Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

10 Easy Food Items You Didn’t Know You Could Make at Home (Save $$!)

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I bet you didn’t know you could make these food items at home! (Actually, if you’ve been reading here long, you probably do know about most of these, but act surprised anyway.) ;)

The old me used to make EVERYTHING from scratch. Some of you probably remember that girl. I made homemade ketchup, homemade tortillas, homemade grape nuts cereal, homemade hashbrowns, homemade tator tots… Wait. Homemade Tator Tots?? Yes. It was a reader request and I figured out how to do it! I was what one might call “an overachiever.” (Or “that really crazy heavenly homemaker lady.”)

Now I’m in a different season in life with a big houseful of littles and have decided that there are some food items that aren’t worth my time to make at home. Loving my people is more important than making Homemade Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. Oh my goodness yes. I even tried that too.

But today I want to share 10 food items that are easy to make at home, will save a lot of money, and are worth your time!

10 Easy Food Items You Didn’t Know You Could Make at Home

1. Vanilla Extract

We’ll start with my favorite! This saves a lot of money and is amazing to make in your very own kitchen!

2. Peanut Butter (super creamy – spreadable, like Skippy or Jif)

This tastes so much better than any store brand and is so much fun to make. Watch peanuts turn into peanut butter! So cool.

3. Gatorade

This costs pennies and is so much better for us!

4. Chicken Wings

I always thought this was restaurant food. Turns out, it’s super cheap Friday night dinner at home.

5. Whipped Cream

No, it isn’t cool whip. It’s 1,000 times better.

6. Ranch Salad Dressing

Hidden Valley who?

7. Poptarts

These taste so incredibly good and are easy to make in bulk amounts to freeze and pull out for easy breakfasts!

8. Graham Crackers

The kind from a box will never taste as good as these gems. You can even make them chocolate!

9. Instant Oatmeal Packets

Make a bunch of packets or make a big batch in a jar for easy, inexpensive breakfasts!

10. Frappe

Because why pay $5 at a coffee shop when you can make it for much less at home?

Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Frappe

Which of these have you tried? Ready to try something new?!

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The Surprising (Money-Saving) Ways I Use an Air Fryer

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You might be surprised about the ways I use an Air Fryer, but hey, it’s tasty and saves money. Let me fill you in on all my secrets…

Matt and the boys surprised me with an Air Fryer last Christmas. But the truth is, I’m pretty sure they all wanted it for themselves and well, it was for sure a win-win Christmas gift!

I’ve made delicious Garlic Butter Shrimp in it and will never turn back. I love roasting green beans in it and will share those simple instructions soon. But can I confess how we mostly use the Air Fryer at our house?

French. Fries.

From a bag. At the store. The good kind. As in, the name brand fries because our store brand doesn’t taste nearly as good.

Wait, but Laura, don’t you make homemade fries?

Yes, I did. Past tense, at least for now. I barely have time to scrub a potato, so I do not have time (or arms) to cut potatoes into fries.

Ore Ida fries in the Air Fryer – the crinkle kind because THOSE ARE THE BEST – are so delicious and fun. We have them every Friday night and have obviously dubbed it “French Fry Friday.” We eat chicken strips and fries and watch a movie to celebrate the week. And about those chicken strips?

Those come out of a bag too. I don’t even feel guilty about this. We throw those into the air fryer with our fries. On Fridays. Before our movie night.

If I have a few extra minutes and two or even one arm to work with, I’ll steam a veggie to go with our meal. Otherwise we all grab some fruit and call it a night.

This saves money, how?

Well, how much money do you spend when you’re too tired to cook and you go through the drive-through for chicken strips and fries for your crew?

We almost never eat out, but a few weeks ago we went through a fast-food drive-through because they were giving a percentage of sales to our local school for a fundraiser. We headed that way to show our support and to give me a night off, but shucks if we didn’t sink $30 into that meal – and the receipt was only that low because only half of us were home that night.

What I throw into my air fryer – which tastes just as good and is slightly healthier than fast-food restaurants – costs around $10 for six of us to eat our fill.

