Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Menu Plan for This Week and a Freezer/Pantry Challenge Update

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Well, with my huge stock-pile of food, we are still doing just fine with only purchasing fresh produce, eggs, and dairy. Confession:  You will see a little package of Hormel’s Naturals lunch meat in this grocery shopping picture from this week. I needed some slivered ham for a fun breakfast idea my friend Brenda told me about at Bunco. I had to have it, yes I did. You’ll be thankful she told me about this and that I veered off course just enough to buy it. Just wait until I share the recipe. :)

jan 22

This isn’t everything, by the way. I had to make a mid-week run to the store since we were almost out of everything fresh.
I got cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, and I can’t remember what else because it’s gone already.

Can you believe I bought strawberries in January?? I can’t even believe it. Somehow, they were a great price and actually looked good. This never happens in Nebraska, but seeing as we are having 50° weather, it does sort of feel like spring. Even if these strawberries aren’t as delicious as they are in the summertime, I figure that at the very least we can choke them down with some Chocolate Whipped Cream. Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem.

I bought three packages of blueberries this week – woohoo for price matching! I also price-matched broccoli, cauliflower, and apples. This price-matching thing has been saving me a bundle.

Speaking of which, I am excited to share that our family has seen some significant grocery budget savings this month since I’ve bought only fresh food and have avoided buying anything for our freezers or pantry. We will be ending the month with spending at just a tad over $400. This number is fantastic for my family in this season of life. (Oh my, I remember the days I spent less than that for everything including meat and pantry staples. Hello, teenage appetites.)

I have also found it interesting to note that it takes between $100-$130 per week to keep us in fresh produce, eggs, and milk. Seem like a lot? I beg to differ. That amount goes a long way toward awesome nutrition so it is very, very worth it. I also love thinking about how our preserved garden produce helps keep that amount as low as it is. I also (how many times can I use also in the same paragraph?) realize how blessed we are that our fresh milk and eggs are priced so very reasonably.

And now, here is our list of menu items for this week. What a blessing to have so much variety and so much good food!

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Fruit and Veggie Sides (I serve 1-4 with each meal)

If you are also taking an “Eat from the Pantry and Freezer” Challenge, I’d love to hear how it is going for you!

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Use Coconut Oil For Fantastically Healthy Baked Goods (Free Shipping from Tropical Traditions!)

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If you make no other changes in your diet, at least switch over unhealthy fats for healthy fats. Butter and Coconut Oil are amazing, both in nutritional value and in flavor. Do this.  You will love it. Your body will love it. Your baked goods will love it.

Seriously, my baked goods used to taste so weird and turn out looking so weird when I used margarine. <— naughty word

Butter and coconut oil can’t help but turn out a great baked good.  They are real.  Real food makes real good food. <— someone should embroider that quote and hang it on a wall

Now the best news:  There are some great coconut oil sales going on this weekend. Take advantage of this and be on your way to better health (and really yummy food). First off, my very favorite, top of the line, coconut oil of all coconut oils is on sale this weekend at Tropical Traditions. Get two quart jars of Organic Gold Label Coconut Oil for just $45. This makes them $22.50 each for the highest quality oil I’ve ever seen or used. This variety has a light coconut flavor.

tropical traditions coconut oil 2
Next, Tropical Traditions is offering two 16-ounce jars of their Pure Coconut Oil for a total of just $12.50! That is crazy low, and I love it. Stock up!!! Why is this one so much lower than the one I mentioned above? Because it is processed just a little differently. While it’s not as high quality as their Gold Label oil, I still love the Pure Coconut Oil and it is still very nutritious. This one is odorless and flavorless – perfect for those of you who want the health benefit but not the coconut flavor. I use both varieties. :)

tropical traditions pure coconut oil
The best news of all? Tropical Traditions is offering free shipping this weekend!!! With a minimum purchase of $19.00, use the code 15261 and receive free shipping. I only purchase when I can pair their sale prices with free shipping.

One more thing:  New customers with Tropical Traditions automatically receive a free Virgin Coconut Oil Book with your order.

Happy baking!

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Honey Peanut Bars ~ Like a Healthy Payday Candy Bar

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Ladies and um, other Ladies (although surely there is a gentleman or three around here too):  We have a winner! Honey Peanut Bars it is!

