Good morning. Today is one of “those” days…Abram up before 6 am. He’s munching on cheese, showing me his latest dance moves right now 😛  We’ll see how long this lasts. A couple of off mornings for us since I way overslept two days in a row 😛  I guess I need some extra sleep.

Last week was a very busy week in the kitchen with lots of new treats and plenty of other stuff. We also had lots of errands, had Abram’s iron levels checked (hate to see little ones get a blood draw), got the kids’ pictures taken and spent plenty of time playing outside and swimming in the pool.

This week was going to be quite busy. Rebecca was supposed to start a dance class. But they called yesterday saying they had to move it to a different time…so we had to cancel. It doesn’t work in our schedule now. Bummer. We’ll have to find another dance class sometime. The week will still be plenty busy, but meal planning will be easier since I won’t need quite so many prep ahead meals. Today is church. Monday we have a playdate (an ice cream making playdate:) in the afternoon. Tuesday is farmer’s market. Saturday we have an extended family get-together. That’s all we have planned. We might go strawberry picking one afternoon. And we’ll see if the kids feel like going somewhere – zoo, playground, library, children’s museum, etc. Rebecca and I didn’t go mini golfing yesterday because she wanted to play in the pool instead. Maybe we’ll go this week sometime.

Looks like it’ll be another busy week in the kitchen. I always have more that I want to make than I have the time to make it. I have a couple cookie remakes I want to try. I also have one more recipe that was in my “to try” pile for years. It’s a chocolate ganache cake. I still have a little rhubarb to use up. I will need to make a fresh batch of yogurt and possibly pesto and mayo. I also have to bring a dish to pass on Saturday. I need to figure out what yet. We’ll be making ice cream with friends tomorrow. I might use the rest of our cream to make a new batches of ice cream toppings (chocolate, butterscotch, caramel). For meals I want to keep working on using some freezer foods. We will also have another Rebecca recipe…probably some kind of variation on chicken strips. She seems to be a big fan of foods that you can dip, especially anything you can dip in our homemade honey mustard.

I had a pretty up and down week last week. Too many cheats on bad stuff 😛  At least I’m learning what my body really can’t handle right now. I got to try a hoola hooping class. It was a blast! I’m considering buying a hoop (they are weighted…much different than kids’ hoops). It is a great way to workout/tone your body in a short amount of time without actually feeling like you’re working out. It’s so much fun. I also learned another important part of my mental issues with food. I have a hard time stopping eating if there is more food. If I eat ice cream I know there is more. When I finish what I served myself I know I can get seconds, thirds,…my body has a distorted sense of hungry and full. I just go on taste…it tastes good…I want more. Even with my meals, if I can get seconds of something I want it. When I’m cleaning up dinner I keep eating until it’s out of sight/put away. I end up eating way more than I need. On the other hand, if I make myself something that is a single serving (a sandwich for example), when I’m done I’m totally satisfied. I can’t go grab another bite or two or three. So I don’t even think about it. I don’t like that how much I eat has to be dictated by my thoughts at this point. But I don’t know what my true hunger and fullness are. My brain has a starve/binge mentality. It’s not healthy. But I’m not sure how to get rid of it. Maybe I need to eat more single serving type foods so that I can try to retrain my brain and not be in the habit of always getting additional helpings. I have another experiment that I want to try this week. I started it last week but didn’t have time to do it fully. I think it will also help with my mental issues about eating enough food. I’ll update next week. Hopefully this will be a better week overall for me.

Here’s what’s on the menu this week. It might change depending on our activities. And some sides might change depending on what we find at the market.
—–
S (prep lunch, church, prep smoothies)
  B – yogurt, granola, banana
  L – cp honey mustard chx w/ vegetables
  D – cobb style rice bowls, strawberry milkshakes

M (prep dinner, playdate, make ice cream)
  B – smoothie, banana bread
  D – (prep ahead) – cp ribs, mashed potatoes, beans

T (skim cream, make graham crackers, cookie remake, FM, strawberry picking dance)
  B – yogurt, peach bread
  D – (prep ahead) – avocado salmon tuna salad sandwiches w/ bacon, strawberries

W (freeze strawberries, roast beets, make cake, make cream pops)
  B – smoothie, banana bread
  D – Rebecca’s recipe – “cheese chicken nuggets w/ honey mustard, lettuce dipped in honey mustard, peas, strawberry milkshakes”

Th (dance make yogurt, make mayo, make butterscotch, freeze strawberries)
  B – smoothie, toast, bacon
  D – (prep ahead) – fish sticks, potato wedges, broccoli / cucumber, avocado
F (boil eggs, make pesto, prep dinner, make fruit leather)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit
  D – deviled eggs, salad, scones or bread pudding

S (clean, make strawberry rhubarb pie, make fruit salad, VH party)
  B – TBD
  L – picnic
  D – grill TBD?

June is here. That means farmer’s market!!! I’m very excited that we can start our weekly walks to the local market this week. It will be so nice to have some fresh produce. But it also means my kitchen will be getting busier soon with preservation. In order to prepare we defrosted both freezers last week. I just got the second one reorganized this morning. It sure feels good to have that done. It’s amazing how much more space it feels like we have in the freezers now that the ice is gone and things are organized. It’s also a great way to see what we have and what needs to be used. I’ll be working on using up some things this week.

