Heavenly Homemakers

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Simple Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin or Roast (Crock Pot Recipe)

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Here we are with another super fast meal for summertime! This Simple Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin will wow everyone!

Yum

There’s something about the combination of flavors poured over this pork tenderloin (or pork roast) that makes it so very good. It slow cooks all day, so that makes the meat extra juicy and the flavor extra amazing. Simply put a Pork Tenderloin in your crockpot (these are inexpensive, by the way!), stir together a few ingredients to pour over the top of the meat, turn on your crockpot, and walk away!

What’s great about a meal like this is that well, a Pork Tenderloin or Pork Roast just feels like a special meal. You can serve it with:

  • a salad
  • a steamed veggie
  • and some fresh fruit

and your meal will be amazing!! But you will have worked very little to pull it off.

Meals like this are my favorite. Or have you figured that out about me by now? :)

Tip for choosing a cut of pork:

  • Check for meat mark-downs! Our local grocery store often has a high quality brand of pork marked down when it’s getting close to the “freeze-by” date. When I see these, I grab them! They are usually between $2-3/pound at this point, making for some very affordable and delicious meat options for our freezer!
  • Pork Tenderloin, Pork Butt (he-he-he, Pork Butt…I’m in middle school), and Pork Roast are my favorites. They turn out tender and juicy every time with this recipe!

Simple Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin or Roast (Crock Pot Recipe)

Simple Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin (Crock Pot Recipe)
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds Pork tenderloin
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
  1. Place the pork tenderloin in the crock pot.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
  3. Pour the mixture over the pork tenderloin.
  4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until pork is tender and falling apart.

I hope the recent meal ideas I’ve shared recently have been helpful to you this summer as you figure out what to feed your family when it’s too hot to care about cooking. I’ll keep the recipes coming!

What I’ve shared so far:

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5-Minute Crock Pot Chicken

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Can you really make 5-Minute Crock Pot Chicken in only 5 minutes? Try it and see! Maybe you can make it in only 4 minutes? :)

Meals like this are my very favorite:

  1. Throw chicken in a crockpot.
  2. Dump something on top of the chicken.
  3. Turn on the crockpot and come back at dinner time.

Add a simple vegetable, a salad, some fruit, and your meal is complete. It’s so easy and delicious and perfect for summertime right?

That’s why I’m going to share several days worth of 5-Minute recipes in the coming days! I’m always looking for quick meals in the summertime that don’t heat up the house. As much as I love to cook, I don’t enjoy it as much in the summer. So if we can have meals that both:

  • Take very little prep time and
  • Don’t heat up the house

We love it, right?!

Right.

So subscribe if you haven’t already so that you don’t miss any of these 5-Minute recipes!!! And now for our first one:

5-Minute Crock Pot ChickenYum

5-Minute Crock Pot Chicken
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 4-6 boneless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 2 cups Italian dressing
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Place chicken pieces in a crock pot.
  2. Pour Italian dressing over the chicken.
  3. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
  4. Cook on low for 8 hours.

I try to keep Homemade Italian Salad Dressing on hand if I can, which works great in this recipe! But any Italian dressing will work. So open a bottle and pour it on!

More 5-Minute Recipes coming. Stand by!

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Best Leftover Mashed Potatoes You’ve Ever Had In Your Life

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Is it true? Are these really the best leftover mashed potatoes? Tasha says so, and after reading this, I agree!

Best Leftover Mashed Potatoes You’ve Ever Had In Your Life

By Tasha Hackett

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The best leftover mashed potatoes. Okay! Sure. But the best? Lofty claims. I stand by my statement though. If you make the best mashed potatoes to begin with, which I do, reheating them is a breeze. Let me share my secrets with you. And yes. I know. Laura already told you six years ago. But dude, I’ve birthed three kids since then, it’s likely you could use a refresher as well.

