Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Menu Plan for the Week ~ including strawberry shortcake so I can pretend that it’s summer

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Every good and perfect gift comes from above. This includes the cold weather, right? Freezing temps, blowing snow, amazingly cold wind chill, frozen nose hairs – it’s all a part of living in a state that has long, cold, windy winters.

It’s so easy to complain when we’re too hot or too cold. As for me, I struggle to be content with cold weather by the time March rolls around. I’ve been cold since September, my wool socks now have holes in them, and I’m so ready for sunshine I tear up a little when I think about the rays beaming down on my (pale) face. I know that if I’m complaining about the weather, I’m grumbling against God, because He’s pretty much the one in control of what falls from the sky and blows across the plains. So I’m trying very hard to keep a good attitude and enjoy the fact that I live in an area that has four beautiful seasons. Spring really is coming. Sometime. Really. I know it’s true.

Well, all that to say that I’m doing everything I can to give my attitude a lift. This week, that’s going to include making Strawberry Shortcake. It is definitely not strawberry season here yet. But I found a decent deal on them at the store this weekend. They look nice, and have more flavor than those we get shipped to Nebraska in January. In a desperate effort to believe that spring really is coming, I bought two big containers. For breakfast tomorrow morning, we are going to have shortcake (made from whole wheat and honey). We’ll heap on the strawberries and whipped cream. We’ll pretend like it’s summertime. And we’ll drink hot tea, because clearly, it isn’t summertime and our toes will still be frozen. Fake it till you make it, right?

Strawberry Shortcake with Whole Wheat and Honey

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

I’d also like to pretend it’s summertime by grilling burgers and eating watermelon. Seeing as turning on the grill when it’s below zero is impossible, I’m going to have to stick with eating soup and being patient.

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, March 2
Instant oatmeal packets, fruit
Clean out the fridge
Small group fellowship – I’m making baked potatoes and everyone else is bringing toppings

Monday, March 3
Strawberry shortcake and hot tea
Potato soup, sliced cucumbers and carrot sticks with homemade ranch dip
Sweet and sour meatballs (recipe found in lesson 5 of Let’s Do This! eCourse), rice, tossed salad, roasted broccoli and carrots

Tuesday, March 4
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade tomato soup, blackberries, sweet peppers
Orange chicken, tossed salad, peas

Wednesday, March 5
Snickerdoodle muffins, applesauce
Easy noodle stir fry with broccoli, carrots, and zucchini
One dish meat and potato casserole, tossed salad

Thursday, March 6
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Pigs in a blanket, fruit salad, cucumbers and carrots
Pizza casserole, tossed salad, green beans

Friday and Saturday – traveling for boys’ basketball tournament. Packing some food/eating out some.

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Eat Healthy and Save Time Too

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As I was working on a new Eat Healthy, Save Time post for next week, it occurred to me that I haven’t shared on that subject much lately.

Today, I’m here to remind you that eating healthy does not take a lot of time. It may look different for each of us depending on our circumstances. Some days may be harder than others. But no more excuses. We do have time to eat healthy.  We can do this!

Just for fun, I thought I’d share the link to all of my Eat Healthy, Save Time posts. Read through them to get some great ideas for ways you can save time on this healthy eating journey!!

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How to Make Beef Broth

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There’s nothing very beautiful about pictures of soup bones and vegetables floating in water. And yet, here I am again, just like the time I showed you all the pictures of my chicken carcasses. Some people create adorable collages of their children. Me? I spent time yesterday crafting a collage of my beef broth. Isn’t it precious?  Take note of the fatty bubbles floating along at the top of the jar. I’m so proud.

Homemade Beef Broth

Yum

Beef Broth is as fantastic for your body as Chicken Broth. There are so many minerals we need that we can get from beef bones, such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sulfur, and potassium – all in their natural, beneficial, and digestible form. The vegetables you add to the pot of broth are invaluable. And the best part? Making homemade broth is one of the most inexpensive ways to provide nourishment to yourself and to your family members.

Look into buying Beef Soup Bones. There’s still a little meat on the bones (more on that later), but mostly you’re just going to pay a small amount for a package of bones. Cook those mineral-filled-bones in a pot with water and veggies, and you’ve just created several jars full of nutritional goodness for a very tiny amount of money.

