I’ve written one post where I described how I planned out my meals and how I went about the actual day of cooking.  Since then I’ve been asked about the recipes I used and how everything turned out.  In other words, was the food good?

There is no doubt that having the meals in the freezer was helpful.  Scott thought it was an awful lot of work for me to go through (spending an entire day cooking) – but it was very, very worth it.

And, on the whole, the food turned out well.  I think this was greatly helped by the fact that I picked proven freezer recipes. I knew they had “passed the test” in other kitchens.

The biggest issue I came across was the portions not being quite enough for our family.  Related to this was when my mom was here; I hadn’t counted on an additional person for some of the meals (and I hadn’t considered her preferences… Mom isn’t as much into things like pate as our family is :p)  That got a little stressful for me.

Next time around I will increase the amount of meat/beans in some of the recipes.  I’m not sure what I’ll do about the guest situation – I may plan to reserve “crowd-pleasers” that come in larger quantities (like soup or spaghetti) for the days I know we’ll have guests.

I decided the easiest way for me to share my recipes and meal plans with you was via a complete menu plan for you to download.  I’ve tried to credit where the recipes came from in the recipe file, though many of these recipes have been gathered together over time and I’ve forgotten exactly where they came from!

This download is part of an exclusive welcome pack for subscribers to Tiger Lily: The Newsletter of Natural Birth and Baby Care.com.

Get Your Freezer Meal Plan as part of the Tiger Lily Welcome Pack!

Anyways, last week’s experimentation with real wines (as opposed to cooking wines) in my recipes went well.  It was especially good with the white wine I picked for the Tuscan Chicken bake – the flavor of the wine was amazing and it came through nicely in the finished bake.  I was pleased.  This is my official good-bye to cooking wines!

This week I’m back to looking at side dishes.  My eternal challenge is actually filling my family of bottomless pits up (even Galen nurses endlessly!) Not that I resent this challenge at all – I’m pleased to be able to cook for my family (and enjoy it) and I’m pleased they’ll eat literally anything I prepare.  I’m not sure that says so much about my cooking skills as it does the depth of their stomachs.  But anyways.

Dr. Pottenger’s meal protocols included salads with both lunch and dinner and I think I’m going to try that.  I’ve already incorporated his salad plus two veggies at supper (and manage that most nights) which was well-received.  He usually prepared a simple soup at supper – just warm home made broth really.  The more complex soup was served at lunch.  I think I’m going to do that because it will make suppers easier for me.

Almost every meal this week is being doubled because I have got to get some meals into my freezer for nights when I’m exhausted, which is going to happen

Monday – B Eggs, oatmeal with cream (I’m going to experiment with breakfasts some this week but not yet sure how)

L Minestrone w/ cheese for garnish, enzyme salad, milk, kraut, steamed asparagus (hopefully with a sauce :p)

S Liver and onions, hot soup Caesar salad, steamed spinach, buttered carrots, rice, kraut, milk

To-do soak liver in lemon juice, thaw bison heart, cook lima beans + black-eyed peas overnight, make salads for the week, start sauerkraut

Tuesday – B Eggs, oatmeal with cream

L “Mom’s Vegetable Soup,” cheese garnish, salad, milk, kraut

S Easy and Delicious Chicken (didn’t get to this last week), hot soup, Caesar salad, steamed broccoli, baked squash, rice, kraut, milk

To-do start crockpot chicken early AM, thaw home made refried beans, cook white beans in crock pot overnight

Wednesday – B Eggs, oatmeal with cream

L White Bean Chili soup, cheese for garnish, salad, milk, kimchi

S Mexican Casserole, Mexican soup, enzyme salad, steamed spinach, baked squash, kimchi, milk

To-do cook pinto beans in crock pot overnight

Thursday – B Eggs, oatmeal with cream

L Beef stew, salad, milk, kraut

S Chili, hot soup, enzyme salad, baked squash, steamed broccoli, rice, kraut, milk

