Menu Plan Monday - Whole30 and Paleo: 7/21-7/27

What?! Two posts in two days? Holy crap! That's a record for me as of recent. This is just a quick one though with our menu plan for the week.

I do need to write an update on our yearly goals soon... Let's see if I can go for 3 days in a row!

I put Whole30 AND Paleo in the title because my Whole30 is over on Thursday and then we will be eating (mostly) paleo meals. There are few things I'm eager to eat again, though it's not what I anticipated wanting! *Hint: It's not pop, deep-fried foods, ice cream or even chocolate! Shocked? Yeah, me too!

Anyway, enjoy. I hope somebody finds something in here they like or want to give a try :)

MONDAY: Spicy tuna cakes and roasted broccoli (tossed with coconut oil, minced garlic, sea salt and pepper, then roasted at 350 for 20-25 mins - "recipe" from It Starts with Food.)

TUESDAY: Breakfast for dinner - homemade pork sausage patties, fried/scrambled eggs, roasted carrots (same as broccoli above) and toast for the husband and boys

WEDNESDAY: Cracklin' chicken, baked sweet potatoes (fries for the boys), salad, applesauce

THURSDAY: Coconut crusted chicken tenders, salad, roasted zucchini and summer squash

FRIDAY: Overnight oven-braised shredded pork tacos - although I may cook this in the crockpot - with guacamole (I still need to find shallots and don't have aleppo pepper), diced onions, tomatoes, lettuce and salsa, plus cheese and tortillas for Jason and the boys. I may decide to have a bit of cheese on mine, but we'll see.

SATURDAY: Cheese/hamburgers, oven-baked sweet potato fries, fresh cauliflower

SUNDAY: Leftovers OR dinner out somewhere


I can't wait to try a couple of other recipes: Bacon, egg & cheese muffins and cinnamon & coconut pancakes as well as Paleo sausage egg "mcmuffin" and Porkitos.

Linking up over on I'm an Organizing Junkie who is the awesome blogger that hosts this each week!

Learning to listen to my gut, figuratively and literally

If you've been following me on Facebook or Instagram - here or here - (or both!), then you know I started a new "journey" almost a month ago. What you may not know is the background and what the outcome is so far.

I had heard of Whole30 in passing on social media before but had never really done any research. One day, I was just sitting here and clicked over to read some more about it. I posed a question on my private FB page as well as the blog page, asking if anyone had done it, or was interested in doing it. I got some great feedback and decided it was worth a try. I ordered the book It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and change your life in unexpected ways. We went on vacation and I read about half of it on the road trip. I was convinced that it was worth trying.

30 days of real fresh food.
No (added) sugar or artificial sweeteners, including honey and maple syrup - added fruit juice is the exception.
No alcohol.
No soy.
No legumes (beans/peanuts/peas/lentils).
No grains (wheat/rice/corn/oats, gluten-free or otherwise, no quinoa, etc).
No dairy.
No "vegetable" or seed oils.

What's left to eat? Meat, including chicken, beef and pork among many others, seafood, and of course eggs. Vegetables and fruits. Healthy saturated fats (read the book and you will understand HOW that is possible!!) like clarified butter/ghee, duck or goat fat, tarrow or lard (!), coconut oil/milk/butter/"meat", olive oil and some nuts and nut butters.

Not so bad!

For nearly 25 full days, I ate really good - minus day 1 when I had soy from my canned tuna, and one day last week when I made the mistake of ordering sweet potato fries at a restaurant. I say mistake because I had made sweet potato fries at home, baked in the oven, with coconut oil and didn't think about it. Of course they were fried at the restaurant, and my brain didn't catch up to my eyes seeing how yummy they looked. Oh well, I only ate a small portion.

I've had some amazing results so far. My digestion has been better, my skin is clearing up on my upper arms where I've had a rash-like acne for years, my shorts are fitting looser, my brain/thinking has been clearer and my sleep has been amazing! I went from having very bad gas as well as weekly issues with *ahem* diarrhea (sorry, TMI) to having little to no gas and not having to use any anti-diarrheal medicine! I've even been told by a couple people - including my awesome MIL - that they see a difference in my size. I honestly can't wait to see my weight at the end of this on the 25th.

I am eating more often, 3 meals a day, and in reality, bigger meals most times, but also so many more veggies and fruit. I feel full and stay full. No real snacking and my cravings are virtually non-existent.

When we started, and I use the word "we" loosely, as my husband and sons are eating most of the same stuff as me for dinner, but are also still eating dairy and grains (mostly at breakfast and lunch) and a little sugar, I thought it would be hard to give all of that up. Especially pop. I was drinking one to two 20-oz Pepsi's a day. Giving it up cold turkey normally gives me a gigantic headache by about day 3 and I give in. This time I did not experience any headaches! I can only attribute that to the fact that I was also feeding my body real food, good-for-me food and my body finally had something to work with. And no, I'm not drinking coffee or tea, either! No caffeine at all for the last 25 days.

As I said above, for nearly 25 full days, I ate this way.

Yesterday, we drove to our hometown in Ohio, and went to a benefit for a friend's mom who is battling cancer. Knowing there may or may not be Whole30 compliant food there, I chose to eat a Larabar before going, and then made the determination to just do the best I could.

At first, it was easy. Pulled pork and shredded beef were available (with bbq sauce on the side, so that was easier, too) and carrots, celery and olives. I had some of the pork w/o sauce, some carrots and a couple of green and black olives. On that note, I realized I do not like whole olives, they are far too salty for me, and I'd much rather have them in a dish or on a salad.

After watching my older two sons and the rest of our family eating the mac and cheese, baked beans, and of course dessert, I thought to myself "What harm could come from having just a little?" I went back for some more food, this time choosing some beef w/o sauce, a small scoop of macaroni and cheese as well as the baked beans, and a small slice of cheesecake. I ate all of it but half of the piece of cheesecake. I felt just fine and figured one meal is okay.

We drove home and I felt very sleepy, which isn't unusual during a car ride for me, and by the time we got home, I was ready for bed. After getting our youngest son changed into pajamas and in bed, and giving hugs and kisses to the older boys, I literally fell into bed.

Fast forward a few hours to the middle of the night, around 3:15. I wake up from a sound sleep in the middle of dream, thinking I heard someone crying. Nope, nobody else is awake. I was wide awake for about 45 mins, just before 4 and then fell asleep until 8:30 when little J actually was calling for us.

This morning, I am feeling the after-effects of eating those things I've abstained from for the past 3 weeks. I could barely open my eyes, don't feel rested at all, and am quite groggy. My brain feels cloudy, if that makes sense. Almost like I was drinking last night. My stomach is a mess, just not feeling 100% and definitely gassy and bloated. :(

While I don't like the way I feel, I am glad I have a little confirmation that certain foods do affect me negatively. It gives me incentive and a renewed drive to continue eating Whole30 or at least paleo.

MPM: Week of 3/2

Not only is it the very first (full) week of March, it's also the start of Lent on this week, beginning with Ash Wednesday. As a convert to the Catholic faith, growing up I had never even HEARD of Lent! Even though I was raised in a Christian home - but wasn't baptized and only went to church sporadically - we never really talked about much outside of Christmas Day and Easter Sunday for "holidays" or special occasions. Over the last several years, since joining the Church, I have tried to embrace the sacrificial and penitential nature of Lent, usually failing miserably. Still learning, and trying is a step in the "right" direction, I suppose.

How does this pertain to our menu plan this week, you ask? Practicing Catholics over the age of 14 are to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent, up to and including Good Friday, as well as those between 18 and 59 are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The boys and I will sit down tonight to discuss their Lenten sacrifices and anything extra they would like to do (extra prayers, an extra weekly Mass, donating their allowance/toys/etc, volunteering, whatever else may pop in our heads), but I have already given some consideration for myself. I plan to, for the most part, Monday through Saturday, for the entirety of Lent, abstain from eating meat. It won't be easy for 2 big reason: 1.) I enjoy eating meat, whether it be a nice juicy hamburger or a piece of chicken or even kielbasa. 2.) Jason is definitely a carnivore, and while he will "give up" meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays for the next 40 days, I don't believe that he would ever willingly go an entire 40 day period without it! Now Sundays are not included in the 40 days of Lent, and so we will be open to a less restricted meal plan. (Lucky for me, my birthday falls on a Sunday, so I won't feel as though I'm "cheating" by not sticking to this on that day :) )

If one of the following meals calls for meat or the main entree is meat, after Wednesday, I will be just eating the other parts of the meal. I'm not sharing this to pretend to be "holier than thou" but as a way for me to be accountable to myself.