Make leftovers on purpose.Yum

Yep! That’s my not so secret master plan to feed the people. I shared some stories on my Instagram about how food was really hard that day. I was sitting in the kitchen at 12:04 eating a homemade chocolate bar and the kids were running amok. There was no food. My kitchen was full of ingredients, but where was lunch?! This only happened because I lost my meal plan. True story. I wrote it all down on a scrap of paper. I went shopping for the ingredients. And then I lost the paper that was supposed to tell me what to do with those ingredients. (If only Laura had provided us really cute printout meal planning guides. Oh wait. She did!)

What’s the point? Yeah. The point is I had a pan of mashed potatoes in the fridge. I reheated it with a handful of cheese tossed on top. Opened a can of green beans and stirred in some bacon grease. Of course I gave them a handful of nuts for a smidge of protein and then I told them to eat and be thankful because Mom didn’t know what else to feed them.

mashed potatoes

You’re welcome, kids. Eat your leftover mashed potatoes.

Meh. It happens. Ain’t nobody going to starve today. Honestly, I shared because I felt the need to confess my homemaking woes. Like… Laura seriously makes food simple for us: Make a simple meal plan. Feed the people. I’m still the silly one who’s standing in the kitchen at 12:04 wondering what in the blazes I’m supposed to feed the people. Good, now that we have that confession out of the way. I will share with you the wisdom of leftover mashed potatoes.

First, make mashed potatoes. A lot of them. So many that your family can’t eat them all in one, two, three, four, or even five meals. Please tell me you’re following this train of thought, right? Make all the mashed potatoes. Do this when you have some spare time. On purpose. Your future self thanks you. Laura makes mashed potatoes like this. Easy peasy. If you want to do them the old fashioned way, peeling and chopping and boiling, just do yourself a favor and remember that you don’t need to chop them small! Big ol’ chunks of potatoes cook just as well when you are doing this well in advance of when you want to eat these.

mashed potatoes

You’ve a mountain of mashed potatoes. Now what?

Store them in baking pans. 9X13, 8X8, pie pans… anything that you can put in the oven for later. Sorry, back up–When you make your mashed potatoes, please, please, please add in all the butter, salt, and pepper. A touch of garlic is my standard and if you’re not on a dairy-free diet, be sure to add in cream cheese, and/or parmesan. Season them well, butter them well. Okay. Moving on. Your potatoes are cooked, seasoned, buttered, cheesed, and mashed. NOW separate them into meal sized portions in your extra baking dishes. You do have a plethora of extra dishes you’ve picked up at yard sales, right?

pan of mashed potatoes

Cover and freeze these leftover potatoes.

When you pull out the chicken to thaw for dinner, set out the pan of mashed potatoes. When you put the chicken in the oven, slide the potatoes in next to it. Boom. Done. Don’t ever serve cold mashed potatoes to your family again because you failed at getting everything on the table at the same time. Some people claim reheating these from the freezer makes them watery. I’ve never had this problem—perhaps because of the extra butter, cream cheese, and garlic powder… Either way. My preseasoned, prebuttered mashed potatoes from the freezer are a crowd favorite.

Is this clear to everyone? Yea? If you like to live on the edge like me, you will add more butter to the top of your pan of leftover mashed potatoes before you reheat it.

Please don’t ask me complicated questions like, “What temperature do you set the oven?” or “How long do they need to bake?” Girl… I put it in the oven and I cook it until it’s hot. (Sometimes I even put it in the microwave, don’t tell Laura, when it’s 12:04 and the people are hungry yesterday.) Count on at least half an hour if the pan is from the fridge, at least 45 min to an hour or more if it’s from the freezer. The size of your pan will make a difference. Stir it every 15 minutes if you want it to heat faster.

This works well if you’re serving it with something else that needs to go into the oven, like simple broccoli and bacon chicken. I would be sure to put it in the oven right away, don’t bother waiting for the preheat.

It’s not a 7 or 10 minute meal (unless you use the microwave) but it IS simple and doesn’t leave a mess and it’s GREAT for holidays or events and for Laura’s put-it-in-the-oven-leave-the-house-come-back-later trick.

