The first full week of the new year. Time to get back to our normal routine. That makes me happy 🙂

Last week was fun, but long. We were visiting family out of state for half of the week. And then trying to get back on track the rest of the week. The kids were a bit out of sorts after travelling. Last night Abram finally slept decently.

We had fun doing our last Christmas celebration. I had a chance to talk to both my mom and my sister for a bit. And Justin and I went out last night and spent time with couples from church. Lots of relationship building 🙂

I’m already getting a good start on my January goals. Making a top ten list for the year and then breaking them down into small pieces each month really is helping make them doable. I already called my sister. I’ve made good progress on my articles. I’ll be making crackers this week. And I hope to plan our January mommy/daughter date.

My kitchen agenda for this week is to make crackers, golden grahams, mayo, yeast free buns and some kind of breakfast baked good. I always have stuff on hand in the freezer, but my stock is getting very low. I want to try some new recipes. Do you have any good breakfast recipes to share?

Last week I squeezed in a batch of yogurt, kefir and ice cream. Plus appetizers for our party.

Sometime this month we need to make a decision about whether or not we will continue to get raw milk. We will have to start getting it every week on our own, find someone else to share the drive with again or put our share on hold for a few months.

Last week was a bit all over the place for me. Travel is always tough. But I did a lot better than I thought I would. I was actually very excited. It shows I’ve come a long way even since the summer. However I know I ate some things I should not have over the course of the week. And I’ve got some major inflammation going on right now. Some emotional stuff plus sleepless nights with Abram just added to it.

I have been eating a lot of yogurt over the last couple weeks. And I just started a new probiotic a few days ago. So there could be some die off mixed in with the inflammation.

My body temperature has been all over the place too. One day I’ll eat and get really warm. The next I’m an ice cube all day long. I haven’t been rotating foods as much as I should (hard to do when you travel and when you come home to an empty fridge). But I have been trying very hard to listen to my body. I’ve been really craving lots of fresh foods. Raw fruits and veggies. No added sugars, etc. Normally when I have yogurt I mix a little maple syrup into plain yogurt. But this week I’m craving plain, tangy yogurt. I’ve been able to finally eat more raw fruits and vegetables. I’ve been enjoying blueberries and raspberries from the freezer. I could hardly eat one bite of fruit all summer when things were fresh. So at least I’m finally able to enjoy them now. And I think it’s partly why I crave them. I had to go without for so long. I love a big pile of vegetables cooked in butter, but right now I’m loving eating some things raw.

Somehow amidst all of this up and down I’ve noticed improvement in my mental health. Normally my OCD dictates my day. One morning Abram was up around 3 am…and stayed up. So he was with me all morning. I couldn’t get all the things done I had hoped. I couldn’t stick to my normal “routine.” But…I didn’t even notice. I lost track of time. My usual obsessions didn’t even cross my mind. We finally got him back to sleep around 6. And I was working on some writing. All of a sudden I looked down and realized what time it was…an hour later! My tummy, my worries…totally didn’t cross my mind. To most people this may not sound like much. For me it was HUGE. If I can lose track of time and have my mind occupied with things other than my obsessions/compulsions I know I am making progress. It gives me a small glimpse of what life can be like without some of my psychological issues. It doesn’t mean every day will be like this now. It may not happen again for a long time. But I have to focus on these small victories and realize I am making progress. I am on the right track.

Time for the menu. I have a good variety of meals this week. I even managed to plan a different vegetable with our meal every night! Maybe next week I’ll finally have our Christmas ham dinner that we didn’t have time for.

What’s on your menu? Have you started tackling any goals yet? Have you taken time to notice any small victories this week?
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S (prep lunch, church, chop veggies, prep smoothies)
  L – cp pork chops, potatoes and carrots
  D – leftover hummus, veggies and pita, bacon wrapped dates, milkshakes or custard

M (make crackers, milk, PS)
  D – spaghetti, corn, garlic toast

T (make mayo, skim cream)
  D – chicken fries w/ honey mustard, kale chips, squash

W (make scones, make hot fudge, make ice cream, Dr. M., PS, WT)
  D – brats, sweet potato fries, peas

Th (chop veggies, clean)
  D – cheeseburgers, roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts, chips w/ dip

F (bake potatoes/freeze hashbrowns, clean, PS)
  D – sausage, hashbrowns, beans, bananas w/ milk

S (make donuts, clean, swimming, Little Mermaid show)
  D – avocado turkey salad on buns or toast, broccoli, fries

Happy New Year (almost)! Christmas is over. Time to focus on the new year…oh wait, not yet! We still have round four of Christmas celebrations this week 😛  Even if our tree and all of our decorations are already down.

Last week was a mix of Christmas activities, doctor visits and family time. This week will be about the same.

This week we have one more extended family Christmas. I have an appt. with my psychologist. And Justin and I are venturing out on another “date”…a wine and appetizer party with people from church. Should be interesting since I can’t drink alcohol or probably eat most of the appetizers. But I look forward to the socializing. And hopefully the kids do well at home. I suppose at some point I should figure out what I’m bringing!

This week kind of kicks off a month of being busy!! I’m calling it the month of doctor visits. As of right now we collectively have 9 doctor appointments. And who knows if it will go up. We are also starting swimming lessons again with Rebecca. And possibly some yoga classes. At the end of the month Kindermusik will start back up…but for the first time it will be for both kids.

I kept plenty busy in the kitchen last week making two batches of dairy free brownies for parties (members of both sides of the family are DF), banana bread, granola, sugar free cookies, cinnamon cranberry bread, hot fudge and soaked graham crackers. I don’t have too much on my agenda this week. Time for a little post-holiday break 🙂  We’ll see how long I can handle that before I’m anxious to get back to my usual busyness in the kitchen.

We found out yesterday that the people we share milk pick up with have decided to stop their share. So now we are trying to figure out if we can find someone else to do it with or if we’ll have to take a break from it ourselves. It’s disappointing, but I just can’t commit to making the drive to the farm every week. We’ll see. I’m torn about it. I trust that God will give us direction. We’ll either come up with someone else to share with or we’ll go back to pasteurized (non-homo) milk. Maybe it’s good timing (God’s timing is always perfect :). We’ve barely been getting by on our 3 gallons of milk a week. I’ve had to stop making as much yogurt, sour cream and ice cream as I’d like because we need all of our milk to drink (now that Abram drinks quite a bit). If I have to buy milk at the store I can buy as much as I need for that week. It also could be an opportunity to try dietary changes. I’ve heard many people recommend casein free diets. It’s something I’d consider trying for Rebecca at some point. I LOVE our raw milk. Especially for myself with such a sensitive tummy. And becuase Abram has only ever had breastmilk or raw milk. But we’ll see if we have to go without for a while. It would definitely take some stress out of my life (and Rebecca’s…she hates the drive). So maybe it’s a good thing. Just thinking about having a break from it actually puts me at ease a bit. I don’t know yet. But I do know God is in control.

