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Everyone Make Your Own Salad

September 24, 2013 by Laura 8 Comments

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

Want to know one of my latest tricks as I work to keep life simple (but still healthy) in the kitchen? While I’ve been working to have main dishes prepared ahead of time – when it comes time to serve the meal, we need a salad and/or veggie to go with it. No problem. Steaming veggies or tossing a salad together is super fast and easy.

But here’s what’s even faster:  Throw down all of the salad fixings and let everyone make their own salad. 

Everyone Make Your Own Salad

Is it just me, or does it appear that someone really should fill those empty jars of salad dressing?

Here’s what this looks like at dinner time at our house:

1. I had prepared a casserole last week and put it in the freezer.
2. At 4pm, I put the frozen casserole into the oven, turned the oven on to 250°, and let the casserole thaw/bake for two hours.
3. I wipe the sweat off my brow after that laborious twelve seconds of hard work.
4. At 5:50, I realize the casserole will soon be ready, so I decide to get out salad stuff.
5. I ask one boy to wash lettuce, another to wash tomatoes, another to get out salad dressing.
6. The casserole is taken out of the oven, the salad fixings are out, and everyone comes to the kitchen to fix a plate.
7. Each of us takes a scoop of casserole, then grabs some lettuce leaves. We all tear our lettuce onto our plates, grab tomatoes, choose our dressing, then sit down to eat together.

Even very young children can tear their own lettuce for a salad. And what kid doesn’t love being given permission to tear, rip, break, or shred their food? It’s like a salad eating privilege.

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This message brought to you today by the Stop Giving Excuses About Not Having Time To Eat Healthy Food Foundation.

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This make your own salad idea fits perfectly with our new Simple Meals program! Your meal prep is just about to become much, much easier. You’ll save money, too.

Join the fun! Check out our amazing Simple Meals program!

You will love this!

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Raw

September 23, 2013 by Laura 23 Comments

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

It’s not like I’ve tried to hide anything. I’m pretty sure you all know I’m as real as they come.

I post about the times I burn dinner, shoot ketchup into the living room, overflow the bathtub, don’t get around to sweeping my kitchen floor for two and a half weeks, and yell at my kids for not going to the van when I’ve asked them three or seven times. I’ve made it clear that I haven’t a clue how to fix my hair, how to decorate my living room walls, or how to layer shirts fashionably (unless we’re talking about putting a t-shirt under a hoodie, because I have mastered that one). My front closet smells worse than a boy’s locker room and looks like a used sporting goods store threw up inside.

But being real and being raw are two different things. Being real means that I admit that I’m not perfect and that I make mistakes. Being raw means that I get on my knees, expose my weaknesses, and recognize my absolute need for a Savior.

I didn’t know how much I needed to work on “self” until slowly (or quickly, depending on how it has felt on any given day), God began breaking down walls of pride, peeling away layers of selfish sin, and teaching me how to be more fully His.

I remember asking Him to help me understand His power at work in my life. I naively assumed that meant He would reveal a couple of scriptures to me, and give me some “wow God you’re so neat and powerful” moments. Right? Because God’s lessons do usually come to us come in fluffy, bright packages that are bursting with bubbles, confetti, and goose feathers. Right. 

In many ways, the past year has been very difficult for me. While I’ve mostly been able to carry on with life as normal – caring for my family, writing and sharing with you here on this site, and participating in various ministries – I’ve also been in the midst of some hard core spiritual and emotional battles. I am weary. I am worn. But because of Jesus, I am victorious.

There is great beauty in becoming broken for Christ. His healing and fulfillment can only come when we absolutely surrender ourselves and become open to what He wants us to learn. As He prunes away at the pieces of my heart and life that are unfruitful, I find myself relearning what it is to be a godly wife, mother, friend, and servant. How to love as Christ loves. How to walk my days with the Spirit as a guide.

And through it all, I find that my areas of weakness truly are glorious, because that is where Jesus can shine through me best. That is where pride dissolves and humility reigns.

While God’s lessons aren’t without pain, He has provided me a soft place to fall. I would not trade what I am experiencing to become my old self again. He is faithful to walk this journey with me and to provide who and what I need during every painful and victorious moment.

Today, I’m thankful to be broken.  To become broken is the only way to become whole.