What if your Air Fryer took the place of eating out?

Sure, my Ore Ida fries and Dino Nuggets or Bagged Chicken Strips are not the healthiest things I put on our table. But it’s still a step healthier than regular-fried food at fast-food restaurants.

And the money-saving aspect is huge!

Beyond that, the fun food we cook in our Air Fryer gives us that “we just had a treat” feeling that we can get when we go out to eat.

So now you know. I keep some frozen treats like fries and nuggets on hand to throw in my Air Fryer to help me survive this busy season in life. It saves big bucks compared to eating out and it’s a lot of fun too!

Thought you’d like to know, just in case you want to put an Air Fryer on your Christmas wish-list this year. :)

P.S. I have this Air Fryer and we’ve been very happy with it!

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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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Ways Eating Healthy Foods Actually Saves Us Money

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I’m very serious. Never buy into the lie that eating healthy is expensive. And in fact, I am coming to realize more and more that eating healthy foods actually saves us money.

I’ve been working at this nourishing food thing for 14+ years now, and while our food budget has increased substantially during these years, I’m certain the blame goes to growing appetites and an increased number of family members, not to the cost of apples.

Today I am here to present a few simple ways eating healthy foods saves us money:

1. Eating Out is a Budget Buster

When our family of nine (or seven or however many of our crew is around at the time) goes out to eat after church, even fast food costs a minimum of $40, but usually somewhere around $60. I don’t even want to talk about how much it costs to eat at a sit-down restaurant.

Meanwhile, I can take 5-minutes to throw together a Crock Pot Pizza Casserole before church. It’s ready when we get home, we can get out salad stuff and a bowl of grapes, and when it’s all said and done, the cost of our meal was around $15. The cost difference is enormous, the workload is minimal, and the taste? Well, have you tried making this pizza casserole? It’s incredible.

So except for when we’re traveling or for the very occasional splurge, we eat at home. It’s obviously healthier and saves thousands of dollars for our big family.

And yeah, I know we all know that, but it seemed worth mentioning again and comparing the cost! ;)

2. Nourishing food satisfies; junk food…doesn’t

Your honor, may I present as evidence the bag of potato chips?

I will admit that chips are my junk food of choice and I splurge on them sometimes. But when I do, we plow through them in about five minutes and are then ready for an actual meal. Why? Because chips only fill a hole; they do not nourish. So while our bodies are craving substance, we fill it with the nothing that chips provide, then we go in search of something to satisfy our bodies’ needs (protein, vitamins, minerals, etc).

So in essence, chips are tasty but kind of a money waster. The dollars I spend on chips could be used to buy actual food that leaves us satisfied.

The only exception to this, in my experience, has been corn chips. We almost never eat corn chips by themselves but instead use them as vehicles to eat nourishing dips. Long live the corn chips. They help us eat avocados. :)

Here are our favorite corn chip dips:

3. Real food ingredients cost much less than pre-made boxed foods.

This is a fact. As we’ve added foster children to our lives, I’ll admit it: I’ve splurged more on processed foods than I used to. I’ve needed it for survival some days, and I have no guilt over it.

But goodness do those boxed foods cost more!! And they almost always include ingredients I don’t feel great about. (I just don’t read the box. If I don’t know there’s MSG in there, it can’t hurt us, right? Heh.)

Most of the time, while taking care of all the kids, I try to fall back on all of our Simple Real Food Recipes that are just as convenient but made completely with real food ingredients.

When I fill my grocery cart with ingredients – yes – the cost adds up. It takes a lot to feed a large family with big appetites! But the cost is still lower – much lower – than filling my cart with corndogs and pizza rolls. It goes without saying that the real food ingredients I buy nourish us as opposed to whatever it is those pizza rolls do. Yikes.

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

Want to easily learn more about healthy eating, saving money, and more? Our brand new Healthy Eating Jumpstart Class is fun, practical, and simple. Work through it on your own or work through it as a family.

Get the Details and Join Here!

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So there you have it. These are the most basic ways that eating healthy foods saves money. These are no brainers, but I think it’s good to be reminded and encouraged that eating healthy and saving money is easier than we often think!