To-do cook kidney beans early AM, start chili in crock pot at lunchtime, crock pot cook black beans overnight

Friday – B Eggs, oatmeal with cream

L Black bean soup w/ sour cream garnish, salad, milk, kimchi

S Meatballs and Coconut sauce, hot soup, Caesar salad, steamed asparagus, baked squash, kraut, milk

To-do roll out meatballs at lunchtime, thaw liver, thaw chicken breasts, thaw whole chicken, brainstorm vegetable side dishes for lunches

Saturday – B Scott makes breakfast

L Pate, coconut chicken soup, sweet potatoes, salad, kimchi, milk

S Asian ginger chicken, hot soup, Caesar salad, baked beets, steamed cabbage, rice, kimchi, milk

To-do make grocery list and shop

Sunday – B Scott makes breakfast

L Beans and Rice, Jamaican style, salad, kimchi, milk

S Roast chicken with potatoes, Roman egg soup, enzyme salad, steamed beet greens, kraut, milk

To-do soak rice, soak oats, make whey, cook kidney beans (from fridge) overnight, start beans and rice early AM, soak kidney beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, white beans

Visit the Organzing Junkie for more menu plans!

When I first started teaching myself to cook I was in my late teens. I live in the good old USA and I couldn’t buy wine for cooking. So I used cooking wine. Never stopped using cooking wine.

But my mom got me a new cookbook for Christmas this year and the author talks about cooking with wine quite a bit. I’m really somewhat clueless about wines and things still, however, since I don’t really drink them or cook with them. So I found a wine list in a different cookbook and got together a few recipes for this week that use wines. We’ll see how that goes.

If you have any good resources on learning about wines for cooking please share!

Onto the menu plan:

Monday – B Eggs and oatmeal w/ cream and butter… I’m getting bored with the normal egg scramble so I need to think of something different to do for breakfast eggs.

L Minestrone

S Liver w/ Onions, Roman egg soup, Caesar salad, sweet potatoes, steamed spinach, baked squash, kimchi

To-do start kraut, soak rice, start stock, cook lima beans in crockpot overnight, soak liver in lemon juice @ lunch, start squash and sweet potatoes early enough to have them done by supper!

Tuesday – B Eggs and oatmeal w/ cream and butter

L “Mom’s Vegetable Soup”

S Lentil Loaf, simple soup, baked squash, kimchi, Balsamic carrot salad, hot corn w/ butter

To-do cook white beans in crockpot overnight, cook rice at lunch, go to co-op (and find out bulk bean costs)

Wednesday – B Eggs and oatmeal w/ cream and butter

L White Bean and Chicken Chili

S Sesame Sherry Chicken, Coconut chicken soup, Caesar salad, avocado slices, rice, steamed spinach, kraut

To-do Marinate chicken in the AM, soak rice, thaw beef

Thursday – B Eggs and oatmeal w/ cream and butter

L Beef Stew

S Glazed meatballs and soft-boiled eggs, fried rice, carrot soup, kimchi, avocado slices, steamed cabbage, enzyme salad

To-do cook kidney beans in crockpot overnight, start cabbage steaming early enough for it to be done by supper

Friday – B Eggs and oatmeal w/ cream and butter

L Beans and Rice, Jamaican Style

S Tuscan-style Chicken Tetrazzini (w/ rice), mushroom soup, enzyme salad, steamed broccoli, steamed squash, kraut

To-do soak rice, thaw liver, start squash early, make next week’s menu plan/grocery list

Saturday – B Eggs and oatmeal w/ cream and butter

L Pate, sweet potato, kimchi, salad, coconut chicken soup

S Easy and Delicious Chicken (tripled for freezer) – made in crockpot, Roman egg soup, Caesar salad, avocado slices, steamed spinach, rice

To-do grocery shop, plan what should be soaked, cook black beans in crockpot

Sunday – B Eggs and oatmeal w/ cream and butter

L Black Bean Soup

S Roast chicken with potatoes, enzyme salad, squash, broccoli, kraut, simple soup

To-do soak: lima beans, kidney beans, lentils; thaw liver, soak oats, make enzyme salad, sprout sunflower seeds, make whey, roast peanuts overnight

Visit the Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas!

