Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Use Chicken or Beef Broth Instead of Water

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Today let’s talk about using Chicken or Beef Broth instead of water when cooking!

Around these parts, I am a little bit famous for making all the people drink water.

  • Not feeling well? Go drink water.
  • Feeling run down? Go drink water.
  • Cramping up? Go drink water.
  • Can’t lose weight? Go drink water.
  • Don’t feel like doing an Algebra lesson? Go drink water. (And then go do your Algebra.)
  • Feeling bored or unmotivated? Go drink water.
  • Haven’t had any water yet today? For the love, go drink water.

Little sips, here and there, all day long. Go drink the water.

I preach this to my family, to all the college students in and out of my house, to all the dear ones I’m reaching out to in our community, to everyone who has a complaint. It’s a simple start to anything that needs fixing.

I say it so often that people tease me about it when something happens – like when my shoe comes untied at a soccer game. “Well, Laura. It looks like you need to drink some water.” Touche.

Drinking water is necessary and vital and crucial (my thesaurus and I could go on and on). Our health depends on it.

But do you know what is even better than water? Bone Broth. Indeed.

Bone broth is made with water, but also with vegetables and sea salt. Vitamins and minerals AND water? Yes. And also gelatin from the bones, which is awesome for our skin, teeth, bones, digestive system, and more.

Use Broth Instead of Water

I say all of this to encourage us – if possible – to use broth instead of water while we are cooking meals for our families.

  • Cook rice in broth instead of water.
  • Cook pasta in broth instead of water.
  • Cook potatoes in broth instead of water.
  • Steam vegetables in broth instead of water.
  • Drink broth instead of water. (And then go do your Algebra.)

Not only will we enjoy many more nutrients when using broth instead of water, but we will also be enjoying an incredible boost in flavor. Rice cooked in broth is incredible! Veggies steamed in broth are many notches above.

Make the broth. Or buy the broth. (I do both. I buy broth to have on hand in a pinch so I can use it often. I make broth as much as possible so I can be ensured of maximum nutrition and flavor!)

How to Make Super Nutritious Bone Broth

  • How I make Chicken Broth
  • How I make Beef Broth
  • Where to buy a case of broth to have on hand. (Truly, there is nothing better than homemade broth. But I do order these cases from Amazon. I also like to pick some up when I have a chance to shop at Aldi.)

Confession: Lately I’ve been making pot after pot of Beef Broth instead of Chicken Broth. Why? Because it’s much faster BECAUSE THERE ARE NO CHICKENS TO BONE!!! Taking meat off chickens is not my favorite job. You already know this about me. So instead, I almost always make broth with Beef Soup Bones. Then the meat falls off the bones and my job is done. Amen, hallelujah.

My latest broth-making-thrill is that I’ve started making it in my Instant Pot. Boy does that save time! How to Make Broth in the Instant Pot…post coming next!

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Low Sugar, Whole Grain)

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Who needs sugar when you can eat butter? What I mean to say is, these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars taste lightly sweet and deliciously buttery. What else can we possibly need? (Chocolate chips.) Ah yes. Chocolate chips. Well, I guess we’ve thought of everything.

As many of you know, I’m not much into sugar anymore. But I do like a barely sweet treat to enjoy with my coffee. I’m not terribly picky. I think something is plenty sweet when it is only barely sweet. Much more sweetness than that seems like much too much these days.

My kids think I’m weird about this (and at least a couple of other things) and have become a bit leery of my homemade “super low sugar treats.” If Mom is eating it, it must be one of those weirdo stevia sweetened things and it probably won’t taste as good as a candy bar. I beg to differ, but I also remember being a teen and liking my Twix and Pepsi.

Now then, I guess it’s my job to confess that because of the aforementioned, I have learned to wait to eat my low sugar treats until AFTER I have served some to my sons. The two sons still living at home are the pickiest of our four. (And now we have an almost-adopted son, so I’ll be learning to say five sons instead of four, oh my goodness!)

My picky kids aren’t always willing to try new foods, so I must be wise in how I present them. I am MOM, therefore I know more than they do (about everything except Fortnite). I know very well that they will like the treat if only they try it with an open mind. After all, did I mention the butter? And the chocolate chips? And there’s actual sugar in it, not stevia. It’s just that I cut the sugar from 1 1/2 cups all the way down to just a 1/2 cup.

