Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Foods to Purchase and Have on Hand for Busy Days

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Here are some of my best tips for foods to purchase and have on hand for busy days!

If you haven’t already, go check out all these amazing ideas for ways to get ahead in the kitchen!

Beyond homemade food, which of course we all love best, it’s nice to have some healthy convenience items on hand for busy days.

Foods to Purchase and Have on Hand for Busy Days

You know I’m going to start with this one:

1. Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Just do it. These are so easy to purchase and so easy to serve and eat! Eating lots of fruits and veggies is the biggest, best way to be sure we’re getting lots of nourishment. And when we’re talking about busy days and maybe eating on the fly, we can feel good about what we’re eating or serving our families if we are making sure we’re/they’re eating an apple with their frozen pizza (or whatever). ;)

Great fresh fruit and veggie ideas that can be easily eaten on the run:

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Berries
  • Oranges or Clementines
  • Carrots
  • Mini-Sweet Peppers
  • Sugar Snap Peas
  • Pears
  • Peaches
  • Grapes
  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Cucumber Slices
  • Prepared mixed greens for quick salads

Regarding fresh veggies? I’m all about the dips. If ranch dip helps you or your kids eat the veggies? SERVE THE DIP. Veggies with dip is better than no veggies at all, am I right?

Need some dip ideas and recipes?

2. Frozen or Packaged Fruits and Veggies

These are great because they can be eaten or prepared quickly!

3. Whole Grain Breads

I prefer to make this Simple Stir-and-Pour Bread. But lately, since I haven’t had time to bake, I find that having 100% whole grain breads and bagels on hand has been very helpful.

These give us breakfast, lunch, and snack options from simple bread and butter to peanut butter sandwiches or lunch meat sandwiches.

Sometimes, on my busiest days, all I have time to serve is a peanut butter sandwich with one of the fruits or veggies listed above. It fills their bellies and offers nourishment too. I call it a win!

4. Boneless Chicken or Chicken Legs

My favorite is boneless chicken thighs. My second favorite is a package of chicken legs. If I have these in the freezer and I don’t have time for anything else, I can easily dump some sauce on some chicken and put it into the crockpot, into the oven, or onto the grill.

I serve the chicken with a steamed veggie (from the frozen veggies mentioned above) and a fresh fruit and we have a fantastic, healthy meal that hardly took any time to prepare!

5. Potatoes

I am not a fan of russets, but we love Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes! We can make so many fast meals with potatoes, specifically:

Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot – which can be topped with anything we have in the fridge! Ham, leftover chicken or hamburger or taco meat, cheese, sour cream, broccoli, peas…

Baked potatoes make quick meals or side dishes.

6. Frozen Hashbrowns

This Mr. Dell’s brand of hashbrowns contains only potatoes, which I love! I buy them in 5-pound bags and use them to make so many of these recipes. Fast, easy, good for us!

7. Packaged Convenience Foods??!

Yep, I just said it. This is where I’m at now that we have so many kids and so much going on. Loving people is more important than standing in the kitchen. So some days, we eat the packaged nuggets and the frozen pizza. I feel no guilt about this. We eat salad with our pizza, we still have energy to smile at each other. It’s a win!

What do you purchase to help you get through busy days?

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Decadent Simple Paleo Pudding

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Decadent Simple Paleo Pudding

by Tasha Hackett

I was Surprised by my Love of Paleo Puddings 

I’ve been eating a paleo diet since December 20th. Do some math there—it’s been a few days! And for most of that time, there was no pudding. Truthfully, I was blindsided at first: No sugar of any kind, no grains of any kind, no legumes of any kind, and no dairy of any kind. Quickly I discovered a whole new world of food that has brought delight to my family as well. One of our favorites is Salisbury steak with a mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes and asparagus. I’m drooling just typing about it. 

coconut vanilla pudding

Yum

paleo vanilla pudding

And Then There was Coconut Vanilla and Pumpkin Pudding

Most winters I make Laura’s vanilla and other flavored soothers for my family. Instead of hot chocolate when they come in from the snow, they get a protein packed healthy version.

My paleo version, I believe is even healthier, doesn’t have any dairy, hardly any sweetener, and a solid amount of healthy fat for growing kids and all of us using up so much energy trying to stay warm this winter. 

Dairy-Free Paleo Pudding Special Ingredients

Coconut Cream  

I ordered a case of this from my local grocery store for a small discount. It’s not cheap. But I found I can get it for much cheaper from Azure Standard. (Currently $2.30/can.) Though I haven’t tried the Azure ordered cans yet, it will be coming on the truck in a couple weeks! Canned coconut milk has a higher percentage of liquid and less of the fat/oil. You can use that in this recipe instead of canned coconut cream, just factor in the extra liquid. You may need to add more thickener. 

Coconut Milk in a jug

I buy the jug in the cold aisle and go through about one a week. Be sure to buy unsweetened and check labels if there are options at your grocery and get one with the fewest amount of added ingredients. I use this in my coffee, smoothies, baking, and pudding! It is much yummier than almond milk. I’m just going to pretend I didn’t even mention almond milk, because I like to pretend it doesn’t exist. Almond Milk in my opinion is one of the most disgusting . . . blech. So, don’t even. Get yourself some unsweetened coconut milk from the jug. 