Last Thursday, the boys and I stopped and grabbed some frozen pizzas for dinner, and then Friday night, we opted for Chinese takeout. So much for sticking to the plan last week. We did have cheeseburgers on Saturday and the meat/chicken veggie dish - cooked in the oven in a baking dish rather than foil packets - on last night. That left us with one other true "hold-over" meal, which works out fine. See Friday below. It will be getting made this week, as the boys don't have school and I won't want to leave the house and go anywhere! HA!

Without further ado, here is our menu plan starting today:

• Monday: Leftovers
• Tuesday: Taco macaroni and cheese (made with homemade creamy mac and cheese - see last week's menu for link to recipe - ground beef and taco seasoning to taste)
• Wednesday: Individual cheese pizza - the boys have play rehearsal until 6:30 and Jason has class at 6pm so it's going to be a made-to-order-when-you-are-ready kind of night. Jack and I will probably eat with Jas before picking up E and Alex. They'll eat once they get home.
• Thursday: Spaghetti (with ground beef for Jason and if the boys want some)
• Friday: Tuna noodle casserole
• Saturday: Zucchini and potato pancakes (with sausage for the boys)

Check out more menu plans here: Menu Plan Monday

Party time! (Winter fun list update)

I'm just a *ahem* little late in writing this up, but this is the first chance I've had to actually sit when I had a good internet connection at the same time this week. Looking back at the blog, I realize now that I never posted last week for the bucket list, and haven't shared at ALL since the 3rd!! Oops! Guess we've been pretty busy around here. I'll have to share more later :)

Saturday, our friends from Learning Life with 3 Sons (who is also hosting the link-up for the winter bucket lists!) for a small "party" and helped us knock that off our list. I think we had a good time, I know my boys definitely enjoyed having some other boys to play with - Jason included ;) We had pizza bagels, and pb&j snowmen sandwiches for lunch, with lots of fun foods too. Buckeyes, chocolate chip cookies, popcorn (in snowmen cups), Olympic torches (cheese curls in ice cream cones), cheese/grape snowmen, powdered donut "snowballs", fresh whip cream, homemade marshmallows, organic candy canes, mini chocolate chips, pirouette wafers, and hot chocolate. The marshmallows were, um, different, as Julie so kindly described. I would say they were not so good in the finished product. At least 2 of the boys liked them - E and Julie's oldest son did - and they melted great and tasted fine in the hot chocolate, but plain, they were not really great.

We all went outside and played for an hour or so - less than that for Jackson and I, but he refused to nap. He wanted to go play in the snow. In fact, at one point while trying to settle him down, he laid on the floor pouting, and I asked if he was ok. "No, I not ok. I go outside and play with snow now, mommy?" Too sweet to say no to him. The others were alternating between roughhousing, a snowball fight and football, from what I could tell.

At some point during the afternoon, the boys played in the basement, and also played some "snowman slam".

We didn't play the one other game I thought they might like, but the video games got turned on for a bit with Julie's oldest and Jason playing a vs. game on the PS2 and the others watching them.

So we managed to mark the following off our list this week:

• Have a party with friends
• Make homemade marshmallows and drink hot cocoa
• Make buckeyes
• Bake cookies and take some to neighbors - this one was half done, we didn't take any to neighbors. However, Jason did take cookies and buckeyes to work today, so I'm counting that as the other half.

We've made some progress on the following:

• Find and read a new book series to read - We've read the first two chapters and part of the 3rd in Anne of Green Gables.
• Library Event - changing this slightly to a library activity, as in the winter reading club. It's a bingo board for the younger two and for the teen/middle school group, they keep track of each book they read. Both groups have an opportunity to win prizes. Since we are already upping our reading around here, this coincides with our personal goals for the year.

This weekend is open with no swim lesson or catechism, and the boys and Jason don't have school Monday, so I have great hopes to knock some "big" stuff off of our list!

Change of plans

After thinking long and hard, and talking with Julie, I've made a decision. Yesterday, I had a post that should've went "live" but we had an unexpected outing. Because of that, I didn't finish or share it. I'm putting a hold on the Winter Fun List until it's officially winter.That being said I hope anyone who is interested in doing a winter fun list, whether they decide to link up or not will still start planning it!

December 21st is less than a month away, and the "share your list" linky will be up then. I'm planning to make a separate page with the explanation, and any other info as well as our list. Our list is going up now, and will be tweaked up until the 21st.  I'm hoping Julie over at Learning Life with 3 Sons will co-host the link-up, but we'll see ;) If she does, you will only have to link up in ONE place and it will be shared on both blogs, bringing you more visitors! It may also get more participants too!

Anyway, yesterday started out somewhat rough. My moodiness got the best of me, and everybody was in a bad mood in the morning because of it. After Jason and I scrubbed the kitchen from top to bottom (floor, cabinets, dishes, counters, stovetop, other appliances), he took Alex to deliver the popcorn in our neighborhood. It was so bitter cold out, they were only gone a short while. Thankfully they only had 5 houses to go to. They did have to run back out though because they forgot to get money from the one person we didn't collect from at the time they ordered. We all ate a quick lunch before heading out for some last minute fun.

Bass Pro Shops had Santa visiting, a craft, and some other stuff, so we drove out to Great Lakes Crossing. Jason needs some new work boots, and he figured he could at least look while we were there. The older boys made a felt penguin ornament while Jason and Jackson walked around looking at animals. Then they all rode the carousel and soon it was picture time with Santa. Even Ethan got up there and joined in, even after he told me he knows Santa isn't real. He promised not to spoil the fun for his brothers. I was wondering when that time was coming, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Alex also did the target practice.

We spent the next hour or so walking around the mall, and even though Jason didn't find work boots, we did get Alex a new pair of shoes for everyday/play wear. He's definitely growing into his own sense of style! 

 

Rain Forest Cafe was our next destination, where we enjoyed the atmosphere a bit more than the food. All three of the boys loved the animation of the animals, the thunderstorms and shooting stars above our heads. If you've never been, I recommend it just for the fun of that. The food was ok. E and Alex both got shrimpkens which was popcorn shrimp and dino-shaped chicken nuggets with applesauce for Alex and fries for Ethan. Jackson got chicken nuggets and a banana. Jason got some kind of triple play with shrimp, ribs and steak with fries. I got salmon with hazelnut and frangelico butter, caribbean rice and roasted veggies. Mine was not bad at all, the boys said theirs was good - looked like frozen nuggets to us though - and Jason was disappointed in most of his meal. The food was not worth the bill at the end of the meal, for sure :( Oh well. Even more disappointing was the service. Our server walked past 5 times - Jason counted! - without stopping to ask if we needed anything, when 4 of us were CLEARLY out of drinks! While we should have just flagged her down, she was close enough to notice. Jackson really liked the frog character that was walking around, and took bites of his nuggets to "show the butterfly, tigers and elephants how to eat". Hey, sometimes it takes creativity to get a toddler to actually eat!

Since we got home just in time for showers and bed for the boys, they ran off to do that while Jason stole my laptop and did his psychology homework. Jackson woke up from his cat-nap in the car in a not-so-good mood, so we just cuddled on the couch until he crashed back out. By about 9:30, this mama was ready for a good night's sleep.

Menu Plan Monday

On Tuesday...

I actually used to do this on my old blog (that's no longer updated and not currently public - although there are a ton of really cute posts about the older boys when they were little that I'm considering bringing over here!) and thought I did on here a couple of times. I'd forgotten about it to be honest, until I saw Homeschool Camper share her family's menu plan yesterday!

