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Meal Plans Week of 10-13-13

Good morning. It looks like this week fall might actually show up. We’ve had such amazing weather in the 70’s lately. It’s hard to believe it’s actually October. I wouldn’t mind if it stayed that way for another month.

Last week I took it pretty easy. My body really needed some rest. And it felt great. My body temperature stabilized. My legs didn’t hurt. I was even able to exercise a bit more (although I’m quite sore today!). I hope this week doesn’t get too crazy. But it’s already starting with a little guy up an hour and a half early and some other stressful stuff.

F is for Fish.

I’m not sure yet about all of us going to church. My little guy has had a cold, so I’ll have to decide if he’s healthy enough for the nursery or not. I have my second chiropractic visit this week. And I can’t wait!! I’ll get the full work up with x-rays to really see what’s going on with my spine/scoliosis. And then we can figure out a treatment plan. We also have parent teacher conferences and a celebration for my parents’ 40th anniversary.

Since I didn’t do much last week I have quite a bit to get done in the kitchen. I roasted squash yesterday and froze some. But I might do more this week since we got a bunch at the orchard yesterday. I also got pumpkins to cook/freeze. I might start canning applesauce this week. I would like to cook some dry beans. I realized yesterday that we are out of regular bread. So I either have to go to the store or make some. I need to make a new batch of gluten free bars. And I have a lot of ripe pears that need to be used up. I’m thinking some kind of of bread or dessert.

I need a lot of quick prep meals this week. So it’ll be a simple menu. I hope I can keep up this week and that my body continues to show a positive reaction to adding exercise to my routine. Enjoy your week. Eet smakelijk!

****MENU****

S (prep lunch, church, prep smoothies, make bread, soak beans, chop veggies, bake tbd w/ pears)
  B – granola w/ milk, banana
  L – cp roasted chicken legs, carrots, potatoes
  D – hot dogs, peas, chips gf macaroni and cheese, peas, pears, bread

M (bake gf pear muffins, chop veggies, soak beans, clean)
  B – smoothie, muffins
  D – sloppy joes, french fries, roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts

T (make/can applesauce, AKM, soak flour, RKM)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit
  D – (quick prep) – chicken and veggie stir fry over rice, applesauce

W (roast pumpkin, bake gf bars, dentist)
  B – smoothie, muffins
  D – (quick prep/Justin out for dinner) – grilled cheese, broccoli

Th (boil eggs, prep dinner, roast pumpkin seeds, shopping, make squash scones, chiro, dance)
  B – hard boiled egg w/ toast
  D – (early/separate) – 7 layer dinner, applesauce

F (MB, PTC)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast
  D – (early or late) – TBD casserole

S (soccer, anniversary celebration)
  B – TBD
  D – out

Meal Plans Week of 10-6-13

Oreos for breakfast. Savoring every bite.

I’m letting out a big sigh of relaxation this morning. After two crazy weeks I finally have a “normal” week with not that much going on. And after going to bed very early and getting 8 1/2 hours of sleep last night I’m feeling a little more rested. I do have a MomBreak steering team meeting, and I have to go grocery shopping this week.

Last week was challenging on multiple levels both physically and mentally. I didn’t realize how emotional I would feel after writing my post about my miscarriage. I had more tough situations listening to other women talk about exactly when they want to have another child and hearing more birth announcements. I’ve done a lot of crying in the last few days, between trying to hold it all together for a million activities and house guests.

Saturday morning soccer.

So my goal for myself this week is to get extra rest and take it easy. I don’t want to slip back into old habits and let myself get too worn out.

I’m very excited that I have my first chiropractor visit tomorrow!!! And hopefully I can schedule some massage therapy too.

Craft time with Grandma.

I don’t have any major kitchen plans for this week. I did just get two bushels of apples from my in-laws. So at some point I need to start using those (applesauce, dried apples, baking). But it might not start this week. I need to roast another batch of beets and make smoothies. We’ll see if anything else comes up as the week goes on.

I’m going for very simple meals this week. I want to spend as little time standing in the kitchen as possible. And I’m really trying to focus on whole foods and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Simple and healthy. Eet smakelijk!

Just plain silly.

