This week’s real food meal plan and agenda focus on time with family, getting into routines and getting creative in the kitchen.

September is here! And a hint of fall is already in the air. I love it. I wish we could keep this weather for the next three months. 50 degree nights. 70 degree days. Perfect.

I’m also excited about all of the fall food coming – pears, apples, squash, pumpkin. Some of my favorites. I hope I have enough time and energy to preserve enough of them to last us most of the year. I better get started soon.

Experiments

Last week we did more dietary experiments. My two youngest tried watermelon, and my son tried apples. No reactions for my little one. It’s still TBD for my son. His stomach aches still happen multiple times a day. I’m keeping a food/symptom journal. Maybe that will help pinpoint the culprit.

I’m going to be brave this week and let my toddler try carrots. She hasn’t had any type of root in about 18 months. I’m praying it goes well.

In The Kitchen

This is one of those weeks where my kitchen to do list is a mile long. I’m going to do my best to keep my work during the week to a minimum and do a lot of baking on the weekends. Good thing we have a long weekend! My list includes:

• tortillas
• gummies
• muffins
• bread
• pizza dough
• pie
• frozen yogurt
• banana ice cream
• pearsauce (maybe)

On The Homestead

Home schooling is going quite well. We’re still settling into a routine. I’m excited for our fall activities to start in the next couple weeks so we can really get our schedule figured out.

We’re still searching for our dream farm. For now we just wait and pray for God’s perfect timing. He has a reason for us to wait. We just have to trust Him.

Now we are looking forward to spending time with extended family today and hanging out at home tomorrow. Hopefully my kids are up for helping mom in the kitchen!

Here’s our real food meal plan for the week. What’s on your menu?

ROTATION: Each day starts with dinner and goes through lunch the next day. Foods in () are things yet to be tried.

Sunday 1
B – english muffin w/ sunbutter, grapes | salted caramel custard with bananas
L – crockpot pork roast, rice, peas
D – grilled burgers, roasted zucchini and carrots, blueberries and grapes, chips with salsa, corn on the cob
prep: make gummies, freeze bananas, soak oats, soak sorghum
notes: family over

Monday 2
B – oatmeal/sorghum porridge w/ peaches
D – beef and cheese quesadillas, roasted cauliflower, peaches
prep: make tortillas, make bread
notes:

Tuesday 3
B – pastry, fruit | toast w/ avocado
D – crockpot stuffed cabbage unrolls, applesauce
prep: prep smoothies
notes:

Wednesday 4
B – toast w/ sunbutter, blueberry spinach smoothie
D – zucchini egg muffins, pumpkin muffins
prep: make muffins, boil eggs
notes:

Thursday 1
B – yogurt, granola, fruit | hard boiled eggs, toast
D – hot dogs, chips, cucumbers
prep: prep smoothies
notes: picnic

Friday 2
B – squash cherry smoothies, pumpkin muffins
D – french toast, sausage, broccoli, fruit
prep: 
notes:

Saturday 3
B – french toast, sausage, avocado
D – pizza, salads
prep: make pizza dough, make pie, make frozen yogurt, make ice cream
notes:

Day 1: squash, cabbage, banana, strawberry (pineapple)
Day 1: squash, cabbage, carrot, tapioca, strawberry (cassava)
Day 2: corn, grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocado, raspberry (amaranth, tomato, orange)
Day 2: grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, amaranth, raspberry
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter, peach (kiwi, quinoa)
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter, peach, sorghum, quinoa
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cherries, split peas, rice, egg (millet, dairy)
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, olives, peppers, onion, coconut, millet, egg

This week’s real food meal plan and agenda focus on back to school, fall produce and diet experiments.

Can someone please make time just stop today? I’m just not ready for my baby boy to head off to kindergarten tomorrow!

I think we all have mixed emotions about having one child home school and one go to school. We’ll sure miss him here. But I know he’ll have so much fun. And as an added bonus his school just became nut free!

This week is packed with school activities, my toddler’s check up, my eye exam, errands and family over. I’ll be doing some serious planning today to make sure I stay on top of everything.