Just eat the cookie bars, kids.

So they did. And they like them. Shocker.

I snuck one later with my coffee, which made them second guess for a moment if they still liked them. Silly boys.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

4.0 from 1 reviews
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Low Sugar, Whole Grain)
 
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Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • 1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
  • ½ cup brown sugar or sucanat
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole grain flour (I use freshly ground soft white wheat)
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Stir together melted butter and brown sugar.
  2. Add eggs, baking soda, salt, and vanilla, stirring well.
  3. Stir in flour until well combined.
  4. Fold in chocolate chips.
  5. Spread dough into an 8x8 inch baking dish.
  6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  7. Allow bars to cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Are your kids leery to try any of your “healthier foods” for fear you might be serving them something weird? Silly kids.

Here are many more Low Sugar Treats that I promise my kids like, so yours will too!

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Simple Creamy Chicken Soup for Crock Pot or Instant Pot

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This Simple Creamy Chicken Soup is the definition of comfort food.

Hmmmm. Actually, the definition of comfort food (I just looked it up) is: food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking.

I believe I have just re-defined comfort food. No longer must it be associated with a high sugar or carb content. Certainly not in the case of this Creamy Chicken Soup. We can associate it with home cooking (because we will be at home, cooking it) and it is likely that your children will someday associate it with their childhood.

But there is no pasta or potato involved in the making of this soup to make it high in carbs. Add some if you like. I’m personally in it for the chicken and the cheese. I find it delightfully comforting.

Simple Creamy Chicken Soup

Simple Creamy Chicken Soup for Crock Pot or Instant Pot
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1-2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 10-ounce can Rotel
  • 32-ounces (4 cups) chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 8-ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups shredded Colby jack or cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Place chicken, Rotel, broth, salt, and paprika into an Instant Pot or Crock Pot
  2. For Instant Pot: Seal and cook on manual at high pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release.
  3. For Crock Pot: Cook ingredients on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is no longer pink.
  4. Remove chicken from Crock Pot or Instant Pot. Shred it and put it back into the pot.
  5. Stir in cream cheese, cream, and shredded cheese until smooth.
  6. Serve with frozen corn sprinkled in if desired

I added a carb by sprinkling frozen corn into our soup to cool it and sweeten it. So I guess this meets the definition of comfort food after all!

Don’t have an Instant Pot? I have and love this one.

Simple Real Food Recipes

 

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Simple 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

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I have a major confession, and I think you will all be a tiny bit shocked. (No I didn’t start eating margarine. Who do you even think I am?) For years, I deemed this Creamy Mac and Cheese recipe the best in the world. I held to this opinion for years. And now. NOW, I have discovered a recipe that is even better than the best. Allow me to introduce you to the marvelous, wonderful, fabulous 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese!

If you don’t yet have an Instant Pot, I feel you, I get you, and I was on your Non-Instant-Pot-Team for many years. Then I finally gave in and allowed this jewel to change my life forever. I truly do love my precious Instant Pot because it saves me so much time and energy in the kitchen. It’s like God knew we all needed Simple Meals and Simple Recipes so on the eighth day He created the Instant Pot. And God said it was good.

What are my favorite foods to make in my Instant Pot? I’m so glad you asked.

If you don’t yet have an Instant Pot, might I recommend that you save up and invest in one? I do think you will love it as much as I do!

For all the Instant Pot owners out there, you’ll be delighted to know that this 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese can actually be ready to serve – from start to finish – in just 10-minutes. This has become a great go-to lunch for my boys at home or a wonderful side dish at dinner after a busy day.

Simple 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

4.0 from 2 reviews
Simple 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 16-ounces whole grain pasta (any shape)
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 Tablespoons butter (always butter, never margarine, amen, hallelujah)
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 cups shredded cheese (we love Colby jack)
Instructions
  1. Stir uncooked pasta, water, butter, and salt in your instant pot.
  2. Seal and cook on manual, high pressure for 4 minutes.
  3. Quick release the pressure.
  4. Open the pot and stir in the cream and cheese until melted and creamy.

Want More Simple Real Food Recipes?

Want these recipes in your hands?

We’ve got most of these recipes already in eBook format so you can download, print, and hold them in your hands!

