real food Archives | Page 22 of 30

Homemade White Chocolate Sauce

August 12, 2015 by Laura 9 Comments

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Make Homemade White Chocolate Sauce!

White Chocolate Sauce Recipe

Gather ’round, friends. I have something to tell you.

We have been lied to. Every one of us. We’ve been told that cooking real food is hard. And not just real food – any food. We’ve been deceived into believing that most foods must be purchased pre-made.

Take, for example, the time a friend of mine made my recipe for Homemade Alfredo Sauce for a church get-together. Every adult was like, “This is delicious. You made this? By yourself? How did you do it? You are amazing!” and my friend was like, “Actually it took about ten minutes and very little effort and all I did was follow a recipe.” (Though I personally still think she should take credit for being amazing.)

C’mon now. Pretty much anything that comes in a box or a jar or a bottle at the store can be made at home with healthier ingredients – and most foods are actually pretty easy to make. (Why hello, Gatorade. I did not buy you. I made you myself.)

Join me in offering a big smack-down of these lies. You can do this real food thing. I’m here to help. (And I’m also here to give you a White Chocolate Sauce recipe. What are friends for?)

When I served this sauce along with homemade Hot Fudge Sauce and homemade Caramel Sauce in my Iced Coffee Bar, some of my friends were like, “Where did you get those sauces? Wait. You made them?” When I told them how I did it, they were shocked at how easy it sounded. Measure, heat, stir, done. It’s too easy.

So yes. You can make Hot Fudge Sauce all by yourself. You can also make Caramel Sauce all by yourself. And now you can make White Chocolate Sauce – all by yourself. It’s all too easy!!

(This is the part where I pipe in with just a little warning: While these sauce recipes are easy and made with all real food ingredients – they are still full of sugar. Don’t drink these sauces or decide that they are a great substitute for vegetables. Instead, use them for an occasional special treat. Okeedokee.)

Homemade White Chocolate Sauce

Homemade White Chocolate SauceYum

5.0 from 2 reviews

Homemade White Chocolate Sauce

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Author: Laura

Ingredients

1½ cups cocoa butter wafers
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup cane sugar (I use this sometimes when sucanat - which is brown - will change the color of the product too drastically)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Stir cocoa butter wafers, cream, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until wafers have melted and mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla.
Serve warm.

Links you might need: cocoa butter wafers and cane sugar

Note: The sauce hardens in the fridge, so I recommend storing leftovers in a wide mouth jar so you can actually enjoy the leftovers. Take a look at the picture of the container I put our white sauce in and ask me how much fun it was to try and get the leftovers out of that. It is so good for you to learn from my mistakes.

Another note: Cocoa butter wafers are different from white chocolate chips. White chocolate chips are actually made from cocoa butter and sugar. For this white chocolate sauce recipe, you’ll need just the straight cocoa butter. It’s not cheap. I have found some at Amazon and Mountain Rose Herbs (Amazon is cheapest right now because of free Prime shipping). But let’s just say that while this recipe is delicious, I will not be making this recipe often. Cha-ching. (This is probably a good time to put another plug in for way-less-expensive-per-pound vegetables. Okeedokee.)

Homemade White Chocolate Sauce for Iced Coffee and Ice Cream

Enjoy this White Chocolate Sauce on ice cream, in your Iced Coffee Bar, in your hot coffee, in your hot chocolate…and what else?

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30 Day Back-to-School Real Food Menu Plan

August 10, 2015 by Laura 10 Comments

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30-Day Back-to-School Real Food Menu Plan time!

I’m excited to share that I’ve made a list of one entire month’s worth of real food meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner/supper. Why? Because school is just about to begin (or already did for some of you).

I personally thought it would be valuable to avoid thinking about how to feed the hungry school children since I will, of course, be joyously reading for hours each day with my offspring about the adventures of Lewis and Clark and having fabulous discussions about planets, galaxies, and Ralph Moody. During the times I’m not joyously reading, I will be joyful at a soccer field or in a car dropping or picking up a kid from a music lesson. I will be way too joyful to think about meal planning.

Assuming you also have much joy during the back-to-school season – I thought maybe you’d like this resource too.

Don’t look now, but I’m absolutely not going to stick with these lists entirely. I’ll use it as a reference and guide. This is 30 days worth of real food meals at a quick glance to ease us all back into a school routine. Now that is JOY!

