Go bunless or go home. Wait. That’s just weird. Yes, that’s my weird way of saying that with this Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Roll there is no bun needed.
Would you look at that bacon-wrapped meat, just waiting to be put into the oven to make everyone come and ask you forty times when dinner will be ready? This is the worst and the best thing about this recipe. All the smells. And the waiting. Because of the bacon and the cheese and the spices and the meat – everyone will be so eager to eat this delicious-smelling dish. It’s the best! And the worst. Life is very hard because of the good smells and the waiting.
Note how simple this is to make. It is also worth a big mention that this can be made ahead of time (up to two days), then slid into the oven in time to bake for dinner (and to frustrate all the people with the smells).
First, lay your bacon in a pan.
Then press your hamburger meat over the top and sprinkle on everything that makes it smell better and taste better.
Next, sprinkle on the shredded cheese.
Then roll it up. Do you see how easy this is?
You will bake this and smell this and try to be nice while you have to smell it but still wait eat it. We pray for strength to make it through these hard times.
Then slice it and try to remember to throw out some form of fruit and vegetable because really? We’ve forgotten this nutritional need because today we’re all just in it for the bacon and the smells.
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Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site
Let’s make a long story short, shall we? When you put the words “bacon” and “cheeseburger” in the same title, everyone gets excited. When you add the word “simple” to its name, you know everyone wins. So without even seeing the recipe, you can bet that Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole needs to hit your table very soon!
Save yourself some effort and make two or three of these at once. Bake one for your dinner, then freeze the others (unbaked) to use another time. Then you’ve got “simple,” “bacon,” “cheeseburger,” and “freezer friendly” all in the same sentence. All the busy mothers everywhere cried with joy over this news.
Simple and Effective Eye Makeup Remover (One All-Natural Ingredient You Probably Already Own)
I’m not fancy (like Iggy Azalea). I’m more or less rockin’ the same basic makeup routine that I started in my teenage years. The shade of eye shadow has varied (happily stuck on a slightly shimmery taupe these days), the mascara has remained steady (black-brown for the win with pale-faces like me), and the light taupe eyebrow pencil is a must to fill in my nearly-invisible blonde-ish eyebrows.
I’m a pale-skinned, natural redhead, which means eye makeup is my BFF. I’ve learned in recent years that when it comes to being seen without my mascara, eyebrow pencil, and eyeshadow, sometimes I just need to let it go, let it gooooo… (fist bump to my girl, Elsa).
Regardless, I do like a quick makeup application most days. It’s fun, and I feel like it accentuates my features. But, in the world of makeup, what goes on must come off.
Okay, time for my most embarrassing confession: until the last few months, I have been ridiculously terrible at remembering to wash off my makeup before bed. I was just so exhausted and wiped out by bedtime that I usually just forgot, and if I remembered while falling asleep, I was too lazy to get out of bed again. I don’t really know how the eye makeup police haven’t arrested me yet.
Well, I guess my face decided to organize a mutiny because last year my eyes started to get itchy and sore after wearing my mascara for any amount of time (duh, right?). At that point I was using regular drugstore mascara, but I’ve since switched to a natural brand (I’m still testing out various brands to see which I like best.) Switching to a natural mascara helped, but religiously taking my eye makeup off before bed has also made a huge difference.
There was one small problem with my new resolve: I didn’t actually own any eye makeup remover. In the past when I remembered to do it, I’d just use a hot, wet washcloth and scrub my face vigorously until the makeup was gone. That wasn’t the most pleasant or easiest way of doing things.
Then I found a small bottle of drugstore makeup remover in the back of my cupboard, and used that for a few weeks until I remembered a little something I had read over the years of detoxing my skincare and body products. I had once read that our old pal coconut oil was a great eye makeup remover.
I didn’t really believe it at the time. I mean, coconut oil is absolutely incredible as a dietary supplement. It has a bajillion uses and is super versatile. It’s like the windex of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But oil? As an eye makeup remover? Don’t you need, like, soap and stuff? How can an oil get something clean?
I had a little container of coconut oil in my bathroom cupboard, leftover from my days of using it as a facial moisturizer (until I discovered this crazy awesome little product that I blogged about, which, by the way, has since gone on to become my most popular post of all time here at R+H).
So one night I gave it a try. After dinner when I put on my pajamas (what, doesn’t everybody put their PJs on right after dinner?!) I headed to the bathroom, took a pea-sized amount of coconut oil on my pointer fingers, and massaged it all over my closed eyes and brows. It went on smooth and oily (um, duh) and felt like a fab mini-massage.