Here’s how I make Beef Broth. As you can tell from my collage above, my process is very fancy and exact:

1. Place thawed or frozen beef soup bones into a large kettle or stock pot.
2. Add, to your heart’s content, chunks of onion, carrots, leeks, celery and/or any other veggie you enjoy in your broth.
3. Fill your pot with water.
4. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt.
5. Cover and simmer pot of water/veggies/soup bones for 4-6 hours. Or more. Or less. Or whatever works for you.
6. Remove soup bones from pot. Pull cooked beef off the bones with a fork, and set meat aside for soup or salads.
7. Blend liquid and vegetables together until smooth.
8. Allow broth to cool, then refrigerate or freeze until you are ready to use it to make soup, cook rice, or add it to a recipe.

That meat you’ll pull off the bones? It tastes incredible because it’s right by the bone and has been cooked low and slow. I love it in chef salads. I also snack on it as I’m pulling it off the bones.

Why do I blend all the veggies into the broth? Because after 6 hours of simmering, they are mushy. When I blend them in, they just become part of the nutritious broth. Depending on the number of carrots I use, my broth might turn orange. No matter. It’s delicious.

Once you’ve made Beef Broth, what can you do with it? You can use it to make Beefy Vegetable Soup. You can also use it in any recipe that calls for chicken broth – like my Cheeseburger Soup or Pizza Soup. Cook rice in broth for extra nourishment and flavor in a side dish – or add that wonderful rice to Cheesy Beef and Rice. Follow my instructions for Chicken Noodle Soup, but instead use beef broth and the meat that came off the bones for Beef-n-Noodles.

What other ideas do you have? What ways do you use Beef Broth? 

Isn’t this a wonderful way to be healthy and save money at the same time?!

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Time Does Not Heal

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Times are changing, time is money, it’s just a matter of time, there’s no time like the present, and as we all know, the third time is – say it with me – a charm. A stitch in time saves nine (which is a huge blessing because otherwise there would not be a ten, eleven, or twelve). We can kill time, track time, spend time, save time, pass the time, be pressed for time, and waste time. Time is precious, time flies, time is of the essence, and only time can heal a broken heart. Wait. Are we sure about that?

We hear it all the, well…time. When we are grieving. When we are hurting. When someone causes us pain. When there is a breakdown in relationships. When we’ve lost something or someone dear to us.

“Hang in there,” people tell us, “time heals.”

Awesome. The next time I’m experiencing emotional pain, writhing with a deep down ache, I’ll just fold my hands and wait for time to heal me. I’ll keep my eye on the clock. I’ll flip the pages of the calendar. A few hours, a few weeks, a few months – it’ll all be okay after that. After all, they say that time heals. How much time, I’d like to know? How long do I have to wait to feel better? How long will I be hurting so intensely, waiting for time to heal my wounds and give me joy again? Hurry up time. Do your thing!

I’m here to tell you that while healing does take time, time does not heal. God heals.  Jesus is the one who took our hurts and burdens to the cross, and because of him, we will find healing. Depending on the deepness of the wound, it may take months or years for God to do His work to completely heal our wounds. But we rely on no other healer other than the Great Physician himself. And in the midst of the healing, God is faithful to caress us with His ever-present comfort.

God Heals

Time without Jesus brings on the bitter. The ugly. The shame. The guilt. The lack of forgiveness. Without Jesus, we can hold onto the hurt, and instead of healing us, time can in fact magnify our hurt, anger, or frustration and produce greater struggle than what caused our pain in the first place. Without Jesus, decades can pass, and the healing will never come. No amount of time can heal a heart holding on to bitterness.

Are you hurting? Don’t wait for healing to come. Fall to your knees and cry out to God. Allow His healing power to seep into your soul and heal you to the very core. Let the Holy Spirit work in you to make you whole again, to give you direction, and to bless you with the peace that passes understanding.

In His perfect timing, you will find healing. Praise God, we serve the ultimate healer! God is good…all the time.

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31 Days of Praise – Have You Been Reading This?