Our week isn’t too busy at this point, but we could add in a few activities. Today is church. Monday we are having some insulation work done. We might need to be out of the house for a bit, but I haven’t decided if/where we’ll go. Monday evening I will be having dinner at church with the nursery cmt. Then I’m done with my term. Tuesday is farmer’s market. Wednesday is Meijer. Friday I might go to a hooping class. Saturday we are going to try to get the kids’ pictures taken. And Rebecca and I might go mini golfing. We’ll see what the weather is like. We could have a playdate this week (still waiting to hear on that). I need to get Abram’s iron levels checked, so we might do that. I also need to do some gift shopping soon. We’ll just see how the week goes.

I’m not sure what all of my food work will be this week…depends what I find at the market. I think there will be some strawberries already. But I probably won’t stock up yet in case we decided to go picking. I have to make a dessert for the dinner tomorrow. I want to make a new batch of chicken broth (I’m eating it daily and I can get a few things out of my freezer 🙂  I have some milk and eggs to use up. I’ll take care of some of that with the nursery cmt dessert. Other than that I’ll try to use them in meals. I might need to make yogurt. Depends how much we use this week. I would like to make sourdough english muffins and ice cream. I also might try making thin mint cookies.

No major updates for me. I’m working on finding balance. It doesn’t mean that every day is great, but I have already noticed a general change in my attitude/anxiety. Even when I don’t feel my best I’m not so anxious about it. I’m trying to be more calm and relaxed and positive, especially with my family. I also met with my yoga instructor and got some great tips on things I can do for my tummy and to relax. I learned some fascinating information about certain parts of the body. It’s the first time I’ve ever had someone tell me about things I’ve been feeling for years that I thought were so odd…but assumed it was just my messed up body and that nobody else experienced it. But she explained it without me even mentioning what I feel! So it’s not just me. It is a real issue that can be addressed. I’ve never even had a doctor that did that. I’m hopeful that this will be one more step/tool on my journey to feeling better.

Here’s what’s on the menu. I’m trying to use up some freezer food and try a few new recipes (I did some cleaning last week and found a stack of recipes that I’ve wanted to try…that’s been sitting there for years!). I’m also going to let Rebecca plan one of our meals. So far she’s been talking about some ideas with hot dogs. We’ll see 🙂
—————
S (organize freezer, prep lunch, church, prep smoothies)
  B – french toast bake, lemon yogurt
  L – cp ham and carrots, pesto pasta
  D – leftover chicken black bean soup, grilled cheese / garlic toast w/ lettuce, avocado and fried egg

M (make dessert, milk pick up, insulation, nursery cmt dinner)
  B – smoothie, peach coffee cake (from freezer)
  D – burritos (from freezer) / pizza dinner at church

T (skim cream, make broth, make sour cream, fm!)
  B – yogurt, blueberry muffins (from freezer)
  D – ham and peas casserole, beans, pears

W (strain/freeze broth, prep dinner, make pesto, make honey mustard, Meijer, make ice cream, strain kefir)
  B – smoothie, TBD from freezer
  D – pea soup, soaked soft pretzels (from freezer)

Th (make thin mints, make strawberry rhubarb dessert)
  B – yogurt, TBD from freezer
  D – Rebecca’s recipe – hot dog dippers, beans, peppers, garlic toast

F (make english muffins, hooping)
  B – cereal w/ milk, banana
  D – fried egg and bacon sandwiches on sd english muffins, beans, fruit else TBD (if I go to the hooping class)

S (clean, pictures, mommy/daughter date?)
  B – sd english muffin else TBD
  D – cobb style rice bowls else fried egg and bacon sandwiches on sd english muffins, beans, fruit

Thank you to all those that have served and those that still do serve our country! Happy Memorial Day (weekend).

It’s unofficially the start of summer…and it sure feels like it! It’s supposed to be in the 90’s for the next couple days. Back to trying to plan my kitchen work based on the weather forecast 😛

Last week I ended up doing more than I had expected in the kitchen. I made butterscotch pudding, kefir, soaked graham crackers, soaked bread, sour cream, 2 batches of ice cream (vanilla and chocolate), sd bread, yogurt, granola bars (modified them by grinding the oats…really seems to help Rebecca with the chewing/texture issues with oats), pesto, mayo, cupcakes (I had lots of frosting to use up from birthday cakes) and chicken broth. It kept me busy, but it sure was tasty 🙂  We also finally managed to run all of our errands – Meijer, Heffron Farms and Target.

This week won’t be quite as busy I don’t think. Today is church. Monday Justin has vacation. We might go to the local parade. I have to get milk. Wednesday I am going to try hot yoga. I’m sure it will be quite challenging, but hopefully fun too. Friday I am meeting one-on-one with my yoga instructor to talk about some specific stuff for me. That’s it for now. I might try to get to the library one day. Rebecca could use some new books. I might try to set up a playdate or two. And Rebecca and I have not done a May mommy/daughter date yet! The one I was trying to plan fell through. So we’ll see if I can come up with something this week yet.