Continued here:  Guilt

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Our Family’s Favorite Real Food Make-Ahead Dinners

September 23, 2013 by Laura 9 Comments

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

To go along with our Getting Ahead for Dinner Challenge, I thought I’d share what my family’s top picks are for Make-Ahead Meals. Here’s some getting ahead inspiration for you:

Italian Pasta Bake

Hearty Green Bean Casserole (In Oh, For Real Cookbook)

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Chicken Fried Steak Strips

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Lasagna Casserole

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Creamy Salsa Enchilada Casserole (Found in Lesson 2 of Let’s Do This! eCourse)

 Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Sweet and Sour Meatballs (found in Lesson 5 of Let’s Do This! eCourse)

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole (from {Healthy} Make Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook)

bacon_cheeseburger_casserole

 Whole Wheat Calzones

Having any of these in the freezer to warm up without any effort is SO helpful to me! What are your favorite dinnertime meals that can be made ahead?

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Free Printables from Heavenly Homemakers – Fall Menu Planners and Grocery Lists

September 22, 2013 by Laura 3 Comments

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

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You may remember seeing these offered last year. In case you forgot about them, or in case you need them again, and because it is now fall, and since we’ve extended a Getting Ahead for Dinner Challenge, and because planning ahead is so helpful, and also since this is a very long run-on sentence – I am reposting these wonderful free printable menu planners with matching grocery lists. {gasps for air}

These are great to print on cardstock, then laminate so that you can reuse them. Help yourself, spread the love. Enjoy!

Falling Leaves Menu Planner

Falling leaves Grocery List

Fall Apples Menu Planner

Fall Apples Grocery List

Cornucopia Menu Planner

Cornucopia Grocery List

Looking for more free printables? Click here to look through what we have so far. Plus, we’d love for you to subscribe to Heavenly Homemakers so that you don’t miss our great recipes and new upcoming free printables. There are many more to come!

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Menu Plan for the Week

September 22, 2013 by Laura 2 Comments

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

Happy First Day of Fall! That means it’s a holiday, right? And that I should take a nap to celebrate? Yes. Okay then. Right after I get my menu plan written. :)

I feel like I’m learning right along with you more ways to get ahead in the kitchen and more reasons that getting ahead is helpful. As much as I love cooking, I do not want it to be a full time job. I love being ahead, saving myself stress, and still putting great food on the table for my family.

I haven’t been able to do anything yet toward the Getting Ahead for Dinner Challenge. Have you? What I have done is take advantage of the meals I already had prepared and in the freezer. Such a life saver after a full day of soccer games. Hopefully during the next few days I can replenish my stock. Otherwise, I’ll actually have to cook a meal from start to finish at dinnertime. Can you imagine?! :)

Here’s what our menu looks like this week:

Sunday, September 22
Turkey sausage gravy over leftover bread, fruit
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad
Small group meeting potluck – bbq chicken sandwiches, fruit plate

Monday, September 23
Quick mix pancakes, peaches
Calzones, pears, baby carrots
Homemade tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches

Tuesday, September 24
Scrambled egg sandwiches, pears
Tuna casserole, peas
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad

Wednesday, September 25
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, apples
Taco corn fritters, baby carrots, peaches
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad

Thursday, September 26
Quick mix biscuits with peanut butter and honey, applesauce
Homemade mini pizzas, pears
Bacon cheeseburger casserole (from Make-Ahead eBook), tossed salad

Friday, September 27
Dark chocolate almond granola, applesauce
Sloppy joes, fruit salad
Popcorn chicken, sweet potato fries, peas

Saturday, September 28
Fried eggs on toast, blueberries
Leftovers
Potato soup, carrots

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Let’s Do This! Join the Getting Ahead {Dinner} Challenge

September 19, 2013 by Laura 12 Comments

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

I loved reading about all that you did last week to get ahead for breakfast! When I extend a challenge, you all really do jump right in. Thanks for making this so much fun! I’m sure your family thanks you too. But who really benefits the most from getting ahead? You and I. Yes indeed. The pay off for our efforts is that we make our kitchen work so much easier. Sweet!

Feel free to continue getting ahead with breakfast foods. (Yes, you have my permission.)  Our Getting Ahead eCourse and eBook can help. Now we’re moving on to the evening meal, the Getting Ahead for Dinner Challenge. Feel free to call this a Supper Challenge if you prefer. I grew up calling it supper, but now I call it dinner, but that’s a post I already wrote a few years ago. :)

Who’s with me?! Let’s Do This!

350x350_Challenge

What’s involved in this challenge? Anything that will help you put a healthy meal on the table in the evening a little bit faster or with a little less effort.

