Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

  • Home
    • About
    • FAQs
  • Recipes
    • Bread and Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dairy
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes and Snacks
    • Desserts
    • Gluten Free
    • Instant Pot
    • Crock Pot
    • Heavenly Homemaker’s Weekly Menus
  • Homemaking
    • Real Food Sources
  • Store
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Simple Meals
  • Club Members!

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

June 20, 2013 by Laura 38 Comments

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

flourless_cookie_2

What’s great about having a recipe that is flourless? If you have run out of flour, you can still make this cookie.

Profound.

But there’s more.  Because these don’t have flour in them, they turn out super moist and chewy. Trust me when I say that there is much yum in one of these cookies. (Or in three or more of these cookies if you just can’t control yourself.)

And…if you’re someone who eats gluten free or you’re baking for someone who eats gluten free, these cookies fit the bill. I have no idea what the phrase “fit the bill” means. Are we talking about a dollar bill, or the bill of a hat? Or maybe we’re talking about a duck? I went to school with a boy named Bill. As far as I know, he can eat flour. But I’m guessing he would still really like these cookies.

Anyway, I should look up the phrase “fit the bill” someday when I have spare time, which will be never, since I typically spend my free time rambling about ducks, hats, and my classmates who like cookies. Come to think of it, I don’t remember Bill ever wearing a hat.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip CookiesYum

1 cup natural peanut butter (I use homemade)
1 cup sucanat or brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream together peanut butter, sucanat, egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Fold in chocolate chips.

Place 1 1/2 inch balls of dough about two inches apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake in a 350° oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cookies will firm up as they cool, so do not overbake. Allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Makes about 18 cookies.

flourless_cookie_1
You will love how easy these cookies are to make. If you need to, you can prepare this dough up to five days in advance, pulling out the dough and baking as needed. How very handy. You can also mix up the dough, shape it into balls, and freeze them unbaked. Then, when you need a cookie fix or you need to quickly bake cookies for an event, all you have to do is put them on a pan and bake them as directed.

I’m telling you, if you’re looking for an easy, delicious cookie, these really hit the nail on the head (because I just hate to use the phrase “fit the bill” twice in one post).

And for the record, I couldn’t resist. I took the time to look up where the phrase “fit the bill” comes from. Turns out, “Fit the bill” is a British, American and Australian idiom which means to have the qualities or experience which are needed. Thank you online search engine. I already understood what it meant. I just didn’t understand its origin.

Well, I guess we’ll never know. Maybe I should just ask Bill. He was, after all, our class Valedictorian.

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

Cleaning With a Purpose

June 19, 2013 by Laura 25 Comments

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

In case you didn’t know from all the subtle or not so subtle complaints I’ve dropped through the years: I do not like to clean. I do enjoy a clean house, but the work that it takes to make it that way? Ugh. I’d much rather be in the kitchen cooking up a storm or at my computer writing fun articles.

Like many aspects of life that have to be done whether we like it or not, cleaning is necessary. And not just every once in a while. Dishes have to be done daily (hourly?!), floors need to be swept frequently, and please let’s not talk about the bathrooms.

clean_bathroom

Are you kidding? That’s not my bathroom.
I just found the picture online.

I’m not into having a perfect, spotless home. It’s just not my gift, and I am okay with that. I hear God calling me to more important things than using a toothbrush to scrub the crevices around my – actually – I can’t even pretend to know how to finish that sentence. What do people use toothbrushes to scrub around? Well, whatever it is, I’m not into it. If you are, please do go for it! God gives us all different passions and skills.

What I have been recently convicted of, however, is that no longer should my attitude be that of cleaning just to get it done or so that I won’t die of embarrassment when someone comes over and sees the filth. Those really have been my reasons in the past.

While one of my gifts has always been hospitality, recently God has put on my heart that our home is to be open and used more frequently to bless others. He gave us a great, big house with plenty of food and fun to share.