30-Day Back-to-School Real Food Menu Plan

We’ll begin with breakfast, head into lunch (for the homeschoolers among us), then land on dinner/supper. As much as possible, I plan to (or already) have foods prepped ahead and put into the freezer so that all I have to do is pull them out and thaw/cook/serve. Everything else will be easy to put together. Scrambling eggs takes no time at all. Right? Right.

30 Real Food Breakfast Ideas (always served with fruit and often served with some sort of additional protein)

Muffin Tip: Make muffin batter ahead and put it into the freezer like this so that you can easily bake them fresh as needed in the mornings!

30 Real Food Lunch Ideas (always served with 2-4 fruits and veggies. If I’m serving salad, I usually serve some sort of bread to fill my men)

Tuna Salad
Tuna Melts on Spinach
Pasta Salad Bar
Meat and Cheese Burritos
Easy Noodle Stir Fry
Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad
Pizza Boats
Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot with whatever toppings we have available
Homemade pizza (crusts already made – boys build/bake their own)
Spanish Rice
Taco Salad
Easy Cheesy Bean Dip with chips
Chicken Tacos
Black Bean Chicken Nachos
BLT Chopped Salad
BLT Wraps
Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Salad
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (with turkey or ham if I have some)
Scrambled Egg Sandwiches
Creamy Mac and Cheese
Healthier Cheese Dip with chips
Real Food Meat and Velveeta Dip with chips
Taco Quesadillas
Tuna Casserole
Chicken Burritos
Plain Quesadillas
Hamburger Patties
Beef Summer Sausage with cheese and crackers
Corn Dog Muffins
Cheesy Salsa Burgers (from Eat Right Away: Beef Edition)

Dinner/Supper (always served with 2-4 fruits and veggies)

Cheesy Salsa Enchiladas
Grilled Barbeque Chicken
Italian Cream Cheese Chicken
Mongolian Beef (from Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Beef Edition)
Quick Mix Pancakes with Scrambled Eggs and Bacon
Barbecue Cranberry Chicken (from Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Chicken Edition)
Sloppy Joes
Cheeseburger Macaroni
Easy Apricot Chicken (from Eat Right Away: Chicken Edition)
Turkey Sausage and Red Bean Stew
Taco Potatoes
Beefy Enchilada Bake
Baked Ziti (from Eat Right Away: Beef Edition)
Baked Three Cheese Chicken Pasta
Garden Veggie Chicken Skillet
Spaghetti
Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole (from Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks)
Popcorn Chicken
Bacon-Wrapped Individual Meatloaves (from Eat Right Away: Beef Edition)
Italian Pasta Bake
Salmon Patties
Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies
Grilled Salmon
Grilled Burgers
Fiesta Chicken
Sour Cream Enchiladas (from Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks)
Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Lamb Chops
Hawaiian Beef and Rice (from Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Beef Edition)
Grilled Steak

You can pin or bookmark this page for quick reference. Or better yet:

Learning Resources and Freebies Made Easy

Today you can download this FREE 30-Day Real Food Menu Plan Resource to keep handy during this busy time of year! Not only that, we’re always offering free printable learning resources you won’t want to miss!

Sign Up to Download the 30-Day Real Food Menu Plan Resource

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It’s Not a Race But…7 Slow Cooker Meals in 30 Minutes!!!!

August 6, 2015 by Laura 4 Comments

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If you don’t have the Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Editions, I humbly suggest that you get them now. I am not even kidding when I tell you that I just spent only 30 minutes recently prepping 7 slow cooker chicken meals for my freezer.

The geek in me discovered that this averaged out to be 4.285714 minutes of work per meal. I don’t know how anything could be easier – except for the fact that now 7 different times, I can pull out a bag and dump it into my crock pot, then walk away and have a meal for my family 6-8 hours later. So yeah. That’s easier. I am loving this.

slow cooker chicken 1

Above is a picture of Malachi eating strawberries and a piece of carrot cake at the table while staring peacefully out the window. Love him. It is also a picture of some of the ingredients I grabbed out of my pantry, plus the freezer baggies I labeled so that I could be super efficient as I worked my way through the Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Chicken Edition directions.

Apparently I thought the whole shebang was going to take so long that I wouldn’t possibly want to walk three extra steps to get out the olive oil in the midst of all the work. This undoubtedly saved me four seconds, giving me the edge on prepping so many meals in so little time. Rock on, olive oil. Thank you for being there when I needed you.

