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Add Spinach for Extra (Inexpensive) Nourishment

November 9, 2014 by Laura 12 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Money Saving Monday Banner

Have you heard the news? Spinach is the new chocolate. It’s showing up in everything. People can’t get enough. It’s highly addicting. Spinach makes people sooooo happy.

I just made all that up.  Chocolate will always be chocolate, and spinach will…not. But at our house, the “can’t get enough spinach” statement is very true. I’ve been adding spinach to everything. (Actually, I haven’t been adding it to my coffee. I do draw the line there.)  It’s almost become a joke. The boys sit down to eat and say, “So did you add spinach to this, too?”

The good news is:  They are eating it. ALL of it. And they aren’t complaining. Even the pickiest one. Why aren’t they complaining? Because you can add spinach to many, many recipes and it will not change the flavor. It will only add nutrients. And…it might turn the food green, but whatever. I’m not trying to hide the spinach. I’m just trying to add goodness to our food in every way possible.

While I continue to learn more about eating well, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is this:  Healthy eating is not just about what you eliminate from your diet. It’s about making sure you’re filling your body with as many good nutrients as possible so that it can thrive. I’ve also learned never to overfill my blender, which is an equally important lesson, though not so much about nourishment as it is about the regret of finding crusty peach milkshake on the ceiling three days after the episode. But about adding nutritional value to our food…

Spinach has 19 amazing nutrients. Nineteen!!!! Vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C, fiber, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, protein, and choline – all in a spinach leaf.  Impressive.

Add Spinach for Extra Inexpensive Nourishment

The best news of all? Adding spinach to your recipes is a very inexpensive way to eat healthier. I paid $6 last week for a pound of spinach. That sounds like a lot of money until you recognize that spinach is very light weight and one pound of spinach is enough to stuff my pillow. I add spinach to meal after meal after meal. Just think of it. For about 75¢ per meal, I can add 19 fantastic nutrients to my dish.

How to add spinach to your food:

I find that simply tearing up handfuls of raw spinach with my hands and throwing it into the cooking pot works great. My cousin said that she dumps a package of raw spinach into her food processor, adds just enough water to help it spin, then purees it. Then, she freezes the pureed spinach in ice cube trays, throwing a frozen spinach cube into recipes. Brilliant!

What I’ve added spinach to successfully:

  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Salads (obviously)
  • Smoothies
  • Alfredo Sauce with Pasta
  • Beefy Vegetable Soup
  • Cheeseburger Soup
  • Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Chicken Patty Sandwiches
  • Chicken Salad (I didn’t stir it in, just ate it with the chicken salad)
  • Easy Noodle Stir Fry
  • Lasagna
  • Pizza Boats
  • Pizza Soup
  • Potato Soup
  • Salmon Patties
  • On top of Homemade Pizza
  • Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes
  • Runza/Bierock Filling

What I haven’t tried yet, but you better believe it’s on my list:

  • Baked Three Cheese Chicken Pasta
  • Barbecue Beef and Cheese Hot Pockets
  • Beef Stew
  • Calzones
  • Cheddar Ranch Burgers
  • Chili
  • Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
  • Italian Cream Cheese Chicken
  • Italian Pasta Bake
  • Lasagna Casserole
  • One Dish Meat And Potato Casserole
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Spanish Rice
  • Quesadillas
  • Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies
  • Turkey Sausage and Red Bean Stew
  • Taco Meat
  • Muffins and Quick Breads

If you haven’t tried adding spinach to your recipes, I highly recommend it! If you have tried it, leave a comment to share what has worked for you.

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Menu Plan for the Week and What to do With Beets??

November 9, 2014 by Laura 54 Comments

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You know how dads are supposed to “bring home the bacon?” Well this week, my husband brought home some beets and collard greens. That’s almost the same thing as bacon, right?

Matt’s been working over at a gentleman’s house, painting a shed. As he was leaving Friday, a neighbor handed him an arm full of awesome produce. Awesome – except for beets and collard greens are two veggies our family isn’t very fond of. We’re determined to find creative ways to eat them though as we know they are very good for us. That’s where you come in. A little beet and collard green help please??