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Is it Worth the Money to Buy an Instant Pot?

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What do you think? Is it worth the money to buy an Instant Pot? Here’s what I think…

Is it worth the money to buy an Instant Pot?

I stubbornly refused to get an Instant Pot for several years after they became popular (silly me), and now I am one of the biggest advocates for them! This gem saves so much time and keeps us eating healthy too!

I love that it makes wholesome, rich beef or chicken broth with so little effort on my part. I LOVE that I can cook 7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat in it in just 30 minutes!! And I love the many meals and side dishes I can make in it within just a few minutes.

So in my opinion, yes, it is worth the money to buy an Instant Pot. Not only has mine saved me time, it truly saves me money! So your investment in this appliance can be paid back and earning money for you in no time!

How? Well, think of all the convenience foods or fast food options one might fall back on when time is limited at mealtime! This money-saving perk alone makes the Instant Pot worth it.

In addition, the Instant Pot allows you to make wonderful, rich broth for soups that offer super nourishment and costs very, very little!

If you can swing it, get yourself an Instant Pot. I have the 8-quart variety for my large family. Here’s the 6-quart Instant Pot if that fits your needs more!

Recipes you’ll need for your Instant Pot:

Here are our favorites so far!

Psst: I highly recommend that you bookmark our Instant Pot Recipes page for easy access as we continue to update it!

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The Best Hot Drinks for Fall and Winter

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Spring isn’t here yet! It’s the cozy time of year that calls for hot drinks. Here are our favorites!

The Best Hot Drinks for Fall and Winter

1. Homemade Hot Cocoa

It’s pretty hard to beat Homemade Hot Cocoa. Well, unless you top it with fresh whipped cream. Then it’s even better!

Homemade Hot Cocoa

2. Warm Vanilla Soother

If the idea of drinking warm pudding appeals to you, then you are going to love this. This is fantastic comfort food, er drink. So nourishing and comforting!

warmvanillasoother2sm

3. Warm Chocolate Soother

How about drinking something that tastes like a brownie? That’s how amazing this Warm Chocolate Soother is. Drink it for breakfast and your day is off to a perfect, chocolaty start!

4. Chocolate Mint Soother

How soothing are these soothers? Truly.

5. Warm Pumpkin Custard Drink

This hot drink will blow your mind. What do you think about drinking what tastes like pumpkin pie? Yup.

Now let’s talk coffee. It’s probably no surprise that coffee is my favorite hot drink. :) Here are some great ways to sweeten up your mug of hot coffee!

6. Chocolate Caramel Coffee Creamer

This one is super sugary, so drink it at your own risk. :)

Chocolate Caramel Coffee Creamer

7. Chocolate Whipped Cream for Coffee

Now THIS is where it’s at. I make it with stevia so it is a completely sugarless and healthy option for sweetening your coffee. And it’s chocolate. So that means we can all survive even the coldest winter days with a genuine smile on our faces.

Chocolate Whipped Cream - Perfect For Your Coffee

8. Peppermint Cream for Cocoa and Coffee

Bookmark or pin this one to during the holidays. Or tomorrow (isn’t every day a holiday?). SO GOOD.

While cocoa and coffee are always a favorite, let’s now take a moment to look at a recipe for the best apple cider!

9. Crockpot Cranberry Apple Cider

This is extremely easy to make and makes your house smell incredible! Everyone I’ve served this to loves it!

What are your favorite hot drinks for fall and winter?

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Easy Recipes That Include Beans

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Looking for some easy recipes that include beans? These will save you money and make your tastebuds happy too!

Easy Recipes that Include BeansYum

We’ll start with our newest bean recipe, Simple Hearty Bean Casserole. It’s one of my favorites. No. It IS my favorite. My whole family loves it.

Next, I’ll share a wonderful and easy side dish: Simple Baked Beans. What a great way to round out a meal.


Did I say the Hearty Bean Casserole was my favorite? Because my other favorite is this The Simplest White Chicken Chili. Every bite is full of yum.