Egg Yolks

You can make this recipe with whole eggs, but I’ve had better luck just using the yolks. Egg whites will curdle and get chunky if you heat past 165* and nobody in my family wants to eat curdled pudding. Save the whites in another bowl because you can use them in baking or scramble with a few other eggs. Go ahead and store them in the fridge for a few days. 

Arrowroot Powder

I ordered a bag of this years ago and use it in place of cornstarch. If you’re not on a restrictive diet, cornstarch will work. Or you can skip this entirely if you want to drink your pudding. A healthy gelatin powder, or collagen works to thicken puddings, but they thicken upon cooling. To recap: if you use gelatin to thicken pudding, it will not thicken on the stovetop!

Sweetener

My preference is maple syrup. For the vanilla pudding recipe, I only used one tablespoon. I think the natural coconut cream is quite sweet. The vanilla extract needs the sweetener, I think. If you wanted to try this with NO syrup, I suggest going very easy on the vanilla extract. The pumpkin recipe calls for two tablespoons to counter the spices and vanilla. Start with less, you can always add more. Feel free to experiment with honey or stevia or other sweeteners of your choice. 

Simple Paleo Vanilla Pudding

  • Four egg yolks
  • One 13.6 oz can of coconut cream
  • 13.6 oz of coconut milk from the jug (use empty can to measure)
  • A couple dashes of salt

Mix those three together in a pot and then turn on the heat. Be careful not to boil.

Scoop out a ¼ cup of pudding and mix a slurry with ¼ cup of arrowroot powder and stir it back in the pot.

Once it begins to thicken, turn off the burner and add in:

  • One teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • One tablespoon of maple syrup. 

Taste and adjust sweetener if necessary. 

Either drink warm or chill for pudding. 

Frequently I serve this chilled for breakfast with toasted shredded coconut and pecans, blueberries, sliced bananas, apples, or any other toppings to create a full breakfast. We love this for a make-ahead breakfast. My kids can’t get enough. 

Simple Paleo Pumpkin Pudding

The same as the vanilla pudding, except add in:

  • A can of pumpkin,
  • 2-3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice
  • An extra tablespoon of maple syrup to counter the spices 

I poured this one in a paleo pie crust and pretended I was eating pumpkin pie for breakfast and had enough for six small servings for the next day. (No, it wasn’t as thick as a traditional pumpkin pie. But it was just as good!)

paleo puddingpumpkin puddingpumpkin paleo pudding

Psssst! All of these great ingredients can be purchased from Azure Standard!

Paleo isn’t a Prison

Clearly I’m not saying everyone must eat the way I do, but I have found it to be more freeing than I ever expected. My motivation for staying on this diet is different than most. If you’re curious about that, ask any questions you have! I’d love to chat about it. I’ll just briefly explain, though some people have found great success losing weight with this meal plan, that is not my goal. I’ve suffered headaches for over a decade, and recent lab results show evidence of chronic inflammation and infection among other things. In a nutshell, the paleo diet eliminates all foods that are prone to causing inflammation, as well as cutting out any processed foods that add toxins that prevent my body from healing itself. 

God is Greater than Paleo

While I 100% agree that love is better than food and who even cares about free-range chicken anymore? I know I’m on the right path. Laura spent years developing simple recipes and then they were there for her when she needed them! I believe the same has happened to me, for the first time in my life I have the budget to purchase more meat, vegetables, and nuts, to fill in the extra calories I’m no longer receiving from grains and beans and other “cheap” fillers.

Honestly, two years ago I fed my family on $200 a month. Six months ago it was about $450 a month. Paleo food for six (thankfully three of them are still tiny) is costing me $900 a month. If a doctor had told me to eat this way three years ago I would have cried. Point is: Food isn’t everything. Do what you can. Love your people. Love yourself.

Right now, for me, loving my people and myself means spending more time in the kitchen figuring out how to make paleo simple. For Laura, it means spending less time in the kitchen and more chicken nuggets. And we are not trying to confuse you. Ha! 

toddler messes

And just in case you think I have my act together, this salad-dumbing disaster, in some form, happens daily. Canned chicken on salad is a go-to lunch for us and that is not the face of a repentant toddler.

What’s your greatest struggle in the kitchen right now? Are you spending more or less time in the kitchen these days? Have you ever been put on an elimination diet of some form?

Paleo Coconut Vanilla Pudding
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 13.6 OZ can of coconut cream
  • 1 13.6 OZ of coconut milk from the jug (use empty can to measure)
  • A couple dashes of salt
  • ¼ C arrowroot powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon real maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Mix egg yolks, coconut cream, and coconut milk, in a medium-sized pan.
  2. Add a few dashed of salt.
  3. Heat mixture on the stove being careful not to boil. Stir constantly.
  4. Remove ¼ cup of the mix and make a slurry with the arrowroot powder. Mix it all together in the pot.
  5. Keep stirring and just as the mixture begins to thicken, turn off the burner and add in the vanilla, and maple syrup. Taste and adjust sweetener if necessary.
  6. Drink warm or chill for pudding.
  7. Serve chilled pudding with a variety of toppings for breakfast or snack: sliced apples, bananas, cherries, blueberries, toasted coconut, pecans, etc.

