Thanksgiving Menu

We spent the afternoon prepping food for our Nutritarian Thanksgiving Feast!  We've still got a few things to assemble and cook, including a cage-free, no antibiotics, vegetarian fed (is there any other kind of feed for them?) turkey. 

And, yes, I declare, by all of the powers vested in me, that serving the healthiest and highest quality turkey our budget can afford for Thanksgiving dinner qualifies as a Nutritarian meal.  I'm not sure we're all planning to eat it, but I'm grateful to serve it to our guests on this special day.

Here's our menu plan with links:

Vegetable Tray
Hummus (I'll post this recipe if it turns out)
Savory Bean and Spinach Soup
Turkey
Cornbread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole (I altered this recipe; I mixed almonds and bread in the food processor and then mixed in dried, minced onion for the topping with some extra slivered almonds)
Sweet Potato Casserole (I altered this recipe; half the maple syrup, no sugar or butter for topping. I mixed pecans, dates, and flour in the food processor for the topping)
Green Salad (brought my guests)
Dinner rolls (brought by guests)
Apple Crisp (we made this recipe up. If it turns out, I'll post the recipe soon.)

Some pics of our hard work today

Continental Breakfast

This is the plan I use for breakfasts for the children each day.  I've been busy sharing this idea with friends, so I thought I should just put it all in one place for easy reference. :)

Saturday, I do a big day of baking for the week. I make a couple loaves of "sweet" breads and granola bars. I also make a couple of pans of baked oatmeal (one for Sunday morning and another for Monday morning).  Everything goes right to the freezer. Anyone snitching on Baking Day doesn't get their share for breakfast later in the week.

Now that I have a baked good for each breakfast during the week, my oldest puts out a continental breakfast buffet each morning. The children come down and make their plate with a bread, fruit, nuts, and side of *G-Bombed beans that cooked overnight in the crockpot. They love it and so do I.

No more cooking in the morning. Way less dishes, so the cleanup that used to take forever is going much faster. I think we even eat faster this way.

Some recipes on our normal rotation:

Orange Berry Muffins

Banana Blueberry Bars

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Banana Bread/Muffins

Zucchini Bread

Make Ahead pancakes

Granola Bars using this recipe, minus the oil and coconut, pressed in a parchment paper lined pan. I sometimes add peanut butter and chia seeds.

So, this week's breakfast menu looks like this:

Monday: Baked oatmeal that is topped with crushed walnuts, fruit, Gbomb beans
Tuesday: Zucchini bread that has crushed walnuts in it, fruit, Gbomb beans
Wednesday: Banana Bread, walnut pieces, fruit, Gbomb beans
Thursday: Zucchini bread with walnuts, fruit, Gbomb beans
Friday: Granola bars, fruit, gbomb beans

*Gbombs is an acronym for Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds/nuts. I use the term to mean that we've dressed up the beans to fit the acronym as much as we can. We add onion, mushrooms (chopped VERY finely ), and greens (kale or collards or spinach). They all love their beans and greens in the morning.

Menu for the Week!

Just posting this week's menu for anyone wanting to see *the plan*.  :)

This Week's Menu

I thought I'd post the link to this week's menu. 

I change it at the end of each week. I don't change everything, though. I'm starting to find my rhythm with what meals repeat and what themes fit for each day.  Pasta night got moved to Tuesdays since Mondays I need a crockpot or easy meal for after play practice this fall.

Menu Plan

I just finished up this week's menu plan.  You can click on this link to go to the document. There are a few more new recipes than I wanted to go with for a school week, but I'm going to aim for it anyways. 

I like having a weekly menu to work from.  I don't eat all the meals that are on it, or all the parts of the meals.  I stick with my g-bomb breakfast, so the menu plan is for the children.  I also work to avoid grains right now, so I generally skip the rice, pasta, and some breads that we serve.  I allow myself one to two meals a week with whole grains aside from my daily sprinkling of raw oats in my breakfast bowl.

I was trying to link the recipes on the chart, but I couldn't find a way to do that.  When I'm planning, aside from recipes we already use weekly, I choose from my ETL binder or pinterest boards for new recipes to try. 