Some Getting Ahead for Dinner ideas:

  • Use your crock pot (here are all of our Healthy Crock Pot recipes.)
  • Cook meat ahead of time so that you can throw it into rice or pasta later
  • Make a Cheesy Beef and Rice casserole ahead of time to warm up at meal time
  • Freeze Chicken Fried Steak Strips for easy-to-grab meals
  • Put extra casseroles in the freezer for easy meals later on
  • Start making a dinner time menu plan for the week (here are our Main Dish recipes)

And those are just a few ideas. There are so many tasks you can do ahead of time to make your dinnertimes easier. (Lesson one and two – well all the lessons really – in the Let’s Do This! eCourse will give you more guidance.)

I’m planning to get a few casseroles made this weekend to help with busy days the next couple of weeks. It is SO nice to effortlessly grab a frozen casserole out of the freezer to heat up for dinner.

Let’s hear it!  What are you going to make to get ahead for dinner? (Or do you prefer to call it supper?)

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We Need Each Other {Guest Post at StrongChurch.org}

September 19, 2013 by Laura 2 Comments

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

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I am honored to have my post featured today at StrongChurch.org. I’d love for you to head over there and read it. Here’s a snippet:

… And by all means, we don’t want to embarrass ourselves by sharing what we are truly struggling with. That might get too personal. It might reveal something ugly. No, we’d best keep our issues to ourselves.

That’s why our conversations in the church foyer often sound like this, “How are you?” “Fine, how are you?” “Fine.” We call it fellowship, even though I often have a more meaningful conversation with the bagger at the grocery store. (“Paper or plastic?”) ….

Read the entire post at StrongChurch.org

 

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Breakfast Crock Pot Casserole

September 18, 2013 by Laura 25 Comments

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

Every once in a while I think to myself, “Surely someday I will run out of recipes and ideas to share on my website.” But after blogging for almost six years, I have decided that no – the ideas will never run out. Why? Because when food meets internet {splat} – recipes, tips, ideas, and suggestions are never ending. I learn something new, I share it with you. You learn something new, you share it with me. As we all ask questions, learn from others, see new ideas, remember timeless ideas, or come across an idea quite by accident – and we share it with each other via this awesome tool called the internet – our healthy eating journey together continues on a fun and delicious path.

Case in point:  On my own, I would never have thought to make a breakfast casserole in my crock pot. I freeze my Easy Breakfast Casserole and for an easy breakfast to bake in the morning. But this crock pot idea is even better, because we can roll right out of bed and eat a hot, hearty meal within minutes.

A big thanks goes to Karli who sent me this idea. We’re lovin’ it! (So much that I named this recipe after you, and included it in my free Healthy Breakfast Made Simple eBook.)

Karli’s Breakfast Crock Pot CasseroleYum

1 pound turkey sausage
6 cups hashbrowns
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup milk
12 eggs

Brown turkey sausage. Butter the inside of a slow cooker, then stir in cooked sausage, hashbrowns, pepper, onions, and cheese. Whisk together milk and eggs, then pour mixture over the top of the contents in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low overnight – about 10 or 12 hours. Serves 8-10.

Crock_Pot_Casserole

I thought it was funny that the sausage didn’t show up on the plate. It’s in there, I promise. :)

This recipe is very versatile – mix and match any veggies, meats, or cheeses that your family likes or that you have available.

How is the Getting Ahead for Breakfast Challenge coming for you?  I love that there are so many ways to get ahead for breakfast, and not all of them involve putting food in the freezer. This crock pot casserole is a great example. As is the Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packet recipe and the Dark Chocolate Almond Granola recipe. And the Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal. And the Freezing Muffin Batter idea. Oh wait. That one does involve the freezer. I guess I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring it up again.

I also wanted to mention that I’ve had great feedback from people taking the Let’s Do This! Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen eCourse. Families are finding new ways to get ahead in the kitchen, saving time, saving money, and becoming healthier. I LOVE it!

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

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola Recipe {Real Food Dollar Menu}

September 17, 2013 by Laura 48 Comments

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

Ever paid over $6 for a tiny box of cereal, and then witnessed that the contents in the tiny box only fed three people one small serving? As delicious and convenient as the box of Dark Chocolate Almond Granola was from Cascadian Farm – that is one pricey breakfast.