Tell me. What’s in your potatoes?

What do we want? Mashed Potatoes!!!  When do we want it? Yesterday!!! Good job. Now you have a freezer well-stocked with yummy leftovers and you can have comfort food from scratch without the mess in your kitchen.

Tasha HackettTasha Hackett, friend of Laura and author of Bluebird on the Prairie, spends most of her time with four chatty children that she homeschools and her incredibly supportive husband. They give her the kind of love people write books about. Connect with her on Instagram @hackettacademy and learn more about her historical romance novel at www.TashaHackett.com. Sometimes, Tasha and Laura even catch a glimpse of each other across the soccer fields while they try to keep their toddlers from blowing away in the Nebraska wind.

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Simple Spaghetti Squash for Delightful Sapiens

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This is a regular (albeit amazing) spaghetti squash recipe. It’s intended for all people, mankind, and sapiens. However, WordPress informs me that titles with uncommon words perform better. Sapiens fits the bill. Ha!

Simple Paleo Spaghetti

I’ve been eating a paleo diet for over three months! Simple meals are slowly making their way back into my life. I spent the first month floundering and relearning how to use my kitchen. The second month I discovered all the “junk” food I could make with honey and maple syrup and and ate an insane amount of homemade chocolate. But I’m rocking this new diet now. My crowd-pleasing, feed-the-people meal is either a ginormous salad with Almond-Orange Dressing or spaghetti squash. (Or both.)

The spaghetti squash topic has already been covered by Laura. 

spaghetti squash

Yum

If you search on this sight you will find multiple spaghetti squash posts. Like how to cook it in an instant pot. (Highlights: Gut it. 5 minutes. Or leave whole and 20 minutes.) But, I had more information to share. I’ll see your spaghetti squash and I’ll raise you sausage. At first I was afraid this idea was too simple to even bother sharing, but after our great dinner last night with friends, they encouraged me to please share. Mostly because she wanted the “recipe.” 

Make it now. Eat it later. It’s a no-fuss dinner. 

Here’s how it went down. One morning I remembered I had a meeting scheduled at my house the next day. This meeting would last until suppertime. Therefore, I wanted to make something I could pop in the oven at four o’clock and then feed the delightful sapiens at five o’clock. No prep. No mess. 

While I was overseeing third-grade math and language arts I baked two spaghetti squash in the oven (In short, slice in half, gut, bake “bowl-down” at 350* for 40-50 minutes. Or use the instant pot. Or bake whole and gut later). I chopped romaine leaves and other vegetables for a nice salad and put it all-together in a bowl in the fridge to be served with the amazing Almond Orange Paleo Dressing. Next, I cooked two pounds of pork sausage. 

When the squash was thoroughly cooked, I pulled it from its shells with a fork. This next part is where it gets exciting. THEN I mixed it with the sausage and a can of pasta sauce and spread it all into a 9X13 pan. Done. Mostly. 

A pre-made simple meal!

The next day, I simply popped the pan into the oven and re-heated it at 350° for an hour. At five o’clock the smell filled the dining room and I remembered I had completely forgotten to extend the invitation to dinner to our friends. “Oh, hey. You guys wanna stay and eat with us? Dinner’s already in the oven. We’re having squash and salad and stuff.” Haha. Who could turn down an invitation like that? They stayed. A good time was had by all indeed. Especially by my four-year-old, who cleaned his plate and spent the majority of the meal explaining, in detail to fresh ears, everything he knew about dinosaurs. 

looking at books

Simple meal prep is the best kept secret for the ease of serving other sapiens.

I want to be able to host and feed the people at a moment’s notice. When I first switched to paleo, I wasn’t able to do this. How could I bless others when I was following detailed recipes that included ingredients I wasn’t used to and only had enough on hand for four servings? After weeks of learning new skills, I’ve been able to put Laura’s good advice to work with my new diet requirements. I have pre-formed Salisbury steak (fancy burgers) in the freezer. I have riced cauliflower and shrimp on hand for quick and fun stir-fry. My fridge is usually full-to-bursting with fresh vegetables for snacks and salads because that’s fast food around here. Homemade chocolates, almond flour muffins, and green smoothies are a new staple. Whatever your diet needs, there are ways to make it simpler. I’m sure of it! 

