I missed Real Food Wednesday last week So I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss it this week!  This week’s carnival topic is “Rookie tips from You” – dedicated to helping you get started with better nutrition.

All moms spend time thinking about how to improve nutrition.  And I think it’s safe to say the thought overwhelms you.  It overwhelms me and it’s one of the things I’m most passionate about (besides birth and babies!) I thought I’d share some simple tips for getting started, and some things that have helped me:

• Switch to real butter for flavoring cooked veggies and soups.
• Use olive oil and red wine vinegar on your salads if making your own dressing is intimidating.
• Switch to coconut oil for sauteing, or a coconut oil/butter mix.
• Buy fermented foods if making them scares you   Real lacto-fermented sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles can frequently be found even at conventional grocers.   You can also buy yogurt and (unsweetened) kefir.
• Learn to love your crock pot.  You can make delicious real food in your crockpot easily!  You can also cook beans in your crock pot overnight.
• Roast a whole chicken in your crock pot and use the bones to make chicken stock.  This is very, very easy to do and a great basis for better nutrition.  You can even make the stock in your crock pot if you need to be away from home.
• Use your home made chicken stock in soups throughout the week.  Soups are really easy to make too.
• Soak beans and grains you’ll need for the week all at once, then store in the fridge.  This one tip has helped me a lot over the past few weeks as we’ve been eating a 100% traditional foods diet.

And a couple of tips related to children:

• Feed your children lots of fat.  At least 6 tablespoons a day is good for young children.  Give them whole milk, whole milk cheeses, whole yogurt, and butter.  If you give them salads dress them with plenty of olive oil.  Flavor their veggies generously with butter.
• Feed your children at regular times throughout the day.  Children like routine and they learn to understand that they eat at meal and snacktimes – not around the clock.  Do nurse your baby on demand!
• Do not be a short order cook!  Teach your children that what is served is what they have available to eat.  Encourage them to at least take one bite of a food they think they will not like.  Teach them to thank the cook and show appreciation for food even if they don’t care for it.
• Please see the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome if you have a very picky eater; it gives helpful advice on teaching children to eat good foods.

Get more information on how to get started with better nutrition by visiting Kelly the Kitchen Kop!

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!

Getting more efficient

First, soaking everything for the week at once then putting it in the fridge was a lifesaver.  It really helped me because I didn’t need to try and remember to soak things when I was already tired in the evenings.  The only problem I’ve encountered with soaking everything on the same nice is that I run out of glass bowls.  I did major soakings over two nights because of this.

The other thing that helped a lot was making sure I keep up with the kitchen cleaning.  This is challenging because like I said before, we use so many dishes and pots and pans.  But it’s much easier to take a few minutes to rinse and soap the pots down right after I use them than it is to convince myself to go back into the kitchen after I’ve finally gotten everyone fed.

I do feel like I’m getting more efficient in the kitchen, though.  I’m working on a few other things too, like being sure I’m cooking 1 or 2 meals every week that can easily be doubled or tripled to put in the freezer, and planning a crock-pot meal or two.

We have two crock pots, which has been really handy.  One is a 5 quart size and we also have a smaller sized one, I’d say it’s a 3 quart one.  I tend to make entrees in the 5 quart but the 3 quart is perfect for cooking beans and things.  I also tried doing beans overnight on low without boiling them first this week and that works very well for all the types I tried (kidney, black, and pinto).  I am still soaking them the night before.

How we’re feeling

Physically still feeling good.  Regular every day.  I’ve always had these small bumps along the backs of my arms – you couldn’t see them but I could feel them and I can’t feel now.  I’ve also had a wart on right hand forever and it is almost gone!  This thing has been stubborn enough to live through multiple freezings.  And now in two weeks it’s disappearing completely.  I’m happy.

The kids are doing well too.  They’ve continued to be very cheerful and helpful.  Our house has never stayed so nice.  Part of this is because after the holidays we started working really hard on teaching them to take care of their possessions and our living space.  But I think full bellies and good nutrition certainly help their dispositions.