It's hosted over on I'm an Organizing Junkie. Here's where you can find this week's linkup!

MONDAY: Leftovers was the plan, but 95% of them were either something that wasn't well-received the first time OR had turned into a science experiment after being forgotten at the back of the fridge for well over a week - some close to 3 weeks! EEK! - and they didn't want Sunday's dinner leftovers already. So Jas had ShakeOlogy before class, and we baked the last pizza in the freezer and it was just enough for E and A to each have 2 slices, J to have 2 smaller slices and me to have the last larger slice. The pizza came out of the box oval shaped so when I cut it, it wasn't really evenly sliced, LOL.

TUESDAY: Asian beef lettuce wraps, instant brown rice
 
WEDNESDAY: Homemade chicken nuggets (adapted from 100 Days of Real Food - I use panko bread crumbs and coconut oil, everything else I follow exactly. Seriously the best nuggets EVER!), baked french fries, applesauce
 
THURSDAY: Sesame seared beef (ribeyes for mom, dad, E and A, ground beef patty for J), sides to be determined but probably carrots as one :)
 
FRIDAY: Beef carnitas (cooking in crockpot) - using as a taco filling with organic refried beans, cheese, sour cream and lettuce on fresh-cooked tortillas
 
SATURDAY: Grilled cheddar smoked sausages, steamed golden and sweet potatoes, squash (yellow squash and zucchini) au gratin
 
SUNDAY: Sweet and tangy pork sandwiches, instant brown rice, sugar snap peas

Change of plans

Meal plans that is!

If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that about a month ago, we decided to give the paleo diet a trial, including using the emeals paleo meal plan.

We've tried many a new recipe during the last month, some we liked, some we didn't. Technically, we only followed the paleo guidelines for one meal a day, as the breakfast and lunch menus we were using had more classic-style meals with grains included.

About 3 weeks in, Jackson started to eat less and less of the dinners, and while I know many will say, oh he won't starve himself, etc, it became a struggle to get him to eat even one bite some nights. No veggies and very little meat. He has also cut back a lot on nursing, some days not even nursing at all. Needless to say, he would need to eat something, and would usually have a small snack an hour or so after dinner. By the beginning of the fourth week, I was resorting to something I did not want to do - making a separate meal for him.

Jason and I decided to switch the emeals plan to classic and also throw some of our old stand-by's in there (tacos, spaghetti, burgers).

We do have some new favorites and a lot of different types of veggies we will be eating more often so at least our diets are more varied than ever before.

The older boys were quite adventurous when it came to eating the meals, trying at least on bite of everything served to them. Even if they didn't like something, they were very polite about it and honest about what they didn't like - too sour, too spicy, etc.

While we only gave it a few weeks, we did learn it just isn't right for us at this stage of our lives. Sometimes you just have to know when enough is enough.  The toddler has hit that stage where he wants familiarity. And there's nothing wrong with that. I just have to make sure it's healthy and decent variety.

I am still glad we decided to try the menu planning site though, as there have been many, many recipes that I would never have found or tried otherwise.

On that note, we had Italian bread pizzas tonight made with freshly shredded mozzarella and turkey pepperoni (I didn't like the pepperoni very much...). Ethan, Alex and Jackson all had cranberry-cream cheese coffee cake for breakfast. It wasn't really a huge hit, although Alex seemed to really like it. Jason took some broccoli, ham and cheese corn muffins to work. Alex took some of the muffins, yogurt in a thermos, sliced pears and water, E had a turkey and cheese on whole wheat, yogurt in a thermos, sliced pears and water, and Jackson had a pb&j on whole wheat - cut into the shape of Elmo's head! - and orange juice. Oh and I stuck a kit-kat in each of the boys' lunch bags.

We still have some candy sorting and trading to do and then they can decide if they'd like a gift card or a toy for the candy they can't have. I also picked up some dye-free (organic!) suckers and gummy bears that they like, as well as some yogurt-covered pretzels that they can trade some of the candy for. I've been thinking we will keep the m&m's, skittles, and sweet tarts to use for a gingerbread house in December. Maybe we can send some of the rest of their candy to soldiers overseas? I wouldn't even know where to start with that, though.

Our attempt at a dye-free Halloween

Halloween can be quite challenging when it comes to one thing that we try to do. We aren't perfect about it, but we avoid artificial, petroleum-based food dyes when possible. With all the candy and treats that we have no control over, it seems it would prove very difficult, right?

Today's celebrations start with a small party in Alex's class - E's class doesn't have one as they are middle schoolers - and that entails cookies with frosting and sprinkles, juice boxes, and candy.

I signed up to bring juice boxes and sprinkles because Alex requested it. We chose Capri Sun 100% juice boxes, and that made it easy to avoid dyes as well as HFCS, though I'm sure there are healthier options. Sprinkles were a little more difficult. Of course, I don't want him to feel bad about not having colored sprinkles like the other kids, but he understands our reasons. We did find plain chocolate sprinkles that don't have artificial dyes. (It was odd though, one well-known brand had small containers of chocolate sprinkles with no dyes but their large containers of chocolate sprinkles had red 40, yellow and blue - can't remember the exact #'s - dyes!) I remembered seeing organic sprinkles somewhere, and we found them at Kroger. They aren't as vibrant - more pastel in color - and were $3.99 for a 1oz package. Well worth it though to make the boy happy :) Here's the brand we bought Let's Do Organic Sprinkelz Organic Confetti *note the link is for bulk 12 pk on Amazon.com*

He understands those are JUST for him, and I explained to the teacher the deal. She was very understanding and actually asked if he was supposed to have cupcakes and things on days other students brought birthday treats. I told her that we feel he is old enough and understands and that he can make an informed decision. I know sometimes he will choose to eat the bright blue and green and pink frosted cupcakes, and other times he will decline. He knows how he feels later and the next day or two and whether it's worth it. Also, I am only concerned with what is in my control. If I can send an alternative for a party, then I will. If I don't know what/when a birthday treat is, it's truly ok.

Back to the topic at hand. Trick or treating today may actually be cancelled or delayed due to bad thunderstorms predicted including high winds. If it was just a little rain, we'd still go out, but we'll see. All the candy that the boys will receive will undoubtedly include brightly colored candy, gum, jawbreakers, licorice, and who knows what. We are going to sort the candy and the boys can keep anything that is dye-free. Then they have a couple of choices. We can go buy dye-free lollipops and gummy bears to trade them for things they can't have; they can combine all their "no thank-yous" and leave it for the switch witch to trade an item; we can keep some things for a gingerbread house at Christmas time; or a combination of the 3. I think if they choose the switch witch, she will bring them a gift card to buy something they want. I'm considering not even doing the "switch witch" and just telling them they can trade mom and dad candy for a toy/gift card. I guess I should probably decide pretty quick, since today is Halloween ;)

I know some may think I'm ruining their fun, and a few years ago I may have felt the same way. But I know what's right for my family and my boys. They still get to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating and eat some candy but they don't get an overload nor will they eat tons of petroleum-based dyes. 

After E's 4th grade science experiment, and the results, I will never doubt our decision and the position we have on those dyes. Don't know what I'm talking about? Long story short: E had 2 mice and a maze. Both were given regular water and food and ran the maze for a week. Times got progressively better. One of the mice was given red food coloring in his water for a week. The other was not - he was the "control". During the second week of maze trials, the mouse given red dye got slower and couldn't figure out the maze. His times went from around 60 seconds to an ending time the last day of over FIVE minutes. He also became aggressive, erratic and confused. We used food coloring that you buy at the store and just put a few drops in his water bottle. No more than what people eat DAILY! After stopping the experiment, his behavior seemed to return to his pre-dye state. The "control" mouse kept similar times during the entire two weeks and his behavior never changed. The maze was never changed so logically after a week of running it, they knew the route pretty well. It was very interesting and E worked very hard on it. Again, I will never doubt our decision after seeing the difference.

What we are eating

*Just a note: This is not a sponsored post, in any way. I just want to share something that we are trying out in case it may help someone else. I don't get anything for sharing and I am paying for my membership. I just joined on Saturday, so it's still very new to us. :) *

I've been struggling with meal planning and going grocery shopping lately. I want to make some new or different meals - at least sometimes - but we seem to fall back on old favorites way too often.

