Wow. I just realized my last post on this blog was March 29. Yikes! The last few months have been oh. so. busy. We are in the process of buying a house which we are planning to move in to in June. Add in to that gymnastics, small group, tee ball, Ben's travel, wrapping up the school year, and other family matters, and it's been pretty crazy around here! I myself have been trying to find balance between getting food on the table, running here there and everywhere, and not losing my head in the process. (You can read more about that on my other blog here.)
In the midst of all the madness, I had stumbled upon a website through Pinterest onceamonthmom.com. This website offers several different freezer meal plans per month, including a "Whole Foods Menu" which offers recipes for the freezer using only "real" ingredients based mostly on what's in season. SCORE! Oh, and did I mention it's free? (BTW, I am not being paid to write this post. I could only be so lucky.)
I had noticed this website in April and glanced at it, but didn't actually take the time to try it. This month with all of the craziness in store, I decided to bite the bullet and carve out some time to try it out. I have experimented with once a month cooking, or freezing cooking, or whatever-floats-your-boat-to-call-it cooking before. I can't really carve out that kind of time to cook and don't really want to right now either. That being the case, I did some tweaking to the plan and did not do a full-fledged cooking day.
Out of the menus they posted I baked a double batch of the Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies (yum) one weekend and we ate those for breakfast the next day and I froze the rest. Later I looked at the rest of the recipes to see which ones I wanted to cook as it lined up with the food we were getting from our produce share, and made a list of what meat I needed from the meat market. (I stored the meat in the freezer for later use.) The weekend we got our produce I picked up any remaining ingredients needed from the grocery store.
Out of the other recipes for May, I decided to cook all of the dinner recipes, except for Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon Garlic Green Beans. I didn't have time to cook all of the recipes, and those recipes fit my produce items better. The website has a downloadable spreadsheet for recipe cards, instructions, and grocery list, which allows you to input the number of people you are cooking for in order calculate the amount of ingredients needed. I found myself referring back to the original recipes (which are all linked on the website) frequently as there seemed to be some glitches on some of the recipe cards. Also, since I wasn't using all of the recipes listed, I put the recipes I chose into Pepperplate and created my own grocery list.
All of the recipes we have tried have been delicious. These recipes have also helped us get our of our dinner-time rut. The kids devoured the Shredded Beef Tacos we had for dinner a couple of weeks ago along with Black Bean-Goat Cheese Dip. It has been refreshing to find freezer meals that do not call for cans of cream of chicken soup or dried soup mixes and the like. Whatever little kinks there are with the spreadsheet are well worth working through, especially considering the fact that it is free. Tonight I just pulled out the other half of the Shredded Beef Tacos to thaw. With Ben out of town and tee ball tomorrow night, it is going to be a life saver to come home to the smell of shredded beef warming in the crock pot. *sigh*
Showing posts with label time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time. Show all posts
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The best part of waking up...
What's wrong with Fruity Pebbles?
Our cultural norms for breakfast tend to be bread-based. Navigating bread, crackers, cereals and the like is a path full of landmines of food substitutes, additives, trans fat, and high fructose corn syrup. Studies performed on lab rats have shown breakfast cereals to be at best extremely limited in nutritional value compared to whole wheat and at worst (when eaten exclusively) to cause organ failures from insulin shock. Even the "healthier" options for cereal are not that good for you. Not to mention they cost a pretty penny.
"But I don't have time to fix breakfast!"
Mornings are not my thing, so let me tell you I am NOT up at the crack of dawn cooking up breakfast. Plus, we have four children (and ourselves) to get ready and out the door on time for work/school. I looked at our family's schedule and nutritional needs and created a weekly breakfast plan. And it works for us. I don't have to try to think at 6:30 in the morning, and the children like knowing what's coming which makes for smoother mornings. One night my son asked me what was for breakfast in the morning. When I told him I wasn't sure, he said, "Look at your calendar, Mom."
Below is our family's breakfast meal plan. I included links to some of the recipes mentioned. Feel free to use it as a starting point to plan for your family. Keep in mind that nutrition isn't one-size-fits-all, so you may need to adjust accordingly.