No shame, we like Simple Beanie Weanies at our house. From the little guys to the grown-ups, there’s something really delicious about beans and dogs. The fact that this meal can be on the table in 10 minutes is pretty rockin’ too.

If you’re looking for a SUPER FAST meal, make this Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip. Lunch will be on the table in five minutes flat.

You will love how flavorful this Simple Taco Rice Dinner is! It includes black beans and goes together quickly for a comforting meal any time.

Black Bean Salsa is so flavorful and good! It works as a meal or a snack and it goes together quickly.

Here are a few more bean recipes you’ll love and want to check out!

With all this talk about beans, I thought it would fun and a little bit silly to throw in a little discussion about buying vanilla beans to make homemade vanilla. Hey, it’s a bean recipe too, am I right?

The price of vanilla beans has gone up greatly the past few years, so is it still worth it to make homemade?

And also, let’s have a little talk about Green Beans. Here are Two Simple Tricks to Get Your Kids to Eat Green Beans.

So many great bean options!!!

How do you like your beans?

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Real Food Money Saving Tips

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Want some simple real food money-saving tips? Is it possible to eat healthy food and still stay on a budget? It’s like the best of both worlds! And it really is doable for everyone.

First, I should let you know that I found myself having this discussion with myself (tell me you do that too?). My self discussion sounded something like this:

  • Laura, why do you always feel the need to put the word “Simple” in front of everything?? “Simple Meals” “Simple Recipes” Simple Money Saving Ideas…”
  • Because it is…it’s all simple.
  • Well, I guess that’s simple enough.

And then one of my kids interrupted my self discussion and I moved on. This is probably a good thing.

But truly, I don’t do anything unless it’s simple. Life is hard enough. Why make food difficult?

With this in mind, we put gathered all of our best and simplest real food money-saving tips, and we put them into a new and fun little eBook. Obviously, we had to use the word “Simple” in the title. It’s all about switching to real food and it’s all about saving money – but all of the tips are SIMPLE.

You wouldn’t want it if it was difficult, am I right?!

  • “Buy complicated ingredients!”
  • “Shop at weird stores!”
  • “Stand on your head whilst straining the strange liquid thing into the never-before-heard-of dry thing.”

No. Not here. Not now. Not ever. {Sobs just a little bit thinking about it.}

Here’s the book we just completed, and would you look at that? The word “Simple” is right there in the title.

Notice that the word “Challenge” is also in the title. But don’t let that scare you. The challenges are our way of giving you simple (of course) goals to strive for throughout the book so that you are actually motivated to make some changes! Easy peasy.

We’re not ready to put this new book into our Shop yet, but we are ready to give it to you today for free!

See, here’s what we’re thinking: We kind of think everyone should invest in the Healthy Living Bundle because it’s cheaper than a doctor visit and gives you way more help and information than one doctor visit ever could give. (Not that this replaces your doctor, and blah, blah, all the other disclaimers, please go to the doctor as needed, you heard it here.)

We just really like the information we have learned and continue to learn from the bundle (read the specifics here if you don’t believe me) and want you to have all the information too. As a “thank you” for purchasing the Healthy Living Bundle through our links, we’ll give you this pretty new eBooklet for free!

Simple Real Food Money Saving Tips

What’s inside this book that’s worth reading? Well, I hate to give it away, but it probably talks about:

  • Why switching from fake margarine to real butter will actually save you money, even though butter costs more than margarine. Crazy, but true.
  • How adding spinach to many different recipes won’t even shock your family, but will add a lot of nourishment.
  • Leftovers. And how you should use them instead of waste them (thus wasting money). And how you can use them creatively even if your family doesn’t like leftovers.
  • The fun of actually cleaning out the pantry and freezer, making meals with food you already have before they go bad.
  • Packing food for road trips and outings so that you eat healthier and save money

Did I mention there are all kinds of wonderful links to inexpensive real food recipes throughout the book? We’ve got you covered.

How to get the Simple Real Food Money Saving Challenge eBook for free:

Purchase the Healthy Living Bundle through our links. Email me a copy of your receipt and I’ll thank you by emailing you this book. Easy and fun!