Obviously they are old favorites for a reason, but it gets boring after a while and nobody wants to eat it. We are still trying to eat real, homemade meals - in other words, not from a box or mix - for most of our lunches and dinners, although we still tend to rely on cereal way too much in the mornings.

Jason and I watched a documentary the other night, The Perfect Human Diet. While I don't necessarily agree with it entirely, we did learn some interesting things, and Jason suggested trying a paleo diet/lifestyle. We aren't going completely "paleo" though, but limiting our grains quite a bit more. Having only started this yesterday in full force, it's been a definite change.

I usually plan two weeks of meals and go grocery shopping for 90% of what we need every other Friday or Saturday and get perishables as needed the next week - milk and dairy, veggies, fruit -  which can be challenging in itself due to 14 dinners planned plus figuring out staples for breakfasts and lunches. The boys tend to take the same thing day after day, or at least week after week, which again can get boring.

On Saturday, after deciding to start planning for just a week, I attempted to find some new meals and while I found a few, I just couldn't concentrate. I remembered a site I'd heard about, eMeals, and decided to check into it. After a brief discussion with Jason, we signed up for a 3 month 7-day dinner meal plan - the paleo one - as well as adding on the 5-day lunch and 5-day breakfast menus. They give you a full week of dinners including recipes and grocery list, and for 5 days for the lunch and breakfast ones each.

There were 2 breakfast recipes we decided to skip (a smoothie and a pineapple cashew bar), but the other 3 look perfect for us to try. We are filling in cereal, scrambled eggs and toast or pancakes on the other 4 days this week. The lunches all look yummy and do-able. Today's was a parfait and pears with nut butter. I tweeked it a bit to fit our tastes, using regular french vanilla yogurt instead of french vanilla greek yogurt, granola cereal instead of pearl barley, and just strawberries rather than strawberries AND blueberries, and replacing nut butter with wowbutter, due to nut allergies at school. (I worry a lot, and even though there aren't allergies in either of the boys' classrooms, they aren't always diligent with the hand washing, etc and I'd hate for a friend in any other class that they see in the hall/lunch/recess that has an allergy to have a reaction. Better safe than sorry and they don't really mind :) )

Dinner last night was all new. Even though we've had ribs before, it was a new recipe. We baked baby-back pork ribs with a dry-rub for about 3 hours, till they were falling off the bone. For the side dishes, the boys had simply cheetos cheese puffs - no food coloring, although still processed, it's a compromise - and we all had spicy turnip greens. Having never cooked OR eaten turnip greens, I wasn't sure what to expect. With Jason's help in the kitchen, dinner turned out good! The turnip greens were sauteed/boiled with onions, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and dill pickle juice and then seasoned with sea salt and red pepper. They were sour, but not horrible. E and Alex really liked the ribs, with a bit of bbq sauce added, as did I. Jason ate them with and with out bbq sauce. Jack didn't want anything to do with the ribs. Jas, E, Alex and I ate the turnip greens - although the boys only had to try a small amount and weren't too enthusiastic, they did eat all of it! Jackson was leary about the whole meal to be honest, but did end up eating cheese puffs, a banana, and the ONIONS from the greens!! LOL. He kept saying "grapes, grapes" and pointing to the little diced onions, so Jason kept giving them to him.

Tonight, we are having fish and roasted veggies, and some baked fries for the boys. I have back-up stuff in the house just in case - fish sticks for the boys as the fish recipe sound a bit spicy. Although, they will probably at least eat some of it. I'm just glad they are willing to indulge me by trying this stuff ;) I won't be a short-order cook, but I'm willing to add something that I know they will eat to an all-new or mostly-new meal so they won't go hungry if they truly don't like it, and they are willing to eat at least a bite or two of most everything we offer them. Well except the toddler. He used to eat anything, but he's at a pickier stage now. That's ok. Just got to keep offering. Right?

One thing I'm not sure about with this new menu-plan thing is that I went way over budget for the week. I bought a week's worth of groceries, but spent almost all of our 2 weeks worth of grocery money...

Though I'm sure quite a few things are more than a week's supply - staples for the pantry. Plus we have 3 meals worth of meat that we had "extra" in the freezer from 2 weeks ago: a whole chicken and 2 lbs of ground beef. As well as adding an second roast since I bought 2 this week for a good price. We also usually have leftovers once a week, so we will do that, and move one of this week's meals to next week, as well as add one to next week, so that will only leave one dinner and then some breakfast/lunch items to buy. I will have to readjust our budget some though I think. It's a work in progress, but it will work out. I don't know when I've bought so much fresh produce!

I hope that nothing in the fridge freezes prior to tomorrow. We get our new one delivered tomorrow after 9am. I seriously can not wait!!! I've been watching the lettuce, kale and baby spinach, especially, like a hawk. They seem to freeze the easiest and then it's ruined. 24 hours!

I'm glad we decided to try this menu plan though. It's pleasing to all of us - Jason gets meat or seafood at every dinner (his favorite) and I get to serve more veggies and we get to try new things, while cutting down on the one thing I'm seriously addicted to: grains and starches. Plus it saves me time and energy. That makes me especially happy!

It's also October and we are trying - unbeknownst to Jason and the boys - eat less processed foods. Not completely unprocessed but much, much less.

We ordered pizza and cheesebread Friday night and all I could think about after and the next day was how much my stomach hurt. I mentioned it to Jason, and he said the same thing! It wasn't even that good tasting! Totally decided it's going to be quite awhile before we order pizza or even eat out anywhere.

How do you plan your meals? Do you cook a lot at home? Are you adventurous or at least willing to try new recipes or are you more conservative, sticking to your "old favorites"?

Julie says... ;)

I'm going to continue where Crystal left off, school fundraisers. I'm all for them, if they are being done correctly. They are a great way to raise money for our schools and teams, but I think we lose sight of why we do them and how we do them. Some places seem to be taking things a little too far. Our school used to do your usual bake sales during concerts and parent teacher nights. No longer is the day of after school bake sales, it's an everyday thing. The administration realized that they could generate more funds by targeting our children during school hours, when parents aren't there monitoring what is being bought. They started doing "Terrific Tuesdays", where the kiddos could buy an ice cream sandwich during lunch. After learning that technically they weren't suppose to be selling unhealthy treats in the cafeteria due to Michelle Obama's Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFK), so they moved the sales to into the hallway. Seeing how successful the treats during lunch were they started adding more days "Wonderful Wednesdays", "Fantastic Fridays". We now have treats for purchase 5 days a week during lunch hours. Ranging in price from a quarter to $2, your child can buy (depending on the day) cheese filled bread sticks, nachos/pretzels and cheese, cookies, ice cream, freezer pops, chocolate covered pretzels, cupcakes ,or brownies. Approximately 75% of students are buying these treats EVERYDAY. The students (as young as kindergarten) are throwing away their healthy lunches for the chance to be first in line to get the "good stuff" before it's sold out. There is the still the order form fundraisers, chocolate candies, pizza kits, cookie dough, candy bars, and pies.
I remember when I was kid doing maybe one candy sale a year. There were wrapping paper, cards, and holiday themed novelties to be sold also. Whatever happened to hosting a car wash to raise funds for new uniforms?! When did everything start revolving around food?
There are so many non-food related fundraisers. Why not sell a school cookbook (I still have a much used one from when I was in elementary school). Parents/grandparents (or the kids) pay a small fee to have their recipe featured in the cookbook and then the school sells completed cookbooks. They could even have the journalism class do this. School store are great, they shut ours down because they sold candy and chips. What about selling pencils, pens, cool folders, fancy erasers, and notebooks. I know my boys are always losing theirs. Kids are competitive, hold penny wars between classes; whichever class gets the most change earns extra recess. Post pictures 2-4 good spirited teachers (whom have agreed to this) and whichever teacher has the most change in their jar gets pied by the teacher with least amount. You don't have to even have them pied the "winner" could have to wear goofy glasses, hula skirt, fake mustache, or purple hair for a day. Who wouldn't have loved to see their principal wearing a neon pink wig?! My favorite is doing a 5k or Fun Run, this can be done on the school grounds. It gets the family out doing something together and it gets people moving. Top runners get their picture on the cover of the school paper. How about silent auctions? These can be done along side concerts, sport events, conferences.
Some healthier food related fundraisers, holding a school wide spaghetti dinner twice a year (and do a silent auction the same night). The kids get to enjoy a meal with both their family and with their friends. Set up a fruit stand to sell healthy snacks before school or during lunch. At most schools there is usually leftover hot lunch meals, why not sell them a la carte.
I really bothers me how food seems to be the center of everything. That if you sell enough cookie dough, you're class will win a pizza party. Food used as a reward, whatever happened to extra recess or class outside. That's a topic for another day.
~Julie

What fundraisers does your child/ren's school do? Do you support these fundraisers?

