I’m pleased to say I do not feel completely burned out this week like I did last week. Two things helped a lot – both things I considered in my last update.
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!