Based on that specific calling from God (because this would never come from me – I’m the one who doesn’t like cleaning, remember?) I have found so much joy recently in preparing my home for the guests God continues to put on our doorstep.

No longer am I cleaning to save myself from embarrassment or so that guests won’t think I’m a big slob. (Can you say, self-focused??)  I am now cleaning my house, preparing our guest room, planning meals, and making comfortable beds so that my guests will feel blessed and comfortable in our home.

Do we all need to feel like our homes are perfect before we open our doors to others? Absolutely not. My guests are not going to walk in and feel like they’ve walked into a show room. Far from it. Nerf bullets may still fly by their faces while we visit, dust will be found in places that I forgot to notice, and someone may likely come across a broken pencil having a party with the crumbs under a couch cushion. An unapologetic smile and a warm, relaxed welcome absolutely trumps all white glove tested territory in a home. I will not allow myself to feel like a failure when someone drops by and I have to scoot boxes, Lego creations, and folded laundry out of the way so that they can find a place to sit.

But as I scrub toilets, get out clean sheets and towels, and vacuum under beds, I will now be doing it with a new and refreshing purpose: so that my guests will feel peace and joy from being in my home. (As well as the occasional breeze from a nerf bullet whizzing by their face.)

Do you enjoy having people in your home? If not, what is holding you back?

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

Healthy Food to Pack for a Trip

June 18, 2013 by Laura 28 Comments

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

sloppy_corn_muffins_4

This is a topic that has come up at several Meet&Greets. It would seem as though meeting our family on the road makes people curious about what we’re eating along the way! I don’t blame you for asking. Hopefully you haven’t been terribly shocked or disappointed when I’ve shared that we enjoy treating ourselves to some Chick-fil-A here and there on our trips. :)

As much as possible, I do try to pack healthy food for the road. The difficulty comes when we’re traveling for several days in a row. Homemade food can only last so long, and a person can only eat so many sandwiches. 

We don’t feel worry over eating out occasionally. Although I will say that we certainly don’t love spending money on it and our guts don’t always feel great afterward. But since our family eats very, very well MOST of the time, eating at a restaurant is a special treat that my family enjoys without guilt. We usually try to make it count, as in, we don’t settle for icky tasting (in our opinion) restaurants and usually opt for one we all really like. I mean, if we’re going to eat french fries, we want to enjoy them, right?

So, now that I’ve explained that part, I’d also like to share some ideas for foods I try to pack for the first leg of our trips to at least get us off to a good start. In addition, I’ve made note of ideas others have shared with me. 

Breakfast on the Road

  • Giant Breakfast Cookies
  • Scrambled Egg Sandwiches
  • Breakfast Burritos
  • Homemade Muffins
  • Warm Vanilla or Chocolate Soother

Lunch/Dinner on the Road

  • Sandwiches
  • Calzones
  • Meat and Cheese Burritos
  • Leftover Homemade Pizza
  • Tuna or Chicken Salad with Pitas or Crackers
  • Tossed Salads with Chicken (either from home or purchased on the road at a grocery store)
  • Chicken Patty Sandwiches
  • Quesadillas
  • Pigs in a Blanket
  • Sloppy Cornbread Muffins
  • Taco Corn Fritters

Snacks

  • Fresh Fruit – lots and lots of fruit! If we eat nothing else good during the day, at least we have fruit. It’s the best convenience food ever! (Grapes, Berries, Apples, Oranges, Clementines, Bananas, and Pears all travel well.)
  • Applesauce – I splurge on individul applesauce cups for a fun treat on a trip
  • Baby Carrots
  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Homemade Granola Bars
  • Mudballs
  • Crispy Cheese Crackers

As much as possible (while doing laundry, packing, and finishing up four hundred last minute details) before leaving for a trip – I try to prep the food so that all we have to do is warm it up, grab it, and go. Phew! It’s a lot of work. But it’s worth it for the money it saves and the gut issues it helps us avoid. :)

Please share your ideas for healthy foods you pack to take on the road while you’re traveling. Also, have you found some good foods to make in a hotel room? Please share!

