Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Let’s Do This! Join the Getting Ahead {Breakfast} Challenge

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It’s a great time of year to get a little more organized in the kitchen so that you can stay ahead of your busy schedule. That’s why we created the Let’s Do This! Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen eCourse and the {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook. Hopefully you’ve grabbed yours already and have started working your way through them. If not, you can do that here.

Whether you’re taking the course or not, I hope you’ll all join me in this Getting Ahead Challenge! We can all benefit from working ahead in our kitchens!

During the next four weeks, we’ll be offering four different challenges so that together, we can take steps to get ahead. I’ll be sharing more getting-ahead tips, new recipes, plus some freebies to help us all in our efforts. My goal with these challenges is to put you to work in the kitchen so that you can see how easy and beneficial it is to get food made ahead of time.

Who’s with me?! Let’s Do This!

350x350_Challenge

Our first challenge is all about Getting Ahead for Breakfast.

Why are we starting with a breakfast challenge? Because that’s the meal I struggle with most as I try to get ahead in my kitchen. Dinnertime casseroles in the freezer? No problem. Burritos in the freezer for a quick lunch? Done. But breakfast? I often forget that there are so many make-ahead breakfast options. Therefore I rarely remember to put these items on my make-ahead-to-do-list. (Except for freezing muffin batter. I’ve been obsessed with that recently, as you know. But man can not live by muffins alone.)

strawberry_muffins_2

As much as I appreciate being ahead and having dinner time foods prepped and ready, I think I need healthy breakfast foods prepared and accessible even more. We need to get our day started quickly and smoothly. We need a full, hearty breakfast. We need to not have to think straight the minute we roll out of bed with fuzzy brain, crazy hair, and a long to-do list for the day ahead – am I right?

Therefore, for the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing on creating new recipes and coming up with new ideas for ways to get ahead for breakfast. I am so excited to share all I’ve been learning! You’ll be glad to know that not all methods of getting ahead involve filling the freezer. And they definitely don’t involve spending a lot of extra time working in the kitchen. (The eCourse already taught you that though, right?!)

Now through next Thursday, make plans to join me in getting ahead with breakfast foods. What’s involved in this challenge? Simply pick one (or more!) breakfast foods that you can prepare ahead of time – and get it done! Here are some suggested ideas:

french_toast_casserole_3

There are lots of great ways to get ahead for breakfast! (Here are all of the Healthy Breakfast Recipes on this site.)  You aren’t limited to the suggestions above. Do whatever you can to make healthy breakfasts easier at your house. Be watching for more recipes and ideas in the coming days. I can’t wait to share!

Are you joining this challenge? Leave a comment on this post letting me know that you’re taking part.

So let’s hear it!  What are you going to make to get ahead for breakfast?

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Breakfast Cake Muffins

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breakfast_cake_muffins

One reader, Kim, left a comment months ago sharing that she’d made my Breakfast Cake recipe into muffins instead of baking the batter into a cake. It sounded so good that I decided to try it right away!

And then I forgot. For months.

I think it’s actually been well over a year since she left that comment. That’s practically like trying the idea right away, right? Yeah, well…

Turns out these are an easy, yummy, freezable, on-the-go breakfast muffin that is hearty enough to keep us satisfied until lunchtime. Thanks for the idea, Kim! Next time you share a great idea like this one, I’ll try to get around to trying it before thirteen months go by. Sheesh.

Breakfast Cake MuffinsYum

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole rolled oats
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, melted
¾ cup buttermilk or milk
¾ cup honey or 1 cup sucanat
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips, raisins, or other dried fruit  (We like Enjoy Life Soy Free Chocolate Chips)

Stir together flour, oats, salt and baking soda. Add butter, buttermilk, honey, eggs, and vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips, raisins, or other dried fruit.