I had a doctor appointment last week with a more holistic doctor. She talked with me for an hour about all of my symptoms/problems. Then we decided what tests to run. There were a lot. I don’t even know what they all were. I know we checked thyroid, did a CBC, adrenals, minerals/metals/toxins, allergies and candida/yeast. But there were plenty more. They took 7 or 8 vials of blood (at least I think…I had my eyes closed the whole time). That’s pretty rough for me…and ended how I expected…me almost passing out (nausea, sweating, things going black, etc.). I’m glad that’s over. They also had to take a hair sample, and I had to do a saliva test. I go back in two weeks for the results. I’m so anxious to find out!! Who knows, maybe it will show I’m allergic to dairy 😛  The doctor suspects food allergies and yeast.

The doctor did recommend probiotics (of course). I’ve been taking probiotics for a long time…on and off. I recently ran out of them. So I got a new kind (remember that whole rotation/variety thing I’ve mentioned? Yeah, it’s probably good to do the same with probiotics). I’ll probably start them next week. She also suggested eating yogurt daily (of course). I usually eat yogurt a few times a week. But I try not to eat it every day because of rotating foods. But I have actually eaten it for the last five or six days now. Partly based on her suggestion. But partly just because I didn’t have many other options in the house 😛  And now it seems that my body is starting another round of die off 🙁  I haven’t had die off in a while. And this is definitely BAD timing. But there isn’t much I can do about it. Yesterday the mystery headache started. And then the acne flair, mouth sores and messed up digestion. For now I just try to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of fluids to try to flush things out as quickly as possible.

I also had a couple days with quite a bit of anxiety last week. It has come down since then, but this week will test it again. I’m looking forward to next week when everything is back to “normal.” Justin is back to work, Rebecca is back to school, etc. My OCD does not like vacation.

I guess this post is getting long enough. If you just came to check out our meal plans, sorry about that 🙂

I’m going to do the opposite of what I’ve been doing and not plan breakfasts and lunches this week. It’s an experiment in listening to my body. I need to eat what my body is craving. If I just want salty stuff one day. Fine. If I want mostly sweet. Fine. My body’s needs change every day. So I have to listen. I’ll see how this goes and decide how I want to plan things next week. I’ll probably keep planning Justin’s B/L at the start of each week. But not sure about my own. It is easier to rotate foods when I plan them out. But then I’m not listening to my body’s cues. So we’ll see.

Here’s the menu. A very simple one. What’s on your menu this week?  Do you think it helps or hurts to plan out your meals?  How do you listen to what your body needs?
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S (prep lunch)
  D – chicken nuggets, broccoli

M ()
  D – pork chops, carrots

T (celebrate Christmas with family)
  D – turkey, potatoes, veggies (MIL preparing)

W ()
  D – (easy/quick prep) – fried eggs on toast, broccoli, bananas w/ milk

Th (skim cream, make kefir, clean, prep dinner, Dr. V., yearly budget review)
  D – (prep ahead) – sweet and sour meatballs w/ vegetables over rice

F (strain kefir, make yogurt, Meijer, make ice cream)
  D – egg muffins, beans, toast, fruit

S (prep appetizers, wine and appetizer party)
  D – eat at the party (J/M) / grilled cheese, broccoli, applesauce (kids)
   (bringing brie en croute and bacon wrapped dates)

Merry Christmas!! Let the celebrations begin. It feels like we already started since we spent yesterday with my family celebrating my BIL’s 40th birthday. We’ll be back there in two days to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

Last week was a bit crazy. I had a ton of stuff to get done. Somehow I managed to do most of it. We also had a couple important doctor appointments. Unfortunately I had to reschedule mine. So it’ll be this week instead.

I had plenty of Christmas prep to accomplish. Over the course of the week I made chocolate covered pretzels, caramels, homemade chocolates, hot fudge, peppermint stick ice cream, Christmas cookies, banana bread, yogurt, kefir and yeast free bread. I also FINALLY finished my sewing project (pictures to come after we open gifts :). And I did some much needed cleaning around the house (bathrooms, linens, kitchen, etc.). My helpful husband also got some of the gift wrapping done. Hopefully we can finish it today.

We had a great appointment for Rebecca with a new specialist last week. We’ll be seeing her again in January. And we got great updates from her teachers about how well she’s doing in school. We also had another session with the speech therapist. Now we need to keep up with the exercises at home.

This week will be busy with the start of our Christmas festivities (there will be more next week too). We will be celebrating as a family and with my family. We will also be seeing some of my extended relatives at some point this week. We have milk pick up, some errands and my doctor’s appt. as well. Plus preparing for visiting more family next week.

I think we are about done with our Christmas baking projects. I do have to make one or two more things for my grandparents (they are getting edible gifts this year :). I already made a batch of granola this morning. I had intended to make a new batch of oreos, but we’ll see if there is time. I am getting low on soaked graham crackers and golden grahams. So maybe I’ll try to squeeze those in as well.

No big updates on me. Hopefully I’ll have more direction after I see this new doctor. The past week was a little all over the place because of hormone fluctuations with Abram nursing a ton and then not much. It really impacts my mood and my weight. Plus I know the stress/anxiety of Christmas parties and travel is already impacting me. I’ll be glad to get to January and back to a normal routine 🙂

On to the menu. I don’t have all of the breakfasts and lunches planned out yet. I’ll fill the rest in as the week goes on. I often don’t figure it out until the night before. I’m trying to really listen to my body and what it’s craving/what it’s lacking. So I usually wait until the night before to figure out my breakfast when I have a better idea of what I need. Sometimes I’m really craving salty foods sometimes sweet. So I go with what my body tells me.

