weekly menu plan Oct 13-17

• breakfasts: leftover devilled eggs & cinnamon rolls, blueberry bars, and oatmeal
• lunches: leftovers or eggs & toast
• suppers: leftover crockpot stew, stuffed peppers, white bean arugula salad, quiche?

tomorrow...tuesday...

...we'll be having:

• breakfast - apple crisp & fresh cream
• lunch - leftover ghanoush
• supper - leftover spaghetti & meatballs

back on the wagon

I need discipline....and accountability...which means I'll be posting more frequently! :)

Tomorrow's menu looks kinda like this:

• breakfast - warm bone broth, pumpkin streusel cake
• lunch - leftovers
• supper - spaghetti and meatballs, cucumber salad

Monday

We had:

• fried eggs & LF ginger carrots for breakfast
• leftovers for lunch
• leftover moussaka for supper

Tomorrow, we'll have:

• smoothies for breakfast
• ? for lunch
• pizza for supper

Saturday

Today, we're having:

• oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast
• leftover fried rice & ground beef for lunch
• leftover peanut soup for supper

Tomorrow, we'll have:

• leftover oatmeal for breakfast
• leftover chicken curry for lunch
• leftover pumpkin moussaka for supper

We need to up our protein intake, too. I just made a blackberry custard - we may have that for desserts/snacks or I may save it for Monday breakfast.

My fil mjolk & piima cultures came this week, too...need to go pick up some more milk so I can get these babies started!

Thursday

Yesterday's pumpkin moussaka was pretty good.

Today, we're having:

• leftover pancakes for breakfast
• soup for lunch
• peanut soup and spoonbread for supper

Tomorrow, we'll have:

• oatmeal for breakfast
• ? for lunch
• leftover moussaka for supper?

Tough Tuesday

Whew! Things kinda blew up around here. I may be sparse for a while. Today, we're having:

• bone broth, pumpkin custards w/cream, and leftover smoothies for breakfast
• leftovers for lunch
• leftover chicken coconut curry for supper

Tomorrow, we'll probably have:

• frozen pancakes for breakfast
• leftovers for lunch
• leftover calzone-y things for supper

Sunny Sunday

What a difference a couple of days makes! I've got the windows open now to enjoy the nearly 70 degree weather. Yesterday, I was alone for supper so just had leftover chicken instead of making the trout. Today, we're having:

• bone broth and pumpkin custard w/kefir for breakfast
• lunch at Mom & Dad's
• steelhead trout, broccoli, and fried rice for supper

Tomorrow, we'll have:

• bone broth and pumpkin custard w/whipped cream for breakfast
• leftovers for lunch
• coconut chicken curry for supper, unless I don't have enough coconut milk :)

I may go pick up some more raw milk tomorrow...I've ordered some fil mjolk and piima cultures and they should arrive by the middle of next week. Can't wait to try them!

Frozen Friday

Today we're having:

• mango smoothies for breakfast
• egg drop soup for lunch
• sticky chicken, brown rice, baked squash, and steamed green beans for supper

I'm baking a large heirloom Italian squash right now...yum, it smells good. I saved some seeds - we'll see if I get garden space to grow them this year.

The kids are out making a snowman. I feel obsolete. We've never had enough snow for me to build a snowman with them...you know, they need someone to show them proper snowman construction techniques, heehee...and here they are, on their own, building a fabulous snowman. I hope they hurry - there's not much left on the ground, and the temp is about 40 degrees now. :)

Tomorrow, DH will be at a training camp for much of the day. We'll probably eat:

• eggs for breakfast
• calzone thingies for lunch
• steelhead trout, baked squash, and broccoli for supper

Thursday's child

far to go...

Yesterday, I ended up rushing to an unexpected rehearsal rather than making the ravioli. We ate leftover roast beef from Sunday instead. So today, we're having:

• leftover oatmeal & blueberries for breakfast
• leftover beef noodle soup for lunch
• ravioli for supper

I've got the filling warming a bit in the oven now. I'll be rolling out the dough shortly, and we shall see how these puppies turn out! I will be simmering the stuffed noodles in beef broth. If it turns out decently, I'll post the recipe. Heck, if it doesn't turn out decently, I may post the recipe anyway. Just because I can. :)

My menu plan for the week is screwed up now. I'm not feelin' the breakfast vibes yet, so I'll have to post tomorrow's menu when I come up with it.