I’m not sure if I got any in my eyes but I definitely didn’t hold back from rubbing it in all over, trying to get every last bit of mascara in the base of my lashes. I don’t know if I just didn’t get any in my eyes, or if I did and it didn’t hurt. I imagine if I had rubbed something like shampoo all over my eyes, a little bit would inevitably have gotten in and hurt like a beepity-beep. Not this time! Another win for non-toxic body care!
But now you’re wondering – did it actually work? Did it remove the eye makeup better than a warm washcloth, or – dare I say – better than the drugstore makeup remover?
Bazinga! People, the eye makeup was obliterated. The mascara (usually the toughest to get off) easily came off every last lash, and was wiped away with the single swipe of a washcloth.
I am in love with this newfound discovery, and just can’t believe that I didn’t discover it sooner!
I am so thankful for how this Simple Italian Chicken Bake practically makes itself and feeds my family so easily!
Here’s what was going down in my house: Matt was working across town. Justus had just left for his college class. Elias was upstairs reading his English assignment. Malachi was practicing his piano. I was finally sitting down at my computer to write posts, answer emails, and edit pictures.
This is when my stomach growled. You’d think lunch wouldn’t have slipped my mind, seeing as I’ve been eating this meal every day for the past 43 years. But there it was, 11:30. There was no lunch and there were no leftovers to fall back on.
I got up and put chicken and green beans in a dish, doused it with Italian dressing, and put it in the oven. Five minutes later, I was back at my computer writing. While our meal baked, we all got work done (work that did not involve being in the kitchen). An hour later, we were eating lunch. If this meal doesn’t define “simple” I don’t know what does.
Lay chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.
Pour green beans over the chicken.
Pour Italian dressing over the beans and chicken.
Cover and bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is no longer pink.
The baking time on this recipe varies depending on your oven and the thickness of your chicken pieces. If you want this meal to be ready to serve in a shorter amount of time, cut your chicken into small, thin pieces.
You will love how easy and flavorful this meal is!
Other Simple Recipes I’ve Shared Recently:
It’s recipes like this that makes Simple Meals such a life saver for families. We’ll provide the plans. We’ll provide the recipes. We’ll provide the grocery list. All you have to do is take a deep breath and enjoy how simple your life in the kitchen has become! Join Simple Meals!
Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site
I’m a big believer in this: If my kids are capable of doing it, I ask them do it.
How else will they learn to clean, cook, think, be responsible, work hard, and take care of me in my old age?
That’s why I asked Malachi, our 12-year old, to put this meal together one morning. Knowing it was as easy as “dump these ingredients into the crock pot, stir it up, turn it on, then run do your math lesson” it seemed like the right thing to do. He’s learning that cooking is simple, I’m getting help around the house, and it’s amazing how cooking a meal by himself makes him stand a few inches taller while everyone eats it up with many, “Wow, this is so good” compliments.
Or maybe the kid is literally growing taller. Well yeah. But we already knew that.
Here’s my little issue with crock pot meals that include pasta: If I have to cook the pasta ahead of time before adding it to the crock pot, what even is the point in using the crock pot? How does that save any time? It certainly dirties up more dishes. I am not okay with this.
Therefore I never make pasta dishes in the crock pot. (Nor do I have my children make them.)
But recently I did a little looking online to see how it might work to dump uncooked pasta into a crock pot. Might it cook along with the other ingredients? A little experimenting turned out this Simple 3-Cheese Crock Pot Pasta recipe, which is as easy as can be.
Now, this is a meatless meal. You’re more than welcome to stir cooked hamburger or cooked chicken into your crock pot. But then, of course, you’d have to cook the meat first, which means dirtying up another dish, and I refuse to take responsibility for making you do that. Also, you should know that my family full of carnivores ate this and never once asked, “Hey. Where’s the meat?” I think the three cheeses in this recipe make this hearty enough to keep everyone happy.
Simple 3-Cheese Crock Pot Pasta
Serve this easy crock pot dish with a quick salad and steamed veggie. It’s as simple as can be. I don’t think I need to tell you that it’s delicious. This is a given. And now we know that we can dump uncooked pasta into the crock pot and turn out a great meal in just a few of effortless hours.
We recently made sheet pan Valentine pancakes and loved how easy it was to make a big batch of pancakes at once! The benefits about making pancakes in the oven are that it's less messy, saves time (no more standing by the stove flipping pancake) and can feed a crowd!
