Heavenly Homemakers

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Easy Low Sugar Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake

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There are so many wonderful reasons to love the month of May. The school year ends (for most), the frigid weather finally becomes pleasant (in Nebraska), and strawberries are everywhere (in bowls, in plates, in my hand…). I will now introduce you to my most recent recipe experiment involving strawberries: Easy Low Sugar Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake.

This cake is moist. It’s flavorful. It’s low in sugar. It’s whole grain. It offers the wonderful taste of early summer joy. And friends, it is topped with Cream Cheese Frosting. I declare that to be the MVP of this cake – along with the strawberries, of course!

Cutting Back on SugarYum

If you’ve been around here long, you know that I’ve taken the liberty of cutting down the sugar in many recipes, making sure they still taste amazing. I believe a lower sugar ratio is something we can get our taste buds used to! I recommend cutting back on sugar gradually, starting with homemade desserts and muffins.

Hoping to cut back on sugar? Read some simple ideas here to help make that happen!

And now, I reward your cutting-back-on-sugar efforts by giving you this recipe:

Easy Low Sugar Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake

Easy Low Sugar Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake
 
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Author:
Serves: 15
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup sucanat or sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ cups fresh or frozen strawberries
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Puree strawberries until smooth.
  3. Add pureed strawberries, milk, sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.
  4. Mix with beaters until smooth.
  5. Pour into a buttered 9x13 cake pan.
  6. Bake in a 350° oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  7. Allow cake to cool.
  8. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe options below)

Want to keep the frosting low in sugar too?

Here are my favorite Low Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting recipes!

Stevia-Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons softened butter
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (I use about 20 drops)

In a large bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and stevia – whipping until well combined and smooth. Spread over cooled cake. Store in refrigerator.

If you prefer, here’s a slightly sweeter but still not too sugary frosting option:

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces softened cream cheese
¼ cup softened butter
3-4 Tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With a hand mixer (or in your blender), whip together all ingredients until smooth. Spread over cooled cake.

Looking for more Low Sugar Recipes?

Here are just a few of our favorites!

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How to Cut Back on Sugar

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We all know too much sugar isn’t good for us. Oh, but why must it taste so goooood???? It’s ok! We understand and we’re here to help. Here are some suggestions for how to cut back on sugar that are actually not terribly difficult!

 

How to Cut Back on Sugar

I’ll give you a step-by-step. BUT!!! If the order of these suggestions is too difficult for you, don’t give up and walk away! Instead, pick just one thing from the list that you feel is doable and go for it. Then once you’ve mastered that one thing, go on to another one. Put these in any order that works for you!


1. Wean yourself off of sugary drinks.

Are you drinking your sugar? Oooof, guzzling down the sugar in the form of soda or juice can be really hard on your body and your teeth. It’s amazing how much sugar is in just one cup of juice or soda. Work on weaning yourself back. You can do it!

Consider enjoying sugary treats only in the form of food instead of drinks. That way you can enjoy your sweet treats more, but will consume less sugar!


2. Put less sugar in your tea and coffee.

My southern sweet tea drinker friends are not gonna like hearing this one. ;) But what if, when making a gallon of tea, you start gradually cutting back on the amount of sugar you add? Your taste buds probably won’t even notice the difference if it’s just a little bit at a time.

And your coffee? Can you gradually start spooning in less sugar or pouring in less sugary, flavored creamer? If you like your coffee to be creamy and the idea of cutting back on creamer doesn’t appeal to you, I’d suggest still cutting back on creamer, but adding heavy whipping cream or half-and-half to provide the creaminess and even some natural sweetness!

 

3. Only eat candy on special occasions, or work to give it up altogether.

This is a tough one if you have some candy favorites that you consider staples for traveling or game watching or TV watching. But I’ve found that eating candy really ruins a persons desire for real fruit and other naturally sweetened foods. (Right? Who wants a real strawberry after eating licorice?)

Try to cut back on making candy a snack, and maybe only treat yourself on a special occasion here and there. Or stop eating it altogether so you can enjoy other sweet treats that aren’t so high in sugar!