TF Ravioli (or not)

all measurements are approximate

• 1 batch pelmeni dough
• 1 lb carrots (I used three large ones)
• 1 lb potatoes (I used 5 smallish-to-medium ones)
• 1 large onion
• several cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup whey
• water
• 1 lb ground beef
• green veggie...frozen peas, spinach, swiss chard, kale, green beans, zucchini, etc
• bone broth
• sea salt and other spices

Allow the pelmeni dough to ferment at least three days. The day before you make the raviolis, shred the carrots and potatoes in your food processor. Or harness the limitless supply of toddler energy bouncing off your walls to grate those root vegetables. Be aware that you will also have some carrots and potatoes on the walls if you use this option. :) I used my food processor, shredding the carrots first so that when I dumped the contents, the potatoes would be on the bottom (hopefully preventing too much browning).

Place the shredded veggies in a large bowl. Pour the whey over the veggies (a la NT's hashbrown recipe), and fill the bowl with enough filtered water to cover. Put a lid on the bowl and leave in a warmish place overnight.

Meanwhile, mince the onion and the garlic. I used 5 cloves. If garlic = good, then mo' garlic = mo' bettah. That's what I always say. Okay, that's the first time I've said it. Catchy, though, isn't it? I want to make a tee shirt now.

After the onions & garlic are minced, put them in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for tomorrow. You can chop your green veggies and refrigerate at this time as well. Or you can be lazy like me and hope you have a bag of frozen green stuff somewhere in your freezer. :)

On Ravioli Day, lightly brown the hamburger with whatever spices you'd prefer, then set aside. Next, add some fat to the pan and brown the onions/garlic. Add the drained potatoes/carrots. When the veggies are mostly done, add the meat back into the mix and salt/season to taste.

Meanwhile, heat a quart of bone broth with a little sea salt - you'll drop the raviolis into this broth to cook.

Roll out your noodle dough into 6" rounds or so. Place a couple of tablespoons of filling onto the dough round and crimp to seal the dough.

Notice the gaping holes forming as the dough loses shape and the hot filling oozes all over. Say something witty, like "$#%@!" Try again. Realize your dough is too fragile for this sort of thing and picture a big blobby mess of dough and filling floating around in a pot of broth. Shudder.

Quickly and calmly reassure your children that you do indeed know what you are doing and that what you intended to make was not Ravioli, but some sort of Meat Pie. Perhaps a Calzone, even. Proceed to roll out more pelmeni dough to make crusts for these Meaty Calzone Pie Thingies.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you search for suitable pans in which to bake the MCPTs. Fill the crusts with the Meaty Filling and cover with Calzone Crusty Dough Stuff. Bake until golden.

Drink the warm broth while you remember how little fat is in the noodle dough. Say something witty, like "$#%@! - we're doomed to tough crusts!" Decide to slather the hot Calzone-y Pie Things with butter when they emerge from the oven and resolve to just cook the noodles separately in the broth and top with the filling, should there ever be a next time.

Sigh.

Tuesday tricks

I did a lot of prep work yesterday...briefly kneaded the pelmeni dough that's been fermenting in the oven with the light on...put the soup bones in the slow cooker with celery, garlic, bay leaves, & a glug of apple cider vinegar...shredded potatoes & carrots to ferment for tomorrow's ravioli...minced garlic & onion for the ravioli filling as well.

The case of mangoes I bought is screaming to be used up, so I ended up making kefir -mango smoothies for breakfast yesterday instead of the soaked oatmeal. And we had a gelatin-rich soup for lunch instead of eggs.

Today, we're having:

• leftover smoothies for breakfast
• eggs for lunch (possibly with toast)
• beef noodle soup for supper

After lunch, I'll remove the meat from the soup bones and return to the strained stock. Then I'll add some veggies and simmer while I roll out the pelmeni dough. I'll be reserving half the dough for ravioli tomorrow (first attempt! I must admit I'm a little nervous). I'll add the noodles a few at a time to prevent sticking, then simmer until they are fully cooked. I'd love to serve muffins with this but not sure if I'll have time to check out coconut flour versions. Don't really want to add more grains to our meal.