Just look at these beauties, will you? Seven freezer bags of chicken crock pot meals – made in less time than it takes to make a list of all the things it takes 30 minutes to do. For real.

slow cooker chicken 2

Next I work my way through the Crock Pot Beef Edition. Details to come.

Check out all the Eat Right Away Packets here. Save so much time and money! Love, love love. Want the carrot cake recipe? Trust me, you do. You can get that here.

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9 Foods I Like to Make-Ahead to Help Make Meals Simple For “Back to School”

August 4, 2015 by Laura 8 Comments

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Preparing for Back to School

It’s like I’m nesting or something – which I am not thankyouverymuch. I just get this way at the end of a summer break as we head into full school days, regular music lessons, and a busy soccer season. I like to be prepared, and I also somehow have a mind-set that I’ll never again have time to go to the store so I’d best purchase 52 boxes of kleenex to ensure that leaving the house for any variety of nose issues will not be necessary for a very long time.

This makes no sense, except that it is how my brain works so I just go with it. I’m a stocker-upper, and a prepper-aheader, and I want to ease us in to our full schedule with as much grace (read: frozen food and kleenex boxes) as possible.

This mind-set will go away completely after precisely 3.5 days of school, at which time we will all settle into a routine and I will realize that life outside the home hasn’t stopped. Plus I will learn that fresh plums are on sale and determine that we should buy some. We will also be out of eggs.

9 Foods I Like to Make Ahead to Help Make Meals Simple for Back to School

In the meantime, here are 9 of my favorite foods (random though they may be) to have prepared ahead of time to make life easier overall. Want to borrow my list? I highly recommend it. Also, here is a toilet paper coupon because if you’re like me even a little bit, you realize that stocking up on tp is even more important than stocking up on kleenex.

Homemade Peanut Butter

I make several jars at a time, otherwise we would run out within just a few days. If I’m dirtying up my food processor, I might as well make it worth it, right?

peanut butter

Whole Wheat Quick Mix

I use this mix to make Quick Mix Biscuits, Quick Mix Fruit Pizza, Quick Mix Honey Cinnamon Muffins, Quick Mix Pancakes, and Quick Mix Very Vanilla Cookies. (These recipes and more in my Oh, For Real cookbook.)

Homemade Granola

I love having this on hand because it is so versatile and convenient. We can sprinkle in dried fruit, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, or plop in some applesauce – whatever sounds good.

dark_chocolate_almond_granola

Pictured is the Dark Chocolate Granola variety.

Freezer Muffins

Do this. It’s an amazing trick. You will love the convenience of fresh-from-the-oven muffins without any work.

Chicken Broth and Beef Broth

Having broth on hand means I can make soup very quickly on a busy day. And ooooohhhhh the health benefits. :)

chicken week 5

Cooked Bacon

I like cutting several pounds of bacon into bit-sized pieces and cooking in a big pot. Why? Then I have cooked bacon on hand for Bacon Cheesy Egg mornings, and to use in recipes like Bacon Cheese Muffins, Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Salad, BLT Chopped Salad, or BLT Wraps. Also, my hair won’t smell like bacon every single day we eat bacon – only the day I cook several pounds of it. See what a great strategy that is?

blt salad

Instant Oatmeal

Or you can make Frozen Oatmeal Cups. Or you can make both.

instant_oatmeal_jars

Ranch Dressing Mix

If I have a jar of this mix on hand, I can quickly make Ranch Salad Dressing, a Ranch Cheese Ball, Ranch Potato Wedges or Cheddar Ranch Burgers.

Italian Dressing Mix

Not only do I use this mix to make Italian Salad Dressing, I use it for these easy recipes: Italian Cream Cheese Chicken, Italian Roast Wraps, and Italian Stew. It also makes a great marinade for grilled meats.

I haven’t completed this list yet, but here’s what I did over the weekend:

I got out my food processor and made several batches of Homemade Peanut Butter.

school food prep1

I turned out 4.5 jars of Super Creamy Peanut Butter variety, but left one jar for me which is just straight Peanut Butter with nothing added. I labeled it “Mom’s” but I’m very nice and willing to share. I just wanted to avoid accidentally dipping into the wrong one since I prefer the straight peanut variety.

school food prep2

Also pictured is the Oatmeal Breakfast Bars I had made for Sunday morning.