After an internet search Friday night, I made smoothies with shredded beets, pineapple, orange juice, avocado, spinach, and strawberries. They were actually pretty tasty, and the beets made them beautiful. I’m not sure my family will go for another round of them though. Tell me what you do with beets and collard greens. :)

In other produce news, I loaded my cart at the store on Saturday so that I’d have plenty to work with for our meals this week. A lady at the check-out was like, “Wow, stocking up?” I’m so used to plowing through loads and loads of food each week, I forget what my cart-fulls must look like to others. I had to tell her, “Nope, I have teenage boys. This is all for just this week.” ;)

Sorry about the picture quality. The sun was shining on our kitchen table (yay sunshine!!), which caused a glare on my plastic containers. Below, if you could see beyond the glare, you would find:  Baby Spinach, Mixed Greens, Petite Carrots, Carrots, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Romaine Lettuce, Raspberries, Zucchini, Asparagus, Clementines, Cabbage, and Sweet Peppers.

groceries 2014

I’m excited that at least for right now, our Wal-Mart and another small local grocery store in town  are carrying more organic varieties of produce for very reasonable prices. Here are the meals we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday –  Matt teaches a college age Bible class on Sunday mornings, and I try to take home-baked goodies to share with the students. This week I’m taking Apple Crisp. We’re having company after church, so I’m making Chicken Noodle Soup, a plate of Carrots, Sweet Peppers, and Cucumbers, Olives, Dill Pickles, and Butterscotch Bars. Tonight there is a church fellowship, so I’m taking two Apple Pies. (Yes, we still have lots of apples at our house!)

The rest of the week, here’s what we’ll be working with:

Breakfast

  • Bacon Cheese Muffins
  • Blueberry Coffee Cake
  • Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
  • Crepes with fruit and/or Cream Cheese Filling
  • Scrambled Cheesy Eggs
  • Pumpkin Pie (will be a great breakfast since I’ll be cutting down the sugar in this recipe quite a bit)

Lunch

  • Hamburger meat cooked with cabbage and onions, served on a bun
  • Corn Dogs (hoping to make extra to stash in the freezer)
  • Chili with cheese on baked potatoes
  • Chicken Salad
  • Hamburger Sauerkraut Dip with chips
  • Leftovers

Dinner

  • Chicken Pot Pie
  • Cheeseburger Macaroni
  • Flounder (Thanks to you, we tried this last week. It turned out ugly, but delicious!)
  • Italian Pasta Bake
  • Homemade Pizza
  • Salmon Patties with rice

Fruits and Veggie Sides and Snacks

  • Clementines
  • Apples
  • Raspberries
  • Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes (If you haven’t tried these yet, you should. Amazing!)
  • Sweet Potato Fries
  • Roasted Asparagus
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Green Beans
  • Peas
  • Mixed Greens
  • Spinach
  • Stir fried broccoli, carrots, asparagus, and zucchini
  • Applesauce
  • Homemade Dill Pickles
  • Fresh Pineapple
  • Beets and Collard Greens, apparently  ;)
Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Your Skin Does NOT Have to Be Dry This Winter!

November 7, 2014 by Laura 16 Comments

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hands

Want to avoid dry, cracked, red, rough, bleeding, miserable hands as we head into the colder months? Meeeeee too! I have two wonderful pieces of advice for you:

1. Wear rubber gloves when you wash dishes.

Keeping my hands out of the water as much as possible is a huge help in keeping my hands soft and healthy. I slip on gloves every time I rinse or wash dishes, wipe off the countertop, and load or unload the dishwasher.

Now as we all know, I personally love and recommend wearing mis-matched rubber gloves every time you wash dishes. Two left-handed gloves are best. Be sure to wear these when you have company so they will notice how absurd you look. Wear them proudly.

crazy gloves

Please note that the above tip actually works to keep your hands from getting dry even if the gloves are a matched pair, directly out of the package – if you can possibly imagine me wearing such a normal item.

