Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Menu Plan for the Week…Plus Cake Boys Episode 3!

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Here is our menu for this week. But more importantly, below you will find Cake Boys Episode 3! (Watch Espisode 1 and Episode 2 if you haven’t already.)  This time, the boys made a cake for Matt and me as we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. It was so very sweet. Be sure to admire my very messy kitchen and cluttery countertops as you watch. Yikes. ;)

Sunday, August 26
Oatmeal, fruit
Cheeseburger macaroni, tossed salad, green beans
Potluck picnic – taking drinks, veggie tray, and Texas sheet cake (made by the Cake Boys – Episode 4 coming up!)

Monday, August 27
Whole wheat pancakes, blueberries
Taco salad
Creamy chicken and rice casserole, carrots

Tuesday, August 28
Honey whole wheat bagels, cantaloupe
Tuna salad on tomatoes, pickles, olives, watermelon
Grilled bbq chicken, corn on the cob, zucchini

Wednesday, August 29
Crepes with jelly, applesauce
Italian roast wraps, tomatoes, lettuce, sweet peppers, green beans
Chicken patty sandwiches, ranch potato wedges, peas

Thursday, August 30
Fried eggs on toast, creamy orange cooler
Hamburger patties, steamed broccoli and carrots
Pizza casserole, tossed salad

Friday, August 31
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, apple slices
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, carrots
Tacos

Saturday, September 1
Whole wheat donuts, grapes
Leftovers
Steak on the grill, creamy cole slaw, corn on the cob

And now, Cake Boys Episode 3!

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Serving Trumps a Pity Party

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We had finally reached the end of what is typically one of the busiest weeks of the year. 

It was now finally Saturday, and we had been gone all day long at one of our son’s soccer games out of town. The kitchen was a picture of chaos, with coolers and leftovers from our packed lunch sitting in the perfect place for me to trip over while I tried to throw together a late dinner. The crusty dishes from breakfast were still piled high in the sink. Fruit gnats had found our compost bucket, which, I might add, was beginning to smell nasty and fermented. The tomato sauce splattered all over the stove when I poured it into the pot to make spaghetti. 

In the meantime, I was moving super slowly. I felt very, very tired. Plus, for some unknown reason, my left knee – the knee I’ve had trouble with off and on for 22 years since I injured it in high school – was causing me a lot of pain. I wrapped ice around it while I cut up veggies for dinner and just kept moving. Slowly I focused on finishing dinner, getting everyone fed, and getting the kitchen in decent shape so that I could just go to bed. 

Oh yes, and I also concentrated very hard on feeling sorry for myself. All I could think of was, “I’m sooo tired. My knee hurts. I just want to go to bed.” I couldn’t have smiled if you would have paid me, and I really didn’t feel like answering questions or talking to my family.

And then, someone showed up at our door. 

Oh yeah.  I had forgotten that we had told a young friend of ours he could spend the night with us. But there he was, and what could I do but find some sort of pleasant look to greet him with? I pulled a lopsided smile out from way down deep inside my toes, and welcomed him in.

This friend of ours has some disabilities and special needs, which meant that heading to bed any time soon just wasn’t going to happen. But he is incredibly delightful to have around, and he needed to be served.

I invited him into the kitchen with me (scooting the coolers out of the way as best I could) and began to serve him dinner and visit with him. He shared a fun story about something that had happened earlier in the day, which made me laugh in spite of myself.

Several minutes later, as I fed him and helped him with various needs, it occurred to me that I wasn’t quite as tired as I had been. I had forgotten all about my aching knee. The mess in the kitchen didn’t look so terrible. And in fact, I was feeling quite joyful and energetic.

This young man has taught me many life lessons, and this time was no exception:   If you’re down, feeling sorry for yourself, and otherwise choosing to throw yourself a pity party…consider who you might serve. Looking outward toward meeting the needs of others will take the focus off of “self” every time.

Disclaimer:  Obviously, we all need to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves before we serve others, otherwise we have nothing left to give. The point of this post isn’t suggesting that you give of yourself until you pass out. The point is to stop feeling sorry for yourself. And if you’re having a hard time doing that, find someone to serve. It works every time.

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Get $35 Worth Of Organic Groceries For Just $25 With Free Shipping At Vitacost!

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I am excited to see that today through August 29, Vitacost is offering free shipping on all grocery orders over $25! Plus, if you are a new customer with Vitacost and you first sign up through this referral link, you will receive an email with a $10 credit code which you can use to make your purchase.