I'll be making more bone broth to simmer the ravioli in. Should be interesting! :) Tomorrow we'll have:

• soaked oatmeal for breakfast with blueberries & hempseed
• ? for lunch
• ravioli for supper

Sublime Sunday

Ooooh, the weather today!!!!!!!! Thermometer says 64 degrees, and the sun is shining. Can't stop long to blog, gotta get back out there and soak up some yummy rays!

Today we're having:

• leftover sourdough pancakes with kefir cheese & mango puree for breakfast
• sirloin tip roast with root veggies for lunch
• leftover tilapia and salad for supper

The roast wasn't a success. I prepped everything and put the crock in the fridge overnight, then set it at "low" when I got up at 6:00 this morning. We ate around 12:30, and the veggies were still kinda crunchy. The meat wasn't horrible, but it would have benefitted from either a longer cook time, more marinade, or being seared and eaten more rare. Oh well.

Tomorrow we'll pick up our first batch of raw milk, unless they sell out before it's our turn. I stayed up late checking out piima, vili, and other exotic cultures...but I promised myself to wait until we try the milk to see if I'll be keeping it in good supply.

Tomorrow's menu includes:

• soaked oatmeal for breakfast
• eggs & fermented vegetables for lunch
• burgers, mashed potatoes, & broccoli for supper

And I've been wondering why some of Sally Fallon's potato recipes call for soaking the potatoes in whey. Does it neutralize something? Add flavor? I have no clue.

I've got noodle dough fermenting for soup and ravioli later this week. I'm going to go strain my kefir and repackage my coconut oil into quart jars, then I'm going OUTSIDE!!!!!

Frigid Friday

I shouldn't complain - it did warm up to the low 30s here today. :) Below zero temps are really unusual here, though!

Yesterday was crazy busy. We had:

• leftover raw smoothies and bone broth for breakfast
• leftovers for lunch
• stuffed acorn squash and bacon for supper

I found a few slices of bacon in the freezer, and decided we'd finish it last night. We don't eat pork for many reasons, but since this was the expensive nitrite-free stuff, I couldn't toss it...and I ended up feeling gross all night, while DS actually puked his up. Should have tossed it, I guess. Anyway, that's the last of the pork.

Today, we had:

• leftover sourdough pancakes w/ kefir cheese & mango puree
• tuna salad for lunch
• leftover meat & beet pate for supper

I had planned to cook a roast, but got it out too late. Plus, I've never cooked a sirloin tip before and wanted to check out a few recipes first...so I put it off for now.

Tomorrow, we'll eat:

• fried eggs for breakfast
• leftover stuffed squash for lunch
• honey mustard tilapia with sweet potatoes & kale for supper

We're hoping to have our first showing this weekend - the forecast called for nice weather, which is great for house-hunting...so I definitely don't want to end up in the middle of something complicated, only to have to leave it for later. The bacony odor from last night was still grossing me out this morning, too. Have to think about that before I cook...

Trying Tuesday

What a loooong day! Here's what we ate today:

• mango/banana/avocado kefir smoothies for breakfast
• leftovers for lunch
• Marlboro Man's sandwiches and celebration pate for supper

We ended up so hungry when we got back from ballet that we ate the bread as a toasty snack with butter and honey, then just ate the meat and the beet pate for supper. :)

I think I'll hit the sack early tonight - tomorrow's another busy day, so we'll have:

• pumpkin custard with kefir cheese for breakfast
• leftover something for lunch
• leftover quiche and fruit salad for supper

Tomorrow will be grain-free, unless I need some brown rice to stretch the lunch leftovers. We'll be gluten-free, at any rate.

Manic Monday

Today was going to be a slow day...a "savor-time-with-the-kids-since-I've-been-so-stinkin'-busy-lately" day. I planned to focus on school, cooking, and recouping from the last couple of weeks with lots of snuggle time.

But.

I ended up needing to re-take the pics for our realtor...and the kids were home...which means a job that would have taken me an hour by myself turned into a 4-hour ordeal. Plus editing time.