Try both and tell us your favorite!

Paleo Pumpkin Pudding
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast / Snack
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 13.6 OZ can of coconut cream
  • 1 13.6 OZ of coconut milk from the jug (use empty can to measure)
  • 1 can of pureed pumpkin
  • A couple dashes of salt
  • ¼ C arrowroot powder
  • 3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon real maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Mix egg yolks, coconut cream, and coconut milk in a medium-sized pan.
  2. Add a few dashes of salt.
  3. Heat mixture on the stove being careful not to boil. Stir constantly.
  4. Remove ¼ cup of the mix and make a slurry with the arrowroot powder. Mix it all together in the pot.
  5. Keep stirring and just as the mixture begins to thicken, turn off the burner and add in the vanilla , spice, and maple syrup. Taste and adjust sweetener if necessary.
  6. Drink warm or chill for pudding.
  7. Serve chilled pudding with a variety of toppings for breakfast or snack: sliced apples, bananas, cherries, blueberries, toasted coconut, pecans, etc.

 

 

Tasha HackettTasha Hackett, friend of Laura and author of Bluebird of the Prairie, a Christian romance releasing Spring 2021, is fueled by sunshine, paleo pudding, or hot chocolate—whichever is more readily available. Though she often pretends to be a ballerina while unloading the dishwasher, her favorite thing is writing with hope and humor to entertain and encourage women. Her time is spent with four chatty children and an incredibly supportive husband. They give her the kind of love people write books about. You can connect with her at www.tashahackett.com or Instagram @hackettacademy or for Laura @heavenlyhomemaker.

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How to Drink Your Salad (and love it!)

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Today I will teach you how to drink your salad. I’m quite sure you will love this idea as much as I do!

See, here’s the thing:

Matt and I like to eat a big salad every day. Scratch that. Matt and I know we need to eat a big salad every day. It’s amazing for our overall health as leafy greens are so incredibly nourishing! But shucks if eating a big salad isn’t actually as much fun as we all wish that it was.


As our family has grown and my hands have become more full of little ones again, I’ve been known to frequently grab greens out of a container in the fridge and eat them on the fly – no dressing, no extras – simply because I rarely have time to build a salad in a bowl and then sit down to chomp it down. Does it takes good, these greens straight out of the fridge? Well, it doesn’t taste bad. But it’s not as fun as eating other food. Again, I just do it because I know my body needs it. Every single day.

Most of us have heard about throwing leafy greens in smoothies. I’ve done it off and on for years, but I never really bought into it as a great daily habit until last summer.

Our three littlest boys and I would go on super long walks every day (before our girls moved in). We’d come home and enjoy chilled smoothies to refresh us. I loaded them with frozen fruit and greens. The boys drank them without hesitation. Matt and I loved them. And finally it hit us: Why should we ever eat salad again?

Well, we did wonder: Would smoothies made with frozen fruit and greens be as wonderful during the cold winter months? Would we get burned out on green smoothies? Was this only a temporary wonderful idea?

Many months and hundreds of smoothies later, I’m happy to report that we are still so very happy with the fact that we can drink our salad every day! It goes down easy. It tastes like fruit. We can drink it on the fly, which is incredibly important during this very busy season in our lives full of both big kids and many little kids.

How to Drink your Salad (and love it!)

  1. Stuff as many leafy greens into your blender as you dare. I put in way more greens than we would typically eat in a regular bowl of salad and our bodies are very happy about this. I also have and highly recommend a Blendtec blender as this will blend your greens into complete smoothness and oblivion.
  2. Add your choice of frozen fruit. I buy big bags of mixed fruit for a fun variety. It includes berries, peaches, and pineapple. Super delicious!
  3. Pour in milk to fill the blender half-full or whatever liquid amount is recommended for your blender so that your smoothie doesn’t explode to the ceiling of your kitchen. Whole milk yogurt is also an awesome “liquid” to include.
  4. Add sweetener or protein powder if you like. Matt and I have found that the fruit alone makes the smoothie sweet enough, so I don’t add any maple syrup or stevia anymore. During the summer we added protein powder to make the smoothie more like a meal. But this winter we’ve left it out.
  5. Put the lid on and blend until smooth. Drink your salad and love it.

And just like that, you have one or two days worth of salad to drink. Perhaps you’ve been doing this all along. Perhaps this is a new idea for you. Perhaps you knew about it but needed the reminder about what a great idea it is!

Here’s what my blender looks like before I get all the goodies mixed up. :)

Give this a try and let me know how you like it!

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More Healthy Food Convenience Foods

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A few years ago, I shared 10 of my favorite pre-packaged foods that are still a healthy option! I’ve since discovered even more! Here are several more healthy food convenience food options…

Healthy Food Convenience Foods

I’ll begin by reminding you of the 10 I shared in the former post. Then I’ll add the new ones I’ve discovered!