Yes, this week we’re eating a lot of winter squashes.  But they are inexpensive and in season so I’m serving them. Avocados have also been on perpetual sale, we must be getting a lot trucked in.

This week I’m experimenting with a suggestion of Dr. Pottenger’s, which is to serve a green salad and two cooked veggies with supper each evening. We’ll see how that goes (i.e. does it stress me out a ton?) I can remember that my grandma always served a salad and 2-3 veggie sides.

As far as salad goes those are working out very well. I buy two heads of lettuce each week and use one for the Caesar salad and one for the Enzyme salad – those two salads carry us through the week for suppers and even a couple of lunches. The carrot salad I make with our liver supper makes a little less but it still goes for that meal and for a lunch. So salads are working out nicely.

We’re beginning week 2 of our “traditional foods” 30-day challenge. Thus far benefits have been: my milk supply is literally overflowing, and the milk is very rich; Cassidy seems to be putting on some weight, the kids are pretty cheerful, and everyone except Scott seems to be full for a time between meals.

The kids and I sometimes get a snack that Scott doesn’t get though, and he really dislikes being hungry. I’m still working on good snacks to send with him to work – pints of soup, I finally got our crispy nuts done, etc. And at night after supper I try and make a nourishing before-bed snack because he likes those too. I tend to crave sugar and carbs at that point as well.

I’ve written about some of the challenges I’m facing in my food challenge 7 day update. I’ve also considered some ways to streamline my kitchen time in that post. My “to-do” lists look more manageable now :p

On to the menu plan!

Monday – B: Eggs, beef and veggie scramble; oatmeal with butter and yogurt
L: Black bean soup and kimchi
S: Meat loaf (using brown rice instead of bread crumbs); enzyme salad; simple soup; steamed broccoli (w/ hollandaise if I’m motivated); steamed squash, kraut.
To-Do: cook rice @ lunch, soak rice, start fermented sweet potatoes, soak rice, start kraut

Tuesday – B: Eggs, beef and veggie scramble; oatmeal with butter and yogurt
L: Beans and rice, Jamaican style; simple soup, kimchi
S: Chicken supreme (using leftover chicken); Caesar salad; coconut chicken soup; sliced avocado; steamed squash, rice, kimchi
To-Do: start beans and rice early AM, make whey, soak rice, start crock pot kidney beans before bed.

Wednesday – B: Eggs, beef and veggie scramble; oatmeal with butter and yogurt
L: White bean chili soup; kimchi
S: Liver w/ onions; Balsamic carrot salad; simple soup; steamed spinach; steamed squash; rice; kraut
To-Do: visit farm store for beef products, soak liver in lemon juice (at lunch), thaw a bison heart.

Thursday – B: Eggs, beef and veggie scramble; oatmeal with butter and yogurt
L: Beef stew; kraut
S: Black-eyed peas and greens; enzyme salad; coconut chicken soup; sliced avocado; rice; kimchi
To-Do: soak rice, study a new fermented veggie recipe for trying next week.

Friday – B: Eggs, beef and veggie scramble; oatmeal with butter and yogurt
L: Minestrone; kraut
S: Spaghetti w/ meat sauce served over rice; Caesar salad; Roman egg soup; steamed broccoli; steamed squash; kraut
To-Do: cook pinto beans in crockpot overnight, grind bison heart.

Saturday – B: Scott makes breakfast
L: Pate; fermented sweet potato; squash; kimchi; coconut chicken soup.
S: Chili (making a triple batch to freeze two portions); Caesar salad; simple soup; sliced avocado; steamed squash; rice; kimchi
To-Do: start chili cooking at lunchtime

Sunday – B: Scott makes breakfast
L: Omelettes; simple soup; baked beets; kraut
S: Roast chicken over potatoes; Enzyme salad; simple soup; carrots sautéed in butter; steamed squash; kraut
To-Do: soak rice, soak oats for the week, sprout seeds, start chicken stock, soak – kidney, pinto, and black beans for the week

Visit the Organizing Junkie for more meal plan ideas!

