Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Menu Plan for the Week

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We’ve been on the road for many days. My husband’s family is from California, so once every two years we make the long journey to visit them. Flying and renting a car would be super expensive for the six of us, so a three day road trip (one way) it is! Phew, what a trek.

We are en route right now, getting hungrier and hungrier for home cooked meals as we go. Once we arrive at home, here are the meals we look forward to (depending on what fresh produce I’ll be able to pick up at the store):

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Fruit and Veggie Side Dishes (I serve 1-4 per meal)

  • Fresh Pineapple
  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Clementines
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Applesauce
  • Asparagus
  • Spinach
  • Mixed Greens
  • Green Beans
  • Peas
  • Pomegranates
  • Blueberries
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Cucumbers

Did you do any traveling this holiday season?

Be sure to get your free shipping and BOGO coconut oil this weekend!

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How to Freeze Pineapple for Smoothies

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You probably already know how simple this is, but just in case, I’m writing an entire post about how to put chopped pineapple into a freezer bag. But first join me for some boring talk about being boring, which is really quite exciting depending on who you are and what you are interested in.

How to Freeze Pineapple for Smoothies

You know how pre-teens can talk and laugh about a fictional character for hours, how teenagers can talk about shoes, how computer geeks can talk about wires, and how athletes can discuss the score of a game from 2004 – and whichever category of people you don’t fit into, you think that subject is the most ridiculous and boring topic on the face of the earth?

Yeah, well women are just as exciting. Here’s what I talk about with glee to my friends while my kids fall off their chairs in the background:  “I got 4 pineapples for just $1.29 each! I know! eeeheeeheee!”

Really, I remember my mom and Kristina’s mom (my childhood friend) having a very long conversation about the price of lettuce (which had most certainly gone up to 79¢ – can you believe it?) – when I was a teenager back in 1985. Kristina and I just rolled our eyes and giggled about the fact that our mothers could possibly think that information about the price of lettuce would be interesting in the least. While our mothers continued their dry discussion, Kristina and I turned back to talking about much more exciting and meaningful topics such as which shirt to wear to school tomorrow and how the cover of my notebook had torn on the way to band class.

As it would appear, I am now my mother, and you are my friend’s mother because I’m here to tell you that I seriously got 4 big fresh pineapples for just $1.29 each! Is that not awesome? Especially since the cheapest I typically find them is between $3.00 and $4.00. That’s why I bought four. You’ve got to get four when you get them for that great of a price. And see, here I am, going on and on and having a very long conversation (with myself, sort of) about my wonderful deal on pineapple.

I, for one, am enjoying this conversation very much.

Those of you who choose to instead talk about your rock collection or printer ink for hours are going to have to find someone else to share it with – because I just got four pineapple for $1.29 each! Do you know how great this is?

How did I get such a great price on four such lovely pineapples? Now that there is an Aldi 50 miles from my town, I can price match at my local Walmart. Aldi was running a special, so I went to Walmart and price matched that deal. (They were just $1.29 each!! Did I tell you that part yet?)

Our family loves pineapple, but our palates might not appreciate eating so much pineapple in a matter of a few days. Instead, we chopped one and ate it, then chopped the rest and froze the chunks in baggies to be used later in our very favorite Pineapple Mango Smoothies.

No way will I ever find bagged, frozen pineapple at the store for $1.29/bag. Oh, but if I do, you can bet I will have a lively conversation with you about it, filled with lots of exclamation marks. (!!!!!)

Pineapple Mango Smoothie Recipe

As you can see from the picture tutorial early in this post, freezing pineapple is as easy as cutting away the outside of the fruit, then cutting the inside into chunks. We found that one large pineapple filled a quart-sized freezer bag.

Now you tell me:  What’s the greatest deal you’ve gotten lately? You know I want to hear all about it. Be sure to use exclamation marks. (!!!!!)

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Simple Spinach Tuna Melts – Don’t Knock it Until You’ve Tried It

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Now that we’ve realized how easy it is to add spinach to our meals, I think we’re working it onto our table at least once each day. The day these Spinach Tuna Melts were invented, Matt was the guy in charge of figuring out lunch.