1. Mini Sweet Peppers

Oh my goodness, have you tried these? They are deliciously sweet, perfectly crunchy, and wonderful all by themselves or in a salad. We take these on the road trips, munch on them for snacks, add them to our lunch plates, and argue about which color tastes the sweetest. I can’t get enough of these.

packaged convenience 1

2. Fresh Berries

Without a doubt, you can not compete with fresh berries picked and eaten right out of the garden. But during the times those are not available, we look for the best deals on strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries at the store. Wash ’em and eat ’em. It doesn’t get any easier than pulling out berries for a snack or a side dish with a meal.

packaged convenience 2

3. Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Again, these are best fresh out of the garden. But since ours won’t be ready for another month or two, buying these pre-packaged works great for us.

packaged convenience 3
 4. Baby Carrots

There is some controversy over buying packaged baby carrots because of the information many have heard about baby carrots being soaked in chlorine before being packaged. Read this info and do with it what you wish. As for me, sometimes buying a package of baby carrots is a huge help in my effort to provide my family with extra veggies during a meal.

packaged convenience 4

5. Mixed Greens

Think making salad is too time consuming? Oh for Pete’s sake. Just buy a container of mixed greens and throw it on the table. It’s pre-washed and ready to eat. We go through a couple packs of these each week.

packaged convenience 7

6. Pickles

Open a jar, put it on the table, your work here is done.

packaged convenience 6

 7. Cheese Sticks

These can be a little pricey compared to buying a hunk of cheese and slicing it yourself. But when we’re talking about pre-packaged convenience foods, this one is a winner. Cheese is great for an on-the-go protein snack. Yay cheese.

packaged convenience 5

8. Larabars

Yes, you can made these homemade. I’ve done it myself many times. But sometimes my family needs something to stuff in a pocket to eat in between soccer games. I watch for great sales and coupons through Amazon and buy these by the case. They contain fruit and nuts only – a great healthy snack.

packaged convenience 8

9. Fruit Leather

Again, I make this homemade sometimes too. But for a fun treat, I like getting pre-packaged fruit leather when I find it on sale.

packaged convenience 9

10. Raisins

Buy them by the bag or in individual serving sized boxes. This pre-packaged convenience food is awesome for snacking. And really, aren’t those tiny little boxes just the cutest?

packaged convenience 10

What else? Oh, I could list tons. Peanuts, cashews, almonds, bananas, apples, grapes, oranges – think of all the pre-packaged real foods there are to pick from! Never again can we ever claim that healthy eating is difficult. And never again should anyone carry my favorite pen out of my office, put it down, and forget about it.

Here are my favorite newly discovered convenient health foods!

11. Carrot Chips

They are more expensive than whole carrots. But oh my loveliness, they are cut for me. While I juggle and bounce baby/toddlers, opening a bag of these carrots and tossing them into my Stir Fry or Steamed Veggie mixture is such a time saver. Spending a little extra for this convenience is worth it for me right now.

12. Mr. Dells Hashbrowns

I’ve talked about these here and there any time I’ve shared a new recipe that includes hashbrowns. They include one ingredient: Potatoes. SIGN ME UP.

Scroll through these recipes to find all the ways I like to use these when cooking quick meals for my family!

13. Sliced olives

Instead of whole olives. I know. But it saves time when I’m making pizza and that makes me happy.

14. Sliced Mushrooms

Same story as above. Open the package, throw them on our pizza or into our stir fry.

I promise I’m not turning into a lazy cook. Or am I? I prefer to think that I’m still eating real food while spending less time in the kitchen and taking advantage of conveniences such as these as my life becomes more full! Perhaps you’d like to get in on this fun? Save time. Still eat well. Buy the sliced mushrooms. :)

What are your favorite healthy convenience foods?

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Join our Real Moms Cooking Community!

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This is for all the moms (and aunts, friends, sisters, and grandmas) behind and in front and in the middle of all the daily grind beauty of every day. Introducing the Real Moms Cooking Community!

Cooking for the family…
While trying to keep up with the family?

What actually is most important?

When it comes to food, so many of us are seeking to:

  • Feed our families well
  • Save money on groceries
  • Stop eating out so much
  • Figure out menu planning
  • Spend less time in the kitchen

AND, we want to keep God first. This is vital.

Ummm, balance??

It almost seems impossible to do them all at the same time, right? There’s so much to learn and you and I can’t possibly know or do everything.

Is it possible that this is the missing link? —>

We need each other.

If the 2020 quarantine has taught me anything, it’s that community is so very necessary. So we created an opportunity to find the support, resources, and togetherness that we all need as we ask questions about what is most important as we strive to feed our families.

We want to do it well, and we want to figure out how to balance it all. I don’t have all the answers. Neither do you. But I do know what has worked for me through my 23 years of raising a family so far. And you know what has worked for you during your time raising a family. So I decided:

Why not form a Real Moms Cooking Community where we can work together and share all the recipes, tips, and ideas we’ve learned!

