August goals

It’s August.

We did a little back to school shopping yesterday, for my freshman. I can’t tell you how over-whelmed I am by that. I am not possibly old enough to have a freshman in high school, and she is not possibly old enough to be a freshman in high school.

I always wonder how our lives can possible get crazier…and then they do. Back to school for the kids, a second church to pastor for Tom, more needs to fit in our busy hours, and hopefully back to school for me. I’m still not sure how it’s all going to work or what our days will look like, but I do know I’ve got to be on track with my eating and exercise to even attempt it all.

So I set a few goals for August.

Because, you know, my summer ones have just gone so well.

And by well, I mean mostly not at all…except the house isn’t a disaster and we’ve actually been eating fairly well.

But for myself, this month I plan to:

  • continue with month 2 of my Turbo Fire plan – which is harder and longer and will require me being up by 6 once school starts
  • lose 5 pounds – although more would be nice, but I’m being realistic
  • walk or swim 3-4 evenings a week – which seems to be helping me sleep better, burns a few extra calories and just seems to help my mental health in general
  • keep eating the way I have been, but cut back to 2 servings of fruit a day – funny, I think this will be the hard one. all of the fruit I love is in season right now, but I know I need to keep my sugar and carbs a little bit lower than I have been.

Have you set any goals this month? I’d love to hear about them! If you want to share, I’ll try to post a weekly check-in.

menu plan monday: 07.30.12

This Sunday, my husband officially becomes the pastor of two congregations.

The kids go back to school here in two and a half weeks.

If everything works out, I go back to school the week after that to pursue a degree in nutrition.

And I can’t figure out where the heck summer has disappeared to.

This week’s menu plan is a little bit all over the place. It’s the end of what seems like a really long month when it comes to budget. It’s going to be busy and we’re going to be out of town a few days. Some of these meals might be dependent on when I can sneak in Costco and grocery trips.

So…this is probably more of a loose goal than an actual menu plan. As in the past, our meals are predominantly paleo or primal in nature (come back tomorrow if you want to know a bit more about what I’m eating now and why). We do, on occassion, enjoy sweet or red potatoes, sometimes white rice in small amounts and corn when it’s fresh and extra yummy. And I generally double the amount of meat I cook for each dinner in order to have leftovers for lunches.

Monday
Grilled Chicken
Corn on the cob
Zucchini
Watermelon

Tuesday
Mushroom Gravy Slow Cooker Roast
Mashed Cauliflower
Roasted Potatoes (for the kids)
Kale

Wednesday
Lemon Herb Rubbed Chicken
Cucumber Salad
Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Thursday
Doctor’s appointment an hour away – either eating out or all beef hotdogs

Friday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers
Roasted Cauliflower (drizzling with coconut oil and my favorite vadouvan spice mix )
White Rice (for the kiddos)

Saturday
Lime and Basil Beef Kabobs
Salad
Whatever fruit we have on hand

Sunday
Mom’s Night Off/Leftovers

What’s on your meal plan for this week?

menu plan monday: 07.16.22

It’s been over a month since I’ve committed to a menu plan, and – amazingly – the world hasn’t stopped spinning.

And we’ve eaten pretty well and usually at home.

It’s the time of year I can do that. We picked up a new grill a few months ago and, as long as we have some veggies for the side, it’s been okay. We’re finally to a week that’s going to be a little bit quieter, and I have a feeling a bit more structure will help.

As in the past, our meals are predominantly paleo or primal in nature (come back tomorrow if you want to know a bit more about what I’m eating now and why). We do, on occassion, enjoy sweet or red potatoes and sometimes white rice in small amounts. And I generally double the amount of meat I cook for each dinner in order to have leftovers for lunches.

Monday
Grilled Chicken, seasoned with Magic Mushroom powder from the Nom Nom Paleo app
Grilled Veggies (squash, onions and maybe an eggplant – all gifted from a friend’s garden)
Mushroom skewers (marinated in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and a dash of balsamic)

Tuesday
Skirt Steak with Chive Butter (from Make It Paleo)
Steamed Broccoli
Green Salad

Wednesday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers
Roasted Cauliflower (drizzling with coconut oil and my favorite vadouvan spice mix )
White Rice (for the kiddos)

Thursday
Rosemary Pot Roast with Cauliflower Butter Rice
Green Salad

Friday
Lemon Herb Rubbed Chicken
Cucumber Salad
Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Saturday
Pineapple Bacon Burgers
Whatever vegetables are left in the fridge

Sunday
Mom’s night off/leftovers

I’m excited – there are a few new recipes in there for the week. Anything new in your kitchen?