We almost always have several cans of tuna on hand, our freezer held plenty of cheese, and I think it goes without saying that we had spinach in the fridge. Here’s what Matt came up with:

Simple Spinach Tuna Melts

These were awesome.  I lost track of how many he had to make, as these are one or two bite tuna melts – and I’m not sure if you’ve seen our boys eat lately, but let’s just say they eat a lot of bites at each meal. We went through a lot of spinach, and not one boy complained that there was no bread involved in this meal.

This meal is perfect for days you’re limited on time to cook, days you don’t have meat thawed, and days you want extra nourishment in the form of spinach. (Every day is the day you want extra nourishment in the form of spinach. Join the spinach-eating bandwagon.)

How to Make Spinach Tuna MeltsYum

Open and drain a can of tuna. Use a fork to separate the tuna pieces, then place about a tablespoon on each leaf of spinach. Top with about a teaspoon of shredded cheddar cheese. Place prepared spinach/tuna/cheese on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted.

One 5-ounce can of tuna makes 6-8 Spinach Tuna Melts. If feeding teenage boys, open many cans of tuna and be prepared to make many pans of tuna melts.

So there you go! A super easy meal you can make that packs a big nutritional punch.

How are you doing on eating spinach? Have you found fun ways to work it into your meals?

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Do I Buy Everything Organic?

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Happy New Year! I figured we should begin 2015 with a little chat about vegetables and butter. Good idea, don’t you think?

After seeing some pictures of my grocery store purchases a few weeks ago, Nancy wrote:

Do I see that you don’t buy everything organic? Your butter and cheese are not. I struggle because as much as I have changed our lifestyle, make so much on my own, and buy so much organic, I cannot afford for the butter to be (organic). With the amount we consume in a week, my husband would need a second job! :)  Your ministry continues to be a blessing. Thank you!

Second job, indeed! I was excited to see that our grocery store is carrying organic butter now, but at almost $5 for a tiny little 1/2 pound, that’s awfully hard to take in – even for a butter lover like me. :)

My short answer is, “No, I do not buy everything organic.” And now the long answer…

From meat to milk and fruits to vegetables, organic truly is best. But you know what’s also best? Staying within our budget and taking the stress out of feeding our families whole foods.

I used to be super afraid of anything that wasn’t completely clean – so much so that if a food item wasn’t organic, I simply would not buy it or feed it to my family. This became very stressful, mostly because it was practically impossible and very limiting.  Because I live in a small town without many organic resources (and can only get food from a food co-op once per month), fresh fruits and vegetables were rare around here at that time. Wow, were we missing out.

Here’s what I do now:

  1. I strive to fill our table with as much variety of whole food as possible, especially fruits and vegetables. Organic or not, this is my first priority.
  2. If an organic option of the food we want/need is available and within our budget, I am very happy to buy it.
  3. If an organic option is not available but the food will nourish us, give us variety, and is within our budget, I am still very happy to buy it.

I prefer organic, free range, locally grown, and sustainably raised versions of every single food – I do. I’m so thankful for every bit of meat, dairy, fruit, vegetable, and grain I can get my hands on that has been produced with care. This really is best for us.

But I no longer feel guilt or anxt about eating whole foods that are not organic. I know that God is bigger than pesticides and that doing the best we can with what we have is a more important focus. Our bodies crave nourishment, so I’ll continue to work on filling my family with goodness in any form I can find and afford.

One final thought:  Just because a fruit snack or cookie carries an “organic” label, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s nourishing. I’d rather have a non-organic peach than an organic cheddar bunny. Just something to chew on (literally).

How about you? Do you prefer organic? How much of the food you feed your family is organic? What’s your stand on this topic?

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Homemade {Easy} Tapioca Pudding

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You know what’s bad about feeding my family beans? (Well, besides that.)  It’s that I almost always forget to soak the beans ahead of time. This does not work, even a little bit, unfortunately. Crunchy beans do not make good chili.

As you can imagine, then, when it comes to making Tapioca Pudding, I am never prepared. Every recipe I’ve found calls for soaking the tapioca pearls overnight or longer. Then, most of them tell me to cook the tapioca pudding for a bazillion minutes in a double boiler.

tapioca pearls

See, I’m just not into recipes that require all kinds of thought and effort. Plus, I don’t even own a double boiler. My rebellious “yeah, I don’t want to go to the trouble to do it that way” recipe reading self sometimes gets into trouble. Usually though, I find that I can take short-cuts and still turn out a good product.