****MENU****

S (church, prep smoothies)
  B – yogurt, muesli, pumpkin muffins, bananas, grapes, toast w/ pb
  L – avocado chicken salad sandwich, squash, pears
  D – (separate) – leftovers

M (roast beets, chiro)
  B – smoothie, baked oatmeal
  D – (prep ahead) –  steak, baked potatoes, carrots (in crock pot)

T (AKM, RKM)
  B – yogurt, muffin
  D – (quick prep) – tacos

W (make granola, Meijer)
  B – smoothie, TBD
  D – pork chops w/ apples over rice, peas

Th (dance)
  B – egg puff, toast
  D – (prep ahead/early) – cp rice and beans

F (MBSTM)
  B – toast w/ pb, fruit
  D – soaked gluten free waffles, bacon, pear slices, peas

S (soccer)
  B – waffles
  D – TBD

How I Really Spent My Summer…

*Note – This will be a long and personal post. But I think I need to write it. I need to let it out and let it go.

Baseball game.

I made a post on our family blog recently about what we did all summer. We did a lot of fun things like cherry picking, Michigan’s Adventure, my brother-in-law’s wedding, baseball games, camps and time with family. Sounds like a typical summer in Michigan.

But I left out one teeny, tiny detail.

I left out a detail so small that you can’t see it…without an ultrasound. And at some point you can’t see it at all.

I did a lot of fun things this summer. But I really spent most of my summer feeling sick and sad.

On June 1, 2013 I did my 7th IVF transfer (just getting to this point was a bit crazy with our endocrinologist getting sick and retiring in the middle of the process and having to go to a new office/doctor). The transfer went well. I waited through the two weeks of torture.

I felt every pregnancy symptom possible. And on June 11, 2013 we got the exciting news that I was pregnant! Two days later I had my second test. Another great hcg level. I was feeling sick and so excited.

On June 24, 2013 I had my first ultrasound. We were so excited about possibly seeing a heartbeat or two! Instead we saw a sac and what was probably an embryo. It was still early (5 1/2 weeks). I had another hcg test – normal.

 

Strawberry picking on June 28.

On June 28, 2013 I started to have pain. And after a quick strawberry picking trip with the kids I started bleeding.  I was terrified. I went in for another ultrasound. Again, inconclusive.

I had another hcg test – it hardly rose from a week earlier.

On July 1, 2013 I had a final ultrasound that confirmed there was no heartbeat.  It was a blighted ovum.

I stopped all medications/hormones and waited for the process to begin.

 

4th of July parade the day before things started – my face says it all.

On July 5, 2013 my miscarriage began. It was quite difficult the first night. I was up in the night in pain. Then the physical part gradually got a little easier. I had no idea what to expect. A lot of emotions. A lot of physical discomfort. A lot of isolation and sadness and anger.

What I did not expect was for the process to take over a month to complete. To be reminded of what would not be day after day after day and not being able to start the true healing process. It was brutal.

What I did not expect was how lonely it felt.  Even people that knew what was going on did not say a word. Nobody asked how I was feeling. Nobody asked if I needed help. I did my best to keep up with daily life, taking care of my kids, cooking meals, writing, etc. But inside I was crushed. Some days about all I could do was get myself dressed and make sure my family was fed.

My hormones were still crazy. My emotions were all over the place. And physically my body was making changes that were completely out of my control.

 

A trip to the beach in July – trying to enjoy some time with my precious kids in the midst of pain.

Over the course of about 2 months I gained almost 20 pounds. My body was swollen. My belly was puffed out. I couldn’t fit into my clothes. So I wasn’t pregnant, but it kind of looked like I was.

My mind pondered the “why” and the “what now.” This was not our first failed IVF cycle. But it was likely our last. And we’ve never been in this situation before. There was always a next time. A hope for the next try. But not this time.

So what has happened to the “why” and the “what now”? God has given me some answers.

Why?

I have struggled with disordered eating and obsessive compulsive disorder for almost 20 years now. I have gone through ups and downs with both disorders over the years. But they still had a tight grip on me.

And I didn’t know how to give up control. I longed to give it over to God. But I couldn’t. Until he stepped in and made me do it.

