Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

What are Swagbucks?

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Search & Win

I talk about Swagbucks here and there, mostly saying phrases like, “I used my Swagbuck earnings to buy Organic Groceries from Amazon.” This is all well and good if you’ve been reading my site for a few years and know about these Swagbuck thingies I’m talking about. But recently I’ve recognized that not all of you know what I’m talking about, as I’ve heard some questions like,  “Laura, what are Swagbucks?”

Well, it would be my pleasure to tell you. I love Swagbucks. Watch me jump up and down while I tell you that:  It’s basically free money and it has paid for some Organic Groceries from Amazon for my family and free books for school and free Christmas gifts and free other things we’ve needed. You’ve just got to join me in this Swagbuck thing!

“Okay great, but really Laura. What are Swagbucks?”

Swagbucks are “bucks” earned while doing normal internet searches.  Typically, many of us use something that starts with a “G” and rhymes with Schmoogle to do online searches, right? This is wonderful and fine and easy and I’ve learned some great things about gorillas and the continent of Asia while using that search engine. 

But by using the Swagbuck search engine, I learn great things about gorillas and the continent of Asia AND I get free money. Real money. The kind I can use to buy Organic Groceries from Amazon or books or gifts.

I have found it easiest to download the Swagbuck toolbar onto my computer…that way everytime I need to do an internet search (which is about eight hundred times a day) I do that search through my Swagbuck toolbar. Several different times each day, as I do those internet searches, I will see a little picture letting me know that Yay! I just won some Swagbucks!!

All of the Swagbucks I earn accumulate in my account. Once my account reaches a total of 450 Swagbucks, I can turn them in for a $5 Amazon Gift Card. I save my Amazon Gift Cards and use them for items we need, because I can find all kinds of great items through Amazon.

There are other ways to earn Swagbucks and you can read all about it once you set up a Swagbuck account. Beyond doing normal internet searches, the most success I’ve had for earning extra Swagbucks is telling other people about them, so that when they sign up and earn Swagbucks, I do too! Several of you have signed up through my links in the past, which has been a lovely and free way to support our work here at Heavenly Homemakers (so thank you oh so very much!). You can earn Swagbucks by referring others too. Once you sign up, be sure to tell everyone you know so that they can sign up under you and you can earn more Swagbucks! (However, you are not allowed to refer someone else in your own household…just people outside of your home!)

The beauty of Swagbucks is:  There’s no catch and it’s all free.  There’s nothing weird about Swagbucks or any need to feel nervous about joining me in the Swagbuck craze. It’s just a search engine, and you can earn free stuff or gift cards by using it. I’ve been using it for something like two or three years and have not had one bit of trouble or weirdness with it. 

You can sign up for Swagbucks here.  It will take you about two minutes. Or one minute if you’re a fast typist.

Swagbucks is a lovely thing indeed. It’s a wonderful way for everyone to earn some free money to use for things they need! (And P.S. There are other goodies and gift cards you can turn in your Swagbucks for. I just almost always turn them in for Amazon Gift Cards because that is the most helpful for our family.

If you’re a Swagbuck user, what do you turn in your Swagbucks for?

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Healthier Cheese Dip – a Velveeta and Rotel Recipe Knock Off!

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Today, I have written a very heart felt letter to my friend, Velveeta. I hope you don’t mind that I shared it. It’s rather personal, so I hope no one feels embarrassed to read my inner-most thoughts. I’m sure that my friend Velveeta is a friend to some of you too. Truly, if I would have had a daughter, I would have named her Velveeta in honor of my friend.

Okay, totally not really. But still.

Dear Velveeta,

I dearly love you. I grew up eating you and some days, I really miss you. I often visit you in the store, just in case you miss me too. Have you seen me there, lingering by your shelves?

What exactly are you made of anyway? Wait – don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. Reading your label makes me queasy, but when I mix you with a can of rotel, I could gladly grab a bag of chips and eat half the bowl. You are delicious. You are comfort food. You are memories from my childhood. And for goodness sakes you taste incredible alongside a cold glass of Pepsi.

But you are “processed cheese food”. What in the world does that mean? No wait – really – don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I just want to eat you in ignorance so that I won’t know the full effects of what something such as you can do to the insides of my body.

But alas, since my family began Our Healthy Eating Journey a few years ago, I chose to give you up. I have a new friend now that has a striking resemblance to you, but one that doesn’t make me feel so sick inside.

Those were some good times we had together – you, me and the Pepsi. Please know that I’ll hold the memory of you forever in my heart.