Our Real Moms Cooking Community Package includes:

  • A special 2 week series of emails highlighting topics like grocery budgets, family-friendly recipes, saving time in the kitchen, how to eat out less, and how to make vegetables actually taste good. :)
  • Exclusive access to our brand new Real Moms Cooking Community Facebook Group – so we can all share ideas, tips, and recipes!
  • This incredible packet of fun and practical resources —>

Yep, throughout this series, among all the wonderful tips, links, and information we’ll also send you these fantastic bonus resources:

  • 30-Minute Meals eCookbook – Filled with our favorite real food, family fun recipes that can be on your table within just 30 minutes or less!
  • Simple Kitchen eBook – Loaded with fantastically simple ideas, recipes, and tips to help make your real food kitchen life so easy! Make your own ranch dressing mix, make bacon bits, make and freeze muffin batter – so many wonderful ideas!
  • Real Tips eBook – Here’s where you’ll learn how you really can eat out less, but still have SO MUCH FUN. This eBook will help you save lots of money. Oh, and you’ll learn tips about helping your family eat more fruits and veggies too!
  • Budget-Friendly eGuidebook – Want to save money while living a real food lifestyle? This guidebook is just what you need. You can do this!
  • Printable Recipe Cards – All the recipes in the eBooks can be printed as super cute recipe cards! The fun never ends!

Who is this for?

This community is for everyone. Some of us are stay-at-home moms, some of us work outside the home, some of us work from home, some of us are empty nesters, some of us are new moms, some of us are veteran moms. Some of us carry more than one of those labels, and some of us have both adult children and babies (Laura raises her hand). :)

What do we all have in common? We want to do the best that we can to care for our families!

Certainly, all women are welcome, moms or not. Shucks, men can even join! But this community and its contents are geared toward guiding women who are regularly cooking for a family. It’s a big job and we can work together to do it well!

Real Moms Cooking Community Goals:

  • Add new quick and simple recipes to your regular rotation that your family will love
  • Find ways to save time in the kitchen
  • Discover great tips for saving money on groceries
  • Learn simple ways to eat out less
  • Add more fruits and veggies into your meals
  • Gain tips for making menu planning easier
  • Support one another!

Ok, ready to join us?

Purchase your package below and let’s get started! We’ll hang out via email and Facebook. We’ll share the best of the best tips and ideas, recipes, and encouragement! You’ll love every email and all the bonuses that are included!

Let’s join this community and learn and share together!

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How Your Entire Family Can Learn About Eating Healthy!

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Looking for a simple way for your entire family to learn about eating healthy? It doesn’t get any easier than this!

We just rolled this out, and it’s packed with great information while being as simple as can be!

What is the Healthy Eating Jumpstart Basic Nutrition Class?

You won’t believe all that you’ll get in this fantastic online class! Healthy Eating Jumpstart includes:

  • 10 easy lessons to walk you through the basics of eating well
  • 10 fun videos to watch and use with each lesson
  • A practical packet full of worksheets and printables to use with each lesson
  • A beautiful bonus Jumpstart eCookbook filled with 51 easy recipes that will jumpstart your entire family on a journey to healthy eating
  • A Lesson Guide and Checklist packet to walk you through completing each lesson

How can you best use this Healthy Eating Jumpstart Basic Nutrition Class?

  • Work through it as a family and set goals together toward taking steps for healthier eating
  • Work through it on your own and start making small changes in your kitchen for your family
  • Hand it to your older kids to work through as part of their homeschool lessons or life skills learning
  • Hold on to it and utilize it again and again for yourself, your kids, and your entire family as needed

Your Entire Family Can Learn About Eating Healthy!

Here’s a peek at the Lesson Book intro page so you can get an idea of what this class will cover…

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

Ready to begin your Healthy Eating Jumpstart Class?

GREAT NEWS!!!! If you are a Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Member, this fantastic product is already yours!!! Find it on your eCurriculum page (because this is a great educational resource for your family!) and on your Kitchen Tips page. Then dive right in!!!

Not a Club Member yet? It is WORTH IT to be a member so you’ll have access to this amazing new Healthy Eating Jumpstart resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more (over $1000 worth!) for just $10/month!

Join us here! You won’t believe all you get for such a low monthly cost!!

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

If you prefer, you can purchase this online class separately. Ready to get started? Purchase here:

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Make healthy eating EASY!!!!! This class will help!

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What to Eat When You Don’t Have Time to Eat

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You don’t have time to eat? But we’ve all got to eat! So here’s what to eat when you don’t have time to eat…

I’ve never understood how people will say things like, “Oh, I forgot to eat lunch!” What?? You forgot to eat lunch? How did your body let you forget? My body never lets me forget. Long before lunchtime, my body is like, “Yo. I would very much like a double cheeseburger.”

So hunger isn’t an issue for me, nor is the desire to eat every meal of the day, plus snacks. I’m kind of a six-small-meals-a-day kind of a gal.

But what has become an issue for me now is finding the ability to eat every time I’m hungry. Now that we’ve got the little ones again, I’ve found that keeping up with their needs – plus the needs of my older kids and husband while trying to meet my own needs – has become more difficult. (Rest assured, my husband and older sons are incredible help and support – we’re all just busier than busy!)

So sometimes, lunchtime comes and goes and I find that while I didn’t forget to eat, I never found time to stop and eat.

Obviously, there are seasons in our lives that are busier than others, and for me, this is one of them. I mean, if Laura didn’t eat, something really important must have kept her from it (babies!), because we all know that food is a high priority for Laura. :)

What to Eat When You Don’t Have Time to Eat

But having said all of that, I know as well as you do that skipping meals and letting oneself be hungry is not a healthy pattern to begin or lifestyle to maintain. So after experiencing too many days of being hungry and not being able to eat as I needed to, I found that I HAD to get organized and be pro-active about food.