I cooked four pounds of bacon, then froze it into six bags. If we’re making salads, we might need two bags for our whole family. But if we’re making Bacon Cheesy Eggs we can get away with one bag, less than a pound. (Yay for stretching meat.)

school food prep4

Everything is getting back to normal at our house now that all the boys are home from camp – as in we are blowing through food faster than I can keep up. Thankfully we have cooked bacon and peanut butter on hand so we won’t starve. (Because we were all so worried about that after seeing my freezers.)

In all the years past, our family has begun our school year the first week of August. This year we’re pushing it back two weeks for these reasons:

The three older boys were at Guys Camp the first part of this week.
The boys need to recover from church camp (lack of sleep).
Matt and the boys are redoing someone’s roof – a project that couldn’t be started while they were away.
Asa is moving into the college dorm in a week and a half and will be on a college schedule. (How do I feel about this? I’m excited for him and I also cry. Just like one would expect.)
Justus is taking a college class, which makes it even more necessary to stick with the college schedule.
None of us are quite ready yet and that’s just the truth. But hey, at least the peanut butter is ready. And the kleenex.

As soon as the books are ready, I’ll try to post about what we’re doing for school this year.

What are your favorite foods to make and have on hand for convenience? When does school start for your family?

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Frozen Oatmeal Cups – for a Quick, Hearty Breakfast

August 2, 2015 by Laura 17 Comments

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Seriously, Frozen Oatmeal Cups. Check this out.

frozen oatmeal8

Yum

Making oatmeal has got to be the most difficult thing to do ever. It’s definitely the most tedious breakfast food there is – requiring time, energy, thought, and absolute sweat-dripping labor over a stove for five entire minutes (because oatmeal won’t cook properly unless someone is staring at it in expectation). Life is hard. We should probably settle for pop-tarts. It’s the only way.

Don’t worry, friends. I’ve found a way to avoid performing this grueling task (and eating pop-tarts) in the mornings – and I’m here to share. I think we can all agree that the more we can avoid the challenge of putting water in a pot to boil, the better. Gather ’round, everyone. This tip will shave at least 1.4 minutes off your morning meal prep, so listen closely. Every 1.4 minutes counts.

Here’s what you need to do: You need to cook up a double or triple batch of oatmeal (you can do it, we’re all in this together, persevere, I believe in you). Once the oatmeal is done, go ahead and feed some to your family. Here’s where it gets good: After your meal, freeze the leftovers in muffin cups, topped with whatever delicious toppings your family likes. Like this:

frozen oatmeal3

The result is easy-to-store cups of frozen oatmeal which are ready to pull out and re-heat at any given time – preferably on those mornings. You know the ones I’m talking about.

But seriously, in all seriousness, because I am always serious – this really is a lovely way to help your children help themselves on a busy morning, and it really does save a tiny bit of time because the cooking of the oatmeal has already been done.

Now, if you get a little bit burned out on oatmeal and you’re still struggling with the urge to buy a pre-made breakfast in a box that promises to save you time – I suggest you consider the possibility of frying an egg. If I can do it, you can do it. There are also apples – a brand new innovative idea for breakfast that I’ve heard are great to grab-and-go. Who knew?

Frozen Oatmeal Cups - a quick, hearty breakfast

The Specifics of Making Approximately 24 Frozen Oatmeal Cups

Boil 6 cups of water.
Stir in 3 cups of whole oats.
Turn the heat down to simmer the oats/water for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat once the water has been absorbed and the oats are soft.
Stir in 1-3 Tablespoons of butter and 1-4 Tablespoons of sweetener like honey or sucanat as desired.
Scoop prepared oatmeal into muffin tins (no need to grease the tins).
Top oatmeal cups with any variety of fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.
Place filled muffin pans in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until oatmeal is frozen solid.
Pull frozen oatmeal out of the freezer and allow it to sit on the counter-top for about 10 minutes.
Use a fork or spoon to gently pop the frozen oatmeal cups out of the tins.
Place the frozen cups into a labeled freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
Re-heat by placing frozen oatmeal cup(s) in a small saucepan on medium heat until thawed and warm.

I love this idea (for so many reasons, as explained earlier) – but also because this allows for a variety of sizes of appetites. Little ones may just need one cup to fill them, whereas my sons would likely each pull out 2-4 to rewarm.