Scott had to eat a lunch at the office last week so that interrupted his 30 days.  He’s mentioned several times that he’s never felt better than he does now though.  Not sure if that’s just all the good traditional foods or just me cooking for him :p

I’m still tired but I think that’s more from not going to bed until later than usual this past week, and having some children up in the night than anything else.

No battling with cravings at all this past week (for me at least).

Enjoying the challenge

All in all I’m really happy with how things are going and looking forward to the next two weeks.  I feel like my kitchen is looking great and I’m starting to get a better hang of how to keep traditional foods prepared.

This week I’m going to go over various traditional food protocols I’ve written out from all the books I’ve been reading to try and refine our meals even more.  I’m also working on posting reviews of the books I’ve been reading; I’ll post to the blog when I finish those!

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 have been having major cravings too, to be fair. All for usual stuff I crave – sub sandwiches, chocolate, and the most horrible – Pasta Roni Shells and White Cheddar :p Talk about processed! They’re all passing cravings, and I’ve been able to get rid of most of them by having a hearty snack, like a slice of raw milk cheese and a glass of milk, or an avocado half or something of that nature. It’s the fattier and protein rich snacks that seem to help with the sugar/carb cravings (which is what I have).

Burnout

The other huge challenge encountered…on Friday to be precise… was burnout from being in the kitchen. I found myself completely and utterly tired of being in there, of cooking, preparing, and more than anything else, serving it all out.

I already wrote that I planned to do all my weekly soaking at one time. With the exception of our rice I’m going to soak everything for the week tonight and put it in the bottom of the fridge to await its turn to be cooked.

I’ve also been calling the children into the kitchen to help carry plates and cups out. Scott helps with that for many meals as well. It’s strange that I find serving so overwhelming but I do. Maybe it’s time to let the kids learn to serve out salads and veggie sides onto their own plates too.

Today I feel absolutely exhausted which I believe is due much more to the fact I was up past midnight lats night than it is to anything with our diet.

Thinking of Solutions

I’ve still been pleasantly full most of the time. The only drawbacks so far have been spending so much time in the kitchen and the cravings. But I think cravings are to be expected when my body is getting completely weaned from processed foods. And I’m working on the kitchen time.

I need to come up with some “quick meals” for when I can’t make the planned meal for whatever reason. I did well last night, when we got home quite late. I simply pan-cooked a steak and some mushrooms then used beef stock and cream to make a quick sauce and served it over leftover soaked and cooked rice. I had leftover salad that I served on the side.

Normally I rely on stocks to make soups in a pinch but I didn’t get my chicken stock started, nor did I have any of the beans I normally make soups with. So that brings up another thing – I absolutely can’t miss anything I’m supposed to prep on a day or else we’re really out of luck.

Or I need to make sure there’s always back-ups. That’s probably most prudent. I should plan to get several quarts of stock up in the freezer and I think I’ll freeze cooked beans in cup-sized portions that could easily be added to a soup. I’m also planning a huge batch of chili this week which I should be able to put two meals up into the freezer for.

A Need for Planning

So this takes a lot of planning, and I’m still working out how to be most efficient so I’m not getting overwhelmed with kitchen time – and I don’t run out of good food so we end up eating junk.

I’m hoping to learn some good “quick meal” recipes too. This week’s Real Food Wednesday is going to feature real “fast food” – I can’t wait.

On Kids and Milk

On the kid front the kids are doing great – and I’m thrilled that Cassidy couldn’t button a pair of pants this week! Upon trying on some pants that she’s been unable to wear (because they’d fall off) she found they fit nicely. The kids have all been pretty cheerful and content.

My milk supply is more generous than ever. I have never had a problem with supply but this is just ridiculous – showers of milk anytime Galen nurses and it’s thick and creamy. It’s a bit annoying to me because I get flooded constantly (Galen still nurses pretty much every hour), however, I can’t really complain about so much milk of good quality!

Hopefully this week I’ll get things more streamlined and figured out. I’m also hoping I”ll have more energy. It’s going to be interesting to see how things go as we enter week 2 of our challenge!

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!

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!