Insanely Yours,
Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers

Well, now you know. Velveeta-Rotel chip dip and I go way back. I miss her. I love her. But there’s a new kid in town, one that is made from real food that I can trust not to turn my gut wrong-side-out. I’ve been tinkering with this dish for the past couple of years and my family loves it! It’s not quite as thick as the Velveeta-Rotel dip, but I would imagine that the ingredients that make that one thick are ingredients you and I don’t know how to pronounce. Just lean over the bowl when you eat this. A little dip running down the chin never hurt anyone.

Don’t leave me hanging. I must know if you are friends with Velveeta too. Do you love her with Rotel? And tell me, is Velveeta a lovely name, or what?

Again, totally not really.

Healthier Cheese Dip - a Velveeta and Rotel Recipe Knock Off!
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground hamburger meat (seasoned with Homemade Taco Seasoning if you like!)
  • 2 cups salsa
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Organic Corn Chips
Instructions
  1. Brown hamburger meat and season if desired. Stir salsa and cream into the meat, stirring constantly while heating on medium heat for about three minutes. Remove mixture from heat and add shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Serve with Organic Corn Chips. (You can stir in ½ cup sour cream or 3 ounces cream cheese if you'd like.)
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My Sourdough Has Been Revived!

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Ever since I read through GNOWFGLINS Sourdough A to Z eBook, I have been inspired to make bubbles again. Sourdough bubbles that is. I am excited to report that over the past few days, I have worked to revive my sourdough! (Actually, I just started over with a new starter because my original one was very…dead.)

These are my bubbles. Aren’t they simply gorgeous? (Just nod and smile.)

I shared about making Sourdough Starter about two and a half years ago and was very excited to make sourdough breads a healthy habit in my kitchen. Making a sourdough starter is stinkin’ easy (and by stinkin‘, I mean that the starter really does begin sporting a mildly sour funk after a few days). But I really had no idea what to do with my starter after it was started. I played around with making bread a few times, but never got anything more than a few dense loaves that my family didn’t like. And so, my sourdough starter died a long, slow death in my refrigerator because after a few months, I stopped feeding it or trying to do anything productive with it. It’s a sad story really.

BUT, I’m all excited about sourdough again, which is why I created a new starter.  I love that not only does Sourdough A to Z eBook have very thorough instructions about how to make a sourdough starter, it has loads of recipes and ideas with directions for what to do with your sourdough starter. We’re talking cakes and muffins and pita bread and pizza crust and all kinds of great goodies. I never knew there were so many things to make with sourdough! (Forgive me for sounding like I’m writing an over-eager book review. The GNOWFGLINS ladies didn’t ask me to write this. I’m just excited about my bubbles.)

Here’s the front view of my jar of sourdough starter on day three.
Again, see my cute little bubbles?

Because all of these items are made from sourdough starter, they are so much easier for our bodies to digest. I was kinda hoping you’d get excited with me and try getting a sourdough starter going too, if you don’t already have one. Let’s make bubbles together, wanna? Think of the fun we’ll have!!! (Yes, it would appear that I’ve gone a little sourdough silly.)

If you eat a gluten free diet, never fear – Sourdough A to Z eBook even shares how to create and use a Gluten Free Starter!!!!  Yes, we can ALL play at this game!!!

This happens to be a perfect time of year to get a sourdough starter going, as the weather is warm, making for easier and happier bubbles. :)  I was eager this morning and with my new sourdough starter, made delicious muffins based on a recipe in Sourdough A to Z. They didn’t taste one bit sour, in case you were wondering. My boys didn’t even know they were sourdough and ate their typical three to five muffins each. ;)

 Tomorrow I’m going to follow the eBook directions for making a loaf of bread. I’ll share the results whether it’s pretty or not so pretty. Here’s hoping for a successful sourdough bread making experience!

If you want to create a sourdough starter, but aren’t able to purchase the ebook, please click on this link and scroll down to the beginning of the series of posts that describe day by day instructions for how to make a starter. Since the recipes in the Sourdough A to Z eBook aren’t mine to share, I’ll only be able to talk about them and show you pictures of my results, but not print the recipes themselves. 

Okay, here’s hoping for a lovely loaf of sourdough bread at our house tomorrow!!! What’s been your sourdough experience? 

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Gratituesday: Putting Away the Books (but not really)

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Our homeschool schedule usually begins in early August so that we can be done in early May. We like it that when spring fever hits, we don’t have to be stuck behind math books, but can instead be working outside in the garden or playing ball in the yard. 