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

Gratituesday: The (Less Than) Perfect Day

June 17, 2013 by Laura 16 Comments

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

Our boys’ schedules have been pretty full so far this summer with mission trips and camps. Our oldest two have been gone more than they’ve been home, and their summer fun has just begun. 

I’m thankful to have them home for a couple of weeks after missing them while they’ve been off having grand adventures. Today, I had a great day planned (in my ideal mind). Malachi and I had appointments in Lincoln, which is about an hour away, and all of the boys needed to do some shopping, which required their feet coming along to Lincoln with me so that they could try on shoes.

Therefore, I thought that having all four of my boys together for a special outing sounded like a perfect way to enjoy time together since we’ve been so scattered for the past few weeks.

Uh-huh. Well, parts of it were fine and fun. And of course, I always love being with my kids even when they don’t act like angels. I don’t always act like an angel either, so I can’t fault them for being less than perfect. But wow. Today was a bit of a doozy.

There were too many feet and too many shoes that needed my “here let me feel your toe” expertise all at the same time – not to mention the fact that some of them weren’t looking at price tags before trying on shoes, so even if the toe was in the right place, it didn’t matter because $59 for a pair of shoes was not going to come close to making the cut. Then while one was trying on shorts, the others didn’t seem to know what to do with themselves so they found ridiculous ways to occupy themselves within the racks of clothes. 

That was all before lunch.  You don’t want to know what happened after that. I’m not kidding.

I’m sharing this on Gratituesday because while it’s tough to be grateful for a day that didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, and while I’m a bit discouraged and so tired I can barely type, life could be so much worse. It’s all a matter of perspective and hey, I still got to spend the day with all my boys. I’ve learned through parenting that it’s best to let go of the “ideal” and just embrace reality and be thankful for God’s grace. Today (especially the after lunch part) was a lesson in humility. It was good for me (she says as she chokes down pride).

For the record – and I may feel differently after a good night’s rest – I’m not sure I plan to take them shopping ever again so help me…or until their feet grow another shoe size, whichever happens first. So I think I should be good for about another two weeks.

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!

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

Let Me Clarify: God Comes First

June 16, 2013 by Laura 16 Comments

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

First I talked about how God and I have been meeting recently for some very important one-on-one quiet time. I have found this time to be crucial, powerful, and absolutely necessary in my life so that I can be in tune with what He wants me to do with my time each day.

Then I shared that some of you may have a hard time finding quiet time in the midst of crazy schedules and the terrible twos (which is so not limited to two year olds – if only). I understand the difficulty that comes with trying to find personal devotion time each day.

The first post was not meant to bring on the guilt. The second post was not meant to give you an out. The third post (that would be this one) is letting you know that no matter what your season in life, God is gracious, God understands what you’re going through, and God should come first always.

Your time with God may look different than mine. It doesn’t really matter what it looks like as long as it looks like something. Yes?

quiet time

Because obviously, this is how we all spend our “quiet time” each day. 
I couldn’t even type that with a straight face.

Let me remind you of an important phrase I used in the second post:  God understands your need for quiet, and will provide it for you when you ask.

Have you asked?

Take time (there’s that four letter word again) to reflect on how you spend your awake hours each day. We likely all say that God comes first in our list of priorities. But is our life a reflection of that conviction? Mine isn’t always. Sometimes I’d rather play than pray, and that’s just the stinky truth of what sometimes hangs out in my heart as I’m choosing how to spend my time. 

Or, if I fall back on the “I’m so busy” excuse, I’m ultimately choosing my kids, my husband, my kitchen, or even my doggone toilets over God. (Although nothin’ says you can’t become one with the toilet bowl while having some powerful prayer time. Been there, done that, glory hallelujah.)

