Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Menu Plan for the Week

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I am often asked what I feed my boys for snacks. I’ve got a whole list in the works that I’ll share with you later in the week. Here is a picture of the Crispy Cheese Crackers I made for them to snack on last night. I doubled the recipe, so we actually have some left for snacking on today!

We are blessed to have extra family in town for a few days this week. We’ll have a few get-togethers here at our house. Cousins are everywhere!

Here’s our menu plan for this week:

Sunday, May 22
Oatmeal, pears
Lasagna, tossed salad, honey whole wheat bread, butterscotch bars
Grilled cheese sandwiches, raw veggies with homemade ranch dip

Monday, May 23
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Picnic with cousins, strawberry-orange smoothies
Nacho bar with all the fixings, watermelon, fresh pineapple

Tuesday, May 24
Coconut flour muffins, applesauce
Taco corn fritters, strawberry peach slushie, baby carrots
BBQ beef, creamy coleslaw, baked beans, homemade rolls (I’m going to experiment with the roll recipe in the Sourdough A to Z eBook)

Wednesday, May 25
Scrambled egg sandwiches, creamy orange cooler
Tuna with crispy cheese crackers, fruit salad
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Thursday, May 26
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, steamed carrots
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad, green beans

Friday, May 27
Breakfast burritos, bananas
Sloppy cornbread muffins,  fruit-kefir smoothies
Teriyaki chicken and veggies

Saturday, May 28
Breakfast cake, applesauce
Leftovers
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad, fruit plate

Today, I wanted to highlight the following sponsors:

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

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

See My Sourdough Bread! and Menu Plan for the Week

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Well…I did it. I followed along in my Sourdough A to Z eBook and here is the bread I got. Never mind that it took my chilly kitchen twelve hours to raise my dough. That’s all a part of the sourdough bread making process – waiting. Just in case you were wondering, waiting for bread to rise is not very labor intensive. I just started my bread first thing in the morning, did a bunch of other work all day while I left my bread dough alone, and finished it last thing at night. The next day we ate bread. Easy!

I was very pleased with how well the bread sliced. It was a little more dense than we prefer. I think that as I get more used to making this bread, I’ll get a better feel for working with it and I’ll be able to get it to the consistency that we like. Still, within two days, these two loaves were gone. :)

What I’m even more excited about are the Sourdough English Muffins I made from the Sourdough A to Z eBook!!! These could NOT have been any easier to make and my family devoured them! I made enough that we now have some in the freezer for this week, which is an added bonus. I’ll for sure be making these English Muffins on a regular basis. They are fantastic!


I know I already showed you the sourdough muffins I made last week, but they wanted me to show you again so they wouldn’t feel left out of this sourdough posting experience. These muffins were also super easy to make, and my family loved them!

Here is our menu for this week (which, not surprisingly, does include some sourdough items):

Sunday, May 8
Coconut flour muffins, home canned peaches
Dad and the boys grilling for Mama  :)
Whatever leftovers the boys find  :)

Monday, May 9
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Taco corn fritters, carrot sticks with ranch dip, applesauce
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Tuesday, May 10
Fried eggs on toast, pears
Chicken chef salad with peas, boiled eggs, cheese and homemade dressing
Teriyaki chicken and veggies over rice

Wednesday, May 11
Sourdough muffins, bananas
Homemade pizza pockets, fruit-kefir smoothies
Chicken veggie quesadillas, tossed salad

Thursday, May 12
Sourdough English muffins, scrambled eggs, oranges
Cheeseburger macaroni, steamed broccoli and carrots
Sloppy joes on homemade whole wheat buns, ranch potato wedges, peas

Friday, May 13
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Black bean salsa with organic corn chips, clementines
Italian roast wraps, tossed salad

Saturday, May 14
Whole wheat donuts
Leftovers
OAMM’s BBQ Chicken Pizza, fruit salad

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Say Mmm is a great, free resource to help you with menu planning!