Menu Plan Monday: 05.21.12

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve gotten a menu plan together and, as always, we’ve paid for it. In the past 3 weeks, we’ve had three houseguests and enjoyed a short vacation, and have had just a whole lot of running around going on. With only three more weeks until summer break and the start of our No Excuses Summer, I’m working hard to get my own daily schedule in place and some bad habits taken care of before the kids are home all day.

A menu plan is always one of the best places to start.

I’m also working on keeping meals a little simpler – we were able to pick up a new barbecue, which will help immensely, and I’m starting to see farm stands pop up with awesome (and cheap!) vegetables. As I always do at the beginning of summer, I’m craving simple and fresh meals.

Monday
Fajitas (just dumped on a big salad for me, with corn tortillas for the kids)
Guacamole
Tossed Green Salad

Tuesday
Grilled Chicken, seasoned with Magic Mushroom powder from the Nom Nom Paleo app (which is brilliant, by the way)
Grilled Squash – I have a bit of a glut already and summer isn’t even here yet!
Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Wednesday
All beef, no weird stuff hot dogs
Carrot sticks

Thursday
Skirt Steak with Chive Butter (from Make It Paleo)
Steamed Broccoli
Green Salad

Friday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers
Roasted Cauliflower (drizzling with coconut oil and my favorite vadouvan spice mix )
White Rice (for the kiddos)

Saturday
Easy Chicken Cacciatore
Quinoa pasta for the kids
Spaghetti Squash for me

Sunday
Mom’s Night Off – leftovers or whatever you’re capable of making on you’re own

What’s your plan for this week?

Menu Plan Monday: 04.09.12

We had a lovely – and long – Easter weekend. Lots of family, lots of friends and lots of food. I’m finally getting started on my 21 Day Sugar Detox (last week was rather rough) and other than baseball, it should be a fairly quiet week.

Love those.

For this week’s Avocado Week at Celiac Family, I’ll be eating lots of avocado’s…just like I always do. I can’t get enough! I make guacamole at least once a week, slice it on burgers, dice it under chicken salad, throw half of one into smoothies and sometimes just slice it up and eat it with salt and pepper for a snack. I can’t wait to see how everyone else uses them!

Breakfasts/Snacks
Coco-Monkey or Green Morning Smoothies (21DSD)
Paleo Muffin Tops (for the kiddos)
Chopped Veggies
Nuts
Green topped banana with almond butter
Scrambled eggs with leftover Easter ham

Monday (baseball practice)
Kale, olive and ham frittata (from Eat Like a Dinosaur)
Almond flour cinnamon rolls (to die for, and so easy! I’ll be skipping them because I’m detoxing)

Tuesday (allergy shots and baseball, assuming it’s not raining)
Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast (so good!)
Kale sauteed with bacon
Mashed potatoes (for the kids)
Mashed butternut squash (for me)

Wednesday (ballgame)
Shakey Pork BBQ  with Texas BBQ Sauce (from Eat Like a Dinosaur)
Steamed Broccoli
Tossed Salad

Thursday
Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry
Cauliflower rice (I want to see how it freezes)
White rice (for the kids)

Friday
50/50 burgers (Eat Like a Dinosaur)
Sweet Potato Fries
Whatever vegetable needs to be eaten

Saturday
Primal Chicken Tikka Masala
Cauliflower Rice
 Almond Flour Naan

Sunday
Mom’s night off – it’s leftovers or whatever you can make for yourself

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Celiac Family.

menu plan monday: 04.02.12

Last week, I had a menu full of new recipes.

I didn’t make it through all of them – the week got crazy hectic - but all of the ones we tried were really good.

Good enough to go into regular rotation. Seriously, the chocolate chip cookie recipe in Eat Like a Dinosaur is worth the price of the book alone.

This week, we only have one Little League game (whew!) and probably a few practices…but I’m starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox today, we have a Seder dinner at church Thursday evening, no school and friends coming for a cookout on Friday, a family Easter picnic in the foothills Saturday and then there’s Easter on Sunday.

I’m thinking we’ll try to keep it simple.