2. Avoid harmful chemical-filled lotions and creams.

For as long as I can remember, my hands suffered greatly in the wintertime. I lathered them up constantly with fragrance-filled commercial lotions, yet they stayed miserable and even got worse. This became a vicious cycle of having cracked and bleeding hands, rubbing on harmful lotions to “help,” breaking out worse, rubbing on more lotion… It was awful. I tried all variety of lotions, hoping I’d find the magic one that would cure my painful skin. Nothing helped.

I finally realized that part of my problem was the lotion I was using. I trashed all my store-bought lotions that turned out to be full of unhealthy ingredients which were causing more harm than good. I began using lotions from companies like Tropical Traditions I’d learned to trust. I’m so thankful for this, as I now see how important it is to be very careful about what we put on our skin. What goes on the skin is immediately absorbed into our bodies. That’s a huge reason to be super cautious!

The bad news:

Even using healthier lotions did not help my dry skin. I was so disappointed. My hands continued to be miserable during the winter – bright red, burning, cracked, bleeding. Nothing helped.

Until I was introduced to MadeOn BeeSilk Hard Lotion. <——That’s the very, very good news.

I received it in the mail, taking note of its different appearance. This stuff doesn’t come in a bottle or tube. It’s a hard lotion bar, which softens as you hold it – then you rub it on your skin. Within minutes – minutes – I noticed a difference. I had immediate relief from my painful hands. Still I was sceptical. Would my hands still feel good an hour later? Three hours later? Six hours later?

Yes, yes, and yes.

The fact that BeeSilk Hard Lotion is made with only three completely healthy ingredients is the best part of all. I’ve used MadeOn Hard Lotion for four years now and have never looked back. Do I still occasionally have dry hands? Well, only if I’ve been too lazy to rub on some BeeSilk before bed. This lotion works every time, all the time. I always keep a supply on hand (literally – ha!).

Guess what? Renee at MadeOn was kind enough to agree to my request of offering a free gift to EVERYONE with your purchase. Even better? That free gift is none other than my favorite product:  a Pocket Size BeeSilk Lotion Bar (worth $6.95). So…you order whatever you need (like lots of BeeSilk Lotion Bars and refills to have on hand for this winter). Then use the code “HHNOV” to receive a free Beesilk pocket size lotion bar with the purchase of any MadeOn product.

Add the pocket size Beesilk to cart before applying the code. Code expires Thursday, November 13.

Thank you, Renee! Here’s to a winter with soft, comfortable hands!

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

Cream Cheese BLT – The Best Sandwich You’ll Ever Eat

November 6, 2014 by Laura 5 Comments

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We had decided to go on an unplanned road trip. I was determined to avoid the grocery store and instead work with the abundance of food we had on hand to put together a meal we could take along with us and eat in the van. However, I had no bread, no lunch meat, no tortillas, and no cheese. It was time to get creative.

I quickly made a batch of One Hour Whole Wheat Yeast Rolls. Seriously, these rolls practically make themselves. (Although they are terrible about washing their own dishes.)  I almost always have a supply of bacon and cream cheese on hand because those are staple foods at the Coppinger house, along with butter and cocoa, of course. Therefore, I decided to take my BLT Wrap idea and turn them into sandwiches.

What makes a BLT even better? Cream cheese, of course. This “to-go” meal was a hit, though the sandwiches were a tiny bit messy. Eh, that’s what napkins are for, right?

Cream Cheese BLT

Cream Cheese BLT SandwichesYum

8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
Tomato slices
Lettuce

Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in bacon crumbles. Spread mixture on bread or buns and top with lettuce and tomatoes. Delicious!! This mixture makes enough for 10-12 sandwiches.

The best news of all is that you can add this Cream Cheese BLT Sandwich idea to your Make-Ahead Lunch Box list. Simply make the bacon/cream cheese/mayo mixture ahead of time, prep your lettuce and tomatoes, and put it all together on bread, buns, or tortillas when packing your lunch box. It’s a great change of pace from a regular ol’ sandwich.

