Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Eat More Fruits and Veggies! Pineapple Orange Slushy Cups

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Pineapple Orange Slushies
Here’s a great recipe for you! It’s healthy and refreshing – and uses only THREE ingredients.

Pinepple Orange Slushy Cups

2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
½ cup orange juice
1 cup plain yogurt

Place pineapple into a food processor and puree. Pour orange juice and yogurt into food processor and blend together with pineapple. Pour mixture into small serving dishes. Place dishes in the freezer for about two hours to become slushy.

These are a great side dish at lunch or afternoon snack!

ENJOY!

Take a peek at other Fruits and Veggie recipes and encouragement here!

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The Day in which Laura Gets to Meet…some Funky Chickens

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As if writing the ebooks:  Do the Funky Kitchen and What to Do With the Chicken in Your Kitchen just weren’t enough for me.

This week I actually had a chicken encounter…and well…it was…funky.

Tuesday afternoon I received a phone call from a friend who has….chickens. (Bet not everyone out there can boast that they have a friend with chickens.)  (BTW, say “friend with chickens” five times fast.)

Anyway, my friend with chickens was out of town and wasn’t going to be back home in time to gather the eggs for the night…and “would I mind going over and gathering the eggs?”

I got a few instructions…and said, “Sure. How hard can it be?”

My big boys were all with their Daddy, so I loaded up Malachi, and the 13 month old that I babysit for and away we went to go gather eggs. 

Both little boys LOVED seeing the chickens (yes, there were A LOT of them)!

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Malachi and the baby were fascinated!!

So was I…because I think farm animals are awesome…and I also really like watching these happy, free ranging birds…who provide me with wonderful, healthy eggs. (Yeah, I’m a nerd like that.)  They’re just so cool!

After watching the chickens for a while we decided to go in search for the eggs. There didn’t seem to be any easy way in…and I had not asked my friend exactly where the chickens laid their eggs. 

But, if you look in the pictures I took, you’ll see two ways into the chicken coop. One is the door…which of course you can’t get to without going into the fenced area where the chickens are. 

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 The second is the tiny little opening that you see in the picture above with Malachi. See on the very left where that chicken is coming out of the coop?

Yeah…I opted for the other door.

(Keep in mind, that I’m holding a 25 lb. baby…a camera, three egg cartons, and Malachi’s hand.) 

We made our way into the fenced area with the chickens…went in through the door and into the coop. There were no eggs in there. Hmm…

We went back out…and I’m thinking to myself, “WHERE would they have layed their eggs? I KNOW chickens usually lay their eggs where they roost, right? They don’t just randomly lay eggs out all over their yard and in the hay. They are not Easter Bunnies.”

And yet, I didn’t know where else to look…so we walked all around the inside of the fence looking for hidden eggs. (and don’t think I didn’t feel silly…because…I did.)

There were no eggs.

I even went so far as to talk to the chickens. I thought perhaps one of them would take pity on me and walk me to her prize of the day.

Either they didn’t quite understand what I was asking…or they were just enjoying watching the crazy lady who couldn’t find their eggs. Regardless, they didn’t give me any helpful information. (But I bet they had a big chuckle over me after I left.)

The baby I was holding now weighed 50 lbs and Malachi was getting a little freaked out being followed around by so many clucking creatures…

So, I went and put the boys into the van and gave them some toys…

And went back free handed to see if there was a door I was missing somewhere.

A-HA! A hidden door! And I heard bawking on the other side of it. So, I opened the door…and it led me to….another door.

And that door opened to the “secret room” that I had been looking for! And there…along with bunches of chickens…were two and a half dozen eggs!! Warm and just waiting for me to collect!

The chickens and I exchanged a few more pleasantries…because now that I knew where the hidden eggs were, I wanted to be sure and let the chickens know how much I appreciate their hard work and how much my family enjoys their delicious eggs. (Really, one mustn’t take the work of a chicken for granted.)

You won’t tell anyone will you…that I actually talked to the chickens? 

(You know, don’t you, that YOU would have too?!)

;)

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What Kids REALLY Like to Play With

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Although my kids are pretty well past this phase (you know, since my littlest boy is the big THREE years old)…anytime I babysit for a littler guy, I’m reminded of how much they’d really rather play with anything BUT a toy!

Place a full basket of wonderful, colorful, super fun toys in front of a baby…and he’ll crawl away to play with….