Breakfasts/Snacks
Coco-Monkey or Green Morning Smoothies (21DSD)
Kale, Bacon and Black Olive Pie (Eat Like a Dinosaur)
Paleo Muffin Tops (for the kiddos)…assuming my almond flour arrives soon
Chopped Veggies
Nuts
Green topped banana with almond butter

Monday
50/50 burgers (from Eat Like a Dinosaur)
Steamed Broccoli
Jicama Fries (from the 21 DSD manual)

Tuesday (allergy shots)
Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein

Wednesday (game)
Shakey Pork BBQ (p. 53) with Texas BBQ Sauce (p. 145)
Mixed Greens

Thursday
Seder Dinner at church

Friday (cookout with friends)

Saturday (family picnic)
Tom is cooking the tri tip and I think I’ll bring a few of the sweetener free chocolate almond butter cups from the 21DSD manual

Sunday (Easter)
Ham
Mashed Cauliflower (Well Fed)
Cinnamon Parsnips (maybe with half carrots)
Kale with Bacon

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Celiac Family.  We strive to ”eat paleo”, following  an anti-inflammatory, hormone regulating, whole foods based ancestral diet.

Menu Plan Monday – 03.26.12

Last week, I shared a couple of my recent favorite cookbooks. This week, I’m cooking from another brand spanking new one.

And I love it.

Eat Like A Dinosaur by the Paleo Parents is a fabulour resource for anyone attempting to “paleo-ize” their kids and turn them toward a grain free, whole foods based diet. I’ll try to get up an actual review later this week, but it gets 4 big thumbs up from our family.

We’ve made three recipes so far…

the kale, bacon and black olive egg pie (p. 74) with the almond crust (p. 207). It was excellent – even if I think I went with a bit deeper pie crust and even after baking for an hour had to resort to the microwave to get rid of the runny egg (I have some serious issues with eggs that run…or move… or glisten). It’s a great combination of flavors, and something we’re going to play with more.

We also just finished up a batch of the teriyaki beef jerky (p. 157).

Really good…but…we didn’t get any sense of teriyaki from it. With the spice profile, it’s actually more reminiscent of Indian flavors to me. Whatever we call, it’s good.

It’s going to a busy week (birthday and Little League), but I’ve got lots more recipes planned from Eat Like A Dinosaur…

Breakfasts/Snacks
ZuCakes (p. 223)
Chocolate Chip Cookies (p. 190 – so excited about these!)
Chocolate Avocado Shake (p. 192)
Anytime Cookies (maybe – p. 170)

Monday
Chicken Nuggets (p. 81)
Zucchini Latkes (p. 112)
Green Salad

Tuesday
Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast
Kale sauteed with bacon
Mashed Potatoes (for the kids)

Wednesday
50/50 burgers (p. 50)
Sweet Potato Fries
Broccoli

Thursday
Shakey Pork BBQ (p. 53) with Texas BBQ Sauce (p. 145)
Apple Bacon Slaw (p. 128)

Friday
Rat on a Stick (p. 99 – I’m going to have to come up with a different name. I’d considered doing meat balls…but I don’t think Rat Balls are all too appetizing either)
Cauliflower Rice (using the method in Eat Like A Dinosaur)

Saturday
Freezer Waffles (p. 230)
Bacon
Scrambled Eggs
Strawberries

Sunday
Mom’s Night Off/Leftovers

I’ll share pictures of some of these meals later in the week.

And while I don’t have any artichoke recipes to share for the Gluten-Free Menu Swap this week, I’ll definitely be checking what everyone else does. I love a good artichoke simply steamed, but something new is always nice.

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Celiac Family.

Menu Plan Monday: 03.16.12

It’s been over a month since my last actual menu plan - long enough, in fact, that I couldn’t remember my Plan to Eat sign in!

That is not a good sign.

And I’m reminded again that, for me at least, a menu plan is the cornerstone of my homemaking. If I’m not planning meals, the rest of the house tends to be a bit chaotic. If I’m not planning meals, I’m not eating well…and if I’m not eating well, chances are I’m not excercising. It’s a vicious circle, and with all of the changes we’ve made recently, it’s one I’ve been drowning in.

No more. I pulled out my trusty cookbooks, looked through a few Pinned recipes and am ready to go.

Those cookbooks I can’t get enough of right now?

Well Fed – definitely more for an adult palate, but super inspiring
Make It Paleo - I’ve yet to have a recipe from this one fail me. It’s excellent.