Let me know if you have any questions. :)

ETL Menu Planning

I've been working on menu planning today.  Actually, I've been working on that for weeks now.  I keep making a menu, then we decide to juice, so I set it aside.  Then I go back to it, set it aside. You know. ;) 

It looks like David will be taking a break from juicing in the coming week, at least for dinner meals.  I pulled out my binder and I'm getting it organized and ready for a week of All New Stuff with some old stuff thrown in.  I tried a week planned with all completely new recipes from my End of Diabetes book, but it was just too much for me to keep up with.  Next week we still have off from school, so I think I can try at least half of the days with new recipes to see if we'll keep them on the regular rotation.

I made a plan for the next two weeks and printed out the recipes for my binder. I'll keep this in the kitchen so it's handy for me and my daughter who helps with the cooking.

I also made a plan to finish out the next couple of days with what I know I need to use up from the fridge. I'm itching to try some new recipes. I'm guessing 4 days of drinking food does that to a person. ;) 

Here's our menu for Thursday - Sunday:

Breakfast:
Breakfast bowl for me;
Omelettes or oatmeal for the children;
Green Smoothies and Peanut Butter Balls for Sunday morning

Thursday
Lunch: Must-Goes (this ended up being Taco Soup, rice and beans, and a raw vegetable tray
Dinner: Mushroom Stroganoff served in layers as veg. pasta, then steamed broccoli, then sauce; salad with seeds

Friday
Lunch: (At friends' house) Taco Style Lentils and rice, raw vegetables, diced peaches
Dinner: Baked potatoes (sweet for most of us - cooked in the crockpot since we'll be away all day), sautee'd greens (I have cabbage, spinach, kale to try), Yum Good Beans (from EOD book)

Saturday
Lunch: Bean & Vegetable wraps, fruit salad
Dinner: Bok Choy Brown Rice Salad; Single Ingredient *Ice Cream*

Sunday
Lunch: (At friends' house) Mexican casserole (one made with ground beef and cheese, one without)
Dinner: Maybe - PB&J on bread or rice cakes, raw vegetables (eat in the car on the way to church)
Evening: We have a light dinner after evening service this week. I'm bringing pineapple and cantaloupe. I'm planning that at least I will eat before we get there, as there won't be a lot for me to have at the meal. (it's a pre-planned menu) I don't want to fill up too much on fruit, but I may just skip dinner altogether if I am not feeling TRUE hunger at that point. :)

I don't have it written in on my photo, but I offer popcorn each day for afternoon snacks. I, however, no longer eat snacks. Following that ETL rule has helped me tremendously.

I'm going to work on typing up an online version of my weekly menu so I can add and edit it on my computer.  That means I can also share it. :)  I'm also hoping to get some more recipes on my recipe page.  For instance, I can link you to most of what I'm making, but we have an applesauce cornbread that we've tweaked to omit the sugar and we like it well. I'll be using that on the Mexican Rice casserole.

The plans for the weekend are a bit heavy on the grains for my normal choices.  I'll be working on choosing wisely with that, small portions and extra nuts on the side for me.  However, I haven't had a lot of calories this week with juicing, so allowing 2 or 3 servings of whole grains in a week seems..well, not Over the Top. ;)

Daniel Fast - Day Nineteen

June 28, 2013

Day Nineteen

Super great day!  Started with a fantastic time in the Word.  So much to speak to my heart. So much for me to seek, dig, search, explore.  So many ways the Lord wants to reveal to us right where we are, right where we struggle, right where are questions leave us.  I'm so grateful for such a mighty, loving God that leads me.

Ended my day under on calories and super happy with my food choices. We tried a new recipe, Sweet Potato Chili tonight.  It was..ummm...good.  Sweet.  The recipe called for adding brown sugar and I can't even imagine doing that! The children loved it, so it's another keeper.

I'm working on making a meal and menu plan for the coming month. I'm pulling recipes and ideas from Dr. Furhman's book as well as things we've enjoyed from the Daniel fast and our own collections. This is fun, but I have a LONG list of recipes to try now!  It may take me a while to get it all planned out on paper. Hey, at least we won't get bored of the same meals every week.

I'm still hoping to get a little more time to spend in prayer and reading and journaling. Today filled up too much with other things, so I didn't get the time I was hoping for.  I did get in a great walk with my husband, though, and some good time on the Wii after dinner as well.  Exercise is once again enjoyable. I'm having such a great time on the Wii Fit again.