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Only one day left to sign up for the $50 Gift Certificate from FBS Books!

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No More Bricks! with help from BreadClass.com

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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!

Menu Plan for the Week

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Here are the Honey Whole Wheat Bagels I made over the weekend. Several of you commented that yours shrivelled and didn’t look nice – mine did that this time too. They were quite dense. I have no idea why. They still tasted good. SO, if your bagels don’t turn out perfect, don’t worry a thing about it. It’s tough to get a perfect bagel every time! What’s been your bagel baking experience?

Here’s our menu plan for the week:

Sunday, May 1
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Sloppy cornbread muffins at soccer games with fruit and carrots
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad, corn

Monday, May 2
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries, whipped cream
Salmon patties, ranch potato wedges, peas
Cheddar ranch burgers, oven roasted asparagus, steamed carrots

Tuesday, May 3
Turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, creamy orange cooler
Chicken chef salad with homemade dressings
Teriyaki chicken wings, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli

Wednesday, May 4
Mini breakfast pizzas, applesauce
Homemade corndogs, potato salad, apples
Tacos with homemade tortillas

Thursday, May 5
French toast, peaches
Quesadillas, fruit-kefir smoothies
Swiss steak over rice with carrots

Friday, May 6
Fried eggs, turkey bacon, fruit salad
Grilled cheese sandwiches, chips and salsa, veggies
Homemade pizza

Saturday, May 7
Homemade poptarts, bananas
Leftovers
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, green beans

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Visit Say Mmm to help get a kick start on Menu Planning!

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New to bread baking? Or, have bread baking questions that need to be answered? 
Visit BreadClass.com!

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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!

Menu Plan for the Week (plus a Pretzel Challenge!)

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Did you know that Tuesday, April 26 is National Pretzel Day? Yes. Let’s have a moment of silence in honor of The Pretzel. I kid…sort of. I think it’s ridiculous that there’s a National Day for all kinds of things (like National No Pants Day), but this National Pretzel Day, I could kind of get into. 

pretzels9sm.JPG

What do you say we have a little pretzel fun? Wanna make these pretzels with me this week?  Your family will love it! You could make them into fun shapes, or spell out people’s names or make a big long chain of pretzels if you want. Or just make regular pretzels, because there’s nothing wrong with being good and traditional. 

I have a little pretzel-making  motivation for you!  Anyone who makes our pretzel recipe this week and emails me the picture, whether they are traditionally shaped pretzels or wild and crazy pretzels or anything in between, will be eligible to win a $20 Gift Certificate to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop, good for any of our down-loadable products!

So get your ingredients ready, make some pretzels, snap some pictures and send them my way by midnight Friday, April 29! I’ll draw a random winner from emails sent on Saturday, April 30!

Here’s our menu for the week:

Sunday, April 24
Cereal, fruit
Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, rolls, pie (a feast at our friend’s house!)
Leftovers

Monday, April 25
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Taco potatoes, strawberry-peach slushies
Chicken alfredo with pasta, asparagus

Tuesday, April 26
Scrambled eggs with cheese, oranges
Black bean salsa with organic corn chips, applesauce
Chicken noodle soup, carrots, soft pretzels

Wednesday, April 27
Fruit and yogurt delight, coconut flour muffins
Tuna salad on lettuce, cottage cheese and fresh pineapple
BBQ meatballs, cream scalloped potatoes, green beans

Thursday, April 28
Mini crustless breakfast quiches, creamy orange cooler
Black beans and rice bowls with salsa, sour cream and lime
Crunchy ranch chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Friday, April 29
Peanut butter honey toast, pears
Chef salad with chicken, cheese, peas, homemade dressings
Hamburger patties, onion rings, carrot sticks

Saturday, April 30
Pineapple orange slushies, coconut banana muffins
Veggie egg scramble, oranges
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and carrots

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Let Say Mmm help you out with easy meal planning!