Therefore, if you put $35 worth of groceries into your cart, then apply your $10 credit, with the free shipping, you’ll be getting a lot of bang for your buck!

If you’re already a Vitacost customer, the Free Shipping for grocery orders over $25 is still a great deal. Recently, I’ve been watching for and taking advantage of Vitacost’s sales to have some of our favorite foods and ingredients on hand this fall. I love Vitacost’s reasonable prices, and I’m so thankful for online buying options like this since so many of these products aren’t available to me in our small town. :)

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Victorio Food Strainer – Makes Awesome Tomato Sauce!

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After learning how great my new Victorio Food Strainer is at making homemade applesauce, I was super excited to use it to make Homemade Tomato Sauce. I was finally able to experiment with it a couple weeks ago.

The easiest way I’ve found to prepare tomatoes for sauce is to roast them in the oven. Then, instead of running them through the blender like I have in the past, this time, I put them through my Victorio.

Or rather, I had my friend Piper run them through my Victorio. She and her brothers had spent the day with us, and she was happy to come into the kitchen and help me. You know what this proves? It proves that in a house that holds seven boys, sometimes we women need to stick together. And it also proves that the Victorio is easy enough for an eight year old to use! 

She had that tomato sauce strained in no time. And look! It’s so pretty it looks like it came directly out of a jar from the store. Except that it didn’t. It’s homemade and it’s organic and it’s made from fresh tomatoes from our garden!

A few days later, I made some awesome spaghetti sauce (um, if I do say so myself). I really meant to be bragging about the Victorio’s capability to make incredibly smooth tomato sauce, not on my ability to make delicious spaghetti sauce. Really.

 I know several of you have shared that you also decided to invest in a Victorio Food Strainer. Are you pleased with it so far?  I let my friend Jenny borrow mine and she loved it so much she bought one for herself. I’m telling you – it’s an incredible tool for the kitchen if you do a lot of canning!

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Dear God, Where Are You? {A Guest Post from Lysa Terkeurst} Plus a Giveaway!

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 I am very honored to welcome this guest post by Lysa Terkeurst from Proverbs 31 Ministries… 

“Mom, I didn’t make it. Please pray for me. I just feel confused about God.”

I felt my daughter’s deep hurt as clearly as if it were my own. I know what it feels like to want something so badly and have that dream shut down. That door closed. That opportunity slipped away.

She had been talking about trying for this special achievement at summer camp for 3 years. But she wasn’t old enough to try until this year, her 4th year at camp.

She met every challenge and could see the goal in sight … until it was time for her to light a large campfire with only three matches, one small square of newspaper, and a few sticks of wood.

She struck the first match and held it to the newspaper but it didn’t ignite. She struck the second match and held it to the newspaper. It still didn’t ignite.

She stared at the third and final match. Knowing a big part of the challenge was teaching the kids how to communicate with God and fully rely on Him, she’d been praying through every stage. But now, she didn’t just pray—she cried out to God.

“Please help me, God. Please,” she mouthed as she struck the third match. She held the flame to the paper and watched in complete disbelief. The matchstick burned but the paper did not.

As the final match burned out, she lowered her head in defeat.

Nine girls tried for this highest honor of finishing the challenge. Three girls didn’t make it, including my daughter.

When I picked her up a week later, she asked if we could process this situation. What bothered her most wasn’t not getting the camp honor. What bothered her most was not experiencing God’s power like the other girls.

They all had stories of God answering their cries for help in amazing ways through the challenge.

“Mom, I didn’t get that with God. Why?”

It was one of those questions you don’t want to mess up in answering.

I asked her to recall every step of her challenge so we could intentionally look for God’s hand. I listened intently for anything unusual and unexplainable.

When she got to the fire, I found it. There was no reason her newspaper shouldn’t light. None at all. Everyone else’s paper lit.

“Honey, that can only be explained by God intervening. He was there. He was listening. And we just have to trust there was some reason you shouldn’t have continued that challenge. We may not know that reason, but we can certainly trust God was protecting you … loving you … revealing His power to you.”

She put her head on my shoulder, “You really think so Mom?”

I whispered, “I know so.”

I know so because I trust the truth God has given me. Truths like these are anchors that hold me to the reality of who God is.

He is the One in whom I find comfort and reassurance: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)

He is right here with me in the midst of my trouble, I am not alone: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

He is the One who can use my tears to water the soil of my heart so that it can one day be a harvest of joy: “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:5 (NIV)

Yes, I know deep hurt. But I also know deep hope. So, I whispered it again, “Yes, sweetheart, I know so.”

