be thankful for the relief this has brought to my daily life.

As an added bonus, the three ladies who help me clean or keep up with blog work are all friends who were seeking a little extra income to help with their own family’s needs. I love it when God provides win-wins!

Choice #3

This choice has been the best of the best. After seeking Jesus in new and better ways during the past few years and while encountering what I can only label as being attack from the enemy, God provided a loving Christian therapist this year to walk me through a deep journey toward breaking chains and finding spiritual healing.

There are no words to describe the freedom I’ve discovered because of the godly help this woman has offered. God is teaching me how to love more freely, to live more fully and peacefully through the Holy Spirit, and to allow myself to be filled with all the goodness He has to offer.

Thankful

I guess I could sum up my year by saying, “I asked for help. God faithfully provided.”

I’ve known for quite some time that I can’t do it all. But this year was the first that I waved the white flag and asked for help in so many different ways. It’s been so glorious that if I didn’t know that God’s timing is perfect, I might question why I waited so long. :)

I look back on 2017 with a great big grin, a heart overflowing with joy, a head freed from the clutter of anxiety, and as an added perk, a bedroom floor that finally gets cleaned regularly.

I pray that your 2017 has been full of all the goodness our God so freely offers. I’d love to hear your thoughts as you reflect on all He’s done for you this year!

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

The Best Food to Make When You Want a Break After Christmas

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We’ve worked and we’ve wrapped and we’ve traveled and we’ve prepared and we’ve baked and we’ve cleaned. We made all the fun treats and the special dishes and the favorite meals. If you’re anything like me, you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday and from now until January 2, you simply want to sit back and enjoy a break.

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Here’s what I want to do right now. I want to play all the new games we got for Christmas. I want to watch too many movies. I want to sit under a blanket and sip coffee. I want to relish the fact that my oldest is home from college and we are all together again for a few short days. I want to fully enjoy the fact that there are no Geometry lessons or English papers or school deadlines right now.

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Take a Break After Christmas!

And as much as I love to cook, right now I do not want to cook. I most certainly do not want to clean my kitchen. These days are considered days of rest and I fully intend to find refreshment with my family right now.

Who else feels this way? Surely none of you are working on projects or cleaning or organizing while I talk smack with my family around a board game? Tell me you’re taking a break right now too!!!

Well, even though we certainly want to enjoy some downtime, it is a fact that we all still need to eat. So today, I’m posting 36 recipes that take just a few minutes to put together. Hooray for Simple Recipes! Hooray even bigger for Simple Meals, which takes all the brain work out of our menu planning, telling us what to make and what to buy, giving us permission to get out of the kitchen and enjoy our families!

36 Simple Recipes That Take Very Few Minutes to Make

36 Simple Recipes That Take Very Few Minutes to Make

Pick and choose from any of these great recipes. None of them require much effort. Making them with dirty very few dishes.

Enjoy your family and relish this time of rest!

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