Suggestion: Buy something fun like a box of this variety of Fruit Leather and let it become your “candy.” Now that I’ve stopped eating so much sugar, these really taste like candy to me – but they are 100% fruit!

4. Gradually add less sugar when baking homemade treats.

A few years ago I decided to start experimenting with regular cake, cookie, and muffin recipes to see if cutting back on the called-for amount of sugar would still turn out a good baked good. I have been so pleasantly surprised and pleased with this experiment! It doesn’t take nearly as much sugar as a recipe typically calls for to turn out a delicious cake, cookie, or muffin!

Don’t want your family to rebel against your cookies? Again, I recommend cutting back gradually until everyone’s taste buds have adapted to the lower sugar content. After a while, you’ll find that a treat made with full sugar will taste too sweet! How about that?

Suggestion: Check out this Low Sugar Treat list of recipes we’ve shared here!

Why cut back on sugar?

Here are my top reasons to encourage a smaller sugar intake every day:

  1. Sugar kills our immune systems. It’s so much harder to avoid catching illnesses when we’re eating sugar!
  2. Sugar can make us fat. Boo, I know. Our bodies only need a small amount of sugar each day to help us function properly. After that small amount is used up, any extra we consume has no use inside our bodies, so it goes to our fat reserves. Yuck.
  3. Sugar wrecks our teeth. But we already knew that.
  4. Sugar tricks us into not eating other more nutritious foods. As I mentioned before, who wants a real fresh strawberry after you’ve eaten licorice? When we eat sweet treats, we are less hungry for nourishing, whole foods. So our bodies become depleted of nutrients, and we are more likely to get sick (see #1) or fat (see #2).

Well, that wasn’t much fun to read, was it? Never fear…

Cutting back on sugar is possible!

If I can do it, you can do it! Set some small goals for yourself and get started. You’ll be surprised by how one change can lead to another! Ready, set, go!

 

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What to Take on a Family Picnic

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With all the sporting events our family takes part in, I have become a bit of an expert on packing food to go. Now that we have little ones in the house again, I’ve been putting that expertise once again toward packing a family picnic. Who knew we weren’t yet finished with days of heading to the park on warm days to enjoy friends, food, and sunshine!

Certainly, you can head to the park with nothing more than some sandwiches, a blanket, and a jug of water. But we decided it would be fun to brainstorm a huge variety of ideas to encourage many meaningful family outings!

With the help of my friend Kim, we’ve put together an enormous list of everything you could possibly need or want for a fantastic family picnic!

My favorite to-go treat? Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits!

What to Take on a Family Picnic

In this post, we’ll give you a great list of specifics to meet all your picnic needs. Here’s a basic checklist of items you’ll want to consider taking:

  • Food
  • Drink
  • Basket
  • Tablecloth or Blanket
  • Plates/Cups/Utensils
  • Toys
  • Hats
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug Repellent
  • First Aid Kit

It’s time to get ready for your family picnic!

Here’s a list of all the items we’ve found to recommend for optimum fun:

Baskets and Coolers

You’ll be filling these with food, and we’ve shared a long list of great food ideas below! But first, let’s talk about great options for containers to hold your food and drinks.

And good luck deciding which of these you like best for your family. I kind of want all of them. ;)

  • Traditional Picnic Basket – We received one like this as a wedding gift and it has been so fun!
  • Picnic “Bag” with Cooler – Oooh, now this is both fun and practical!
  • Picnic “Bag” – the Backpack Version – Um. Yes.
  • Soft Cooler on Wheels – You had me at “wheels.” Also, this one folds up.
  • Hard-Sided Rolling Cooler – Also on wheels, but sturdy.
  • Extra Large Rolling Cooler – I think your entire refrigerator will fit in this. I’m serious.
  • Mesh Bag with Cooler Bottom – For the picnics in which you don’t need your entire refrigerator.

Water Bottles and Jugs

Taking drinks for a crowd? Or maybe just individual bottles. Here are some wonderful options!