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

Menu Plan for the Week

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Last week was a blast and I appreciate all the great participation in the Gluten Free Recipe Parade! I got so many great new ideas that I’m anxious to try! Whether your family has gluten free needs or not, I encourage you to look over all of the great recipes shared last week. It’s so good to branch out and learn new recipe ideas!

For your convenience, I’ve put the gluten free button on our side bar (down toward the bottom) so that you can easily click and find all of our gluten free recipes!

I’d like to offer a little something as a “thank you” to those of you who have been sharing your gluten free recipes!! You know I love listening to Christian music in the kitchen!! I’ve been sent Rebecca St. James’ newest CD, I Will Praise You. It’s a fantastic CD, wonderful to listen to while I cook!! Her voice is beautiful, the words she sings are inspiring. She helps draw you to the Father through her music. I love it!

I have a second CD to offer as a giveaway, so as a thank you to everyone who linked to or posted a recipe in our Gluten Free Recipe Parade, I plan to do a random drawing from the list found there! If you haven’t shared a recipe in our parade, and would still like to so that you can be entered in our drawing, you have until Monday night at midnight! :) 

Here’s a look at our menu for this week! In case you’re wondering, while we’re conducting the Gluten Free Experiment with Malachi, I plan to cook normally, making simple GF substitutions for him (or for the whole family when necessary).

Sunday, April 10
Breakfast cookies, pears
Chicken tortilla wraps, carrots sticks, apples
Alfredo sauce with pasta, steamed broccoli

Monday, April 11
Mini breakfast pizzas, oranges
Turkey sausage, ranch potato wedges, peas
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad

Tuesday, April 12
Creamy orange cooler, toast
Chicken chef salad (lettuce, spinach, cheese, chicken, boiled eggs, peas, carrots and homemade dressings)
Corn dog muffins, , cottage cheese, applesauce

Wednesday, April 13
Coconut flour muffins, clementines
Hamburger patties, onion rings, raw veggies with ranch
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans

Thursday, April 14
Omelets, oranges
Cheeseburger zucchini boats, fruit salad
Salmon patties, hashbrowns, asparagus

Friday, April 15
Mini breakfast quiches, grapes 
Taco potatoes, fruit
Teriyaki chicken and veggies

Saturday, April 16
Mock frozen yogurt, toast
Leftovers
Taco corn fritters, tossed salad

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Let Say Mmm help you figure out menu planning once and for all!!

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I try to make mention of our site sponsors from time to time in my posts. Here are a few I’d like to take time to give a shout out to now…

  • Scentsy – Wonderful business opportunity!
  • Shelf Reliance – GREAT price on freeze dried foods!!
  • BreadClass.com – NO MORE BRICKS…you’ve gotta love it!
  • Rachel Ramm Fine Art – If you haven’t taken a look at Rachel’s work, you’ve gotta click over!
  • Mom Answers with Brit – because we’ve all got questions, right?!
  • Pure Miessence – Not only do they carry a fantastic natural deodorant that works, I was also able to try some of their wonderful body wash. Awesome stuff!!
  • Wow, could I possibly use more exclamation marks???!!! It would appear that I really love my sponsors!!!

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Visit Organizing Junkie for more Menu Planning inspiration!

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

Menu Plan for the Week

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

“Mom is Great” Breakfast Cake

Happy first day of spring!!!! I actually thought it smelled like spring when I walked outside this morning. And I saw four or five blades of green grass, yes I did. Seeing any green in your lawn yet? :)

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, March 20
Zucchini muffins, applesauce
Chicken and noodles, carrots
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, apples

Monday, March 21
Scrambled egg sandwiches, oranges
Taco potatoes, smoothies
Barbecue brisket, cream scalloped potatoes, green beans, homemade rolls, death by chocolate (we’re having company for dinner!)