I would like to do some baking this week if possible. It’ll have to be first thing the morning when it’s still cool. I would like to make a new batch of cereal, soaked graham crackers and caramel. I might experiment with toddler snacks (for the never ending dilemma…what do we feed Abram that he won’t immediately spit out?) and modified oat snacks (I’m experimenting with recipes that have oats to either make them oat free or use ground oats so that Rebecca can chew them better). I have some food planning to do for next week. I’ll need a dessert for a church event, and I need to coordinate food with my sister for a girls day for my SIL next week. I will also have to start thinking about food preservation soon…the farmer’s market finally starts next week!! We should really defrost at least one of our freezers before restocking. So maybe I’ll try to do it this week.

I’m trying to hit the reset button right now 😛  My inflammation has really flared the last couple days…which means weight gain, drop in temps/lower metabolism, moodiness (every little thing bugs me…I apologize to my family!), acne and poor digestion. It’s from a combo of lack of sleep (a couple rough nights with Abram) and diet. I had a few too many nuts, too much fiber/raw veggies, too much wheat and too much pork/chicken fat/meat in a short amount of time. I still really struggle with moderation and balance. If I make something that I really like I have a hard time controlling my portions. I’m sure that making two batches of ice cream and cupcakes didn’t help either. Now I need to get back on track and really try to keep things balanced. I’ve had so many years and diets of restrictions. Now I have a hard time not going overboard when I am “allowed” to eat the things I really like. I can’t tell my body that I don’t have to binge on something… I will be able to eat it again. I don’t have to pig out now. Once I start eating it’s hard to stop. It’s definitely part of the eating disorder/mental issues I’ve struggled with for years (started in high school). It’s a starve/binge mentality that is soooo unhealthy. It’s not something that I do consciously anymore (I’m not trying to under or over eat). But it’s hard to rewire your brain. But I have to. I think that will have one of the biggest impacts on my health. If I can train my brain what moderation means I won’t have so many ups and downs. Lately I’m always on this roller coaster of having a few good days then going overboard with something. Then I have to recover. Then it starts over. I think that will be one of my main goals next month…but it sure won’t hurt to start now! So for now I need to stick to my basics – chicken broth, soft/pureed veggies (pumpkin, squash, well cooked beans, peas, etc.), soft fruits (pears, blueberries), healthy fats, light proteins (eggs, dairy, chicken) and some soaked wheat products. I have to balance the wheat with other stuff, but I do need some. If I eat totally grain/starch free then my colon gets spastic. There isn’t anything to soak up liquids, etc. Again, it’s all about balance. That’s where I’m at. In some ways I feel like I’m really figuring things out. In some ways I’m still totally confused. I need balance/moderation and shifting my focus from food to other stuff. I still have a lot of psychological food issues to get past (things that I know now aren’t true/aren’t healthy but seem to be hard wired in my brain now). I am trusting that God is in control and he has a plan. He can heal my mind and body.

I hadn’t really intended to even do an update on myself. But I guess I had some stuff in my head that I needed to get out 🙂  And it really helps me to move on when I can write it out/organize my thoughts. So hopefully this week will be a better one now that I have more direction.

Here’s what’s on the menu for now. I may have to be creative with side dishes. I just realized I only have two potatoes left and no rice…and I won’t be going to the store until next week. I discovered yesterday that the rice in my cupboard is not good. I’ve had issues with it cooking the last couple times I used it. Last night it took 2 1/2 hours for it to absorb liquid/get soft. So I tossed the rest. I think I have some couscous, quinoa, arborio rice and pasta. Maybe this will force me to be a bit more creative 🙂  I might also be adding salads to some meals since we are now getting lettuce from our garden! Rebecca was so excited to eat a salad with lettuce from her own little garden yesterday. Want your kids to eat fresh veggies? Let them grow their own 🙂
—————-
S (prep breakfast, strain/freeze chicken broth, prep lunch, boil eggs, church, prep smoothies, soak flour, freeze butter beach)
  B – strawberry yogurt, granola, banana
  L – cp pork steak with carrots and rice
  D – picnic at the beach – egg salad sandwiches, chips, grapes, avocado, banana milkshakes, sauteed zucchini and mushrooms, corn, chips

M (make cereal, make graham crackers, soak flour, parade, milk, prep smoothies, strain kefir)
  B – smoothie, TBD from freezer (in the car) – breakfast cake, grapes
  D – grilled steak, grilled asparagus, warm potato salad / grilled zucchini and mushroom warm salad

T (make cereal, make graham crackers, skim cream, make caramel sauce)
  B – cereal w/ milk, fruit maple pecan scones, smoothie
  D – chicken nuggets, chips, peas, russian custard w/ strawberries

W (make yogurt, yoga)
  B – smoothie, TBD from freezer cereal w/ milk
  D – (prep ahead) – cp roast beef and veggies
Th (soak beans, make baby snacks, make Rebecca’s recipe, soak bread)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit
  D – salmon cakes, squash, fruit

F (bake breakfast, prep dinner, yoga)
  B – overnight french toast bake
  D – (prep ahead) – cp salsa chicken and black bean soup

S (clean)
  B – overnight french toast bake
  D – baked egg puffs, beans, fruit, toast

We’re into the second half of May already. And warm weather is finally back! We’ve been trying to get outside often and enjoy it. So far Abram LOVES being outside. But Rebecca usually requires some convincing. She’s not a fan of bugs 😛  Abram sits by the door saying “socks”…what he calls shoes…and banging on the door. I have a feeling we’ll be spending a lot of time outside this summer. We also did our first wagon ride of the year…first time for Abram. I learned that I am going to get quite a workout on our weekly walks to the farmer’s market this summer with a wagon, 2 kids and lots of produce.