Spoon batter into 18 paper lined muffin tins. Bake in a 400° oven for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

Give these a try. Don’t wait a year like I did. :)

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Whole Wheat Quick Mix Honey Cinnamon Muffins

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Simple. Tasty. Fast. Isn’t that what we want in all of our recipes? This muffin recipe is all of that and healthy too!

See? I told you this Whole Wheat Quick Mix has been a life saver!

Quick Mix Honey Cinnamon MuffinsYum

2 cups Quick Mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup honey
½ cup milk
1 egg

Mix all ingredients until just combined. (Do not over-stir.)  Scoop batter into 9 paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

Honey_Cinnamon_Muffins_2

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Whole Wheat Quick Mix Pancakes {Sneak peek into our new Oh, For Real! book}

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Now that I always keep a large batch (often a double batch) of the Whole Wheat Quick Mix on hand, I have been so grateful for the time it saves me in meal preparation. And let’s be real (since, after all, the upcoming book this recipe is featured in is called Oh, For Real):  I really like that having this mix on hand saves my brain energy. Who really wants to think about the process of making pancakes when there are so many other things to think about?

These pancakes require three little ingredients. I can make these in my sleep…which, without a doubt, is something that I have done.

Whole Wheat Quick Mix PancakesYum

2 cups Whole Wheat Quick Mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Whisk ingredients together thoroughly. Cook them in a well greased skillet, turning after they are bubbly. Makes about 12 three inch pancakes.

quick_mix_pancakes

Ever made pancakes in your sleep?  :)

P.S. These pancakes taste best when made on a cast iron griddle. I have this Lodge 20-Inch Cast Iron Griddle and love it so much! I can make pancakes three times as fast because it covers two burners. Check it out here (affiliate link).

cast iron griddle

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Make Breakfast the Night Before {Eat Healthy, Save Time}

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I know I’ve shared this tip before, but within this Eat Healthy, Save Time series, I decided to say it again:

In an effort to easily and quickly provide a healthy breakfast for my family each morning, sometimes I find it helpful to get breakfast made the night before I plan to serve it.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins and Blueberry Muffins with fruit and milk.
Fast, easy, and a total family pleaser.

This sometimes means that I bake muffins at night after dinner. Or it might mean that I multi-task while making our evening meal and stir together Giant Breakfast Cookies while our dinner casserole is baking. Or, it might mean that I put together an Easy Breakfast Casserole right before I go to bed so that all I have to do is get up in the morning and put the casserole directly into the oven.

 

And shucks, as someone quite goofy but very practical once said, “If you’re making one you might as well make two…” Therefore, you might even decide to make an Egg Casserole to bake in the morning…and make a second one to put into the freezer for another morning. 

 And when breakfast has been made, and dishes have been washed the night before? Clean up after breakfast in the morning is a breeze! Kitchen efficiency (and a healthy eating!) just keeps getting easier, doesn’t it? :)

What kinds of breakfast foods have you found to be easy to make the night before?

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Baked Oatmeal Cups (Bird’s Nests)

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Baked Oatmeal Cups are perfect for a spring breakfast.

Baked_Oatmeal_Cups

My four boys are just about getting too old to appreciate anything cutesy I try to make with food.

When they get up in the morning, they bound into the kitchen, excited to see a big pile of bacon on a tray with a dozen scrambled eggs and mountain of pancakes. Does it really matter to them if I tried to arrange the food in such a way as to make the platter look pretty? Do they even care that I woke up extra early, and lovingly mustered all of my artistic ability to form the pancakes into the shape of the country of India? After all, we’ve all been enjoying our studies about William Carey and his missionary efforts there. Who wouldn’t have fun smearing butter all over Calcutta? I figured they’d be thrilled!

But no. They don’t care at all. They just want me to hurry up and pass them the maple syrup and while I’m at it, another slice of bacon.

I’m telling you, I am sooooo unappreciated around here. From now on, I think I’ll just flip some boring ol’ round pancakes straight off the griddle and onto their plates ten feet away. I’ll skip the serving platter. I won’t mess with a lovely presentation of fruit arranged on a plate in the shape of a clown face. They can just stuff their faces with “normal” food for all I care.