Unfortunately, I didn't find out I'd need to play photographer again until I had started into my 3-hour pancake ritual. Sigh.

Today, we're having:

• sourdough blueberry pancakes topped with kefir cheese and mango puree for breakfast
• eggs & kimchi for lunch
• kale quiche and fruit salad for supper

I made the eggs quick since the kids were starving and I still had pics to take...then I realized I had quiche down for supper. Oh well.

Guacamole

• 5 ripe avocado
• 1 large sweet onion, finely diced
• 1 lemon
• salt, to taste

Peel & pit each avocado; set aside in large bowl. Roll lemon on the counter (use some pressure here!) to help release juice, then cut in half and juice. Mash up the avocado, lemon juice, and salt (I usually use just over 1/2 tsp salt). You can use a potato masher, pastry knife, fork or even just your hands to mash everything together. Then add the onions, mix well, and put in the fridge to chill after you've sampled enough to be quite sure the mixture is just right. :)

Saturday...comin' clean

All right, confession time: I didn't make burgers & mashed potatoes for supper yesterday. I deep-cleaned the house all day and dragged my aching body to my parents' to pick up the kids, and on the way home realized it would be either: a) make supper (aka "defile kitchen" and return the kitchen to its pristine state, or b) clean the master bathroom, take pics, and edit them while everyone starves. So it took me about 3 seconds to decide we needed another option, which was c) pick up food on the way home, clean the bath, take pics, & edit.

We picked up Chick-fil-A sandwiches. But...we didn't eat the buns, and I served kimchi with the chicken. How's that? heehee

And the good news is: the house is ready to list for sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dare you to come look in my closet.

Here's today's menu:

• warm beef broth, fried eggs, and leftover muffins for breakfast
• leftover steak, pumpkin gratin, and steamed broccoli for lunch
• tostadas & salad for supper

I soaked the tortilla dough last night before I edited pics and fried the tortillas as soon as the eggs were done. Then I browned the onions & hamburger for supper and made some fresh guacamole. yummmmmmmmmmmm

We did end up getting our box of produce yesterday. I weighed everything, and it looks like I saved between $10 and $20 by getting the box. The only things I don't like: I have no idea what I'll get (and I'm a HUGE planner, so that irks me) and we did get some things I wouldn't have gotten (e.g., I listed grapefruit as a dislike on their form, and we got grapefruit; I would have skipped the beets, too). But I did really like that they delivered. :)

I'll post my guac recipe in a few. Here's what we'll have tomorrow:

• beef broth and leftover muffins for breakfast
• leftover tostadas for lunch
• burgers, mashed potatoes & gravy, steamed green beans for supper

I'll probably be doing easier meals for a while so I won't get caught in the middle of a huge production during a showing. And while I think garlic and ginger smell really yummy, I know that can put some people off. :)

Soaked Multi-grain Muffins

• 1 cup 7-grain kernels
• 3/4 cup oat groats
• 1 cup kefir
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (in liquid state)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Grind grains. Mix in remaining ingredients and cover. Leave in warm spot overnight.

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup sucanat
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)
• 1 cup shredded carrot and/or zucchini
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• nuts (optional)

Add ingredients to soaked flour mixture in order listed. Bake in muffin tins or mini loaf pans at 375 degrees. Remove when centers are set - should be at least 20 minutes. Muffins will be "custardy" in texture, especially when warm. Makes 2 dozen muffins.

Three-post Thursday

Today, we had:

• muffins and a little leftover smoothie for breakfast
• leftover tongue with brown rice for lunch
• steelhead trout, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and baked apples for supper

I've modified this muffin recipe several times, and it is my new favorite. It is waaaaay too sweet as written, though. I'll post my TFed version shortly.

I signed up to receive a box of produce this week but am thinking I might have missed the deadline. I asked for delivery at DH's office and he hasn't seen it yet - I'm really hoping he didn't overlook it and lose $40 worth of produce. On top of that, I've been waiting to put my menu plans for the next 2 weeks together until I've got those veggies in hand...I have no idea what I'll get. We're down to onions, a few potatoes, two sweet potatoes, a carrot and three parsnips for our fresh produce now since I've put off a trip to the store in anticipation of receiving that big box...