Mondays- Baked good and fruit-I make some kind of quick bread or muffin on Sunday for breakfast the next day. I vary it by the season or what we have on hand, such as banana bread or muffins, pumpkin bread, blueberry muffins, or cinnamon rolls if I made bread over the weekend. Another option is to make a large batch of muffins or bread once a month or so and freeze it for later use.
Tuesdays- Cereal and fruit-I know I just said boxed cereal isn't good for you. It isn't. And we don't eat it. We eat homemade granola, oatmeal, or we make a muesli-type breakfast that we call "make-your-own-cereal." Granola is one of those things I make on the weekend. Although, it doesn't take a whole lot of effort so I do sometimes throw it together during the week. If you're not a fan of oatmeal, try making your own from raw oats or steel cut oats in the crock pot overnight. I never liked oatmeal as a kid, but love the stuff I make myself with pecans, apples, cinnamon, and honey stirred in. I had to play with the amount of water and the cooking time for both kinds of oatmeal because I do not like my oatmeal mushy. Yuck!
Wednesdays- Yogurt and fruit- I start my own yogurt in the crock pot on Sunday nights (can you tell I love my crock pot?) It is soooo easy and soooo yummy. If you don't want to make your own, pick up a large container of the plain organic yogurt in the store. We stir in fresh or frozen fruit and honey or make smoothies and serve it with a half slice of toast or leftover bread from Monday.
Thursdays- Toast and fruit- I make my own bread most of the time, which I'll cover in a later post. When buying bread from the store pick one that is 100% whole wheat without partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.
Friday- Eggs-This is kind of my Friday treat. The kids aren't here so it's a little easier for me to take care of breakfast, although I could probably cook eggs on a kid-day occasionally. Eggs actually are healthy and good for you, believe it or not. Normally I make an omelet or a breakfast burrito to get some veggies in with it. (Salsa counts, right?) Breakfast burritos can be pre-made in a large batch and frozen to be reheated later. Supposedly you can mix omelets in Ziploc bags, freeze them, and then cook them in boiling water, but I'm not really comfortable with cooking my food that way. It takes me maybe five minutes to cook up breakfast, so not that big of a deal. It can take some searching to find tortillas without the yucky stuff. Whole Foods is the only place I have found healthy flour tortillas at a decent price.
Saturday & Sunday- Chef's Choice- Homemade biscuits, pancakes, waffles, coffee cake, or whatever we feel like cooking up.
Helpful Tips
-Look ahead at your week on Sunday to see what you might want to pre-make or to see if you need to tweak your plan for some reason.
-After dinner look at your plan to see if you need to get anything started that night for breakfast the next morning. Have a backup plan if you forget. In our house that's usually toast.
-Set a time for waking up, breakfast, and leaving the house. For example: the kids wake up at 6:30, breakfast is at 6:45, we clean up and leave at 7:00. If they miss breakfast once or twice, I promise they won't starve, but they will start learning to manage their time.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tales from the dark side
I turned off the crock pot full of chicken with a half grimace and sigh of defeat tonight. "Real food" hasn't exactly been happening in my "real life" lately. Tuesday night we stopped in at Arby's on the way to soccer practice. (The chicken pulled out from the night before hadn't defrosted by that morning to be put in the crock pot, and both my husband and I were caught up with work at dinnertime.) Wednesday night I worked until 7 and picked up Thai food on the way home. Thursday night we both worked late, and I picked up sushi. Tonight was supposed to be homemade pizza, but I forgot to thaw the crust and both of us were caught up with work yet again. Pizza Hut to the rescue? Ugh. It's not that we don't eat out. (Although not normally four nights in a row.) And I can handle the occasional food failure.
But that chicken. You see, even though it hadn't defrosted by Tuesday morning, we were going to cook it for dinner after work. And then when that went out the window we decided to throw it in the crock pot this morning and use it for chicken wraps for lunch tomorrow. Except that one of us forgot to turn on the crock pot and it sat there until he got home at one and turned it on. And I am not going to be the guinea pig to find out whether or not it's still good after sitting on the counter for several hours raw at room temperature.