Hmmph.

Now that I’ve thrown a fit that is so becoming of a grown-up, I suppose I should now confess that my intentions and my artistic abilities are not even close to being able to pull off much of the above. I’ve never really attempted to make pancakes into the shape of India – or any other country for that matter. Incidentally, I did turn out the state of Texas once, but that was totally an accident and as usually happens when I have not gone out of my way one little bit, my boys were actually quite impressed.

“Whoa Mom! You made a Texas pancake! Can you make me a Maryland and an Idaho next?”

I obviously got right on that, but ended up instead with a lopsided gourd and another pancake that resembled the fuzz under my couch. I gave up at that point and figured they could chew the pancakes into the shapes of their requested states, because really, have you ever tried to pour Florida onto a griddle with a spoon?

This leads me to the special breakfast I made recently in an effort to be cute. It is spring after all. Doesn’t the idea of eating a bird’s nest for breakfast sound simply delightful?

Okay fine. We can just call these Baked Oatmeal Cups. Either way, these are easy to throw together and are versatile enough to add variety and meet your family’s taste preferences.

Baked Oatmeal Cups (or Bird’s Nests if you’re feeling cute)Yum

5.0 from 1 reviews
Baked Oatmeal Cups (Bird's Nests)
 
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Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup sucanat or honey
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ⅓ cup melted butter
  • Topping choices: mini chocolate chips, raisins, other dried fruit, coconut flakes, apple chunks
Instructions
  1. Mix together oats, sucanat, salt and baking powder.
  2. Stir in eggs, milk, and melted butter.
  3. Scoop batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups.
  4. Sprinkle toppings of choice into the center of each cup.
  5. Bake in a 350° for about 30 minutes, or until the oats are golden brown.

These are easier to eat with a fork, unless you like cleaning partial bird’s nests up off of your table and floor.

If you prefer, simply spread the mixture into a 9×9 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 25-30 minutes.

Do you try to be cute when you cook and bake at your house? And how do those efforts go over for you? Ever tried to make India out of pancake batter?

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Why My Whole Foods Menu Plan Might Be Overwhelming

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menuplanner1webI love planning a menu for my family. Without a menu plan, it takes me way too long to figure out what we’re eating each day. I also like sharing my menu plan with all of you each week. Many of you have mentioned how helpful you find my plan and have told me that you often “steal” many of my meal ideas. I love that!

But, I also really appreciate the perspective shared in a comment last week – the perspective that my menu plan may be overwhelming to some of you. The fact that I plan all three meals for each day of the week, and the fact that all three meals tend to be big meals – yep, I can definitely see how that could be overwhelming!

I decided to take the time to explain my menu plans just a little bit. I certainly don’t want to overwhelm anyone, nor do I think that planning all three meals for every day of the week is a necessity for everyone. It’s what works for me, but I know it doesn’t work that way for everyone. In fact, menu planning doesn’t work at all for some people. If you’re good at winging it at meal time – go for it! :)

I have found that planning all three meals each day for our family works well for me for the following reasons:

1. My family eats a boat load of food, for every meal. Having a plan for which boat load of food is going on the table really helps me keep my head above water. (Get it? Boat load? Head above water? Ha.)

2. Having a plan in place for each meal of the day helps me focus on other things so that I’m not constantly distracted by what I’m supposed to feed us next. Trust me, the boys ask all the time – “What are we eating for breakfast/lunch/dinner?”

3. Most of my boys wake up ready to eat my leg if I don’t have breakfast ready to offer them when they wake up. I need to know what I’m making for breakfast before I get out of bed. I like having two legs. It’s very handy.

So the question could still be then:  Why don’t I just feed my family cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch each day, and then focus on our evening meal plan?