Premade Spaghetti Squash Dinner
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • Two Spaghetti Squash
  • Two Pounds Pork Sausage (or regular ground beef or pork)
  • 24 ounces of pasta sauce of your choosing
  • If using a plain pasta sauce, add salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasonings to taste.
Instructions
  1. Slice the squash down the middle to make two bowls and discard the seeds with a spoon.
  2. Oil the cut rings and place bowl-down on a pan with edges. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.
  3. To check for doneness, a knife should easily slide into the squash.
  4. Brown the sausage in a skillet, pour off the extra grease if desired.
  5. Mix the squash, sausage, and sauce together. Add any extra seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, etc.)
  6. Serve immediately, or spread in a 9x13 and refrigerate up to three days.
  7. To reheat, put the cold pan in the the oven and then set to 350 for an hour.

Have you ever given spaghetti squash a chance? 

I double-dog dare you to make it for dinner this week. Only mix in some great sausage and pasta sauce and voilá: Simple dinner for the masses. Just to be clear: viola is a musical instrument (played by skilled sapiens). Because I already knew that, I did not *ahem* need to search the web for the proper spelling of the French term “to suggest an appearance as if by magic.” Ya learn something new every day!

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

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Heavenly Homemakers’ Reader Favorite Recipes (The Best of the Best!)

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Today we’ve got a list of our most well loved recipes!

We’ve been sharing recipes here on Heavenly Homemakers now for over a decade. During that time, we’ve created hundreds of recipes for you to share with your family! Some of you have been reading Heavenly Homemakers since the very beginning, and have incorporated these recipes into your family’s meal plan for the past decade.

Readers are often messaging me, sharing their very favorite recipes that they have made and loved for years! I love this, because it reminds me of recipes I haven’t made myself for quite some time!

Recently we asked our Heavenly Homemakers’ community on Facebook (if you aren’t following us, join the fun here!) what their absolute favorite recipe was from our website. We asked them, what was one recipe that they return to again and again. A recipe that have become a family favorite over the years.

We received so many responses that we decided to share that list with you today! We have SO many fun recipes on our site, but we thought you would enjoy a hand-picked list from other readers.

Top 15 Reader Favorite Recipes

1. Spicy Chicken Pizza

Yum

Says reader Kim: “I made the Spicy Chicken Pizza today and EVERYONE loved it!! Definitely going to be made often in our home!”

2. Chocolate Pudding

Homemade sweet chocolate mouse in the glass,selective focus

Reader Christine wrote: “Chocolate pudding!!! I use it for my pies every holiday season and they always, always get rave reviews. And it isn’t so unhealthy either!”

3. Peanut Butter Cups

Says reader Kim: “The peanut butter cups! Such a healthy, delicious treat”

4. Ranch Dressing

This recipe was mentioned over and over again by readers!

5. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Erin said: “Most used (almost weekly for years) would be chocolate chip pumpkin muffins.”

6. Taco Seasoning

Lisa wrote: “Taco seasoning, yes! Fine recipe, but I love to reread it because all the shaking makes me laugh.”

7. Alfredo Sauce

Kristin wrote: “Alfredo…my kids would eat it every week if I made it.”

8. Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Shannon wrote: “Raspberry granola bars. It was the first recipe I made from you and what made me start following your blog. We are still making them 5 years later (round about).”

9. Creamy Cheesy Chicken Pasta

Rebekah wrote: “I have so many how do I pick. Creamy cheesy chicken pasta, stir and pour bread, breakfast casserole, strawberry fluff stuff. Do you See my problem.”

10. Coconut Flour Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Jackie wrote: “I make the cheddar drop biscuits all the time.”