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DON’T Make Meal Plans in 2019! (What?!)

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Yep. Sit back and let us make your meals plans for you. How fantastic would that be?! We offered this back in September – and it’s back for two days in a flash sale. Drum roll please…

We included an entire years Simple Meals Subscription (worth $52) in this year’s Healthy Living Bundle. That means you can get your first year subscription for just $29.97! That’s almost half price. (Complete real food, simple menu plans every week for $0.58 each!!!!)

Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle 2018PLUS, your purchase instantly gives you 95 other Healthy Living resources that help you learn more about keeping yourself and your family healthy. And if that isn’t awesome enough, we decided to sweeten the pot even more by creating a new Simple Recipes eBook and giving it to you for…

FREE.

Yes. When you buy this year’s Healthy Living Bundle through our links,  not only will you be getting an entire year’s worth of Simple Meals complete planning packets for almost half price, you’ll get 95 other products (worth $2235), 6 bonuses…

Then you can email me and we’ll throw our Simple Recipes for Simple Meals eBook into your inbox!

But I don’t want the Healthy Living Bundle!

Oh. Well, I think if you look at all that is included in this year’s collection, you might change your mind about not wanting it. But hey, I get it. Sometimes the idea of having the entire bundle can feel overwhelming.

So say you don’t want the Bundle, but you DO want a One-Year Subscription to Simple Meals. And you want our new Simple Recipes eBook too. But of course. 

You can pay full price for both of those if you want to, but I suggest buying the bundle anyway so you can get Simple Meals for $29.97 instead of our regular $52. And you’ll get our free new eBook, regularly priced at $8.95.

(You’ll end up saving $31! Which is more than the cost of the entire bundle!)

Why is this worth it?

The best thing I can say is that we all want to feed our families well so we can be healthy, but there are more important ways to spend our time and energy than planning, shopping, and cooking for hours every week. It is much more important to love God and love people. We must turn our focus from work to love!

That is the inspiration behind Simple Meals. Every week our team creates and sends you super simple, real food menu plans, grocery lists, recipes, and more – so you can very easily put great meals on the table every night. You’ll be able to feed your family tremendous food while spending very little time in the kitchen. This will free you up for:

  • More family time
  • More time spent in ministry
  • More time to rest and find refreshment in God’s word

That’s more of everything that is most important. All while feeding your family well too.

Your kitchen life is about to make a big change for the better.

This Healthy Living Bundle flash sale offer is only good through Friday, December 28.

Take advantage right away! You’ll get immediate access to Simple Meals, and you’ll benefit from it for an entire year. Then email me ([email protected]) and I’ll email you a copy of our brand new Simple Recipes for Simple Meals eBook for FREE!

Then look through all the other (95!) products that are included in the bundle too. They are yours forever, so you can take your time in looking through them all.

Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle 2018

I can’t wait to connect with you through Simple Meals!

This offer expires December 28, 2018.

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Simple Real Food Recipes For Your Holiday Break

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I don’t know about you, but I’m taking a break right now. I break from blogging and a break from many normal responsibilities. This is why we all need Simple Recipes so we can still feed our families well!

Keep your meals as simple as possible as you enjoy family time and celebrations. Here’s our ever-growing list of Simple Recipes for you to choose from!

Dozens of Simple Real Food Recipes

Want them in your hands?

We’ve got most of these recipes already in eBook format so you can download, print, and hold them in your hands!

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Merry Christmas from the Coppinger 7!

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Wait – 7?? Yep. God took us from six to seven this year. We can’t believe it either.

Here we are, on Asa’s Senior Night for just before his final home soccer game for York College.

The adoption won’t be final until sometime in the new year, but we’re well on our way. You can expect precious pictures of our Bonus Boy on adoption day in a few months.

What have I learned this year? I’ve learned that I should never make plans. Be kind of organized and maybe have a casserole in the freezer. But don’t make plans. GOD MAKES PLANS. Then He prepares us, equips us, and provides for us as He carries out His perfect plans.

We weren’t even looking to provide foster care, much less adopt. Indeed, I had all kinds of other plans for our lives in the next few years…but fostering? Adopting? Not even a blip on my radar.