Allergy Update

Last week we did more allergy testing for my son and got some confusing results. We’re waiting on more testing now. And looking into other reasons for his stomach aches. In the mean time we tried introducing eggs for both him and my youngest. So far so good!

Home School Update

We finished our first official week of home school. We had such a blast (follow me on facebook or instagram to see what we’ve been up to). I’m so excited for the year ahead. And I’m so happy to gradually see my daughter make progress in her focus/behavior.

Homestead Update

We put an offer on another house last week…and it was rejected. Looks like we’re still in the waiting period. God’s got big plans for us, but in his time, not ours.

I’m experimenting with my thyroid medication dose this week. And hoping I can feel the difference!

In The Kitchen

Over the weekend I canned 28 quarts of peaches and 6 pints of chili sauce. I’m glad I have some good helpers here! It was a big job. Next on the list is pears. But they aren’t quite ready yet. I have plenty more kitchen projects this week. They include:

• teff crackers
• bread
• peach coffee cake
• peach jam
• pumpkin yogurt
• lunch meat (maybe)

I apologize for the lack of new posts lately. Life has been pretty crazy. There is more good stuff in the works.

Here is this week’s real food meal plan. What’s on your menu?

ROTATION: Each day starts with dinner and goes through lunch the next day. Foods in () are things yet to be tried.

Sunday 2
B – apple crisp oatmeal | squash cherry smoothies, muffins
L – crockpot roast beef neck and tail, broccoli, quinoa
D – sauteed cauliflower, grilled cheese, peaches
prep: bake bread, grind and soak teff for crackers, soak flour for coffee cake
notes: 

Monday 3
B – toast with sunbutter, peaches
D – beef, bean and vegetable soup, crackers with cheese and sunbutter, peach coffee cake
prep: prep smoothies, make coffee cake, make crackers
notes:

Tuesday 4
B – peach coffee cake, blueberry spinach smoothies
D – stuffed peppers, salad
prep: pumpkin yogurt
notes:

Wednesday 1
B – yogurt with peaches and granola
D – crockpot meatballs, noodles, squash
prep: prep smoothies
notes: quick clean up

Thursday 2
B – cereal, fruit | squash cherry smoothies, muffins
D – beef and broccoli stir fry over rice
prep: make peach jam
notes:

Friday 3
B – yogurt, granola bar | avocado, fruit, leftovers
D – sloppy joes, roasted asparagus, spinach, french fries
prep: make lunch meat
notes: prep ahead

Saturday 4
B – toast w/ sunbutter, fruit
L – TBD with family
D – fried eggs, toast w/ peach jam, cucumbers and peppers with hummus, fresh fruit
prep: 
notes:

Day 1: squash, cabbage, banana, strawberry (pineapple)
Day 1: squash, cabbage, carrot, tapioca, strawberry (cassava)
Day 2: corn, grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocado, raspberry (amaranth, tomato, orange)
Day 2: grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, amaranth, raspberry
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter, peach (kiwi, quinoa)
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter, peach, sorghum, quinoa
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cherries, split peas, rice, egg (millet, dairy)
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, olives, peppers, onion, coconut, millet, egg

This week’s real food meal plan and agenda focus on starting home school and getting back into routines.

This week I’m all about simplifying. That includes my meal plans and my writing. I’m going to keep this short and sweet.

This week is very exciting. My baby girl turns two today!! We had a lot of fun celebrating yesterday. Until the power went out (which is why I didn’t get my meal plans typed up). What a joy she is to our family.

We are also officially kicking off our home school year tomorrow! I am beyond excited. I’m praying it goes smoothly.

Finally we are looking at a house…for the second time. We’ll see if we put in an offer. Life is never dull around here.

Little Health Update

My son and I both had doctors appointments and testing last week. So far all of my son’s tests have come back totally normal (praise the Lord!). So now we need to find a new allergist to do more testing.

I am going to adjust my thyroid medication dose and did some blood work. I’m also doing a cortisol test to see where that’s at. And of course always trying to get more sleep and less stress.

In The Kitchen

I’m trying to keep my kitchen agenda to a minimum so I can focus on schooling and spending time with the kids. Next week my son starts kindergarten. I will miss him dearly. Thankfully it is just for half days.

