We were on our way home from Kansas City after a weekend event our boys had participated in.  The event had been awesome, our boys had done great, and we were all flying high.  Except for Asa (our 15 year old) and me.  It appeared that the two of us were coming down with the flu.  Our throats hurt, our chests burned, and we both began to get feverish.  Our eyes were red and achy.  Our heads pounded.

(Great story so far, eh?)

We were both a little bit hungry, although nothing really sounded good to eat.  We had packed food, but all of it seemed too difficult to eat.  Funny how the normally simple act of chewing takes so much energy when you’re sick.  All I could think of was, “I just want a smoothie.”  (Well, and “I just want my bed.” But out on the interstate, a few hours from home, that was not an option.)

Matt, bless his heart, was determined to find his feverish bride a smoothie.  We finally managed to find a place that had some decent options (without too many funky, sugary ingredients).  I chose a pineapple mango variety and aside from the fact that it was cold and made my chills just a little bit more miserable – I had never enjoyed a smoothie more.  It was so refreshing.  It was just what Asa and I needed.  We slept the rest of the way home.

Asa and I are all better now.  In fact, this all happened a couple of months ago.  But ever since, I’ve been craving a Pineapple Mango Smoothie.  I typically make my smoothies with berries – which we love.  But the refreshment that comes from pineapple, mango, and orange juice all blended up in a glass?  I knew I needed to recreate this treasure.

It’s not hard to make – you just need five simple ingredients.  Add a little maple syrup or stevia if it’s not sweet enough for you.  We think it’s sweet enough as is.  Coconut milk makes it taste great and offers a dairy free option if you need it.  We like it with plain, whole milk yogurt.  I think I may make these every single day this summer.

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

1 1/2 cups frozen mango chunks
1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup orange juice
2 cups plain yogurt or coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor together.  Blend until smooth.  Makes 4-6 servings.

What’s your favorite fruit smoothie combination?  For the record, I don’t recommend getting the flu before trying this.  It’s much more fun to eat when you can hold your head up off the pillow.

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The following is a guest post from Sara.  Consideration was received for the editing and publishing of this article.  I appreciate what she shares in regard to helping our kids learn to save money!

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In Proverbs 22:6, the Bible tells us very specifically to: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The Bible wants parents to teach their children the ways of the world – including how to make smart money choices. Teaching children to save and spend wisely is essential to raising healthy kids, as it leads to smarter financial choices when they’re older.

Responsibility Leads to Reward

Children can be earning what they receive. In the adult world, in order to collect money, you have to work hard for it. This reality is sometimes overlooked by parents, who simply want to provide their children with what they need and want. In order to prepare children for the future, make sure they understand they’ll also need to work hard for new items and money.

Set up a weekly allowance for your kids. Designate some chores to your child and let them know they’ll receive their allowance at the end of the week. Much like a job, your child will be required to do well, in order to receive their paycheck on payday.

Make Saving Fun

Children may want to run right to the candy store to spend their money, so it’s your job to remind them that saving their funds will result in more expensive items. The first step in creating a smart saver is to make saving a fun and creative experience. You may want to paint a piggy bank or old jar with your child. They can store their money here and watch as it fills to the top.

When children are saving for something specific, the process becomes a lot more fun. Ask your child what they really want, like a new computer or tablet. These items aren’t cheap and will require that your child saves for a long time. When their jar does become full, take them to purchase the item or to the bank to make a deposit into their account.

The bank is a fun place for children to learn about money. Bank tellers often keep small candies and suckers to give to children, making the trip rewarding. If this is your child’s first visit to the bank, don’t be afraid to ask the teller to introduce themselves and explain what they do. This is also a great time to explain how interest works and how money grows slowly in the bank, so it’s worth it to save for a long time.

The Big Payoff

Shopping is the big payoff, because it’s the time kids finally get to spend some of the cash they’ve been saving. Your child has worked hard, saved enough, and is finally ready to make a purchase. At this point, you can teach good shopping habits. Introduce children to the world of coupons. If it’s a new computer or electronic they want, search for Alienware coupons and other coupon deals at NerdWallet. They’ll begin to see how a single coupon can result in hundreds of dollars in savings.

Finally, when your child has scrimped and saved for an item, they’re more likely to take better care of it. This is your big payoff. You’ve been a really great parent by teaching your kids the value of a dollar. Now they’re being more respectful to their possessions. Plus, they’ll be ready to start saving for something else right away!

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We could have saved up for a cruise.  We could have taken our kids to a theme park.  And shucks, maybe we will do one or both someday.  But after the week we have experienced, I’m not sure anything could compare to the fun we’ve had, the memories we’ve made, and the blessings we’ve received.

