Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Spend Money Wisely So You Can Be a Generous Giver

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If you’ve hung around here much, you’ve heard me sing the praises of both Budget Focus and One Child Matters. They are two very different organizations, focusing on two very different needs. I believe they are both very important and different as they are, I believe the two fit together perfectly.

How?

Budget Focus is a site created to help you get your finances in order. They help you set up a budget, spend only the money you have, avoid debt and climb out of debt, and find financial peace and security. What does that have to do with One Child Matters? Well, when you know where your money is going and how to wisely use your money, you are much more able to put your money toward important needs like One Child Matters.

Spend Money Wisely - Be a Generous Giver

I love One Child Matters for all the efforts they make toward loving children. I love that they work so hard to care for the needs of children. And I love that you and I can so easily be a part of this ministry.

Obviously, getting your finances in order means you can use your money in great ways that go beyond helping meet the needs of children in other countries. There are local needs all around each of us, our own family members and church family members have needs – there are many, many needs. One of the biggest blessings of being financially secure is that you are then much more free to give!

I encourage you to consider One Child Matters as one of those opportunities. Our family has been so blessed by our sponsorship to our little girl, Gladis.

If you’re in need of an online source to help you get your budget on track, please consider Budget Focus. This month, they’ve knocked down the price of their annual plan to make this possible for everyone!

How have you found budgeting to be helpful in your efforts to be a generous giver?

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Dark Chocolate Almond Granola – Quick! Make this before it gets too hot outside!

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First, many of you are thinking, “What do you mean before it gets too hot outside? It’s already too hot outside!” And second, do you want to see my awesome new jar??

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola - A Great Make-Ahead Meal

Yum

I actually got the jar as a Christmas gift and am just now getting around to showing you. Therefore, it’s really not new as I’ve had it for five months. It’s also an antique, which also means it’s not new, but whatever. My dad’s wife found it at an auction and was sweet enough to think of me, snatch it up, wrap it, and put it under the tree. I opened it and gasped with complete delight, while everyone else in the room was like, “oh look it’s an old, used jar…she really gets excited about weird things.”

I washed it up, and have used it to store many treats. The latest? Dark Chocolate Almond Granola. Which leads me back to my original statement:  You really should make this before it gets too hot outside.

See, at my house, it’s finallllllly warming up and staying warm (I hope). This is making me so happy!!! It’s also making me think about foods that require an oven and how I will not want to be using the oven much in the near future. These thoughts are what led me to ask my 14 year old to make a double batch of Dark Chocolate Almond Granola earlier this week. How nice to get this made ahead of time! We baked it on a day it wasn’t too hot, and we can eat it on a day that is too hot.

And it looks so pretty in my new, old jar. Don’t you think?

One thing to consider:  The pieces of chocolate in the granola will get pretty soft if (when) my kitchen gets too hot. I may need to store it in the fridge. On the other hand, melted chocolate all over granola is not a bad thing.

So, Dark Chocolate Almond Granola. Make some before it gets too hot. Enjoy it on a morning you don’t have time to cook breakfast, it’s too hot to cook breakfast, or you just have a hankering for chocolatey almond goodness.

Find the recipe here.  This recipe is also included in our free Healthy Breakfast Made Simple eBook. Head on over and download it for several more easy, healthy breakfast ideas.

Have you made this recipe before? Is it hot at your house yet? Do you love my new, old jar?

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How I Get a Soda Fix While Avoiding High Fructose Corn Syrup and Extra Sugar

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I’m the one who used to be addicted to Pepsi.

I’m the one who drank a minimum of 4-5 Pepsis every day. I’m the one who drank Pepsi for breakfast, Pepsi for a late morning refresher, Pepsi for an afternoon treat, and Pepsi with dinner. I’m the one who bought cases of Pepsi cans and loaded my cart with 2-liter bottles each time I went to the store.

