meals: vol. 19

i'm back! this is the first week since i got sick that i've even come close to getting a menu down. it feels good to be on the mend.

menu for 2/17-2/23
monday: white wine & herb turkey breast (slow cooker), roasted veggies, coconut flour biscuits
tuesday: sushi date with my main main (yay!)
wednesday: turkey italian sausages with asparagus, paleo garlic bread
thursday: korean beef bowls (with zucchini, carrots, spinach, rice noodles)
friday: leftovers
saturday: out for the evening
sunday: fish something

breakfasts: breakfast sausage, larabars, wheat-free waffles, bacon, sun butter and bananas, smoothies

lunches: leftovers, salads, lunchmeat roll ups, carrots, bacon, snacks

snacks: paleo muffins or sweet bread of some sort, beef jerky, dried fruit, fruit, nuts, cheese sticks & yogurt (c), larabars, spiced candied walnuts

what are you making this week?

love.

meals: vol. 16

aaand i'm late with my menu. again.

i'll claim post-thanksgiving sluggishness (maybe partly due to that grain-free pie you see up there). okay? thanks.

menu for 12/2-12/8
monday: leftover roast chicken soup with roasted vegetables (i used leftover turkey instead)
tuesday: bacon-wrapped steaks (orr just steaks and bacon. let's be real) and mixed veggies
wednesday: italian turkey sausages and roasted carrots, turnips and mushrooms
thursday: steak, loaded sweet potatoes, green beans
friday: salmon, leftover baked sweet potatoes, asparagus 
saturday: eggs and sautéed spinach, bacon and cashew flour pancakes
sunday: crock pot something.

breakfasts: almond flour pumpkin muffins, hardboiled eggs, larabars, wheat-free waffles (for coen), fruit, sun butter and bananas, smoothies

lunches: leftovers, salads, lunchmeat roll ups, carrots and cucumbers with goddess dressing, snacks

snacks: beef jerky, dried fruit, seaweed, dried pea snacks (c), fruit, nuts, cheese sticks (c), larabars, hardboiled eggs, spiced candied walnuts

happy planning!

love.

meals: vol. 14 (a new start).

today marks the first day of our new life (when it comes to eating).

we are going paleo. 

it's something that we've been discussing for awhile now, and something i've been hoping to try for over a year. not for my own health (though i know i'm going to benefit from being more purposeful in eating whole, healthy foods), but for nick's.

the paleo diet has had much success in the auto-immune disease circles, specifically those that have gut health issues. and so, here we are. giving it all that we've got and will be for the next year or so (unless we see much improvement, and then it will be indefinite). personally, the story of danielle walker from against all grain, has left us particularly inspired. reading her story with illness was like reading our own journey with nick's.

so, what does this mean for this blog?
well, it means that you will probably see a good bit more about food. 

i will try my best to not be obnoxious about it, and this is definitely not going to become a food blog. but there will be more on the topic, because this blog is about real life, every season of it. and this season is going to be a little bit more about what we eat.

also, i want to share all that i'm learning about how to implement this diet into our everyday lives. the practical, the planning, the outcome. the successes and the failures. also, even if paleo isn't your thing, i hope you'll stick around. i'm hoping to integrate this new lifestyle into our existing one, including working to create food (with the help of many that have gone before me) that would be exiting for anyone to eat, regardless of diet restrictions.

so, let's do this.

menu for 11/18-11/24
monday: out for dinner
tuesday: pan fried chicken breasts, loaded sweet potatoes, salad
wednesday: slow cooker beef stir fry
thursday: salmon, sweet potatoes, asparagus
friday: chicken sausages and veggie sauté 
saturday: breakfast for dinner (paleo pancakes)
sunday: soup or stew?

breakfasts: egg muffins, larabars, wheat-free waffles (for coen), fruit, sun butter and bananas, smoothies
lunches: salads, lunchmeat roll ups, carrots and cucumbers (hopefully i'll get to make a paleo ranch!), hot dogs, leftovers, snacks
snacks: beef jerky, dried fruit, seaweed, dried pea snacks, fruit, cashews and almonds, cheese sticks (coen)

meals for the week: vol. 11

yes, it's thursday. and it's not pretty. i'm sorry.