This week will probably be pretty busy. But some plans are not set in stone yet. Today is church. I didn’t get to Heffron Farms last week, so I’d like to go this week. Maybe Monday or Tuesday. Monday evening is my last nursery cmt meeting. My term is over in June 🙂  Wednesday is Meijer and co-op pick up. I also might take the kids to a varsity soccer game at the local high school. Thursday I’d like to take yoga. We’ll see how the week goes. Friday I might be heading to Lansing or Flint for a girl’s day for my SIL. But I haven’t heard of definite plans yet. No plans for the holiday weekend at this point.

Last week was my sleep challenge. I did get more sleep. And I do feel more rested. But I also know that one week of a little more sleep is not going to change my health that much. There weren’t any noticeable differences aside from not feeling as tired 😛  I will still try to get more sleep when I can. But this week is back to getting stuff done 🙂

Since I didn’t do much extra baking, etc. last week I have a lot I’d like to get done this week. I want to make pudding, bread, graham crackers, some type of sourdough bread, granola bars and chicken broth.

I’m not really sure what to say about myself. My colon seems to have gone into spastic mode over the last week or so. I don’t know what caused it or how to make it stop. So I’m still doing lots of experimenting and reading. It’s all very confusing. I have started keeping a food journal to see if I can pinpoint anything. In the end I don’t think it’s any one particular thing I did or ate. I’m finding that my body just needs variety. I tend to find something that seems to “work” for a few days…and then keep eating the same stuff day after day. Then things get worse again and I’m confused. I seem to do better if I don’t go overboard on any one thing and if I keep changing it up every few days. I go a few days with eating lots of soft, low fiber foods. Then I go a couple days with bumping up fiber. And back. This seems to keep things calm, yet stimulated. I can’t just do one or the other. I need balance. It’s easier to eat the same things day after day. But my body doesn’t like to do that I guess. So I was avoiding much fiber for a bit. Then the last couple days I’ve had salad, nuts, dried fruit, etc. Gotta keep my body guessing 😛  I hope that will help. No extremes (I was going a bit crazy with the ice cream again…my favorite food and the one I have the one hardest time with portion control). Lots of variety. Hopefully this will keep everything balanced and allow me to not feel like I have to give up any food I love. Just because I have to take it easy with something for a few days or weeks doesn’t mean it’s out of my diet forever. Things are constantly changing…and so should my diet.

One other thing that stood out to me this week was that I need to not always be waiting to feel better. I need to live life to the fullest where I’m at as much as I can. I may never reach my ideal of feeling good/being healthy. I may never be “healed.” I hope to figure out how best to control my symptoms, but ultimately I just want to live. Live for God. Live for my family. Not make myself such a focus. Kelly the Kitchen Kop did a post yesterday about health in the US. And one thing she said really made me think:

“I also have a hunch that for some who have been sick for years and years, their body chemistry and hormones are so screwed up that even if they are doing everything right, it still might be nearly impossible to “reset” themselves. All the chemicals and weird stuff in our food, not to mention the huge number of pharmaceuticals many are taking, that has to make any effort at getting healthy much more difficult, right? I’m curious if any of you are with me on this one. Obviously, this isn’t the case for everyone, because I hear stories all the time of people who have been sick and/or overweight their whole lives, and then when they go back to Real Food and a more natural lifestyle, they get better. But I also know of some who, try as they might, just can’t get their body back.”

I eat a very nourishing real food diet. I try to do everything “right.” I put in the effort 10x over to figure out what’s healthy and what works for me. But I just might never get back to square one. I have to be ok with that and accept myself where I’m at. It doesn’t mean I should be ok with always feeling rotten. I will continue to try to figure things out and live the best life possible. But I also shouldn’t let it limit my life and always wait until I’m “healed” to do the things I want to do.

Anyway, when I have a little more clear direction I’ll do a bigger update post about diet, etc. For now, it is what it is. On to the menu for this week.
————————————
S (prep lunch, church, prep smoothies, grind flour, make pudding)
  B – yogurt, granola, honeydew
  L – cp pork chops, potatoes and carrots / TBD
  D – leftover lasagna / fresh pea soup pumpkin cake w/ pesto

M (soak flour, prep dinner, Heffron, nursery cmt, strain kefir)
  B – smoothie, date scones (from freezer)
  D – (early) – cp honey mustard chicken and veggies

T (make graham crackers, make bread, skim cream, make sour cream, Meijer)
  B – sd english muffin, fruit
  D – bacon, avocado, pesto, parmesan paninis, roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts, fruit