I'm down almost 2 pounds in the last couple of days! Wow! Now I really do wish I had weighed in when I started this fast. This is the first time in a long time I've seen the scale going down. I wonder what I really was up to a few weeks ago. Scary.

One thing I am super looking forward to when this fast ends: Sleepytime tea.  I have such a hard time getting to sleep when I exercise in the evenings. I feel so great, it's hard to settle down for bed.

Daniel Fast - Day Six

June 15, 2013

Day Six

Saturday.  Busy day working in the yard, shopping, planning, getting in some family time.  My back feels much better. Tonight my legs are a little sore again and my ankle is bothering me. I don't feel anywhere as gross as I have the last few days, though.  Got in over 120oz of water today.

My husband let me know that he's going to be gone all next week...overnighting...with my son on a job.  That means I have a lot of food prep ahead of me for tomorrow. Got a double batch of pasta salad made up. One for our Father's Day outing tomorrow with his family and one to split for us for the week next week.

I'm hoping to send with them these items for their meals in the coming week: 
Vegie pasta salad
Taco style lentils with rice
Apple pie breakfast
Roasted potatoes and vegies
Breakfast cookies
Indian flatbread
Peanut butter and All Fruit
Raw vegies and hummus
Fresh fruit
Guacamole and Chimole (salsa)
A couple boxes of Triscuits for dipping
Some homemade oat crackers

I'm hoping this will fill their bellies while they work hard on this painting project. Josh has until Wednesday when he is done with his 10 days of the strict fast. He can decide after that if he wants to allow some eggs.  David isn't so sure he's going to like eating this way while working away from home. I'm hoping to have enough nourishment so it doesn't leave him wanting for more.

I'm looking around and found some new recipes to try. I'm noticing that everyone is getting tired of eating the same things. Hopefully I can change it up a bit while still keeping life simple.

We stopped and got a blender while out today. Enjoyed some yummy smoothies. I had one with frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, ice, and 2 tbs of dark chocolate cocoa powder. So yum! Another great treat to put on my keep list for after the fast.

I sorta feel bad we are on this fast as Father's Day approaches. I know it would be a real treat to make David a steak and grill some good stuff on the grill. He was waking today about foods we can grill. I'm thinking of vegies and potatoes on skewers and corn on the cob. Maybe we can fit that in tomorrow sometime. Our day is so full getting them ready for a week out of town.

Off to munch some popcorn with David and watch a movie after a very full day.

Daniel Fast - Menu

Thought I would post the menu plan I have for our Daniel Fast.  I've made one week's worth of meals and snacks.  I am planning to simply reuse this plan for the 21 days, tweaking as needed for foods and recipes we may not like.  So far, we've liked the new things we've made just fine. :)  In fact, that plate of Apple Nachos was so tasty, it's going on the permanent list of favorite date-night desserts. ;) 

One thing I'm struggling with in this fast is that it is supposed to be a FAST.  I've dug around so much for meals that fit the foods we are able to eat that I think I've created a menu that leaves us feeling far from deprived. I mean, everyone is still finding something they'd like to eat, like eggs for breakfast or cookies for a treat. But, truly, there are so many good things we can eat, it's easy to forget this is supposed to be hard and create a need to seek the Lord.  I'm also finding that these new recipes are creating a bit more work for me, leaving less time for prayer.  I need to make some adjustments there, since the whole point of this fast is prayer and seeking the Lord.

I will say, though, that merely fasting from my beloved cuppa coffee is making a huge impression on me.

Monday:
Breakfast - Skinny Pear Crisp
Lunch - Raw vegetable salad with raisins and sunflower seeds, indian flatbread, pineapple tidbits
Dinner - One pot pasta, stir-fried green beans and broccoli flavored with Bragg's sauce
Anniversary dessert - Apple Nachos (with pb, raisins, cashews, almonds)

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal with fruit, peanut butter OR fried rice with vegetables seasoned with Bragg's
Lunch - Roasted Roots (potatoes chunked, tossed with garlic and hm Italian dressing, baked in oven), celery with pb, carrots w/ hummus, vegetable salad with fruit and seeds
Dinner - Winter Lentil Vegetable Soup,  oat crackers or indian flatbread