My kitchen projects this week include:

• ranch veggie dip
• hummus
• lunch meat
• muffins
• roast squash
• freeze beans
• can peaches (maybe)
• can chili sauce
• tortillas (maybe)
• bread or pancakes

Wow, that sounds like a lot now that I see it. We’ll see how it goes. I may have to scale back a bit. Though the produce isn’t really keen on waiting for me.

Giveaway Ending!!

Today is your last day to enter the LatherMitts giveaway! Grab a pair for your own kids or for a gift.

Here is this week’s real food meal plan. Lots of great food. What’s on your menu?

ROTATION: Each day starts with dinner and goes through lunch the next day. Foods in () are things yet to be tried.

Sunday 3
B – cereal, fruit | avocado, sausage
L – crockpot roast chicken, broccoli, french fries
D –  grilled burgers, grilled asparagus, sauteed eggplant, chips
prep: prep smoothies, roast squash, freeze beans
notes: 

Monday 4
B – toast w/ sunbutter | blueberry spinach smoothies
D – crockpot ham, scalloped potatoes, beans
prep:
notes:

Tuesday 1
B – yogurt, granola bar | pumpkin yogurt, bananas, graham crackers
D – squash and chicken soup, muffins
prep: prep smoothies, boil eggs, bake muffins
notes: packed lunch

Wednesday 2
B – hard boiled egg, toast | squash cherry smoothies
D – crockpot meatloaf, roasted potatoes, carrots
prep: make tortillas?
notes: prep ahead dinner

Thursday 3
B – cereal, fruit | avocado, pears, leftover meat
D – tacos, roasted zucchini
prep: make/can chili sauce
notes:

Friday 4
B – yogurt, granola, fruit | muffins w/ sunbutter
D – egg muffins, toast w/ strawberry jam, veggies with ranch dip and hummus
prep: make ranch dip, make hummus
notes:

Saturday 1
B – egg muffins, toast
D – sandwiches with homemade lunch meat, veggies with dip and hummus, chips
prep: make lunch meat, make bread or pancakes, can peaches
notes:

Day 1: squash, cabbage, banana, strawberry (pineapple)
Day 1: squash, cabbage, carrot, tapioca, strawberry (cassava)
Day 2: corn, grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocado, raspberry (amaranth, tomato, orange)
Day 2: grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, amaranth, raspberry
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter (kiwi, quinoa)
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter, sorghum, quinoa
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, split peas, rice (millet, egg, dairy)
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, olives, peppers, onion, coconut, millet (egg)

This week’s rotational real food meal plan and agenda focus on getting ready for school and celebrating a very special two year old!!

It’s the moment I’ve been dreading…my baby girl is turning two in a week! We are celebrating this Saturday. That means it’s baking time!

Busy In The Kitchen.

Last year she was still in pretty rough shape, and we were figuring out what she could and couldn’t eat. So for the first time I had to skip making a birthday cake and gave her popsicles instead.

But not this year! I’m so excited to make my sweet girl a special birthday cake. So that will take up quite a bit of my time in the kitchen. My projects include:

• chocolate zucchini cake
• chocolate graham crackers
• frosting
• render lard
• teff crackers
• pumpkin yogurt
• muffins (maybe)
• banana ice cream (maybe)

School Is Starting Soon.

I’m putting the finishing touches on our school room. We are so excited to start the new school year. But my oldest was sick all last week. Instead of starting this week I’m going to wait until she’s totally back to full health before we jump in. Maybe after the birthday celebration and multiple doctor appointments we’ll officially start.

On The Blog.

There is still time to enter the LatherMitts giveaway!! Win a pair for yourself or plan ahead for Christmas presents or baby showers. They work so well for bathing kids from infants to elementary.

I’ve got another easy prep rotational real food meal plan for you. What’s on your menu?

ROTATION: Each day starts with dinner and goes through lunch the next day. Foods in () are things yet to be tried.