Rawr!

I do NOT like being told what I can and can't do. Watch me!! This mama bear is awake and won't be going back into hibernation. This isn't just about my boys either, it's about ALL of them, starting at our school!! How can we change things, or expect to make a difference if we don't even try?!? It's us against the world sometimes, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for what's right! It doesn't mean we should just give in, even if it's something simple like cupcakes in the classroom, or bake sales during lunch, or reading/writing during gym class instead of physical education! We have to take a stand, we have to TEACH our kids how to make good choices, so even when they don't always eat the best, they aren't ALWAYS eating junk!


It's not (just) about food dye. It's not (just) about too much junk food in the classroom and in the school(s). It's also about teaching the kids why certain food is better for you. It's about showing them where the food comes from and where we personally get it. It's about teaching them to appreciate the goodness that having enough to eat is and helping them put themselves in others' shoes, whether here in America or other, poorer countries. It's teaching them about local foods and farmers and sustainable living (to an extent) as well. Why not have a garden and greenhouse at the school? The students could learn so much. Science, as well as math (measurement for planting, counting for the youngest when collecting foods) and even reading and writing could be used and taught with a garden. The food grown could be served in the cafeteria. Home economics (if they still even teach that?) to show the kids some easy cooking skills. A gardening club for anything above and beyond what each class does. So many things to help learn and eat healthy all at the same time.

It drives me absolutely nuts.

The school "fundraisers"... don't even get me started on these.

I'd write more, but I have to pick up E and Alex up from school and take them to their doctor appointments. Nothing serious, just a yearly check-up and some questions concerning E's behaviors. We are looking for some suggestions and maybe therapies and/or medicine to help him cope better with certain situations. So I'll end here with a final thought from something I shared on my personal FB the other day: Don't give up on changing the world. If we all keep going, and pushing, and moving forward, we can and will make a difference. Even if we are only one person. Even if nobody hears or cares right away, just keep trying, keep reaching for your goals.

Julie's testimonial about artificial food-dye

Anybody who knows me pretty well knows that I am always ranting (HA!) about food dye and why it's not good for us, etc. Today, I want to share a guest post from my friend Julie. This is her family's story and just one more reason I know I'm doing the right thing for my boys. :) If you follow us on FB, then I'm sure you have already read it, but I wanted to share it on here, too.

*Guest post, by Julie*

Before this past January I really never gave much thought to artificial food dyes or the effect they had on our bodies. I had heard tid bits about red 40 and yellow 5 & 6. The brighter and more colors, the more likely my kids would eat it, and they did.
I chose to try dye free for a week to see if it would help with some behavioral problems I was having with my son. He had been having an increasing hard time focusing in school, almost no impulse control, extreme mood swings, and was only getting 3-5 hours of restless sleep a night (which probably contributed to his mood swings). Many of his problems were possible side effects to his ADHD medication. He was diagnosed in kindergarten (4 years ago) with ADHD and promptly put on medication. The medication worked wonders, and when it didn't then his dosage or medication was switched. However it seemed the meds have stopped working and his doctor had started talking about my son having more than ADHD going on, because he was out of ideas of what other meds to try.
I had shared with Crystal some of what was going on and how I was at a lose for what to try next. I really didn't want my child diagnosed with a life altering label. She challenged me to try removing artificial food dyes for a week and to look into how food dyes effect behavior. Over the weekend, I looked into it and was first shocked then angry. There was so much research about the link between ADHD and dyes and hundreds of testimonies from parents. How could I never heard about this?! I couldn't believe there was a alternative to medication, and how could our doctor never offer this as alternative before he had me give my 6 year old pills. I decided it was worth a try, at this point I felt I had nothing to lose.
That Monday school was closed due to extremely cold temperatures. I told me kids we were doing an experiment and that we weren't going to have anything that had a number in the ingredients for one week. I didn't tell them what results I was hoping to see. They helped me box up all the foods that had dyes. We went shopping to restock our cupboards and they actually had fun reading labels and finding new foods to try. We were all surprised my how much stuff has dyes.
I was nervous about how they would do at school when I wasn't there to monitor what they were eating and about them feeling left out at snack time. The teachers were very supportive and had dye free alterative that I sent in.
Three days into the challenge I saw the first sign of improvement! My insomniac child fell asleep only after and hour of being sent to bed and slept all the way to morning!! I was so excited, but still cautious that it may have been a fluke. The following days he continued to fall asleep easier and slept through the night. His teacher told me that he was more on track than he had been in a long time. At home little things that would have sent him into a tailspin didn't seem to phase him. The other boys had also calmed down, had more impulse control, and better ability to handle their emotions resulting in less arguing amongst them. My son's eczema had started clearing up. The changes weren't only with the kids; my migraines were gone, I had more energy. When I slipped up and had a Mt. Dew, I would get a killer headache and would be more irritable and short with the kids.
Seeing the results removing dyes has made for us, we have chosen to stick with it. It didn't turn me boys into perfect little gentlemen. They still bicker and argue, the still run through my house and are loud; but they aren't completely out of control anymore. We have been dye free for just over 3 months. I know there are other reasons to avoid artificial dyes, but Crystal will have to elaborate on them she is more knowledgeable than I am on the topic.

I also commented with the following challenge in my comment to her FB post: Thank you so much for sharing, Julie!! I'd love to hear from any of our readers, too. 1.) Would anyone be willing to take up the challenge for a week (or longer?!) and go dye-free? or 2.) Are you already dye-free and can you share your testimonial here in the comments? ~ Crystal

Six Ingredient Challenge, #6

Join the Six Ingredient Challenge hosted by Hobo Mama and Anktangle!
We're on a six-week path to eat more whole foods, guided by one simple rule: Buy foods with six ingredients or fewer. And we're blogging about our journey on the way.
This week we're answering the question: What are you learning about your body through this challenge? Your family's rhythms and routines? Your feelings about food?
You can see all the responses to this question on March 14 at the link-up post.
To join in the Six Ingredient Challenge anytime during the six weeks, visit the sign-up page for a list of posts and to link up!

***

So I'm whipping this post out really quickly this morning. Honestly I forgot! 

I would have to say that I've learned a lot of what I crave when it comes to food. I already knew I am a carb-aholic and can't seem to make it more than a day without a Pepsi. :( I feel better physically when I eat better.  This is probably TMI, but I have digestive issues when I eat things that are not good for me, and since eating better, especially over the last few weeks, those instances have been almost non-existent! The only times I did have a problem was the few times we either ordered pizza or had fast food (I know, I know, but sometimes it really is just easier! I am trying to learn not to beat myself up for making these bad choices and to try and make less of them :) ) I've also realized - duh! - I have more energy and am less irritable when I eat better foods! Less processed is really better for me physically and emotionally. Just need to remember that when I want to reach for the "easy" choice, whether at the store, or passing the drive-thru. 

