Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

You CAN Do This Sourdough Thing! (Review and Giveaway from GNOWFGLINS)

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Okay everyone…ONE LAST GIVEAWAY for this week!!! Next week, everything gets back to “normal” around here. Whatever normal is.  :)

A couple of years ago, I wrote an entire series on making Sourdough Starter, walked you through the day-to-day process, took pictures of my little sourdough bubbles and helped you get off to a great start on your sourdough!

Sort of.

I’m just not a sourdough expert. I know enough about it to answer some basic questions, but aside from making a kind of dense loaf of sourdough bread, I have felt a little bit stuck. I knew there was a lot more I could do with my sourdough starter, but what exactly was there, and how should I go about learning?

The GNOWFGLINS (God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season) ladies just sent me their “hot off the press” Sourdough A to Z eBook and Oh. Wow. Did you know that you can make like a million things with your sourdough starter? Crackers and cakes and muffins and tortillas and pita pockets and pancakes and English muffins and pizza pockets and a bunch of other things that made me want to eat the picture right off my computer screen! Wow.

The Sourdough A to Z eBook walks you through the entire process of making a sourdough from start to finish. Then, once you have your starter alive and kicking…they teach you  how to make all of these wonderful, healthy, easy to digest foods!!!!

AND, guess what!!! While it teaches about all different grains, wheat included, there’s also a whole section in the Sourdough A to Z eBook detailing how you can make a GLUTEN FREE sourdough starter and how you can adapt all the awesome recipes to be GLUTEN FREE!!!!!!!!!

I wasn’t sure whether to giggle or get weepy when I saw that section. I think I kind of did both. Yes, I did the weepy-giggle thing. It was cute.

I can not tell you how impressed I am with the Sourdough A to Z eBook. It is 150 pages of incredible, easy to understand information and recipes and tutorials and tips. The GNOWFGLINS ladies did a fantastic job putting this together! 

In addition, if you are more of a visual person (like I am), they have an online Sourdough eCourse available that will knock your socks off.   If you are interested in creating grain products that are delicious and incredibly healthy, I just can’t say enough good about the Sourdough A to Z eBook and/or Sourdough eCourse.

The lovely ladies at GNOWFGLINS have offered to give away three of their Sourdough A to Z eBook here!  I’m telling you…you WANT this Sourdough A to Z eBook. Unless you want the Sourdough eCourse.  Either way, you’ll recieve a wealth of sourdough knowledge!

Leave a comment here on this post if you’re interested in winning one of the three copies of Sourdough A to Z eBook. 

I’ll draw three random winners for this giveaway on Tuesday, April 12.

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Gluten Free Recipe Parade Link-Up!

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Wow, has it been a fun and busy week! I’ve loved sharing these new recipes with you, and I can’t wait to read all the great recipes YOU are going to share!!

Here’s a quick link re-cap of all the Gluten Free Recipes shared in this week’s parade:

And don’t forget about the great Stainless Steel Bakeware Giveaway from Paula’s Bread and the wonderful Food Giveaway from Tropical Traditions! Keep in mind that any comment left on ANY post with the Gluten Free Recipe Parade button (pictured at the top of this post) will be entered into a drawing for one of five $10 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop!

Now it’s your turn!!! Please share your recipes that are healthy and free of gluten.  This includes any recipe that does not call for wheat, barley or rye. If it calls for oats, we’ll just know that we need to use gluten free oats, right?!

If you have a blog, link up your recipes below, using the Mr. Linky feature. Please kindly make mention on your blog post that your recipe is linked to the “Gluten Free Recipe Parade at Heavenly Homemakers”…linking back to this post. You are welcome to link up more than one recipe. It is a parade after all!

If you don’t have a blog, please share your Gluten Free Recipes in the comments section of this post.

Let’s all bless each other and be blessed with new and wonderful recipes!

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Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies

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 I think I’d make this dish every other day if my family would let me get away with it. It is the perfect combination of flavors and I LOVE IT. It’s great because you can use leftover chicken if you have it, any veggies you have on hand…and if you have fresh pineapple? Well, be still my heart.