Well…I do feed them cereal and sandwiches every once in a while. But wow, the cost of feeding us this type of meal really adds up for us. I did the math one time on how much it costs to feed my family sandwiches. You can read about that here, but add even more to that dollar amount because we now eat probably double what I added up for a meal since my boys are older. (Did I mention that my oldest son has jumped several shoe sizes during the last year?)  Therefore, I find that it really saves our family a lot of money if I cook heartier, more nutrition packed meals if possible.

Some tricks I use to make putting three big meals on the table each day just a little bit easier:

~ Just about every meal I make for my family is simple – especially our breakfast and lunchtime meals. I really don’t find that making a “bigger” lunch for the family takes a whole lot more time than making a bunch of sandwiches.

~ Sometimes we have leftovers to eat, so I don’t have to cook something new. But I don’t always know when we’ll have them, so it’s hard for me to plan those into my menus.

~ I try to have food made and in the freezer to pull out for quick lunches.

~ I have a list of “back up meals” and all ingredients on hand to throw them together if needed.

~ While I do have a detailed menu plan, I switch it up all over the place throughout the week depending on what’s going on and what sounds good. The plan is there, but it is flexible.

~ I give myself grace. If I really just can’t get a good meal on the table, the cereal is in the background waiting to be pulled out.

For a little bit more information on this subject, sure to read my Cooking Healthy Meals When the Menu Plan Fails post. Also, you’ll find a free downloadable page full of healthy, easy lunch ideas here.

Okay everyone. Jump in here with your ideas and thoughts about making menu planning simpler. What do you do about planning breakfast and lunchtime meals?

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My Exciting Grocery Posts for the Week: Today’s Breakfast

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With Turkey Sausage and prepared Hashbrowns in the freezer, breakfast this morning was a feast…yet very easy to put together! 

Turkey Sausage, Hashbrowns, Creamy Orange Coolers , Fried Eggs and Apple Slices

I’m almost out of potatoes, so it was great to find one more bag of Hashbrowns in the bottom of the freezer! And I just can’t say enough about making up a bunch of Turkey Sausage for quick meals. Once they’re mixed up and frozen into patties, I just throw them in the pan to cook. SO EASY.

You should see my storage room now!!! So close to being finished and organized! What a great feeling. And now, I’m going outside to line up my boys for hair cuts.

By the way, you’ve probably noticed by now that I don’t always stick to my menu plan exactly. Some weeks I do…this week I’m not. It’s just working out that way. I had this turkey sausage/hashbrown meal scheduled for yesterday’s lunch, but we had it this morning instead. I figure if I at least have a meal plan, I can adjust as I need to. With my busy cleaning/organizing week…our menu plan is a little topsy-turvy. :)

Yesterday, I had so much fun hearing what you had for lunch (because I just get a big kick out of food and hearing what others are eating). So…you know what we had for breakfast…what did you have?

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Breakfast Organization (With Some Great Giveaways!)

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At the mention of my family’s Oatmeal Rebellion, many of you piped in with your ideas for quick and easy breakfast ideas. You shared some great suggestions, which made me excited to mention some more. You can NOT have too many helpful breakfast ideas in your back pocket. Although I don’t really recommend keeping your actual breakfast in your back pocket. That would be a bad situation on so many levels.

While Sunday mornings are a bit crazy as we all try to get out the door looking halfway presentable…I’m going to also venture to say that every day can be hectic at breakfast time if we don’t have a plan. My kids are hungry from the moment they wake up. One of my boys would actually eat my leg if I didn’t shove an egg in his mouth as he rolls out of bed. He is that hungry. You’d think I didn’t just feed him four helpings of dinner the night before (and a snack before bed).

One of my best recommendations for us to keep our Breakfast Time Organized is to plan ahead. But my best, best recommendation is that if at all possible…make breakfast the night before. 

If I can, I bake our next day’s breakfast muffins or bagels or quick bread while I’m making dinner the night before. Or, I’ll start my pancakes or waffles to soaking. Or, I’ll mix up a Breakfast Casserole to have ready to bake the next morning.