  • 5-Gallon Water Jug – So that everyone within several acres can stay hydrated.
  • Metal Screw Lid Bottle – Good luck choosing your favorite!
  • Wide Mouth Metal Bottles – Also lots of great color choices.
  • Fun Metal Bottles with a Straw Lid – Ooh, I love these!
  • Stainless Steel Water Bottles for Kids – They can pick their fav!
  • Wide Mouth Glass Bottle – Water tastes better this way!
  • Glass Bottle with Straw – I think this is pretty. :)

Picnic Table Covers

Not that we don’t love eating on a table that may or may not be covered with splotches of bird poop…

  • A Cover for both Table and Benches – Ooh, I like!
  • Table/Bench Covers, without elastic – Much cheaper than the one above, but not as easy to use.
  • Clips to Hold the Table Cloth – If you take a regular cloth from home

And an easy/cheap/fun picnic table hack:

You can use a twin-sized fitted sheet as a picnic table cloth! It’s easy to fit onto the table then throw in the wash later!

Umbrellas and Canopies

Sitting on the ground instead of at a picnic table? Here are some great items you might need.

  • Umbrella for Shade – This is fantastic!
  • Tent/Canopy – Even better for a bigger group.
  • Large Roll-Up Picnic Blanket – I have one of these and it is AWESOME!
  • Heavy Duty Ground Tarp- Whoa, much more durable than a blanket.

Hats

Gotta keep the sun out of our eyes and off our faces!

  • Hat for Ladies – Purty cute!
  • Hat for Men – I think even my teens would want one of these!
  • Hats for Kids – Lots of colors to choose from.

Fun Outdoor Games

Too old for slides and swings? Here are some great outdoor game ideas!

molkky

  • Kubb
  • Lawn Bowling
  • Yard Dice
  • Ladder Ball 
  • Molkky
  • Washer Toss
  • Ring Toss
  • Frisbee Golf (Disc Golf) Set
  • Floating Pong

Great Outdoor Toys

Skip the food. I’m going on a picnic just to play with this stuff! (Just kidding. I want food too.)

  • Kites – I can’t believe how fun these look!
  • Whistling Rockets – These go a LONG way, and they whistle too!
  • Sandbox Toys – Look at this fantastic set!
  • Kid-Sized Shovel – Because why not just dig holes? (But not at a public park.)
  • Small Bend-Proof Trowell – My kids used to dig with these in sand volleyball pits!
  • Fun Garden Tool Set – Truly, just take me to a sand pit to play.

Exploring and Learning

You’re sure to find many teachable moments!

  • Walkie-Talkies – These actually come in fun colors!
  • Batteries for Walkie-Talkies – Don’t forget. :)
  • Weather Radio – It’s solar charged, plus it is a flashlight, AND will charge your phone!
  • Binoculars – Ah, yes. Who knows what you might find?
  • Durable Kid Binoculars – Not that they would drop/break the others…

Skin Care

Just in case…

  • Non-Toxic Bug Block – our very favorite!
  • Deet-Free Mosquito Bands – These are pretty cool!
  • Soothing Rash Cream – Good for just about any owie.
  • Organic Sunscreen – Yes, I actually make my teen and adult kids use this one too.
  • First Aid Kit – It’s got a little bit of everything!

What food should you take on a picnic?

Well, the sky’s the limit on food ideas! But here are some of our top suggestions:


1. Sandwiches or Wraps. Some of our favorites:

2. Chips and Dips. Some of our favorites:

3. Fruit with Dips. Some of our favorites:

Favorite Fruits:

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Strawberries
  • Oranges
  • Blueberries
  • Pears
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries

4. Veggies and Dips. Some of our favorites:

With:

  • Petite Baby Carrots (so much sweeter and easier to eat!)
  • Sliced Cucumbers
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Celery

5. Crackers with Cheese and Meat

6. Chips and Salsa

7. Hamburgers and Hotdogs

8. Salads. Some of our favorites:

Some of our favorite Salad Dressings:

9. Fun Packable Side Dishes. Some of our favorites:

10. Chicken Legs, hot or cold. Some of our favorites:

11. Fun Desserts. Some of our favorites:

12. Fun Drinks. Some of our favorites:

13. Pre-Packaged Food to Go

Sometimes you just need a little convenience, am I right? Here are some of our favorite grab and go packaged snacks:

  • Stretch Island Fruit Leather
  • Go Squeeze Applesauce Pouches
  • Larabars
  • Simply Brand Bagged Chip Variety
  • Bagged Nuts

Need some handy food containers to hold your awesome food?