However, throwing away food is one of the seven deadly sins. I think. At least that's the impression I got growing up. Then as I realized that not one, but two meals had been sabotaged in one day, all the thoughts of how I should have planned better and how I am working too much and neglecting my family and how I am completely inadequate and incapable of doing everything I need to do at work and at home pop up in the back of my mind like unwanted and yet oh so familiar friends.
The beginning of the school year is one of those seasons for me that is very difficult. No matter how much I plan ahead, it never seems to be quite enough. And this year has been a doozy.
My temptation, I realize, is always to focus on the negative--of what I didn't do "right," instead of what I did do well. I made yogurt this week. I ate a nutritious breakfast and took a healthy snack and water to work with me every day. I ate the last bag of beans and rice I had previously frozen for lunch one day. We had family game night tonight. I loved my husband and children and students and friends.
And I get to start over again tomorrow, let it all go, and do what I can do to the best of my ability.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Lunchbox Edition
Yikes! I haven't posted in a month! The start of the schoolyear is always a little crazy for me, and this year is no exception. (In my next life, I am going to live on the beach and teach yoga. True story.) In the meantime, here is a post to on what real food can look like on the go.
For the kids:
This year I have decided to get the kids involved with making their own lunches. The first time went great. The second time I realized it works better to get them going two at a time rather than four at once. However, it is way more enjoyable for me to get them in the kitchen helping than be stuck by myself until 9 at night making lunches for four kids. Plus, they are learning responsibility and taking ownership of what they eat.
I created a table which gives the four of them six options for lunches over the course of a week and placed it inside a plastic sheet protector so that we can cross of when they've taken a particular item for lunch.
They also get to take a fruit or veggies and a "treat" such as homemade cookies or snack crackers.
Choosing after the first day was difficult for a couple of them, "Why can't I just take (fill-in-the-blank) again?" I decided to provide them a menu of main items that they check off to prevent one kid from taking the same thing every day and using it all up. Plus, it is easy for me to plan ahead to make sure I have enough food on hand for their lunches. There is enough flexibility built in to where they can each have their individual preferences. (By the way, we pack lunches the night before. Mornings are WAY too crazy.)
School lunches have improved at my school this year. They are serving whole wheat bread, and the sides options are fruits and vegetables, including a fruit and veggie bar. Even before they made changes, we decided to allow the kids to buy school lunch one day if they choose for two reasons. One, we aren't purists. We still eat out and eat whatever we're served out of the house. Two, I don't want school lunches (or certain other foods) to become the "forbidden fruit" and turn my kids off to the way we normally eat as they grow up.
On a side note, we don't buy juice boxes. The kids all have water bottles to take. Also, we bought small thermoses for hot/cold items and sandwich wrappers and snack bags off of etsy. And no, I'm not worried about them losing them. We told them it's their responsibility to buy any replacement items.
For the older crowd:
Pop quiz, if you're over 10, packing a lunch is still cool because
A. It's healthier.
B. It's more economical.
C. It's less wasteful. (If you use reusable containers.)
D. All of the above.
Yes, it's D. How did you know??? Here are some tricks of the trade (drumroll, please)...
Plan ahead. Unless you are crazy like my husband and jump out of bed ready to start the day and sometimes even EARLY (gasp), pack your lunch the night before. The easiest way to pack your lunch is leftovers from dinner. Add a salad and a water bottle, and WALLA, instant lunch. I also take a piece of fruit and some nuts or the like for a snack.
Tip: If it's a family favorite or your family will continue to eat until there is no more food on the table, you may want to set some aside for your lunch before you serve them.
Cook ahead. We do this with items like bread, yogurt, beans, hummus, cookies, and brown rice. Two weeks ago we made hummus to eat on pita bread with veggies for a quick no-reheating-required lunch. When we make a pot of beans or lentils, we also make extra rice and store it together in the freezer in individual portions for "frozen meals." Soup can be stored this way as well. Cookie dough can be store in the freezer in batches to be baked up for the week. Once a month or so I make a large batch of dough which yields four loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls, and pizza crust. The extra loaves go into the freezer for lunches in future weeks. (No I don't make all of these foods in one weekend.)