Thanks to all who put in their vote as to which of the new healthy snack recipes from our upcoming eBook we should reveal early. It was a pretty close call on several. I put Malachi to work making tally marks as votes came in (a great school project for him). He had a lot of fun with it…

counting votes

Here’s how my afternoon sounded:

“Pizza Muffins are in the lead. They’re going to win for sure!”
“Mom! Peanut Bars have a ton of votes. They caught up to Pizza Muffins.”
“I think Oyster Crackers are going to pull ahead!”
“It’s back to the Peanut Bars. Why is everyone choosing that one?”

Yeah, Malachi doesn’t like peanuts. ;)

When it was all said and done, the Honey Peanut Bars won by several votes. Not to worry though. Our 227 Healthy Snacks eBook is almost finished. Then you’ll have access to all the recipes forever! (Our goal is to have the book ready for you by Sunday night.)

I mixed up a batch of these Honey Peanut Bars tonight again, just because they sounded good. Our older boys will probably finish them all off once they get home from basketball practice. What a perfect post-workout/bedtime snack for them. (With apples and cheese and whatever else they get out because…do I really need to explain?)

You should be excited to know that it only took about five minutes for me to mix these up tonight. Their simplicity is of the many reasons I love them. :)

Honey Peanut BarsYum

Honey Peanut Bars ~ Like a Healthy Payday Candy Bar
 
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Author:
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
  • ¼ cup roasted, unsalted almonds
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 3 Tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan stir honey, peanut butter, and salt together over low heat until well combined. Remove from heat.
  2. Stir in peanuts and almonds.
  3. Spread mixture into an 8x8 inch pan.
  4. Chill for 2 hours.
  5. Cut into bars.

Honey Peanut Bars - Better Than a Payday

Told you they were easy to make! Go grab your simple ingredients and get busy on these bars. You will love them as much as we do (well, everyone but Malachi).

Grab your copy of 227 Healthy Snacks which includes this recipe and 226 more recipes and snack ideas that are super delicious!

227 Healthy Snacks 2

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A Safer Kitchen ~ What to Do About Aluminum Bakeware (and a giveaway from Healthy Cooking Products!)

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I really appreciate our discussion last week on switching from Teflon to cast iron and stainless steel! Today we’re going to talk about our bakeware.

A Safer Kitchen

Many cookie sheets and cake pans are made from aluminum. Unfortunately, this is not a safe option. Nor are the baking pans that have a teflon-like non stick coating. Here are safer alternatives that I’ve switched to through the years:

Glass

We all know how much I love my Pyrex. :)  For casseroles and cakes, I use 9×13 Pyrex dishes. I love these so much!!!

pyrex_4

Stoneware

I love baking bread in stones. Not only are they safe, they make my bread turn out delish!

loaf pan

 

Silicone Mats or Parchment Paper

I have several cookie sheets that are made from aluminum. They are in great shape, but I don’t like my food to touch aluminum. I’ve been using sheets of parchment paper to cover the pan, which works great – but even though I reuse the sheets a time or two, I don’t like using the paper.

I was very grateful when the folks at Healthy Cooking Products contacted me and sent me some of their silicone mats to try. This is a great solution, and a huge money saver. No more purchasing parchment paper! These mats are BPA free and can be used over and over and over. I lay them on top of my aluminum cookie sheets, and they protect my food. I am very excited about this solution!

healthy cooking products 1 (2)

My dad and his wife gave me this super nice air bake pan for Christmas this year since they know how much I love to bake. I am so glad I can use it now with these easy mats. They wash up very nicely, then roll up to store.

healthy cooking products 1

We made cookie dough balls last week to store in the freezer for a “cookie emergency.” My silicone mat fit perfectly on this cookie sheet. It does not get easier.

healthy cooking products 4

I also used a mat on my aluminum pan this week to make homemade pizza. It worked great, and clean up was super easy!

I’m anxious to hear what you use for baking! Glass, stoneware, parchment on cookie sheets?  I encourage you to look into these silicone mats. They are very reasonably priced and will be a big money saver since having them means you don’t have to use parchment paper.

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Which Healthy Snack Recipe Do You Want Me To Reveal?

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We are putting the final touches on our newest eBook, 227 Healthy Snacks!  See, lookie…

227 Healthy Snacks

UPDATE!! The book is here – we are so excited! Come check out 227 Healthy Snacks. :)  Also our winning recipe is Honey Peanut Bars. Be sure to check it out!

This is most exciting because who of us doesn’t need a resource full of healthy snack ideas and easy recipes?! We all need this. Or is your family among the “perfectly satisfied between meals” sort? I do not even get this. I feed my family huge meals, and we still need snacks. I need them too. It helps me not pass out between lunch and dinner, plus snacks enable me to finish sentences, which I find to be quite beneficial in my line of work.