Sunday 4
B – yogurt, granola | spinach blueberry smoothies
L – cp pork chops, rice, peas, spinach
D – grilled hot dogs, salad, chips
prep: grind teff, soak teff for porridge and crackers, make powdered sugar
notes: 

Monday 1
B – cereal, fruit | pumpkin teff porridge w/ cherries
D – cp roast beef, scalloped potatoes, roasted carrots
prep: render lard?, bake crackers, prep smoothies, soak oats
notes:

Tuesday 2
B – oatmeal | squash cherry smoothies
D – macaroni and cheese, roasted cauliflower, peaches
prep:
notes:

Wednesday 3
B – yogurt, granola bar | avocado, grapes, crackers
D – beef vegetable soup, muffins, crackers w/ cheese
prep: prep smoothies
notes: prep ahead

Thursday 4
B – toast w/ sunbutter | kale blueberry smoothies
D – spaghetti w/ meatballs, salad, garlic bread
prep: soak flour for pancakes, make pumpkin yogurt
notes:

Friday 1
B – pastry, fruit | pumpkin yogurt
D – pancakes, bacon, roasted cabbage
prep: bake cookies
notes:

Saturday 2
B – pancakes, bacon
D (my daughter’s favorite foods) –  sausage, roasted cauliflower, rice
prep: bake cake, make frosting, decorate cake
notes: celebrate birthday

Day 1: squash, cabbage, banana, strawberry (pineapple)
Day 1: squash, cabbage, carrot, tapioca, strawberry (cassava)
Day 2: corn, grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocado, raspberry (amaranth, tomato, orange)
Day 2: grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, amaranth, raspberry
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter (kiwi, quinoa)
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter, sorghum, quinoa
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, split peas, rice (millet, egg, dairy)
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, olives, peppers, onion, coconut, millet (egg)

This week’s rotational real food meal plan and agenda focus on prep ahead meals and soaking up the last few weeks of summer break.

August is well under way. And the produce just keeps coming! We had our first taste of sweet corn last night. Oh, my was that good! My toddler couldn’t get enough.

Our tomatoes are starting to pile up. Time to get them in the freezer so they are ready and waiting when it’s time for spaghetti sauce. I dealt with a mountain of zucchini in our fridge. Now peaches are here! I’m trying to decide if I’m up for a round of canning. It’s a good thing I have a fast way to do it!

In The Kitchen

I don’t have a ton of extra kitchen projects, but the kids did put in a few requests. So far my tasks include:

• chop and freeze tomatoes
• lunch meat or beef jerky (maybe)
• maple candy
• coconut milk mint carob chip ice cream
• grape popsicles
• corn bread

I’ve got another fun post coming this week…with another giveaway! Be on the lookout.

On The Menu

We’ve got a busy week ahead with a few doctor appointments and other outings. Plus I get to go out one evening. Me. Without kids. With a friend. I’m just praying my husband can get all three kids to be ok.

Here is this week’s rotational real food meal plan. What’s on your menu?

ROTATION: Each day starts with dinner and goes through lunch the next day. Foods in () are things yet to be tried.

Sunday 1
B – pastry, fruit | pumpkin yogurt, graham crackers, bananas
L – roast chicken, rice, beans
D –  grilled brats/hot dogs, roasted cabbage, grilled corn on the cob, grape jello
prep: prep smoothies
notes: 

Monday 2
B – yogurt, granola | squash cherry smoothies, cabbage
D – tacos, corn, broccoli
prep: make taco sauce
notes:

Tuesday 3
B – cereal, fruit | avocado, taco meat
D – chicken veg soup, muffins
prep:
notes: easy clean up

Wednesday 4
B – english muffin with sunbutter| spinach blueberry smoothies
D – stuffed peppers, plums
prep: make maple candy, make ice cream, make popsicles
notes:

Thursday 1
B – yogurt, granola bar | pumpkin yogurt, cherries
D – sloppy joes, squash, baked potatoes
prep: boil eggs
notes: lunch in car

Friday 2
B – banana bread, fruit, hard boiled eggs
D – chili, cornbread
prep: bake cornbread
notes:

Saturday 3
B – cornbread w/ syrup, fruit
D – meatballs, grilled zucchini, fried potatoes
prep: 
notes:

Day 1: squash, cabbage, banana, strawberry (pineapple)
Day 1: squash, cabbage, carrot, tapioca, strawberry (cassava)
Day 2: corn, grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocado, raspberry (amaranth, tomato, orange)
Day 2: grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, amaranth, raspberry
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter (kiwi, quinoa)
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, sunbutter, sorghum, quinoa
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, split peas, rice (millet, egg, dairy)
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, olives, peppers, onion, coconut, millet (egg)

This week’s rotational real food meal plan and agenda include keeping up with fresh produce and taking a break from busyness.

