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Whole Wheat Quick Mix Fruit Pizza

February 26, 2013 by Laura 37 Comments

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

fruit_pizza_1

This Fruit Pizza is so yummy – you’ll feel like you are eating something naughty. But in fact, because it is made with whole wheat, honey, and fruit, I believe you could serve it for breakfast. Since figuring out this recipe, I may have done that a time or two at our house. ;)

You will love how easy this is to make!

Fruit Pizza CrustYum

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Quick Mix
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

Mix ingredients together. Press (or pour) dough into an 8×8 inch baking dish. Bake in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes or until it is slightly golden. Allow crust to cool.

Cream Cheese Layer

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons real maple syrup 

Mix well and spread over cooled crust. Top with fresh fruit. (Berries, bananas, and kiwi work best.)

Serves 4-6. I typically double this recipe for my family and spread the crust into my large baking stone.

fruit_pizza_3

I’d love to know – have you made the Whole Wheat Quick Mix yet?!  More sneak peeks into our upcoming Oh, For Real book still to come!

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

Gratituesday: “Mom, We Need to Pray!”

February 25, 2013 by Laura 26 Comments

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

I was fighting a headache. It is hard to focus, hard to move, and hard to parent when my head is pounding. 

I did everything I could from drinking lots of water to using my new essential oils to taking a nap. The pain began to ease, but still had me moving slowly. 

And then Malachi, my eight year old, came into the room. He’s the one who understands suffering. He asked how I was feeling, and I gave him a weary smile – telling him that I was a little better.

Suddenly, he lit up and said with force, “Mom, we need to pray! God’s power can make your head stop hurting!”

I know this about God’s power. I’d been praying since my head started hurting. I’d been trying to release any tension and stress and just give it to God so that I could feel better again. But there was something so strong about Malachi’s words, and the faith by which he said them. I melted.  I asked, “Malachi, will you pray with me – the way I pray with you when you don’t feel well?”

And then he did. He took my hand, and asked God to make me feel better. It was sweet. It was simple. It was faith filled and powerful.

I love that he has learned that God is the One we turn to when we don’t feel well and when we need help. I love that he knows how to pray. And I love that he did for me just what I needed him to do. 

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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Can You Use Coconut Oil in Whole Wheat Quick Mix?

February 24, 2013 by Laura 14 Comments

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

I’ve had several emails and comments since I posted both the Whole Wheat Quick Mix recipe and the Tropical Traditions buy one get one free (with free shipping) coconut oil deal. Many are wondering:  Can you use coconut oil instead of palm shortening in the quick mix?

Yes, you sure can!

While I really, really love Palm Shortening and do prefer it in this recipe, Coconut Oil does work just as well and is just as healthy if not moreso. Plus, the Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil that is on sale at Tropical Traditions right now is flavorless, making it perfect for a recipe like Quick Mix.

So…if you haven’t taken advantage of the BOGO coconut oil with free shipping at Tropical Traditions, I say “go for it!” Then make yourself some Whole Wheat Quick Mix so that you’ll be all set for the recipes I’m sharing here and in my upcoming book!

coconut_oil

Tropical Traditions has their Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil (flavorless) on sale again for $12.50 for two 16 ounce jars. Plus, they are offering free shipping (code 25213) with a minimum $16 order.

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 (Can following this menu plan save you money?)

February 24, 2013 by Laura 8 Comments

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

I loved what one reader emailed recently in regard to the menu plans I share:

I just wanted to say I have learned so much in the last fews months from your website. I grew up in a home where if it wasn’t instant, it wasn’t food. Therefore, when I got married and started a family I knew how to cook nothing besides frozen food and instant mashed potatoes. My husband left about 5 years ago and it’s just been me and my now 8 year old daughter. Money is tight and since I started following your meal plans and cooking real food, my grocery bill has been cut in half!