Here are some great ideas:

  • BPA Free Plastic Containers with Lids
  • Pyrex Bowls with Lids – You KNOW these are my favorite!! I have two complete sets that I use constantly!
  • Don’t forget paper plates, napkins, utensils, serving spoons, and cups too!

What do you take on your family picnic?

 

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INCREDIBLE Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

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Stop what you are doing right now and make these Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake Bars!! Well, maybe finish reading this post so you can get the recipe. Otherwise though, the making of these bars should become a very high priority. My family is in love with them!

As it happens, one day I decided to experiment with combining my Raspberry Oatmeal Bar recipe with my Crustless Cheesecake recipe. The result is this incredible, layered dish of delightfulness.

The cheesecake filling bakes right into the bars, creating a fantastic moist texture with raspberry cheesecake flavor. Truly, each bite of these bars is full of WOW.

As a bonus to the deliciousness of these Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, we get to enjoy the nourishment of whole grains, healthy fats, and low sugar content. I personally find nothing wrong with serving these bars for breakfast. But they are also wonderful as a dessert!

Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake BarsYum

5.0 from 1 reviews
Whole Grain Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
 
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Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1½ cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • ½ cup 100% raspberry jam
  • CHEESECAKE LAYER:
  • 8-ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tablespoons real maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Mix together flour, oats, sucanat, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Stir in melted butter until the mixture resembles crumbs.
  3. Press half of the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking pan.
  4. Spread jam over the top.
  5. In a blender or with beaters, whip together cream cheese, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla.
  6. Spread this cheesecake layer over the top of the jam.
  7. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top of the cheesecake layer.
  8. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Not a fan of raspberries? Substitute any of your favorite jams or jellies. And my next experiment will likely include something involving chocolate too! (You are shocked, I’m sure.)

Want more info?

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Our Favorite Lightly Sweetened Cookie Recipes

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Since I just shared a list of fun ways to enjoy coffee, I thought it was fitting to share a list of lightly sweetened cookie recipes to go with your coffee. Or your tea. Or water. Or milk. Choose your cookie – choose your beverage!

I love a barely sweet treat with my coffee. The recipes listed below are made with whole grains, wholesome fats, and have low sugar content. I have simply adapted our favorite cookie recipes through the years to make them lower in sugar while still keeping them delicious!

Lightly Sweetened Cookie RecipesYum

  1. Sweet and Simple Butter Cookies – Only 4 ingredients!
  2. Low Sugar Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies – My favorite to make for holidays!
  3. Buttery Almond Cookies
  4. Simple Oatmeal Cookies
  5. Honey Sweetened No-Bake Cookies – Just like when you were a kid, only less sugar!
  6. Easy {Low} Sugar Cookies
  7. Low Sugar Lemon Melt-Away Cookies – You must try all these Melt-Away varieties!
  8. Low Sugar Almond Melt-Away Cookies
  9. Low Sugar Orange Melt-Away Cookies
  10. Low Sugar Lime Melt-Away Cookies
  11. Low Sugar Chocolate Fudge Cookies
  12. Low Sugar Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies – Only 3 ingredients!
  13. Low Sugar Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
  14. Pumpkin Spice Cut-Out Cookies – These are a must in the fall!
  15. Low Sugar Chocolate Brownies
  16. Low Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – The sugar in these is cut down from 1 1/2 cups to just 1/2 cup!
  17. Sweet and Simple Cranberry Cookies
  18. Low Sugar Chocolate Cookie Cut-Outs

As a bonus, it is worth sharing my favorite flourless brownie recipes!

These are also low in sugar, and are completely grain free. I can’t get over how delicious these are. The trick to keeping them moist is to remove them from the oven BEFORE they appear to be done. If you leave them in the oven too long, they’ll get dry. But remove them when they are still a bit gooey and you are golden!

  1. Super Moist Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies – Only 5 ingredients!
  2. Super Moist Flourless Brownies – These are the same as the Peanut Butter variety, but they’re made with Almond Butter instead.
  3. Flourless Brownie Muffins – Use the above two recipes, and bake the batter into muffin cups. If it’s possible, that makes the brownies even better!