This could be a week of stress, recovery and start over again. Yesterday was stress. Today is recovery (I’ve had so many great mornings/days lately…now after a day of travel it’s back to all tensed up). I’m going to do my best to eat well and take time for myself. And try to enjoy the festivities and the real reason we celebrate. Happy Birthday Jesus! Merry Christmas everyone!
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S (prep dinner, make gifts, church, wrap presents, prep smoothiesj)
  B – banana bread, yogurt (J), yogurt, golden grahams, avocado (M)
  L – cp chicken and broccoli over couscous
  D – stove top mac ‘n’ cheese w/ hot dogs, sauteed brussels sprouts, applesauce

M (bake brownies, make hot fudge, milk, celebrate Christmas, pack for Tuesday, VanH Christmas)
  B – banana bread, mixed berry yogurt (J), sauteed broccoli, cauliflower, beets, cucubmer, soaked graham crackers (M)
  L – leftover chicken and broccoli w/ couscous
  D – ham, scalloped potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower, applesauce
  Dessert – peppermint stick ice cream w/ hot fudge
D – (light/early) – cheeseburger nuggets, peas, chips, applesauce

T (make fruit salad, pack, church, Holleboom family Christmas)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit (J), yogurt, golden grahams, avocado (M)
  L – (quick/light) – leftover mac ‘n’ cheese, broccoli (J), broccoli, peas, cheeseburger nugget (M)
  D – w/ family – bringing fruit salad, hot fudge and brownies

W (clean, Dr. A.)
  B – toast w/ pb, fruit salad (J), yogurt w/ brownie, sauteed brussels sprouts and avocado (M)
  L – cheeseburger nuggets, chips, fruit (J), sugar snap peas, TBD (M)
  D – salmon cakes, tator tots, peas

Th (bake bread, soak flour, Meijer, bank)
  B – scrambled eggs, toast (J), (M)
  L – lasagna (J), leftover salmon cakes and veggies (M)
  D – split pea soup w/ ham, TBD sweet bread

F (make graham crackers, golden grahams)
  B – TBD
  L – leftover pea soup
  D – sweet bread french toast, roasted veggies, fruit

S (bake yeast free bread, bake brownies)
  B – leftover french toast (J),  (M)
  L – TBD
  D – grilled cheese w/ ham, broccoli, chips, fruit

Good morning. One more week to get things done before Christmas. How are you doing? I finished my shopping yesterday and got my cards mailed. I’m glad to check those off my list. Now it’s on to baking goodies and wrapping presents. All the final details.

Last week was a bit rough since Abram did not sleep well at all. Poor kid is teething so badly. It’s rare that he doesn’t have a finger or a toy in his mouth trying to get some comfort. Abram not sleeping = Mommy not sleeping 😛  Not good for any of us. Thankfully last night was a good night. I feel much more rested this morning. Aside from the sleep issues we had some rough days with Rebecca as well. It even showed up in her behavior at school…first time the teacher has had to talk to me. But on a positive note I am learning a few things that have a big impact on her behavior. So hopefully making some simple changes will help. She also had her first session with the speech therapist. I’m so excited to see the impact of this treatment. I think Rebecca is too.

This week is shaping up to be quite busy. In addition to our usual activities we have a few very anticipated doctor visits. I’ll finally be seeing a new doctor to hopefully help me get more insight on what’s going on in my body. And Rebecca is meeting with another specialist. Then we will hopefully have a better plan of action for her/see if we get any kind of diagnosis. We are also meeting with the speech therapist again tomorrow. This week we have our last day of Kindermusik. It’ll be nice to have a little break. When we start up later in January both kids will be in it! I hope Abram likes it as much as his sister. This week we have co-op pick up and Justin has worship team. Friday is also Rebecca’s Christmas party. I’ll be going to that while Justin is home with Abram…on vacation 🙂  Friday we have MomBreak as well. And we need to get to the grocery store. Our fridge is bare! I hope the kids can keep up with this crazy week.

Inbetween all of our running around I have a lot to get done at home. I’ve been working diligently on my sewing project. I’m ALMOST done. I will finish it this week 🙂  I need to make cookies for Rebecca’s Christmas party. Our freezer stock of baked goods is getting low. So I might work on some breakfast baked goods. I need to get going on some of our Christmas baking (more flavored oreos, maybe peppermint stick ice cream). And Rebecca wants to make homemade candy bars and kit-kat bars. We’ll see if we have time for it. I need to make yogurt and kefir. And I’d like to make a new loaf of yeast free bread for myself.

The end of last week was a bit rough for me. The lack of sleep definitely made a difference. But I also had a big response to something I ate. I think it was fennel…but I’m not totally sure. It came the day after I ate 9 different veggies in one day 😛  Smart move. It could also have been from mushrooms. Those are two things I rarely eat/were out of the ordinary. I do know that since then my usual symptoms have come on strong. The cystic acne/oily dull skin, eye pain, a whole host of things that I now know aren’t just random annoyances. They all come on together as a response in my body to something I ate and/or did. So that kicked off some bad inflammation and pain. The next day I tried a few nuts. Poor timing. Then I ate a fair amount of olives, cheese and yeast yesterday which bothered me as well. So it was a combination of poor sleep, an inflammatory response to something I ate, too much yeast and not rotating foods much (I think I’ve eaten avocado every day for 5 or 6 days now). Now I have to wait it out again to return to “normal.” I was also not rotating food as well. I was getting variety…but I was getting a lot of the same variety each day. So one day I would eat 9 veggies…then I had to repeat many of the same ones the next day and the next. Eating a large variety of veggies each day is healthy, but maybe I should stick to only a few so I can rotate them more easily. Especially when it’s grocery week and we don’t have many left.

I’ve been reading Eat For Heat. So much great information. And it’s helping me learn better what works for me and how I should eat throughout the day. I need to start my day with plenty of food, including lots of salt and saturated fat. I also need to have enough carbohydrates and not drink too much. Later in the day I can eat lighter and have a little more fluid. And not eat a huge amount before bed. This will keep me warm and keep my metabolism running well. A good breakfast for me is vegetables sauteed in lots of butter with sea salt and some yeast free bread with butter and salt. Then for dinner I can ease up on the fat and salt and eat something like salad or raw veggies.

One key thing that Matt Stone says in his book is that to eat for heat you need the four S’s: salt, sugar, starch and saturated fat. And you need it at the right time of day for you. For some this is early in the day (like me). For some it’s later in the evening.

