Menu: Week 1

Wednesday:

(B) Egg Burritos (scrambled eggs, spinach, breakfast sausage)
(L) Smoothies - bananas, carrots, peanut butter, coconut oil, yogurt
(D) Smoked Chicken, Broccoli Salad, sweet potatoes

Thursday:
(B) Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
(L) Hard boiled eggs, apples, peanut butter, cheese slices, multi-grain chips
(D) Mango Chicken

Friday:
(B) Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
(L) Spanish Tortilla
(D) Grain-Free Pizza & Salad

Saturday:
(B) Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Meatballs
(L) Spanish Tortilla
(D) Italian beef sandwiches, carrots and/or salad

Sunday:
(B) OPEN
(L) Leftovers
(D) Chicken Fajitas

Monday:
(B) Breakfast Bake
(L) PB&J Sandwich, carrots, raw milk
(D) Carmelized Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday:
(B) Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
(L) Harb boiled egg, carrots and apples with peanut butter, & raw milk
(D) Taco Tuesday!

Snacks: organic pears & apples, organic grapes, grain-free granola, and carrots with seed butter

(I will update this post on Wednesday, November 2nd with what I spent!)

Answers to questions:

- I have been asked (love you, Jen!) if I am still doing Paleo. Yes, for the most part, I am. My kids do eat their sandwiches on sprouted bread, have peanut butter (as well as other nut and seed butters), but I do try to limit grains to once a day. On taco/quasadilla nights I use romaine lettuce leaves instead of tortillas, and many times my kids think it is fun so they join me.

- I do use many high calorie recipes. Not only am I not scared to eat fat, but I am a huge advocate of doing so. Our bodies need fat, and I commit to writing about that very soon. The recipes contain coconut oil, butter and animal fat. As you fill up on protein, good fats and vegetables (with some fruit thrown in) the body does not need the "bulk" of grains. Many may see my menu, and think that it doesn't look like much, but I challenge you to eat whole foods with good fats for a week and see how full you feel - and stay. ;)

Making a List, Checking it Twice

With the announcement of me posting my menu and spending each week, I knew that I had to finally take an inventory of what is in my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. I thought about what it would look like to make up my own system, called on my creative husband to help me brainstorm something that would work for me, and then he suggested I just look up an inventory list online. Brilliant. So I turned to Google, and she of course was faithful.

I had never made an inventory of my kitchen before, but I'm bringing you all along on my journey. Before I started my commitment to the menu , I wanted to know what I have stockpiled. These are the lists that I found on Google and went with:

(Links: Pantry Inventory, Larder (Refrigerator) Inventory, and Freezer Inventory)

My inventories are now done, and in my kitchen binder (contains grocery ads, old Menu plans, our favorite recipes, and our bi-monthly Costco trip list). My plan is to follow the instructions at the bottom of the list by using a slash mark for each item in the pantry, freezer or fridge, and then each Monday when I clean my kitchen to cross out each item that was used over the week. As I try out this new system I will be sure to let you all know how it goes.

I tried to get this post out early enough so that you all can have a chance, if you want it, to make an inventory in the next couple of days. While I am making the menu tomorrow to share with you all, maybe you could make it a goal of yours to see what you already have on hand? This would also be a great time to gather the foods you know you're not going to eat, or are trying to work out of your diet, and donate them to a local food bank!

Announcement!

There are a few things in life that scare me. Frogs terrify me. If I see a frog you better believe I will be high-kneeing it until I feel I am at a safe distance away. The dark is still scary to me, and my quirkiest, once all-consuming, fear is of my teeth falling out. Strange, I know.

There is one other thing that I should mention that scares me: commitment. My fear of commitment points to my wrestle with selfishness. I struggle with thinking that I may not have the time, energy, resources, and patience to serve and give freely. The second (and third) reasons I fear committing to things is that I don't want to fail and I don't want to let people down. So now that I have exposed a bit of my inward workings, I have good news. I am committing!

Starting Tuesday, November 1st I will be posting my weekly menus on Tuesday nights. The menu will have a link to all of the recipes that I will be making that week. If you live in the Dallas area, this will be great for you because you will be able to use my menu and list as a plan. You will also be able to shop the sales at Sprouts on "Double Ad Wednesdays" (this week and last weeks sale prices are good on Wednesdays). Even if you aren't in the Dallas Metroplex you should still be able to find equivalent deals, because most produce goes on sale when it is in season. Better news, for many of you, is that I will be posting how much money I spent each week and where I shopped. Hopefully this will be an encouraging step towards health.

Our budget is $600 month for food and household items such as garbage bags, toilet paper, laundry and cleaning supplies. If we eat out, it comes out of this $600. If we think we need a coffee on the way to church, it comes out of the food envelope. We do a cash system, and twice a month I get $300 for food. We have found that it works better for us to do two weeks at a time, because one week I may spend $90 and the next $150. Sales, using up what I have stock-piled, and household supplies can tip my budget one week but not usually for two weeks in a row. So, I will be spending, on average, around $135/week on food for a family of 5 (husband, myself, two school-aged boys, and a toddler girl).

I hope my budget is a good reflection of my readers, or gives them a goal to aim for, but if your family is on an even tighter budget please leave me a comment. Two-years-ago, we were a family of 5, but I was still nursing my daughter, and I was feeding our family a whole foods diet (little-no processed foods) for $75 week. We weren't eating as many organic foods as we eat now, but it was still much healthier than eating sugar and preservative laden food. I was able to spend a lot more time in the kitchen, because we had not started homeschooling yet. So while it was more time consuming, I quickly learned that where there is a will there is a way.

This should be fun! Thank you for the feedback I have been receiving about what you guys would like to read and learn about. My hope is that this is a place where we can learn how to nourish ourselves and our families together!