My kids love bananas and blueberries in their pancakes so we made one huge sheet pan pancake with their favorite topping. I can't say how awesome this method is - just like making a giant pancake "cake!"
It's even easier if you use your favorite pancake mix for the batter (which we did) but you can make your own from scratch as well.
Check out the video above to see how easy it is to make these sheet pan pancakes and get the recipe and full details and tips below.
Banana Blueberry Sheet Pan Pancakes - Ingredients:
- Pancake batter (we used a mix and double the recipe which called for two cups of mix, prepare according to the mix)
- Aluminum foil
- Two sliced bananas and 1 cup blueberries (reserve half)
Instructions:
Step 1. Prepare your pancake batter (you can use a mix like we did or make your own). As mentioned, we doubled the recipe on a mix (which called for 2 cups of the dry mix) to fill an 18" x 13" pan.
Step 2. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line your sheet pan with aluminum foil, brush with melted butter. Pour your pancake batter evenly, it should be no taller than 3/8" tall.
Step 3. Add half of your sliced bananas and blueberries over the batter. Bake your sheet pan pancake a bit more than halfway, around 9 minutes. The bananas and blueberries will have sunken in the batter. Pull out the pan and add the remaining half of your bananas and blueberries and return to the oven. Bake for 5 more minutes. It will look very light in color.
The trick to getting it toasty and brown on top is to turn on your broiler and let it broil for a minute or two, making sure to rotate the pan every minute until you get the browning you want.
Step 4. Remove the sheet pan and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve!
Using a pizza cutter makes it easy to cut even slices for breakfast or brunch. The kids also loved eating these pancake squares without any syrup as a snack! They are great stored in the fridge to pull out for an afternoon treat.
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive a small affiliate commission. Regardless, we give our promise that we only recommend products or services we would use personally and believe will add values to our readers.
Original article and pictures take www.hellowonderful.co site
Society shames women for not being sexy enough…And for being too sexy. Breast feeding moms shame those who bottle feed and bottle feeders shame breast feeders. Organic moms shame fast food moms. Working moms shame stay at home moms. Stay at home moms shame working moms. Women shame men and call them dumb. Men shame women and call them dumb…and weak. And we teach our children to do it.
We are not feminine enough, not smart enough, not masculine enough, not pretty enough, not fast enough, not friendly enough, not talented enough….or we are too much. This world is so full of comparing ourselves to others and putting people down for the way they look, act, and feel, it’s just exhausting!
Ladies and gentlemen! We are NOT HERE TO PUT EACH OTHER DOWN! We were put on this earth to LOVE! Everyone is doing the best they can. No one sets out in the morning and says, I think I’m going to totally suck today! NOONE… Even when you see someone who totally abandons their children, they aren’t choosing to be a loser. They are broken.
This world is full of brokenness. We are all walking around feeling pain and hurting in some way. We expect everyone to be nice to us 100% of the time, but are WE nice to them without fail? No. We expect others to meet our needs and fill the holes in our hearts that only God can fill. No one can do it. It’s not possible.
Let’s take a minute to think about how our life would change if we made a point of building everyone up. Did you know that the mom who can’t keep an eye on her kids could be overwhelmed because maybe she just can’t figure out how to make her minimum wage job pay her monthly bills? Did you know the guy who never talks to you really thinks that no one would ever want to hear what he has to say? Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, that woman who snapped your head off for asking how many KIDS she has wanted to be a mother since she was 5, but hasn’t been able to? Or maybe your waitress forgot your mustard because she is juggling three jobs to support her kids and she was up late last night working another job?
What if you made a point of every time you ordered something to eat or purchased food at the grocery store to try to make that person’s day who is serving you? What if you went out of your way to REALLY ask them how they were and to freakin say please and thank you? They are SERVING you! Give them some props. Smile at them. Look them in the eye so they know you see they are a human being. And for goodness sake, when you get great service, TELL ON THEM! We are a society who constantly complains that everything was not good enough, but how many of us go out of our way to mention that someone is doing an excellent job to their superiors? And what if we taught our children to treat people with grace and to appreciate their efforts? Wouldn’t we be proud of them when they did it?
I do it occasionally. Recently my husband was out buying lumber for our garden expansion, the lady helping him at the lumber yard used to work at our bank. She said, “Oh my gosh I know you! Your wife wrote a letter to my boss when I worked at the bank and I got a big bonus and a raise for that. Thank you so much”
It made us feel so good that something good happened to her because we told that she was nice to us. She was ALWAYS doing a good job. She should have been rewarded for it.