I struggled a bit with meal planning this week. I have yet to fill in a couple spots. And we aren’t sure yet what our plans for Saturday are, so that is still TBD. I’ll hopefully fill in the rest soon. I am hoping to get a little extra broth in my diet this week. And I’ll have to fill in my vegetables each day. I’ll have more options after I get to the store. What are you eating this week? Any good new recipes you’ve tried lately? Do you need a big breakfast to keep you going all day or do you prefer to start your day off light?
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S (sewing, church, make yeast free bread, make chocolates, make caramels, prep smoothies, soak beans, soak flour)
  B – french toast casserole, cheesy scrambled eggs (J), squash, broth, butter, peas, avocado, egg yolk, vanilla wafer (M)
  L – tomato noodle soup, grilled cheese (J), broth with butter, salt, peas,squash, breans, vanilla wafer (M)
  D – leftover pizza, crispy fennel (J), broth w/ butter, salt, peas, zucchini, yeast free bread w/ butter (M)

M (cook beans, bake scones, sewing, SP, PS, Dr. A.)
  B – smoothie, soaked date scones (J), sauteed brussels sprouts, soaked date scone (M)
  L – pizza, soup (J), brussels sprouts, pinto beans, olives, soaked date scone (M)
  D – pesto rice and beans, peas, peaches, garlic toast

T (make yogurt, skim cream, KM)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit (J), broth w/ pesto rice, peas, beans (M)
  L – at work (J), broth w/ pesto rice, peas, brussels sprouts, beans (M)
  D – baked white fish w/ tartar sauce, broccoli, french fries

W (prep dinner, make hot fudge, Meijer, PS, make ice cream, co-op, WT, make cookie dough, sewing)
  B – smoothie, date scones (J), raw brussels sprouts w/ pesto, date scone w/ butter (M)
  L – pesto rice and beans (J), yogurt w/ cereal, sugar snap peas(M)
  D – (separate) – hamburger corn bake, carrots, applesauce (J), cucumber, avocado, pinto beans, raisins w/ honey mustard (w/ extra egg yolk) (M)

Th (bake cookies, roast beets, chop veggies, Dr. M., make chocolate covered pretzels, make frosting, sewing)
  B – waffle, banana (J), sugar snap peas, avocado, bread w/ butter (M)
  L – hot dog, carrots, tator tots (J), vegetables cooked in broth, egg yolk (M)
  D – leftover casserole, beans, fruit (J), broth w/ pesto rice, veggies and egg yolk (M)

F (chop fruits and veggies, freeze butter, MB, PS/party)
  B – waffle (J), sugar snap peas, pineapple, bread w/ butter (M)
  L – hot dogs or leftovers (J), sautted beets, beet greens, broccoli, avocado w/ egg yolk and cheese (M)
  D – cinnamon cranberry rice, fried eggs (just yolk for me), toast, roasted cauliflower, fruit

S (clean, bake bread, family gathring)
  B – banana bread, fruit (J), sugar snap peas, cucumber, bread w/ butter (M)
  L – hot dogs (J), sauteed veggies w/ egg yolk (M)
  D – w/ family

Somebody tell December to slow down! I’ve got too much to do before Christmas and the time is just flying by. Last week already seems like a blur. I did get a lot accomplished, though. And we even had our first date night in 19 months. What a treat. Hopefully we won’t wait that long before the next one 😛

Last week I made a new batch of homemade golden grahams. I might have to make a new batch this week. They were such a hit that they are just about gone. I also made some progress on my sewing projects. I just might finish them before Christmas.

This week will be quite busy. We have our church Christmas program. I can’t wait to see Rebecca dressed up like a little angel 🙂  It’s our week to pick up  milk. I might go to a West MI bloggers meet up Tuesday night. We have our first session with a speech pathologist this week. And I might go to a seminar at the office where we go for SP. There is also an event with one of Justin’s co-workers this weekend – a big train display. We might stop by that.

My to-do list seems to be ever expanding with Christmas quickly approaching. I still have quite a few Christmas presents to buy. At least I managed to do all of the shopping for my grandma yesterday so she doesn’t have to worry about that. I also need to get Christmas cards sent out this week. We got our tree yesterday, so we’ll be decorating today. I have at least three blog posts I’d like to get up. And some other social media stuff to do.

Potential kitchen projects this week: golden grahams, yogurt, ice cream, sour cream, brownies. I’m trying a new bread recipe today too.

I’ve had kind of an up and down week. I think I’ve had some die off again. Frustrating. But at least not quite as long-lasting as usual. I’ve had some really good days as well. I’m really trying to figure out how to keep my body warm/keep my metabolism up. I’ve had some days where my hands, ears, and/or cheeks have been bright red and hot 🙂  So I’m getting there. I think I should avoid fruit most of the time. It has too much water and too much sugar. I had a handful of grapes Friday morning and I was ice cold the rest of the day.

I also tried coconut flour muffins last week. I think I still don’t tolerate coconut flour too well. I’m sure there were other factors, but my tummy was not too happy. Maybe I’ll have to try using it in very small amounts with other flours at first. Work my way up to a recipe with only coconut flour.

I still think variety/rotation is key. And I’m still working on it. It’s tough to always be able to find something different to eat. At the very least right now I’m getting a much larger variety of vegetables than I was for a while. For example, for breakfast today I’ve already had golden beets, cauliflower, mushrooms and broccoli. Later today I’ll probably have peas, beans, broccoli, zucchini. Maybe more.

I’m doing what I can to figure things out myself at the moment…and seeing some good signs. And next week I’ll meet with a new doctor to hopefully get more thorough testing and continue with the healing process.

On to the menu. I tried to get some good variety…and yet somehow I ended up with lots of beef recipes 😛  Oh well.

Finally here is a link to an article that I think is worth the read. Don’t let a number dictate the state of your health.
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S (prep lunch, church, prep dinner, bake bread, Christmas program)
  B – pancakes, fruit (J), cauliflower, beets, mushrooms, broccoli, bacon cooked in butter and broth, pancake (M)
  L – (prep ahead) – cp bbq chicken legs and sweet potatoes, sauteed sweet corn, peas
  D – (prep ahead/parents over) – beef vegetable soup, ww bread

M (boil eggs, make golden grahams, milk, PS, prep smoothies)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast (J) egg yolk salad, raw veggies (M)
  L – leftovers (J), sauteed veggies (M)
  D – bacon spinach pies, caramelized brussels sprouts, fruit

T (skim cream, make sc, sewing,  clean, KM, WMB)
  B – smoothie, golden grahams w/ milk (J), smoothie, golden grahams (M)
  L – at work (J), sauteed veggies, bacon spinach pie (M)
  D – (separate) – hamburger corn bake, broccoli, applesauce leftover beef veg. soup, bread

W (make yogurt, prep breakfast, sewing, PS, prep potluck food)
  B – pancakes w/ bacon, fruit (J), sauteed beets, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, avocado, yeast free bread w/ butter (M)
  L – soup, bread (J), salad w/ hb egg yolk, mushrooms, avocado, sauteed cauliflower, yeast free croutons, honey mustard dressing (M)
  D – sloppy joes, squash, crispy fennel

Th (prep potluck food, sewing, library, SP, seminar?, prep breakfast)
  B – smoothie, granola w/ milk (J), squash, fennel, beets, spinach pie (M)
  L – potluck at work (J),  salad w/ fennel, mushrooms, broccoli, avocado, olives, gnd beef, honey mustard (w/ whole egg yolk), golden grahams (M)
  D – (prep ahead) – beefy enchilada bake (in cp) TBD eggs, toast, veggies

F (sewing, make mud balls, make mayo, clean, sewing, PS)
  B – french toast bake (J), yogurt, nuts, avocado, pinto beans (M)
  L – spinach pie (J), sauteed cauliflower, peas, soaked grahams, swiss cheese (M)
  D – cp salsa chicken (J), salad w/ mushrooms, avocado, olives, dates, cheese (M), egg nog

S (sewing, shopping, trains?)
  B – french toast bake (J), squash soup (M)
  L – salsa chicken (J), TBD (M)
  D – homemade pepperoni pizza, beans (J), TBD (M)

First full week of December, and it’s a busy one. We have lots of places to go. And I feel like my to-do list is doubled with Christmas only a few weeks away.