Tomorrow we'll have:

• leftover oatmeal, smoothies, and/or muffins
• leftover something for lunch (kids will be at Grandma & Grandpa's)
• burgers, mashed potatoes & gravy or oven-roasted potatoes & parsnips, & some green frozen veggie :)

Tongue Tips from the Trenches

My advice? Don't leave the peeled skin out where DH can see it before he eats. And don't let the kids talk to Dad before he eats. Because once he knows what he's eating, he'll be so grossed out he'll gag at every bite...

...even though every bite was melt-in-your-mouth tender. And even though the kids loved it so much they asked for a BIG second helping. :)

Tuesday tricks

It's ballet day. And catch-our-breath-from-yesterday day. Today, we're having:

• smoothies for breakfast
• tuna with lacto-fermented vegetables, celery sticks, and pears for lunch
• Bourbon Chicken (from the TF Menu Mailer) with brown rice and broccoli for supper

Breakfast Smoothie

measurements are approximate

• one can coconut milk (rinse the can with 1/2 cup water and add that as well)
• one cup coconut kefir + kefir grains
• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup frozen sliced peaches, thawed slightly
• 1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed slightly
• pinch sea salt
• stevia or raw honey to taste (I used 1/2 tsp. ground stevia leaves)
• 1 1/2 tsp. astragalus powder
• 1 tsp. slippery elm bark powder
• 1 Tblsp. hempseed
• 1 Tblsp. chia seeds

Blend thoroughly. This recipe provided enough for 3 large servings this morning and I put away enough for 3 small servings on another day. The kids' coughs have diminished a lot - we'll see how the day goes...I need to get out the cod liver oil, too.

I stayed up way too late last night looking for a good recipe for beef tongue. I'll be putting that into the crockpot tonight so it can cool tomorrow morning before I peel it. I think I've settled on this recipe. We've got a busy day, and I won't have much time for food prep. So, tomorrow we'll eat:

• leftover oatmeal with blueberries & hempseed for breakfast
• eggs for lunch (?)
• beef tongue for supper

Got a kick out of the videos on www.offalgood.com last night. :) No penis wine for me, though. Thanks.

TF Tortillas

measurements are approximate

• 2 cups Whole White Wheat grains
• 2 Tblsp. beef tallow
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup whey (start with 1/2 cup or so)

Grind the grain. With a pastry cutter (or your fingers) cut the tallow and salt into the fresh flour until fat is blended in well. Add whey until dough holds together. Knead briefly; add more whey if dough feels too dry. Cover and set aside on your counter for at least 24 hours. When ready, roll into 1" balls for small tortillas, or 2-3" balls for larger tortillas. Dust each ball with flour (I use organic unbleached) and roll flat with a rolling pin, dusting with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Fry briefly in a small amount of beef tallow (I flip when each side is just beginning to brown) and remove from pan. These are yummy when hot, but also keep pretty well as long as you pack them up before they dry out.

Sunday, Sunday

Sunday is always a blur. I always have leftovers ready for breakfast so we can get out the door to my rehearsal by 7:30. And I try to have leftovers ready for lunch so we can just reheat/eat when we get home, starving..and then, if I'm lucky, we'll have more leftovers for supper so I can catch my breath and get ready for a busy Monday. :) So, having said that: today, we had:

• leftover banana pancakes topped with butter and honey for breakfast
• leftover meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans for lunch
• burritos for supper
• and I broke down and had some more SunDrops after I got home

I had to be at rehearsal again tonight by 5:30, so had to leave the house by 4:50 to pick up the Hubster on the way. That meant I had to start cooking the tortillas at 3:30...luckily, I still had plenty of taco filling frozen so just had to reheat that. I really miss the LF salsa, though - store-bought really doesn't cut the mustard after you've had the LF version.

The tortillas turned out good - I'll post the recipe in a few. Tomorrow, we'll have:

• leftover pancakes for breakfast
• leftover something for lunch
• steak, pumpkin gratin, and sauteed chard for supper (assuming I don't have to be at rehearsal too early)

Homestead Helps

If you've ever wanted to know how to butcher a chicken, wonder no more...

blink

...and it's gone...