Sometimes God’s power is shown as much in preventing things as it is in making them happen. We may never know the why. But we can always know and trust the Who.

About Lysa:

Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author, National Speaker, and President of Proverbs 31 Ministries. You can read her daily blog at www.LysaTerKeurst.com or hear her encouragement through the Proverbs 31 Ministries’ radio program played on over 1200 outlets. She loves that the first four letters of Messiah spell a “mess.” All of the messages Lysa speaks and writes about come from her awareness of what a mess she can be. Most days you can find her writing from her sticky farm table in North Carolina where she lives with her husband Art, her five priority blessings named Jackson, Mark, Hope, Ashley, and Brooke, 3 dogs and a mouse that refuses to leave her kitchen.

Sometimes it’s hard to understand why God prevents something when we want Him to provide it. If you’re looking for a friend to help you process your emotions in the hard times, Lysa does this in her gut-honest new book, Unglued. Click here to get your copy today. Or, leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a free copy of the book! I’ll draw two random winners on Friday, August 24. Please watch here for a post stating the winners as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen!

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Gratituesday: The Fridge Is Clean

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I know. It sounds like a silly thing to be grateful for. But my fridge sees a lot of food coming and going from its shelves and drawers. It is usually quite full and cluttered. If you recall, last week was incredibly busy, and my fridge was bursting at the seams. Yesterday we had company all day long, and I had a blast keeping up with feeding everyone! 

By last night, I really began to notice how junky the inside of my fridge was looking after weeks of neglect. The shelves and drawers were covered with crumbs, crusty milk rings, and all sorts of sticky, icky something-or-others. 

So today, I decided we were cleaning out. I changed our menu plan today so we could have leftovers for lunch, even if it did mean that the meal before us was super random and not at all exciting. I pulled out everything from meatballs to kiwi and we had a “crazy buffet meal”. In the meantime, I scrubbed down shelves and rearranged the remaining refrigerator contents. 

Ahhhhhhhhh….

If you didn’t already know that I love jars, I guess you do now.  :)

I didn’t even think about taking “before pictures” until after I was finished. I was simply on a mission. When this happens, there’s no stopping me. You just have to eat your random plate of lunch and not get in my way. ;)

How long will my fridge stay that clean? Probably for about a half a day. But tonight I’m thankful to be going to bed with a clean refrigerator. It’s the simple things in life, you know? :)

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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The Health Benefits of Fermented Vegetables

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It likely doesn’t sound good to most of us. Fermented black radishes? Really?

Admittedly, fermented black radishes aren’t my favorite side dish. But sauerkraut (which is fermented cabbage), served alongside my steak? It’s really not too bad. Especially when you realize how much eating them benefits your digestion. And fermented carrots are a delicious addition to a salad. 

So what’s so great about fermented vegetables?

Well, for one thing, they are raw. And when you make them with unpeeled veggies, they contain all sorts of wonderful nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and enzymes. But the fermenting process gives them a huge jump in the additional health benefits regular vegetables offer. Once fermented, these veggies contain live, healthy bacteria that helps strengthen your immune system, helps heal your gut, aids in digestion, regulates the sugars contained naturally in the vegetables, and so much more. You can read more about specific benefits to fermented vegetables at Wise Choice Market. 

Through the years, I’ve experimented with making my own fermented vegetables. Since I haven’t figured out the “perfect recipe” yet to share with you, I did a little online searching and found another great post to send you to which gives a great “how to” on making fermented veggies. Or, if you want to give them a try but aren’t ready to make your own yet, Wise Choice Market has them ready made for you. Their Grated Carrots are our favorite.

What has been your experience with fermented vegetables? Tried them? Like them?

 

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Menu Plan for the Week

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Wow, I missed my menu plan last week. If you recall, we planned some big meals to feed the York College Ladies Soccer Team that my husband helps coach. So while I thoroughly planned those meals, I was too busy to plan meals for my family for the rest of the days of the week. 

It’s not like I follow  my menu plan religiously each week anyway, but wow, having nothing planned threw me just a little bit. Case in point:  By Friday night, I was pretty  much worn out and didn’t feel like cooking. Nothing sounded good. I had no meat thawed. All I had in the fridge (aside from the ever present milk, ketchup, and pickle relish of course) was two big containers of leftover mashed potatoes from feeding the team earlier in the week.

