Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Simple Whole Grain Lemon Muffins

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With spring right around the corner, these Simple Whole Grain Lemon Muffins are practically perfect. It’s already spring, you say? I know. Technically it is. But it still feels a bit wintery where I live, with only the occasional hint of spring. We’re still inside baking to stay warm most days. :)

Our 5-year old Bonus Boy loves baking with me, and muffins are an easy favorite to put together. I keep a huge container of Homemade Muffin Mix on hand so that he and I can stir together any muffin variety we want. We recently experimented to make Lemon Muffins and the results are super tangy and fun!

Note how simple it is to make muffin variations! I simply subbed out some milk for lemon juice in my basic muffin recipe. Suddenly we went from Plain Muffins to Lemon Muffins, without any trouble at all!

Want to stir in some fresh lemon zest? Go for it! At this point in my life (adding a 5-year old to our home and caring for an infant), I tend to take every shortcut I can while still keeping our food as nourishing as possible. I use bottled 100% lemon juice in this recipe; therefore I have no lemon to zest. :)

Simple Whole Grain Lemon Muffins

Simple Whole Grain Lemon Muffins
 
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Serves: 12-15
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Muffin Mix** or...
  • 1½ cups whole grain flour
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar or sucanat
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Scoop Muffin Mix or measure dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Add egg, sour cream, milk, lemon juice, and melted coconut oil, stirring until ingredients are combined.
  3. Scoop batter into 12-15 prepared muffin tins.
  4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18-22 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

**Do you have our Simple Mixes to Save the Day eBook yet? Grab it so you can save time and energy by using the Muffin Mix for this recipe!! I LOVE having these mixes on hand!!!

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I love that these muffins are made with whole grain flour, but they are still wonderfully light and fluffy! This is because I use freshly ground soft white wheat (pastry flour). What a difference this makes! You can read more about whole grains and grain mills here.

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12 Fun and Wholesome Ways to Cook with Whole Rolled Oats

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Why am I giving you so many fun ways to cook with whole rolled oats? Well…

If I confess to you that I do not enjoy eating a bowl of oatmeal in the morning (or any time of day) – can we still be friends? I’ve tried to like oatmeal. But I simply cannot eat it (Sam I am). I get to the third bite and try as I might, I can’t put one more spoonful into my mouth. I realize that this is because I am a spoiled, privileged person who has a plethora of food options, and in many other life settings I would be grateful to have a bowl of oatmeal.

So it is with gratitude that I share 12 other options for ways to use and cook with this wholesome ingredient!

How fun it is that delicious rolled oats can be stirred into these recipes and transformed into a wonderful breakfast option!

12 Fun and Wholesome Ways to Cook with Whole Rolled Oats

  1. Stir-and-Pour Honey Oat Bread
  2. Baked Oatmeal Cups
  3. Breakfast Cake
  4. Breakfast Cake Muffins
  5. Cracklin’ Oat Bran Cereal
  6. Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
  7. Dark Chocolate Almond Granola
  8. Giant Breakfast Cookies
  9. Granola
  10. Granola ~ 5-Minute Stop-Top Version
  11. Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
  12. Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Can you use Quick Oats in any of these recipes? Sure! I just always have Whole Rolled Oats on hand because I like them better. I mean, I like them better for baking. Not in a bowl. How spoiled is this girl? ;)

If you do happen to be an “oatmeal in a bowl” kind of a person, I highly recommend that you make yourself some of these: Instant Oatmeal Packets. It’s a wonderful time and money saver, plus you can include any of the favorite healthy ingredients that you like! I usually make big batches of Instant Oatmeal and put it into jars as pictured above. My family scoops out a “packet” amount and has a quick and easy breakfast!

What are your favorite, wholesome ways to eat oats?

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Simple Saucy Parmesan Meatballs

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If it seems too simple, that’s because it is. Today I am sharing what is so obvious, you probably already thought of it yourself. Still, it is worth taking the time to mention the idea to take the Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs, add sauce, and make the meatballs into a brand new meal of Simple Saucy Parmesan Meatballs!

Oh how I love food that is versatile like this. When we can make one recipe, but turn it into whatever we need it to be – now THAT is a recipe to keep in our back pockets!

Like literally. Print this out and put it in your back pocket. Later, you’ll reach in and say, “Oh! I have something in my back pocket. Could it be a $5 bill I forgot about? No? It’s a recipe for Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs? Well that’s even better than surprise cash!”

Yes, that is exactly the scenario that will happen when you put this recipe in your back pocket.

Now my friends, watch and see how easy it is to make a delightful (and ridiculously obvious) variation to our newly beloved Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs. We shall now add sauce, serve them with our favorite pasta, and make everyone in our family very happy. But no one will quite be as happy as we are because we are the ones cooking the food and we are the happiest about the ease of this recipe idea!

Simple Saucy Parmesan Meatballs

Simple Saucy Parmesan Meatballs
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1-2 pounds of pre-made Parmesan Meatballs*
  • 16-ounces of our favorite pasta sauce (red or white!)
  • 12-ounces cooked pasta
Instructions
  1. Reheat or bake meatballs* as directed.
  2. Pour sauce over meatballs and simmer until heated through.
  3. Serve over your favorite prepared pasta. OR
  4. Serve with rice or potatoes if you like!