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At the beginning of this year, I mentioned to you that I had started reading 31 Days of Praise, by Ruth Myers. Now that it’s almost March, I wanted to check in with you again to see if any of you have been reading it too.

31 days of praise

What I love about this book is that it is straight from scripture. There are no author opinions on how I should be living my life, no one telling me what I should or should not be doing, no suggestions about what a scripture might mean. It’s simply scripture put into prayers of praise.

While I’ve been reading it for almost 90 days already, I’m still only on Day 11. Why? Because this book is meant to be savored. I read the same pages over and over as I meditate on the words and focus my thoughts on the Truth from the scriptures. I’m chewing on it slowly, letting God’s promises seep in, in the midst of my praise to Him.

I highly encourage 31 Days of Praise and would love for you to experience the richness of all this book has to offer.

I should also mention that I am also very much enjoying Jesus Calling. It’s words are a constant reminder to me to let go of control and worry – and to simply let Jesus be my savior. I read it on my own each morning, then I read it to my boys at breakfast. It is wonderful.

Have you read, or are you reading either of these books?

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So, You Don’t Like to Cook?

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I don’t understand how it can possibly be true, but from what I hear, some of you don’t get a “high” out of pulling out ingredients and stirring together dishes of deliciousness. When you see a new recipe – you don’t get giddy? How can it be?

It seems that instead, some of you very much enjoy mixing chemicals in beakers, changing the oil in a car, running marathons, writing software, organizing closets, crafting adorable items out of old window frames, decorating living rooms, taking pictures, or making quilts. I’m neither good at any of those, nor do I enjoy them – which is likely because I’m not good at them. Every time I try to run, I am then unable to walk for several days afterward. For me, quilting takes three million years of cross-eyed sewing and ripping out mistakes. And last week – someone handed me a camera with lots of cool lenses and I completely panicked because it wasn’t a simple point-and-shoot. They all stood there saying cheese, and I was like, what do I do? what do I do?

But put me in my kitchen, and I’m completely at ease. Ingredients of all kinds give me joy. (Well, not ingredients like margarine. But, you know what I mean, right?)  Creating new recipes is one of my favorite hobbies. Making four dishes at one time is therapeutic for me.

Heavenly Homemaker's Messy Kitchen

Ah yes, we all have different talents, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and interests. God did that on purpose.  It’s a good thing.  Seriously, if it were all up to me, all living rooms would be painted white, NASA wouldn’t exist,  and there would be no party games.

While I can call in for back-up when picking paint colors, unfortunately, there’s not much of a way those of you who don’t enjoy cooking can avoid the kitchen. After all, we all need to eat three times each day. I’ll even admit that while I love cooking, sometimes even I don’t feel like going to all the trouble to once again feed the forever hungry people in my house.

So to all of you who do not enjoy cooking, or who might be experiencing some kitchen burn-out, I have a few suggestions:

1. Don’t make it hard.

Is it possible that you don’t like cooking because the recipes you try are complex and challenging? I believe one of the reasons I love cooking is that I always stick with very simple recipes. Basic ingredients. Tasty food. The end. I’ll leave recipes which require fourteen complicated steps to gourmet chefs. As for me, I’ll stick with simple prep, real food, and family friendly meals.

2. Don’t give up.

I promise that cooking gets easier the more you do it. Make just a few recipes over and over, then slowly add in a few more as you become comfortable. Don’t overwhelm yourself, feeling like you have to put loads of work into this. Make a simple main dish, toss a salad, steam a veggie…and you’re done.

3. Make the most of your kitchen time.

If you don’t enjoy cooking, do everything possible to save yourself effort. If you’re making one casserole, make three (eat one, freeze two). Brown several pounds of hamburger at once, freezing one pound portions so you just have to pull out cooked meat to stir into sauce or make into tacos. Check out more of my Eat Healthy, Save Time Tips.

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I would say that about 95% of the recipes you’ll find here on my site are very quick to put together. (Homemade Twinkies are the bomb, but who really has time to bake little cakes, and then pipe filling inside except for the rare special treat?)

Here are some of my favorite, super fast and easy recipes to throw together:

Really, the list could continue – just click through all my recipe links in my Recipe drop-down tool bar at the top of my site. And don’t forget to make use of the new Heavenly Homemaker’s Recipe Search By Ingredient Box, located at the top of my right-hand side bar. It can take the thinking out of “what should I make?”