Our routines and rhythms really do ebb and flow! We like to eat a lot of the same things, and most of the time, they are easy meals, but can be made healthy. Spaghetti, for example - whole wheat pasta with 1 ingredient, covered with a very good (preferably organic) spaghetti sauce full of veggies, topped with parmesan and maybe some ground beef, can be made even better by adding some fresh chopped veggies into the sauce and having a salad on the side, and maybe leaving out the garlic bread ;) We aren't an extraordinarily busy family, but Tuesdays, our middle son, Alex and Jason go to cub scouts, Saturday mornings the older 2 have Catechism class most weeks, and they have homework most nights - especially right now with "March is reading month" calendars and "play 60" books to do - so after we get home from school, we have to fit homework, dinner, and play time into just a few short hours and sometimes I am trying to cook while taking care of a crabby toddler who may or may not have napped! So trying to find a good rhythm while also making sure there are healthy meals on the table has been a challenge and seems to be getting easier as time goes on.

I have realized lately that all I think about is food! Well maybe not all, but it feels like I'm constantly thinking about what's for breakfast, lunch, dinner, what's healthy, what's not, food dyes, grocery shopping, the budget, etc. I am having a hard time NOT thinking about food in some way, shape or form. I've also realized I have a food addiction. I'm overweight, but not hugely obese, I'm 185(ish? LOL) and only 5'6-7" - not 100% sure how tall I am - and I know I need to lose weight, about 50lbs or so. My weight fluctuates a little but has sat about here for the last 8 years or so, except when I was pregnant this last time, when my weight reached it's highest at around 205lbs. Obviously, at that point I wasn't worried about it, since I was pregnant. But now, over a year later, I am back at my pre-pregnancy weight, and even though we are still breastfeeding on demand, I have not lost any additional weight. I know that it's because I overeat, I drink pop way too much (too much sugar!) and choose to eat sugary, carb-loaded, processed foods... because that's what I'm addicted to. I keep telling myself moderation. However, I think it's finally hit me. I can't DO moderation with these things. It's all or nothing. Not to minimize an alcoholic's or drug addict's struggle, but in it's own way, I feel like that is what I'm dealing with. It's hard to put that out there, especially considering I know family and friends will read this. It's very hard to admit you have a problem. I also realize that without help, I may never be able to stop eating the crap food that I "love"...

Six Ingredient Challenge: Week 5

Join the Six Ingredient Challenge hosted by Hobo Mama and Anktangle!
We're on a six-week path to eat more whole foods, guided by one simple rule: Buy foods with six ingredients or fewer. And we're blogging about our journey on the way.
This week we're answering the question: How's your budget? What money-saving strategies have you been employing?
You can see all the responses to this question on March 7 at the link-up post.
To join in the Six Ingredient Challenge anytime during the six weeks, visit the sign-up page for a list of posts and to link up!

***

I can't believe we are already in week 5 of this six-week challenge! No, you didn't miss a post for week 4, I actually forgot to write one. Oops! Oh well. 

The budget. I've actually been trying to bring down our weekly/biweekly grocery budget some. Jason thinks we spend too much for groceries ;) but the price of organics alone are crazy-high. However, they are so worth it, in my opinion. I can't drink non-organic milk any more without stomach issues and that means I'm spending $6.29/gallon for milk (store brand!). We have cut back our milk drinking some though so I'm usually buying 1 1/2- 2 gallons for a two-week period. This week I budgeted and spent $80 less than I typically do for the next 2 weeks. I will of course have to buy bread and milk next weekend as well as possibly some more fruit. We also didn't need a whole lot of other stuff (dog food, diapers, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc) so that saved us a lot this week. 

Eating from the pantry as well as finding recipes that use some of things we have and only needing one or two things for the meals has definitely helped lower the budget some. For example, we are having "spaghetti surprise" - we have rice, cream cheese and cheddar so I just bought sour cream, spaghetti sauce (which was on sale!) and ground beef. Since I always buy the organic ground beef from Costco and it comes in a three-pack, I was able to figure out 3 more meals with ground beef for the week from that! We also have lentils so I looked for a recipe that I could use them in and I found an awesome sounding one. It doesn't need meat, we have frozen homemade chicken stock and all we needed was some kale! $3 and there's a quick dinner! I'm going to also finally use some of the chia seeds we have in the cupboard as well as use up some more of our quinoa in a crockpot breakfast cereal. I hope it turns out good. 

I try to use coupons when I can and our local grocery stores - Kroger and Meijer - have e-coupons that you can "clip". I especially love Meijer's mPerks program because you can use both e-coupons and paper coupons on the same product and they double any paper coupons up to 0.50! Sometimes they even have specials for loyal customers and tailored-to-you coupons for items you buy often. I actually set up separate accounts for my husband and myself.

I'm not always good at buying things on sale, but this week I just planned to buy "fruit" and ran across strawberries for 10/$10 and bought 2 packs of them, and some others that were on sale. That way we have fresh fruits for snacks and to go with lunches. It's funny, I didn't buy granola bars again this week and the boys didn't even ask about them, as well as the gogurt! They are really doing well with this new change. I'm so proud of all of us!

What we tried this week...

Join the Six Ingredient Challenge hosted by Hobo Mama and Anktangle!
We're on a six-week path to eat more whole foods, guided by one simple rule: Buy foods with six ingredients or fewer. And we're blogging about our journey on the way.
This week we're answering the question: What new foods or recipes have you tried or discovered?
You can see all the responses to this question on February 21 at the link-up post.
To join in the Six Ingredient Challenge anytime during the six weeks, visit the sign-up page for a list of posts and to link up!

***

Since I already had the menu planned with mostly easy and all well-known recipes, I really didn't expect to have any new food or recipes. But I've never had much luck making good pork chops and knew I needed to find a recipe to try, so this was good inspiration to look for something different instead of doing the same old thing. 

I found this recipe and since I still have bread crumbs left from before the start of the challenge, I didn't buy anything outside of the rules! I did change 3 things - I left out the parsley, I browned them using coconut oil instead of olive oil and I "double-dipped" the pork chops, first in the egg mix, then the breadcrumbs, then the eggs and finally the breadcrumbs again.

Outcome...

AMAZING! They were flavorful, moist and tender! Alex finished his whole plate in less than 10 minutes (never happens!) and Ethan followed close behind. Jack even liked the meat. Definitely making these again.

What else did I buy that was new to us? Hmm. Honestly not much. I did buy a fresh mango for Jack to try and some fresh sugar-snap pea "packs" with ranch for Alex to take in his lunch, as well as some pears, which I have bought before and made puree for Jack several months ago but these are for E and Alex to take for snack or with lunch. Alex tried the snap peas today but said he didn't really like them "raw".

OH, I forgot! I also made "pop". I found the recipe in one of my cookbooks, The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook, that we bought back when we were trying a gluten-free diet to see if E had any digestive problems from gluten and if it would help with his frustrations, anxiety, etc. We saw some change but after going back to a "typical" diet, honestly we haven't seen a big difference. Although he has allergic shiners (dark circles under his eyes) that did seem to go away, as well as his skin cleared up on his cheeks, and those came back at some point in the last 2 years. I've been considering having him retested for gluten intolerance, because at the time he was tested the first time, he was already off of gluten for several weeks and I'm not sure we got an accurate reading. But that's a whole other topic...
So back to the pop I made. All you need is 1 liter of seltzer water and frozen juice concentrate and possible some fresh lemon and lime juice. I could only find a 2 liter seltzer water so I used that.

Recipe:
1 liter seltzer water
4-6 Tablespoons frozen juice concentrate, thawed
(they recommend using white grape juice and a splash of lemon and lime juice)

After dumping a small amount of seltzer water out, carefully and slowly pour juice concentrate into bottle, taking care not to cause too much fizz. It WILL cause a mess if you go to fast. Trust me!

I used a 2 liter seltzer water and 12 T white grape juice concentrate. Alex loves it, E somewhat liked it but doesn't really guzzle many drinks ;) and Jas thought it tasted to much like plain seltzer and said maybe to add a little more juice next time. I personally can't stand flavored water, or flavored seltzer, not sure why, so to be honest, I didn't even try it. Plus I'm big on cola-type pops, especially Pepsi (throwback is my fave) so yeah.