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I don’t have an exact recipe for this dish. It’s more of a “throw food together” kind of dish, depending on what you have on hand. Then, make some brown rice and whip up some Teriyaki Sauce to pour on and you’ve got a great meal! So, forgive me for not putting exact measurements on this “recipe”. Just make enough for your family!

Here’s what you need:

Here’s what to do:

Get your brown rice cooking. (I have easy directions for cooking brown rice here.)  Mix up Teriyaki Sauce and have it ready to go when chicken and veggies are done.

Chop up your veggies and stir them around in a skillet over medium heat with olive oil until they are tender. If your chicken needs to be cooked, throw that in too. (See what a fancy cook I am?)  :)  If you want, you can season your veggies and chicken with garlic.

Toss pineapple into the veggies to cook for just a few minutes.

Serve rice, veggies, pineapple and chicken with Teriyaki Sauce poured over the top!

Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables

What veggies would you throw in to create this meal?  I know my menu plan said something different, but I think I’m making this tonight anyway. :)

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What to Do With the Vanilla in Your Kitchen

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What to Do With the Vanilla in Your Kitchen – here it is! With all my talk around here about making homemade extract, you knew I’d have to have a vanilla ebook, right?

What To Do With Vanilla Coversm

This eBook fits right in with all of our other “In the Kitchen” eBooks:  Do the Funky Kitchen plus What to do with the Cow in Your Kitchen…Chicken in Your Kitchen…Kids in Your Kitchen and…Cocoa in the Kitchen. Now, you’ll also know What to Do with the Vanilla in Your Kitchen!

Making Homemade Vanilla Extract is a great way to save money, while creating the highest quality vanilla extract around! I have found that making homemade vanilla cuts my cost in half, plus there are no additives in this vanilla. It’s completely pure, made from only vodka and beans. (Read more about this process here.)

If you’ve been making Homemade Vanilla Extract (or even if you haven’t!) you’ll love having this handy little resource on hand complete with all the details of making Homemade Vanilla, learn what to do with used Vanilla Beans, see How to Bottle Your Homemade Vanilla and read all kinds of other useful information. Plus, and most importantly, there are 15 yummy recipes, all which use vanilla extract. Mmmm…vanilla. I love the awesome flavor!

Be sure to read at the bottom of this poat about how you can win a free half pound of high quality vanilla beans from OliveNation!!! 

Here’s what you’ll find inside What to Do With the Vanilla in Your Kitchen eBook:

What To Do With Vanilla Coversm
What to Do With the Vanilla in Your Kitchen eBook
$4.95

Add to Cart

This book offers you great recipes for cakes, snacks, pies, dips, and more – all made all the more delicious because of your homemade extract.

Questions? Let me know!

And GREAT NEWS!!!  Olive Nation still offers a 10% Heavenly Homemaker discount on all vanilla bean purchases!! Just enter the code home when purchasing.

If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to make your own Vanilla Extract! It’s super easy and so delicious you’ll never go back! Enjoy these recipes to go along with it!

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Homemade “Larabars” for a Gluten Free Snack!

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Ready to learn how to make homemade Larabars?

larabars_remade

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Ever since I got to try some Larabars for a review back in March, I’ve been hooked. They are amazingly yummy, incredibly healthy and what do you know…they are gluten free!

I’m amazed that they contain so few ingredients…my favorite Cashew Cookie bar is made of only dates and cashews…that’s IT. And it really does taste like a cookie. Only better.  :)

Since doing that review, I’ve done two things regarding Larabars:

1)  I used some of my Swagbuck earnings to order more from Amazon. I wanted to have these awesome snacks on hand for grab and go moments. They have come in very handy!
2)  I used Katie’s Healthy Snacks to Go eBook to make my own.

You have GOT to try your hand at Homemade Larabars.

I can’t believe how easy they are, and the homemade bars taste even better (because homemade always tastes better, right?)!