Some questions to consider:

Is the desire to feed your family healthy food taking so much time that you feel “too busy” for anything else?  While healthy food is important (this is the Heavenly Homemakers site after all) – if the time it takes to prepare the food is taking hours each day and stressing you out, something needs to change. Continue to learn to serve healthy foods that are simple and quick. (My book and this site are full of info and recipes that combine healthy with simple.)  Save the detailed, time consuming recipes for special occasions. Scrambled eggs and fruit are healthy and quick, as are hundreds of other meals and snacks. God first, not food. 

When you find yourself with a few moments to spare, do you turn to your Bible and prayer – or to Facebook, blogs, TV, or you-name-it-whatever-you-love-to-do?  None of those are evil (usually), but neither are they as rich in blessing as time spent with God.

Have you signed your kids (or yourself) up for too many activities?  Ask God to show you if you need to cut back. Running all over town (or out of town) is a time and energy killer. Ask me how I know.

Are you involved with friends and ministries (yes, even really good ones) that keep you on the run so much serving God that you can’t find time to sit with Him? Oh, have I been there. Upon reflection, it turns out that God doesn’t need me to be all and do all. (Surprising fact:  He already is all and does all. Without my help.)  When I have taken time to ask and listen, He puts me in place with just the ministries He would like me to be a part of. Imagine that.

Share with us!  What holds you back? What can you say no to so that you can say yes to God?

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

Menu Plan for the Week

June 16, 2013 by Laura 2 Comments

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

After keeping it a secret for weeks, we finally gave Matt his Father’s Day gift this morning. So much fun! 

If you’re interested, we have just six 4-ounce bottles of vanilla extract left. It’s been fun watching them sell and seeing how many different states they are headed to. May they be a blessing in your kitchen. ;)

orangejulius2sm

Here’s our menu plan for this week:

Sunday, June 16 – Happy Father’s Day!
Peach cobbler, milk
Crock pot beef stew, chocolate peanut butter pie
Burgers, sweet potato fries, watermelon

Monday, June 17
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, strawberries
Snacky lunch – cheese, apples, baby carrots, grapes, crackers, beef sticks
Grilled barbecue chicken, tossed salad, green beans, watermelon

Tuesday, June 18
Giant breakfast cookies, pineapple mango smoothies
Grilled cheese sandwiches, cherry tomatoes, pickles, strawberries
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Wednesday, June 19
Pancake sausage muffins, cantaloupe
Homemade corndogs, smoothies, baby carrots
Alfredo sauce with pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots, tossed salad

Thursday, June 20
Fried eggs on toast, raspberries, yogurt
Chicken salad on whole wheat pitas, apple slices
Calico beans, pears, carrots

Friday, June 21
Quick mix pancakes, blueberries
Cheddar ranch burgers, potato wedges, asparagus
Chili mac, tossed salad

Saturday, June 22
Creamy orange coolers, scrambled eggs
Leftovers
Italian roast wraps, lettuce, tomatoes, watermelon

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

How to Find Quiet Time With God When There is No Quiet Time

June 13, 2013 by Laura 30 Comments

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

I remember the days. And I remember the guilt.

So let’s just stop a minute and talk together about how to find quiet time to spend with God when your days are filled to the brim with fussy babies, dirty dishes, needy toddlers, muddy preschoolers, full-scheduled teenagers, work and ministry commitments, spilled oatmeal, missed naps, doctor appointments, broken washing machines, unexpected company, puke on the couch, arguing siblings, burned gunk on the stove-top, and poop that didn’t quite make it to the toilet on time.

How do we find time for God when it seems our prayer life consists mainly of, “Help God! I can’t find my keys and please give me patience so I don’t scream at my kids again and could you please make them obey me so that I don’t have to scream again but seriously, I can’t find my keys!!”