W (make sd sweet bread/feed sd, make yogurt, Heffron, soccer, co-op)
   B – smoothie, muffins (from freezer)
   D – (separate/prep ahead) – potato soup w/ bacon and cheese, sd bread / salad

Th (make granola bars, make ice cream, yoga)
  B – toast w/ pb, fruit
  D – tacos

F (Girl’s Day? make pesto, make mayo, freeze butter, make cupcakes, make ice cream)
   B – granola bars, yogurt, fruit
   D – zucchini sausage muffins (modified), peas, fruit

S (clean, make broth)
  B – zucchini sausage muffins, fruit
  D –  roasted chicken, scalloped potatoes, beans

Happy Mother’s Day! I guess Abram hasn’t quite learned what that is yet (this is his first one…he was born the day after Mother’s Day last year)…he’s already up 🙁  He’s been sleeping a lot better/longer lately. But today he has a different idea. Maybe he’s decided that now that he’s one he doesn’t need as much sleep 😛

We celebrated Abram’s birthday last week. It’s hard to belive I’m now a mom to a 4 year old and one year old!

This week is my sleep challenge. I’m hoping to minimize my house and kitchen work and get more sleep. I’ll update next week on how it went. I’m hoping it goes well and will have a noticeable impact on how I feel. Friday night I got a long stretch of uninterrupted sleep…and Saturday morning I felt well rested and my temps were higher than I’ve ever seen for a morning temp. So I’m hopeful for some improvement with sleep.

I got a fair amount of cleaning/organizing done last week. That helps things seem less chaotic around here. But there is plenty more to go.
This week we start to slow down a bit now that our regular activities are done. Today is church. Monday is milk pick up. Tuesday I might run to Heffron Farms. Wednesday Abram has his one year check up. Saturday morning is our last day of soccer. Those are the definite plans. I might go to yoga on Monday or Thursday. And my parents might be coming one day.

I am minimizing work, but I do still have to feed my family 🙂  Justin also needs a dessert for work one day. So my extras for now are grinding flour and making blueberry jubilee, sour cream, ice cream and sourdough breakfast cookies.

I continue to experiment with my diet. It’s getting easier to pinpoint specific things and how they impact me. I learned last week that even small amounts of starches/fillers really bother me. I ate ice cream for a few days last week. I mostly eat homemade. But I go through it quickly, so I also had some Breyers “natural” vanilla. I thought that wasn’t too bad. But it has tara gum. And it does not work for me. I’m also finding that I am quite sensitive to gassy veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts). It doesn’t mean I can’t eat them at all. I just have to make sure I eat plenty of “safe” food with them and not eat large amounts. Last night’s dinner was steak, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. I could be in for a rough day today 😛  I still have some experimenting to do. At some point I hope to do a diet/health update post with all of the things I’m learning. I did have a good check up with my surgeon. The issue I went for last month has healed. But aside from that he didn’t have any advice. I was actually quite disheartened when I asked him about gut flora/bacteria/probiotics…and he asked if I’ve tried Activia. Seriously?? I wouldn’t touch that stuff. Artificial sweeteners and chemicals are not going to help me feel better. I might go for a colonoscopy at some point yet. But I’m holding off at the moment. On the plus side I am going to meet one-on-one with my yoga instructor to get some pointers on things to try.

One other exciting thing this past week is that I am now a regular contributor at Real Food and Health magazine! I will be contributing articles to each issue. I am enjoying these new opportunities to write and share my real food knowledge.

That’s all for this week. Happy Mother’s Day. Happy sleeping. Here’s what’s on the menu.
—————————-
S (prep lunch, church, Mother’s Day, prep smoothies, grind flour)
  B  – peach yogurt, granola, honeydew
  L – cp ham and carrots, roasted potato wedges
  D – mini ham pizzas / GAPS croque madame

M (milk)
  B – smoothie, sd muffins (from freezer)
  D – sweet and sour beef and veggie stir fry over rice

T (skim cream, make sour cream, make ice cream, make jubilee)
  B – granola w/ milk, banana
  D – hot dog fries, peas, chips, fruit

W (boil eggs, Dr. S., make ice cream)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast
  D – spaghetti, corn, garlic bread / leftover hot dog fries

Th (make breakfast cookies, heffron?, family over)
  B – sd breakfast cookies, smoothie
  D – sloppy joes, beans, fruit quiche w/ soaked crust (from freezer), beans, fruit, tbd bread/muffins

F (clean, heffron?)
  B – sd breakfast cookies, fruit
  D – quiche w/ soaked crust (from freezer), peas, tbd muffins (from freezer) sloppy joes, peas, fruit

S (clean, soccer)
  B – quiche, fruit
  D – fish sticks, beans, chips, fruit

April showers bring May flowers…oh wait, we already saw all the flowers bloom in April and we’ve had tons of rain already in May. More crazy Michigan weather with lots of wind, followed by a couple of hot days, then back to rain and cold. Hopefully normal spring will arrive soon.