So, do you know what this week is? It’s the beginning of the end of our school year! Each of the boys just have a few small assignments to finish up, and then they can officially stop learning for a few months. HA! Assignments from books may be finished, but I love that the learning never stops! In fact, we’ve got book lists and project lists already in the works.

Among all the other great things I could tell you about our school year, we’ve had a wonderful year of studying American History. WOW have we learned a lot! (By we, I totally mean me because I am much more knowledgeable about how our country has become what it is.)  (I do think that the boys learned a thing or two as well.)

But now, we’re excited to have a more flexible schedule, to be able spend more time outside, to have more time to play games and to be goofy.

Not that we really need more time to be goofy. Really. We do that pretty well on a regular basis, even while we’re thinking of the best adverbs to fit a sentence. (You don’t want me to share examples.)

And so, let the lazy days of summer, which are anything but lazy, begin. Once again, I thank God for another wonderful year of learning with our boys.

(Our oldest will be a 9th grader next year. I’m choking on my muffin.)

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it 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!

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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Our Gluten Free Experiment Results and a New Hope

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If you recall, the past several weeks we have been conducting Gluten Free Experiment to see if taking gluten out of his diet would help our six year old, Malachi, get his chronic eczema under control. And if you also recall, I had quite a variety of emotions that went along with this experiment. It is so much fun to be an emotional basket-case.  Bleh.

Here’s a quick recap of Malachi’s history:

Here are a few things we learned during the Gluten Free Experiment:

  • Malachi is a trooper.  We knew this already, but we were so proud of how he handled not being able to eat gluten for several weeks.
  • Eating Gluten Free isn’t the end of the world.  Several of you suggested that it’s best to focus on what you can eat, not on what you can’t. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. There are SO MANY foods you can eat that are naturally gluten free.
  • For  years I’d been wanting to expand the variety of grains we consume, but had either been too lazy or too intimidated to go for it.  This experiment forced me out of my whole wheat comfort zone. I am now having a lovely time playing with brown rice flour, millet and buckwheat, and hope to continue learning more. In addition, I think we all know that I am now addicted to coconut flour, which isn’t a grain at all, but a wonderful, healthy flour with great potential in baking.
  • It really doesn’t have to be expensive to eat gluten free. We simply changed some of the foods we were eating to conduct this experiment, and I did not notice an increase in our grocery budget. Now, if I were going to buy gluten free bread (for $6.50/loaf) and gluten free baking mixes (for $3.50/box), then it would be expensive. But by cooking and baking from scratch, our gluten free grocery budget did not increase.

But the main thing we learned during our Gluten Free Experiment is that:  Eating Gluten Free did not help Malachi even a little bit.

Am I relieved? No, but yes, but no not really. Some answers would really be nice.

In the meantime, we took him back to our trusted chiropractor who has been helping us since Malachi began this trial as a baby. He’s helping to cleanse and strengthen Malachi’s liver, which seems to be showing signs of weakness again (this is something that seems to be the root cause of his eczema). As always, there is no quick fix, but we’re thankful to have a loving doctor closeby that cares for our children.

HOPE

Also in the meantime, we learned of a Bio-Chemist in Wisconsin who has helped treat people with this, and other kinds of illnesses. While we’ve known for many years that eczema truly isn’t a skin issue, but the result of something going wrong inside the body, particularly with digestion…we’ve not really known where exactly to turn. This is one reason we tried the Gluten Free Experiment, to see if that would help his digestion.

We’ve been in touch with the Bio-Chemist and soon we will be going through her program, which is designed, by the grace of God, to heal Malachi’s digestive system so that all parts of his body can work properly and so that toxins can be eliminated the way they are supposed to be eliminated, instead of through his skin.

After six years, and a particularly trying few months, I can’t tell you how good it feels to have hope. This program won’t be easy, it won’t be cheap, but we don’t care. (Well, we do care, but you know what I mean.)  We just want Malachi’s body to heal.

And so, with that, I’ll say thank you to all of you who have emailed and left comments of encouragement. I’ll try to keep you posted as we go along with this and as I learn more. I’ll also ask you to continue to pray for healing for Malachi, and to praise God with us that we have hope and that He always provides the help that we need!