Cut ahead. Some of our fruits that we get in the co-op can end up just sitting unused because we don't feel like cutting them up during the week. We have started precutting fruit like mangos and cantaloupe when we get them. Sometimes we freeze part of the fruit we get for smoothies or to add to yogurt. Lettuce keeps longer if you wash it and store it with paper towels. Other veggies can also be precut to add to a salad or sandwich. It is totally worth it to take a little time on the weekend to prep your fresh fruits and veggies to make it more convenient to make a quick lunch or snack during the work week. And you can give yourself a pat on the back for not paying the grocery store the ridiculous upcharge buy it cut up for you!
Have a back-up plan. Give yourself some grace. As I mentioned above, the start of the schoolyear is crazy for me. I try to plan ahead and freeze items, but it never goes as well in real life as it does in my head. If you're going through a busy time, buy a few healthier frozen meals to keep in the freezer for lunches. If you're going to grab something out, try to think of where you can go and get something relatively healthy that won't weigh you down. Some grocery stores have salad bars and soup. The other day I picked up pineapples and mandarin oranges packed in fruit juice, ginger snaps, and healthier crackers to keep in my classroom for afterschool snacks. It's not organic or fresh or homemade or raw, but it's a better option than junk food or cranky me and cranky kids.
If you're looking for me, I'll be the one with the retro Hello Kitty lunchbox. *sigh* I wish.
For the kids:
This year I have decided to get the kids involved with making their own lunches. The first time went great. The second time I realized it works better to get them going two at a time rather than four at once. However, it is way more enjoyable for me to get them in the kitchen helping than be stuck by myself until 9 at night making lunches for four kids. Plus, they are learning responsibility and taking ownership of what they eat.
I created a table which gives the four of them six options for lunches over the course of a week and placed it inside a plastic sheet protector so that we can cross of when they've taken a particular item for lunch.
Name | Tuna or Chicken Sandwich | PB & Jelly or Honey Sandwich | Cheese & Crackers or Tortilla Roll Up | Soup or Beans w/ Bread or rice | Fruit Yogurt w/ Granola Bar or Trail Mix | School Lunch |
They also get to take a fruit or veggies and a "treat" such as homemade cookies or snack crackers.
Choosing after the first day was difficult for a couple of them, "Why can't I just take (fill-in-the-blank) again?" I decided to provide them a menu of main items that they check off to prevent one kid from taking the same thing every day and using it all up. Plus, it is easy for me to plan ahead to make sure I have enough food on hand for their lunches. There is enough flexibility built in to where they can each have their individual preferences. (By the way, we pack lunches the night before. Mornings are WAY too crazy.)
School lunches have improved at my school this year. They are serving whole wheat bread, and the sides options are fruits and vegetables, including a fruit and veggie bar. Even before they made changes, we decided to allow the kids to buy school lunch one day if they choose for two reasons. One, we aren't purists. We still eat out and eat whatever we're served out of the house. Two, I don't want school lunches (or certain other foods) to become the "forbidden fruit" and turn my kids off to the way we normally eat as they grow up.
On a side note, we don't buy juice boxes. The kids all have water bottles to take. Also, we bought small thermoses for hot/cold items and sandwich wrappers and snack bags off of etsy. And no, I'm not worried about them losing them. We told them it's their responsibility to buy any replacement items.
For the older crowd:
Pop quiz, if you're over 10, packing a lunch is still cool because
A. It's healthier.
B. It's more economical.
C. It's less wasteful. (If you use reusable containers.)
D. All of the above.
Yes, it's D. How did you know??? Here are some tricks of the trade (drumroll, please)...
Plan ahead. Unless you are crazy like my husband and jump out of bed ready to start the day and sometimes even EARLY (gasp), pack your lunch the night before. The easiest way to pack your lunch is leftovers from dinner. Add a salad and a water bottle, and WALLA, instant lunch. I also take a piece of fruit and some nuts or the like for a snack.
Tip: If it's a family favorite or your family will continue to eat until there is no more food on the table, you may want to set some aside for your lunch before you serve them.
Cook ahead. We do this with items like bread, yogurt, beans, hummus, cookies, and brown rice. Two weeks ago we made hummus to eat on pita bread with veggies for a quick no-reheating-required lunch. When we make a pot of beans or lentils, we also make extra rice and store it together in the freezer in individual portions for "frozen meals." Soup can be stored this way as well. Cookie dough can be store in the freezer in batches to be baked up for the week. Once a month or so I make a large batch of dough which yields four loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls, and pizza crust. The extra loaves go into the freezer for lunches in future weeks. (No I don't make all of these foods in one weekend.)