During the past 14 months, I have been testing out new recipe ideas, brainstorming new snack options, and becoming very creative in the kitchen. The results are exciting! At a quick glance, we’ll all have almost 60 pages worth of snack ideas to draw from. The book includes links to healthy snack recipes on my website for easy access, and best of all – 78 new, easy, real food recipes!!!

I can not wait to share these with you!! Many have become our newest snacking staples, and shucks – I’ve even started using some of them for quick breakfasts or lunches.

My hunky editor (chill out everyone, I’m talking about my husband) is almost finished fine-tooth-combing the final draft. Soon we’ll have the file saved an uploaded into our shop. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to give you just a little peek into what a few of these new recipes look like.

That’s right. We’re only showing you a picture.  It’s almost cruel.  After you look through them, leave a comment, giving your vote as to which recipe you would like me to share here. The winning choice will be revealed on Friday, along with the recipe, free for the taking! Soon after, the entire book full of 227 Healthy Snack Ideas and Recipes will be ready to go (at a fun discount, no less).

So are you ready? These are just some of our family’s favorites as I experimented my way through new snacking ideas!

1. Asparagus Fries

asparagus fries

I figured, what better way to get my family to eat asparagus than to fry it? This turned out to be a very, very good idea.

2. Pizza Muffin Bites

pizza muffins

Wow, the flavor in these is rockin’ – like eating a little bite of pizza without all the effort it takes to make a pizza. Plus, these are perfect to take on the road.

3. Pecan Pie Bars

pecan pie bars

These taste like heaven on a plate. The whole family agrees.

4. Quick Snickerdoodle Bites

snickerdoodle bars

We loved these so much, declaring them to be a favorite of all our favorites – if in fact you can declare such a thing.

5. Strawberry Brownies

strawberry brownies

There are strawberries blended up in these brownies, giving these extra nourishment and the best flavor you can imagine. It’s like eating a chocolate covered strawberry!

6. Chocolate Raspberry Bars

chocolate raspberry bars

These were a very pleasant surprise! The chocolate and raspberry together created a fantastic flavor combination.

7. Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars

blueberry cream cheese bars

These are moist, lightly sweetened, and perfectly decadent with the cream cheese/blueberry combination.

8. Honey Peanut Bars

peanut bars

It’s like a homemade Payday candy bar, only with no corn syrup, way less sugar, and much better tasting. These are Matt’s favorite of the favorites. SO good.

9. Oyster Cracker Bites

oyster crackers

I’ve been wanting to come up with a healthy oyster cracker recipe for years. I finally figured it out! Buttery, crispy, and easy too.

Alrighty, that’s just a tiny peek into what the new eBook holds. Are you ready to make your vote? Leave a comment telling me what recipe you want to see first, then the recipe receiving the most votes will be revealed on Friday so you can start snacking right away. Watch for the new book early next week. :)

Thanks for joining our fun! Let’s hear it for your top pick!

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Gratituesday: The Third Teenager

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It’s official. Three of our boys are teenagers now.

fam 51

Our brother-in-law took this while we were in CA at Christmas time.

While I will admit that bigger issues and bigger decisions come with having bigger kids, I still hold to the truth that teenagers are delightful and are not to be feared. Having three teenagers in our house is awesome. In fact, when I got a terribly sad phone call from my dad tonight, letting me know that my dear uncle had gone (fairly unexpectedly) to be with the Lord – and Matt wasn’t home – my teens took his place, holding me while I sobbed and listening to me while I said stuff that didn’t make sense. These teenage boys are precious – and now there are three of them.

To celebrate Elias (our third son) turning 13 over the weekend, Matt did what has become our tradition. Together they chose an event to attend – just the two of them, father and son. They spent the day driving, talking, and enjoying BBQ and an indoor soccer game a few hours away. Matt had made arrangements with some godly men in Elias’ life to call throughout the day to speak a word of blessing on him and to encourage him as he begins to think like a man and godly leader. I believe he was a few inches taller when he got home.

I love these teenagers (and their 10 year old brother) more than words can say. Now, I weep for the loss of my uncle and for all that his wife and kids are going through. I praise God all the while that my uncle is singing with Jesus. I realize my thoughts are not cohesive. I started writing this, then started making dinner, then got the phone call, then I needed to finish writing this post. It doesn’t have to make sense, right? But in the midst of grief, there is always so much to be grateful for.