Oh yeah, and I flavored some more yogurt at home. Not really a new recipe, or even a recipe at all, but I just take organic, whole milk, plain yogurt and add an organic jelly (one that is preferably just fruit and maybe a touch of sugar) until flavored to taste. All the boys and Jas liked it, and this time I used the Cascadian Farm blueberry fruit spread. I can't get over the "sourness" of yogurt so again I won't eat it, but it's nice to find a healthier alternative to the gogurts and pre-flavored, ultra-sweetened store bought yogurts that everybody else will eat.

By the way, even though it's not really new food for me, I have eaten more fruits and veggies in the last couple of weeks! I even stepped on the scale for the first time in several weeks and was pleasantly surprised to see I've dropped 6 1/2lbs! 181, down from 187.5, since the beginning of the year. That's even with not exercising! I needed to share ;)

Menu for Feb 16 - Mar 2

There is some overlap with the old menu but some of the meals are carrying over. I'm changing up my planning a bit too. Instead of being so strict with the daily meals, I'm going to just list breakfast and lunch options for the 2+ weeks and the actual menu for dinners which will be planned out mostly, since we have meatless Fridays during Lent and leftovers every Monday.

I'm dropping the chicken salad even though we didn't eat it. We are carrying over tacos, nachos, homemade fish sticks, and pork chops and fried potatoes. I'm also going to give myself a break from cooking a couple of times ;) So here's what I'm planning:

Breakfast options:
cereal
jelly toast with yogurt
eggs and toast
pb toast with fruit
leftover waffles
pancakes
blueberry muffins and yogurt
sausage gravy and biscuits
oatmeal
eggs and muffins

 Lunch options:

1.  muffins, cheese, pretzels, carrots w/ranch
2.  ham and cheese rollups, yogurt, pretzels
3.  egg salad/tuna sandwiches, fruit, yogurt
4.  leftover chicken chunks, cheese, grapes, yogurt, pretzels
5.  oatmeal, fruit
6.  lunchmeat and cheese sandwich, fruit, yogurt
7.  tortilla rollups (lunchmeat and cheese), fruit, yogurt
8.  egg salad/tuna sandwiches, fruit, pretzels
9.  hummus with tortilla/tuna sandwich, yogurt, fruit
10.  lunchmeat and cheese sandwich, pretzels, fruit
11.  leftover spaghetti, yogurt
12.  oatmeal, fruit
13.  leftover meatloaf sandwich, fruit, yogurt
14.  ham/salami and cheese rollups, fruit, yogurt, pretzels
15.  grilled cheese, tortilla chips, fruit
16.  peanut butter/sunflower seed butter and jelly, yogurt, fruit

 Dinners:

• Saturday, Feb 16: Tacos (ground beef seasoned with homemade taco seasoning, homemade refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, cheddar, taco shells and tortillas)
• Sunday, Feb 17: Eat out - possibly
• Monday, Feb 18: Pork chops, pan-fried potatoes, green beans
• Tuesday, Feb 19: Leftovers
• Wednesday, Feb 20: "Grilled" chicken (seasoned with garlic, sea salt, pepper), mac and cheese, corn
• Thursday, Feb 21: Nachos with ground beef
• Friday, Feb 22: Spaghetti and garlic bread
• Saturday, Feb 23:Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
• Sunday, Feb 24: Chicken alfredo with broccoli
• Monday, Feb 25: Leftovers
• Tuesday, Feb 26: Breakfast sausage, eggs and toast
• Wednesday, Feb 27: Cheeseburgers, chips, carrots w/ranch
• Thursday, Feb 28: Pizza pockets
• Friday, Mar 1: Homemade fish sticks and fries, salad, corn
• Saturday, Mar 2: Eat out

6 Ingredient Challenge, Week 2

Join the Six Ingredient Challenge hosted by Hobo Mama and Anktangle!
We're on a six-week path to eat more whole foods, guided by one simple rule: Buy foods with six ingredients or fewer. And we're blogging about our journey on the way.
This week we're answering the question: How is the Six Ingredient Challenge going for you so far?
You can see all the responses to this question on February 14 at the link-up post.
To join in the Six Ingredient Challenge anytime during the six weeks, visit the sign-up page for a list of posts and to link up!

***

I'm doing this one a little different. I'm going to write little blurbs (hopefully each day) throughout the week and share on the 14th. 

2/8/13

 We are doing pretty good so far. I only do the main grocery shopping for the 5 of us every two weeks so it makes it a little easier. I do usually have to get a few perishables every few days, though. For us, I planned to buy as few items with more than 6 ingredients as possible. We did pretty good, but did (as I mentioned in week 1's post) buy cereal, granola bars, fruit snacks and a couple of other things that I really didn't even check. I know that the granola bars have 8 or 9 ingredients. Since we've already been buying mostly organic, avoiding food dyes, sodium nitrates/nitrites, and high fructose corn syrup, I figured those items would be our vices so to speak. In all honesty though, I have made some questionable choices. I had planned not to eat out at all, at least the first 2 weeks of the challenge. Especially after the pizza "incident". The other morning, we were running so far behind, Baby J and I didn't eat before we took the boys to school, so I treated us to breakfast at Big Boy's. Another morning, I stopped at Burger King for a quick breakfast (we are trying to cut fast food out entirely, but I'm struggling with this one). Finally, yesterday, we were out getting Baby J's birth certificate, had an hour left on our parking meter, and were across the street from numerous restaurants. I chose Subway, and while I know it's not healthy, it might have been better than the other choices. So starting fresh today. Over the next week, we will pick off the menu (mama included ;) ) and on Thursday or Friday I will start planning for the next 2 weeks. I'll probably plan it a little more flexible than before.

2/9/13
Still sticking to the challenge. I picked up some toddler smoothies for Jack today - the ones in the little pouches - for a quick snack or breakfast on days we are running late over the next week. I made sure to check the # of ingredients to and since water and fruit don't count, they had 5 ingredients each (yogurt/milk, and added vitamins).

2/10/13
I have got to learn how to make a good loaf of whole wheat bread :( We had to stop at the store after Mass today and get milk, eggs, dishwasher soap and, you guessed it, bread. I didn't even bother looking at the ingredients of the bread. I know it's more than 6 ingredients but my boys really like sandwiches for lunch and toast with eggs. I have a really nice breadmaker, but I've never had luck making a good sandwich loaf that everybody will eat. Especially, one that's whole wheat. However, I've recently started using King Arthur white whole wheat for all my baking and it seems quite a bit "lighter" so I may have to attempt again.

2/11/13
Ugh! Not doing good today. Well, actually, we had a great day in most ways. Snow day for the kids, so they played and helped out with the baby while I cleaned and re-organized the whole kitchen! Of course, I forgot to eat much of anything, and by dinnertime I had a headache. Tomorrow is trash day so we always try to do leftovers on Monday night. Jas had a parent/leader meeting for cub scouts so he was only home for a short time. Nothing sounded good to me so we fed the boys and after he was done with the meeting, he stopped and bought fast food. Blech! It wasn't even that good! Oh well. Thinking ahead to next week. Also, I talked to the boys about the gogurt they usually get for school lunches and we decided together that we aren't going to buy it anymore. It's sad when they add 3 thickening agents, plus vitamins into it to make it what it is. I explained we can use plain whole milk yogurt and add jelly/jam/applesauce/maple syrup/etc to flavor it and it will be healthier! They actually loved the idea. :)

2/12/13
Remembered that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and we need a meatless meal. Jack and I stopped and picked up frozen shrimp (for Jas, E and A) and some boxed Annie's mac and cheese for all of us. I think the mac and cheese had 6 or 7 ingredients but it was darn close ;)

2/13/13
Yay, dinner turned out good with green beans thrown in for good measure. Since we were at an appointment, I did stop and grab some fries on the way home because I was starving. :( Not doing so good on the no fast food, no pop, no candy for Lent so far, and it's only the first day! But I am starting a new menu tomorrow and most of the stuff from the last two weeks were within the "rules" so I'm pleased. Now that I'm starting from scratch a little more so (having used up some things we already had, but may have been over 6 ingredients), I can really see where we are, and how we/I am doing. Our budget is a bit tighter this week so it should be interesting...