The day, that is. Yesterday we had:

• banana peanut butter pancakes topped with butter and raw honey for breakfast


• egg drop soup for lunch


• leftover roast & veggies for supper

I added salt, cardamom, and cinnamon to the pancakes. Since I had 6 frozen bananas, I made 6 batches and we'll have the rest for breakfasts later in the week.

Today we ate:

• leftover oatmeal with blueberries, hempseed, and coconut oil for breakfast


• egg drop soup for lunch


• meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and steamed green beans for supper

I used Grandma's recipe for the meatloaf except: I ground oat groats coarsely since I didn't have rolled oats; I used tomato paste instead of sauce; and I added applesauce and some spices. It was blander than I expected. Maybe I need to add some vinegar or something to add a little zing?

I made an extra meatloaf and put it in the freezer. I also tried a new recipe...I prepped up to the point where it's supposed to be broiled and put it in the fridge. We'll see how it turns out Monday. :)

And the good news is...the laundry room is "sale ready". Yippee!!!! Now it's just tedious cleaning ahead of me, no more sorting/tossing. We should have the house listed by the end of next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what day is it again?

Wow - Wednesday pretty much disappeared without so much as a "hello"! We ate:

• leftover coconut flour pancakes and chicken broth for breakfast
• tuna with celery sticks for lunch
• leftover chicken & veggies for supper

I added some of the salsa brine from our LF salsa to the tuna. It was yummy. :)

Today, we're having:

• soaked oatmeal for breakfast
• easy egg drop soup for lunch
• leftover something (probably roast)

Last night, I ran 3 cups of oat groats through my Fidibus grinder on a coarse setting, added about 1/4 cup kefir whey and lots of water and let it soak all night. This morning, I cooked it, added butter, hempseed, chia seeds, blueberries, a tiny bit of stevia, and some astragalus powder. I packed away more than half for future breakfasts. The kids ate their breakfast in one gulp, I think. :) We had some coconut milk to hold us until the oatmeal was cooked, too.

I'd like to make a DIY video for my egg-drop soup - maybe I'll get one done and uploaded somewhere soon.

The Hubster will be at a meeting tonight, so we should have plenty of leftovers for the three of us.

not-so-tasty Tuesday

Today, we're having:

• coconut flour pancakes for breakfast
• leftover taco stuff with fermented broccoli stems for lunch
• slow-cooked sticky chicken & vegetables for supper

The pancakes were, well, not stellar. DD sucked them down immediately - I think she really liked the raspberry jam/ginger spread I made for them - but DS and I choked them down. I can't imagine how such individually delicious ingredients can combine to form such a culinary atrocity.

Yes, atrocity.

Next time, we will enjoy our coconut milk, eggs, and butter without marring them by adding coconut flour. *shudder*

Lunch was ho-hum.

Supper will be good, though. I always make a huge batch of this Sticky Chicken spice mix so I can just dump it on whenever I want. DElish. I'll save the white meat for the Bourbon Chicken in KerryAnn's TF MenuMailer and then make lots of yummy stock for later in the week. I'm also making bread today for sandwiches next week...hope it's done by the time we need to leave for ballet!!

my monday

We hit the books today - bye-bye, vacation! I ended up needed to see my chiropractor today, so we did easy for each meal:

• leftover peach custards with fresh beef broth for breakfast
• leftover stuffed squash for lunch
• leftover taco stuff with lacto-fermented salsa for supper

We've used up all the LF salsa now. I was surprised at how good it turned out - not quite as good as fresh, but way better than any store-bought stuff! I won't make any more until tomatoes are in season next year, but I'll make several more quarts than I did this year.

We've got our first ballet lesson tomorrow, so I'll do a crock meal for supper. I think I'll try the coconut pancake recipe posted at MDC recently for breakfast so we can have something quick again Wednesday...

So long, Saturday

Today, I made:

• peach custards for breakfast
• leftover chicken pot pie for my lunch
• Catalina Roast for supper

The custards actually baked with the sweet potatoes last night, and I re-warmed them in the toaster oven this morning. I used a recipe from MDC as a guide. I wasn't terribly impressed with the way these came out - they seemed pretty bland. And I think they would have been better fresh.