I love it when people share that they have switched from processed food to real food – and I love it even more when they share that this practice has saved them money! Feel free to follow my menu plan all you want. It just might save you some money!

Sunday, February 24
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Alfredo sauce with pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots, tossed salad
Chili cookoff at church

Monday, February 25
Banana bread, scrambled eggs, applesauce
Chicken noodle soup, carrots, kiwi
One dish meat and potato casserole, peas

Tuesday, February 26
Flaky cream cheese pastry, apples
Homemade corndogs, fruit salad
Pizza casserole, tossed salad

Wednesday, February 27
Cinnamon swirl bread, scrambled eggs, clementines
Hamburger cream cheese dip, tortilla chips, apples
Crock pot barbecue chicken breasts, green beans, tossed salad

Thursday, February 28
Coconut flour muffins, kiwi
Pizza boats, tossed salad, fruit
Rice and veggie stir fry with chicken, broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms

Friday, March 1
Giant breakfast cookies, apples
Baked potatoes with various toppings, peas
Quick mix pancakes, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, fruit

Saturday, March 2
Chocolate chocolate chips muffins, bananas
Leftovers
Bbq brisket, tossed salad, cream cheese corn, green beans

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

Whole Wheat Quick Mix Pancakes {Sneak peek into our new Oh, For Real! book}

February 23, 2013 by Laura 19 Comments

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

Now that I always keep a large batch (often a double batch) of the Whole Wheat Quick Mix on hand, I have been so grateful for the time it saves me in meal preparation. And let’s be real (since, after all, the upcoming book this recipe is featured in is called Oh, For Real):  I really like that having this mix on hand saves my brain energy. Who really wants to think about the process of making pancakes when there are so many other things to think about?

These pancakes require three little ingredients. I can make these in my sleep…which, without a doubt, is something that I have done.

Whole Wheat Quick Mix PancakesYum

2 cups Whole Wheat Quick Mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Whisk ingredients together thoroughly. Cook them in a well greased skillet, turning after they are bubbly. Makes about 12 three inch pancakes.

quick_mix_pancakes

Ever made pancakes in your sleep?  :)

P.S. These pancakes taste best when made on a cast iron griddle. I have this Lodge 20-Inch Cast Iron Griddle and love it so much! I can make pancakes three times as fast because it covers two burners. Check it out here (affiliate link).

cast iron griddle

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

Whole Wheat Quick Mix “Very Vanilla” Cookies {Sneak peek into our upcoming Oh, For Real! book}

February 21, 2013 by Laura 43 Comments

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

vanilla_cookies

I have to say thank you for giving my younger two boys a bit of educational entertainment this evening. I called them in to help me count the “votes” to determine which Whole Wheat Quick Mix recipe I would share with you first. They made a list of the options, and then made tally marks as I called out “cookies”, “fruit pizza”, “pancakes”, etc.

You know boys. Everything is a competition. As we went through each of your comments, the excitement grew. Who knew that counting recipe votes would be so much fun? At one point early on, Malachi shouted, “Muffins are in the lead!!” And so it went.

Ah, it’s the simple things in life that are the most fun, right?

Malachi and Elias are excited to share that Very Vanilla Cookies won the vote, with Fruit Pizza and Pancakes trailing in very close behind. They personally each wanted to vote for Fruit Pizza. I think they thought I was going to drop everything and immediately make the recipe that won the vote. Sorry boys. Cute as you are, your vote doesn’t count this time. Besides, I don’t have any fresh strawberries on hand. ;)

So here you go – a very easy and delicious cookie recipe that you can stir together in no time using your Whole Wheat Quick Mix. If you happen to have homemade vanilla extract to use in this recipe, yay! But even if you don’t, I bet you’ll still be able to choke these down. :)

Very Vanilla CookiesYum

3 cups Whole Wheat Quick Mix
1 1/4 cup sucanat
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Scoop 1 ½ teaspoons of dough onto a cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Bake in a 375° oven for 12-15 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

More of our new Oh, For Real recipes coming soon – in particular, recipes that use this Whole Wheat Quick Mix.