* Here’s our recipe for Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs.

Another of our favorite ways to enjoy these Simple Saucy Parmesan Meatballs? With this 10-Minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. Along with a salad and veggie, of course.

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Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs

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Who gets excited about something silly like Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs? This girl. Indeed, I get very, very excited.

I like beef. I like meatballs. I like anything that can be made ahead of time. No. Scratch that. I LOVE anything that can be made ahead of time. And if it’s also made from beef, well, that makes me one happy girl!

You can make this recipe ahead and store the meatballs in the fridge or freezer UNBAKED. Or you can PRE-BAKE up a huge batch and pull out a few as needed to reheat quickly. This recipe is flexible to meet your family’s needs!

Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs

Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs
 
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Serves: 16-20 meatballs
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds ground beef or turkey
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • ½ cup shredded (or grated) parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
  2. Scoop any size balls out onto a cookie sheet (I use a large scoop).
  3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
  4. Serve right away, or refrigerate or freeze baked meatballs to easily reheat for a meal later.
  5. OR, freeze the prepared meatballs UNBAKED, thaw as needed, and bake as directed.

I love serving these Simple Make-Ahead Parmesan Meatballs with:

Meals like this are truly satisfying, extremely delicious, and still very simple to put together!

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Simple Popcorn Chicken Tacos

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Here’s an idea for you. Make extra Popcorn Chicken to serve in tacos for a super simple meal! Popcorn Chicken Tacos are surprisingly good and of course, super fun.

Here’s our very easy, very delicious Popcorn Chicken Recipe. I love making a double, or triple, or quadruple batch of this chicken and then freezing it to reheat at another time for a super easy meal. As an extra fun variation, I reheat it and we use it to build tacos any way we like!

Simple Popcorn Chicken Tacos

Simple Popcorn Chicken Tacos
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 pound pre-made popcorn chicken*
  • 8 whole grain flour or corn tortillas
  • Fresh taco fixins like tomatoes, lettuce, black beans, sweet peppers, corn, cilantro, onions, salsa, olives, etc
  • Shredded cheese
Instructions
  1. Rewarm popcorn chicken.
  2. Prepare taco fixins and set out a buffet for each person to build Simple Popcorn Chicken Tacos per their preference!

*Find our Simple Popcorn Chicken recipe here.

Want toasted tortillas? Simply warm them in a skillet over low heat for about 1 minute on each side until they turn lightly brown and barely crispy!

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Simple Popcorn Chicken

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There is no popcorn involved in the making of this Popcorn Chicken. You can simply pop it into your mouth as if it is popcorn, and it is definitely coated in butter. But otherwise, it is nothing like popcorn. So sorry for any confusion.

This Popcorn Chicken recipe was one of the very first I shared here back in 2009. I’m sharing it again today and adding it to our Simple Recipes list because this is one of those recipes we all need in our hip pocket!

You can make these ahead and freeze them. You can eat them in a variety of ways. They are super kid-friendly, which is a plus whether you have kids or not. (What? Some grown-ups really like kid-friendly recipes, am I right?)

This Simple Popcorn Chicken tastes good hot or cold. I do prefer it hot, but made ahead and packed cold in a lunch box? Still great!

We love eating this Popcorn Chicken as-is with a few fruits and veggies on the side. But it’s also amazing in a tossed salad!

Simple Popcorn Chicken

Simple Popcorn Chicken
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3-6 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • ¾ cup whole grain flour (I use freshly ground white wheat, but you can use any flour you like!)
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • butter
Instructions
  1. In a medium-sized bowl stir together flour, salt, and garlic powder.
  2. Using kitchen shears, cut chicken into tiny bite-sized pieces.
  3. Toss chicken in flour mixture to coat well.
  4. Smear a thick layer of butter on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  5. Pour coated chicken into the dish, spreading so that they are in a single layer.
  6. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Stir chicken and bake another 10 minutes.

Need some dipping sauce to go with your Simple Popcorn Chicken? Here are our favorites:

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Easy White Chocolate Chip Muffins

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My Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe has been a family favorite at our house for years and years. One day I decided to make them extra special by subbing regular chocolate chips for white chocolate chips. It’s a simple, genius idea, taking these muffins from something special to something even more special! Ahh, life’s simple pleasures. Get ready to give these Easy White Chocolate Chip Muffins a try!

Not all white chocolate chips are created equal. Some are full of hydrogenated oils, so I avoid those. Allllll of them are full of sugar. That’s what makes them taste good. That and the cocoa butter. Therefore, just don’t eat the whole batch of muffins by yourself and all will be well! :)

I like to order my White Chocolate Chips in bulk from Olive Nation. (By the way, use the code home and they’ll give us a 20% discount!) The white chocolate chips freeze well, so I keep them on hand and pull them out to use as needed. (Yes, because white chocolate is apparently a need. It ranks up there with coffee and other essentials.)