Aside from our usual activities I’d like to take a couple yoga classes again this week. There is a ladies’ night out with my mom group, but I’m not sure if I’m going. Justin has worship team. I have a MomBreak meeting. Justin might go out for dinner for work one night. And finally…we have a date night on Friday!! This will be the first date night since Abram was born…he’ll be 19 months old this week. Yeah, it’s been a while.  In honor of our date night I’ll include some photos from our trip to Spain…before kids 😉

Also this week we are doing an eval for Rebecca with a speech therapist. We’re hopeful this will help with her chewing/texture/eating difficulties. Justin and Rebecca will likely go to a Christmas concert at Calvin College on Saturday. Justin wishes he could play in it again 🙂

I finally made an appointment with a new doctor for myself. I’m excited for that in 2 weeks.

Last week we filled our freezer with 80 lbs. of grass-fed ground beef. That should last a while 🙂

Last week Abram was on a baking streak, so we ended up making our first batch of Christmas cookies, a batch of vanilla wafers (egg white free version), muesli, banana bread and coconut flour bread (egg white free version). I also made mayo and yogurt.

On the agenda for this week: soaked graham crackers, yogurt, kefir, turkey broth, homemade golden grahams, grain free sandwich buns and sewing.

Updates on me: I’m doing quite well overall. I’m learning that eating a variety of foods and making sure a good bulk of my meal is vegetables makes a big impact. By rotating foods I’ve been able to tolerate some of my “maybe” foods and even some foods on my no list. I’ve been able to increase the amount of raw and fibrous foods I eat as well. I’ve been eating blueberries, pineapple, grapes, raspberries, lettuce, raw broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts and a few nuts here and there. With no pain!! That is truly amazing.

I know I have a lot of healing to do yet, but this is encouraging. I still have to avoid my big no-no foods. I tried a couple bites of cooked carrot last week…nope, still doesn’t work. But being able to expand my diet even a little bit and add in some raw foods and more fruits and vegetables has been so wonderful! I did some baking with coconut flour last week. The jury is still out on whether I tolerate that or not now. I have found that Rebecca is pretty sensitive to coconut. So I have to be careful with how much I give her.

On Friday I was warm and my ears were hot all evening…a good sign of a boosted metabolism and healing! I’m getting there. I think I’m about to order Eat For Heat to keep going in this healing/heating process. I’ve already been through Diet Recovery. I think this will be just as good. Check them both out at 180 Degree Health if you haven’t already. How do you keep your body temp up and your metabolism burning?

On to this week’s menu. To help with meal planning I decided to do a different protein every evening this week: chicken, beef, beans, turkey, fish, dairy and pork/eggs. I’m still trying to plan all my meals ahead to help with variety and keeping track of what does/doesn’t work. It gets tough as I get closer to grocery day. Almost all of our fresh produce is gone. So it’s hard to get much variety. But I’m doing my best. Here’s what’s on the menu for now.
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S (prep dinner, church, program practice, prep smoothies, soak flour, make kefir)
  B – lemon blueberry yogurt, soaked cereal bar (J), chicken salad (chx, avocado, peas, raisins) over squash (M)
  L – cp chicken meatloaf, baked potatoes, carrots, sqaush, avocado
  D – sausage, scrambled eggs, toast, peas

M (make grahams, make golden grahams, FTT, PS, prep dinner, yoga, strain kefir)
  B – smoothie, granola bar (J), smoothie (M)
  L – meatloaf (J), salad (M)
  D – lasagna, corn

T (make turkey stock, cook beans, KM, MNO?)
  B – homemade cereal w/ milk, fruit (J), sauteed brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, peas w/ fried egg yolks (M)
  L – lasagna (J), salad w/ beans, avocado, meatloaf, olives (M)
  D – baked beans w/ hot dogs over rice, squash

W (strain/freeze stock, bake gf muffins, Meijer, PS, yoga, WT)
  B – sd breakfast cookie, fruit (J), smoothie, cereal, squash (M)
  L – meatloaf sandwich (J), baked beans, raw sugar snap peas (M)
  D – turkey noodle soup, coconut flour blueberry muffins

Th (clean, Justin out for dinner, strain kefir)
  B – sd breakfast cookie, orange (J), turkey noodle soup w/ squash, soaked graham crackers (M)
  L – at work (J),  turkey noodle soup, raw sugar snap peas, coconut flour muffin (M)
  D – salmon, peas, squash

F (chop veggies, sewing, MB, PS, Date Night!!!)
  B – sd breakfast cookie, yogurt, banana (J),  sauteed brussels sprouts and cauliflower w/ fried egg yolks (M)
  L – lasagna (J), salad (M)
  D – crackers w/ cheese, broccoli, applesauce (kids/with baby-sitter), out to eat (J/M)

S (sewing, make gf buns?, concert)
  B – waffles (J), misc. veggies (M)
  L – leftovers (J), squash soup (M)
  D – Bacon, lettuce, avocado sandwiches topped w/ fried eggs, sauteed broccoli, fruit

The Thanksgiving kitchen chaos is over. We didn’t really have a traditional celebration this year, but I still spent three days in the kitchen making food. We brought dinner to my grandparents on Thanksgiving and had a guest over the next day. It took a lot of work to prepare and deliver an entire Thanksgiving dinner. I’m glad to finally have my kitchen and refrigerator back…and leftovers put away/mostly used up.

It was tough to rotate food with a refrigerator literally bursting with leftovers. But I did my best to at least go for some variety.

It was nice to have Justin home last week. I was able to go to a yoga class (I’m still sore!) and finally go clothes shopping. I got quite a bit but I still have a few items I need.

This week is back to the normal routine. Plus I have an appointment with my psychologist. And I’m hoping to go to a couple yoga classes. We also have Bible study.