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with nuts
Lunch - Taco Soup with crackers
Dinner - Vegetable stir-fry with brown rice and almonds

Thursday:
Breakfast - Make your own burritos (pb butter, all fruit spread, beans, vegies)
Lunch - pasta salad (pasta, vegies, Italian dressing)
Dinner - Taco salad

Friday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal w/ nuts, nut-butter, fruit
Lunch - Vegetable soup with indian flatbread
Dinner - Pineapple, mushroom, cashew rice with steamed vegetables

Saturday:
Breakfast - Pancakes with fruit sauce and nuts
Lunch - Taco style lentils and rice with raw vegies and hummus
Dinner - Potato Bar with vegetables and beans

Sunday:
Breakfast - Fruit Pie breakfast with nuts
Lunch - Bean burritos with raw vegies and hummus
Dinner - Sweet potato chili with crackers

Snacks alternate: popcorn and granola

Monday December 5, 2011

Today's Good Things:
Bible time/journaling
Followed my menu
morning and afternoon walk!
stayed on track with schooling

Today's Not So Good Things:
Massive stomach issues hit just after dinner. Yuk.
Didn't get in my evening exercise due to feeling gross

I was so thrilled with how my day was going.  I was doing great with eating, exercise, and more importantly, my attitude was good. We were starting back to school and I was doing well with staying patient and kind while we worked through the kinks.

But my evening was awful. I don't know what happened, but I was feeling so poorly with stomach and bowel issues that I had to just give up and put myself to bed. 

Today is rainy and I'm still feeling poorly. Headache and stomach trouble.  I'm plugging away, but taking it easy.

Tuesday December 1, 2011

Today's Good Things:
Devotions
Followed menu plan well
Made progress on some schooling issues
Worked at and applied the verses I read this morning
Baby Flutters!!!
Great meeting with homeschool group tonight

Today's Not So Good Things:
No exercise
A lot of sitting at my desk to get schooling and notes prepared for meeting tonight
Choices for protein and grains are limited so I've gone back to eat some bread

I haven't been journaling here, but I have been doing pretty well following my menu plan.  Thanksgiving was hard and I did set aside the portions and even allowed myself dessert.  But, I was able to get back on track fairly well and I've been doing well so far.  I still don't have any test strips, so I'm not sure how my body is processing the sugars, but I'm building good habits, so I'm thankful.

I still need to work at getting in that exercise. I have to just push myself, otherwise I give in to the tiredness and the lagging nausea that threatens throughout the day still. The "fog" has lifted, though. So we made this past week a "work week" and have been busy getting the house and my paperwork in order.  It feels good to have some projects done and a plan developing for school next week. Now that I'm feeling a little better, I'm eager to get our schooling more organized and effective. Tomorrow I'll keep working on that as well as do some reorganizing to move a piece of furniture to our room in prep for baby's clothes and items. It's a little soon for that, but I want to do it now since we are setting aside time to get projects done.

David took his 3rd test this week, so life changes again for a bit.  Not even sure how so right now, but this whole year has felt like a constant state of unknown.  Thankfully, the Lord remains faithful and strong.  A security in the midst of the craziness of our days.

So, the goal for tomorrow is to get in my 15 minutes of moving after each meal.  Now that my sweetie isn't dealing with the pressure of the exam, I may just have a handsome escort on my walks. That's the best motivation right there. :)

The happy news is that I've been feeling baby flutters already. I haven't even heard a heartbeat yet, so this is really exciting. Still waiting on our decision of whether we will move forward with a homebirth or switch over to an OB and hospital birth this time around. That also means I haven't really had much by way of prenatal care right now. It's still early, and so far it appears that baby is doing well. I can't help but be excited that it's all becoming more real, that's for sure!

The New Plan

Finally, my struggle with thinking about food hasn't prevented me from thinking about food!  The last few weeks have been rough, but I think I'm starting to see the green fog lift.

I spent some time today going over my GD meal plans from last time.  I've made some adjustments, taking out the yeast breads and getting my daily meals as close to our weekly menu as possible.  I know I'll still need to adjust as the days go, but it's good to have a plan and direction on what to do next.  I find that especially hard with food, since I really have other things occupying my brain at any given moment. ;)

So, Tracy's New and Improved GD Meal Plan is in place.  Ready to print and post on the fridge for all the fam to see and hold me accountable.  Along with this eating plan, I'm hoping to get back into my exercise routine.  Morning 2 miles, Afternoon 1 mile, and evening 15 minute workout.  That's going to be hard for me, and I'll definitely need the push.