Easy White Chocolate Chip Muffins

Easy White Chocolate Chip Muffins
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Muffin Mix** or...
  • 1½ cups whole grain flour
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar or sucanat
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Scoop Muffin Mix or measure dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Add egg, sour cream, milk, and melted coconut oil, stirring until ingredients are combined.
  3. Fold in chocolate chips.
  4. Scoop batter into 12 prepared muffin tins.
  5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

**Do you have our Simple Mixes to Save the Day eBook yet? Grab it so you can save time and energy by using the Muffin Mix for this recipe!! I LOVE having these mixes on hand!!!

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Be sure to grab white chocolate chips from Olive Nation and take advantage of the 20% discount they offer! (Use the code home at checkout for the discount.) And while you’re there, pick up some of their cocoa powder to go in these muffins. It is so good!!

Some of these links are my affiliate links.

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Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner

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Ready for a deliciously easy Crock Pot meal? This Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner is a hit for everyone at our table. But mostly it is a hit with me because it’s so very easy to make!

The more I put my mind to learning simple, real food cooking methods, the better my kitchen life has become! I’ve stopped peeling potatoes (Yukon Gold, baby). I’ve quit thawing meat (I’ve stopped trying to remember). And if at all possible, I’ve stopped boiling noodles (life’s too short). What kind of lazy cook have I become, anyway? Ah, no. I prefer to call it being a smart cook!

I think it is delightful to drop dried pasta into my crock pot along with a few other ingredients, then come back a few hours later to a dinner that’s ready to be served. The creaminess of this recipe is what makes it so popular. And if you want to save a few dollars, skip the meat in this recipe. It’s delicious either way!

Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner

Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 pound hamburger meat
  • 1 small chopped onion OR 3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 12-ounces UNCOOKED whole grain egg noodles
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 30-ounces tomato sauce (2 cans)
  • 1 cup water
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (we like cheddar or Colby jack)
Instructions
  1. In a skillet, cook hamburger and onion together until meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary.
  2. Stir cooked meat along with all other ingredients into a crock pot.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

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Simple (Mostly Real Food) Tator Tot Casserole

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Is it possible? Am I actually going to present you with a Tator Tot Casserole? Yes, and I feel no shame. I have purchased the tator tots and I have put them onto a casserole and I am sharing the recipe with you here today.

I was able to simply adapt the original recipe I was given many years ago to turn it into a mostly “real food recipe.” No cream of mushroom soup here! Still just as delicious. Everything in this casserole is wholesome and good. But the tator tots on top? I dumped them right out of the bag and I ignored the ingredient list and well, that is all. I just did.

Remember that one time I experimented and came up with a way to make Homemade Tator Tots? Who even was that girl anyway? She sure was ambitious! And fun and creative. But now? Well, I just don’t spend my time making tedious recipes anymore. And typically I don’t use packaged ingredients in recipes. But I got a hankering for my childhood favorite Tator Tot Casserole and I just went for it!

Tator tots aside, everything else in this recipe is created from whole foods and great ingredients. They are likely ingredients you already have on hand, which makes this a simple and fun meal to serve your family.

This recipe freezes well, so while you’re making one Tator Tot Casserole, you might as well make two or three. Then you can freeze the extras for a meal on a busy day!

Simple Tator Tot Casserole

Simple (Mostly Real Food) Tator Tot Casserole
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1½ - 2 pounds hamburger meat
  • 1 medium onion or 3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Sea salt to taste (we find it takes quite a lot of this good salt to provide good flavor in this meal!)
  • 4 cups cooked green beans
  • 3 cups sour cream
  • 3 cups shredded cheese (we use Colby jack)
  • 3 cups tator tots
Instructions
  1. Brown hamburger meat with onion, garlic, and salt.
  2. Mix cooked meat with green beans and sour cream and spread mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
  3. Spread shredded cheese over the mixture.
  4. Top with frozen tator tots.
  5. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

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Easy 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Truffles for Valentine’s Day

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Not that we can’t make a treat like this any day of the year. It’s just that these Peanut Butter Truffles seem best served as a special Valentine’s Day treat. Perhaps we should make a trial batch here in January though? And maybe remind ourselves how to make them sometime next April? Then again in August. All that to say, who am I to tell you when to make these truffles? I totally and completely support your truffle-making choices.

I love how easy these are to make. I love that the only sugar in them is what is already in the chocolate chips. I love the peanut butter-chocolate combo. I love…well, love. So see? These are perfect to make for Valentine’s Day!

Easy 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Truffles

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Easy 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Truffles for Valentine's Day
 
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Serves: 18-24
Ingredients
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter (I used homemade peanut butter*)
  • ⅛ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan stir together chocolate chips, cream, and butter over medium heat.
  2. Just as the chocolate chips have almost melted, add peanut butter and stir until smooth.
  3. Spread mixture into a pie pan and chill for about two hours.
  4. Cut and roll mixture into 1 inch balls.
  5. Dip balls into cocoa powder if you like.
  6. Place on parchment paper and chill until set.

*I use homemade peanut butter from one of the following recipes:

Roll these truffles in powdered sugar for a fun variety. And place them into holiday colored mini-muffin liners to make them festive!

Here are many more Low Sugar Treats for you to enjoy!

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