Cut ahead. Some of our fruits that we get in the co-op can end up just sitting unused because we don't feel like cutting them up during the week. We have started precutting fruit like mangos and cantaloupe when we get them. Sometimes we freeze part of the fruit we get for smoothies or to add to yogurt. Lettuce keeps longer if you wash it and store it with paper towels. Other veggies can also be precut to add to a salad or sandwich. It is totally worth it to take a little time on the weekend to prep your fresh fruits and veggies to make it more convenient to make a quick lunch or snack during the work week. And you can give yourself a pat on the back for not paying the grocery store the ridiculous upcharge buy it cut up for you!
Have a back-up plan. Give yourself some grace. As I mentioned above, the start of the schoolyear is crazy for me. I try to plan ahead and freeze items, but it never goes as well in real life as it does in my head. If you're going through a busy time, buy a few healthier frozen meals to keep in the freezer for lunches. If you're going to grab something out, try to think of where you can go and get something relatively healthy that won't weigh you down. Some grocery stores have salad bars and soup. The other day I picked up pineapples and mandarin oranges packed in fruit juice, ginger snaps, and healthier crackers to keep in my classroom for afterschool snacks. It's not organic or fresh or homemade or raw, but it's a better option than junk food or cranky me and cranky kids.
If you're looking for me, I'll be the one with the retro Hello Kitty lunchbox. *sigh* I wish.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The beginning
All stories start somewhere and this may as well be the beginning of this one. My family and I already eat "real" (read unprocessed) food most of the time. I know there are many blogs out there addressing the real food dilema in our prepackaged society. However I still hear/read two comments over and over again when discussing healthier food choices:
I don't have time.
It's too expensive.
I hope that this blog can address these two issues, however my initial two cents are the following:
One, it does take time to make changes and learn new tricks. The way we eat now is the result of baby steps over time. My personal experience is not that I have less time to do other things, but rather I have chosen to reallocate my time. Taking care of cooking and shopping for food is actually something my family enjoys doing together and is a great educational experience for the children.
Two, yes, when you look at the price of organic packaged food and compare them to conventional packaged foods, they are more expensive. We don't eat many of these foods. Concerning other foods you also have to consider the nutritional value of what you are buying. The $2.50 bag of chips is a complete rip off, considering your body will still be void of the nutrients it needs after you eat it. The health benefits of eating good food help you make up for it in other areas which do benefit your pocketbook--less doctor visits, less days missed from work, more energy. The old addage, "Pay the farmer now or the physician later holds true." And by the way, eating real food doesn't have to cost a fortune.
Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox. None of that matters if you don't know how to do it, right? How do you work full time, part time, play mom or dad or wife or husband, or whatever all the roles are in your life and still have time and money left over? That is my hope for this blog--to walk out that journey with you, rough edges and all.
I don't have time.
It's too expensive.
I hope that this blog can address these two issues, however my initial two cents are the following:
One, it does take time to make changes and learn new tricks. The way we eat now is the result of baby steps over time. My personal experience is not that I have less time to do other things, but rather I have chosen to reallocate my time. Taking care of cooking and shopping for food is actually something my family enjoys doing together and is a great educational experience for the children.
Two, yes, when you look at the price of organic packaged food and compare them to conventional packaged foods, they are more expensive. We don't eat many of these foods. Concerning other foods you also have to consider the nutritional value of what you are buying. The $2.50 bag of chips is a complete rip off, considering your body will still be void of the nutrients it needs after you eat it. The health benefits of eating good food help you make up for it in other areas which do benefit your pocketbook--less doctor visits, less days missed from work, more energy. The old addage, "Pay the farmer now or the physician later holds true." And by the way, eating real food doesn't have to cost a fortune.
Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox. None of that matters if you don't know how to do it, right? How do you work full time, part time, play mom or dad or wife or husband, or whatever all the roles are in your life and still have time and money left over? That is my hope for this blog--to walk out that journey with you, rough edges and all.
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