Or shall I say…simple. Yes, probably.

Be sure to email me after your purchase so I can send you this free book! Bundle sales close on Monday, September 9. This free book offer ends that day too!

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My Top 3 Small Kitchen Appliances That Save Hours of Time and Energy

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If my house started on fire, I would grab my family and my Blendtec and get out as fast as I could. Just kidding. I’m not that tied to material possessions. But I felt it was worth a post to share my top 3 small kitchen appliances I feel I can hardly live without.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that these gadgets save me hours of time and energy every week. As I’ve worked to simplify my real food kitchen, I have been amazed at how I’ve come to rely on 3 very important appliances.

Could I do without them? Well yes. Grandma survived all her many years of cooking for a large family without any one of the items I’m sharing with you today. But Grandma also didn’t have indoor plumbing for a good many years, and then welcomed it gladly when it became available. I’m pretty sure if she was raising her family now, she would very much enjoy the appliances I love having access to!

My Top 3 Small Kitchen Appliances

If you’ve been reading here long, you can probably guess my top three small kitchen appliances. Just for fun, I added two runners up in my “if I had to choose to keep only 3 small appliances, which ones would I keep?” contest. :)

1. Blendtec

Indeed. If I could only keep one appliance in my kitchen, it would be the Blendtec. I use this multiple times each week, and sometimes multiple times each day.

I mix batter in it, whip cream in it, make smoothies in it, whip mini cheesecake filling in it, the list goes on and on. From cakes to muffins to pancakes – the Blendtec takes away my need to stir and mix. Cream goes from liquid to perfectly whipped in less than 30 seconds. Recently I dumped in all the ingredients for these Mini Crustless Cheesecakes and had them in the oven within a grand total 5 minutes. Beautiful!

In so many ways, my Blendtec makes my cooking and baking effortless. It is extremely high powered, which is reflected in the price. A $25 blender gives only $25 of effort (and in my experience, lasts less than one year in my kitchen). The Blendtec, though much higher in price, comes with a warranty and is so high powered it turns frozen fruit into liquid in just seconds. Unbelievable!

I highly recommend saving up and investing in a Blendtec. Oh the time and energy you’ll save!

Recipes you’ll need for your Blendtec:

2. Instant Pot

I stubbornly refused to get an Instant Pot for several years after they became popular (silly me), and now I am one of the biggest advocates for them! This gem saves so much time and keeps us eating healthy too!

I love that it makes wholesome, rich beef or chicken broth with so little effort on my part. I LOVE that I can cook 7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat in it in just 30 minutes!! And I love the many meals and side dishes I can make in it within just a few minutes.

If you can swing it, get yourself an Instant Pot. I have the 8-quart variety for my large family. Here’s the 6-quart Instant Pot if that fits your needs more!

Recipes you’ll need for your Instant Pot:

Psst: I highly recommend that you bookmark our Instant Pot Recipes page for easy access as we continue to update it!

3. Crock Pot(s)

Yes indeed. I have two large crock pots and I often use them both at the same time. My favorite is this 8-Quart Programmable Crock Pot, but I also have this Basic 6-Quart Crock Pot, which works great too!

I’ve learned many tricks through the years that help me throw VERY quick meals into the crock pot so that later in the day, our meal has cooked itself. (See recipe links below.) What a great way to continue putting real, delicious food on the table on busy days!

Recipes you’ll need for your Crock Pot:

Top Small Kitchen Appliances, My 2 Runners Up

Just for fun, I thought it would be fun to add a couple others to my list of appliances I love and use often!

4. Nutrimill

Could I live without my Nutrimill? I guess. Does it save me time in the kitchen? Not really. But do I love having such a great appliance to help me grind fresh grain for our baked goods? Oh my goodness, YES!