I haven’t noticed much difference in how I feel physically other than I find I tend to have a pleasantly full tummy most of the day.  Moving from breakfast to the mid-morning snack is my hungriest time.  Other than that I tend to be pretty full unless I sit around reading about food (I do that a lot right now :p)  I’ve also been nice and regular going to the bathroom which has been a problem for me so I’m pleased.

So Much Soaking

The biggest part of the challenge has been all the soaking.  Going from mostly canned beans to dried beans means remembering a lot of soaking.  Pair that with oatmeal that needs to be soaked every night, several nights of rice, and nuts and I feel like I’m doing a lot of soaking.  

I read a tip today to put soaked beans in the fridge – I may start soaking all of my beans on Saturday or Sunday night, then putting them in the fridge the next morning to be ready for the week.  It seems like it will be easier for me time-wise to do all the prep for soaking at once.  I could probably do the same with oatmeal for the week, actually.

Dry Bean Tip

A bean idea (Scott actually thought of it) that’s been working well for me is to have my beans soaked one night, then put them in the crock pot on low the next night.  By morning I have great beans.  I’ve been bringing them to a boil on the stove, then pouring them into the crock pot; I may try a batch without that first step.

Dishes that Never End!

Another challenge that’s come up is dishes – I’m preparing food so often, and so much food to fill the family up, that there are always dishes.  Cassidy washes our eating dishes (plates, cups, silverware) – but I do the pots and pans, and on nights when we’re running behind, I have everything because Cassidy goes to bed.  Scott has a project going at work right now and has been late some which means supper is late.  I don’t mind that (it gives me more time to have everything ready!!) – but the dishes are getting overwhelming. 

We generally hand wash though we have a dishwasher.  I feel it’s important for kids to have responsibility and the dishes are a good one (plus we’d go through all of our dishes before we got to supper if we didn’t hand wash between meals.)

I’ve begun to try and make sure I wash pots/pans/cooking utensils as soon as I’m done with them.  It’s hard though, because as soon as it’s done it needs to be on the table, and then we’re sitting to eat.  Maybe I should fill the sink with hot soapy water and dump the pots and pans in as soon as the food is served, then do a load quickly after we eat and before Cassidy does dishes.  I could put them on the dishwasher racks to dry.  Then it would be being used for something…

How the Kids are Doing With It

I have noticed that the kids, especially Cassidy, have had mostly cheerful dispositions the past few days.  They’ve also been willing to go and play outside – Cassidy and Asher for long periods.  This is really nice, especially since we’ve been having weather down into the tens and under during the day.  They come back in happy and warm. I really think good food helps to make a cheerful and calm child (other things help too, mind you!).

I’m still hoping that this 30 days will see Cassidy gaining some weight.  I’m also hoping all the good fats and warm foods will help the kids’ hands to be a little warmer.  They tend to have cold hands and that’s always bugged me.  I feel like they should have warm hands, because it seems if their hands are cold, they must be cold.

Scott

We’ve been trying Scott on properly soaked oatmeal this week and thus far that seems to be going well. I load our oatmeal down with butter and a bit of coconut oil, which I suspect probably helps. I’m also trying to make sure he gets plenty of good snacks to help him stay away from the carbohydrate-full snacks, we’ll have to see how content that keeps him, or if he’d prefer me to stock his normal snacky stuff (chips and salsa… which I’d like to make for him once I can get some corn!)

