Heavenly Homemakers

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How to Freeze Pineapple for Smoothies

January 2, 2015 by Laura 20 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

You probably already know how simple this is, but just in case, I’m writing an entire post about how to put chopped pineapple into a freezer bag. But first join me for some boring talk about being boring, which is really quite exciting depending on who you are and what you are interested in.

How to Freeze Pineapple for Smoothies

You know how pre-teens can talk and laugh about a fictional character for hours, how teenagers can talk about shoes, how computer geeks can talk about wires, and how athletes can discuss the score of a game from 2004 – and whichever category of people you don’t fit into, you think that subject is the most ridiculous and boring topic on the face of the earth?

Yeah, well women are just as exciting. Here’s what I talk about with glee to my friends while my kids fall off their chairs in the background:  “I got 4 pineapples for just $1.29 each! I know! eeeheeeheee!”

Really, I remember my mom and Kristina’s mom (my childhood friend) having a very long conversation about the price of lettuce (which had most certainly gone up to 79¢ – can you believe it?) – when I was a teenager back in 1985. Kristina and I just rolled our eyes and giggled about the fact that our mothers could possibly think that information about the price of lettuce would be interesting in the least. While our mothers continued their dry discussion, Kristina and I turned back to talking about much more exciting and meaningful topics such as which shirt to wear to school tomorrow and how the cover of my notebook had torn on the way to band class.

As it would appear, I am now my mother, and you are my friend’s mother because I’m here to tell you that I seriously got 4 big fresh pineapples for just $1.29 each! Is that not awesome? Especially since the cheapest I typically find them is between $3.00 and $4.00. That’s why I bought four. You’ve got to get four when you get them for that great of a price. And see, here I am, going on and on and having a very long conversation (with myself, sort of) about my wonderful deal on pineapple.

I, for one, am enjoying this conversation very much.

Those of you who choose to instead talk about your rock collection or printer ink for hours are going to have to find someone else to share it with – because I just got four pineapple for $1.29 each! Do you know how great this is?

How did I get such a great price on four such lovely pineapples? Now that there is an Aldi 50 miles from my town, I can price match at my local Walmart. Aldi was running a special, so I went to Walmart and price matched that deal. (They were just $1.29 each!! Did I tell you that part yet?)

Our family loves pineapple, but our palates might not appreciate eating so much pineapple in a matter of a few days. Instead, we chopped one and ate it, then chopped the rest and froze the chunks in baggies to be used later in our very favorite Pineapple Mango Smoothies.

No way will I ever find bagged, frozen pineapple at the store for $1.29/bag. Oh, but if I do, you can bet I will have a lively conversation with you about it, filled with lots of exclamation marks. (!!!!!)

Pineapple Mango Smoothie Recipe

As you can see from the picture tutorial early in this post, freezing pineapple is as easy as cutting away the outside of the fruit, then cutting the inside into chunks. We found that one large pineapple filled a quart-sized freezer bag.

Now you tell me:  What’s the greatest deal you’ve gotten lately? You know I want to hear all about it. Be sure to use exclamation marks. (!!!!!)

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A Few Simple Ingredients…

July 18, 2014 by Laura 34 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Mix and Match Real Food Ingredients

Have I told you how much I have loved the Meet and Greet events so far? And how much it made me want to meet ALL of you!!?!

One of the topics we discussed at the Springfield Meet and Greet was how nice it is that once you have some key, real food ingredients in your kitchen – it suddenly becomes much easier to put healthy, whole food meals on the table.

It’s so true! If you are just beginning to switch your kitchen to a real food kitchen, rest assured, your job is just about to become much easier!

I took a few minutes to make a list of the top two dozen ingredients I always try to have on hand in my kitchen. With these ingredients, I can make hundreds of recipes. Check it out:

  • Wheat or other grains (to grind into flour)
  • Oats
  • Brown Rice
  • Whole Wheat Pasta
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Peanut Butter (or peanuts to make your own!)
  • Coconut Oil
  • Butter
  • Yeast
  • Sucanat and/or Honey
  • Baking Powder
  • Baking Soda
  • Sea Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Minced Onion
  • Garlic Powder
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Veggies (fresh or frozen)
  • Fruit (fresh and frozen)
  • Canned Salmon or Tuna
  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • Chocolate Chips (these are necessary – don’t you think?!)

Click here to see a detailed break-down of where I purchase these ingredients and how much I typically try to spend on them.

So what can I make with the above list of ingredients? Well, off the top of my head, I can think of spaghetti, mac and cheese, tuna casserole, muffins, pancakes, a few casseroles, stir fry, and pizza. And if I stood on my head for a while and got more blood flowing, the list could go on and on…

But I won’t. I’d likely break something (like a wall or my neck) if I tried to stand on my head.

I’d love to hear from you on this!