I’ve really been trying to rotate foods and get more variety. Last week my list of vegetables included squash, pumpkin, peas, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, fennel, brussels sprouts, avocado, lettuce, mushrooms, carrots and white beans. Not bad. I honestly think it’s  helping. I know it’s too early to really tell. But overall I think it’s good. And it does help pick out problem foods. I’ve found that I still can’t tolerate my big culprit foods (like onions and carrots). But I have been able to eat small amounts of some foods like nuts, dried fruit and grapes. I still struggle with much fiber in my diet. But I am trying to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Meals this week were tough. I have quite a few prep ahead nights, which limits choices. It doesn’t help that I didn’t start planning until last night 😛  I was so busy all week in the kitchen and keeping up with other writing/posts. So I did my best. I’m sure some things will change as the week goes on.

I’m not sure what my extras will be this week. I really would like to focus some of my energy on sewing. Other possibilities are banana bread, homemade cereal, granola, soaked grahams, Christmas cookies, Oreos and yogurt.

Lastly I wanted to remind everyone to check out Village Green Network. It is a wonderful resource/network for Real Food writers and readers.
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S (prep breakfast and lunch, church, prep smoothies)
  B – banana pineapple yogurt w/ granola, grapes (J), vanilla yogurt w/ mac. nuts, raisins and soaked grahams (M)
  L – turkey shepherd’s pie, sea foam salad, rolls, fennel, avocado
  D – pumpkin pancake and sausage muffins (w/ coconut flour and white rice flour), fresh pineapple, pumpkin pie milkshakes

M (make banana bread, milk, PS, yoga, soak beans)
  B – smoothie, banana bread (J), broccoli and cauliflower w/ hummus (M)
  L – leftover shepherd’s pie (J), salad (M)
  D – (separate/prep ahead) – cp peppercorn steak

T (cook beans, boil egg, prep dinner, KM, make muesli, Dr. V.)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast (J), sauteed kohlrabi and mushrooms w/ avocado and beans, pineapple (M)
  L – shepherd’s pie (J), chicken nuggets w/ honey mustard, sauteed cauliflower (M)
  D – (prep ahead) – bean burrito bake, peas (J), salad (M)

W (make yogurt, bake cookies, PS)
  B – smoothie, banana bread (J), yogurt, blueberries, graham crackers, peas (M)
  L – at work (J),  squash soup, peas, kohlrabit (M)
  D – baked salmon, mashed cauliflower, caramelized brussels sprouts, french fries

Th (prep breakfast, baking w/ Rebecca and Abram – coconut flour bread, yoga)
  B – yogurt, muesli, fruit (J), squash soup, mashed cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, avocado (M)
  L –  peppercorn steak (J), coconut flour bread w/ butter (M)
  D – (separate/prep ahead) – leftover burrito bake, broccoli, peaches

F (prep breakfast, make mayo, sewing, PS, BS)
  B – TBD from freezer (J), sauteed veggies w/ scrambled egg yolks (M)
  L – burritos (J), sauteed veggies, soaked grahams (M)
  D – (easy clean up) – french toast, sausage, beans, fresh fruit

S (clean, shop?)
  B – french toast, sausage (J), smoothie (M)
  L –  spaghetti (J), sauteed veggies/salad (M)
  D – TBD chicken, baked carnival squash

We did it! We survived a week without my husband (in another country no less). I’m so thankful he’s home now. It was a long, busy, sleepless week. But we did it. The kids didn’t kill each other, and I didn’t pull out all my hair 😛  There were plenty of tears, early bedtimes, missed naps and sleepless nights. But we also got to see family, Rebecca lost her first tooth, we had a good check up for Abram, we played at the children’s museum and we baked some delicious treats.

I hope this week will be much more relaxing. Now instead of being on my own Justin will be on vacation all week! Which means I’m going to get some things done…and take some me time. The kids need a little extra Daddy time 🙂

This week is also Thanskgiving. I have one little problem. I have no idea what we’re doing or what we’re eating. Normally I have holiday menus planned out well in advance. But this year it just worked out that we don’t have plans with either side of the family. We might bring dinner to my grandparents. But my grandpa just came home from the hospital. So we’re waiting to find out if that will happen or not…and that will dictate our plans/my menu. If not we’ll probably hold off on our traditional turkey dinner until Friday. We’ll be hosting one of Justin’s co-workers that does not have family in the states. But if we do have our big meal on Thursday then I have to figure out another menu for Friday. So for now I just have a list of options. I’ll fill in the actual menus when we figure out plans…hopefully soon!!

Aside from holiday plans we have quite a bit going on – church, Abram’s 18m check up, yoga (I hope to take at least one class), preschool (only one day!!), Kindermusik, grocery shopping, co-op pick up and hopefully some clothes shopping for myself. We also have 80 lbs. of ground beef ready for pick up. And I still need to get to Heffron Farms.

Last week I tried to keep the kitchen mess to a minimum since it just made more work for me. But we did do some baking. It seems as though Abram has picked up the baking bug 🙂  He is my new helper in the kitchen…and wants to cook or bake all the time. He will hang on the oven door and say “bake, bake.” Or when it’s close to dinner time he’ll stand by the stove and say “dinner, dinner.” If I open the fridge he wants “eggs, crack, crack.” If it were up to him we’d bake twice a day and he’d help with every meal. He pretty much does help me with every dinner now. By which I mean I hold him and do everything one handed and let him help when possible. If I don’t he will hang on my legs and scream. I’m glad my kids love to help in the kitchen at such young ages, but sometimes it is nice to be able to use two hands. So we made ice cream, oreos and cornbread last week. He even helps me with things like mayo. Any time there is a machine that makes noise invovled he has to help. And Abram prompted us to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies yesterday. The funny thing is that he usually won’t touch them. He is not a sweet eater at all. Rebecca could eat half the bowl of dough. Abram won’t even taste it.

So this week I’m not totally sure what’s going on in the kitchen. I know I want to at least make pumpkin pie. Maybe Dutch apple too. I need to make yogurt and vanilla ice cream. The rest will depend on our holiday plans and how much begging Abram does 🙂  I did just get a big Amazon order that included rice flour and coconut flour, so I want to start experimenting with those. I also got rid of my sourdough starter last week. I can’t eat it. And I just wasn’t keeping up with it. I’m sure I’ll make sourdough again sometime, but we’ll take a break for now.