I knew it would be good for me to gain a little weight. But I couldn’t do it on my own. So God took it completely out of my control. And it still is. I have not weighed myself in almost 2 months. But I know I am still up about 20 pounds from where I started in June. And there isn’t really anything I can do about it.

I’ve wanted so badly to let go of my compulsions for many, many years. But they controlled my life. They controlled my daily routine. But over the last 2 months I have let go of almost all of them. And I feel so free.

God knew that the only way to get these issues resolved was for Him to take control. And for me to have the only motivation possible that means more to me than anything…more than being thin, more than looks, more than being in control. The only thing that I would give up everything for is to have another child.

 

My precious little guy after coming home from the hospital.

And that is my drive now. On days where I feel so uncomfortable in my skin and in my clothes I remind myself what I’m longing for. On days where my legs are so painful from the swelling I think about all the healing that’s going on and what could be possible. On days when I don’t feel like eating much I think about how important it is to nourish my body to get it fully functional again.

Why? If I had gotten pregnant through this last round of IVF I would have called our family complete. I would have stayed in my same disordered frame of mind. I don’t know how long or how much damage it would have done to me or my family. But I am thankful that God gave me a way out. I wish it didn’t have to happen this way. But I am stubborn. I like to be in control. And God had to get me to listen.

What now?

That’s a tough question to answer. For now I’m trying to heal in so many ways.

The miscarriage spurred on some disordered eating healing without me even realizing it. My body is in repair mode right now. And I have no idea how long it will take. I still have swelling all over. I still have a lot of extra weight in my belly as my body makes sure there is no sign of starvation any time soon. It’s not fun, but it is necessary.

And it is working. My adrenal system is back to full function. I get plenty of rest now. And I have much less stress. So my body can start to wake up other systems again.

And they are. My reproductive system has been shut down for over 10 years now. Ever since starting birth control in 2003. The birth control itself made me sick. It made my digestive issues worse. It made my anxiety worse. It made my OCD worse. And lead to a long journey with restricted diets, trying to figure out how to feel better. But it just fueled my psychological problems and made me lose a lot of weight. Which in turn shut things down. Even just earlier this year all of my reproductive hormone levels were in the pre-pubertal range. Basically non-existent.

After 3 years on birth control my reproductive system was completely non-functional. And my health was poor.

I do have two children. Both through IVF. Going through that process put more strain on my body.

But now just a couple months after a miscarriage I have ovulated without medication/fertility treatments for the first time in over 10 years! That is truly amazing. And I praise God for how he has already started this healing process.

I still think almost daily about what life would have been like if I hadn’t had a miscarriage. I’d be over 20 weeks pregnant and getting excited about a new life in February. I still cry sometimes because the sadness is great.

It’s still a struggle to see other pregnant women. I think the miracle of a baby is such a blessing. And I am truly happy for anyone that gets to experience it. But it still reminds me of what will not be and how messed up my body is. (If you are pregnant and I tend not to look at you/talk much with you please don’t take it personally. It’s not about you. It’s just hard for me. And if I don’t congratulate you on a pregnancy announcement I apologize. I really am happy for you. But it is hard.)

It’s still a struggle to go about life feeling like I have a big secret. It’s hard to appear happy on the outside when inside you’re crushed. Which is why I wanted to write this. Walking into church last Sunday I realized I felt like I was walking around hiding something. Three months after this pregnancy ended and my hope was crushed I am ready to share my story.

I am thankful for a few friends like Renee and Donielle that helped me walk through this by sharing their stories and allowing me to talk to them and ask questions. And I hope I can be that person for someone else.

I am hopeful for the future. But I still have a long way to go. I still have a lot of healing to do. I still struggle each day. I struggle each time I’m with other women and I don’t feel “normal’ because my body can’t do what most can.

I’m still trying to figure out each day what my body needs – what to eat, how much rest to take, how much exercise my body can handle. But I know it’s in God’s hands.

The waiting and wondering is hard. Sometimes I don’t think I can wait one more day. Sometimes my entire body aches with the desire for another child and I can’t bear the thought of the “what if” it doesn’t happen.