The meal plan is based on a 2200 calorie diet.  That's what the GD counselor recommended to me last go 'round.  Honestly, it's going to be pretty hard for me to get that many calories in every day.  Even as I wrote out the menu, I cringed looking at the amount of carbs I needed to include. I guess my thoughts right now are that I will likely increase the protein as I decrease the carbs a bit.  Especially the starches, which do not help with my icky yeast issues I have going on right now. Blech.
My mw also told me she has some new research regarding a few ways to help support my blood sugar levels as we go through this pregnancy. I'm eager to hear what she's learned and add that to the plan.

So, if you are interested, click the link above to give my new menu a look-see. Feel free to leave any comments or questions.  I'm always open to new ideas and great advice. :D 

Also, please keep me in your prayers. Last time I needed to follow this plan for only 3 weeks.  This time, I'm starting now, hoping to be as proactive as possible.  I struggle in a big way having to think about food all the time like this. Add in the finger pricks and that is a sure recipe for S.T.R.E.S.S.  Pray I would move forward in confidence, joy, and gratitude for what the Lord will accomplish during this season. Thanks!!

That's About the Size of It

Found out a couple weeks ago we had a little Poppy Seed growing.  The following week it grew to the size of an Apple Seed. This week we are enjoying our little Sweet Pea even though he or she brought an abundance of fatigue, moodiness, and nausea along. 

So, the plan changes for the coming year. I'm grateful I can rest in the confidence that these are God's plans.  Over the past several months, the Lord has been working on this heart of mine teaching me new lessons in contentment.  Gone are the fears and anxiety that I was carrying regarding the prospect of a new pregnancy.  The Lord has moved me over to peace, surrender, gratitude, and joy.  We don't know how long this little one will be with us, but we are all being careful to enjoy each day.  The children are over the moon with excitement.  They've been taking extra special care of their dear ol' Momma with a fervor. What a blessing. 

Next step is to work on my new menu plan. My goal is to combine the GD plan I used with my last pregnancy with Dr. Brewer's pregnancy diet, hoping my hard work in these areas will keep away the GD issues that plagued us with our last baby.  Please pray I can be diligent with exercise, discplined in my eating choices, and persevere in prayer regarding my health and Baby's.  Above all, I continue to desire the Lord to be glorified in all of my life.  I may not be decreasing physically in size in the coming months, but I pray the Lord's purposes, presence, and power will continue to increase in every way.

Tuesday March 1, 2011 Great Day!

Today's Good Things:
Family prayer time
Short morning walk due to too much ice on the road, but still great getting out!
Great eating
Great school day
Afternoon walk with dh and ds
Date night OUT, children at Papa and Grandma's
Mall walking - 2miles (at least)
Great conversation time with dh

Today's Not So Good Things:
Indulged in a Boston Kreme my sweetie bought for me
I'm staying up too late again

Such a lovely day today. I loved getting outside to walk and soak up the cool, crisp air and sunshine. The ice was a little scary, but worth it. I was so good and skipped the pasta bake I served the fam for lunch and heaped up a big ol' plate of greens instead, topped with black beans, corn and salsa. Grapes for sweet. Great lunch! Peanuts for snack time and I was on a roll!

Dh offered to take me out for date night, so we headed to Applebee's for their under 550 menu. My meal, with sides, was only 390 calories! Woohoo! Then we headed to the mall for some speed walking. We were told it's a 1/2 mile per lap, but it sure feels like a lot more than what we walk for our mile at home. I can't find it listed online, so I'm going to call tomorrow to see. My curiosity is driving me crazy wanting to know how many miles I really got in tonite. ;) As it is, I'm recording my 4 laps as 2 miles, plus the 1.5 I walked around the neighborhood gives me a 3.5 mile total for the day. Yay!

We started our new curriculum this week and we are all LOVIN' it!! Amazing what a difference it makes. I can't wait to look at the other subjects at convention in a couple of weeks.

Off to get some zzzzz's......