So now, go therefore and make yourself some frozen oatmeal cups. Your breakfast – and really, your entire life – is obviously going to be changed for the better because of this tip. Enjoy your extra 1.4 minutes of morning time. You are very, very welcome.

What do you think of this idea? I like the brainlessness of it. I like that the cooking is done so all that needs to be done is rewarm and serve. I love that my kids can do this themselves. Not every freezer meal is about saving time – sometimes it’s just about the comfort of having prepped food on hand for ease!

P.S. We also really love making Homemade Instant Oatmeal to have on hand.

Kudos to Cupcakes and Kale Chips where I first saw this fun idea!

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From Frosty Freezers to Defrosted Freezers to Full Freezers

July 30, 2015 by Laura 25 Comments

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It may not look like much of a difference to you when you see my pictures, but trust me on this one. My freezers were completely disorganized and full of frost. I didn’t know what I had in there, much less where anything was.

Before I show you my before and after pictures, let’s establish this right away: No one ever accused me of not having enough food on hand. No one ever said, “Laura I think you should really consider buying more than one pound of meat at a time.” No one ever said, “Have you ever considered buying in bulk?”

“I sure hope the Coppingers can find something to eat today,” said no one ever. I’m thankful for the abundance, and you’ll read more about how we afford full freezers below.

Instead, this is what people say:

“If ever there is a food crisis, we will go to Laura’s house.” and “What are you guys, carnivores?!” and also “I would never have time to do all that freezer cooking.”

That final statement always makes me bang my head on my freezer since time is something I often feel that I am severely lacking and freezer cooking is what saves my meals (and ironically, my time).

So how do we afford to buy so much at once? True statement: We can’t afford not to.

Buying meat, cheese, nuts, grains, and butter in bulk and when we find good deals is the only way to feed a family full of teenage boys (and guests) without breaking our bank. If it’s a good price, I buy a cartful – which is a lot of cost upfront but saves $1,000’s in the long run.

How do I find time to do freezer cooking? I make time, spending an additional two hours or so here and there to save a dozen or more hours of cooking later. Or my favorite tip of all, when I’m making one casserole to eat at dinner, I typically make an additional one or two while I’m at it. Same effort, same amount of dishes, twice or three times the eats. It only makes sense.

So let’s take a look now at my freezers, and then let’s encourage Laura not to buy any more meat for a while. Seriously.

First I will show you (because I love splashing my disorganizational skills all over the internet) my two frost-filled, haphazard freezers in which one can only hope to reach in to grab a chicken and actually come away with a chicken.

Freezer #1

freezer1

Freezer #2

freezer2

Operation defrost and reorganize the freezers began Saturday afternoon.

Half the fun of this project was actually discovering that I had over 12 prepared freezer meals scattered all over the place. Thinking a better idea would be to put them all one one shelf so I’d know just where to look, I…you know, put them all on one shelf so I’d know just where to look. Brilliance. I’ll be saving these meals for the first few weeks of school/soccer season. This is what sanity is made of.

I put all the chicken on the top shelf, all the beef on the second shelf, all the butter in the door, and all the frozen fruits and veggies on aisle 4.

freezer4

Freezer #2 then only contained only our lamb meat, nuts, and a couple packs of cheese. But wait. There’s more.

freezer5

On Tuesday, Matt picked up the grass-fed beef we had ordered from local farmer friends. Did we need to order beef right now? No, we still had some. But our friend’s cows were ready right now…and later would be too late. Saying no now would have made us run out of beef before next spring/summer, so we ordered before we needed it. I think we’re set on beef for a while. Although we will go through this faster than many would think. You’ve seen teenagers eat, right?

freezer6

In other freezer cooking news, I made a batch of Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts for an easy lunch once school starts. I also cooked 3 pounds of hamburger meat (seeing as I had some to cook). We’ll use it on the pizzas and for other easy meals.

pizza crust for freezer

I have more to share about how I used my Eat Right Away Beef and Chicken Slow Cooker Editions (my fav so far!) to make many meals in a tiny amount of time – but that’s another post for another day.

I also planned to make a bunch of muffin batter for the freezer, but I am completely out of eggs (and beef is a poor substitute). We will be getting several dozen eggs today from our friend with chickens, then the muffin-batter-for-the-freezer plans will commence.