Another busy week here. The biggest event of the week…my baby turns one!! I can’t believe it’s been a year since Abram was born. We’ll be celebrating as a family on Wednesday. After this week things should slow down a little. Today is church. Monday is my check up with my surgeon. Tuesday is Kindermusik (last class this semester!) and voting. Wednesday is groceries and celebrating Abram’s birthday. Thursday I have yoga. Friday is MOPS (last meeting this year!). Saturday is soccer. There is also a Lego event at the library that Rebecca and Justin might attend. We could also go to Tulip Time. There is also a chance my parents will come out on Friday to celebrate Abram’s birthday. Lots of potentials at the moment.

Plenty to keep me busy in the kitchen this week. I baked Abram’s cake last week. This week I have to decorate it. I also have to make some kind of bread or muffin for our MOPS meeting on Friday. I might try experimenting with some homemade toddler snacks. I also need to make yogurt, kefir, mayo, sour cream, ice cream and grind flour. Aside from food I want to make some thank yous for the MOPS volunteers in Rebecca’s class. I would also like to continue some thorough house cleaning. I got a little done yesterday. But there is plenty more to go.

Last week started out quite rough. But with some diet changes things improved quite a bit by the end of the week. I think I may have finally figured out part of the root issue as I mentioned in my goals – inflammation. At this point it seems as though some of the major contributors are grains, nuts, fiber and PUFAs. So those are very limited in my diet right now. I have to focus on what is calming and easily digested. I found more great info regarding this. And it reminded me of just how great broth/stock/gelatin is for healing and nourishing. So I’m trying to add that back to my diet regularly again. I may have to make a new batch of stock soon. I don’t have a ton in the freezer. One other interesting thing I read was about how digestion actually works…that you need some sugar to help with digestion. An easy to remember phrase is “root plus fruit.” Eat fruit with starchy food to help digest them. And focus on root vegetables instead of fibrous vegetables. I also have to focus on easily digested sources of protein – broth, eggs and dairy. I’ve been eating a lot more sour cream and yogurt again, mixed with some fruit. It seems to be working well so far. Hopefully I can get things calmed again and when I think I’m ready start adding foods back in very gradually. I don’t know what my diet will be like long term. I’m just taking things one day at a time and doing what works at the moment. I’m trying to enjoy the good days when they come. As a side note, since I’ve cut way back on the inflammatory foods I feel like I deflated 😛  The puffy/bloated feeilng is gone. And…my weight is down 1 1/2 lbs. since last week! Crazy.

I am also reading more and more about the importance of sleep. I’m hoping to do a sleep challenge for myself in the next week or two…plan my week so that I don’t have much “extra” stuff to do and focus on getting to bed early and sleeping later (as much as my children will allow :P). My OCD makes this difficult, but I’m trying to push myself a little. I figure if what I’m doing isn’t working it can’t hurt to try something new, right?

Finally I had my first two yoga classes last week. I think I’m hooked 🙂  I LOVED it. I hope to make this a regular part of my life. I don’t know how often I’ll be able to take classes. But I hope at least once in a while. I need to get some good videos as well so I can do it at home. The classes were so relaxing and yet challenging. It was so nice to have an hour of quiet and time to myself. What a treat. I’m thankful that Justin is willing to watch the kids while I go. I think it is very good for me mentally.

On to the menu. I’m trying to plan with a new challenge now…making plenty of food that Abram can eat. So far he seems to be a cheese and chicken lover. Meals at the end of the week might change depending on whether or not my parents come and what we end up doing on Saturday.
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S (prep lunch, make yogurt, church, make mayo, grind flour, prep smoothies, boil eggs, strain kefir)
  B – leftover pb honey stuffed french toast
  L – cp meatloaf, potatoes and carrots
  D – avocado cheddar omelet, peas, fruit

M (prep dinner, clean, make snacks, Dr. L.)
  B – sd english muffin, fruit
  D – (prep ahead) – squash soup, bread

T (crumb coat/frost cake, skim cream, make sour cream KM, vote)
  B – chewy granola bar, smoothie
  D – pan seared salmon, cheesy potatoes, beans

W (decorate cake, Meijer, Abram’s birthday, make ice cream,  make kefir)
  B – breakfast cookie, smoothie
  D – (prep ahead) – chicken, squash (all food that Abram loves :), asparagus, pears
  des – birthday cake and homemade ice cream

Th (prep dinner, feed sd, bake for MOPS, roast beets, make thank yous, make ice cream, yoga, strain kefir)
  B – yogurt, granola, grapefruit
  D – (separate/snack for me) – chili, cornbread

F (make yogurt, bake scones and muffins, MOPS – bring sd/kefir grains)
  B – tbd
  D – scrambled eggs, cornbread w/ syrup, broccoli

S (clean, soccer, Lego event?, Tulip Time?)
  B – cornbread w/ syrup, fruit
  D – grilled steak, roasted veggies

Almost the end of another month. I’m ready for May…and the return of warmer weather. It’s been so windy and chilly lately. We’re all anxious to spend more time outside.

This week will be fairly busy. Today is church. Monday I have milk pick up. I am also going to do something new…a yoga class!! A new studio just opened by our house. I’ve been wanting to try yoga for a long time. I’m very excited. Tuesday is Kindermusik. Then Saturday is soccer and possibly Tulip Time. There are no set plans for W/Th/F yet. But there is a chance my MOPS table could have a dinner outing. And I might go to Harvest Health and Target. I could also do another yoga class on Thursday if I really like it on Monday. I purchased a 2 week pass. We’ll just see how the week goes.