1. The trash can

2. Everything that’s in the trash can

3. Your important papers

4. The telephone…and all it’s buttons

5. A kleenex box  (which, of course, includes pulling all of the kleenexes OUT of the box)

6. The toilet plunger (freshly used)

7. The remote control

8. Daddy’s dirty shoes

9. His own socks (which of course, go directly to his mouth…making them too soppy to put back on)

10. Anything that has a wire attached to it and is coming out of a wall

11. All of the clean laundry that you JUST finished folding

12. Your favorite dish from your great grandmother

13. A permanent marker (any color will do)

Unfortunately…I could go on and on…

Kinda makes you re-think how much money you should really spend on a birthday gift. :)

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Make Ahead Meals: Beefy Enchilada Bake

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We’re calling this Beefy Enchilada Bake. Why??

Anybody else have a husband who “won’t eat it if it’s a casserole?”

My sister-in-law, Kari,  told me of this recipe idea. But she said, “You can’t call it a casserole, or Randy won’t eat it!” Apparently it’s a common theme with husbands. Many don’t like casseroles. (My husband on the other hand, would probably eat it no matter what you called it. If there’s food in it – he likes it.)

So as Kari was making this, she decided, “It’s layered like a lasagna. I think I’ll call it Enchilada Lasagna.” (Fun name – I like it!)

Hey, call it whatever you want to. This dish is simple to prepare, really yummy to eat, and is great to make ahead of time, freeze, thaw and bake. I LOVE Make Ahead Casser Meals!

Beefy Enchilada Bake 

Beefy Enchilada Bake (aka Enchilada Lasagna)

Make Ahead Meals: Beefy Enchilada Bake
 
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Author:
Serves: 6-10
Ingredients
  • 1 pound Ground hamburger meat
  • 3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • ½ cup water
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder (depending on your taste)
  • salt
  • 3 cups tomato sauce
  • 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  • 12 corn tortillas
Instructions
  1. Brown hamburger meat.
  2. Do not drain grease!
  3. Put cooked hamburger meat in separate bowl, salt and set aside.
  4. Sprinkle arrowroot powder into the grease and stir (if you do not have enough grease to absorb the arrowroot powder, add 2 T. butter).
  5. Keep your burner on medium to high heat.
  6. Pour in water and “smoosh” the clumps of arrowroot powder/grease around while you stir the water in.
  7. This will thicken and make a gravy.
  8. Pour in tomato sauce and chili powder.
  9. Stir well until bubbly. This is now your enchilada sauce!
  10. Cut corn tortillas into one inch strips.
  11. Dip tortilla strips in enchilada sauce and coat thoroughly.
  12. Cover bottom of baking dish with enchilada sauce coated tortilla strips.
  13. Sprinkle ⅓ of the cooked ground beef over the tortillas…then a little cheese.
  14. Repeat layers twice more: enchilada sauce coated tortilla strips, meat, cheese.
  15. If you have any leftover enchilada sauce, drizzle it over the top.
  16. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 – 40 minutes or until bubbly.

There you go! A great meal that you can make ahead of time and pull out when you need it!

Because I’ve had several requests for more meals like this, and because I LOVE having meals like this, I’ve been playing a lot in my kitchen to come up with more great recipes that can save you time and energy! I’ll keep these recipes coming!

But I’m curious – does your family eat “casseroles”? Because I can come up with anti-casserole names. I’ll go think of some now…

(Easy Chicken HooHaa;  Tasty Noodley Goodley;  Cheesy Pleasey Chicken; Chunky Beef Bucket, Turkey Salad Surprise ; Couch Potato Cuisine…)

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Gratituesday: My Nephew

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Hey…can I tell you about my newest nephew? Thanks.

(Ah, the joy of being able to brag…and it being okay…)  :)

This little guy, Seth, belongs to Randy and Kari (Matt’s brother and his wife). They are in the process of adopting him….and really, really…the fact that God gave Seth to our family is one of the hugest blessings ever. You can read about their adoption journey on their blog.

See…just look at this sweet little boy. I LOVE all the rolls!! 

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Because we’re honoring mothers during the next several days…I’ll also add that Seth has a most wonderful mama! I LOVE how Kari loves Seth. It really is delightful to watch (and by watch…I mean listen to on the phone and read about on the blog and email…they live in CA…and that is not close to NE  :( ). 