Malachi is not a big fan of nuts in any form, mostly because he really just hasn’t given them a chance. :)   This has been a challenge during our Gluten Free Experiment because I would really like to be able to feed him nuts as a snack. So…I didn’t call these Larabars. I told him that these were a “gluten free bar” that I had made. He didn’t ask what was in them. I didn’t tell. He saw the chocolate chips. That’s all he needed to know. :)

He gobbled one right up, exclaiming over and over how good it was. (yay!) I think we may be going through a lot of nuts and dates while I continue to “play” in the kitchen. :)

Regarding nuts, be sure to check out Braga Farms as a wonderful source for organic nuts! Braga Farms is a fabulous family farm to purchase organic nuts from. You can not beat their quality or their prices! I just placed an order and I can’t wait to get my great box of organic nuts!

Ever tried making your own Larabars?  I think we’ve decided to call our homemade bars “Mamabars”. And wow, there’s only one left so I’m going to have to make another batch! :)

Homemade Larabars

Homemade "Larabars" for a Gluten Free Snack!
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups raw cashews
  • 8 dates (remove pits)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup add ins like mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, or fresh fruit like blueberries (optional)
Instructions
  1. Grind cashews in a food processor until fine.
  2. Slowly add dates, vanilla, and water and pulse until the mixture forms a dough.
  3. Fold in chocolate chips or fruit.
  4. Press mixture into a parchment paper-lined 8x8 inch pan.
  5. Refrigerate for about one hour.
  6. Cut into 12 bars.

Homemade Larabars

 

Need more healthy snack ideas? You’ll love this wonderful and helpful eBook full of 227 Healthy Snack ideas and recipes!

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Gluten Free Peanut Butter Honey Balls

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If you haven’t made this Peanut Butter Honey Fudge…you are missing out on one of the easiest treats ever! For a little variation this time, I decided to roll some of the squares into balls. 

It may be fun to roll these balls in coconut flakes too!

Okay…Peanut Butter Honey Fudge – you have to try it! Three ingredients, that’s it! Peanut butter, honey and chocolate chips.  Find the recipe here!

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Gluten Free – Dairy Free Muffins

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I think this is the recipe I’m most excited about from all my gluten free recipe experimenting last week!!! Cher left this recipe in the comments section in my Gluten Free Experiment post and since I had all the ingredients on hand, I gave them a try. (Cher, I’d like to give you a BIG hug!!!)

Coconut_Flour_Muffin

Upon first glance, it seems that there would be too much liquid in these, making for a really runny batter. But nope…it’s just right. I mixed them up, baked them, then held my breath:  Would my kids like them? They smelled good…they looked good…but would they taste good?

Oh. My. Muffin.

EVERY boy in my house scarfed these up…my pickiest son exclaiming, “Mom! These taste like CAKE!”

It’s only been a week, but I think I’ve made three batches of these already. We all love them.

Gluten Free – Dairy Free MuffinsYum

Gluten Free - Dairy Free Muffins
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 6 eggs
  • 4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup Coconut Flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Add-In Ideas:
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup fresh berries
  • ¼ cup chopped, dried fruit
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together, throw in an add-in if you'd like, then pour batter into a well greased muffin pan.
  2. Bake at 350 for 15-17 min.

By themselves, these muffins are awesome…but with chocolate chips. Oh my!

With both Coconut Oil and Coconut Flour in these, you would think they would have an overpowering coconut flavor. You can taste a bit of coconuty-goodness, but it’s not strong. Read this post explaining about the differences in coconut oils – try expeller pressed coconut oil if you don’t like the taste of coconut!

So where can you get Coconut Flour? I usually get mine from Tropical Traditions, but just saw this great pack of Coconut Flour at Amazon and decided to snatch it up. I think we’ll be making a lot of these muffins in the future…whether we remain gluten free or not. What an EXCELLENT little healthy muffin!!!

Have you ever baked with Coconut Flour? I’m hoping to figure out more Coconut Flour recipes. It’s super good for you! What add-in ideas can you think of for these muffins?

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Gratituesday: Houseful of Teenagers

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It all started over the weekend when I ran into a friend at the Home School Conference. She’s one of the moms of some boys on Asa’s basketball team. We were talking about how the boys missed each other since basketball season had ended in early March. One thing led to another, and we figured out a time to get her boys over to hang out with Asa.