So now you tell me about your freezer(s). And about your beef. And about your eggs. And about your experiences in watching teenagers eat.

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The First Thing I Did When I Got Home From Camp – Plus What I’ll Be Up to This Week

July 25, 2015 by Laura 2 Comments

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I bet you can guess. What’s the first thing I did the moment I got out of the van after being at camp for two weeks?

Okay fine. I went potty. But after that? Well, yes I started a load of laundry. But then??? Well I filled a glass of water to make sure I was hydrated.

But none of those count. What’s the really first thing I did after being away from my kitchen for two weeks?

Home from camp!

Ahhhhh, yes. I made a big price-matching list and headed to the store. The fridge was all but empty, we’re craving more fresh produce, and I’ve missed cooking. I loved the break (especially from the dishes!) – but I am so excited about being back in my kitchen!

I must admit that our three teenage boys are still at camp for another week and a half which means that I might have over-purchased just a wee bit. All you see in the picture up there? That’s just for Matt, Malachi (age 10), and me. We’re that hungry for freggies. I couldn’t hold back.

Case in point: Matt washed one of the containers of blueberries as soon as I gave him permission (aka, as soon as I got a picture taken – it’s a food blogger thing). I snagged a few of the berries as I scrubbed refrigerator shelves and put away groceries. A few minutes later, Matt appeared with the blueberry container and a grin. The blueberries were almost completely gone. The guy ate an entire pint (minus the 17 little berries I ate) in about 5 minutes. We’re craving this stuff, I tell ya.

Cravings aside, I would not have gotten 6 pounds of strawberries and 6 pints of blueberries for just the three of us – but I was able to price match them for just $1.00 each. Who can pass up filling the cart when they’re only a buck?? If we can’t finish them before they go bad, we’ll just freeze them for muffins and smoothies. It’s too easy.

So here’s what I’m thinking. I’m thinking that while I still just have one boy at home and therefore don’t need to prep large meals – I’m going to do some freezer cooking this week. My list is too long, which means I won’t likely get around to all of this since I have so much other work to catch up on after being away for two weeks. But here’s my crazy-lady list nonetheless:

1. Defrost the freezer.

We’re getting a quarter of grass-fed beef this week, so that along with putting prepped food in the freezer means I need to get rid of the terrible ice build up I’ve been ignoring for way too long.

2. Make a few batches of Strawberry and Blueberry Cream Muffins – freezing the batter to bake fresh later. (Read more about this wonderful freezer tip here.)

3. Work through my Eat Right Away Beef and Chicken Slow Cooker Editions to get easy meals in the freezer ready for upcoming school/soccer/busy days.

4. Make Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts for the freezer so the boys can quickly make their own pizzas on busy days.

5. Make and freeze Chicken Fried Steak Strips with the beef we’re picking up from the butcher.

6. Stop making this list before I become overwhelmed.

There are too many great freezer cooking ideas. I made myself stop adding to the list so I don’t overwhelm myself. I’ll take pictures of my progress throughout the week and share an update with you soon!

What are you going to be doing this week?

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You Know My Family Hasn’t Always Eaten Healthy, Real Food – Right?

July 20, 2015 by Laura 2 Comments

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When people read about the way I feed my family now, many assume I’ve known about healthy eating forever and that nothing about this is difficult for me.

Not true. We have not always eaten healthy.

Several years ago (when my blog was a baby) I wrote a series sharing my family’s healthy eating journey. Ugh, was it ever a journey. It still is.

All the fears and unknowns that many of you feel when you start reading about what is healthy and what isn’t – I totally get it. I’ve been there. Sometimes I’m still there. I haven’t arrived at perfect eating and never will. I’m pretty sure it’s not even possible.

So to encourage you to take some baby steps and to reassure you that you are not alone – I’d love for you to go back and read through this series of posts: Our Healthy Eating Journey. If nothing else, you’ll enjoy reading about how I became completely convinced that I should be eating organic food and free range everything, but like a crazy lady, I still guzzled down a Pepsi to go with my meals. (I told you. I get it.)

healthyeatingjourney

Our Healthy Eating Journey

If you’re interested, we have put together a simple eCourse to walk you through some steps to begin your Real Food Journey. You can tailor make this to fit your family’s needs. It’s called You Can Do This! Because truly, you can, do this. :)

What are some steps you’ve taken on your healthy eating journey?