Since last Wednesday, we have been hitting various places in the Denver area and in Colorado Springs, serving in various ministries as God opened doors for us.  We’re still not home, and therefore I’m not able to sit down and write out all of the details yet.

Yes, Malachi is wearing a vanilla wafer box (helmet?) on his head.  Who says serving isn’t tons of fun?!

We have learned so much, have met so many wonderful people, and have reacquainted with many that we haven’t seen in years.  We have had experiences we never could have had in our small town, seen sites and people that have made our hearts hurt, and been able to serve in ways that have brought us so much joy.

Beyond ministry opportunities, we were blessed to attend the wedding of one of the ladies on our YC soccer team.  On the walk from the ceremony to the reception, we turned around and saw two young ladies that we haven’t seen for way too long.  I admit it.  I cried.  We LOVE these girls. By the way:  The one in the purple dress?  I was her first grade teacher.  Yep, taught that girl to read, I did.  A few billion years later, she’s all grown up and I have four big kids.  Great times.

Okay, that’s all I have time to share right now!  I have loads of pictures, and thousands of words to share with you about this trip.  Details are coming in a few days.  I can’t thank God enough for this trip.  His goodness constantly amazes me.  How good it is to be a part of His family!

Share how God is working in your life on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for! Please read through the Gratituesday Guidelines so that you understand what kinds of posts you can link up to share here. Posts that are linked but do not fit our Gratituesday theme will be deleted.

If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday, please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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It just so happened that I was scheduled to host my 11 Bunco friends last week the day before leaving for our trip.   With lots to do before taking off, I decided I’d better keep refreshments super simple.  You know, because otherwise I would have done something really fancy and elaborate.  (Yeah, right.)

As I was putting out the spread, I thought all the colors looked so pretty.  And so, out came the camera.

Here’s what I made:

• Black Bean Salsa with corn chips
• Cream Cheese Fruit Dip with apple slices, strawberries, and pineapple
• Chocolate Chip Cookies made into mini muffins
• Water with lemon and lime slices

It was easy, fun, and yummy.  What are your favorite snack foods to serve at a get-together?

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Just like last week, I don’t have much of a menu plan to share with you this week.  Our family is having the most amazing time in Colorado – finding service opportunities, holding Meet and Greets, and catching up with friends we rarely get to see.  We’ve been taking lots of pictures, which I’ll be sure to share as soon as I can!

We’ve been blessed to cook many of our meals in our friends’ home where we are staying.  They eat a gluten free diet, so for the meals we’ve shared, I’ve done my best to make them GF.

Here are some of the meals we’ve enjoyed so far:

• Scrambled egg and cheese sandwiches with apple slices on our way to help with a food bank
• Lamb kabobs on the grill, stir fried veggies (carrots, broccoli, and asparagus), and fresh strawberries
• Brats on the grill with strawberry/pineapple/orange/mango smoothies
• Italian Pasta Bake made with Tinkyada rice pasta, tossed salad, green beans, watermelon
• Cereal (hey, we’re on vacation!)

What do we plan to eat this week?

We’re not entirely sure yet, as we plan to continue to be on the road for a few more days.  During each of the days we’re spending time serving with organizations, we’ve just done whatever has been easiest and best for the people we’re working with.  Plus, we’re doing all we can to make home-cooked meals as simple as possible for our host family.  The more we can cook with or for them, the better!  They are, after all, housing six additional people for over a week.  :)

What has been really nice is the availability of awesome grocery stores in these parts!  Really, I try not to be jealous.  But how cool (read: unfair, boo, wah) is it that when we punched “Whole Foods” into our GPS to grab some food for the grill, something like TEN stores came up within just a few miles of our friends’ house!  But really, we’re just so very happy for those of you who can drive five minutes and have access to such great stores.  Really.  I’m happy for you.  Totally.  :)

Later in the week, once we get home, our menu will likely consist of lots of salads, grilled meats, steamed veggies, Chicken Patty Sandwiches, and Calzones that are already made and in the freezer…and I’m really hungry for Whole Wheat Waffles with strawberries.

Here are my menu plan archives if you need more healthy menu inspiration.  Meanwhile, I will be munching on fresh organic blueberries and cherries from Whole Foods.  With each yummy bite, I will continue to be happy for my friends here and for all of you that you have such great stores in your backyard.  ;)

How close is the closest Whole Foods store to your house?  Me?  I have to drive two hours.  Oh, but we’re getting one in Lincoln later this year, so that will make it only about an hour away – yay!

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Here are the winners of the Omaha Adventure Coupon Books:

1) Karen @ Crafty Commons: craftycommons@
2) Lyndsay: corbysmom99@
3) Natasha: Taslerfamily@
4) Sarah: mrandmrsanderson@
5) Jennifer: gardencottagessl@

Ladies, email me with your full name and address, and I’ll forward your information on for your prizes!