So for dinner Friday night? We had mashed potatoes, with mashed potatoes…and sliced tomatoes. I should have taken a picture to share with you (not). The “meal”, such as it was, didn’t taste too bad, especially since the tomatoes came from our garden. But here’s hoping putting together a menu plan this week will offer us a little more excitement. Although we do still have a lot of mashed potatoes to eat up. :)

Biscuits and Gravy – one of my family’s favorite meals!

Sunday, August 19
Oatmeal, fruit
Bbq meatballs, cheesy sour cream mashed potatoes (how’s that for a creative way to use the leftovers?!), green beans, tossed salad, brownie sundaes (with homemade hot fudge sauce) 
Chicken Burritos, grapes, strawberries

Monday, August 20
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Grilled burgers, baked beans, watermelon, carrot sticks
Baked three cheese chicken pasta, tossed salad, steamed broccoli and carrots

Tuesday, August 21
Simple sourdough biscuits, turkey sausage gravy, grapes
Tuna salad on tomato slices, chips and salsa
Alfredo sauce with pasta, tossed salad, green beans

Wednesday, August 22
Creamy orange cooler, scrambled egg sandwiches
Easy noodle stir fry with broccoli, carrots, and zucchini
Grilled salmon, brown rice, peas

Thursday, August 23
Coconut flour muffins, apples
Whole wheat calzones, raw veggies, fruit smoothies
Barbecue brisket, cream scalloped potatoes, tossed salad, green beans

Friday, August 24
Easy breakfast casserole, orange slices
Creamy mac and cheese, carrot sticks, peas, cantaloupe
Tacos

Saturday, August 25
Giant breakfast cookies, applesauce
Leftovers
BLTs, watermelon, raw veggies

If you’re looking for a little assistance getting started on menu planning, be sure to check out Plan to Eat!

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Swimming – A Different Kind of Workout

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I suppose it’s a little late in the season to be sharing this oh-so-inspirational fitness thought with you, and truly, it’s not like you probably haven’t already thought of it yourself. In fact you’ve likely been doing it all summer. But I’ll just share my recent experience with you anyway.

Jen (from Getting Fit With Jen) and I have been walking, doing specialized resistance training circuits, and lifting weights regularly now for eight months. I absolutely love it and continue to feel so much healthier. 

Recently though, I’ve been getting a different form of exercise and it is so great! During the past three weeks, we’ve been going to our friend’s swimming pool where Jen has been giving our kids and another friend’s kids swimming lessons. (Yes, she is multi-talented.)  :)  It’s been awesome! The kids have all come so far and have loved being in the water. That’s saying a lot for our younger boys.

And what have I been doing while the younger kids have learned the fine art of going under water without sucking water into their lungs, and the older kids have been learning to dive? I’ve been getting a water workout!

Water definitely provides a different variety of “resistance training” than what I’ve been doing otherwise. Plus, being in the water has felt incredible during the crazy heat wave we have had. I didn’t even think I liked to swim! But I guess I just proved myself wrong. (Of course, no one is allowed to watch me as I have completely improper form…)

I’ve made it a point to just “keep moving” in the water for a good 30-45 minutes each time we’re there. I swim up and back and up and back in the pool over and over. I tread water. I swim up and back again. I do “standing crunches” in the water. It all feels sooooo good!

Anyhoo…just wanted to encourage you, if you’re taking your kids to the pool anyway, to try to get a little exercise in while you’re there. It’s the perfect opportunity!

You sure won’t be seeing pictures of me showing you how it’s done, but my boys were happy to show you some of their new skills!

Malachi is getting ready to go underwater without holding his nose…

Looks like Asa and Justus were finished with their “lesson” for the day and were just goofing off at this point.

And then there’s Elias. He’s our most timid and hesitant boy. Now he can float on his back and his tummy, and swim underwater all the way from one side to the next. So proud!

 Are you a swimmer? Have you found yourself getting some exercise in at the pool this summer?  What’s your favorite thing to do at the pool?

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A Little Marriage Tip from the Peaches

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Last week it was time to harvest all of the peaches from our tree. They were tiny bites of heaven, full of sweet drops of gold that dripped down our chins as we indulged several times a day while supplies lasted.

As my husband and I worked together to slice and freeze what our family couldn’t eat right away, we once again proved how God made us different.

Matt is a perfectionist.

I am not.

We figure that no matter how different we might be in how we go about our work, together, we’ll still be able to make some great smoothies, and even better cobblers.

Look deep. There’s a little life lesson in there somewhere. :)

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