2/14/13
Happy Valentine's Day! We don't usually do anything special for V-day. Tonight we are just going to have chicken quesadillas for dinner. In conclusion for the week, I can say we did ok as a family, but mama, not so great. I am grateful for this though, because it is helping me see my mistakes, keeping me honest, and accountable, and at the end I hope to be able to come back and see how far we have come!!

Six Ingredient Challenge, Week 1

Join the Six Ingredient Challenge hosted by Hobo Mama and Anktangle!
We're on a six-week path to eat more whole foods, guided by one simple rule: Buy foods with six ingredients or fewer. And we're blogging about our journey on the way.
This week we're answering the question: Why do you want to participate in the Six Ingredient Challenge?
You can see all the responses to this question on February 7 at the link-up post.
To join in the Six Ingredient Challenge anytime during the six weeks, visit the sign-up page for a list of posts and to link up!

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I wanted to participate in the Six Ingredient Challenge because I'm trying to learn more about our food. We have already been making changes to our diet by eating healthier and making more informed choices. Sometimes I don't remember to read the labels and just trust (read one of my previous post about that recent mistake, HA!) and so this is a reminder to do just that. Not only am I avoiding the "foods" we are trying to stay away from, but I have a goal to look for, 6 or less ingredients in the items I buy. I bought quite a bit of fresh foods, or items with only 1 ingredient. Blueberries, strawberries, apples, tomatoes, potatoes, jalapenos, sweet peppers, bananas, lettuce, salad mix (2 types of lettuce), milk, whole wheat noodles, and who knows what else that were all 1-2 ingredients. I think I may have messed up a little by buying some cereal, granola bars and crackers (all organic and less ingredients than traditional items, but still more than 6, I'm sure) BUT I am making progress all ready. And that is why I wanted to do this challenge. To move forward. To do better. To be accountable for my actions. I'm excited to share how we fare on this - short - journey towards making better choices! I think that reading about how others are doing and sharing our own experience will make it even better. So thanks for having me :)

Tip for changing eating habits

I've joined in the 6 Ingredient Challenge and even though this isn't one of the writing prompts for it, I thought I would write some of my thoughts. Hobo Mama shares this yesterday. (I'm a day behind on my blog reading, LOL) Go check it out. There's some great tips and thoughts on changing how you and your family eat!

She asks the following questions at the end of the post.
Have you had to change your family's eating habits? How easy or hard was it to get your kids or partner on board? Do you have any tips for transitioning hesitant family members?

I have definitely had to change our family's eating habits. We used to eat a LOT of fast food, and fruit rollups and other not-so-good things. While we still eat out, I honestly don't think it's very often and we try to make better choices as to where we go.

It was easy to convince Jas that we should eat out less and cook at home more, as well as try to eat more veggies. It was more difficult to introduce the "weird" (or hippie, as he jokingly calls them) foods, like quinoa, flax seed, coconut oil, coconut milk, lentils, sunflower seed butter, and mostly organics. Just because the types of food were different to us as well as more expensive. Also the kids sometimes protest when I won't buy certain things but I've been offering more of their favorite fruits, finding healthier, whole grain versions of our favorite dinners, pancakes, breads, etc, as well as better versions of treats - like granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, and candy. They are definitely more willing to try things and want to help make homemade versions of stuff.

Some tips I have are the following:

• Change one thing at a time if necessary.
• Offer at least one item they love at a meal, and something new/different.
• Find a better version of their favorite item. For example: we love pancakes around here, but instead of buying the boxed pancake mix (Jason's favorite) I've found a homemade WHOLE WHEAT version that is delicious! No white sugar either, it uses either honey or 100% maple syrup and bananas for sweetness. Another example: Instead of buying boxed blueberry muffin mix, I make homemade ones.
• Involve the kids (or your partner) in the making of a meal. Getting them involved, especially the kids, really does get them to want to try the food, because they helped make it!
• Have each person pick out something new to try at the grocery store, or a new meal they would like to try.
• Prepare for the occasional backslide. You will decide it's easier to just order pizza, or go to McDonald's at some point. Try to avoid it, but if you do go ahead and do it, don't feel bad. Just move past it :) Case in point: I'm so mad at myself right now :(
• Remember it's ok to have a treat once in a while.
• For us especially, I try to explain that when we eat stuff like food dyes, or certain preservatives, or eat out at - at least at certain restaurants - we have certain reactions including headaches, tummyaches/digestive problems, brain fog, anxiety/exaggerated frustration/meltdowns, irritation, harder time sleeping, hyperactivity, and just a hard time focusing the next day. Because we don't like the way we feel after eating those things, we are trying to avoid them. My kids seem to be coming around to this.

After re-reading Hobo Mama's post, I realize I have many of the same tips and ideas. LOL. That's ok, that just means they are really good ones ;)

what's new around here?

I've been doing so much writing about food that I've lost focus a little about what this blog is really about. Yes, it is about food, to the extent that we are trying to make changes. But really this is supposed to be about our day-to-day life and how I am growing and changing as a person or mom. I don't want to become so centered on one aspect and then lose myself, my writing and bore people ;)

I'm going to help save a life today. No, I'm not a superhero. I won't go running into a burning building and rescue somebody or lift a 2-ton car off of a child. What do I mean then? How can I know I will help save a life? How presumptuous of me! Well, I do know, and so can you!! The boys' school is having a blood drive, and I am signed up to donate blood today. Did you know that each blood donation can go to help up to THREE people!? I didn't! So yeah. I'm doing a good deed today. And while it's something simple, and maybe I shouldn't "brag" about it, I am proud of myself. I wanted to share, because maybe it will inspire someone else out there to do the same.

Baby J goes Feb 13 to Early On to be evaluated on his gross motor skills, to see if he qualifies for physical therapy (PT). If he does, we set up an IFSP (individual family service plan) and see if he needs any other services. I don't think they will find him eligible, only because in the last month his gross motor skills have blossomed so much. He will let go of furniture and stand for several seconds, he cruises around furniture very quickly, he can sit from a standing position much easier, he will bend to try and pick up something while holding on to try and stay standing, he will hold your hands and take several steps, and he went from doing the "army crawl" 95% of the time to crawling on his hands and knees about 40-50% of the time. He was truly only 1 "point" away from passing the pediatrician's evaluation/assessment anyway, so now he'd probably pass with flying colors. We're still waiting to hear from the urologist's scheduler so we can set up his surgery.

A has his blue and gold banquet Feb 24 for cub scouts and will get his Wolf Badge (as long as we finish his last two achievements by the 10th!) It's at noon that Sunday and he and Jas will be going to that by themselves. I'm disappointed that E, Baby J and I won't be able to be there, but we have our first conflict of schedules! Anyway, I am very proud of him, as he has been working on these achievements and some of his electives to get his arrow points starting in April as well as his belt loops! I think he's technically earned 2 of the belt loops and his gold arrow point and first silver arrow point. A seems to be really enjoying the fun activities and Jas and him get to have some father/son time.

E won the school spelling bee and goes to the MI state charter school spelling bee on March 15th. Before that though, he is going to the regional bee for the Scripp's National Bee on Feb 24. Yeah, there's our schedule conflict. Same day as A's blue and gold. I was hoping it would be at a different time, but nope :( Registration is at noon and the bee starts at 1pm (the same time A will get his badge), so E, Baby J and I will go to the bee and Jas and A will join us later. If E wins this regional bee, he would go on to the national bee the week of May 26th. A is excited about this because they would both end up missing some school AND his birthday is May 30 so he'd get to go on a trip for his birthday ;) LOL. Silly kid. It should be interesting going though, because last year, Jas was backstage in case E had any behavioral "issues" and because I will have Baby J, who is only 13 months old with me, I won't be able to do the same. I know he's made a lot of progress and matured a lot in a year so hopefully it should be ok.

I'm proud of our boys being understanding that they have to "share" us for the day, one of us being at one's important event and the other being at the other event.

Jas has to travel for work soon, for a week. It's been a while and I can honestly say that I am not looking forward to it at all. I will have to make sure I have lots of easy dinners on hand since I won't have help.

Almost time to head out for the school and it's snowing. Lovely. Ha! At least I'll be on time for a change ;)