You’ll definitely want to check out the inspiring idea behind this recipe:  BLT Wraps. Whether in a tortilla, on a bun, or even simply wrapped in lettuce – these are truly amazing.

BLT Wraps

Need more Make-Ahead Lunch Box ideas? Look through all these posts of yumminess.

These BLT Wraps and Cream Cheese BLT Sandwiches rich and filling, so the sides you’ll want to go alongside these need to be simple and light. Our favorites are:

  • Carrot sticks
  • Sliced cucumbers
  • Apples
  • Sliced sweet peppers
  • Pears
  • Applesauce

Now go get out your cream cheese and bacon. Wait. You do have these staples on hand, right?! :)

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An Egg Free Version of Warm Vanilla Soother ~ Share Your Story

November 5, 2014 by Laura 7 Comments

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Share Your Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Story

Our Warm Vanilla Soother recipe is a favorite around here. It is rich and comforting with its whole milk, maple syrup, and eggs. But for everyone with an egg allergy, it seems that this recipe is a no-go for you. I can adapt many of my recipes to become allergy friendly, but for this one? I’ve been at a loss as to how to substitute the eggs.

Why did I even think I needed to try? All of you make Heavenly Homemakers such a wonderful forum, helping each other, offering suggestions, and sharing your experiences. I see dozens of comments on past posts every day in which you are interacting with each other and blessing each other with what you know. This is just one of the many reasons I love you all!

Jenny was one such reader. While others have left comments on my Warm Vanilla Soother recipe post asking how I would adapt it to make it egg free, and I was all, “uhhh, I totally have no idea…” Jenny took her experience and expertise and gave it a try. It worked!!! She emailed to share her story so that I can now share it with you!

Dear Laura,

Two of my kiddos have egg,  peanut and tree nut allergies. So I usually alter your recipes. I was the one commenting on your warm vanilla soother. I kept the egg yolks out but put 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3 tablespoons coconut oil and 3 tablespoons water (mixed together is my sub for 2 whole eggs). It turned out awesome. So delicious. Love your recipes.

Jenny

Oh my goodness. Can Jenny’s little boy get any cuter?

egg free warm vanilla soother 1

Well yes, apparently he can.

eggless warm vanilla soother 2

Here is the complete recipe for Egg Free Warm Vanilla Soother…

Egg Free Warm Vanilla SootherYum

3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons baking powder, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, and 3 tablespoons water mixed together
1/3 cup real maple syrup
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or corn starch
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, baking powder/oil/water mixture, maple syrup, and arrowroot powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (I use a whisk) until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir until creamy. Pour into mugs and serve warm.

Jenny, thank you so much for figuring this out for everyone!

For those of you with milk allergies, coconut milk works great in this recipe. :)

Please continue to send in your stories. I love reading them and sharing them here!

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stretch island strawberry

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Salted Caramel Apple Crisp

November 4, 2014 by Laura 14 Comments

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You know how I talk about my Apple Crisp recipe being so healthy you can eat it for breakfast? This particular version tips the scale from could be breakfast to definitely dessert. This is because of the fantastic caramel sauce drizzled all over the lightly sugared apple crisp, which makes this treat become very sugary and of course, more delicious than ever.

Let us pause right here to smack me in the forehead. How dare I tell you on Monday to cut back on sugar, then post a sugary recipe on Wednesday? I have no explanation or excuse. It’s fall, I have lots of apples, I took this recipe idea to our church fall festival and everyone loved it, this idea is a very easy one to execute, um, um… <— that was me, not giving explanation or excuses. I’m stumbling all over myself here.

Well, do cut back on sugar. But if you have apples, need to make a fantastic dessert to share with others, and want something easy to make, here is a recipe for you. And if you are being a good girl (or boy) and cutting back on sugar like that one lady once encouraged (I have such a sheepish look on my face right now) – just take a couple nibbles of this and hand the rest over to…. See. I can not even finish writing this.

Here’s a naughty recipe for you. I am so, so sorry for posting this.