Real food recipes become easy, time consuming tasks become effortless, and recipes with twenty-seven steps become no-brainers. This is how this Tapioca Pudding recipe came to be. I suddenly got hungry for the comfort food Tapioca Pudding…and I wanted some right now. “Soak the tapioca pearls in milk then cook it in a double-boiler until Christmas morning 2019” just wasn’t going to cut it. What if? I thought. What if I just pour the tapioca into the milk along with my other delicious ingredients, and start cooking it in a plain ol’ saucepan?

But then the Follow All Instructions Exactly Police showed up at my door, so I’m actually writing this post from prison.

At least we can now all benefit from knowing this is super easy and delicious way to make Tapioca Pudding. Here’s how I did it:

Homemade {Easy} Tapioca PuddingYum

5.0 from 2 reviews
Homemade {Easy} Tapioca Pudding
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup tapioca pearls (unsoaked, booyah!)
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks (save the whites for something else)
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cup real maple syrup (more if you like)
  • 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Measure tapioca pearls, milk, egg yolks, sea salt, and maple syrup into a medium sauce pan.
  2. Use a whisk to cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until tapioca pearls have "popped" and pudding is thick.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  4. Serve right away, or refrigerate.
  5. This tastes great hot or cold.

Homemade Tapioca Pudding - Easy!

I have yet to convince my boys that Tapioca Pudding is the bomb-diggity of comfort foods. You’d think me calling cooked tapioca pearls “eye-balls” would have at least intrigued them a little bit, but nope. They think those tapioca things are weird. My youngest actually suggested that perhaps Tapioca Pudding might taste good “without those tapioca things.” Oh well, more for me.

Do take heed of the “stir constantly” instructions in this recipe. While I’m obviously always eager to break rules and go about cooking my own way without following recipes word-for-word, walking away from your cooking tapioca pudding would be a very, very bad idea. Scorched milk, crunchy uncooked tapioca pearls, and black floaties in your pudding really will cause the I Told You So Police to show up at your door. Ask me how I know.

Are you a fan of tapioca pudding, or would you rather it didn’t have those tapioca things in there?

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Healthy Changes Can Be As Easy As Eating Donuts

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Share Your Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Story

You know those baby steps we’re talking about making toward a healthier lifestyle? Let’s go from thinking “Agh, that means I have to stop eating everything I love and instead only eat gross, slimy green stuff!” to recognizing the truth which is, “I can make a healthier donut and actually eat it without feeling guilty. It will taste even better than the store bought kind I’m used to!”

And by the way – never, ever eat slimy green stuff. “Slimy” and “green” should never be in the same sentence. For that matter, “eat” and “slimy” should never be in the same sentence. But let’s get back to talking about homemade donuts, which are neither slimy nor green.

I loved this testimony from Rebecca. This can be all of us!

Hi Laura,

I have been following your blog for over 3 years ever since our family made diet changes and started eating all whole foods. We have found we are healthier with less sicknesses and health problems. I have read lots of healthy eating blogs but yours resonates the most with me– your recipes are simple with ingredients I always have on hand and are tasty. Being a mother if 4 children and homeschooling and working part time I need easy, healthy recipes. We usually use at least one recipe of yours a day! Today I made the Pumpkin Donuts since I finished cooking and pureeing my last garden pumpkin. They were amazing! I thought for sure I had made enough for all of us but they flew off the serving plate so fast! They were so delicious, I think one if the best pumpkin recipe I have made. We all loved them. Thanks for sharing All your great recipes to us and for making this health journey easier. God bless!

Rebecca Klein
Rochester, MN

See how unhappy and miserable Rebecca’s children are because of all the healthy changes they are making at their house?

image (1)

I think this little one is being forced to lick that glaze off the plate, the poor dear.

image (2)

What a terrible way to wake up in the morning.

 image

Indeed, it’s almost like she’s forcing them to eat slimy green stuff. Almost. :)

What is one of the most delicious healthy changes you’ve made?