It doesn’t help when we read that others are getting up early to watch the sun rise while they have precious devotion time with the Father (after they exercise, spend quality time with their darling husband before work, journal, and balance the checkbook). When?? How?? Do these people never sleep? I must be doing something wrong. My priorities must not be right. I am failing. My relationship with God is not where it should be. Oh, but I’m so tired. Weary. Discouraged.

My dear reader:  You are not failing. You are not “less-than.” The other women don’t “have it all together” better than you. None of them. Don’t listen to lies and become discouraged.

Getting a healthy amount of sleep (or at least as much as your season in life will allow) is as important a task as anything you can do. Without sleep, everything else is harder. So sleep. Rest. The dust on the picture frames is not important, nor is it a big deal that your kid occasionally wears the same shirt (with a dried-on booger smeared across the sleeve) two days in a row. 

Give yourself grace. God does. If that’s not permission to relax, I don’t know what is.

Understand that time with God happens all day long. He is with you and hears your cry for help. He rejoices with you in your moments of triumph and cheers you on. He understands how full your day is and how hard you are working. He understands your need for quiet, and will provide it for you when you ask.

Did you hear that? He will provide.  He wants quiet time with you as much or more than you want it with Him. 

Grab hold of those few minutes you might find while you’re stirring the sauce for dinner. Everyone playing in the living room while you’re washing dishes? Sounds like you just found yourself some God time! Taking a quick shower before hubby heads out to work? God’s listening. Nursing the baby…again? Close your eyes, breathe, and spend some time in prayer (if you can stay awake). Running your pre-teen to sports practice? Crank up the Christian music and worship. Or better yet, turn the music off and enjoy the few minutes of silence. Can’t seem to find any time alone, ever? Then read the Word out loud to whoever is in the room with you. Pray aloud. Share that time with your kids. 

Some day soon, you might find yourself in a season that allows for pulling up a chair and having regular times of quiet God time. It’s beautiful and it’s necessary. In the meantime, pray for God to provide you just what you need so that your soul will be refreshed and your heart will be at peace.

And if you fall asleep during your prayer again, take comfort, knowing that there’s no better place to find rest.

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

Why I’m Thankful to Know How to Cook Gluten Free (Plus 115 Healthy Gluten Free Recipes)

June 12, 2013 by Laura 12 Comments

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

My family eats gluten. 

I buy wheat in abundance and grind it several times a week to make flour for our baking needs. We eat regular oats frequently, and the occasional barley or rye. We experimented with eating gluten free a couple of years ago to see if it would help our son’s eczema. (It didn’t.)

But thanks to that experiment and the time I’ve spent learning from my friend Kim (who has been cooking gluten free for several years and who helped me put these books together) – I am well informed about how to prepare gluten free foods. I know how to keep food safe for those who can’t have gluten. I have in my head a big list of food options that are gluten free. I have many foods on hand in my kitchen at all times that are just fine for serving to the gluten sensitive. It’s really not difficult.

I really hadn’t thought much about the importance of having gluten free recipes and knowledge until last week. 

We had invited some college students over for a meal after church. On Saturday, I had prepared in advance two big dishes of Italian Pasta Bake, and a double batch of Whole Wheat Butterhorns. The next morning, right before we left for church, Asa came down and said, “Mom, you know what I just realized? I remember from camp that one of the girls coming over today can’t have gluten or dairy.” 

Yum

Umm…Italian Pasta Bake and Whole Wheat Butterhorns are both very full of gluten and dairy. I knew that at least she could eat the salad and green beans I had planned to go with our meal. But what else? And with that thought in mind…we headed off for church.

We caught the young lady after worship to let her know we were so glad she was coming and we asked about her food sensitivities. She told us not to worry about her and assured us that she was used to not eating when she went places and that she’d just come hang out.

Oh nonononono. Not at my house. I aim to please! Thou shalt not eat a meager little salad and a few green beans when dining at my table if I can help it.