I nearly forgot to put together the Catalina Roast from KerryAnn's TF MenuMailer this morning - as I rushed out the door, I grabbed a frozen chuck roast, chopped carrots, onions, potatoes, celery, parsnips, and turnips, and whipped up KerryAnn's sauce. The roast was frozen solid, and would not conform to my slowcooker...so on to plan B...which was to find a roasting pan large enough for the chuck...which was at my parents house since we're trying to de-clutter prior to listing the house...so on to plan C...which was to stuff as much into my smaller roasting pan as possible and cover the whole thing with foil.

That worked.

So I popped it into the oven at 200 degrees and jumped in the car, 30 minutes late.

The kids were at Grandma & Grandpa's for lunch, so I scrounged the last of the chicken pot pie (DH was at a meeting).

The roast was nice and tender when I got home from picking up the kids. I chopped the remaining meat and added it to the broth/vegetables that were left. We'll eat that for supper tomorrow over some brown rice. I put the bones/gristle in the slowcooker with a little apple cider vinegar and filled to the top with water.

I ate a cup of Sundrops after supper. Ugh. But I'm too tired to care now. I must finish up our bathroom -but first I think I'll lie down in the living room and let the kids race their cars on my back. :)

Tomorrow is another busy day. We'll eat:

• leftover pancakes and fresh bone broth for breakfast
• leftover taco stuff for lunch
• leftover roast etc for supper

AND NO SUNDROPS!!

Glazed Steelhead Trout

All measurements are approximate

I buy my Steelhead trout in a 3 lb or so package at my local Sam's Club. When I get home, I repackage it into 1 lb portions and freeze for later use. In my opinion, Steelhead trout has a similar taste and texture to salmon, though it's more tender. I make the glaze rather mild - you can easily make it stronger - just be sure to balance sweet/sour.

In a large mug, combine:

one spoonful Ginger Spread (or 1 tsp minced ginger root and sweetener to taste)
1 Tblsp soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced and/or a handful of fresh garlic greens from the garden, snipped finely
1/2 tsp or more of any desired spices (red pepper flakes, cayenne, cardamom, etc)

Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Rub 1 Tblsp coconut oil onto the bottom of a glass pan (mine measures about 7.5" x 10.5"). Carefully wash 1 lb of the Steelhead trout and place in prepared pan. Spoon the sauce over the trout and set aside while you scrub sweet potatoes (put them in the oven at 350 degrees). When the sweet potatoes are nearly done (check them at 30-45 minutes), put the trout into the oven. Meanwhile, wash and chop your chard. Saute briefly and drizzle with butter or olive oil and lemon juice. By this time, the rest of the food should be done. Serve and enjoy! :)

Full-day Friday

Today we're eating:

• smoothies for breakfast
• leftover pizza for lunch
• glazed steelhead trout, sauteed chard, and baked sweet potatoes for supper

The smoothies turned out different than I expected. I used a recipe posted on the MDC forums as a guide, and didn't refrigerate overnight as the recipe called for...maybe that's why it seemed so thin. Anyway, I used several eggs, some coconut kefir, a little butter, 2 overripe bananas, kale, and a tablespoon of raw honey. The kids drank it in no time flat. My ears are still buzzing from the loud motor on my new food processor, though!

I'll post my glaze recipe in a few. We have been LOVING the steelhead trout we get at Sam's...it's soooo juicy and fatty. Really takes care of cravings here, and it tastes just as good as something you'd get in a fancy restaurant.

Where did Wednesday go? or Thoughtful Thursday

Actually, I don't have time to think OR blog today.

Yesterday, we had:

• leftover pie with kefir cheese for breakfast
• kale omelets with kimchi for lunch
• leftover taco stuff for supper

We did apples & peanut butter for snacks before naps and slippery elm tea with coconut oil after naps. DS had a lot less drainage yesterday.

Since I'm teaching today, we'll have an "easy" meal day (more grain-based compromises). We'll be eating:

• leftover pancakes topped with mango puree
• leftover something for lunch - probably taco
• leftover something for supper - probably the chicken pot pie

Manic Monday, New Year Tuesday!