Don’t like to cook? No problem. I’ll do everything I can to make this healthy eating journey easier for you!

Let’s get an idea of how many of you love cooking, or dislike cooking. Share in the comments section! Those of you who don’t like cooking – what other activities do you enjoy?  :)

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Gratituesday: My Prayer Mugs

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gratituesday[2]

Through the years, it’s been interesting to discover what items trigger a memory of someone I care about. The laundry detergent I use makes me think of one of my sisters-in-law, because she is the one I purchase through. My painted toe-nails remind me of my cousin, Carie, who paints a fun design on my nails each summer when I see her. And last summer, someone at church comment on my flip-flops. From then on, every time I put on the flip-flops, I think of her.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I believe that when someone comes to mind, that is the Holy Spirit prompting us to pray for that person. Therefore, doing laundry reminds me to pray for my sister-in-law. My cute summer toe-nails remind me to pray for Carie. And my flip-flops? Well, it just so happens that the person I had that conversation with and that I always think of now when I slip on those shoes moved out of state a few months ago. She and her husband are away from family for the first time while she is in grad school. She and I weren’t close really – more like acquaintances. But I tell you what. She is very dear to me now, through the power of prayer. I believe God has used each of these “silly little things” to remind me to pray for those I might not likely think to pray for throughout the day. Isn’t He cool?

At Christmas this year, our family carried on our tradition of “Mom taking each of the boys shopping, one by one, to shop for each other.” It’s a riot, it’s a little bit exhausting, and I absolutely love it. Each boy has a set budget, and an idea of what he’d like to buy as a gift for each of this brothers. He and I have one-on-one time while we shop together and he makes his purchases.

Last year, Malachi had a difficult time figuring out what to purchase that would fit into his budget and that his brothers would enjoy. He finally spotted a variety of mugs – gift packaged with marshmallows and hot chocolate mix. There were four different colors, so he could pick a mug for each brother based on what color he might like.

There was just one problem though. If he got one mug for each of this brothers, everyone would have a mug but him. I mean, he was in the giving spirit of Christmas, but still. He thought maybe he needed one of these cool mugs too.

Therefore, into the cart went four different mugs. Under the tree went the gift wrapped mugs: “To Asa, From Malachi”; “To Justus, From Malachi”; “To Elias, From Malachi” and in true Coppinger silliness, “To Malachi, From Malachi.” They had a blast opening their mugs and enjoying their hot cocoa packets. Anytime I make hot drinks for the boys, I serve them in their special mugs.

boys mugs

But here’s what I love best about these mugs. In the mornings, while the boys are still sleeping, I get up early to have my coffee and time with God. Each day, I choose a different color mug. Each mug represents the boys who owns it. The morning I am drinking from their mug, I pray very specifically for that particular son. Obviously, I pray often for all my boys. But there’s been something very special and powerful about spending specific prayer time for the son whose mug I am enjoying that morning.

I’m so grateful for the way God works. If He can use coffee mugs, flip flops, and even toe-nails to accomplish His purposes – I’d say we serve a pretty awesome God!

Now your turn. Share what you’re thankful for!  Leave a comment on this post letting us know how God is working in your life. If you’ve written a blog post about what you’re thankful for, leave the link in the comments so we can visit your blog to read about it. We love sharing and reading about God’s blessings!

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Menu Plan For the Week

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Have you tried using our new Ingredient Search feature yet? It will be very helpful to use while you’re planning meals or snacks. Simply type in an ingredient or two you would like to use this week, and several relevant recipes should show up for you to pick from and work with. Find this search box at the very top right of my side bar. Have fun finding tasty recipes that will work with the ingredients you have on hand or that are on sale this week!

Easy Noodle Stir Fry

This Easy Noodle Stir Fry recipe is a super way to get lots of veggies into one meal.
We love this simple dish!