Local(ish) readers, remember that starting this weekend, you can get a discount coupon book from Omaha Adventure!

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Just in case you’ve never tried this before.  Just in case you hadn’t thought of this idea.  Just in case you want a breakfast or snack that will make you pass out cold on the floor because it is so delicious.

I thought you should know that the Giant Breakfast Cookie recipe made with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips are really, really wonderful.  I used about a half cup of each (instead of raisins or chocolate chips) when mixing up the dough.  I almost sort of felt guilty eating these and serving them for breakfast.  But then I got over it and helped myself to a second one.

Yum.

Where do I get white chocolate chips?  I found some at Vitacost that aren’t necessarily as good for you as green beans, but aren’t as horrible as those that have hydrogenated oils.  We won’t eat these every day for breakfast, but when we do, I will enjoy myself very much.

What other tasty combinations have you figured out to add to the Giant Breakfast Cookie recipe?

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The winner of the Wai Lana Snacks giveaway is:

1) Erin: erinkhitt@

Erin, email me with your full name and address and I’ll forward your info on for your prize.

Be sure to look for Wai Lana snacks online and at Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, and TJ Maxx!

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It really pays to listen to your friends.  (Not all of them though, because if they’re encouraging you to do things that aren’t good for you, maybe you should consider getting new friends.)

Well where did that piece of parenting advice come from?

Anyway, I happen to have good friends, so I feel that it is okay to listen to them.  It just so happens that I had two friends in one week tell me that I was missing out by not adding sweet potatoes to my menus more often.  When the first friend said it, I kind of nodded and smiled.  But when a second friend mentioned it a few days later, I sort of wondered if God was trying to tell me something.

Okay, I’m pretty sure He is working in bigger ways in my life than sweet potato consumption encouragement.  But still.  I figured there might be something to this sweet potato thing since it came up twice in one week with two different people at two separate times.  (Am I making too much of this?  I mean, should I just get around to sharing the recipe already?)

Why have I not been eating or feeding my family sweet potatoes very often, as in, pretty much never?  It’s very simple really.  As a child, the only way I had been served sweet potatoes was in a casserole with brown sugar and marshmallows at Thanksgiving and I didn’t like it one bit.  If I’m going to eat something sweet, I want it to be a dessert – not as a side dish with my turkey.  But that’s just me.  I’m the one who needs chocolate with my sugar.  What can I say?

But, per my friends’ suggestions, I decided to try making sweet potato fries.  They looked and smelled great.  I ate one.  Hmmm, it was okay, I guess.  But I kept thinking about marshmallows, and couldn’t get past it.

By the way, I don’t like marshmallows.

But I’m a big girl, and all grown up, so I made myself eat a second sweet potato fry.  And then a third.  Oh wait.  They suddenly began to taste good to me.  Then, before I knew it, I had to tell myself to stop eating the sweet potato fries and save some for my family.  (I didn’t feel bad though, because usually it’s the other way around and I’m the one asking my family to save me some food before they inhale all of it.)

So it turns out that while I think my friends may have helped me become an addict in this regard, it does pay to give in to sweet potato peer pressure.

How to Make Sweet Potato Fries:

Scrub and cut sweet potatoes into wedges or fries – as thin as you like.  Toss them in olive oil or coconut oil (about 1 Tablespoon per sweet potato).  Place them in a single layer on a baking pan.  Sprinkle on sea salt and bake in a 400° oven for 30-40 minutes.

or

Deep fry the cut sweet potatoes in a fryer (we have this one, which works great) for 3-4 minutes, remove, salt, and eat.

What is your relationship with sweet potatoes?  How do you like them cooked?  And while it’s completely irrelevant, I am curious.  Do you like marshmallows?

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The Meet and Greets we’ve held so far have been so much fun.  I am excited about having the opportunity to meet  more of you – this time in Colorado.   Below, I’ve listed the details of our upcoming two Meet and Greet events. Can you come?!??! :)

Denver, CO:  Saturday, May 18 at 10:00 am

We will meet at Purple Door Coffee, located at 2962 Welton Street in Denver.  Get more info here.  I am excited to meet at this location as it is a mission we are eager to support:

“Purple Door Coffee is committed to creating a loving, Jesus centered community where every single individual is valued.”  Read more about their mission here.

Colorado Springs, CO:  Sunday, May 19 at 3:00 pm

We will meet at Panera Bread, located at 3120 New Center Point, Colorado Springs, CO 80922.

With each of these Meet and Greet events, you are welcome to bring your kids if you like. Please do bring along your friends too!  We will have my Oh, For Real books along with us to save you shipping if you’re interested in getting one. But there won’t be a sales pitch. We just want to have time to visit with you.

Hope to see many of you this weekend!

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