I’m the one who took advantage of free refills at restaurants by filling my cup over and over and over. I’m the one who came up with excuses to go out to eat so I could refill my Pepsi cup over and over and over. I’m the one who had a double standard – not letting my kids drink soda, but going through the drive-through every time I was out so that I could get a large cup of Pepsi, easy on the ice.

I’m the one who finally learned more about eating healthy, decided to make big changes in our diets, started buying free-range chicken and organic lettuce, but still couldn’t give up Pepsi. I’m the one who learned to hate high fructose corn syrup, but still couldn’t give up Pepsi. I’m the one who had to land in the hospital because I hadn’t been taking care of myself before I recognized my need to stop drinking Pepsi and fill myself with nourishment.

So I’m the one who understands others who have a hard time giving up their favorite soda. I’m the one. I totally get it.

There were two main reasons I struggled to give it up:

  1. It tasted good to me. It was a treat!
  2. I love the fizzy burn of soda.

Now that I’m a recovering Pepsi addict (8 years clean!), I have actually come to a point that I don’t miss it any more. That’s a total God thing, and I’m so thankful for this!

But here are two things you should know:

  1. I still love drinks that are a treat.
  2. I still love the fizzy burn of soda.

I love drinking plain water, believe that drinking plain water is super important, and make drinking lots of plain water a high priority every day to keep my body healthy. We should never substitute our water drinking needs for “treat drinks.”

But just like I think food is fun, I think drinks are fun too. It’s fun to sit down with a cup of coffee topped with Chocolate Whipped Cream. It’s fun to sip a Warm Vanilla Soother. It’s fun to treat myself to a glass of refreshing iced tea. It’s fun to drink Creamy Orange Cooler with breakfast.

Enjoy Soda Without the Sugar

For my soda “fix?” Here are some fun treats I like occasionally:

1. Mineral Water With a Little Bit of Juice Added

I’ve found that about 1/4 cup of 100% juice (usually grape) mixed with about 1 1/2 cups of mineral water really hits the spot. It’s mildly sweet, fizzy, and fun.

2. 100% Juice Cans of Soda

I am so pleased that I continue to find more and more varieties of “healthier soda” on the market. It’s not cheap, and it’s still not going to offer us much in the way of nourishment – so we only drink this rarely. But it’s fun to order a case of this type of soda every once in a while for a special treat. It’s fizzy and sweet – but not too sweet because it only contains 100% fruit juice.

switch soda

3. Flavored Sparkling Water

It has no sugar, and no fruit – so if you’re looking for a sweet drink, this isn’t it. But the FIZZZZZZZZ!! I love the fizz in these. I think it’s fun that there are different flavors like lemon, lime, orange, etc. I just ordered a fun variety pack of Talking Rain Sparkling Water online. I’ll enjoy one every few days as a refreshing treat.

So how about you? Have you kicked the soda habit? What are your favorite “treat drinks?”

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Gratituesday: Another Soccer Season Ends

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gratituesday[2]

March, April, and May are the spring months we eat, drink, breathe, and sleep soccer. Matt coaches (2 teams this season); Justus, Elias, and Malachi play on teams – both city league and traveling teams; Asa, Justus, and Elias referee loads of games. Most of our games are right here in town, but a few are an hour or two away.

We love this time of year, but it is full and busy! Game schedules and referee commitment lists cover one entire side of our refrigerator. I don’t even try to keep up – I just look at the fridge each morning to see what the plan is for the day. Then I check the weather.  Which will I need: tank top or winter coat? Ah….spring.

I’m grateful to share that we have once again survived another soccer season. It’s been great (except for the freezing cold and windy games, the games Matt had to coach while on crutches, and the amount of phone calls we’ve had to make because of re-schedules due to bad weather). Indeed, there’s always a lot of crazy going on for us this time of year. But we love our boys and we all love soccer. So bring it on! (Sunshiny game days are preferred though…what can I say?)

elias soccer 2014 spring

Here’s Elias’ traveling team after their final game this weekend. Great kids!