And then that one thing led to another, and we decided to call more boys on the basketball team. 

And to make a long story short…there are seven teenage boys in my house right now.

Since Monday night and Tuesday were the days that worked best for everyone, we all just decided to cram Tuesday’s school work into Monday and Wednesday (ah, the beauty of home schooling!) so that Tuesday can be a big day for hanging out and shooting hoops. 

Three lasagnas and four loaves of bread later, I’d say these boys are having a pretty good time…

Seven teenage boys might seem a little intimidating…but I promise you that even I am having a wonderful time. These have GOT to be the most polite boys on the earth. I love them. Our younger boys love them. Their mothers should be proud.

We’ll be having pancakes in the morning. I’m trying to decide how many times I should quadruple this recipe to fill them all. (How’s that for a gluten-filled sentence in the middle of our Gluten Free Recipe Parade week!?)  :)

What a blessing for my son to have friends like this in his life. Bring on the hollow legs!

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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Gluten Free Pasta that Tastes Good

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I decided early on in Malachi’s Gluten Free Experiment that I wasn’t going to buy lots of “specialty gluten free” foods. They are crazy expensive and many of them are void of any kind of nutrition. 

However, I’ve made a couple of exceptions, in the name of sanity and so that I can present something “normal” for Malachi. For instance,  if we’re eating pasta, I’d like him to be able to have pasta. I found and purchased one small bag of Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta at Walmart, thinking that if he liked it and if it actually cooks up nicely, maybe I’d look into purchasing more to have on hand. The ingredient list didn’t even make me squeamish!

I am VERY happy to report that Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta DOES cook up nicely and that Malachi DOES like it!!! Keep in mind, Malachi is six years old…he’s not just eating it to be polite. That means he really does like it! :)

The Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta worked great for our Lasagna Casserole.

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AND…you know my unique method for making Healthy Creamy Mac and Cheese? 
This Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta even worked in THAT recipe!!! SO good!!!

I couldn’t be more excited!!! (Okay, c’mon. Sure I could.  Gluten free pasta that tastes good isn’t that amazing. There are more exciting things in the world.)

Still…I’m pretty excited. Now, when some of you leave comments on my various pasta recipes, asking if rice pasta will work…I’ll be able to say “yes!”. 

And for the record, the Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta is, unfortunately, a significant amount more expensive than the Whole Wheat Pasta I normally buy. But since I’m just using it for one person in our household, that one bag of Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta is lasting us a long time. 

Have you tried Gluten Free Pasta before? What has been your GF Pasta experience? Don’t you wish I would pass out forks so you could take a bite  of Malachi’s Creamy Mac and Cheese up in that picture?

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Mock Frozen Yogurt

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High Five Recipes 2

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Can I now offer you the perfect little side dish to go with your Taco Corn Fritters? This Mock Frozen Yogurt is so very easy and really, really tasty too.

I have no idea why I felt the need to say that. It really is sort of a “duh” statement because if I didn’t feel like it was tasty, would I actually post the recipe on my blog? How would that look…”I don’t really like eating this dish, but I thought I’d post it for you anyway so you could be grossed-out along with me. Feel free to stink up your kitchen and tell your kids that the Heavenly Homemaker made you do it. Be sure to come back and share your gag stories.” I would never do that. And yet I still felt the need to point out that the recipe tastes good. Duh.

So yeah, this recipe is really tasty! You should try it sometime! Anyway…

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it works great as a side dish or snack, but is also sweet enough to be a dessert. And in case I failed to mention it, this Mock Frozen Yogurt is really quite tasty. :)

Mock Frozen Yogurt

3 cups any varieties of frozen fruit (I used blueberries, peaches and strawberries)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup grade B real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place frozen fruit in a food processor.

Add plain yogurt, vanilla and maple syrup.

Blend until all ingredients are well mixed. Easy as that!

Serve right away as a side dish, snack or dessert! I LOVE it when desserts are this healthy!!

And there you go. Come back for more tasty (and gluten free!) recipes all week long!

What are your favorite frozen fruits to use in treats??

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