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My Resolution to Stop Making Resolutions – And How I Still Plan to Make Healthy Changes

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Join Me in Making Healthy Changes

If I’ve learned nothing else in my 41 years, I’ve learned these two very important truths about myself:

1) Deciding to start a new diet on New Year’s Day typically means I act like December 15 – 31 is the end of the world as we know it and end up eating buckets full of chip dip (oh my beloved velveeta) and a bag full of chocolate covered potato chips (those are a real thing) in preparation for “having to be good.” This makes January 1 and the salads that come with it very depressing.

2) Only God knows what the new year will bring. Trying to plan ahead and be  amazing and full of will power and resolving to make this THE BEST YEAR EVER has always left me disappointed within two weeks when one of my kids starts puking or my printer gets jammed or my favorite mug breaks (all at the same time – don’t picture it).

Indeed, the only resoluting I do now is to be resolute about resolutions. That sentence is either profound, or it barely makes sense. But you have to admit, it sounds better than if I had tried making a profound sentence using the word “indeed.”  Indeed, the only indeeding I do is to be indeedy about indeedness.  Chew on that one a while (or not).

It’s too easy to put my goals on a pedestal, then to feel like a failure when life happens and I don’t achieve perfection. It’s best if I leave my goals and planning at the Lord’s feet. It’s also best if I only munch lightly on the chocolate covered chips and dip on New Year’s Eve, savoring each bite while smiling lovingly at my children while relishing in the moment and all that good stuff.

Now, with that said, I will share that there are so many areas in my life I long to improve. I don’t have any specific plans (because that would be resoluting and I think I’ve been clear on how I feel about that), but you can be sure I will be very prayerful about how I can have a wonderful, kingdom focused, and healthier than ever 2015.

Ah, healthy living. What if instead of resolving to do one BIG thing this new year, we all simply resolve to take many consistent and intentional baby steps toward a healthier lifestyle? Doesn’t that sound much more doable? Doesn’t that sound refreshing? Doesn’t that sound indeedy? (sorry, I had to bring it back just one time.)

What If

 

Leave a comment and share ways you hope to improve your health and the health of your family during 2015? As for me, I look forward to continuing my big fruit and veggie campaign for my family (and yours!), as well as continuing on a consistent personal work-out routine. I feel so much better when I do these things!

Let’s be healthy together!

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Merry Christmas From the Coppingers!

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From our family to yours – Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas! We pray rich spiritual blessings on your holiday season.

Merry Christmas from the Coppingers 2014

I know. It’s hard to take us seriously when we look like that. But really, Merry Christmas and we mean it. :)

Don’t forget to take advantage of our fun gift to you – a free $5 gift certificate for everyone! Oh what fun it is to grab a free eBook from our shop!

Also – don’t forget that today is the final day Tropical Traditions is giving away free jars of coconut oil. That’s a very healthy and delicious Merry Christmas!

Have a lovely, wonderful day of celebration!

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Win a Copy of “The Good Lie” DVD

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Here’s a fun Christmas giveaway you’ll enjoy!

I was just sent two copies of The Good Lie – a movie sharing the true-life story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, their lives torn apart by civil war, left to grow up in refugee camps, then given the opportunity through the efforts of church groups and other charities to embark on new lives in the U.S. It stars Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon and some actual former Lost Boys in pivotal roles.

good lie 1

I can’t wait to watch this with my family. It seems perfect for a family movie night this holiday season. The trailer I watched hooked me in, and I think we will all be encouraged and challenged by this movie. I can’t say much more than that because I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet! But who’d like to win my second copy?!

THE GOOD LIE

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. I’ll draw a random winner on December 27. Be watching for a post stating the winner as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen.

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Our Gift to You ~ Free $5 Gift Certificate for Everyone!

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Thank you all so much for coming to our brunch this week! As our gift to you this Christmas, we are handing out $5.00 Gift Certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop. These certificates are for every one of you, and may be used on any downloadable item in the shop. (Printed items are excluded.)

Your gift certificate code is:  CHRISTMAS5. Limit one certificate per person. This certificate is valid until midnight on December 27, 2014.

Have a very blessed Christmas!

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