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Menu Plan for the Week

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Here are the Honey Whole Wheat Bagels I made over the weekend. Several of you commented that yours shrivelled and didn’t look nice – mine did that this time too. They were quite dense. I have no idea why. They still tasted good. SO, if your bagels don’t turn out perfect, don’t worry a thing about it. It’s tough to get a perfect bagel every time! What’s been your bagel baking experience?

Here’s our menu plan for the week:

Sunday, May 1
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Sloppy cornbread muffins at soccer games with fruit and carrots
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad, corn

Monday, May 2
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries, whipped cream
Salmon patties, ranch potato wedges, peas
Cheddar ranch burgers, oven roasted asparagus, steamed carrots

Tuesday, May 3
Turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, creamy orange cooler
Chicken chef salad with homemade dressings
Teriyaki chicken wings, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli

Wednesday, May 4
Mini breakfast pizzas, applesauce
Homemade corndogs, potato salad, apples
Tacos with homemade tortillas

Thursday, May 5
French toast, peaches
Quesadillas, fruit-kefir smoothies
Swiss steak over rice with carrots

Friday, May 6
Fried eggs, turkey bacon, fruit salad
Grilled cheese sandwiches, chips and salsa, veggies
Homemade pizza

Saturday, May 7
Homemade poptarts, bananas
Leftovers
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, green beans

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Visit Say Mmm to help get a kick start on Menu Planning!

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New to bread baking? Or, have bread baking questions that need to be answered? 
Visit BreadClass.com!

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Pretzel Challenge Winner

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You all made this week super fun, with all of your creative pretzel making and picture taking. My inbox filled up quickly as you sent in your pictures and told of your experiences. I LOVED seeing whole families involved in the pretzel making process – kids, dads, pets…

Okay, not pets. Although they might have had fun too.

Here are a few pictures I grabbed to share  – wish I had room to show them all! Way to go everyone!

The winner of our Pretzel Challenge winner is:

Laura:  (laura.hojnacke@)

Laura, email me and I’ll send you your Heavenly Homemakers Gift certificate code worth $20 off anything downloadable in the Heavenly Homemakers Shop! 

If you haven’t had a chance to make these whole wheat soft pretzels yet, might I encourage you go do that? Make it a family event. Get the kids involved. Call in the neighbors. You can come up with different shapes and letters and twist up pretzels all fancy like if you want. Hey, it’s better than a game of Twister. Unless you like embarassing yourself in front of your neighbors. And then you get to eat the pretzels, which is obviously the point, and the best part of all.

Hey, maybe next I should extend a Twister Challenge. Now those would be some fun pictures to see. Not that you’d be able to actually take a picture with your right hand “on red” and your left knee “on blue”.

I’ve gotta say, that game ranks up there with some of my least favorite. Makes you wonder why I keep talking about it, huh?

Happy National Pretzel Day (Week) everyone! :)

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My New Kitchen Aid Food Processor (and a little frozen fruit drama)

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Mama got a new food processor!

I seem to be a breaker of kitchen appliances. (Is breaker a word? Perhaps I’m a breakist?)

I think it’s a combination of two things:  1) I often buy cheap appliances. 2) I use my kitchen appliances constantly.

Therefore, when my previous food processor broke, we decided that instead of paying around $30 for another cheap food processor that would break in a year or less, we should save up and invest in a food processor that would last (because that would save us money in the long run!).

So, we saved. And while we were saving, I continued to use my broken food processor that still sort of worked, but if left unattended would fly off the counter and spray peanuts into the living room. The last day I used my old food processor, everyone was at the table waiting for their Mock Frozen Yogurt when all of a sudden, because I wasn’t holding the gadget with all my weight and standing on my right pinky toe just right, we had a sudden flinging of frozen berries and yogurt. The boys watched in astonishment as their Mama shrieked, the result of three frozen blueberries striking her on the forehead. The walls were covered in spattered yogurt and half the ingredients were dripping off the nearby pile of mail.

It was at that point that Matt, while gently dabbing at the blueberry stain that was running down my face, said, “Let’s get you that new food processor, what do you say?”

And so we looked around a little bit and decided on the Kitchen Aid 9-Cup Food Processor. I cringed when I first saw the price, because I’m used to buying cheap appliances. But now that I’ve got it all set up in my kitchen, I’ve decided that it was worth every penny. It’s so heavy duty that there is no comparison to the dinky things I formerly used.

Ain’t she purty? I’ve been playing…wanna see?