The pie crust ended up okay, though I will add more liquid next time. I used freshly ground pastry flour, beef tallow, sea salt, whey, ACV, and an egg, then let it sit out 24 hrs. Next time I'll add a couple of extra tablespoons of whey, as it was very difficult to roll out. It was probably the nicest whole wheat crust I've ever eaten, though!

For the filling, I used 1/4 the recommended sugar and added enough stevia for the another 1/4. I didn't notice any difference between that version and my usual (half the recommended sugar). Texture was fine, no strange aftertaste...next time I'll try 1/8 sugar and 1/4 stevia and see what happens.

So we ended up with:

• pumpkin pie with kefir cheese for breakfast


• kale & ground beef omelet for lunch


• out for supper...pizza, and I really, REALLY needed these for my night out:

But I didn't get them.

Sigh.

I'm going to head for a low-grain, low-sugar diet this month. My goal is 4 protein breakfasts/week (working up to daily) and replacing grain-based snacks with nuts or raw cheeses.

The pumpkin pie is lower grain than pancakes or toast, but next time it will just be custard or a nut crust. Today we're eating:

• pumpkin pie leftovers for breakfast


• chicken, rice, & vegs with Mom & Dad for lunch


• stuffed squash from KerryAnn's TF Mailer & sauted greens for supper

Sunday, Sunday

tomorrow we're eating:

• leftover pumpkin pancakes for breakfast
• leftover pizza for lunch
• taco salad for supper

I'll use the taco filling recipe from KerryAnn's TF MenuMailer as a guide this time...it looks really similar to what I usually do, except I typically use leftover rice rather than making fresh, and I always add beans. I think I'll add extra liver, though...we haven't had any in a while.

We've got to be at church early since I didn't have rehearsal Wednesday night, so hopefully we won't be too cranky to make it to the Co-op to pick up a few things before we head home for lunch. The Organic Valley butter has been on sale for $4.79/lb so I've been trying to stock up!! I also need swiss chard and some other kind of greens for sauteing; parsnips, carrots, and turnips; broccoli; onions; and lots of eggs. I'm pretty well stocked with everything else so should be fine without another grocery run for a couple of weeks. :)

Sunday night, I'll bake a couple of pumpkin pies for breakfasts this week. The kefir cheese is ready and is always yummy with the pies!

slo-mo Saturday

well, not really. But did get a late start and I've been running ever since. Here's what we're eating today:

• pumpkin pancakes topped with mango puree for breakfast
• eggs and the last of the ginger carrots for lunch
• pizza for supper

Got a double batch of pancakes made...they turned out yummy - but next time I'll add some lemon juice to the mango for a bit of tang. We should have enough for a couple of quick breakfasts later in the week, too!

I used the leftover brine from the last batch of ginger carrots for the new batch. Hope they turn out as yummy as the last batch! I've discovered that we like the carrots sliced a little thicker so they retain some crunch after fermentation.

The pizza dough was waiting for me in the fridge. I used freshly ground white wheat and 5-grain mix for the flour, cut the yeast by half, and used kefir whey and potato water for the liquids. I doubled the recipe and used some sourdough starter as well, then put it in the fridge for several days. I've got it ready on some parchment (divided into three pizzas), topped with tomato paste & spices, in the oven with the light on. I hope it turns out well! This is the first time I haven't used the dough immediately after it was made. After it rises, I'll top with chopped spinach, browned hamburger, onions, & mozzarella and bake. MMMMMMmmmmmmMM.

I'm going to try making a TF version of Pioneer Woman's Pie Crust to soak tonight. Our family recipe works fine with this, so I'm pretty optimistic about the results...

We're going to pick up a freecycled crockpot here in a bit. (Woohoo!!!) I broke the lid on my current crockpot two years ago and have been alternating between using an ill-fitting substitute and covering my crock with foil. Neither is optimal...I'm so excited to be getting one with a LID that FITS!! :) After I get it cleaned up, I'll drain the beans that have been soaking on the counter and cook them overnight in the veggie stock I made yesterday. I'd like to try cooking the beans with some kombu but I keep forgetting to purchase it.