Tomorrow is the first day of August. I’m not sure I’m ready for all that entails. My “baby” is turning TWO(!!!!) in a few weeks. My son will head off to kindergarten. And my oldest and I will venture into the world of home schooling. I have to keep reminding myself…fearless, fearless, God’s got this.

BUSY

Last week we had a lot of fun. We celebrated our 13th anniversary, took a trip to the beach, the boys went camping, the girls visited the campsite and had some girl time. But along with that fun comes a lot of work. So much packing, preparing food, traveling and unpacking. That pretty much consumed my time.

This week we are staying put, relaxing and having fun at home. No busy schedule. No big outings. My body and mind need that so badly, especially before school starts and all of the usual activities. I really need to focus on some self care right now.

In The Kitchen

I’m sure I will still keep busy in the kitchen (the kind of busy I enjoy). My kitchen work so far includes:

• zucchini donuts
• pumpkin yogurt
• teff crackers
• salted dark chocolate ice cream
• muffins
• jello
• freeze zucchini
• freeze beans

There are still a few days to enter the Ball canning giveaway. I have another fun giveaway coming in August. Be on the lookout for that.

On The Menu

I’m keeping things short and sweet today so I can get on to a relaxing Sunday. I get to spend the morning with just the girls, reading Bible stories and snuggling. No to-do list. No big projects. I made myself set my alarm back 45 minutes today (I could use a lot more sleep, but that’s a big step for me). I might even take a nap!

Here is this week’s rotational real food meal plan. Lots of delicious food. And our first taste of fresh corn on the cob for the season! What’s on your menu?

ROTATION: Each day starts with dinner and goes through lunch the next day. Foods in () are things yet to be tried.

Sunday 2
B (girls) – granola w/ milk and bananas | bananas, homemade lunch meat sticks, pumpkin graham crackers
B (boys) – pancakes, sausage, blueberries
L (girls) – grilled “cheese”, avocado
L (boys) – sunbutter sandwich, cucumbers, grapes, chips
D – crockpot rib roast, roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, seasoned rice
prep:
notes: 

Monday 3
B – yogurt, granola | leftover roast and veggies
D – spaghetti with meatballs and home canned sauce, corn | zucchini noodles with meatballs and pumpkin sauce
prep: grind teff, soak flour for crackers, skim cream, make ice cream, prep smoothies
notes:

Tuesday 4
B – toast w/ sunbutter, kale blueberry smoothies
D – pumpkin chicken soup, crackers with cheese, muffins
prep: make teff crackers, bake muffins
notes:

Wednesday 1
B – cereal, fruit | pumpkin yogurt, graham crackers
D – crockpot cabbage unrolls, peaches
prep: prep smoothies
notes:

Thursday 2
B – yogurt, granola bar | squash cherry smoothies
D – chicken, broccoli, rice casserole, applesauce
prep:
notes:

Friday 3
B – cereal, fruit | leftover casserole
D – zucchini donuts, sausage, kale, beans
prep: 
notes:

Saturday 4
B – zucchini donuts, sausage, fruit
D – grilled burgers, grilled corn on the cob, cucumbers, salad, jello
prep: make pumpkin yogurt, make jello
notes:

Day 1: squash, cabbage, banana, strawberry (pineapple)
Day 1: squash, cabbage, carrot, tapioca, strawberry (cassava)
Day 2: corn, grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocado, raspberry (amaranth, tomato, orange)
Day 2: grapes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, amaranth, raspberry
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, kale, sunbutter (kiwi, quinoa)
Day 3: teff, eggplant, zucchini, blueberries, asparagus, spinach, kale, sunbutter, sorghum, quinoa
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, split peas, rice (millet, egg, dairy)
Day 4: pumpkin, lettuce, cucumber, cherries, olives, peppers, onion, coconut, millet (egg)