Last week was definitely a week of highs and lows. I had some success with starting to rotate food and with getting a little more direction after writing out my thoughts. But I also had some not so good days (that is part of the process). We did an eval for Rebecca with an OT and I talked to her teacher again. Plus it was overall a rough week for her. It was also hard on me with new information, lots to think about and nobody to talk to about it. I do feel like we are on the right track. But it’s still a long process. We have an appointment with a new psychologist in December that should really help. So I had some rough tummy days due to new foods. But more so I think due to anxiety and stress about concerns and not getting any breaks. It didn’t help that Rebecca had a touch of the flu on Sunday and we all have colds…and haven’t been getting good sleep. We’re kind of a big mess 😛

When meal planning this week I had quite a challenge. Justin will be home all week. So I have to plan lunches for him at home. I’m also really trying to rotate my foods more. I’m not going crazy about it, but I do want to really put more effort into variety and more fruits and vegetables and not eating the same leftovers three days in a row. I want to push my boundaries a bit and keep trying new foods and foods that I sometimes avoid. I have been doing it the last few days and it’s been good. I had a smoothie yesterday. I haven’t made myself a smoothie in a LONG time. So that was a nice treat. I also tried black beans and red onions last week. And found that I still can’t tolerate either. But I tried. I still have a lot of healing to do. Hopefully someday I can tolerate them again. The nice thing is that I didn’t go crazy with them. I tried them in one meal and then stayed away from them for a few days. It made it easy to figure out what the problem food was. I’m also finding that I still need a good portion of carbohydrates and salt in my meals…else I’m freezing cold. Like right now. I may need to have a supplemental breakfast soon 😛

So I tried to be more thorough about meal planning this week. Then I don’t have to think about it (which makes my anxiety way less). And if I have a day I feel really good or really bad I can look at my menu and know what did or didn’t work.

Here are my lunch options. I’ll update my menu as the week goes so I can keep track.
lunch options: salad, yogurt, soup, sauteed veg, hummus, custard, chx nuggets

And finally here is our menu. Happy Thanksgiving!
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S (prep breakfast and lunch, church, make stock, prep smoothies)
  B – yogurt, granola, grapes (J), sauteed cauliflower and tuna, grapes (M)
  L – cp rustic chicken stew (without potatoes and onions), zucchini bread
  D – grilled ham and cheese, corn, caramel milkshakes

M (make yogurt, Dr. S., PS, soak beans, strain kefir)
  B – smoothie, zucchini bread(J), pea soup w/ extra broth, soaked graham crackers (M)
  L – tacos, corn, applesauce (J), pea soup w/ extra broth, soaked graham crackers (M)
  D – (separate/prep ahead) – RR – “egg noodle casserole”, broccoli, garlic toast; broth cooked vegetables (M)

T (skim cream, bake/puree/freeze squash, cook beans, make/freeze hummus, KM, Meijer, co-op)
  B – french toast (J), yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, avocado fries (M)
  L – casserole (J), (M)
  D – squash, sausage and white bean soup, homemade breadsticks

W (chop veggies, HF, roast/debone turkey, make broth, make ice cream, clean bathrooms, yoga, soak flour)
  B – smoothie, english muffin (J), sauteed brussels sprouts, kholrabi, mushrooms and broccoli w/ scrambled egg yolk (M)
  L – ham, cheese and apple toasted sandwich, squash soup (J), sauteed brussels sprouts, kholrabi, mushrooms and broccoli, soaked graham crackers (M)
  D – (separate) – spaghetti, homemade breadsticks, carrots

Th (make pies, prep breakfast, make whipped cream, church, Thanksgiving – bring dinner to grandparents, soak flour, make cream cheese)
  B – pumpkin pancakes (J), pumpkin smoothie (M)
  L – spaghetti (J), salad (M)
  D – roast turkey, mashed potatoes w/ gravy, squash, beans, applesauce, soaked biscuits, pumpkin pie, dutch apple pie

F (cook sweet potatoes, make salad, make rolls, make whipped cream, clean, dinner guest)
  B – egg nog yogurt, soaked biscuits w/ jam (J), sauteed cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms, pumpkin pie (M)
  L – spaghetti (J), squash, beans, broccoli, soaked biscuit w/ butter
  D – brie appetizer; roast turkey in broth gravy, sweet potato casserole, roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts, sea foam salad, rolls, pumpkin pie, Dutch apple pie

S (shopping?)
  B – biscuits w/ jam, banana (J), turkey, broth, squash, beans, brussels sprouts, cauliflower (M)
  L – brie en croute w/ crackers, broccoli and cauliflower, grapes
  D – coconut flour/rice flour pancake and sausage muffins, caramelized brussels sprouts, Leftover turkey, sweet potato casserole, crispy roasted fennel, sea foam salad

Another new week. Another adventure 🙂  That’s my life. Last week our (mostly unplanned) adventures included a trip to the ped (checking for infection for Abram…negative), a day off of school (sad loss at Rebecca’s school), roofers coming unexpectedly (at our house when I came home from grocery shopping…made nap time very interesting and stressful…two days of loud roof work), another trip to the dentist (no need to pull teeth!!), time with my mom on Friday (play time, dinner and Justin’s and my first “date” in 18 months!!…going to Bible study for a couple hours) and more time with my mom on Saturday (shopping for Christmas ornaments, Build-A-Bear and dinner out). What a crazy unplanned week.

In my “spare” time I managed to make yogurt, pesto, smoothies, soaked grahams, cornbread, tapioca pudding, bread pudding, baked/pureed pumpkin and banana bread.
This week…well, it’s pretty packed. This morning we’ll be picking up my mom and my grandma and heading to the hospital to visit my grandpa (recovering from surgery). Monday we have milk pick up, school and a check up for Abram at the ped (no infection last week but still not sure if anything is going on or not…at least we’ve figured out part of his problem is major teething – 2 year molars). Tuesday we have Kindermusik and an evaluation for Rebecca at Family Tree Therapy. Wednesday is school. Thursday we are going to take a trip to the Children’s Museum to play and have a picnic dinner (Rebecca’s request :). Friday we have Mom Break and school. Saturday I might try to make a trip to Heffron Farms (finally). I think that should keep us plenty busy. I’m not sure when my mom is heading home or if we’ll be seeing her more this week.

For meals Rebecca and I decided to do a fun food week/week at Rebecca’s restaurant. She helped pick out almost all of our meals. We’re even having ice cream cones for one meal!…we made homemade cones yesterday and have plenty of homemade ice cream in the freezer 🙂  It should be fun.

Some weeks I have so many things I want to do in the kitchen. This week I don’t have too many plans. Maybe that means I can keep working on my sewing projects. I managed to do one morning of sewing last week. I do think we’ll make a batch of ice cream this week and maybe use it to make ice cream sandwiches. I just baked a bunch of pumpkin yesterday so now I want to make a pumpkin pie. I might do it this week or wait until next week (for Thanksgiving). We could also make vanilla wafers, graham crackers and pretzels. It just depends what Rebecca is in the mood for. Maybe Abram will want to help bake too. Rebecca told me her “recipe” for an ice cream pie yesterday. We might have to give it a try if I can make sense of it.