So I’m holding on to hope. I’m focusing on the good that has come from this experience. I’m focusing on how God has taken control and allowed me to heal in so many ways. I’m focusing on the little triumphs each day as I see more signs of healing. I’m trusting that God has good things planned and that He will use this as one more part of my story to share with others and be a help to others.

Throughout the last three months God has allowed me to open my eyes and ears to his little whispers throughout the day. Little things that I may not have noticed before. Little reassurances from him that He’s taking care of things. Maybe a book my child picks out and brings to me to read. Or a song that comes on the radio. Some little reminder that makes me smile.

 

A few days before my first ultrasound – trying to hide how sick I felt while seeing family.

Yes, we had a fun summer. But it was also the saddest summer of my life. I can hardly even look back at pictures from June and July. All I can remember is what was going on at the time. I hope and pray that next summer is much more joyful.

And I hope and pray God will use me through my experience. God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good.

Soaked Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars (egg free, nut free, dairy free)

Fall is in full swing. That means it’s time for pumpkin recipes! I used to not like anything pumpkin. At all.

Now that I eat real food my palate sure has changed. I love just about anything pumpkin. Even pumpkin pie (up until a few years ago one bite of that at Thanksgiving was more than I needed for a year)!

These bars are simple to make. They are easy on your tummy. They are free of a lot of allergens. And they taste like fall.

Do you enjoy pumpkin-flavored treats? What is your favorite way to use pumpkin?

Soaked Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars

1 cup amaranth flour*
1/2 cup teff flour* (or amaranth or white rice)
1/2 cup tapioca flour*
1/3 cup lemon water (2 Tbsp. lemon juice + water to equal 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup coconut oil*, melted

1/2 tsp. cinnamon and nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin or squash
5 Tbsp. organic cane sugar, sucanat or coconut sugar*
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips* (optional)

Combine the flours, lemon water and coconut oil. Cover and let sit for 7-24 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8″ or 9″ square baking pan.

Add the remaining ingredients (except chocolate chips) to the flour mixture. Mix well with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter in the pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool about 10 minutes. Cut into squares.

Serve fresh or store in the refrigerator.

*These are affiliate links. It will not change the cost for you if you buy through the link, but I will get a small commission. It helps me earn a small amount to keep putting in the time and effort to do what I do 🙂

Goals of the Month – October 2013


It’s October. But it sure doesn’t feel like it! It’s sunny and 70’s. I’m loving it. Although I wouldn’t mind it being slightly cooler.

We are starting to get settled into routines. I continue to try to make progress on my health and figure out a good balance in all areas of my life.

No major goals this month. Just keep moving. Here’s what I have planned. Do you have any specific goals for this month?

1. Healing

  *Continue to push my OCD – sleep in more, eliminate compulsions, give up control. I will also be using my afternoon free time to do my baking and experimenting. It will be a good distraction for me.

  *Start seeing a chiropractor to help with healing and overall body function and to address my scoliosis. I hope to also do some massage therapy.   
  *Exercise regularly – walking, jogging, biking, yoga, kettlebells, hooping, jumping (whatever I feel like each day) 

  *I hope my swelling/fluid retention starts to go down at some point this month. I’m wondering if it could partly be due to estrogen dominance. I will be doing more research on that.   
  *Hopefully purchase a Berkey water filter to remove fluoride (and other heavy metals) from our water.

2. Writing

I think I might be ready to give a health update soon. I don’t know how long it will take or how tough it will be, but I want to tell a little more of my story. So be on the lookout. Hopefully I’ll do it this month.

3. Food

  *Can applesauce

  *Gluten free baking experiments



4. Mommy-Daughter Date

Rebecca and I are going to the ballet to see The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe with my mother-in-law.



5. Crafts

It’s October now. I suppose I should start thinking about Christmas. Maybe I’ll actually make a few things this year. I will also keep doing weekly crafts with the kids for our toddler homeschool

6. Acceptance

I still have to work on this every day. Accepting myself, accepting my circumstances and accepting others. I will address this more in my health update as well.