11. Creamy Chicken and Rice

Teresa had a few favorites: “Italian dressing mix (I use it on so many things) and creamy chicken and rice!”

12. Giant Breakfast Cookies

This recipe was brought up again and again! Stephanie said: “Most used for us… giant breakfast cookies, raspberry oatmeal bars, and several of the muffin varieties. Thank you!!”

13. Sloppy Joes

Several readers mentioned that they make this Sloppy Joe recipe over and over!

14. Warm Vanilla Soother

Perfect for this time of year, reader Tara put her vote in for this comforting drink!

15. Tortillas

Several readers said they loved the tortilla recipe! You can find that recipe in the Totally Tortillas eBook! Gain access to this eBook, and countless others, by joining our Club Membership!

Honorable Mentions

Here is a list of the most well-loved recipes on Heavenly Homemakers!

Several other recipes didn’t make the top fifteen list, but were reader faves all the same! Here are a few more recipes that readers have tried and loved.

Now the only question is, which one are you going to try first?!

Your turn to share! What is your absolute favorite recipe you’ve found on Heavenly Homemakers? Share in the comments!

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P.S. This week only, be sure not to miss the 2022 Home Management Bundle —> Head here to get this at 97% off. OR, read here first to see why I think it’s worth it. :)

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How to Make Chicken Wings

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Here’s how to make chicken wings at home. You’ll wonder why you never tried this before!

Truly, this is as easy as the “Just Dump Some Sauce on Some Chicken” idea I shared a while ago. I’ll share a recipe below, but if you don’t even want to read that far let me just give you the simple instructions now:

How to Make Chicken WingsYum

  1. Put chicken wings in a crock pot. Who cares if they are still frozen?
  2. Dump on some sauce. Use whatever sauce you have. The final plops of three different bottles will work just fine.
  3. Cook this on low for a few hours.
  4. Eat the chicken as it falls off the bones.
  5. Smile and wipe yo mouth.

Chicken wings seem to be something we only order at restaurants. They seem like one of those hard-to-make special foods when in fact, all you have to do is dump some sauce on some chicken and let your crock pot do the rest.

I love fun food like this. {Sheds a tear.}

Oh, and if you serve your Chicken Wings with some Homemade Sweet Potato Fries, you will make your family feel like they’ve gone to a restaurant when in fact you’ve all stayed home and spent a total of $5.78 to feed your entire family.

Other great side dishes to serve with your Chicken Wings

How to Make Chicken Wings

How to Make Chicken Wings
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-8
Ingredients
  • 2-5 pounds of chicken wings
  • 8-16 ounces of sauce (barbecue, teriyaki, sweet and sour, anything you like!)
Instructions
  1. Put chicken and sauce in a crock pot.
  2. Cook on low heat for 6 hours or until chicken is falling off the bone.

I wish I could give more specific instructions but truly there are no perfect measurements for such a simple recipe idea. Just put your chicken in your crock pot. Cover it with sauce. Let your crock pot do the rest. You’re going to love this!

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10 Fun Ideas to Try This Year

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It’s too easy to put off trying fun new ideas! So I’ve made it easy for you. I made you a list. Which of these have you already tried? Which have you thought about trying but still haven’t? Now’s the time!! These are all so much fun!

10 Fun Ideas to Try This Year

1. Make Homemade Vanilla. I hear from many of you that you have thought about it many times but still haven’t tried this fun idea. Maybe now’s the time!! Here’s the “old fashioned way” to make vanilla. Here’s how to make Vanilla Extract in your Instant Pot. You’re going to love this!

2. Drink a Green Smoothie. It’s the best way to eat lots of greens every day. Just do it!! (Or eat a salad, whichever you prefer!)

3. Make Frozen Muffin Batter. This idea is so fun and practical that if you haven’t tried it yet, you simply must. Freeze your muffin batter. Pull out batter balls and easily bake fresh muffins with no effort!