This year, I’m particularly grateful for the relationships I’ve formed with other parents on the side-lines. We’ve traveled, sweated, frozen, screamed, cheered, and encouraged our sons together for weeks. We’ve shared stories, popcorn, recipes, and life experiences. Through bloody noses, twisted knees, disappointing losses, and exciting victories – it’s been a great season to build relationships with parents of these players.

I look forward to doing this all over again in the fall. I look forward to the break in the meantime. I’m pretty sure our family will celebrate the end of this season with a pick-up game of soccer. Or basketball. We just can’t help it. :)

By the way, I’m happy to share that Matt’s foot is much, much better. His injury is healing very nicely and I’m pretty sure it won’t be long until he can join back in our family soccer games. :)

So what are you thankful for? It’s Gratituesday….please share what God is doing in your life!

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Menu Plan for the Week For Those Of Us Who Need Something To Eat Besides Chocolate Whipped Cream

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Well, here’s proof that I apparently can’t get enough Chocolate Whipped Cream:

mug overflow (1)

Somebody thought adding just one more spoonful would surely be a great idea.

Not to worry – I licked it all off the sides of the mug (picture not included). I considered getting a straw to slurp up everything that ended up on the counter-top, but then I figured, why waste a straw? So I skipped the straw and just lapped it right up with my tongue. Sheesh, I’m kidding. I cleaned it up with a washrag like a normal, less obsessed person. Then I sat down with my sticky, messy mug and savored every last drop of Chocolate Whipped Cream Coffee.

If you haven’t tried this yet, you must. It’s the perfect no-sugar treat. We’ve been going through pounds and pounds of strawberries with the Chocolate Whipped Cream, too. I can’t think of a better way to eat fruit, can you?

In other, less chocolate whipped creamy news, have you tried making Black Bean Chicken Nachos? This is a super quick and delicious meal!

Black Bean Chicken Nachos

Just in case my family decides we’d like something other than Chocolate Whipped Cream to eat this week, here’s our menu plan:

Sunday, May 18
Instant oatmeal packets, clementines
Beef stew, green beans
Small Group potluck – butter garlic shrimp, fresh pineapple, flourless banana bars (a recipe experiment)

Monday, May 19
Strawberry shortcake
Tuna salad on tomatoes and lettuce, pineapple mango smoothies, sweet peppers
Peanut butter pancakes, scrambled eggs, bananas

Tuesday, May 20
Quick mix pancakes, sausage gravy, pears
Black bean chicken nachos with lettuce and tomatoes, fresh pineapple
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, tossed salad, cantaloupe

Wednesday, May 21
Snickerdoodle muffins, fried eggs, blackberries
Crustless pizza, tossed salad, sweet peppers, olives
Crock pot barbecue chicken breasts, baked potatoes, peas, roasted asparagus

Thursday, May 22
Chocolate whipped cream on strawberries (oh look, there it is again), toast
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, green beans, raspberries
Lasagna casserole, tossed salad, steamed broccoli and carrots

Friday, May 23
Raspberry oatmeal bars, apple slices
Healthier cheese dip with corn chips, fruit/kefir/spinach smoothies
Leftovers

Saturday, May 24
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream
BLT Wraps, cantaloupe, sweet peppers, cucumbers, carrots
Grilled Italian chicken, potato salad, creamy coleslaw, watermelon, grape tomatoes

Tell me if you’ve tried the Chocolate Whipped Cream yet! Join the obsession!

Just a reminder, Tropical Traditions is offering buy-one-get-one-free coconut oil, plus free shipping today! Get the details here.

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Buy One Get One Free Coconut Oil AND Free Shipping at Tropical Traditions!

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It’s an exciting free shipping weekend at Tropical Traditions!