Trying New Things

We tried kombucha for the first time last night and it was pretty good. Definitely fizzy. I may try making it here at some point. It seems like it might be a nice refreshing drink in the summer. Since I haven’t had soda in years the “fizzy” feeling isn’t something I miss or long for. But kombucha is a nice probiotic drink and I can see benefits to having it around, especially when it’s hot. Which it isn’t at all right now :p

A Couple More Tips

So thus far my major challenges are in planning/executing traditional meals because there is extra preparation involved.  I’ve already found the beans in the crockpot idea, and making a huge salad to last through three dinners works well.

Another thing I’ve found is I can usually steam a veggie over something I’m already cooking – last night I steamed over the red potatoes I was boiling.  Tonight I steamed over the beef stock I have going on the back burner.  It’s easy to pop the food in a steamer basket and set it over the pot.  I successfully avoided microwave steaming because of this! I’ve also found I can place a double-boiler pan over a pot that’s already cooking to melt butter for a sauce if I need to.

Thoughts for the Coming Days

Next week I’m hoping to get a raw meat dish in at least for a snack for the kids and I (not sure how keen on the raw dishes Scott is yet).  I’d also like to finally get around to sprouting some nuts.  I’ll continue to work on streamlining my kitchen time and hopefully will continue to see cheerful dispositions and full bellies with the children!

I’m also hoping to see that I stay regular in bathroom endeavors :p And that Galen of course continues to grow and remains the relatively laid-back little fellow that he is. Feeling a bit less fatigue would also be great – though I’m not sure I’m going to get that because I think being a homeschooling mother of four, running a business, and being wife to one great hubby kinda means I’m going to be tired some of the time!

I’m featuring two recipes for this week’s Real Food Wednesday because I feel like they compliment each other well and they’re inexpensive – which is perfect since our topic is Real Food on a Budget.

The major portion of this meal is the Lentil Loaf – lentils are cheap even when you buy them organic! The recipe also calls for brown rice, another inexpensive staple. The soup calls for only a small amount of beef which compliments the lentils while being easy on the wallet.

Lentil Loaf

1 & 1/2 Cups lentils

Water to cover

1 Tablespoon whey

2 cups soaked and cooked brown rice

2 onions, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

Salt to taste

For topping:

1 can organic tomato paste

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons sherry

3 Tablespoons butter (melted)

salt to taste

Soak lentils in water with whey overnight.  Drain and rinse, then cover with water and bring to a boil.  Simmer until soft.  Fry chopped onions in cooking oil of your choice and mix with lentils, mashing partially as you mix.  Add rice and mix in seasonings. Press into a greased loaf pan.

Mix ingredients for sauce well and spread over lentil mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  (Recipe is adapted from the Farm’s cookbook)

Korean Beef Soup

1 1/2 quart beef stock

1/2lb beef brisket, sliced very thin (I have used other beef cuts as well)

1/2 cup brown rice

1/2 cup brown rice or buckwheat noodles, broken into pieces

2 Tablespoons naturally fermented soy sauce (or tamari)

Bring stock and rice to a boil and skim.  Add brisket and soy sauce and simmer for 1 hour.  Add noodles 10 minutes before serving.  (from Nourishing Traditions – I love the soup recipes!)

The lentil loaf also freezes well so this meal can be doubled and done in two loaf pans for a quick meal another day.

For more Real Food on a budget ideas visit Cheeseslave!

The hour is upon us… today is the start of our 30 day food challenge.  We’re taking 30 days to follow the principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) and the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF).  Everything I prepare will be based on the principles of eating healthy traditional cultures had.  And foods I’m buying will be either from the “Best” or the “Good” category in the WAPF 2009 shopping guide.

The only exception I can think of will be Scott’s daily coffee because I’m not going to ask him to give that up.  I’m also not holding Scott to it because he’s a grown man and can decide what he wants to eat for himself – but at home he’ll be getting my cooking and I’ve been working hard to send good snacks with him to work.

I’ll be blogging throughout the trial to report how I’m feeling, and how I’m managing a traditional foods lifestyle with a family of six.  Traditional foods take more planning and preparation than processed foods from the market so it’s a little overwhelming to think of not taking any “shortcuts.”