Without even having to try, and because I had Tinkyada rice pasta on hand (yay!), I was able to quickly throw together a gluten free, cheeseless Italian Pasta Bake for her while I was tossing the salad and baking the rolls. I was very careful not to cross contaminate any of the foods (because Kim taught me well). I loved being able to present her with plenty of food that day so that she didn’t have to just sit there and watch us all eat.

That’s just one story to explain why I am so thankful to know how to cook gluten free foods. I can’t tell you how often this knowledge comes in handy. We’ve got friends coming to stay with us for several days this summer who can’t have gluten. When we were in Denver last month, staying with someone who couldn’t have gluten, I was easily able to help cook. Our boys have a gluten sensitive friend who has come over for a birthday party and I was able to have food for him. I made gluten free food when I hosted bunco because one of my friends in the group has Celiac. And on and on it goes. It is not hard to cook gluten free food once you know for sure which foods to avoid.
 

Chocolate Mint Soother

In preparation for our guests this summer, I recently took the time to update my Gluten Free Recipes page. Would you believe that 115 of the recipes on my site are naturally gluten free?? Naturally – as in, that’s how I make those recipes on any given day when I’m not thinking about gluten or non-gluten. There are no special ingredients or products needed. You can make many gluten free recipes with the ingredients you already have in your kitchen!! I love this.

Check out my Gluten Free Recipes page, and bookmark it or pin it so that you have easy access to it. Then you will also be well prepared to serve food to someone who can’t have gluten. Feel confident, knowing that many, many regular pantry and refrigerator staples are naturally gluten free. My page of 115 recipes proves it!

How comfortable do you feel preparing gluten free foods? Have any gluten free recipes to share?

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

Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal

June 11, 2013 by Laura 78 Comments

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

A huge thank you to Michelle for telling me about this recipe idea!!

High Five Recipes 2

First of all, I have to ask – because I know you’re all dying to know the answer to this as well:  Why is this cereal called “Grape Nuts” when there are neither grapes nor nuts included in the list of ingredients? Haven’t you always wondered about that? Who named this cereal? And why, if they were going to call it something random like this, did they not call it “Pickle Sprouts” or Olive Berries?” How about “Banana Seeds?” I mean, if we’re going for titles that don’t make sense…

Yeah, don’t waste much time pondering that paragraph.

At the Colorado Springs Meet & Greet, we talked about everything from kids and media time to cereal. When Michelle told us she made a cereal like this, we all got super excited!

Homemade Grape Nuts

Looks like the real deal, huh? This cereal is pretty tasty with berries!

Homemade Grape Nuts is super easy to make, and I personally think it tastes better than the boxed stuff. Can you guess my kids’ first question when I introduced them to this at breakfast? “Looks good, but why is it called Grape Nuts?” I don’t know, Son. I don’t know.

Homemade Grape Nuts CerealYum

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
2 cups buttermilk (or milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar)
2/3 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix all ingredients together, beating well until smooth. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper lined (or well buttered) cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes in a 375° oven. Remove cereal from the oven, and cool completely. Once cool, grind in a food processor until it becomes “crumb like.”

Return crumbs to cookie sheet or a large baking pan. Bake in a 250° oven for one hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes.

cereal_1 (1)

cereal_1 (3)

cereal_1 (2)
I found it easiest to bake the crumbs in a dish with sides (my 10×15 pyrex) so that I could stir more easily.

cereal_1 (4)

Cool the cereal and store it in an air tight container in the pantry (for about two weeks) or freezer (for up to two months).