Not much update on me. Same old, same old. Trying to figure things out. I had so many phone calls and doctor appts. to make for the kids last week that I didn’t have time to call the new doctor for myself. Hopefully this week I can do that to set up an appt.

On to the menu. I think for breakfasts this week I’m just going to have a list of potentials and pick as the week goes on. For take it out Tuesday I’m going for sugar. I think I’ll allow fruit and honey, but nothing else.

Breakfast options – flavored yogurt, milkshakes, smoothies, custard, banana bread, granola bars, fruit, dinner leftovers, cornbread w/ butter and honey or syrup.
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S (prep smoothies, make kefir, visit Grandparents, make pretzels) (sick kid)
  L – ice cream cones, misc. veggies
  D – pumpkin soup (me), buttered noodles, broth, broccoli pretzels

M (strain kefir, prep dinner, clean, milk, PS, shopping, ped)
  D – (easy prep) – mac ‘n’ cheese, carrots

TioT – sugar (prep squash, skim cream, make sc, clean, KM, FT, soak beans)
  D – (easy prep) – ham and olive mini pizza toast (w/ squash crust), beans

W (cook beans, make caramel, make ice cream, PS)
  D – split pea soup w/ ham, corn free corn bread (experiment #2)

Th (GRCM, make cookies, pack lunch, baking – holiday oreos,
  L – (picnic lunch) – ham and cheese sandwich, olives, dried fruit, yogurt
  D – “tuna cakes with salmon sticks”, broccoli

F (chop veggies, MB, PS)
  D – chicken nuggets w/ homemade honey mustard, roasted cauliflower

S (HF, make pumpkin pie?)
  D – TBD

As of 7:00 last night I had no meals planned 😛  But I think I managed to fill in every day now. I was busy last week working on my writing assignments whenever I had a few minutes at the computer (which wasn’t often since Abram had a lot of early mornings) so meal plans got put on hold.

This will be a fairly busy week, but nothing out of the ordinary…aside from voting. If I feel up for it I could make a trip to Heffron Farms and/or to the mall. I’m considering a family shopping trip and dinner at the mall on Saturday. We’ll see.

I ended up being pretty busy in the kitchen last week. I found out part way through the week I had to bring food for Mom Break. So that added a couple extras. I worked my way through the rest of the squash from my FIL…and then Rebecca and I went to the orchard yesterday and bought 12 more! Plus 3 pumpkins. I also made two batches of mayo, ice cream, kefir, toothpaste, deodorant, pudding, hot fudge, breakfast cookies and roasted beets. I tried a new pumpkin custard recipe (recipe/review to come). I went through about 6 dozen eggs last week! Yes, I did a lot of cooking/baking 😛

I have a long list of things I might do this week. But then again I might scrap most of it and finally spend some time sewing. We’ll see how I feel. My list of maybes: yogurt, smoothies, kefir, pesto, bake/freeze pumpkin/squash, roast beets, bake blueberry pie (a homemade pie that’s been in my freezer forever), graham crackers (soaked and regular), ice cream cones, pretzels, popcorn, vanilla wafers.

I’ve been up and down. Just when I think I’m finally figuring something out…then I read something else that contradicts it. I had a whole post forming in my head for an update…but now I’m not sure. I might still do the post, but I have a lot of questions. I think it’s time to make an appointment with a new doctor and have some real testing done. I’m so sick of the guessing game. The time change is definitely not doing me any favors either. Nor is having Halloween candy in the house 😛

I started my probiotic again last week. I haven’t taken one in a while. We’ll see what that does. I was pretty good about eating lots of broth last week. You’d think that I’d be feeling great from it…but any time I do something good for my body I go through more die off and feel worse. It’s tough (more on that in the future update post).

I did more research on histamine intolerance. I also read about using a rotational diet to avoid deficiencies and avoid creating sensitivities. One more thing to think about.

After our trip to the orchard yesterday I gave in and had a fresh apple for lunch…just to see how it would go/if my body has changed. I can say that I definitely still can’t tolerate apples 🙁  I had almost an instant reaction. I don’t care to bring back those old feelings of years ago when I ate apples (and some of my other major intolerances) almost daily.

I had a good appointment with my psychologist…which is leading to yet another new doctor. I know it’s helpful, but I’m sick of all of these doctor appointments. Hopefully soon we’ll have more clear direction about both myself and Rebecca and we can get on with treatment/healing instead of doctors and guessing. I do my best to research and experiment on my own. But sometimes you just need help from people that have more expertise.

On to the menu. For our Take It Out Tuesday I’m doing packaged foods/soy. This may sound strange from someone that is all about homemade foods. But it is pretty common to at least once in a while grab something out of a box or bag. Maybe a few organic crackers when we’re in a rush and need a snack. Or a few chocolate chips (with soy) added to a breakfast cookie. We don’t consume a lot for sure. But I want to have a day that is absolutely free of any of it. Only homemade whole foods.

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S (prep lunch, make pesto, make smoothies, church, orchestra concert, pm church, bake blueberry pie, soak beans, soak flour, make kefir)
  B – breakfast cookies, pumpkin custard
  L – cp beef tenderloin, carrots and peppers, pesto rice
  D (separate) – leftover burgers, leftover chicken nuggets, leftover sweet potato fries, peas, milkshakes

M (cook beans, make graham crackers, strain kefir, milk, pediatrician, PS)
  B – smoothie, breakfast cookies
  D – white chicken chili, corn free cornbread (experiment)

Take It Out Tuesday – packaged food/soy (cook sweet potatoes, make yogurt, prep breakfast, vote, KM, make popcorn)
  B – strawberry lemonade yogurt, granola, grapes
  D – honey glazed pork chops, sweet potato casserole, beans

W (prep squash, bake/freeze squash, roast beets, Meijer, PS)
  B – smoothie, TBD from freezer
  D – hot dogs, squash fries, custard

Th (sewing, HF?, dentist, bake w/ Rebecca – ice cream cones, vanilla wafers or graham crackers)
  B – granola bar, banana, yogurt
  D – beef and broccoli stir fry over rice

F (sewing?, make breakfast, PS, Bible study?/mom over)
  B – tapioca pudding, fruit
  D (easy clean up) – squash egg puffs, bread pudding, peas

S (bake/freeze pumpkin, shopping?, make pretzels?)
  B – bread pudding, fruit
  D – pumpkin soup, pretzels or shopping/out to eat