End of Month Recap and Links – September 2013

Wow. September was quite a whirlwind of activities, new routines, lifestyle changes, health ups and downs. It’s good to take a minute and look back at how the month went. Overall I made huge strides in my healing. But I also had some setbacks last week while my husband was out of town and I was a bit over-stressed. I won’t give up, though. Even with the setbacks I’ve come a long way in a short amount of time. Here’s how it went. And some links from this month.

1. Healing

  *Experiment with my Betaine dosage – I started just taking one with breakfast each day. While I know it would be very helpful to take one (or more) with each meal, I just can’t spend that kind of money on supplements right now.
  *Possibly start seeing a chiropractor to help with healing and overall body function and to address my scoliosis. – I have not gone yet, but I do have my first visit scheduled. And I found out that I can go up to 25 times from now until the end of year…and it’s mostly covered by insurance! And I can get  free message therapy too.
  *Light exercise, possibly start taking yoga classes again. – I have started walking briskly on the treadmill for 15-20 minutes a day. Nothing major. But it feels good to move my body a little. I would love to take yoga classes, but again, the cost. We had a lot of expenses in September and really need to watch our spending.

  *Continue to push my OCD – sleep in more, eliminate compulsions, give up control. I will also be using my afternoon free time to do my baking and experimenting. It will be a good distraction for me. – I have been quite amazed with the progress I’ve made on my OCD. I’ve pushed myself harder and let go of more in the past month than I have in the past 3 years. It gives me a lot of hope for healing that area of my life.

  *I hope my swelling/fluid retention starts to go down at some point this month if I continue to eat well and get rest. – Sadly I do still have swelling. But I hope it gets better as I find balance and keep allowing my body to heal.
  *Research leptin – a critical thing for hormone function. – I did not look into this, but did look at overall body healing.
  *Research and maybe purchase a water filter to remove fluoride (and other heavy metals) from our water. – I have figured out which water filter I would like. We have to discuss when to purchase it…again, the money. Why does everything have to cost so much? Being healthy sure is expensive.

2. Food Preservation

September is when my canning really gets going! – I canned pearsauce, peaches and salsa.

3. Mommy-Daughter Date

Sadly this did not happen. But we already have one planned for this Saturday.

4. Simply settle into routines

We’re still getting there. Our days are much busier. And Rebecca is still trying to adjust. But we’re working on it.

5. Acceptance

This seems to get harder by the day. I don’t like being at the middle of this process. I know somewhere down the road my body will be done with the intense healing. I know my weight will stabilize. I know the swelling will go down. I know I will be able to exercise a little more and get my body back in shape/get stronger. But I’m not there yet. And I have to accept it. This is so hard for me. I’m not one to just sit back and wait. I like to be proactive and productive! But I can’t really speed this up. I just have to let my body do what it needs to do. And accept that I’m uncomfortable in my own skin. Accept that I have to go up 3 or 4 sizes for a while. Accept that sometimes I need to put my feet up when I’d rather be getting things done. Accept that a lot of this is the result of poor choices I made almost 20 years ago. Accept that this is not an overnight fix. Accept that I am not in control. And trust that God has good things planned. He is good. He can do amazing things. And He will use this for his glory.

This is still a work in progress. But I am accepting things. And I’m hopeful for what God has in store.

****LINKS****

Here are some great links from fellow bloggers.

-> A round up of healthy chocolate recipes. Yes, please!

-> Another recipe for homemade gummies. I might have to tr this. Watermelon sounds delicious!

-> Some great remedies for arthritis and joint pain. I need to try more of these as I heal I think.

-> I still always use unrefined coconut oil. But I really should try the refined. It can be very healthy as well. And maybe easier to digest.

-> Some natural remedies for eczema. I may have to try these on my son.

-> A great post on recovering fertility after birth control. I wish I had known all of this 7 years ago!

Here are my posts from September. As you can see life was quite busy this month, and I didn’t have much time for creating recipes. I also spent a lot of my kitchen time canning peaches, pears, spaghetti sauce and salsa.

Meal Plans Week of 9-29-13

I’m taking a deep breath and relaxing a little this morning…my husband is finally home after a week in Bulgaria and France! I think I was extra anxious all week with him gone. Plus there were other things going on. And my body felt it!! It’s good to feel relaxed and feel toasty warm (actually quite hot) again this morning.