And it probably goes without saying that making sure the food I’m eating is nourishing is extra important right now. Yes, I’ll sometimes snack on chips (organic ones, because that makes them healthy, ha). But focusing on putting as many nutrients in as possible is absolutely necessary so that I can keep up with all these delightful ones God has put in our care.

So here’s a quick run-down of food I either try to buy and have on hand or food I make quickly to have on hand for grab-and-eat snacks. Yes, many of them require some prep time. But it’s easy prep, and just a few minutes of work can produce several wonderful snacks to grab and eat on the fly. It’s worth the effort to be sure we all take care of ourselves!

Fruits and Veggies – the easiest and healthiest!

  • Fresh Greens (I do know it’s weird, but I just grab the container out of the fridge and eat a few handfuls. It doesn’t taste especially delicious, but I don’t mind it plain. It allows me to get some good nourishment on the fly. And that’s all that matters!)
  • Berries or Grapes
  • Oranges or Cuties
  • Petite Baby Carrots
  • Little Sweet Peppers

Any variety of these Fat Bombs:

Any variety of these Cookie Dough Bites:

Berries and either of these Cheesecake Parfait cream whips:

I whip up the parfait in my Blendtec super quickly, then keep it in a bowl in the fridge to eat with berries.

A Flourless Brownie:

Mini Crustless Cheesecake:

Dollar Club Drinks:

It is worth noting that I keep a supply of Dollar Coffee Club (formerly known as Javita) drink sticks on hand at all times. I drink several each day, simply because I know they benefit my health and give me what I need for immune system support, digestive support, detoxing, and ease of inflammation. Plus they taste really good, so every drink is like a treat! My favorites:

  • Peach Mango Fiber, for digestive support
  • Burn and Control Coffee, for cleansing and detox
  • Strawberry Lemonade Flex, for inflammation
  • Mixed Berry Defend, for immune system support

These don’t take the place of meals for me, but in many ways, I feel like these drinks keep me going, keep me healthy, and offer my body much of what it needs during this busy season. I’m so thankful God introduced me to these two years ago. They have met many needs!

Here’s more information I’ve written about Dollar Coffee Club products. They’ve revamped their business model to be MUCH simpler for all of us, so buying the drinks and sharing them with your friends has become tremendously easier and less expensive!

Simple Recipes and Meals

All the above snack foods and drinks are fantastic to help me get through until I can eat a solid meal. I’ve learned to be more intentional about eating plenty at mealtime. AND I am incredibly thankful that God put it on my heart a few years ago to start creating Simple Recipes to share here. These recipes have been life-changing as they take so little time to prepare but still offer us all nourishment and deliciousness. SO. THANKFUL.

You can see a huge list of Simple Recipes listed here, and of course, you can join our Simple Meals menu planning subscription service at any time.

Ready, set, eat.

Too busy to eat? Make yourself some of the above simple recipes and pick up some already-prepped fruits and veggies at the store. Grab and eat as needed. Here’s to our health!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Dear Everyone Who Hates Meal Planning…

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Just in case you missed this back in May, we wanted to offer an exclusive deal to bless you as we all begin a busy new school year…

1/2-price Simple Meals Subscription!!

As if getting an entire year’s worth of Simple Meals planning packets for half-off is not enough to convince you that now is the time to grab on, allow me to share more reasons you need a Simple Meals subscription.

Dear Everyone who hates menu planning (or simply doesn’t have time for it anymore),

In all my years of being a homemaker and talking to other homemakers (25 years, thanks for asking), I have learned that VERY FEW of us actually like meal planning. I’m one of the weird ones who actually enjoys it. But most of you? Disgusted. Completely annoyed. Hate every minute of it. ABSOLUTELY OVER IT.

Dear friends. This post is for you. (And maybe for those who do enjoy meal planning but still sometimes forget to thaw the chicken.)

In an effort to be fun (!!!yeah right!!!) and not at all discouraging (???sob???), I decided to do some math and point out what I believe makes most people so very frustrated about meal planning. Are you ready? You’d better sit down for this.

Not even including the thoughts we must think about what we will feed our families for breakfasts and lunches every day, if we all run a household for 50 years, and we multiply those years by the 365 days we must figure out what to put on the table for dinner each night – the total, painful number of meal planning days is (gasp, sob):

18,250

Meals. That we have to plan. In our life. Not counting breakfast.

Oh, but should we count breakfast and lunch too, just for fun? (Laura’s idea of fun is weird and not actually fun.)

54,750

Total meals. That must come out of our heads, through our hard-working hands, and onto our bountiful tables.

Now listen. I know we all realize that we are a blessed group of people and that whining about meal planning is ridiculous and petty. After all, are we not thankful for the families we get to feed and for the food we have in abundance in which to feed them?! Yes. We are. We are very, very thankful.

But we also have to remember to buy toilet paper and make it to the appointments and sign the documents and get to all the places on time. So while we are grateful for our lives, we also recognize the truth that trying to think of what food to prepare and feed our families each day is a…

VERY BIG JOB, AMEN.