Tuesday, March 22
Whole wheat waffles, strawberry syrup, whipped cream
Cheeseburger macaroni, green beans
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Wednesday, March 23
“Mom is Great” breakfast cake, pears
Alfredo sauce with pasta, tossed salad
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Thursday, March 24
Creamy orange cooler, toast
Black bean taco salad
BBQ meatballs, ranch potato wedges, peas

Friday, March 25
Easy breakfast casserole, clementines
Cheddar ranch burgers on whole wheat hamburger buns, green beans
Homemade pizza pockets, fruit

Saturday, March 26
Oatmeal, peaches
Leftovers
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, fruit salad

I’m hoping to do a little bit of freezer cooking this week too. Here’s what’s on my list:

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Free menu planning help at Say Mmm!

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Have you checked out Shelf Reliance? We LOVE their mushrooms!

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If you haven’t spent time at Paula’s Bread, you’re missing out!

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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!

Menu Plan for the Week

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French Toast made with Cinnamon Swirl Bread

The no-good flu bug has hit our house. Fever, body aches, coughing, no energy, no appetite, no good. Elias and I were down for several days last week and are just now starting to feel almost normal(ish)…just in time for Malachi to wake up with a fever today. :(  Matt’s been holding down the fort. What would I do without him?

Since Elias and I have been lying around together for days (being pitiful), he helped me with our menu plan for this week. Ah, it would appear that our appetites are coming back. :)

Sunday, February 6
Breakfast cake, fruit
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad, corn
Super Bowl Party at friend’s house – sending Seven (or Nine) Layer Dip and chips  (I’ll be staying home with the sick ones tonight. Someone let me know who wins, will ya?)

Monday, February 7
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Quesadillas, peaches
Venison steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Tuesday, February 8
Mini breakfast pizzas, orange slices
Hamburgers, ranch potato wedges, green beans
Chili with cheese, smoothies

Wednesday, February 9
French toast, pears
Salmon patties, creamy mac and cheese, steamed broccoli
Chicken and rice stew, fruit salad

Thursday, February 10
Orange muffins, fried eggs, applesauce
Nachos, apples
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed carrots

Friday, February 11
Crepes with jelly
Beef and cheese burritos, clementines
Homemade pizza pockets, carrot sticks, apples

Saturday, February 12
Homemade poptarts
Leftovers
Lamb roast, carrots, potatoes, gravy

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Take advantage of Say Mmm’s free menu planning service!

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Wait till you see what’s in store from CK Bakery Shop this week!!

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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!

Menu Plan for the Week

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! I’m looking forward to a little “down time” this week hopefully. Maybe a little bit of after Christmas shopping, a little bit of visiting with family, a little bit of taking it easy. Aaahhh Christmas break…how I love you.

Here’s our meal plan for the week:

Sunday, December 26
Oatmeal, apples
Christmas day leftovers
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup

Monday, December 27
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Homemade corndogs, green beans
Out to dinner with family

Tuesday, December 28
Giant breakfast cookies, applesauce
Chicken tortilla soup, fruit salad
BBQ chicken sandwiches, potato salad, raw veggies

Wednesday, December 29
Pancake and sausage muffins, oranges
Snowflake quesadillas, tossed salad
Chicken noodle soup, carrots

Thursday, December 30
Scrambled eggs, clementines
Cheddar ranch burgers, potato wedges, asparagus
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad

Friday, December 31
Orange Muffins, bananas
Sloppy cornbread muffins, peas
Finger food buffet…maybe some food from the Holiday Buffet list?

Saturday, January 1
Whole wheat donuts, apples
Creamy mac and cheese, steamed broccoli and carrots
Leftovers

Are you all looking forward to a restful week ahead like I am? Do you take a Christmas Break…or do you get to “hit it hard” again tomorrow?

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If you’re looking for some menu planning help, I highly recommend checking out Say Mmm! 
It’s a wonderful free resource to help you get organized and on your way to great menu planning!