Surprising Daddy at the airport.

I did not have much time at the computer last week since I was on my own with the kids, so I did not have time to plan meals. But I’m hoping I can fill them in this morning before anyone gets up.

This week will be super busy. There will be lots of fun things happening. But I wish it wasn’t all in one week. We have our usual church, school, Kindermusik, dance and soccer. We also have milk pick up. I have meeting at church. This week is observation week at dance, so I’ll be staying there to watch Rebecca. We have MomBreak. My in-laws will be here for the weekend. And we’ll be going to a ballet.

Rebecca’s [Cup]Cake Wars creation/display as a welcome home surprise for Daddy.

I have a lot of stuff I want to do in the kitchen this week. But I also feel like my body needs some extra rest to recover from last week. So I’ll have to pick and choose and find balance. I have to make some food for our MomBreak meeting. I want to make squash scones, pumpkin bars and spaghetti sauce (I got a bunch of tomatoes from my grandparents). It would be nice to make some breakfast foods for the family. But I might just have to use stuff out of the freezer.

Souvenirs

Last week I learned that I still need to be very careful about some of my sensitivities. Especially gluten. I made some delicious pizza, but my body was not too happy with it. I had a lot of little stresses last week that added up to big stress on my body. So it wasn’t the best of weeks. And it was discouraging to feel like I was taking steps backwards. But hopefully I can get back on track with proper nutrition and rest.

Abram dressed up Great Grandpa’s Army gear.

Last week I finally decided we need to test my son for allergies. I’ve been suspicious of something not being quite right for a long time…like the past year. But I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. So I waited. But now there are just too many symptoms to ignore. And he’s getting more and more hives/red spots on his body. So I called our ped last week. I’ll probably call an allergist this week. I’m trying to figure out the best route to take. For the moment I’m going to try to at least keep him gluten and nut free.

Here is the menu so far. I’m still deciding what to make when we have company this weekend. I’ll fill that in when I figure it out. Enjoy your first week of October. Eet smakelijk!

****MENU****

S (prep lunch, soak flour, church, nap, prep smoothies, bake gf pumpkin bars)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit
  L – cp applesauce chicken, rice, beans
  D – pizza (Justin), grilled ham and cheese (M/R/A)

M (make/can spaghetti sauce, make squash scones)
  B – smoothie, banana muffins
  D – gf spaghetti, corn

T (AKM, RKM)
  B – yogurt, nuts, fruit, muffin
  D – (quick prep) – pan seared salmon, beans, buttered rice

W (bake muffins for MomBreak and Sat., milk)
  B – smoothie, muffin
  D – pork nuggets, peas, baked potato wedges

Th (clean, church mtg, make dessert for Fri/Sat, dance – observe)
  B – toast w/ pb, fruit
  D – (early/prep ahead) – cp broccoli and 3 cheese soup, bread or crackers

F (make egg dish for MomBreak, put chicken in cp, MB, soak oats, make granola, in-laws over)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast
  D – crockpot roasted chicken, seasoned rice, peas, applesauce
  Dessert – gf oreos

S (soccer, ballet, in-laws)
  B – yogurt, baked oatmeal, fruit
  L – chicken noodle soup, gf muffins
  D – meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, squash, salad, applesauce or fruit salad
  Dessert – dutch apple pie

Gluten Free Peach Pie (egg free, nut free, corn free, dairy free option)

For the last few weeks we’ve had lots of peaches in our house. I’ve canned almost 30 quarts of peaches. And still had more. So I asked my family what they’d like me to make. The first request…pie!

Ok. I’ve never made peach pie before. I’m not even sure I’ve ever had it to be honest. But that’s no problem. I’ll make one anyway.

This pie is slightly sweet and captures the fresh peach taste. You can make it with a gluten free crust or a regular wheat crust.


Do you enjoy peach pie? I couldn’t answer that question just a few weeks ago. But now I can say yes!

Gluten Free Peach Pie

1 gluten free pie crust (recipe here) or a wheat crust (recipe here) for a not gluten free version

7-9 large freestone peaches, peeled and sliced or chopped
1/2 cup organic cane sugar, sucanat or coconut sugar*
4 Tbps. tapioca flour*
3 tsp. gelatin*
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
1 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces (optional)

Prepare the pie crust. Put the bottom layer in a pie pan.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl combine the peaches, sugar, tapioca flour, gelatin, lemon juice and spices. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Put the peach mixture in the pie crust. Dot with butter.