I spent several hours playing with her the first day she arrived. (I’m calling her a her because she’s so lovely and because there are plenty of males in our household so I can call her a her if I want to.)  As you can see, I began by making Peanut Butter. Two batches actually. The boys ate the Homemade Peanut Butter on their Whole Wheat Waffles, then I used some of it to make Peanut Butter Honey Fudge. This processor made my Homemade Peanut Butter making experience SO much easier!!!! What do you know…a food processor that actually works efficiently!

Next, I got out my cashews and dates and made some Homemade Larabars. Wow, those are fun to make and deliciously healthy for snacks!

I couldn’t resist setting the snacks up side by side and taking a picture. Oh lovely food made by my lovely new food processor. (Sorry to be gushing. I am obviously having a lot of fun playing with my new toy, can you tell?)

After I made those snacks, I got her all cleaned up and made some Mock Frozen Yogurt to go with our lunch. After all, I needed to see if I could make this treat without the drama of the previous Mock Frozen Yogurt mishap.

I’m happy to report that with my new Kitchen Aid 9-Cup Food Processor there was no blueberry violence or yogurt flinging. Nor did any peanuts shoot into the living room. All was calm in the kitchen as my new investment went to work for me.

Now there’s a story with a happy ending. :)

So, do you have a food processor? What kind do you have? Do you tend to buy cheap appliances, or do you invest in more efficient ones? Ever been a victim of frozen berry violence?

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Five Minutes to Cultured Dairy

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I’m out to prove that making your own cultured dairy products is neither intimidating nor difficult. Just yesterday, I made Buttermilk , Kefir and Sour Cream. This took me a total of five minutes. I did not break a sweat, not even when I was putting lids on jars.

Yum

I then started a batch of Yogurt . Yes, it was a big dairy day in my kitchen. Or rather, a big dairy eight minutes. Because that’s really how long it took to do all of this.

As soon as they are done culturing (which these products do all by themselves while I sleep, type, trip on legos or cut my fingernails), I’ll put them into the fridge.

Now, all of you stop thinking that you can’t make your own cultured dairy products and get started on this fun and healthy habit!! :)

Here’s a little Cultured Dairy question and answer time:

Is making your own cultured dairy products hard to do?  Did I or did I not just tell you that this isn’t hard? Okay then.

Can I use regular milk from the store to make these products?  Yep. I recommend drinking and using raw, organic, grass fed cow (or goat) milk to make these, but if that isn’t available to you, you can definitely use milk that you purchase from the store.

Do I have to trip on legos while my products are culturing?  No, in fact I recommend that you step over all legos and call your children in to pick them up before your feet get holes in them. I was just saying that to be funny, or something like that – and to prove that you don’t have to babysit your dairy products while they are culturing.

Why is there a rubber band on your sour cream jar?  I put a rubber band around my sour cream jar so that I’ll know at one quick glance into my fridge which jar is sour cream and which is regular cream. It’s quite helpful to know the difference. You’re welcome to use whatever color of rubber band you prefer. If you really think that sour cream deserves a red rubber band instead of a yellow one, knock yourself out.

What do you mean “knock yourself out”?  That is an expression that really just means “go for it”. To take that expression literally would just seem as though I were a big bully. Please, do not literally “knock yourself out”. Goodness.

Will I really have cultured dairy products in just five minutes like your title suggests?  The five minutes I was referring to was the time it takes for YOU to do any kind of work. It does take several hours for the dairy to become cultured after you’ve done your five minutes of work. Read the specific directions for each of the dairy products to know how long each item takes to become cultured. Here are the quick links:  Buttermilk , Kefir, Yogurt and Sour Cream.

Do you make your own cultured dairy products? Which ones are your favorite?

It’s here! Check out our amazing Simple Meals program!

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Happy National Pretzel Day!!!

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Yes indeed, today is the big day. It’s National Pretzel Day! (I’m sure you all dressed up for the occasion.)

I made a big batch of pretzels earlier this afternoon. They came out fat and sassy this time, and rich and buttery, and were best hot and steamy and well {she says, with a bit of a tear in her eye}, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays. 

Oh look, a tower of Pretzels:

It’s been so much fun to receive your emails showing your pretzel pictures and telling of your pretzel adventures!! Thanks to all have been participating so far in our “Pretzel Challenge“. 

It’s not too late for the rest of you to join in! Read more of the details about the Pretzel Challenge here (not that it’s very complicated), then send me your pretzel pictures!!

Everyone who participates in the Pretzel Challenge by Friday night, April 29, will be in a drawing to win a $20 Gift Certificate from the Heavenly Homemakers Shop!

Happy Pretzel Baking!

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