I’m going into the challenge slightly bummed because I like making enchiladas once a week or so, but we can’t use store-bought tortillas during the trial.  I’ve been planning to make some but our source of whole corn is sold out   So no properly soaked tortillas until I find a source of non-GMO whole kernel corn.

My major goal for the challenge is to get myself into the habit of properly preparing grains – and to learn how to manage traditional foods with a large family to care for, homeschooling, and running a business.  I’m also hoping to work on eating more seasonal foods and, of course, avoid most canned products (tomato products are going to be an exception to the canned stuff avoidance).

I hope this eating style will also make good nourishing breastmilk for Galen and that it’ll put a little meat on Cassidy’s bones!

Ok… onto this week’s menu plan, and I’ll update how things go!

Monday: B -Egg, Beef, +Veggie Scramble; soaked oatmeal (we are going to have Scott try soaked oatmeal this week), beet kvass “shot”

L - Coconut fish soup, kraut

S - Balsamic carrot salad, Coconut chicken soup, Sweet potato “coins,” Liver with onions and mushrooms.

To-do – Soak kidney beans, soak oatmeal, soft-boil eggs, crockpot chicken, start chicken stock, boil white beans + transfer  small crockpot for overnight cooking.

Tuesday: B - Egg, Beef, +Veggie Scramble; soaked oatmeal; beet kvass “shot”

L - White Bean Chicken Chili soup (chicken from the crockpot chicken yesterday), kraut

S - High enzyme salad, Egg soup, Red potatoes + butter, spinach + butter, Shredded chicken (served with poulet au porto sauce, chicken meat from our crockpot chicken yesterday)

To-do – soak rice, boil kidney beans and transfer to crockpot to cook, soak oatmeal

Wednesday: B – Egg, Beef, +Veggie Scramble; soaked oatmeal; beet kvass “shot”

L - Beans and rice Jamaican style, Simple soup (whatever soup takes my fancy that meal), kimchi

S - Caesar salad, Simple soup, kraut, steamed winter squash (w/ butter and nutmeg), rice, Hearty Hamburger and Heman sauce (I love this recipe lol!)

To-do – start beef stock (morning) soak oatmeal, soak nuts, start fermented sweet potatoes, soak rice

Thursday: B - Egg, Beef, +Veggie Scramble; soaked oatmeal; beet kvass “shot”

L - Beef stew, kraut

S - High enzyme salad, French onion soup, Baked beans, rice, kraut

To-do – soak oatmeal, soak rice, roast nuts

Friday: B - Egg, Beef, +Veggie Scramble; soaked oatmeal; beet kvass “shot”

L - Pate, fermented sweet potato, steamed squash (w/ butter and nutmeg!), kimchi

S - Ceasar salad, Roman egg soup, kraut, broccoli w/ hollandaise, spaghetti sauce, rice (yes we eat our spaghetti sauce over rice…in a gluten free family you learn to like strange things)

To-do – Soak lentils, soak rice, try Bacon, Egg, and Cheese muffin recipe (a GF recipe!)

Saturday: B - Scott makes breakfast

L- Omelettes, Simple soup, kraut, baked beets

S - Simple salad (in otherwords, one I throw together) and dressing, Korean beef soup, kraut, Lentil loaf

To-do – start beets early AM!, soak black beans, go to to farm store

Sunday: B - Scott makes breakfast

L – Black bean soup, kimchi

S - High Enzyme salad, Simple soup, kraut, steamed squash (w/ butter and nutmeg), Roast chicken and potatoes

To-do – start black beans early AM, soak oatmeal, start fish stock, sprout seeds, start kraut, soak white beans, grind beef for breakfasts

Snack Choices:

We have milk with every snack, and I add extra cream to the milk several times a week.

whole milk yogurt, raw milk cheese (spread with butter for me and kids), crispy nuts, soft boiled eggs, avocado, pate, marrow and cheese, bacon egg and cheese muffins (new recipe we’re trying this week!)