4. Make a High Five Recipe. Scroll through these recipes that only call for 5 or fewer ingredients. These are so easy and good!! Make one or two of them. And if you love them (which you will, of course) go get our lovely printed High Five Recipes Cookbook!

5. Make a Five Minute Recipe. Most of these recipes call for very few ingredients also! Most of them take just a few minutes to prepare. Yet they are all made with real, healthy ingredients! Pick one to make soon. They are so good and easy! Here’s our Simple Real Food Recipes Cookbook filled with recipes that are ridiculously easy to make.

6. Make mashed Potatoes in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot. I’d stopped making mashed potatoes because they felt too messy and hard. Then I learned how to make them in the Crock Pot. Then I learned to make them in my Instant Pot. Life-changing!!

7. Make Stir and Pour Bread. Have you been thinking about trying this but still haven’t taken the time (haha, this hardly takes any time!!)? Go get the recipe and make your family some bread! You will all be amazed at the goodness!

8. Read your Bible regularly. It’s easier and way more amazing than you think. Here’s how.

9. Make one simple, healthy change in your kitchen. It’s as easy as switching from margarine to butter. Truly, there are so many healthy changes that won’t rock your world one bit!

10. Make Coffee Ice Cubes. This is simply too much fun not to try! People are amazed when they find these in my freezer. What a fun way to enjoy iced coffee at home!

Which one of these ideas will you try first?

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More Healthy Food Convenience Foods

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

Healthy Food Convenience Foods

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

1. Mini Sweet Peppers

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

packaged convenience 1

2. Fresh Berries

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

packaged convenience 2

3. Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

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

packaged convenience 3
 4. Baby Carrots

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

packaged convenience 4

5. Mixed Greens

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

packaged convenience 7

6. Pickles

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

packaged convenience 6

 7. Cheese Sticks

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

packaged convenience 5

8. Larabars

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

packaged convenience 8

9. Fruit Leather

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

packaged convenience 9

10. Raisins

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

packaged convenience 10

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

Here are my favorite newly discovered convenient health foods!

11. Carrot Chips

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

12. Mr. Dells Hashbrowns

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

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

13. Sliced olives

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

14. Sliced Mushrooms

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

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

What are your favorite healthy convenience foods?

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Simple Homemade Pizza

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Pizza might be one of my favorite meals, so of course, we need to have Simple Homemade Pizza recipe options!

Confession: I order pizza more often than I used to now that we have little ones again. Ok, that’s not really a confession, it’s just truth, but I don’t actually feel that it needs to be confessed. As if ordering pizza is evil??

Sure, I don’t make every single thing from scratch anymore. Sure, not everything we eat is top-notch anymore. We still strive to eat nourishing foods so we can stay healthy. How else are we going to keep up with this tribe?! But God’s strength is bigger than ours, and that’s the real way we’re thriving through this journey.

So. I order pizza sometimes. Guilt-free. I praise God for this option on busy days I have to be at court hearings or team meetings while juggling littles and bigs.

Also, we eat it on paper plates. This is a beautiful thing.

Well anyway, pizza. The homemade kind. It truly tastes better, and we have fun building it to our liking. Here are my top three homemade pizza methods, from easiest to hardest. But the hardest way isn’t really hard, because do you even know me at all?

How to make simple homemade pizzaYum

  1. Buy pre-made crusts. Keep them in your freezer. Add toppings and bake. SO EASY. Plus cheaper and better tasting than ordering pizza.
  2. Make crust from Stir and Pour Bread recipe. Flour your hands and press it onto a pan. Add toppings and bake. VERY EASY.
  3. Make Whole Wheat Pizza Crust, because it is the most delicious. Make crusts ahead and freeze them if you’re as ambitious as I used to be and may be again sometime. Add toppings and bake. STILL EASY.

Here are the crust recipes for you!