I’m hoping to do some sewing this week since I don’t have too many other things to get done. I’d like to make some sourdough muffins, ice cream and pesto. I also need to reorganize our bookshelf. Abram can now reach the 3rd shelf…which contains all of Rebecca’s books. Time to move things up again 😛  I also need to plan Abram’s cake! I can’t believe he’s going to be one next week!! My baby is growing up so quickly. I need to figure out what kind of cake I’m making and possibly do the baking this week.

I don’t have too many updates on myself. I’m still doing a lot of searching and guessing. I had a few rough days recently. I’m wondering if it’s wheat (I ate a lot of sourdough bread last week). So back to cutting back on wheat and seeing what happens. I’m researching the role of fiber in your diet…it might actually be what’s causing me trouble instead of helping. I may need a low fiber diet temporarily to stop the irritation and inflammation. I’m also looking into other vitamin/mineral deficiencies and what role they play. I have a pretty solid list of foods I just can’t eat…but is it because my body can’t digest them or is it because there is something in them I’m missing and my body holds on to them to squeeze out every last bit of it? If so, would it help if I ate more of my “trouble” foods? I still enjoy reading Matt Stones work on 180 Degree Health. But after 4 months of RRARFing (to the extent I’m able) and over 10 lbs. later with no big change in my temps I’m taking it easy on RRARFing. I can’t fully commit to it right now since I can’t get the sleep, rest, etc. I need. And breastfeeding is draining on the body as well. So why gain the weight if it’s not going to help right now? I’m still making sure I eat enough, but I’m not pushing myself to eat more. I’m also trying to get a good balance of protein, carbs and fat. I’m thinking somewhere around 20/40/40 is a good ratio for me. So much information to process. So many different opinions. It’s hard to figure out what works for me. I go back to my surgeon next week. We’ll see what he says.

That’s all for now. Here’s what’s on the menu.
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S (prep lunch, church, meeting, boil eggs, prep smoothies, chop veggies, grind flour, make pesto)
  B – sd pancakes w/ butter and syrup
  L – cp split pea soup, soaked bread
  D – leftover beef stroganoff / salad

M (prep breakfast and dinner, milk, bake banana bread, yoga)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast banana caramel boats, yogurt
  D – (separate/snack for me) – chop suey, peas, banana bread peaches

T (skim cream, chop veggies, KM, feed sd, prep smoothies)
  B – smoothie, breakfast cookie (from freezer) banana bread, orange
  D – pan fried white fish, brown rice pilaf, roasted brussels sprouts

W (make muffins, HH, make ice cream)
  B – sd muffins, smoothie
  D – leftover chop suey / salad chicken cutlets, baked french fries, beans

Th (bake cake, yoga)
  B – sd muffins, smoothie
  D – (separate/snack for me) – chicken cutlets, roasted brussels sprouts, baked potato OR crockpot bbq ribs, baked potato, broccoli (if I go to yoga)

F (clean, Whitecaps game)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit
  D – french toast, fresh fruit / salad at baseball game

S (soccer, Tulip Time?)
  B – french toast
  D – pizza balls / salad grill/TBD

We made it through another busy week. We had fun celebrating Rebecca’s birthday and spending time with family. My in-laws are still here, but will be heading home later today.

This week shouldn’t be quite as busy, but still plenty going on. Today is church. Monday is milk pick up. Tuesday is Kindermusik. Wednesday is Meijer and co-op pick up. Thursday Rebecca and I are going out for dinner with my grandma. That is our mommy/daughter date for April. Rebecca loves to see her great grandma and chat with her. Friday is MOPS. Saturday is soccer.

I was very busy in the kitchen last week with a birthday and house guests. I made vanilla wafers, mud balls, vanilla ice cream, two batches of pesto, hummus, caramel dip, mayo and cinnamon raisin bread. I also finished my sourdough starter and baked a loaf of bread…yum!!! And I decorated Rebecca’s cake.

This week I don’t think I’ll be doing quite so much 😛  I would like to use my sourdough, maybe make english muffins. I want to make a new batch of ice cream and yogurt. Nothing else too major. I’m hoping I’ll have time to do some sewing this week. And start planning Abram’s birthday cake.

In terms of meals this week I’ve been trying lately to eat a bigger breakfast and smaller dinner. So a lot of our dinners are more geared towards Justin’s tastes. I try to stick mostly to lighter things like lots of vegetables. I’m also trying to find more things to feed Abram. He’s getting a lot better at chewing and seems very excited to try new foods right now. Maybe in a few weeks (after he’s one) I’ll start small amounts of sourdough or soaked bread. See how that goes.