but at least it's something. and i needed to get my brain together to have the weekend at least semi-planned out. this week has been something, for sure.

help a mama out and share some meal ideas? thanks, guys.

meals :: 9/23-9/29

monday: slow cooker pesto ranch chicken, baked potatoes, asparagus

tuesday: nope.

wednesday: i don't remember (seriously.)

thursday: slow cooker shoulder roast, baked potatoes, sautéed okra, peppers & onions, cornbread

friday: slow cooker chicken & dumplings

saturday: bacon cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries, veggie 

sunday: slow cooker beef stroganoff and egg noodles (or something with chicken? help!)

breakfasts: protein shakes, granola, bagels, yogurt, eggs, berry crisp

lunches: smoothies (with kale, shh!), leftovers, salads, tuna salads, carrots, leftovers, baked potatoes (loaded/leftovers)

snacks: seaweed, cheese, trail mix, fruit, popcorn, granola, kale chips

meals for the week: vol. 2

look at this, two weeks in a row--i'm on a a roll.

but seriously, even though i wasn't able to fully stick to the menu last week, it was super helpful at saving me time, brain power, and from being overwhelmed. so, i'm pretty excited.

i made these no-bake energy balls to eat for snacks (thank you, lindsey for the recommendation). i may have eaten them for breakfast a few days, too.
they were so good.

no-bake energy balls

yields about 20; adapted from here.

ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup nut butter (peanut or almond)

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 tbsp chia seeds

directions

in a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until wet. set in refrigerator until chilled (at least a half an hour). once chilled, scoop out and shape mix into a ball. i make them so they take about two bites to eat. store in either refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container.

you're welcome.

____

meals :: 7/22-7/28

monday: summer vegetable chicken salads

tuesday: slow cooker pot roast stew

wednesday: slow cooker whole chicken, peas, fries 

thursday: shepherd's pie

friday: leftovers

saturday: sweet potato curry & rice

sunday: leftovers, maybe?

breakfasts: berry crisp, egg muffins with turkey sausage, yogurt, fruit

lunches: leftovers, tuna salad, salads, veggies and homemade ranch (didn't get to this last week)

snacks: popcorn, yogurt, fruit, almonds, seaweed, energy balls

meals for the week: volume 1.

so i'm trying a new thing. i hope you like it.

i'm going to be posting my menu plan for the week [hopefully] every monday. i've been struggling to get it together with my meal planning, and so my hope is that this will lend just enough accountability for me to plan thoroughly, and well.

and if you guys respond, comment and share recipe recommendations, that will be even better.

you might notice that there are some types of food missing from my menus. for a few months now, i've been omitting tomatoes from my cooking almost completely, since they tend to bother nick's stomach. this, my friends, has been a challenge, because up to this point, i'd say that at least 75% of my cooking involved some sort of tomato. ha.

and, just to give myself a bigger challenge to try to help nick's health a little more (don't worry though, he's doing great!), this week i've started cutting bread and grain products as well (besides rice and oats. oats is a grain, right?). so, i'm going sort-of-paleo-but-not-really-and-without-the-tomatoes. in other words, i'd like to follow the ideas of Nourishing Traditions a little more closely, but i know i don't have time to sprout and knead and bake and ferment and harvest, and this is the best i could come up with without losing my mind.

i'll try to post pictures and recipes along with the weekly posts. i can't promise grandeur, but it will be something.

so, friends, join me in this journey?

meals :: 7/15-7/21

monday: peppered turkey bacon & cheddar burgers (no buns), sweet potato fries, veggie
tuesday: loaded baked potatoes (w/leftover bacon), sautéed zucchini
wednesday: slow cooker roast chicken, sweet potatoes, leftover veggies
thursday: chicken (leftover chicken) stir fry & rice
friday: tilapia fish taco bowls
saturday: no idea.
sunday: really no idea.

breakfasts: blueberry crisp, egg muffins, yogurt, fruit
lunches: leftovers, salads, tuna salad, lunchmeat rollups, veggies and homemade ranch
snacks: almonds, trail mix, seaweed, fruit, yogurt, these things

okay, so it's not perfect. but it's a start! if you have any recipes to share, please do. happy planning!

love.