Visit the Organizing Junkie for more meal plan ideas

I’ve decided since I’m going to be working intensively on our nutrition that I’ll join the Menu Plan Monday brigade   Deciding this late I’m just barely going to make it on Monday

I’ve decided to try serving multiple-course suppers this week, in the hopes of actually filling my family of bottomless pits up.  Thus far this has effectively resulted in more food being served at supper, however I can’t exactly pull off serving separate courses – I just end up with all of them on the table at once.  We’re having a salad, soup, and main dish with every meal.  This brings us to two soups a day most days, as we almost always have soups with (or for) lunch.  Anyways, on with the menu plan:

Monday – B: Egg, mushroom, zuccini, and beef scramble.  Soaked oatmeal with butter, cream, and yogurt for the kids an I, leftover roasted potatoes for Scott.

L: Homemade nachos supreme, homemade tomatoe soup, sauerkraut.

S: Balsamic Carrot Salad, Coconut Chicken Soup, Liver with Mushroom and Onions, soaked rice.

To-do: Soak oats, crockpot cook chicken (for tomorrow’s soup and extra chicken to freeze for enchiladas next week)

Tuesday -  B: Veggie, beef, egg scramble.  Soaked oatmeal for kids and I, soaked rice with coconut oil for Scott.

L: White bean chicken chili soup, sauerkraut.

S: High Enzyme Salad, Chicken Rice Soup, Chicken supreme with rice (rice leftover from yesterday).

To-do: boil black beans and transfer to crockpot to cook through morning, soak rice, soak oats, start sunflower seeds sprouting, pick meat off yesterdays chicken; start stock

Wednesday – B: Veggie, beef, egg scramble.  Soaked oatmeal for kids and I, soaked rice with coconut oil for Scott.

L: Black bean soup, sauerkraut.

S: Cucumber yogurt salad, Roman egg soup, chicken gumbo w/ rice

To-do: soak nuts, soak oats, start sauerkraut

Thursday – B: Veggie, beef, egg scramble.  Soaked oatmeal for kids and I, soaked rice with coconut oil for Scott.

L: Beef stew, kraut

S: Salad, Mexican soup, Black bean enchiladas w/ guacamole and sour cream

To-do: start stew at breakfast, start fish stock, soak oats, roast nuts

Friday – B: Veggie, beef, egg scramble.  Soaked oatmeal for kids and I, soaked rice with coconut oil for Scott.

L: Coconut fish soup, kimchi

S: Caesar salad, Soup (whatever takes my fancy), Roast

To-do: meal plan/grocery list, thaw liver

Saturday – B: Scott does weekend breakfasts!

L: Pate with crackers, Soup, steamed squash, kimchi

S: Salad, Mexican soup, Tacos garnished with avocado

To-do: grocery shop

Sunday – B: Scott does weekend breakfasts!

L: Omelettes, soup, tomato slices, sauerkraut

S: High Enzyme Salad, Simple veggie soup, Roast Chicken w/ potatoes

To-do: soak rice, soak oats, grind beef heart (for breakfast’s ground beef), soak black beans, soft-boil eggs (for snacks for the week), soak marrow (for snacks for the week)

Thanks to Cheeseslave for the idea of publishing our menu plan

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas

I’ve spent my holiday free hours reading as much as possible in preparation for our family to spend 30 days eating meals according to the guidelines of the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. We’ve been casually moving more and more towards that style of eating and food preparation but I want to give it 30 days of being strict about it.

The biggest challenge for me I think will be making sure that all of our grains (and nuts) are properly soaked – and somewhat reducing our reliance on carbohydrate and start heavy foods. Even though we don’t eat wheat or gluten-containing grains we do eat a lot of rice, corn, and potatoes. I’d like to take some focus off those things.