What is your favorite low sugar treat to enjoy?

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Top 10 Delicious Ways to Enjoy Coffee

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If you’re not a coffee drinker, please pass this on to someone who is! But hey, you never know when you might become a coffee lover too. I didn’t start loving it until I hit my 40’s. You may find that you enjoy coffee eventually too, ha!

Yum

I’m pretty simple when it comes to coffee add-ins. I love cream in my coffee, with no sweetener. And you can be so proud of me… Sometimes I am a big girl and drink it black! ;)

But every once in awhile, it’s fun to make an extra special cup of coffee! That is why I have compiled a list of all our best coffee recipes for you here!

Recipes to go with your coffee:

  1. Low Sugar Coffee Milkshake

    These are super fun to make in the summertime!

  2. Peppermint Cream for your Coffee

    A dollop of this is simply delightful whether in hot or cold coffee! Or put some in your Hot Cocoa or Crio Bru.

  3. How to make Iced Coffee for a Crowd

    If you’re hosting a gathering – it’s very fun to put together an Iced Coffee Bar!

  4. How to make Coffee Ice Cubes

    I learned this fun trick from a fellow coffee lover. Putting coffee ice cubes into cold coffee keeps your drink from becoming watered down!

  5. How to Cold Brew Coffee

    This method of brewing coffee makes it extra delicious!

  6. How to set up an Iced Coffee Bar

    We did this once for a birthday party, and it was crazy fun!

  7. Sweet Vanilla Coffee Creamer

    You’ll love how easy this is to make!

  8. Homemade Chocolate Frappe

    Be still my heart. This is GOOD, and basically perfect on a hot summer day.

    Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Frappe

  9. Homemade Chocolate Caramel Creamer

    Eek, the sugar content in this one is high. Save this for an extra special treat!

  10. Chocolate Whipped Cream for your Coffee

    This one will change your life. Wowza!!!

What’s fun is that you can mix and match many of these recipes and ideas to come up with more delicious coffee treats!

How do you take your coffee?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More than Coffee

Sipping coffee is much more than a delicious experience. For me, it’s a spiritual one too. My coffee time is my prayer, Bible reading, and journaling time. It’s my time to connect with Jesus in a more focused way. And each mug that I drink from holds special significance.

I invite you to make your coffee time a spiritual one too. The Prayer Mugs is a story of my parenting journey as I’ve been learning to fully trust God with my kids. I’d be honored if you joined me in this prayer journey for your own family.

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The Prayer Mugs

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The Prayer Mugs
The Prayer Mugs

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The Prayer Mugs

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Model Number: The-Prayer-Mugs
Grab your mug. Fill it to the top. Download your Prayer Mugs eBook and enjoy the richness it offers as you surrender your kids to God.​​​​​​​ 96 pages filled with lessons I've learned through 20 years of parenting, scripture, encouragement, printables, journaling pages, and truth.
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Manufacturer: Heavenly Homemakers
  • Description

Want this eBook and so much more?! Our Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Members have access to this amazing resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more – for one very low price! Join us here!

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Mother’s Day Giveaway! ($121 Worth of Gifts, plus $175 in Amazon Cards!)

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Quick!

You could win all you see above, plus $$$ to spend at Amazon!

There are jewelry and books, oils, and much more. Our very own Prayer Mugs Journal is included – and you can win in all for free! Plus you can get Amazon Cards too.

Check it out here, and enter to win!

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Two Simple Tricks to Get Your Kids to Eat Green Beans

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Well now, isn’t this interesting? I’ve been feeding kids green beans since 1997. All my bio-boys love them because of the “bacon grease trick” my mom taught me years ago (more details below). But I just learned a new trick to add to my back pocket, which has finally helped our 5-year old Bonus Boy learn to love green beans too! Without further ado, how to get your kids to eat green beans…

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Green Beans

1. First, let’s talk about green beans and bacon.

Bacon makes everything better, of course. And you know me. I’m not afraid of fat if it is from a natural, real food source. Our family enjoys plenty of real butter and coconut oil, whole milk and red meat, real cream and yep – bacon.