Salted Caramel Apple Crisp

 

 

Salted Caramel Apple Crisp
 
Save Print
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
35 mins
Total time
55 mins
 
This dessert is super easy, especially if you happen to already have Caramel Sauce made. When I made this last week, I had a jar of caramel sauce in the fridge, so I just warmed it up and drizzled it over the top of my fruit crisp. Easy and awesome!
Author: Laura
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • Crisp:
  • 5 cups sliced apples
  • 2 Tablespoons sucanat or brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinammon
  • Crumb Topping:
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • 2 Tablespoons sucanat or brown sugar
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • Caramel Drizzle
  • ½ cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons cream (heavy whipping cream)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Stir the fruit together with the sucanat and cinnamon. Place mixture in a small baking dish (8×8 inch).
  2. To make the crumb topping, mix together oats, sucanat, and melted butter. Sprinkle crumb topping over fruit mixture. Bake in a 375° for 30-35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden brown.
  3. To make the caramel drizzle, place sucanat, butter, and cream in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted and ingredients are well combined. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle hot caramel sauce over baked Apple Crisp. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve warm.
3.4.3177

Forget you ever saw this recipe. We’re supposed to be cutting down on sugar. C’mon now.

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Gratituesday: School on the Road

November 3, 2014 by Laura 12 Comments

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gratituesday[2]

Asa, our 17 year old, was 4.5 years old when we were convicted to choose homeschooling for our family. (There are so many words I could say about that statement, but the fact that my oldest baby is 6’3″ and a senior in high school is not the point of this post. Just hand me a Kleenex and keep reading.)

Our reasons for homeschooling were mostly about the blessed additional time it would give us with our kids. Once Asa’s kindergarten year started, we suddenly realized so many extra benefits of schooling from home. Flexibility with our schedule has been one of the biggest perks to our homeschooling lifestyle.

God showed us this blessing just two months into our homeschool journey when my mom was diagnosed with ALS. Knowing we had limited time with her on earth, and knowing Dad would need help with her care, we started making frequent four hour trips south to Kansas. Had Asa been in a public or private school, this would have been so much harder. But with homeschooling, we could just pack up the school books and travel any day of the week we needed to. He could do his school work at Grammy and Papa’s table just as easily as he could do it at our table.

Fastforward through 12 years (because seriously, it seems that life moved at that pace) – and here we are with a 12th, 9th, 7th, and 4th grader. Flexibility has become more and more precious as our boys get older. Specifically last week, we made a very last minute decision to head to Oklahoma on a college visit for Asa. Often, if we know we’ll be traveling or having company come to visit, we’ll just cram in extra school work before we leave so we can have a break on the road. That didn’t work last week since we hadn’t planned ahead.

No problem. We packed the books and laptops. English, math, you name it – the boys just worked as we drove. Matt also picked up some history videos at the library for a fun change of pace, which the boys watched once it got too dark to read.

The boys may tell you differently, but I think this variation from our normal routine can make regular school work more fun. The spur of the minute road trip with a backpack full of books reminded me once again how grateful I am for our flexibility. Now that we’re back home, I’m also thankful for routine. Schooling on the road works and is fun, but it’s also very nice to be back home where our pencils can’t roll under the seat of the van. :)

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Leave a comment to share so that we can celebrate God’s blessings together!

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Switching to Whole Food Sweeteners Without Breaking the Bank

November 2, 2014 by Laura 16 Comments

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While switching from processed food to nourishing food doesn’t have to be terribly expensive, there’s no way around this one:  White and brown sugar are cheap. Sucanat, real maple syrup, muscovado, honey, and stevia are not cheap. I can get a 2-pound bag of brown sugar at the store for $1.78. Sucanat, on the other hand, is usually $5.00 for 1.5 pounds. Ouch! It’s worth it to buy the good stuff, but it isn’t fun to pay for.

While I don’t have any earth shattering advice about finding fantastic deals on these wholesome sweeteners, I do have some suggestions based on what works for me.