Maybe we could look for ways to brighten other people’s day. I have a friend who has totally changed the way I see myself since she has been my friend. She tells everyone how great she thinks I am. And other people like me more because of her. I am very shy and I am hard for people to get to know because of that. She has shown them the good in me and they in turn reach out to me because they know I am good.
Next time you see a mom with a toddler melting down in the grocery store, maybe you could go over to her and say, I know just how you feel, I’m sorry you’re having a hard day. Because believe me, that mom FEELS everyone’s judgement. I have been that mom MANY times. Everyone hates you when your toddler screams through the grocery store. Why doesn’t she just take that kid home? Other customers have even told me that before. Well, who is going to buy food for my family to eat? If I take her home, then I can’t feed her. Maybe you could entertain the baby while she pays for her groceries. Maybe you could just give her a hug or high five and tell her she’s doing fine.
People are just doing the best they can. Give them a hand when you see they need it. You will be so glad you did 90% of the time. Making someone else’s day makes yours too. Everyone could use encouragement.
A big thing I see people doing, especially women, is comparing themselves to other people. There are people I know that ABSOLUTELY HATE me and wish me ill will because I do my best at my job with my kids. I mean HATE me. What? All I am doing is being the best me I can be. I am not talented at fixing cars or computers or making homemade furniture and when I see people who are, I do not get mad at them. I usually ask them to help ME! I am just being who God made me to be and giving my best effort. I am not perfect. I have bad days. Some days I absolutely suck at my job. But most days I do my best to be awesome. Why would someone dislike me for that? Because they feel insecure. They are focusing on what I’m good at instead of stepping into the role of being THEM. I’m sure those ladies are great at something. I would probably know what it is if they would give me a chance to get to know them, but they hate me because so and so said I am awesome. Wow. I will never understand that.
I know a young lady who is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful. She’s good at hair and make-up. She’s a prima ballerina. She is also extremely smart. She was born to be lovely. I am not lovely. But when I see her, I am so happy for her that she has all of those wonderful talents. She is beautifying the world in her way and I am in mine. I can’t compare myself to her. I can only appreciate what she has. She could be stuck up and think she’s better than everyone else, but she DOESN’T! She’s happy when her friends succeed. She comforts them when they don’t. And she doesn’t rub her successes in anyone’s face or say look at me. And you know what else? She loves me fiercely. I mean a lot! She sees that I am not lovely, that I need to lose weight, and that I don’t even wear make-up, much less know how to do it perfectly, but she loves me anyway. Just the way I am. She loves me. She’s doing her and I’m doing me and we can be happy for each other.
I am never going to be the best child care provider in the world. There will always be someone better. I am never going to be the best cook. There will always be someone better at that too. But I can be a great provider and a great cook and I can be okay with not being a great painter or dancer. I can open my heart and love people. I can be a loyal friend and support other women.
It’s tough not to feel inadequate in this world that worships the Steven Tylers, Oprah Winfreys, and Michael Jordans. It’s tough not to feel ugly in a world with magazines and movies full of painted, fake women with perfect bodies and faces. It’s tough to have people say things like, “your mom and your sister are so talented, what happened to you?” Well guess what happened to me, old boss? I FOUND my talents. I love myself and what God gave me. I love my life.
Please do not let people put you down. I have a 3 year old telling me, I don’t want my belly to grow but it is. Well honey, you are going to get taller and your belly will be fine. She’s not overweight. I have had children say, I’m the prettiest one in here and those girls are not pretty. I’m talking children 4 years old and under. I hate to see women hurting other women and themselves like that. I don’t look glamorous, but there is a lot more to people than their looks. And I have a beautiful smile that can make people happy. And I have a whole slew of people in my life that love me madly. What more could I ask for?
Don’t compare yourself to other people. You might not be as good at getting good grades in school as other people, but you might be great at making people feel accepted. You might be a great encourager who can set people at ease. You might give the best hugs in the world. You might make your friend feel a whole bunch less like a freak by just accepting them the way they are and telling them they are valuable. Maybe no one ever told them that before. Don’t think that because you are not just like Peyton Manning, you are not a valuable part of the team. He could never win any games by himself. He needs the rest of the players.
I hate seeing people looking at other people and remarking on how they are doing everything wrong. Just look at her ugly shoes, just look at how awful her kid’s hair looks, doesn’t she ever brush it, she’s horrendous at teaching (if she even knows what that word means). If you find yourself thinking or saying something like that about someone, and you know we all do at times, try to turn it around. Try to find something about her outfit you do like. Try to show her some great tip that can help her teaching. Try to change the way you see your fellow man. I always pray that I can see others through the eyes of Jesus and I know He thinks I’m beautiful, and talented, and delightful. He thinks those things about those pathetic people also. Ask Him to help you see them that way too.