I frequently grind hard and soft white wheat in my Nutrimill, which turns out the most delicious flour, which then turns out the most delicious breads, muffins, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and waffles. Now that I’m so used to baking with freshly ground flour, I’d have a hard time turning back. We’re pretty spoiled! ;)

Details about using flour ground in a Nutrimill:

5. Coffee Pot

Every morning I drink a cup of Javita Coffee. I LOVE its taste and qualities and find it to be well worth the daily investment for my health! But I also love a cup of brewed coffee in the afternoon. There’s just something about the smell of coffee brewing!

So I keep my basic coffee pot handy, which my big boys often enjoy along with me. :)

Recipes to go with your coffee:

I’d love to hear what your favorite small kitchen appliances are. Which ones do you feel you can’t live without?

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What I’m Focused on Now Instead of Saving Money at the Grocery Store (It’s not what you think.)

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How well I remember the years of being an extreme couponer. I would spend hours at home preparing to shop for the best deals, so that I could spend hours at the grocery store(s). Every week. My focus was on saving money – and for many a good reason.

Whether it was during lean financial years or during more comfortable financial years, I knew that a focus on saving money meant that I was being a good steward of what God gave us. I actually loved the hobby and challenge of seeing how much money I could save at the store. Yogurt for $0.09? Eggs for $0.20? How incredibly fun!

I remember thinking during those days that no matter what our financial situation became in life, I would always be a couponer and always spend the time finding all the best deals – because good stewards are good stewards whether they have $10 or $100,000, right?

Well. Yes. But also…

I’ve since learned that seasons change. Circumstances change. Priorities change. Needs change. Meanwhile, God stays the same, and He continues to lead and evolve our focus to become exactly what He needs it to be during each season.

My twenty-something self would be shocked to learn that my forty-something self hasn’t clipped a coupon in ages. (I have pulled them off of food products at the store and used them right then and there – score!) I have evolved from being a coupon clipper to a real food eater – so one might think that my desire for healthy eating has turned me away from clipping coupons and scouring for good food deals. But actually – my focus now goes far beyond both saving money and eating healthy.

God is teaching me more about loving people.

You would think this would be a no-brainer. Something that wouldn’t have to be taught. Love people. Easy peasy. Yes, some of it sure is. But what about the parts of loving others that involve dying to self and surrendering fully to the plans God has for us? This is hard and can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Couponing and deal finding and saving money can be fantastic – as long as it is done intentionally and for the greater purpose of loving people.

A focus on eating real, healthy food can also be fantastic – as long as it is done intentionally and for the greater purpose of loving people.

As God continues to teach me more about living through His Spirit, seeing people, and caring for people as He directs, I’ve found that I no longer want to or have time to use energy to find all the best deals or take pictures of all my groceries to share with you here.

I still very much care about eating nourishing, real food – but no longer is my desire based on earthly health.

Should I continue to eat nourishing, whole foods? Absolutely. Should I continue to be a good steward with my money? Absolutely. Especially as I see so many needs around me. I want to use money wisely so we have plenty to give.

But the ways I “save money” simply involve not frequenting coffee shops or restaurants, choosing Redbox instead of the theater, and shopping the clearance racks when we need clothes because yes, it is still really fun to find a good deal! And if I choose to spend a little more at the grocery store now – it is because I want/need to spend my time loving people instead of spending an hour trying to figure out how to save $3.00.

Being good stewards of our time and energy is just as important as being good stewards of our money.

We can become comfortable and stay put, or we can become comfortable and choose to get uncomfortable.

Gratefully, becoming uncomfortable with Christ is starting to actually become comfortable. We’re learning to settle into this new way of living – the kind that involves letting go of control and trusting God with each day as never before. The kind that involves letting go of plans we made and saying yes to the plans God has orchestrated that are better than we could have ever dreamed of.

And as it turns out, we’re finding that we’re saving money in other ways because as we spend more time loving people, there simply isn’t as much time to shop or pay attention to the latest and greatest gadgets and deals we were drawn to before. :)

So there you go. We’ll continue to save money in any way we can as long as it doesn’t take our focus away from what is truly important: Loving God; Loving People.

Then when we happen upon a good deal while doing our normal shopping, we’ll praise God for His provision and care. And we’ll do a little happy dance because shucks, scoring a great deal is still an awful lot of fun!

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