Not only is shipping free when you spend a minimum of $12.99, they have some of their more affordable coconut oil on sale, buy one get one free. Awesome!

tropical traditions pure coconut oil

This is what they have to say about their Pure Coconut Oil:

“Tropical Traditions 100% pure coconut oil is produced in the Philippines. We feel this premium coconut oil rivals many of the more expensive coconut oils in the market in both quality and taste. The taste of this coconut oil is very bland due to it being steam deodorized and it provides a very neutral and consistent flavor to foods. Because this coconut oil does not go through the expensive organic certification process, it is much more affordable than other coconut oils sold as “organic” or “virgin,” yet we feel it rivals or is superior to many other coconut oils on the market that are over-priced. This is our most affordable coconut oil.”

Read more about Pure Coconut Oil here, and take advantage of this great deal!

Remember, you have to spend a minimum of $12.99 for free shipping to apply. This works for me because there are so many products of their I love, and I especially love not paying for shipping! Many of their Natural Soaps are on sale BOGO. I use them all the time.

Use the code 51419 at check-out for free shipping to apply. This code is good through Monday, May 19.

Also – new customers with Tropical Traditions will automatically receive Virgin Coconut Oil Book for FREE, simply by clicking through the links in this post, which are my referral links. It’s a great book! No need to add it to your cart. They will ship it to you with your new order.

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Chocolate Whipped Cream – Perfect For Your Coffee

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I was so excited about putting my Chocolate Whipped Cream on strawberries that I never thought to put some in my coffee. Thankfully, I have smart friends.

Earlier this week, I had 11 other women in my home for Bunco. (It was time for this Mama of boys to get some girl time!). I served BLT Wraps, veggies with Homemade Ranch Dip, chips and salsa, and Chocolate Whipped Cream on Strawberries. It was all simple to prepare and serve, which made it perfect for a fun night in with the ladies.

While many of us were enjoying bowls of strawberries with Chocolate Whipped Cream, one of my friends took her full coffee cup over and scooped in some of the chocolaty goodness. It didn’t take long for several of the rest of us to follow her lead. Before I knew it, I was brewing another pot of coffee and making another triple batch of Chocolate Whipped Cream. Mmmmm, so good.

Here, so that you can drop whatever you’re doing and run make this, is the recipe once again:

Chocolate Whipped Cream for CoffeeYum

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 rounded Tablespoon cocoa powder
Liquid stevia to taste (we used about 10 drops)

In a bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add cocoa and stevia, and whip again for a few seconds until ingredients are mixed well. Serve on top of sliced strawberries…or coffee!

Chocolate Whipped Cream - Perfect For Your Coffee

Now, a few days later, as if I wasn’t already beginning an addiction to putting Chocolate Whipped Cream on my strawberries, now I’m adding it by the huge spoonful(s) to my coffee mug in the morning. Ahhhhmazing. And no guilt. It’s all real food, and there’s no sugar involved.

If you don’t want chocolate, can I interest you in making Peppermint Cream for your coffee? And if you really want a sugar splurge, but you still want real ingredients, how about Homemade Chocolate Caramel Creamer?

Listen everyone – with goodness like this to put in our coffee, why would we ever need to buy coffee creamers that are full of not-so-real ingredients? Why??

So what do you think will be your fav? Chocolate Whipped Cream in coffee…or on strawberries?

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$1.66 Per Month – How Much More Convincing Do You Need?

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I thought the prices at BudgetFocus were good already. But right now? They’ve knocked a huge chunk off the price, which means we’d all be crazy if we don’t jump on this.

For less than $20.00 for the entire year, which breaks down to a hair over $1.66 per month, you can have access to everything BudgetFocus offers. Their site walks you through setting up your budget, offers you an awesome online envelope system, helps you keep track of your spending, and provides you with great information and guidance. Do this. Feeling confident about your budget, no matter how much or little your income, is so beneficial.

This price will not be available forever. Get it now. Get your budget under control and organized. I can’t think of a better investment in your financial peace.

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BLT Wraps – The Perfect Summertime Meal

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Nothing says “I’m a humble cook” like shouting really loudly that this is the best recipe you’ll ever eat!  My bad. What can I say? There’s bacon in it. And cream cheese. The goodness of this recipes has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the amazing mixture of ingredients all rolled up in a tortilla.