It’s easy really…to make breakfast the night before while I’m cooking dinner. I’m already in the cooking mode. I’m already making a mess. Might as well make a bit of a bigger mess and get breakfast baked up too, right?

Then, after dinner, we get the whole kitchen clean (LOVE our Kitchen Chore Chart!) and put our breakfast on the table for the next morning (unless it needs to go into the fridge because leaving out a raw Breakfast Casserole would be about as bad as putting your breakfast in your back pocket).

chocolatechocolatechipmuffinssm

You’ll find links to all of my Bread and Breakfast recipes on this page, but I thought I’d highlight my favorite “make-ahead breakfasts” for you here:

Add some fruit or a smoothie or a quick scrambled egg to round out these meals! Planning ahead and cooking ahead can save money and help your family to eat much healthier too. It’s much better than letting my son eat my leg, is it not?

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Part of this complete breakfast (and part of these giveaways) are brought to you by Say Mmm. Excited to hear more?

First, I encourage you to visit Organizing Junkie, who is sharing how she is using Say Mmm to create printable grocery lists. If you’re a blogger, you can link up your recipes and grocery lists with Say Mmm. Organizing Junkie shares how. I’ve shared about how I appreciate Say Mmm’s features for menu planning, grocery list making, recipe organization and more. 

Then, be sure to visit each of the following sites who are sharing their wonderful organizational strategies.

Are you ready to hear about the giveaways already? 

Thanks to Say Mmm, you have a chance to win one of four copies of Organizing Junkie’s book Clutter Rehab here at Heavenly Homemakers. Or, you could win one of three subscriptions to Say Mmm Plus (you can use Say Mmm for free, but subscribing to their Plus plan gives you even more great options!). And…I’ve thrown in three copies of my Do the Funky Kitchen ebook too, to help jump start you on your way to having an organized (and functional!) kitchen.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win one of these ten great prizes!

Plus, be sure to visit the above sites for additional chances to win!! If you visit all the sites and leave comments, you’ll have SO many more chances to win!!

This giveaway is now closed…thanks!

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Menu Plan for the Week

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chocolatechocolatechipmuffinssm

My living room is still a big, big mess…but we’re getting there. The insulation is in, now let operation drywall begin. Instead of showing you pictures of the mess, I decided to show you a more appetizing picture of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins because pictures of plaster all over the floor does not inspire you to plan a lovely menu, does it? I’ll post a whole lot of living room pictures once I have more to show!

My father in law will only be here until Wednesday, so here’s hoping he and Matt get most of the drywall up in the next two days. They have been SUCH hard workers and I am just so appreciative. 

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday, October 17
Oatmeal, apples
Chicken and Noodles, carrots, honey wheat muffins
Turkey cheese melts on biscuits, pears

Monday, October 18
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, fruit-kefir smoothies
BBQ meatballs, baked squash, green beans
Tacos (on homemade tortillas and using the last fresh tomatoes of the season)

Tuesday, October 19
Honey whole wheat bagels, applesauce
Tuna salad on toast, cottage cheese and peaches, carrot sticks
Italian roast wraps with tomatoes and kreme fresh, strawberry-peach slushies

Wednesday, October 20
French toast, peach syrup, whipped cream
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, green beans
Cheesy beef and rice, tossed salad, corn

Thursday, October 21
Creamy orange cooler, peanut butter honey toast
Egg and turkey sausage casserole, orange muffins
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, peas

Friday, October 22
Fried eggs on toast, applesauce
Corn dog muffins, carrot sticks, fruit-kefir smoothies
Homemade pizza

Saturday, October 23
Whole Wheat Donuts
Leftovers
Fall Party at church

If you’re having a hard time coming up with good lunch ideas, you may want to listen to this Podcast…as well as download this free Healthy Lunch Ideas cheat sheet to stick on your fridge!!

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