Switching to Whole Food Sweeteners Without Breaking the Bank

1. Stop eating so many sugary desserts.

I know. You’re rolling your eyes. I feel your pain on this one because I’m a recovering sugar addict. Pray about this and let God’s power be your will-power. You don’t have to cut out desserts altogether (unless you feel called to). You simply need to keep sugary foods a treat instead of pouring on the sugar like it’s a food group. You’ll be amazed at how much money you save on sucanat, honey, and maple syrup when you stop eating so much.

2. Cut the sugar in half.

When baking muffins, quick breads, and breakfast bars, I find that half the sugar called for in many recipes (even mine!) works just fine. The baked goods are still sweet and tasty. This saves quite a bit of money on wholesome sugars!

3. Drizzle your syrup.

Dousing your pancakes or waffles in real maple syrup? That’s an expensive breakfast! A little drizzle of rich, flavorful maple syrup goes a long way. It’s also fun to pour a tiny quarter-sized bit of syrup onto your plate, then dip the corner of each bite to sweeten it just a touch.

4. Pull out the cheap stuff when feeding a crowd.

If I’m feeding 40 teenagers, I leave my sucanat in the pantry and pull out the cheap brown sugar. There’s no need to use $6 worth of sucanat when I can use $1.50 worth of brown sugar for a big group of kids who really don’t care about whether or not the brownies were made with organic sugar or not. I certainly don’t mind sharing “the good stuff” with company occasionally, but it just really isn’t worth spending extra money when three pans of dessert are going to be devoured in two minutes. I never compromise on using real butter (instead of margarine), and I always use my freshly ground flour (no one can even tell) – but compromising on sugar? At least it’s actual sugar instead of artificial sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Which leads me to…

At the end of the day…

It’s all sugar.  Sucanat is healthier because it’s processed very little and still contains nutrients. Real maple syrup is straight from the tree. Honey is made by bees and is as natural as it comes. But to our bodies? It’s all sugar. Read this post about Breaking Free of Sugar Addiction for more of my thoughts on this.

This means you may decide that switching to sucanat (and paying the higher price tag) is just not worth it.

I believe the bigger focus needs to be on cutting back on sugar (in all its forms). Focus on filling up on fruits and vegetables instead. You’ll be amazed at how sweet your fruits and vegetables taste when your palate isn’t coated with a cookie.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Which sugars do you choose to purchase and use for your family?

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Menu Plan for the Week

November 2, 2014 by Laura 6 Comments

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It never fails. Every time I load my cart with vodka so that I can start a new batch of Homemade Vanilla Extract, the cashier always asks, “Having a party?” I always answer, “Nope, I’m making vanilla extract.” It takes about three more questions from the cashier before they understand that I’m talking about vanilla extract, not some sort of vanilla flavored party drink. This happened over the weekend. And guess what? I got carded!!! My 41 year-old self loves it when that happens. :)

Once the guy had all my vodka rung up, he wrote down my website info so that he, too, could learn how to make vanilla extract. It was rather cute. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Laura at Heavenly Homemakers influences people all over the place to buy liquor. This is one time it is okay to give in to peer pressure. (Go ahead. Make vanilla. Everyone is doing it.)

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We had our first hard freeze, so we are officially finished picking produce from our garden. Wow, did we have a long growing season this year! We pulled in all of our spaghetti squash, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, and honey dew melon before the freeze, so we’ll enjoy eating our way through those this week.

spaghetti squash garden 2014

My current menu planning system seems to be working quite nicely. I’ll stick with this for now, then change things up if and when this stops working. Here’s a bullet list of menu items I’ll be choosing from to make each day this week:

Breakfast

  • Waffles with Peach Syrup
  • Scrambled cheesy eggs
  • Peanut Butter on homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bread
  • Instant Oatmeal Packets
  • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Pumpkin Donuts
  • Poptarts

Lunch

  • Spanish Rice (for today’s potluck after church)
  • Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Salad
  • BLT Wraps
  • Salmon Patties
  • Popcorn Chicken
  • Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
  • Sweet Pepper Fritata