All of these fats are recognized by our bodies, and are therefore easily digested and utilized for nourishment and energy. (Low on energy? Eat butter and bacon. You heard it here, folks. Now who’s your best friend??)

You can throw a slice or two of bacon into your green beans as they cook – or you can do what I believe is easier and faster! Drum roll please:

Save grease from cooked bacon to add to green beans anytime you need it!

Each time I cook bacon for my family, I let the bacon grease cool, then put it into a jar. I store this in the fridge, then add a scoop of bacon grease to a pot of green beans along with a little water (or chicken broth!) and Redmond Real Salt. Then I steam them to perfection. The bacon grease adds wonderful flavor to the beans, and of course, the fat makes the vegetable so much more appealing!

How do I cook my bacon?

oven-bacon-1

I’m so glad you asked. Here are my two favorite, most efficient methods of cooking bacon:

  1. Bake bacon in the oven. Then I freeze it to use as needed. This is so easy and helpful to have on hand for all your bacon needs! ;)
  2. Cut it into Bacon Bits. Once cooked, I put the bacon bits into a bag to freeze and pull out for salads, scrambled eggs, or BLT Wraps.

bacon bits 1

2. Now let’s talk about what kind of green beans seem to be the most appealing!

My family LOVES fresh green beans from our garden in the summertime. But alas, we live in Nebraska and can only enjoy these for a few months out of the year. If we grow enough, I blanch and freeze them to pull out and use during the cold months. But the past few years, we’ve been eating them as fast as they grow, leaving no reserves for the freezer!

Therefore, I typically buy frozen green beans in bulk from Azure Standard. Frozen green beans are much more flavorful and nutritious compared to canned beans. Still, even when cooked in bacon grease as described above, our Bonus Boy wasn’t very interested in this veggie side dish.

But, I’ve recently discovered a simple new trick! Instead of buying frozen “cut green beans” as I had been doing, I picked up a back of frozen “whole green beans” one day. I steamed them along with bacon grease and salt, and wouldn’t you know it? Bonus Boy ate them, and ate them, and ate them! We all did!

Who knew that simply switching from short and stubby beans to long and skinny beans would somehow make green beans taste so much better!

Now I stock up on frozen whole green beans and we all devour them!

So there you have it. Long green beans apparently taste better than short ones; and bacon grease makes beans taste amazing!

How do you and your family enjoy green beans?

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Sweet and Simple Cranberry Cookies

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You all know I’m not into anything fancy. The simpler the better when it comes to pretty much everything from food to clothes to schedules. So it probably doesn’t surprise you that I took my basic Sweet and Simple Butter Cookies recipe and added one tiny ingredient to make these Sweet and Simple Cranberry Cookies. Hmmm, I bet you can’t guess which ingredient I added. (Indeed, my ways are so mysterious.)

I’m not a big fan of raisins in my cookies. But adding dried cranberries to this simple butter cookie? Well, that takes them up a notch without adding any effort. Phew, no added effort? Well, that’s a relief. We cannot be expected to add effort to our cookie-baking endeavors. That takes all the fun out of eating a cookie.

Oh! But don’t you worry about me giving you permission to eat a cookie. These are low in sugar, with just a little extra added sugar when we toss in the dried cranberries. And check out how few ingredients these have? Just 5 simple items to grab to make these delights!

Sweet and Simple Cranberry CookiesYum

5.0 from 2 reviews
Sweet and Simple Cranberry Cookies
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 15-18
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups melted butter
  • ½ cup sugar (raw, white, brown, or sucanat)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground soft white wheat)
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl.
  2. Stir in vanilla extract.
  3. Mix in flour until well combined.
  4. Fold in dried cranberries.
  5. Scoop Tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto cookie sheets.
  6. Press the dough down with your fingers or a fork.
  7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

Want more fun low-sugar cookie recipes?

Here’s a great list of all we’ve come up with to share so far!

Want more fun recipes that include 5 or fewer ingredients?

There are over 100 reasons this is our most popular eBook!

[wp_eStore_fancy1 id=32]

What’s your favorite kind of cookie? Ever tried cutting down the sugar in the recipe to see how it turns out?