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9 Favorite Summer Strawberry Recipes ~ With Free Printable Recipe Cards For All!

July 13, 2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

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For your strawberry enjoyment, I put together all of my favorite summer strawberry recipes here for you for easy clicking. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find a fun strawberry freebie. Sweet! (literally) Use the printables to bless others. Maybe make them a strawberry treat to deliver along with the cards!

You’ve probably figured out by now that strawberries are my favorite fruit. Then if we put Chocolate Whipped Cream on them or make them into Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits I am seriously in love.

9 Favorite Summer Strawberry Recipes

All of these recipes are made with real food. Real food tastes amazing (trust me). Skip the “strawberry flavored” non-food out there. Grab the real deal and indulge! Most of these recipes are also low in sugar, but don’t shy away. They are full of great flavor!

Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait

7-Minute Strawberry Ice Cream (with a dairy free option)

Strawberry Creamsicles

Strawberry Cream Muffins

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Bread

Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip

Strawberry Milkshakes

Chocolate Whipped Cream on Strawberries

And now, to help you have fun with strawberries and be a blessing to others – here are some free printable Strawberry Recipe Cards! Print them and use them for yourself or use them as gifts.

Enjoy your freebie and your strawberries!

Be a Blessing! Free Printable Summer Strawberry Recipe Cards

Print Your Free Strawberry Recipe Cards Here!

What’s your favorite way to eat strawberries?

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

Eat Right Away ~ Slow Cooker Chicken and Slow Cooker Beef Editions are Here!

July 7, 2015 by Laura 5 Comments

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Eat Right Away Collection2

You asked. I hurried. :) Just in time to beat the summer heat, Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Chicken Edition and Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Beef Edition are here!

Eat Right Away Slow Cooker Chicken Edition 2sm

Actually, I wanted the Eat Right Away Slow Cooker Editions as much as you did – so I worked double time. Now that they are finished, I’m gonna tell you this: As much as I love the other editions, I love these slow cooker editions even more. These meals take even less time to prepare than the others (I didn’t know it was possible). And then to just place all prepared ingredients into a crock pot and walk away until meal time? It does not get any easier! Love, love, love!

Eat Right Away Slow Cooker Beef Edition 2sm

Beyond saving time and serving your family real food meals, these packets will help you save money. These meals are very low in cost!

Each of these downloadable Eat Right Away packets include:

5 brand new recipes
5 individual meal grocery lists, plus 1 big grocery list to aid you in making all five meals in one sitting (though you’ll actually be standing, not sitting, my apologies).
5 individual recipe instructions, plus 1 “Be Efficient” set of instructions to guide you through making all five meals in about a 1-hour time frame
Freezer safe instructions for each recipe, plus guidance on thawing, putting the food into a slow cooker, then serving each meal with little effort
Serving suggestions so you don’t have to think about the side dishes
Bonus tips

Each packet is only $2.00. Yep! That’s it. We want to get them into all of your hands to help you save time and money in your real food kitchen. Just like the other packets, the ten recipes in these two packets are either naturally gluten free or can be easily adapted to be gluten free. Bonus!

Check it out. I borrowed another family to be my taste-testers for some of these recipes. I wanted to be sure these really were as easy as I thought they were (and as yummy). I received some great feedback and food pictures, but of course, the picture with the three year-old taste-tester is my very fav.

taste tester

Here’s a closer look at each new packet:

Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Chicken Edition ~ Recipes Included Are:

Cheesy Chicken Potatoes and Broccoli
Italian Chicken and Veggies
Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken
Barbecue Cranberry Chicken
Ranch Chicken Tacos

Make all five recipes in about one hour. Put them in the freezer or fridge. Pull them out and throw them into the crock pot. Easy, real food goodness!

Eat Right Away: Slow Cooker Beef Edition ~ Recipes Included Are:

Roast Beef and Melted Cheese Sandwiches
Mongolian Beef
Balsamic Beef Roast
Sweet Pepper Beef Stew
Hawaiian Beef and Rice

Just like the chicken recipes, you can make all five beef recipes in about one hour. Put them in the freezer or fridge. Pull them out and throw them into the crock pot.

Get all four of our Eat Right Away Packets here!

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I hope you’re enjoying these packets as much as I am. Three cheers for easy make-ahead meals and even easier dinner times with our families!

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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