Have you found that you’re finding your way around your real food kitchen? Have you discovered your top 24 or so ingredients that help you stay organized in your real food kitchen? What ingredients would you add to the list I came up with? What meals have you found to create with your staple, real food ingredients?

And are you with me? Are chocolate chips a staple ingredient or are they not?! :)

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Top 10 Money Saving Recipes30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

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Gratituesday: Kitchen Time

February 10, 2014 by Laura 15 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

gratituesday[2]

Many people assume that since I love to cook and since I focus on feeding my family healthy food, I must spend hours and hours in the kitchen.  Quite the opposite.  Sometimes days go by and I’ve barely found time to pull out a freezer meal and throw down some vegetables. (That’s okay though – that’s what the freezer meals are for!)

As I talked about in the Let’s Do This! eCourse, I have to grab any spare moment I have to try to get ahead in the kitchen. Working ahead is the only way I’m able to keep up with all these big appetites and our full schedules.

After several weeks of barely keeping up because of basketball game travel, colds and flu we’ve been passing around, and just life in general – I finally found some time this morning to get a few extra recipes whipped up. Wow, that felt good!

monday cooking

I got out my cookbook (so handy to flip open and use quickly instead of running back and forth to the computer) and made two batches of Whole Wheat Quick Mix. I made a double batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie dough balls for the freezer. I made two batches of Homemade Instant Oatmeal. I made a big mess. I cleaned it up. The short time it took to make these simple recipes will save me a lot of time during the next couple of weeks.

Hooray for time in the kitchen! It’s therapeutic for me and productive too. :)

Now your turn. Share what you’re thankful for!  Leave a comment on this post letting us know how God is working in your life. If you’ve written a blog post about what you’re thankful for, leave the link in the comments so we can visit your blog to read about it. We love sharing and reading about God’s blessings!

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

Real Food Reality Resources Package – Wait Till You See This!

January 8, 2014 by Laura 5 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

31 Days 300

It’s everything you need to gently walk through your journey to a Real Food Kitchen. Don’t know where to start? Can’t even find your kitchen? Hoping to save money and time? Need as many menu planning ideas as you can get? Check, check, check, check, and then some. This package covers it all!

Reality Resource Sale 2

This package includes five wonderful resources to make your transition to real food cooking a reality. I’m so excited to package these up and knock a bunch of money off the price in an effort to save you money coming and going. Yep, while you’ll be saving a nice percentage off the regular price of the eBooks and eCourses in this package, you’ll also be amazed at the money you’ll save by following the steps and tips described in these eCourses and eBooks. Here’s what this package includes:

Do the Funky Kitchen

Having an organized, well equipped kitchen isn’t a must, but well, it is very helpful. Spend a little time following the suggestions in this eBook, and have a functional (funky!) kitchen that you’ll love! Read more here…

Heavenly Homemaker’s 40 Weekly Menu Planning Ideas Packet

You’ll receive 40 simple, real food, family friendly, easy recipe menu plans in this packet. It is internet linked so that when you see a meal idea within a menu plan that you like, you can click the link directly from the eBook to find the recipe online. Be inspired and receive countless meal planning ideas! Read more here…

You Can Do This! The First Five Steps to a Real Food Kitchen

It’s an eCourse that includes five thorough but simple lessons to walk you through transforming your kitchen into a real food kitchen – one little step at a time. Work at your own pace. Work at it in your jammies. Love where this journey takes you! Read more here…

Let’s Do This! Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen

My favorite way to serve real food to my family is by making food ahead of time so that I have healthy convenience foods ready to grab and go. This five lesson eCourse teaches you how you can not only keep up in your real food kitchen – you can actually get ahead! You’ll love these methods and find that getting ahead in your real food kitchen is easier than you think! Read more here…

{Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks

It’s an eBook full of easy, real food recipes that can all be made ahead of time and frozen for easy use. This includes many of my family’s favorite casseroles and snacks. This eBook will save you time and money, and the recipes are delicious too! Enjoy getting ahead with these fun recipes! Read more here…

Bonus!

The You Can Do This! eCourse automatically comes with a free set of What To Do With the Chicken in Your Kitchen Recipe Cards, which includes 24 delicious, real food chicken recipes on cute, printable cards. Enjoy this free bonus worth an additional $6!

Get your Real Food Reality Resources Package

$19.95

click to purchse

And one more thing…

I must also encourage you to purchase my Oh, For Real: Real Food, Real Family, Real Easy printed cookbook. It’s a wonderful resource to have in your hands and in your kitchen. Consider adding the book to this purchase and we’ll get it sent out to you right away.

ForRealBookCover6

Oh, For Real: Real Food, Real Family, Real Easy 

$25.95
Price includes shipping – U.S. only

Add to Cart

Just want the Real Food Reality Resources Package?
Get it here for $19.95.

click to purchse

Our goal is that these resources will be a blessing to you as you venture on this real food journey!

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

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