I’m curious (and this has nothing to do with cookies, books, or quick mixes):  Is it snowing where you are?  We’re getting several inches right now. Fun!

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

doTerra Essential Oils Giveaway

February 21, 2013 by Laura 475 Comments

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

essential_oils

I am just now diving in to the world of Essential Oils. Why has it taken me so long?  Good question. I probably just needed someone to break it down and make it simple while I learned about these healing oils.

That’s exactly what Janine, a doTerra consultant, has been doing for me. She sent me several oils to try, along with a simple but detailed explanation of how to use each of them. Just what I needed! Break it down, tell me how to use them – aha! It is all beginning to make sense. :)

The Lemon Essential Oil seems to be a favorite, and I can see why. Talk about being multi-purpose!! You can clean with it, wash fruit with it, and use it as an antioxidant. Janine even uses it to make these delicious looking Lemon Bars!

Peppermint oil can be used for an energy boost, for sinus and  headache problems, and to lower fever. Lavender oil is great for burns and cuts, and to help you get a good night’s sleep. Janine sprays lavender oil on her three year old’s pillow at night to help him settle down and sleep. Smart thinking!! :)

And on and on the list goes of oils that help with concentration (great for kids who have trouble focusing – or mom’s who have trouble thinking straight!). Oils that soothe aches and pains. Oils that calm nausea or heartburn. All of the oils have so many uses!

What a wonderful way to naturally give our bodies the boost they need! Essential oils can be pricey, but a little goes a long way, which stretches your dollar. I am very impressed with the quality of these oils. doTerra is a brand you can trust! I encourage you to look at Janine’s blog, which she just started as a way to help you learn more about using essential oils. That’s a great thing about doTerra – you have a consultant to help you learn as you go!

Today, Janine is offering a great giveaway! Two of you will win a bottle of doTerra Lemon Essential Oil. If you’re interested in winning, leave a comment on this post. I’ll draw two random winners on Monday, February 25. Be watching for a post stating the winners as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen.

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

Oh, For Real! The Book (Round One of the News I’ve Been So Excited To Tell You About!)

February 19, 2013 by Laura 85 Comments

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

The past few weeks have been very exciting (and maybe a little bit busy) around here. Why? Because we’ve been finishing a big project and making some big plans. 

We have been putting the final touches on a book that has been in the works for over two years. I began working on it in 2011 and added to it as I had time and as more ideas came to me – usually based on questions from you. :)

Then finally, last summer, God allowed all of the pieces to come together and I began to work on the book in earnest. Now, here we are at the end of February 2013 and the book is almost complete. The goal is to launch the book the beginning of March. (Less than two weeks…is it possible?! We shall see.)

So what is this book all about? Mostly, it is all about how I always feed my family a perfectly healthy diet, every day, without fail, while maintaining a spotless house, and…

Oh, for real!

On the contrary, this book is about the real me and my real family, with our crusty dishes, picky children, and a trail of reeking compost juice that somehow managed to dribble its way out of the bucket from the kitchen all the way outside.

Oh wait. That was just yesterday.  That particular bit about fermented compost didn’t actually make it into the book. But you get the point.

Over the five plus years that I’ve been writing this blog, I have received countless emails from people asking me, “How do you do it?” How do I manage to work from home full time on this website, home school my kids, invite people into our home frequently – all while feeding my family a healthy diet of real foods? How do I afford it? How do I get my kids on board with healthy eating? How do I figure out what is healthy and what isn’t? And how in the world do I find the time?

If you’ve read here long, you know that I don’t always have the time. My kids don’t always like what I make for them to eat. And if you open any number of the closet doors in our home, you will be frightened by what you’ll find inside. 

Our family is real – with a real busy schedule and a real budget. But we still eat real food. (Along with the occasional Dorito.)