Stir-and-Pour Pizza Crust

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Simple Homemade Pizza
 
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Serves: 2 large pizzas
Ingredients
  • 4 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
  • 2 teaspoons active rise yeast
  • 2 Tablespoons sucanat or sugar or honey
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups warm water
Instructions
  1. Stir all ingredients together.
  2. Cover and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.
  3. Spread dough on two *well-buttered* large pizza pans (three if you want a thinner crust)
  4. Bake in a 375° oven for 10 minutes.
  5. Pull partially baked crust out of the oven and top it however you like.
  6. Bake for 10-15 minutes more or until cheese has melted and becomes bubbly.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

5.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Homemade Pizza
 
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Serves: 2 large pizzas
Ingredients
  • 5 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground flour from hard white wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4½ teaspoons active dry yeast (or 2 pouches)
  • 2 cups warm water (The water should feel warm, but not hot.)
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together, knead for 3-4 minutes, then allow the dough to “rest” for about 10 minutes (give or take).
  2. This dough makes 2 large pizzas, or 18 mini pizzas.
  3. Shape dough into desired pizza sizes and place on baking sheets.
  4. Bake in a 375° oven for 5-7 minutes.
  5. Remove crusts from oven, allow them to cool, then freeze in freezer bags.
  6. Or, top hot pizza crusts with desired pizza toppings.
  7. When you're ready, bake the pizzas at 375° for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.

What’s your favorite kind of pizza?

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Simple Spicy Chicken Burgers

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Gather five basic ingredients, and you can make these delicious and unique Simple Spicy Chicken Burgers!

You might recognize part of this recipe if you’ve ever made our Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick. This proves, once again, how easy it is to take one recipe and tweak it to make it into something new! This saves brainpower, while still giving us lots of fun recipes to enjoy with our family!

Oh hey, speaking of spicy burgers, remember that one time I ordered a bottle of Cholula online? It went a little something like this:

My family was running low on hot sauce, and I like to keep it on hand because all of our older boys love it. In true Laura style, I ordered it from Amazon because if I can possibly have something sent directly to my porch to save myself from overflowing my grocery cart at the store, I will absolutely have the item sent to my porch.

Also in true Laura style, I wasn’t thorough when reading the description of the bottle of Cholula that I put into my Amazon cart. It looked like a biggish bottle, and that sounded good to me because we have a biggish family full of biggish eaters. I thought nothing more about my Cholula until I pulled it out of the box a few days later.

And wow. Well, we didn’t know they made Cholula bottles that large!

Laura had ordered a 64-ounce bottle of Cholula, which is the same as a half-gallon, thankyouverymuch. Picture a 2-liter of soda and you’ve got our Cholula bottle. We shall not run out of Cholula any time soon, or so it seems. But then again, we REALLY like these Spicy Chicken Burgers so we may go through the bottle faster than we think.

I appreciate that this is a recipe that allows me to mix up the ingredients quickly in the morning, shape the burgers for later, refrigerate, then pull them out at dinnertime to quickly grill and eat. Read this post for more ideas about getting ahead and making dinner early in the day!

It’s also fun to note that ground chicken costs less than ground beef. So this recipe will save you money!

Beyond that, our family finds it fun to have yet another variety of burgers to grill in the summertime. These have a great, unique flavor that isn’t too spicy, but is super tasty!

Simple Spicy Chicken BurgersYum

Simple Spicy Chicken Burgers
 
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds ground chicken
  • 1½ teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2-4 Tablespoons hot sauce (I use Cholula)
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
  2. Shape into 8 patties.
  3. Cook patties on a grill or in a skillet on the stovetop until the meat is golden brown and cooked through and through.
  4. Serve on buns with sliced cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, or any of your favorite burger toppings! Ranch dressing is a tasty topping with these burgers!

If you’re grilling these, you’ll find that you need to leave them alone for quite some time before you flip them. They don’t hold together as well as beef burgers. Allow them to cook slowly on the grill until they have solidified somewhat, then they’ll turn easily!

Have you ever tried grilling a chicken burger? Give these a try – hope you love them as much as we do!

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