Please take the time to leave a comment and share what you are grateful for. God’s goodness is overflowing in our lives!

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Cook Your Breakfast ~ Money Saving Monday

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Money Saving Monday Banner

Boxes of cereal, boxes of granola bars, boxes of poptarts, boxes of donuts, boxes of muffin mix – there are so many boxy choices. You’re probably assuming that I’m about to tell you that all the food that comes from a box is not very good for you. But I won’t say that. Nope, I’ll just purse my lips and produce a forced smile because I’m not going to tell you about the dangers of eating all those preservatives and additives and empty calories that give you no energy and keep you from concentrating all morning. After all, that would be a run-on sentence.

Instead, I’m here to express the joy of how making your own healthy, real food, preservative-free breakfast will save you lots of money.

I spent about 10 minutes on Saturday making 20 cups of Homemade Instant Oatmeal. This is huge money savings, in about 10 minutes. (It’s also healthier than what comes in a box, but we’re supposedly not talking about that today.)

I spent about 30 minutes on Saturday mixing up three different kinds of wholesome muffins for the freezer. This is huge money savings, in about 30 minutes. (It’s also healthier than what comes in a box, but we’re supposedly not talking about that today.)

My family can polish off 2-3 boxes of cereal in one sitting, easily. That can add up to being a $12 breakfast, and that doesn’t include the milk and fruit. Plus cereal only keeps them full for about two hours.

See, making a homemade breakfast does more than just save money. It satisfies my family’s need for nourishment, so they are full longer and are able to concentrate on their school work all morning. This must be because the breakfast is healthier, but we’re supposedly not talking about that today.

TIP:  Make breakfast the night before. I do this almost every day, making our mornings go so much more smoothly!

100+ Money Saving (and Healthy, shh!) Breakfast Recipes

You will find 90 real food breakfast recipes on my Bread and Breakfast page. I add more to it all the time. There are so many great breakfast options!

90+ Real Food Breakfast Recipes

We also have a free eBook for you:  Healthy Breakfast Made Simple. Download and enjoy!

breakfast_e-book cover_sm

Or, it’s as simple as scrambling or frying an egg, making a smoothie, or spreading natural peanut butter on toast. Make a homemade breakfast!! You will save all kinds of cash (and feel better too, but we’re supposedly not talking about that today).

What are your favorite homemade breakfast foods to make?

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Menu Plan for the Week, a Freezer/Pantry Clean Out Challenge Update, and How I Got Ahead This Weekend

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It would appear that my “only buy produce, eggs, and dairy” challenge has also turned into a “see how deep you can dig down into the pantry and freezer to surprise your family with random food choices” challenge. I’m having a lot of fun. My family? I don’t even think they’ve actually noticed.

It’s just food to them. As long as there is plenty and as long as it is tasty, there doesn’t seem to be any argument to eating muffins made with freeze dried strawberries (this recipe, only with almost expired freeze dried strawberries) or an un-named casserole that used up the rest of our turkey and some odds and ends of pasta.

Kids: Mmm, what’s this casserole called, Mom?
Me: Dinner.
Kids shrug and get seconds

I have not made a dent in our store of food, though I am panicking a little bit as it appears we are completely out of the vital ingredient dried cranberries. I’m not sure how we will survive.

I had fun doing some price matching and buying our fresh produce for the week. Actually, most of what you see in the picture is gone already. We plow through it. I’ll probably head back to the store on Wednesday if we can wait that long.

groceries 116

Yes, that is one big sour cream tub.
I like that this brand contains only one ingredient, “cultured cream.”
We go through it pretty quickly, and as a side note:
When I use up the sour cream, the container is perfect for soup when I take meals to other families.

Regarding my plans to get ahead, can I just confess (again) how much I dislike cleaning? I was very willing to spend hours in the kitchen, but finding the motivation to go upstairs to tackle some filth? That is not nearly as much fun. Let’s focus on the fun food, shall we?

First thing, I grabbed out my Oh, For Real book and all spices needed to make Turkey Sausage and Ranch Salad Dressing Mix. Two full jars of spice mixes later, I put 12 pounds of ground turkey with spices on the stove to cook.

weekend 1

While the meat was cooking, I went to work on muffins. I had already put together and frozen Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins the night before, so I started on Banana Muffins and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins. Super easy!