Eating a real food diet is possible for everyone. For real. This book answers the question of, how I do it. How I find the time. How I manage to consistently put healthy meals on the table in a simple way and without killing myself all day in the kitchen. It also talks about how much I love butter. Are you surprised?!

ForRealBookCover6

Coming March, 2013

Oh, For Real is more than a cookbook. It is a fun read, full of healthy food information, time saving tips, and freezer cooking ideas. Oh, For Real compiles much of the information I’ve shared over the past five years on this blog (in over 2,875 posts). Now, you can read through all of those posts, scroll through loads of recipes, and try to piece together all of the information as you work to figure out freezer cooking, getting ahead in the kitchen, buying basic real food ingredients…

Or, you can just store Oh, For Real in your kitchen, which encapsulates everything my blog is about, and organizes it into 99 pages – with over 115 of my favorite, most used recipes!

Recognize this though:  I don’t have a flawless system! In fact, my system really is systemless. You will be able to take the information in this book and make it work for you in your real world and in your real season of life. Oh, For Real offers simplified information that you can learn from, then you can grab what works for you and drop kick the rest.

Watch for more information as the book comes together and is ready to launch. :)

As for the other plans we’ve been working on recently – you’re just going to have to wait a little while longer for me to share that news. We’re still working out some of the details.  And trying to finish the book. And going to our son’s basketball games. And wiping up fermented compost juice.

In the meantime, I will be sharing some sneak peeks into the Oh, For Real book – just so that you can learn more about what’s inside. I can’t wait!

For today:  Tell me something “real” about you!   Don’t remember the last time you cleaned behind your refrigerator? Did you eat ice cream for dinner last night? Do you need to organize your closets as badly as I do? Let’s share. After all, we’re all real, right? :)

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

Gratituesday: The Thirteen Year Old “Manly Trip”

February 18, 2013 by Laura 24 Comments

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

Our second son, Justus, turned 13 last Friday. As he did with Asa two years ago on his 13th birthday, Matt took Justus on an out of town day trip to spend some one-on-one time with him.

What did they do on this trip? They spent a lot of time having great conversations. Road trips are good for that. :)   Before the trip, Matt had talked to three godly men that Justus respects. While on the road, each of the guys called and gave some words of wisdom to Justus. We are so blessed to have these men (and so many more!) in our lives to enourage our sons.

Once they reached their destination, Matt and Justus stopped at a park and kicked around a soccer ball. They went to Cabela’s. They ate a manly meal of BBQ meat. Then, they got to do what Justus was so excited about – they went to a Tim Hawkins show!

 Ever seen Tim Hawkin’s Chick Fil a clip? So fun!

I am so thankful to have another awesome teenager in our house. And I’m so grateful that Matt is so diligent about training our sons to be godly. 

Oh, and while they were having their fun day away, the other three boys and I got to go to a Mother-Son banquet put on by our church. A great day all around for our sons!

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!

$10 Off Your First Order at ThredUp

February 17, 2013 by Laura 5 Comments

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

I mentioned thredUP a few months ago as a great place to buy or sell used kid’s clothing. Since then, I have purchased several pairs of nice, inexpensive jeans for my boys whose legs continue to grow longer and longer. I am very pleased with thredUP and what they offer!

If you are a new customer or making your first purchase, you can use the code GIMME10 at checkout and receive $10 off your order. The fun part is that many items are $10 or less, so with this code, all you’ll have to pay is shipping!

If you have an abundance of nice used kids clothing at your house, you may also want to look into selling them through thredUP. It’s a great way to acquire a little bonus cash. :)

$10 off your first order of practically new kids’ clothes from thredUP. Use code GIMME10 at checkout. Valid for new customers/first purchase only. Cannot be combined with other offers. One use per person. Does not apply to shipping. Valid thru 2/22/13 at 11:59PM PST. Click Here

What’s the best way you’ve found to score good prices on kids’ clothes?

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