Trusting God, though? Listening? Obeying and walking in the path He paves? That’s where we’ve been focused. We’ve been asking God to show us what it really means to love our neighbor…

As our hearts had opened to people in our community who needed support through special struggles, we became friends with Bonus Boy’s birth mom. When we discovered one night last spring that the little guy needed a temporary place to live, we prayed. God told us yes, so Bonus Boy moved in within just a few hours of our finding out about the need. This huge life change happened exactly that fast – with less than a day’s notice. But God knew all along.

Fostering turned into the need for adoption. And now here we are. We’re learning about God’s faithfulness and love in ways we never knew. This is the best gift of all.

I pray that as you celebrate Christmas and look back on 2018, you are filled with JOY as you see all the ways God stretched, molded, challenged, grew, and loved you this year. As the year ends, we hope to be more like Jesus than we were at the beginning.

From our family to yours – Merry Christmas. I can’t wait to learn what’s in store for 2019.

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Festive Raspberry (or Cranberry or Apricot) Oatmeal Bars

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Remember these awesome Raspberry Oatmeal Bars? Seeing as they have red raspberries in them, that automatically turns them into a festive holiday recipe option, don’t you think?

Now, keep in mind, any of your favorite fruits and jellies will work in these Oatmeal Bars! Perhaps you’d enjoy making a Cranberry variety for Christmas? We like Raspberry and Apricot best at our house. And if you top them with slivered almonds, you’ve got an extra special treat!

When you look at the recipe, you’ll notice that there’s a lot of butter in these. YES. That’s why they are so delicious!

Festive Raspberry (or Cranberry or Apricot) Oatmeal Bars

Festive Raspberry (or Cranberry or Apricot) Oatmeal Bars
 
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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% fruit jam (raspberry, apricot, grape, cranberry, etc)
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. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top of the jam layer, pressing down to cover.
  6. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top if you like!
  7. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

Want to mix and match your flavors by using a variety of jellies? I’ve described how to do that here!

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Simple Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake

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I shared this Simple Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake with you many years ago! Christmas is the perfect time to bring it back, don’t you think?

This recipe looks rather involved, but would I be sharing it if it was difficult? Of course not. :) Putting this together is very simple, and worth every bit of your (small amount of) effort!

Simple Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake

Simple Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter (or coconut oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • TOPPING:
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ½ cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • 1½ cups boiling water
Instructions
  1. Combine flour, cocoa, sucanat, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
  2. Make a well in the center and add milk, butter, and vanilla.
  3. Stir well, until batter is smooth.
  4. Stir in peanut butter (heat if needed, to thin).
  5. Stir in chocolate chips.
  6. Spread the batter evenly into a well greased slow cooker.
  7. Make the topping:
  8. Mix cocoa and sucanat, whisk in boiling water until smooth.
  9. Gently pour over batter in crock pot, but don’t stir.
  10. Cover and cook on HIGH until puffed and the top layer is set, about 2- 2¼ hours.
  11. Turn off crock pot and let stand, covered for at least 30 minutes.
  12. Serve the cake (which is now on top) with ice cream or whipped cream and drizzle the fudgy pudding from the bottom over both.
Top this awesome cake with freshly whipped cream!

How to Make Fresh Whipped Cream

Want to go a little chocolate and peanut butter CrAzY? Try this on top of your cake:

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Whipped Cream

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Our Favorite Simple Christmastime Snacks and Sweets Recipes

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While I like making special foods for Christmas, I still like to keep my preparations simple (of course) so I can enjoy my family and friends instead of standing at the sink washing dishes. Today I’m sharing 13 of our family’s favorite simple Christmastime snacks and sweets recipes!

Favorite Simple Christmastime Snacks and Sweets Recipes

These are the recipes that are great to whip up quickly to share at a holiday gathering. I especially like having quick recipes like this so we can set out a snacky buffet for a family game night or movie night. They are easy to have already made up to pull out for an impromptu get-together. And they are all made with real food, so while they are treats, they are also still on the “better for you” side!

Favorite Snacks

Easy Veggie Dip 1

Favorite Sweets

Does sugar count during Christmas? Asking for a friend. Actually, some of these are naturally low in sugar so I don’t feel bad about serving or indulging at all!

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mousse

Caramel Popcorn With No Corn Syrup!

Enjoy these fun snacks and sweets recipes! Enjoy time with your family, making the most of your holiday season. Settle in, relax, make memories!

 

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