My favorite thing about the way Kari mothers Seth is in the way she is ALREADY bringing God into his life. From the time he was born…Kari has been praying with him and talking to him about God. And THAT is the very best way to mother. 

Kari…I am amazed and challenged by your wonderful mothering skills. 

And I am SO GRATEFUL that God has given our family Seth.

——————————————————————

So…what did God do for YOU this week?! Leave us a comment….or…  Blog about it and come back and link up! Share with us how God is working in your life…even if it’s “just” a simple thing! Simple things are worth praising God about! Let’s encourage one another this Gratituesday!

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Make a May Day Basket!

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I ALWAYS seem to forget May Day…until someone brings a cute May Basket to our door. Then the kids get all excited and ask if we can make some. And at that point I feel like it’s too late to start thinking of a plan.

This year…I remembered!!

We started working on our baskets three days early!

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We started by tracing this pattern onto yellow cardstock:
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The yellow cardstock pattern fits around a paper cup. The boys picked their favorite pictures from this sheet of cut-outs and glued them on.
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(You’ll find the downloads to these here!)

These were simple to make….and ALL of the boys had fun with them! I think they turned out ADORABLE!

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We’ll be filling the baskets with Tiny Cookie Bites. These cute little cookies are fun to make and yummy to pop into your mouth!

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Tiny Cookie Bites

1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix together melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in egg, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Place tiny bits of dough on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Find all the instructions and download the patterns and picture cut-outs in the Clever Creations section of the HeavenlyHomemakers site here. They are free for you to use! Have Fun!!

(As an aside…my boys can’t wait to go ring someone’s doorbell…drop off the May Basket and make a run for it! Ah…the joys of being sneaky!)

Visit Tammy’s Recipes for more fun kitchen tips!

[tags]may day baskets[/tags]

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Menu Plan For the Week

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 I’ve always liked to display my menu on the fridge so that I can see at a quick glance what I’ll need to prepare next! (My husband and kids also love to have the menu plan on the fridge so that they know what to get hungry for next!) 

I used to always write my menus on a piece of notebook paper (complete with fringe)…and slap it onto my fridge. For some reason…I always felt like it looked….tacky. ;)

I started making these fun menu planners…and I really like them. (They look so much more cheerful in my kitchen than the piece of paper ripped out of a notebook…)

And now…here are some new springtime menu planners that you are welcome to download and use to brighten up your kitchen!

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              Butterfly Menu Planner                     Little Red Menu Planner 

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Lavender Flowers Menu Planner

And here’s what I’ll be writing on my springtime menu planner this week:

Monday, April 28
Whole Wheat Waffles
Chicken Tortilla Soup, tossed salad
BBQ Meatballs, cheesy potatoes, green beans

Tuesday, April 29
Mini Breakfast Pizzas, fruit
Grilled Cheese, tomato soup
Baked Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Wednesday, April 30
Orange Muffins, bananas
Quiche, fruit salad
Beefy Enchilada Bake, taco salad

Thursday, May 1
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Homemade Pizza Pockets, pineapple
Crunchy Ranch Chicken, rice and veggie stir fry

Friday, May 2
Granola, fruit smoothies
Pizza Casserole, salad
Hamburgers on homemade buns, onion rings

Saturday, May 3
Homemade Donuts
Nachos
Grilled steak, asparagus, cantelope

Also…this week on the blogging menu…

May Basket Craft Idea…More Yummy Recipes…Honoring Mothers….and more! Hope to see you again this week!

Be sure to visit Organizing Junkie for more great menu planning ideas!

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Here’s What YOU are Saying…

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 …about Eating more Fruits and Veggies!

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I wanted to encourage you to start…or continue to eat More Fruits and Veggies by reading some of the emails and comments I’ve been receiving! I’ve certainly been encouraged by them!

Here’s part of an email I got from Toni (aka the Happy Housewife): 

I just wanted to thank you for encouraging me in the fruits and veggies department. I feel great! I have been up late the past few nights, and I haven’t been overly exhausted the next day, and I give all the credit to my diet change. Not that I want to make a habit of late nights, but it is interesting to see how I different I feel when I eat better throughout the day.

 Oh and I forgot to mention in the other email… I have lost most any craving for junk food. I wasn’t a big junk food person before, but today I had a small brownie (it was actually pretty healthy w/w flour, natural sugar, etc…) and it didn’t even taste good to me! I had carrots instead! YIPEE!