This recipe is so easy that my kids made it on their own for our family to eat on Mother’s Day. These can be made ahead of time – or at the very least, you can cook the bacon and prepare the tomatoes and lettuce so that you can put them together right before serving time.

The best part? Well…the bacon, duh. Yeah, but the other best part? These wraps really hit the spot on a hot day. There’s minimal cooking involved, so the house won’t heat up. Serve these with a variety of fresh fruit like pineapple, watermelon, or strawberries. Set out some sweet peppers, sliced cucumbers, and carrot sticks. What a wonderful, nourishing meal.

BLT Wraps

Yum

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BLT Wraps - The Perfect Summertime Meal
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 4 ounces softened cream cheese
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
  • ½ cup chopped tomatoes
  • ½ cup shredded spinach, romaine, or green leaf lettuce
  • 3 eight-inch whole wheat tortillas
Instructions
  1. Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.
  2. Stir in bacon crumbles and chopped tomatoes.
  3. Spread mixture onto tortillas.
  4. Sprinkle shredded lettuce on top evenly.
  5. Roll tortillas up tightly.
  6. Cut each into 5 diagonal slices.
  7. Chill until ready to serve.

 

BLT Wraps

Tip: Make the cream cheese filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Then simply fill your tortillas at meal time, wrap, and serve! These work great for brunch, lunch, party, snack…pretty much any time.

Which do you like better: bacon or cream cheese?  How sweet it is that you can have both in this recipe, at the same time. :)

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Stop Thinking and Pray

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Stop Thinking and Pray

70,000.  That’s how many thoughts we think every day, which breaks down to 1.2 thoughts per second.

Yoo-hoo, dear wonderful person who did the research so as to provide us with this thought provoking information: What I’d like to know is, how many of these thoughts of mine are rational, logical, emotional, or have something to do with cream cheese? Does this statistic count the thoughts I think in my subconscious while I’m sleeping? Or in fact do I cram my 70K thoughts into my awake hours, which ultimately means that all the thoughts I think are running into each other, tackling, punching, vying for attention, thus resulting in a big jumbled pile-up inside my head?

I’d like to believe my thinker works in overdrive because I am an efficient multi-tasker. Yes. This is a gift I have, which in effect allows me to plan dinner, read to my kids, make a mental list of phone calls I need to make, and question whose feet are the culprit of my nostril discomfort – all at the same time. Unfortunately, it is also the thinker that allows me to create scenarios, envision disasters, replay conversations, invent situations, and ultimately freak out inside about what did, could, should, didn’t, would have, and might just happen. It is this thinker that makes me believe that I’m completely on my own and able to solve all the world’s problems, prevent all physical and spiritual calamities for my children, and figure out how to appropriately respond to all conversations and encounters.

This kind of thinking makes me crazy.

So what to do? We can’t stop thinking. (because then we’d be dead. okay then.)  Are those of us who tend to “over-think” situations, worry, fret, and constantly analyze just destined to have a lot of frustration for the rest of our lives?

Jesus says, no way. Just like any sin and struggle, God gives us a simple way out of the crazy.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

Take Every Thought Captive

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We control our thoughts. They do not control us. If we allow thoughts that are anxious, frustrated, confusing, angry, controlling, or ungodly in any other way – we need to take them captive and intentionally refocus them to make them obey Christ.

This takes courage, intention, and a heart open to surrender. Christ wants to overtake our thoughts, to fill our minds with his goodness, and to rule our actions. He can’t do that when we ignore Him. He can’t talk to us if we aren’t listening. He can’t fill us with His peace and joy when we refuse to let go of swirling, corrupted thoughts.

Take your thoughts captive. Make them obey Christ. Stop thinking about and trying to figure out all the stuff. Just stop.  Stop thinking and pray. Before every decision. Every situation. Every step forward.

Be amazed at how God offers a solution to every problem you face and how He replaces your anxiety with peace.

Stop thinking and pray. It works! But did we really expect anything less?

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