Dinner

  • Potato Soup (for youth group Huddle tonight)
  • Lasagna Casserole (doubling up on this so I can get one in the freezer for another day)
  • Italian Cream Cheese Chicken
  • Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies
  • Shepherds Pie
  • Flounder (Not sure what I’m doing with this yet, but found some “wild caught” and decided to go for it. Suggestions on how to cook it?)
  • Orange Chicken

Fruit and Veggie Side Dishes (I always serve 1-4 fruits and veggies with each meal)

  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Ranch Potato Wedges
  • Strawberries
  • Applesauce
  • Pears
  • Peas
  • Sweet Potato Fries
  • Green Beans
  • Steamed Broccoli
  • Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes
  • Mixed Greens
  • Fresh Spinach
  • Apples
  • Fresh Pineapple
  • Canned Peaches
  • Raw Carrots and Cucumber Slices with Ranch
  • Home Canned Dill Pickles

Are you still eating garden produce this time of year? If you have any ideas for cooking flounder, I’d love to hear!

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It’s Almost Holiday Time. Are You Ready!?

October 30, 2014 by Laura 3 Comments

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You know how I always think about food? This time of year, my obsession is worse. (This is something you didn’t think was possible.)

It’s like the falling leaves trigger a simultaneous cinnamon and turkey craving, which of course leads me to order 50 pounds of oats and 12 bags of chocolate chips. If this doesn’t make sense to you, I’m not sure I can find words to explain. I just love food. Holidays mean I have an excuse to do extra baking, which makes me very, very happy. It also makes me stock up on potatoes. Don’t try to understand me. Just nod and smile.

Pumpkin_Pecan_Pie_Squares

Pumpkin Pecan Pie Squares Recipe, part of this balanced holiday season

When I close my eyes at night, all I see is apples. This is because everywhere I turn in my kitchen, apples are taunting me with their, “I know you’ve already made applesauce and apple pie filling with 314 pounds of us this year, but when are you going to get around to turning me into a pie?” I’ve got two pumpkins and four butternut squash on my countertop right now, waiting to become pies, soup, and muffins. (You know you can switch pureed butternut squash out with pureed pumpkin and no one knows the difference, right? True fact.)

In my spare time, which of course is never, but if I happen to walk past my pantry to get the broom, I open the door to stare for a half-second at the beautiful contents within. Cocoa powder, next to a tall jar of sucanat, next to a container of sea salt, next to a jar of baking powder? Just think of the culinary possibilities.

You know me. I love the heat and sunshine in the summertime more than any other season. But if it’s going to turn chilly (and then frigid, thank you Nebraska), I figure I may as well start looking forward to the holiday pie, right? I can’t help it anyway, because here I am, gazing with longing at the vanilla and sweet potatoes. Summer with its salads and grilled veggies and cook-outs are awesome, but God is good to make fall and winter food just as exciting. Cheeseburger Soup is rocking my world right now, and I think it goes without saying that the smell of Pumpkin Bread is the definition of comfort.

What does all this mean? (Besides the fact that I love food.)  All of this means that there are only 27 days until Thanksgiving and 53 days until Christmas. Bring on the holiday parties, delicious recipes, and joy with friends and family! Specifically, bring on the Honey Pecan Pie. Thank you very much.

To keep joy in your holidays, we are excited to offer our Heavenly Homemakers Guide to Holiday Hospitality eBook and our Heavenly Homemakers Guide to Holiday Hospitality for Kids eBook for just $1 each, now through Sunday, November 2. These books are full of organizational guides, recipes, menu plans, and more – to help you enjoy your holiday season and encourage you as you love others during this time. The organizational tips in this book begin on November 1. That’s why we’re offering a sale this weekend. You need these books starting…NOW! :)

Holiday Hospitality Package

Leave a comment sharing what you love about this time of year! (Me? I love the food. My goodness, I believe I mentioned that already.)  Grab these now while they are just a buck each!

Heavenly Homemakers Guide to Holiday Hospitality

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Heavenly Homemakers Guide to Holiday Hospitality for Kids
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