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, February 23
Oatmeal breakfast bars, blueberries
Lasagna casserole, tossed salad, butterscotch bars (lunch with friends)
Chili cook-off church fellowship

Monday, February 24
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, apple slices
Easy noodle stir fry with broccoli, carrots, and zucchini
Italian cream cheese chicken, tossed salad, green beans (friends coming over)

Tuesday, February 25
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Pizza boats, sweet peppers, olives, cucumbers, carrot sticks, peaches
Cheeseburger soup, tossed salad

Wednesday, February 26
Blueberry streusel muffins, applesauce
BLT wraps (new recipe I created for a new eBook I’m working on), grapes
Alfredo sauce with pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots, tossed salad

Thursday, February 27
Fried eggs on toast, creamy orange cooler
Tuna casserole, peas, raspberries
Chicken tacos, fruit salad

Friday, February 28
Quick mix biscuits, sausage gravy, blueberries
Black bean salsa, organic corn chips, fresh pineapple
Taco potatoes

Saturday, March 1
Scrambled egg sandwiches, raspberries
Hoagie sandwiches on the road, pears, carrots, cucumbers
Leftovers

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Free Shipping at Tropical Traditions This Weekend ~ Plus Sales on Raw Honey, Blueberries, and More

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tropical traditions free shipping

Through Monday, February 24, you’ll get free shipping on your Tropical Traditions order when you use the code 24214. Orders must be $12.99 or higher to qualify. I love free shipping weekends paired with sales they are offering!

The best sale I found is on their delicious Organic Raw Honey. This stuff spreads like cream and tastes like a dream. Mmm, so good! It’s 50% off right now, so it’s just $10.49.

Their Freeze Dried Blueberries are on sale for $4.89. I love using these in my Whole Wheat Blueberry Streusel Muffins and Homemade Instant Oatmeal. They’re also great to snack on all by themselves. Hey – just for fun, type the word “blueberry” into the new Heavenly Homemaker’s Ingredients Search Box over at the top of my sidebar. You’ll see quite a few great recipes that are great with these Freeze Dried Blueberries. I am loving that new search box!

tropical traditions blueberries

Many of us have been waiting for Palm Shortening to go on sale during a free shipping weekend! I have seen lower prices, but at least it is discounted to $30.65 for a one gallon bucket! It’s costly to ship something that heavy, so take advantage of the free shipping deal with this!

New customers – Tropical Traditions will automatically include a free copy of their wonderful Virgin Coconut Oil Book if you purchase through any of the referral links in this post. It’s a great bonus!

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Trying To Figure Out What to Cook or Bake? Check Out Our New “Search By Ingredient” Feature!

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I am doing a little dance (don’t picture it) with excitement over what I’m about to share with you! Our hope is that the new feature we just completed for our site will be super helpful for all of you.

Introducing, the Heavenly Homemaker’s Recipe Search By Ingredient Box. It looks like this:

search by ingredients

You will find this lovely search item over on the top, right hand side-bar of our site, just waiting to help you figure out what to make for dinner. Or breakfast. Or snack. Or dessert. Or potluck. Or party. Or brunch. Indeed, the search box will do your thinking for you and help you plan!

How does this work? You simply tell the search box what ingredients you have on hand to use – and it will pull up recipes from our site that will hopefully fit your needs. Easy as that.

For example, say you need something quick for dinner. You know off the top of your head that you have chicken, cheese, and peppers in your fridge, but you can’t think of what you should make with those ingredients. Simply type in “chicken, cheese, peppers”  and three great recipe options pop up for you to scroll through. Or what if you need to use up some apples – and you know you have oats and sucanat that you could use to make some sort of dessert or breakfast? Type in “apples, oats, sucanat” and instantly, several recipes will appear for you.

Now, smart as this box is, it’s not a miracle worker. So if you type in “fish, cocoa, tomatoes” – it might roll its eyes and say, “Are you kidding me?” But as I’ve been testing it, most of the time I’ve had very relevant recipes pull up.

The search box won’t work if I don’t have any recipes that include every ingredient you list. So, if no recipes come up for you, try narrowing your search to the basics. It may take some trial and error until we all get used to how this works. But how wonderful that we can take some pressure off by letting this search box do some of our thinking for us. And it’s always fun to find new recipe ideas, right?

Okay, head over to the top right of the Heavenly Homemakers Site and start searching for delicious food to make!

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