I actually got a box of this cereal with some Vitacost credit I had – just to try it. It was a huge hit in our family. That’s what made me decide that surely I could figure out a similar recipe and make my own. Besides, I like the idea of eating chocolate for breakfast. What a way to start the day. :)

The result of my experimenting turned out delicious! I did a little rough math to determine how much money I saved. These aren’t the cheapest of ingredients, but they are hearty and can stick to the ribs. I found that I cut the cost from over $2 per serving to around 75¢ per serving – even using mostly organic ingredients.

What I love best is that this is a recipe that can be made ahead of time for a quick meal or snack. (It’s a perfect recipe to work into your Getting Ahead in the Kitchen routine.)

dark_chocolate_almond_granola

Dark Chocolate Almond GranolaYum

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola Recipe {Real Food Dollar Menu}
 
Save Print
Author: Laura
Ingredients
  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • ¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ¾ cup honey
  • ¾ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil and honey together.
  2. Stir oats, shredded coconut, and slivered almonds together in a large bowl.
  3. Drizzle on the honey/coconut oil mixture and stir well.
  4. Pour mixture onto a large, parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or two 9x13 inch dishes).
  5. Bake at 300° for 35-45 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes.
  6. Allow mixture to cool.
  7. Stir in dark chocolate chunks.
  8. Store granola in an air-tight container.
  9. Makes 12-14 servings.
3.4.3177

You may have noticed that this recipe is in the Healthy Breakfast Made Simple eBook. Haven’t downloaded that yet? Get it here for free!

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Just a couple of days left in our Getting Ahead for Breakfast Challenge. How’s it going for you? Have you made some breakfast foods ahead to save you the effort in the morning?

Looking for more meals on our Real Food Dollar Menu? Here are the recipes I’ve shared so far:

  • Hearty Chili
  • Spanish Rice
  • Pasta Alfredo
  • Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken
  • Crock Pot Beef Stew
  • Easy Chicken Pot Pie
  • Chili Mac
  • Breakfast Pizza
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Gratituesday: The Grammy Jammies

September 16, 2013 by Laura 19 Comments

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

We’ve started experiencing some fall weather around here, which has had our boys digging in boxes and drawers for long-sleeved PJs to sleep in. Malachi appeared one evening in my very favorite pair of all of his jammies, and shucks if I didn’t immediately have to drop everything I was doing and squeeze the life out of him for several minutes.

What’s so special about this pair of pajamas? Well first of all, I think we can agree that kids in pajamas are about the snuggliest and cutest around. So any pair of PJs on my kids makes my heart flop. But it just so happens that this particular pair of jammies was worn by all four of our boys. All of them.  Asa got them as a gift when he was about five years old. He wore them for a couple of years, then when he outgrew them, they became Justus’. Then Elias inherited them. Now Malachi is wearing them.

Let’s all pause a moment and recognize with amazement that such a well made article of clothing exists, and that it has survived in our house through eleven years and four boys without being torn, stained, lost, hung on a flag pole, used as a sling shot, or stretched across the hallway to create a catapult. Indeed, for an entire decade, we have somehow kept track of both the top and the bottom of this matching set of sleepwear, and the elastic is not stretched to the size of Santa. If only we could pass down tennis shoes in this way. Shoot, I’d even settle for a pair of shoes that last through one season and one boy without the sole flopping off or the toe poking through or the foot growing by three sizes in one afternoon. But anyway…

Malachi was thrilled to hear that what he was wearing had been worn by all of his brothers, even the one who is now well over six feet tall. All of the boys chimed in with “oh yeah, I remember those pajamas.” We all inhaled deeply, joined hands, and enjoyed a moment together as we gazed at each other with tears in our eyes. By that I mean that the pajama conversation lasted about four seconds because the boys quickly moved on with life by sticking their heads in the fridge to find something else to eat before bed.

But I wasn’t quite ready to let it rest. “Asa,” I asked, “Do you remember who gave you those?”

He hesitated, because as I said, he had already moved on to thinking about his cheese stick and the pajama conversation was so thirty seconds ago. But then he remembered. “Oh yeah. It was Grammy wasn’t it?”

Indeed. My mom had picked those out for her firstborn grandson. She had no idea at the time that the pajamas would make their way through four growing and busy boys. And we had no idea how special they would become someday – worn so many years later by the grandson who never had the privilege of meeting her.

malachi_jammies_2

Who knew a simple pair of pajamas would be such a treasure?

Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for! Please read through the Gratituesday Guidelines so that you understand what kinds of posts you can link up to share here. Posts that are linked but do not fit our Gratituesday theme will be deleted.

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday, please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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