Realizing I was hungry and about to faint (not really, but I thought I should add some drama), I pulled out tuna salad and a bunch of fruits and veggies. The boys had slept in and weren’t hungry yet for lunch, so I munched alone while jotting notes in my Menu Planning Notebook.

weekend 2

After working on menu ideas for this week, I turned over to the Freezer Section of printables. I decided to start jotting down what I have left in my freezers since I’m working on getting them cleaned. Having a running list will be helpful. I didn’t finish the list, because the turkey sausage was finished cooking and I was done eating. I’ll take my list out to my freezers later to take final inventory.

weekend 3

Yes, I know. Corn isn’t a vegetable. 

Last, I took a few minutes (yep, that’s all it took) to make a double batch of Instant Oatmeal. It filled three half-gallon jars, so we should be set on that for a while. I love having that on hand!

 weekend 4

After the meat cooled, I separated it into freezer bags for easy “almost ready” meals. We’ll be using some for Sausage Gravy this week!

Here’s what our menu choices look like for this week:

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Fruit and Veggie Sides and Snacks (I serve 1-4 with every meal)

By the way, this Easy Veggie Dip continues to be a big hit as we work our way through lots of raw vegetables!

How has your weekend been?

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What I Plan To Do This Weekend To Get Ahead And Caught Up

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This weekend, we have no basketball games and only three of us will be home. I have too much on my “take advantage of this situation” list, but I figure why not aim high so that I’ll have a super productive weekend? (I do plan to rest a little bit too!)

Here’s what I’m hoping to get ahead on in the kitchen:

Because it’s been way too long since I put frozen muffin batter in the freezer for breakfast convenience, I plan to make several frozen batches of:

I also need to make Ranch Salad Dressing Mix. We go through that super quickly!

Parts of my house desperately need cleaning, plus we are gearing up for a big bathroom remodel!! And, I’m working every spare minute on a new Healthy Snacks eBook. It’s finally starting to come together, which means I’ll be able to share it with you soonish.

This snack recipe and so many more are coming right up!

strawberry brownies

What are you up to this weekend? Planning to have some down time or hoping to be super productive? Maybe a little bit of both?

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A Safer Kitchen ~ From Teflon to Stainless Steel and Cast Iron

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Some of the questions I’m asked frequently as so many of you transform your kitchens are:  What cookware is safe? If plastic is bad, what should I use to store leftovers? I’ve heard Teflon is bad, but what should I replace it with? How do you keep your food from sticking if you don’t use Teflon? What about bakeware? Is aluminum okay?

And on it goes.

A Safer Kitchen

During the next few weeks, I will be addressing many of these questions and sharing how I have transformed my kitchen through the years. Key words: through the years.  We might all have the desire to throw out everything we have and replace it all right away with safer items. But realistically, you may just have to do this in stages. Shucks, it’s no fun to be practical. ;)

Today I’ll start by talking about cookware.

Teflon and other non-stick knock-offs are only bad for you when heated. This means that looking at Teflon will not hurt you. Cooking food in it will. Bummer, huh?

How is Teflon harmful? When heated, it emits dangerous chemicals and toxic gases. Ever heard of pets dying as a direct result of living in a home which uses Teflon? It’s true. I’ve read it from multiple sources. :(  While people aren’t dropping dead immediately from this poison, we do suffer the harmful effects over time.

I highly recommend working away from using non-stick pots, pans, and skillets – making the trade to Stainless Steel and Cast Iron. Both are proven to be safe and both are wonderful to work with in the kitchen!

Stainless Steel

I had a lovely set of Pampered Chef non-stick cookware and I was sad to give it up. Eventually, I was able to replace it with a very simple and inexpensive set of Stainless Steel cookware, much like this set. Isn’t it pretty?!

stainless steel cookware

I think it’s worth mentioning that while you do want high quality cookware, you don’t have to get top of the line. My inexpensive set has lasted for years and is looking to last me many more.

Cast Iron

Admittedly, it’s tough to make scrambled eggs or pancakes on stainless steel. Cast Iron to the rescue!

Not only is cast iron safe, I love how it cooks food and helps create wonderful flavor. I have two favorite pieces of cast iron:  a large skillet and a griddle.

cast iron skillet

Lids aren’t necessary, but they sure are nice!

This griddle is super nice (I have one very similar which is also double sided). The size means I can crank out three times as many pancakes at one time than I can in a regular skillet, and when I butter the griddle well, the pancakes turn out great!

griddle

Now, with my nice collection of stainless steel and cast iron, I love knowing my food is being cooked safely. Again, be practical with your budget and take baby steps toward making these healthy changes.

What is your favorite kind of safe cookware?

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