Here’s this week’s menu plan:

Monday
Tri Tip
Roasted Baby Carrots
Sauteed Mushrooms
Baked Potatoes (for the rest of the family – I’ll skip it)
Green Salad

Tuesday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers
Roasted Cauliflower (drizzling with coconut oil and a vadouvan spice mix I picked up recently)

Wednesday (first Little League game of the season and last Lenten prayer gathering – it’s going to be crazy)
Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast
Kale sauteed with bacon
Mashed Potatoes (making extra cauliflower the night before for me. and no, I really don’t mind eating it several nights in a row)

Thursday
Whole 30/Paleo Chicken Curry
Cauliflower Rice (working on roasting first, then ricing – seems less soggy that way)

Friday
Skirt Steak with Chive Butter (from Make It Paleo)
Grilled Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli

Saturday
Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry
White rice (for the kiddos)

Sunday
Leftovers/Mom’s night off

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Celiac Family.

menu plan monday: 02.06.12

Just had to share one of my new favorite breakfast sides or snacks – fresh blueberries, coconut flakes, roasted pecans and a splash of coconut milk. And you know what would make it even yummier? A dash of cinnamon. I use cinnamon on a pretty much daily basis in something – my paleo muffin tops, in my mashed butternut squash and I’m working on a spiced coconut milk drinking chocolate that I’m hoping to share soon.

I love the first menu plan of the month – it’s when I’ve done my big Costco trip, we’ve usually hit the big city for Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and I find I’m always up to trying some new recipes.

This week, I’ve got a fridge full of produce – including a flowering broccoli-ish something I need to do a little more research on, a great big bag of baby bok choy, several pounds of mushrooms and three heads of napa cabbage.

I see lots of veggies in our future and some stir-fry’s coming for lunch! And, as usual, everything is gluten-free and paleo friendly.

Here’s our dinner plan:

Monday
Marinated Tri Tip Steaks and Roasted Veggies (mushrooms, asparagus, onions)
Zucchini Alfredo
Still working on perfecting the marinade for the tri-tip and veggies – hoping to share next week!

Tuesday
Creamy Chicken and Tomato Soup
Tossed Greens
Paleo Muffin Tops – but a little more savory

Wednesday
Beef with Broccoli (from the Make It Paleo cookbook)
Cauliflower Rice (using the roasted technique in this recipe, and pulsed a little less in the food pro so it’s more riced and less mashed. I’m finding roasting as opposed to steaming to be the way to go for non-mushy cauliflower rice)

Thursday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers (from Make It Paleo, but doubling the red curry paste for more flavor)
Grilled Veggies – whatever needs to be eaten most!

Friday
Smothered Pork Chops
Roasted Kabocha Squash
Mixed Greens Salad

Saturday
no idea – probably breakfast for supper? maybe paleo waffles?

Sunday
Paleo Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Celiac Family!.

menu plan monday: 01.23.12

Another week of meal planning…made a little bit easier by the fact – yet again – that I threw half of last week’s plans out the window for ones that worked better for time constraints I didn’t expect.

I’m rather excited, though, to have found a non-egg breakfast – those little tasties up there we’re calling muffin tops. It’s a recipe from an awesome paleo food blogger I made a few little tweaks to, and we’re all in love with them…even our pickiest eater!

This week’s menu plan:

Monday
Southwestern Flank Steak
Chipotle Lime Roasted Delicata Squash
Guacamole (mashed avocado, diced onion, lime juice, salt, pepper, a bit of garlic, maybe some tomatoes – super easy!)

Tuesday
Quick and Easy Crock Pot Brisket
Roasted Potatoes (red for the family, sweet for me)
Roasted Broccoli
Kale sauteed with Bacon

Wednesday
Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and Bacon
Roasted Baby Carrots
Salad Greens

Thursday
Beef with Broccoli
Cauliflower Rice (both from Make It Paleo)

Friday
Primal Philly Cheesteak Bowl (with about a quarter of the cheese called for)
Salad Greens

Saturday
Pulled Pork BBQ (with Paleo BBQ Sauce)
Cajun Sweet Potato Fries
Salad Greens
(all from Make It Paleo)

Sunday
Elana’s Pantry Pancakes (replacing the agave with half the amount of maple syrup and cooking in coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil)
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Angela’s Kitchen (and check out the pomegranate recipes while you’re there – I know I will!).