Toni wrote a great post here about Healthy Eating!

Jennifer left this comment:

Well, I have been visiting your blog the past two weeks. I did not sign up for this challenge officially, BUT I have been incorporating about 60% more veggies and fruits in our diets because of stopping here. We did eat both everyday, but we REALLY have been eating them lately! In fact, I just wrote a post about the potentially embarrassing ways that I get my kids to eat them. Stop by if you like.

Jennifer wrote two great blog posts here and here about training your kids to eat healthy. Go check them out!!

Erin commented:

I just did an update on my blog- while I slipped on my not eating sweets- I have upped my veggies and fruits SIGNIFICANTLY and am starting to not care to eat the junk. Once you start eating all the good healthy food (and making sure that you do) there’s not much room in your belly for any of the bad junk!

She wrote a blog post about her “Green Smoothie Experiment” here! 

Donna says:

I’m still hanging on….been a little out of sorts but hey! -we’re all in this together! I have some good news…DH has decided to go back on our ‘healthy diet’. Praise the Lord! That means more ways to get in fruits and veggies! (without a ‘what’d u do to this?’) ;-)   If you get a chance, I’ll be posting some recipes, some you might could use on your crew! You have lots of good ones here that I aim to try!

I saw this recipe on Donna’s blog that I thought sounded great!! She has lots of yummy looking recipes over there!

Anybody have anything they’d like to add…about how GOOD they feel while they’re eating all these good fruits and veggies?! Have any great fruit and veggie recipes you need to tell us about?!

Go get yourself a banana…then come on and tell us about it!!

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How I Walked Thirteen Miles in Two Hours…

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Okay…so maybe it wasn’t REALLY thirteen miles. But it sure felt like it (uphill both ways…blah, blah, blah…)

So here’s my story…um…in list form….for Thursday Thirteen:

1. Two of our boys had soccer games last night out at our big outdoor soccer complex. Daddy couldn’t go because he had two other soccer games to referee in another town. (He was bummed to miss the boy’s games.)  :(

2. So, I took the four boys out to the complex myself…where there were many other games going on…which meant I had to park waaaaayyyyyy far away from the gate.

3. Malachi (age three) wanted to be carried over to our first game. We made it all the way over there and got ourselves settled in.

4. Justus played the first half of his game…then ran over to me at half-time in tears saying his tummy hurt and he didn’t want to play anymore. Because he had been sick all weekend…I believed him. Enough running around for him. He sat with me the rest of the game.

(Okay…this is where the story begins to get a little more exciting….um…for YOU…not for me…)  :)

5. Asa’s game was next…and of course…while Justus’ game was on THIS side of the complex…Asa’s game was waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy over on the other side of the complex.

6. The bathrooms are on THIS side of the complex…so I wisely suggested that we all go potty before heading over to Asa’s game. (Nobody needed to go potty…of course.)

7. So, we start the long walk to Asa’s game…me carrying Malachi (because really…that’s easier than having HIM walk that far) and with Justus groaning from a tummy ache still…and Elias “taking his time” behind us.

8. Just about the time I start to think, “Okay…we’re almost there and then I can put down my heavy purse full of snacks…and my heavy three year old…” Justus gets a panicked look and says, “I need to go to the bathroom.” (Ah, but of course.)

9. I got Malachi over to Asa’s game and “forced” him to sit with a friend of mine so that I wouldn’t have to carry him back and forth again…but Elias insisted on going with me… So we walked alllllllllll the way back to the bathrooms. While we were there…I insisted that Elias go to the bathoom too. (Please.)

10. Justus now feels better and we walk allllllllll the way back to Asa’s game…which of course…had started a long time ago. 

11. After about twenty minutes of watching the game…Malachi says, “I need to go potty.” (Of COURSE you do.)  So….off I went with Malachi…carrying him all the way to the bathroom. (I really was trying to look at this all positively like, “WOW…I sure am getting some great exercise tonight! SURE am thankful for that!”) <cough>

12. We got back to Asa’s game…in time to watch some of it… 

13. And as I was standing there holding Malachi and watching the last of Asa’s game (possibly looking exhausted and pitiful) …one of the other parents came over and gave me his chair. Never had met the guy. Wasn’t that so nice?   :)  I happily sat in it until it was time to walk allllllll the way back to the gate….and over to the van…which was of course…about 13 miles away.

The end  :)

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