Women especially can be very catty, standing in judgement of each other. That is bullying, and it has to stop! We are teaching our children to be cruel as well. I’m not perfect, I am guilty of it too. But let’s try to accept those who aren’t like us. Let’s try to include the child who talks funny, or the woman who dresses funny, or the ones that don’t fit in. Let’s stop shaming people for their choices, or their beliefs, or their short comings. How much better could the world be if we HELPED one another instead of hurting one another? Maybe you could be the person who helped heal that broken heart.
Just because people don’t do things the way you think they should does not mean they are doing it wrong. We are all on a path to a somewhere and no one’s path will look the same. It’s okay for moms to work outside the home and for them not to. It’s okay for moms to breast feed and bottle-feed. It’s okay for people to make their own choices even if they differ from yours. We need to learn to accept each other and see them through more loving and less judgmental eyes. Let’s teach the next generation to embrace other people’s differences and to love everyone in spite of their flaws. Let’s stop all the bullying. Let’s change the world!
Original article and pictures take littlesproutslearning.co site
(I ordered the Back to Basics pattern and was disappointed. I thought it was unprofessionally done, and the product description was a little bit of a stretch. I have also heard others comment that it wasn’t well-made. But it’s available, and you might disagree with me.)
Cheryl’s One-Size Diaper– This is a pretty clever diaper. It will fit a newborn up to a toddler, depending on how you fold it.
Diaper 101 This is my favorite non-one-size diaper. Okay, so I haven’t actually USED any of them yet, but this looks to be well-made and so forth. Check out this and the one-size pattern listed above before you look at the next few.
Fleece refers to polyester fleece. It is non-absorbent, and can be used for “stay-dry” liners as well as breathable covers. If used for covers, don’t put snug pants over them, as they’ll wick. Malden Mills is generally considered the best quality and most often used, but I think the cheaper stuff will usually work – it’s just more likely to pill.
flannel
Yep; just like a flannel shirt. This is an absorbent material usually used for soaker panels, although it is used for inner and outer layers sometimes as well.
birdseye
I think that this is a gauzy material. Also an absorbent material used for soaker panels.
velour
A soft, napped fabric that will probably remind you of velvet. Usually used as a soft inner layer.
sherpa
I haven’t figured out what this is myself. If you know, let me know. I am told, though, that it’s used for it’s softness and it is very absorbent. For these reasons, it’s usually used as the inside layer.
jersey
This is the stretchy material used for t-shirts and such. It is usually absorbent (if there’s a high enough natural fiber content), and can be used for any part of the diaper.
prints
Cute printed fabrics. These are usually woven fabrics used on the outside of diapers to make them look nice. I personally think this is a moot point if your diaper is not an AIO, as the print will be covered up when you use the diaper.
PUL
PUL stands for Polyester Urethane Laminate. This is fabric with a waterproofing laminate applied to it. It’s available in breathable and non-breathable, and which is better seems to be a matter of personal preference. I prefer non-breathable. This is used for covers and for waterproof layers in AIOs. You can get this from Janelle’s PUL.
Ultrex
This is another waterproof fabric used for covers and waterproof layers in AIOs. I really don’t know much about it, though.
Nylon
I think this is a water-resistant (as opposed to waterproof) fabric. It is also used for covers.
Fasteners:
Snaps:Snapsource snaps are pretty much the best. These can be applied with a Dritz plier-type press. I don’t like mine too well, though. It doesn’t apply even pressure all the way around. It’s advantage is it only costs about $16. Snap presses are available. They are very nice, but in the neighborhood of $500-600. One source is Sundrop Textiles.
Snapsource also has snapsetters available, which are reasonably priced. I haven’t tried them yet so I don’t know how well they work. Some Work-at-Home-Moms will apply snaps for you for a small fee. I’m not sure which ones, though. There is a list here of ladies who will utilize their snap presses for you, as well.
Velcro/Aplix/Touchtape: Most of you are probably familiar with Velcro. Aplix and Touchtape are basically the same thing. Aplix is reputed to be much softer and longer-lasting than Velcro. I don’t know anything about Touchtape except that it exists and works like Velcro. The Touchtape Site can give you more information, I’m sure. You can buy Aplix and TT at One-Stop Diaper Shop.