Place the top pie crust over the peaches and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top crust to let steam out.

Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the pie at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 50 minutes, until crust is golden.

Allow the pie to cool and set completely.

*These are affiliate links. It will not change the cost for you if you buy through the link, but I will get a small commission. It helps me earn a small amount to keep putting in the time and effort to do what I do 🙂

Meal Plans Week of 9-22-13

Toddler homeschool – letter C – castles, crowns, caterpillars

September is flying by. With all of our activities and fall preserving we have been busy, busy. And I’m feeling it. I think I need to give my feet/legs a little break this week. No kitchen work that requires me to stand in one spot for more than 20 minutes. And make sure I put my feet up for 20 minutes every day.

Last week was slightly chaotic since our refrigerator died. So we had to quickly buy a new one and transfer all the food. This led to other reorganizing in the kitchen. It put a hold on some of my projects and on grocery shopping. So yesterday I was a crazy woman trying to get things done, dealing with pears, pumpkins, squash, baking, meals, cleaning. I still have not gone grocery shopping. It’s been almost 3 weeks now. That is definitely one of our outings this week!

new rain boots

Aside from groceries we have church, kindermusik, farmer’s market, co-op pick up, dance and soccer. Friday is also Grandparents Day for my daughter. So she’ll have to go to morning kindergarten. I really don’t know how we’ll get her ready and to school by 8:25. I’m lucky if I can have her out bed and half dressed by then. We’ll probably be seeing my parents later in the day then since they’ll be in town. We might have them over for dinner. And if we feel like we just too bored/there’s not enough going on we could make a trip to the health food store or we could walk around downtown to finally see Art Prize for the first time. I guess we’ll see what the weather is like.

ready for soccer

I do have a few things I’d like to get done in the kitchen this week: hot fudge, mayonnaise, pumpkin muffins, bread, pizza dough and cookies using my antique cookie press. I’m considering making and canning a batch of salsa since that’s really easy. I have not decided yet if I’ll be doing more pears this year or if I just can’t manage any more of those. It takes so long to peel and slice pears. I stood and did 75 pears yesterday. And my legs were not too happy. So far I’ve done 7 qts. and 5 pts. of pearsauce. It would be nice to have canned pears as well. I guess I’ll see how much longer pears are available.

fresh peach pie…recipe coming

I also have some writing and reading to catch up on this week. I usually llike to go, go, go. But having some down time to read and write sounds pretty nice right now.

I continue to work on healing my body. I see signs of improvement every day. I’m very optimistic about my health. I have had some pretty bad swelling and joint pain recently. I’m sure it’s partly from being busy/active. But I have also been eating more eggs again. And I’m wondering if that’s part of the problem. So I’ll be taking a little break from eggs again this week to see if there is more improvement. Maybe I’m still not ready for eggs.

On the plus side I’ve been able to exercise a little more. Mostly just faster paced walking. It feels great to move my body and use my muscles again. And I think it is good for my overall health now that I’m weight restored and eating well.

I’m keeping the menu very simple this week. Mostly because our schedule doesn’t allow much time to make dinner. And it’ll be good for me to keep the resting trend going.

Are you taking it easy this week or are you very busy? Whatever the case enjoy life. And eet smakelijk!

****MENU****

S (church, make mayo)
  L – grill burgers, beans, fruit
  D – leftover spaghetti squash “pasta” bake 

M (make hot fudge, chop veggies, Meijer)
  D – salmon cakes, roasted cauliflower

T (make/can salsa, FM, A-KM, R-KM)
  D – (quick prep) – hot dogs, beans, fruit

W (make pumpkin muffins, co-op)
  D – (early) – grilled cheese, peas, fruit

Th (make cookies, dance)
  D – (early) – homemade pizza, olives

F (Grandparents’ Day, bake bread, dinner w/ grandparents?)
  D – pea soup, homemade bread

S (soccer)
  D – TBD