5.0 from 3 reviews
Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal
 
Save Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Total time
30 mins
 
Author: Laura
Ingredients
  • 3½ cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
  • 1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
  • 2 cups buttermilk (or milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar)
  • ⅔ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together, beating well until smooth.
  2. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper lined (or well buttered) cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes in a 375° oven.
  4. Remove cereal from the oven, and cool completely.
  5. Once cool, grind in a food processor until it becomes "crumb like."
  6. Return crumbs to cookie sheet or a large baking pan.
  7. Bake in a 250° oven for one hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes.(I found it easiest to bake the crumbs in a dish with sides (my 10x15 pyrex) so that I could stir more easily.)
  8. Cool the cereal and store it in an air tight container in the pantry (for about two weeks) or freezer (for up to two months).
3.4.3177

The geek in me decided to do the math to see if this was not only a High Five Recipe, but a Real Food Dollar Menu recipe as well. Sure enough! It took about $2.00 to make a batch of this cereal – using all organic ingredients. This makes about twice as much cereal as you would find in a regular sized box of Grape Nuts. When’s the last time you were able to buy a box of whole grain, organic cereal for a buck?

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

Tell me you’ve always wondered where Grape Nuts got its name.  And by always, I obviously mean, “Yes, I’ve pondered that for a second or two once in my life.”

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

Helping Your Kids Develop Their Talents

June 11, 2013 by Laura 4 Comments

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

Special thanks to 10KtoTalent for sponsoring this post. Matt and I have been so appreciative of all we have discovered on this site!

This has been on our minds for months. Our oldest will be a junior in high school in the fall. {gulp}  The questions have already started: “Does he know where he’s going to college?” “What is Asa interested in doing in the future?” “Has Asa taken the ACT yet?” It’s enough to make me get out the baby book (that I failed at putting together while in the midst of not sleeping, breastfeeding 25 hours a day, and diaper changing) and wish for those tongue in cheek “simpler years.” 

It’s humbling to realize that we just have two years left to prepare our child for independence. As Asa seeks direction for his future, we have been praying specifically that God would reveal to him where his passions lie, what he is the most gifted at doing, and where we should be focusing as we develop his school plan through graduation.

10ktotalent

It was in the midst of this that we heard about 10KtoTalent. It is said that “it takes 10,000 hours of talent development for someone to reach a world class level of performance in any particular field of human endeavor.” The site 10KtoTalent is a resource that helps you, as a parent, explore this with your kids. We love this because it is something we should all be intentional about with our families. Having this site as a guide to walk us through how to do this is so valuable!

We’ve been working our way through the free First 100 Hours Guide that Jonathon Harris, founder of 10KtoTalent has put together. We definitely don’t plan to only use it with our oldest. All of our boys will benefit from this – starting now. What a blessing it will be for us as parents to offer so much guidance and specific focus for our kids as they develop the abilities God has given them! We are thankful that this resource is available to offer guidance to us, the parents. :)

The 10KtoTalent free resource First 100 Hours Guide is available to everyone who subscribes to the newsletter. No matter what your kids’ ages: get this resource. It’s free, and the newsletter will be a continual service to your family. You may also want to follow 10KtoTalent on Facebook. 

Do you feel like your kids are aware of their talents? (The talents that are in addition to eating a huge stack of pancakes in five minutes and retelling an entire two hour movie in detail…)  How do you help them develop these talents? 

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

Join Our Community!

 Facebook Twitter E-mail Instagram Pinterest

Popular Posts

~ Will All of the Real Moms Please Stand Up?
~ Easy! Stir-and-Pour Whole Wheat Bread
~ How to Make Gatorade
~ 31 Real Food Breakfast Ideas
~ Dear Teenage Girls...
~ When Mom Takes a Step Back
~ The Inexpensive Health Insurance We Love!
~ Let's Talk Real Food Grocery Budgets

Check out our latest posts!

  • Big Family Food and Fun: September 13-19, 2026
  • Big Family Food and Fun: September 6-12, 2026
  • Big Family Food and Fun: August 30-September 5, 2026
  • Big Family Food and Fun: August 23-29, 2026
  • Big Family Food and Fun: August 16-22, 2026
Home  ~  Simple Meals  ~  Club Membership  ~  Shop  ~  Privacy Policy  ~  Disclosure  ~ Contact

Copyright © 2026 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in