There now. I have now given us all permission to feel what we feel about food. It sure tastes good, and we sure are thankful for it. But it doesn’t appear on the table without someone thinking ahead about it, buying it, preparing it, cleaning up after it, and then doing it all again for 18,250 tomorrows.

But we do it because:

  • We love our families.
  • We want our families to be healthy.
  • And eating isn’t something that we can’t avoid.

Other jobs that we don’t like we can just ignore, you know? (I’m looking at you – baseboards that need to be dusted.) But figuring out what to feed our families every day – we have to do it whether we like it or not.

So here is my number one, very best suggestion for you…

If you hate meal planning, do this:

Figure out what you will make for dinner each night IN THE MORNING.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT wait until dinner time to plan dinner. At that time, you are hungry and tired. Your family is hungry and tired. The food is probably still frozen. And ain’t nobody happy.

If you are in the habit of waiting until it’s almost time to eat to figure out what you are going to eat – you are going to run into frustration almost every time. Or, you’re likely to fall back on unhealthy and expensive habits like grabbing take-out or ordering pizza. Those fun options should be reserved for our extra busy days or special occasions – not for the five days a week you failed to plan ahead, again.

And so, in the morning before work or school or before moving forward with whatever it is that keeps you busy each day – figure out what you are going to make for dinner. Then, put that thing in the crock pot, in the fridge, or on a list. Your entire day will go more smoothly, knowing that your evening meal is figured out and can be executed quickly at dinner time.

Now’s the part where I tell you something even better.

If you truly hate meal planning, or if you are too busy to think about what to make for dinner each night, why not reference the very wonderful and beautiful Simple Meals plans we make every single week and send to your inbox every single week? Please, please take advantage of this!!!

We do all the thinking and planning for you!! We offer specific yet flexible meal suggestions, we give you all the recipe links, we prepare your grocery list, and we put it right in your lap. Here, take a peek:

Download a free Simple Meals Plan here to see what it looks like!

Just think. You could have that in your hands every week, and then all of your meal planning tears will stop. ;)

This is not just me trying to sell you something. This truly is me trying to help your life become easier. Because I get it!! Meal planning can be stressful and difficult. Why should every single one of us invent the wheel (or in this case meal) every single night?

What if, instead, just one of us makes the plan, and everyone else gets to look at it and use it? Doesn’t that just make sense and sound fabulous!?!

It’s only $1.00 per week. $0.50/week all year long!

That makes this a no-brainer, because think of the time and money you’ll save figuring out every dinner of the week!

Get all the details here.

Your first entire year will cost only $0.50/week! Ready to join? Can’t wait to save your family time!

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This 1/2 price offer expires September 4. Your subscription will automatically renew in one year at full price (still inexpensive!!), and you can cancel for next year if you choose by simply emailing me!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

How to Make Real Food Easy

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Are you ready to eat real food, but you’re overwhelmed by all the work that seems to be involved? Allow me to introduce you to my friend…the Chicken. And to my other friends: Apples, Butter, and Cream. Don’t forget the infamous Green Bean. Gather ’round. I want to show you how to make real food EASY!

Sure, there’s no such thing as a free {real food} lunch. What I mean is, real food doesn’t just appear on the table by magic – so I certainly can’t claim that making real food for your family doesn’t take any work at all.

But I can tell you how to make the work much, much easier!!

And if you’re afraid of switching over from processed, boxed, pre-made foods or take-out because you don’t even know where to start – I would be so very happy to guide you along in this transition! I PROMISE it is much easier than you think!!! And it tastes delicious and normal. Who knew?

How to Make Real Food Easy!

I want to walk you through taking some very simple, inexpensive first steps toward transitioning your kitchen away from processed foods and settling into enjoying more real food.

The good news with this? You can start with whatever step you’re ready for! Struggling to give up soda? Don’t despair. Just start with something else. Can’t stand veggies? How about learning some new ways to eat them, or just start with fruit instead. If nothing else, start your journey to a real food kitchen by switching from margarine to real butter. There are so many places to start – and you can begin with whatever is right for you!

You Can Do This!

You may remember this eCourse from many years ago. I’m happy to share that we’ve spent the past few months re-working it so that it is brand new and improved!

It includes 49 pages, 5 lessons, printables, worksheets, videos, tutorials, instruction, tips, and recipes. You can use this to baby step or giant step your way toward a real food kitchen – go at your own pace!

You can read all the specifics of this awesome eCourse here.

Let’s Do This!

Oh look! We updated our Let’s Do This eCourse too! It includes 32 pages, 5 lessons, printables, worksheets, videos, tutorials, instruction, tips, and recipes. This eCourse walks you through managing your real food kitchen so that you can simplify and actually get ahead! Fill the freezer, make tonight’s dinner in the morning, get some healthy snacks stashed away for the week.

It actually is possible to get ahead and simplify your life, and this eCourse shows you how!

You can read the specifics about this eCourse here.

Afraid to take an eCourse?

Don’t worry. The teacher is very nice. ;) Upon completion, everyone gets an A. The only homework involved is yours and yours alone, to be done on your own time and for your family’s benefit. Once you purchase, you can keep the course information forever and reference them as needed. Read them on your computer or print the pages you need in your hands. What else?