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My Top 3 Small Kitchen Appliances That Save Hours of Time and Energy

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If my house started on fire, I would grab my family and my Blendtec and get out as fast as I could. Just kidding. I’m not that tied to material possessions. But I felt it was worth a post to share my top 3 small kitchen appliances I feel I can hardly live without.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that these gadgets save me hours of time and energy every week. As I’ve worked to simplify my real food kitchen, I have been amazed at how I’ve come to rely on 3 very important appliances.

Could I do without them? Well yes. Grandma survived all her many years of cooking for a large family without any one of the items I’m sharing with you today. But Grandma also didn’t have indoor plumbing for a good many years, and then welcomed it gladly when it became available. I’m pretty sure if she was raising her family now, she would very much enjoy the appliances I love having access to!

My Top 3 Small Kitchen Appliances

If you’ve been reading here long, you can probably guess my top three small kitchen appliances. Just for fun, I added two runners up in my “if I had to choose to keep only 3 small appliances, which ones would I keep?” contest. :)

1. Blendtec

Indeed. If I could only keep one appliance in my kitchen, it would be the Blendtec. I use this multiple times each week, and sometimes multiple times each day.

I mix batter in it, whip cream in it, make smoothies in it, whip mini cheesecake filling in it, the list goes on and on. From cakes to muffins to pancakes – the Blendtec takes away my need to stir and mix. Cream goes from liquid to perfectly whipped in less than 30 seconds. Recently I dumped in all the ingredients for these Mini Crustless Cheesecakes and had them in the oven within a grand total 5 minutes. Beautiful!

In so many ways, my Blendtec makes my cooking and baking effortless. It is extremely high powered, which is reflected in the price. A $25 blender gives only $25 of effort (and in my experience, lasts less than one year in my kitchen). The Blendtec, though much higher in price, comes with a warranty and is so high powered it turns frozen fruit into liquid in just seconds. Unbelievable!

I highly recommend saving up and investing in a Blendtec. Oh the time and energy you’ll save!

Recipes you’ll need for your Blendtec:

2. Instant Pot

I stubbornly refused to get an Instant Pot for several years after they became popular (silly me), and now I am one of the biggest advocates for them! This gem saves so much time and keeps us eating healthy too!

I love that it makes wholesome, rich beef or chicken broth with so little effort on my part. I LOVE that I can cook 7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat in it in just 30 minutes!! And I love the many meals and side dishes I can make in it within just a few minutes.

If you can swing it, get yourself an Instant Pot. I have the 8-quart variety for my large family. Here’s the 6-quart Instant Pot if that fits your needs more!

Recipes you’ll need for your Instant Pot:

Psst: I highly recommend that you bookmark our Instant Pot Recipes page for easy access as we continue to update it!

3. Crock Pot(s)

Yes indeed. I have two large crock pots and I often use them both at the same time. My favorite is this 8-Quart Programmable Crock Pot, but I also have this Basic 7-Quart Crock Pot, which works great too!

I’ve learned many tricks through the years that help me throw VERY quick meals into the crock pot so that later in the day, our meal has cooked itself. (See recipe links below.) What a great way to continue putting real, delicious food on the table on busy days!

Recipes you’ll need for your Crock Pot:

Top Small Kitchen Appliances, My 2 Runners Up

Just for fun, I thought it would be fun to add a couple others to my list of appliances I love and use often!

4. Nutrimill

Could I live without my Nutrimill? I guess. Does it save me time in the kitchen? Not really. But do I love having such a great appliance to help me grind fresh grain for our baked goods? Oh my goodness, YES!

I frequently grind hard and soft white wheat in my Nutrimill, which turns out the most delicious flour, which then turns out the most delicious breads, muffins, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and waffles. Now that I’m so used to baking with freshly ground flour, I’d have a hard time turning back. We’re pretty spoiled! ;)

Details about using flour ground in a Nutrimill:

5. Coffee Maker

Last Mother’s Day, at the recommendation of several who frequently drink coffee at our house and help with our babies, we treated our family to this Bunn coffee maker. It is amazing!!!!!! I’ll never go back.

Recipes to go with your coffee:

I’d love to hear what your favorite small kitchen appliances are. Which ones do you feel you can’t live without?

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