I’ll blog about it as I go through it and the kids and I will be strict. That means no processed food, and we’re also going no treats with the possible exception of homemade ice cream (made with a WAPF approved recipe). This will be a little tough on me because I have a weakness for a late night snack of Pasta Roni Shells and White Cheddar (I know, it’s horrible!) and ok… I’ll admit it… Ben and Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream.

I’ve read a book on children’s nutrition which was really excellent (I’m going to do a full review of it for the site so stay tuned) and I’m going to try and incorporate the special guidelines for growing children (and nursing mothers) into our diet as much as possible. Scott has agreed to be a guinea pig here at home, but I won’t make promises about what he’ll choose to do at work It would be nice to see this improve the entire family’s health, though.

I have a few more books to get through that have been recommended, but I’m armed with two good cookbooks (though some modifications may have to be made to the aforementioned Art of French Cooking I think it’s pretty WAPF friendly overall) and I’ve been working on scouting food out. Another challenge is working this type of eating into a family budget and a busy schedule.

I’ll be doing full overviews of resources that help us as we go along, and how we’re feeling and keeping up with everything. I’m planning to start on the 12th since we’ll be back into the homeschool routine and that gives me another week to finish my books and plan some meals!

So today my own tips were invaluable! I’ll share the best ones I’ve had recently:

• Plan your menus. Plan out on a weekly basis, or perhaps bi-weekly if that works better for you. Plan breakfast, lunch and dinner. You may want to have breakfast and lunch the same every week (a certain meal every Monday, a certain one on Tuesdays, etc.)

• Plan your cooking. I think this is the thing that has helped me the absolute most recently. Look ahead to what you’ll cook the next day so any meats are thawing in the fridge or beans are soaking. And learn to think about what vegetables will need to be chopped for the meal. What dishes need to be started an hour before supper – and how you can make that very easy for yourself.

Now, these things aren’t really very easy. Especially if you haven’t learned how to plan meals or how to order your cooking – and like I said yesterday, they’re not skills taught anymore.

I’ve been taking care of a family for awhile now, and cooking for others since I was in high school. But I was mostly “winging it” and figuring it out on my own. It has just been the past couple of months that I’ve really grasped how to plan cooking well. And one resource has made the biggest difference – a menu mailer service.

This service emails you a menu plan each week. Your menu is all made out with delicious, healthy recipes for your main dishes. The recipes are well-written with step-by-step instructions. And there’s a shopping list made out for you already. And the biggest bonus of all – a day-by-day preparation plan. It tells you when to thaw or soak what. It tells you when to chop veggies. When to start marinating a dish.

Using this menu mailer service I was able to truly learn how to think about meal preparation in an organized way. I used it for several weeks while I was having my worst morning sickness (and I also ordered a special mailer issue of all crock pot recipes for my hardest days!). It was so helpful then, but the benefits are continuing even now. My meal prep times are close to effortless because I’m able to think about everything I’ll need to do to prepare a meal.

Learn more about my favorite service by clicking here.

Now let me give you a tip related to the above that has helped me: As I prepare a snack or lunch I do some of the preparation I’ll need to do for supper. For instance if I want to roast a chicken that evening here is what I do:

• Morning Snacktime: I prepare the snack then take a few minutes to cube potatoes for the chicken.
• Lunchtime: I get lunch ready, then slice a few lemon slices. I mix the spices I’ll need for my chicken.
• Around 4pm: I grease the bottom of my roasting pan and scatter the potatoes in. I season my chicken with the lemon wedges and the spices I mixed earlier, put in on the rack over the potatoes and put it in the oven.
• Around 5pm: I take the chicken out of the oven to cool and get together a salad. It’s ready to be carved and served shortly thereafter.

I have a delicious meal with just small bits of effort here and there throughout the day. On days I don’t have time for prep throughout the day a crock pot meal is perfect – or a “30 minute one skillet dish.” On these days it can be helpful to chop vegetables for the crock or skillet the night before.

Hopefully these tips will be helpful to you! They have been so wonderful for me and have really helped make my meals “effortless” but still delicious (and healthy for making a new baby!)