Oh, these eCourses only cost $10 each. (“Where else can you take an entire class at such a low cost?!” exclaims the mother of many college students.)

It’s kind of too good to be true, except that we love all that these offer and we want to make them accessible to everyone! So it’s good AND it’s true. And there’s something else:

We put them together into a Real Food Kitchen Package!

We packaged up both of the new-and-improved eCourses, and we threw in our Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks recipe eBook because you really need those incredible recipes along with these eCourses!

Total cost for all three of these would normally be $25. But for one week, you can get this entire package of 3 resources for just $12! Total!

Ready to start working your way toward a healthy, real food, easy kitchen life? This time couldn’t be more perfect!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Summer Activities With the Kids: Go Berry, Apple, or Peach Picking!

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Looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this summer? I’ve enjoyed 22 summers with kids (and counting!), so I certainly have a few ideas to share! Stay tuned during the next few weeks as we provide all kinds of suggestions for making your summer with your kids meaningful. (Subscribe here so you won’t miss out!) Today’s idea: Go Berry, Apple, or Peach Picking!

I have the BEST memories of heading to orchards, farms, and friend’s houses in the summertime with my kids so that we could pick berries, apples, or peaches.

We live in small-town Nebraska, so we are blessed to have many neighbors and friends who have berry patches, gardens, and orchards. (Yes, we have a garden in our yard too. But we don’t have the space for planting in huge bulk like many of our country neighbors.)

For years and years when our kids were little, we’d take advantage of every invitation to “come pick!” that we were able to enjoy.

Allow me to take a walk down memory lane…

We had a friend with a huge strawberry patch, where we would all load our buckets! We got to do this for FREE. What a blessing! (They’ve since sold their farm and moved out of state. Happy for them, sad for us!)

We also have friends with a gorgeous apple orchard! In the late summer, we’d head out and get as many apples as we could, all for a tiny price per grocery bag. It seemed too good to be true!

One year, my friend Anne and I borrowed the orchard owner’s cider press. After picking apples at the orchard, we spent the afternoon with all of our kids experiencing the work and joy of making homemade apple cider!

Oh my babies!

One year, we headed to Michigan for a wedding, at the perfect time for fruit picking! As we drove, we noticed sign after sign advertising “You Pick!” farms. Matt and I decided to stop at several locations on the way and enjoy time as a family picking fruit and enjoying the experience. We all still talk about that trip as one of our favorite traveling memories!

Blueberries don’t grow well in Nebraska, so picking them during that trip to Michigan was a very special treat! (Also, as we ate berry after berry while we continued to travel, somehow I ended up sitting on some and staining/ruining my pants. Hahaha! The boys still remember that too! “Mom, remember how you sat in blueberries and ruined your pants?!” Good times.)

Mmmmm, peaches! While peaches do grow well in Nebraska, we still stopped at a Peach Farm during our Michigan trip to enjoy a wagon ride to pick peaches. Of course, we took advantage of their offer to “eat whatever you like!”

Why Go Berry, Apple, or Peach Picking

Truly, the fun and joy that come with picking fruit on a farm with your family is priceless.

Yes, there are bugs. Yes, it is hard work. Yes, it may be hot. So prepare yourselves, give the kids a pep talk, take water bottles, go before the hottest part of the day, and know that while you’d love the experience to be perfect, someone may still have a melt-down.

Through the years and beyond all the less-than-fun parts, our family found these fruit picking experiences to be wonderful because:

  • The kids got to learn more about where our food comes from.
  • The kids got to learn about the hard work it takes to put food on the table.
  • We got to take home loads of delicious, nutritious fruit to eat in a variety of fun ways. (Details below!)
  • It saved all kinds of money as we either had to pay very small prices per pound of fruit, or we were encouraged to take all we wanted for free!

Beyond Berry, Apple, or Peach Picking

Once the fruit is picked, then what? Well, the fun just keeps on keeping on!

Yes, the fun comes in the form or hard work. :)

After working hard to pick the fruit, of course, we eat as much fresh fruit as we can hold. NOTHING is more delicious than sweet fruit that comes directly off the tree or bush!

But next comes the fun and work of preserving what we can’t eat fresh. The hard work pays off for months as we enjoy homemade applesauce, frozen berries in smoothies, and peach cobblers in the middle of winter. We all work together to wash, cut, and process the fruit.

Here are some ways we preserve our fruit to enjoy all winter long:

What to make with Berries, Apples, and Peaches

You’re sure to come up with wonderful ways to use your freshly picked or beautifully preserved berries, apples, and peaches! Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy the “fruit” of our labor. (Laura is punny.)

Ready to go pick fruit?

Now that our “first batch of kids” is older, if they are able to join us, we can really pick a lot of fruit since they are able to work like adults. And here we are again, starting the process with new babes God has put in our lives. We are excited to take our Bonus Boy on fruit-picking adventures as we know he’ll love it!!

Here’s to a great summer of fun with our kids! Here are other ideas we’ve shared so far:

Stay tuned for more fun Summer Kid Activity ideas!

 

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!