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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!

Menu Plan for the Week

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warmchocolatesoothersm

Oh yes…it’s a Warm Chocolate Soother time of year!

Here’s our menu plan for this week…

Sunday, November 14
Oatmeal, pears
Pizza casserole, tossed salad
Chicken fried steak strips, peas

Monday, November 15
Pancake and sausage muffins, creamy orange cooler
Beef garden casserole, smoothies, tossed salad
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, green beans

Tuesday, November 16
Blueberry coffee cake, applesauce
Italian roast wraps, fruit salad
Salmon patties, creamy mac and cheese, steamed carrots

Wednesday, November 17
Apricot breakfast bars, bananas
Turkey sausage, strawberry peach slushie, hashbrowns with cheese
Cheesy Beef and Rice, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Thursday, November 18
Whole wheat sourdough biscuits with butter and honey, apples
Baked potato with broccoli cheese sauce, milkshakes
Alphabet soup, soft pretzels

Friday, November 19
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, tossed salad
Pizza

Saturday, November 20
Sweet potato streusel muffins, apples with caramel apple dip
Leftovers
Potato soup, carrot sticks

In family news, Asa has his first basketball game this week. Basketball has been a learning curve for him as he’s so used to playing soccer! We’re really proud of  how hard he’s been working, as he picks up his basketball to practice with it every spare minute of the day. You’ve gotta love the sound of a kid dribbling through the living room and into the kitchen. Especially when all the brothers pick up their basketballs right behind Asa and form a big dribbling parade.

You know I gave up on a quiet house long ago, right?

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

Cooking Ahead for November

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We had completely eaten our stash of frozen foods, so it feels good to have some healthy convenience foods back in the freezer again! I didn’t get everything made that was on my list, but shucks…I NEVER get everything done that is on my list. 

Can I tell you my biggest tip for making healthy convenience foods for your pantry and freezer? Don’t make freezer cooking difficult.  Just make extra food here and there as you are cooking and working in your kitchen. 

I have found that marathon freezer cooking doesn’t work for me. It wears me out and makes me feel behind in other areas. Instead, when I need to make Whole Wheat Tortillas, I’ll make a double or triple batch and freeze some for later. If I take the time once in a while to make a big bowl of Turkey Sausage and prep it for the freezer, then I’ve got Turkey Sausage ready for the next several weeks. If I am making one casserole, I’ll make three and freeze two. Cooking ahead really doesn’t have to be complicated.  I am always SO thankful for the healthy “go-to” foods in my freezer! 

Here are the extra foods that I’ve worked on during the past several days:

Applesauce Bread (x3)

Whole Wheat Waffles (x2)
We ate one batch for breakfast and I froze the rest. 

Whole Wheat Tortillas (x2)
Yeah, these are almost gone already. :)

Turkey Sausage (x6)
I froze sausage patties on parchment paper lined cookie sheets,
popped them off and put them into freezer bags for fast breakfasts and lunches.

Taco Seasoning, right there in my pantry next to a jar of Ranch Dressing Mix and Italian Dressing Mix. 
These mixes each take about five minutes to prepare, taste delicious, are SO much healthier and save a lot of money!!

Chicken Fried Steak Strips (x3)
Just like the turkey sausage, I prepped these, froze them on parchment paper lined cookie sheets
and put them into freezer bags for a quick lunch or dinner.

I am happy to report that the homemade, healthy poptarts I experimented with WORKED this time!!
I am sad to report that we ate them all already.
I am happy to report that I have the recipe written down and will type it out and share the EASY way to make these during the next week or two!!

Here are the items on my list that I just didn’t get around to making yet. Hopefully I will in the next few days…

  • Mini Apple Pies
  • Bean and Cheese Burritos
  • Whole Wheat Graham Crackers

    • Do you have anything yummy in your freezer, ready to pull out and fix quickly?

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