Overall I had an ok week. But I’m still far from where I want to be. For the first time I’ve been checking my temperature throughout the day. That is the best indicator of your metabolism…and your overall health. A higher temp = a higher metabolism = better functioning body. How am I doing…NOT good. The “normal” body temp is 98.6. But I doubt most people’s temp is actually that high. If yours is in the 99s you are doing awesome! When I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago they took my temp. It was in the 97s and the nurse acted like that was pretty normal (even though it shouldn’t be). But that was at 5 pm. A better indicator is your temp in the morning. Usually at first mine is 94/95. But what’s worse is that after being up and around for a bit and doing a little exercise it drops to 92/93!! Exercising seems to put my metabolism to a halt. Who knew? No wonder my digestion is so slow. I seem to have the metabolism of a sloth 😛  And no wonder I’m gaining weight non-stop lately. So that is a big problem. Unfortunately the solution isn’t so easy. I’m still trying to figure out what keeps me warm/boosts my metabolism. I think it’s different things at different times of the day. I know I need plenty of salt and carbs. I’ve been trying to eat lots of salty veggies and some ice cream for breakfast lately. I also seem to do better if I avoid sweets during the day. If I eat a salty lunch I do ok. If I eat sweet stuff I feel rotten. I’m still trying to figure out if wheat is helping or hurting. Sometimes I think it’s not working. But then this week I made sd bread. The day I made it I had a huge piece with my lunch. Right after lunch my temp was in the 98s! That’s the only time I’ve seen a temp that high all week. I did feel super stuffed and kind of bloated afterwards. But my temp was up. So it’s hard to say. The idea is to eat plenty to get your temp up/metabolism up. Once that happens your body will function better…you’ll lose the extra weight since your metabolism will be restored. And digestion will improve. It will help with all of your bodily processes…thyroid function, adrenal function, etc. Unfortunately it can take a while…and take some temporary weight gain. And it can take longer if you are nursing. The other big factors are sleep and stress relief. I obviously don’t get near enough sleep. So that makes it tougher for me to heal.

I’m also confused about exercise. Steady-state cardio can actually kill your metabolism. After all my years of jogging day after day…maybe I was doing more harm than good. This is a tough one for me. I’m not one to give up my exercise 🙂  It does seem to help me relax and help with my anxiety. But I guess I have to be more careful about what kind of exercise I do and how strenuous it is. I’ve really been experimenting lately with getting more variety at least. Sometimes I do sprints. Sometimes I take it easy. Sometimes I do high intensity. Sometimes I bike. Sometimes I jog. The last two days I have actually not done any type of cardio in the morning. I think the last time that happened was when I was in the hospital when my son was born 😛  Instead I did some toning exercises, like squats, lunges, push ups, etc. It really amazed me how quickly I got out of breath doing this stuff. Shows me I really need to get some more variety! I’ve got lots of muscles that are never worked/challenged. So, what does it mean? I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll start taking more days off from exercising. See if that helps boost my temps a bit. I just need to give my body a break overall…as much as that’s possible with little kids.

Over the last few days my appetite has really gone down. I’m wondering (and hoping) if my body is reaching it’s limit and saying ok, that’s enough overfeeding. You’ve added enough weight (11 lbs. in 4 months). I need a little break. You can tone it down a bit. We’ll see.

Thankfully my medication is helping and I’m starting to add a few raw fruits and veggies back into my diet. Very exciting!!

I guess that’s enough update for now. I’ve got more to say, but maybe I’ll have to save it for a separate post. I’ve got a hungry little boy to deal with right now. We’ll see how this week goes. Hopefully higher temps and no weight gain. Here’s what’s on the menu.
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S (prep lunch, church, grind flour, prep smoothies)
  B – cinnamon raisin swirl bread, apples w/ caramel dip, oranges, hard boiled eggs
  L – cp roasted chicken w/ potatoes and veggies
  D – leftovers from Fri/Sat

M (milk)
  B – cinnamon raisin bread, smoothie
  D – chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, peas

T (skim cream, make yogurt, KM, make ice cream, feed sd, prep dough)
  B – apples w/ caramel dip, yogurt
  D – tacos

W (make english muffins, Meijer, co-op)
  B – sd english muffins, fruit
  D – (separate) – beef stroganoff, corn / salad or misc.

Th (feed sd, out for dinner)
  B – sd english muffin, smoothie
  D – out to eat /leftovers
F (clean, MOPS – bring sd/kefir)
  B – yogurt, muesli, fruit
  D – sd pancakes w/ fruit topping, nuts, syrup

S (soccer)
  B – sd pancakes
  D – tuna zucchini cakes, peas

Is it really mid-April already? I think I blinked and a month went by. This week is a special week for us…my “baby” girl turns 4!!! I think back to when this whole journey started in 2006 and everything we’ve been through. Now I have this smart, funny, healthy little girl that will be 4 on Tuesday. God is good.

Last week was pretty crazy with errands, Dr. appts., KM, MOPS, soccer, family visits, etc. This week will be busy too. More so in the house than out of the house, but still busy. Today is church, and Justin has an orchestra concert. Monday I have nursery cmt. Tuesday is Kindermusik and birthday. We aren’t going anywhere or having a party. We’ll be celebrating at home just the four of us. Wednesday Rebecca has her four year check up. Friday my in-laws are coming (they’ll be here until Sunday). Saturday we have soccer in the morning. In the afternoon Rebecca will be surprised by going to a Pinkalicious show with Daddy and Grandpa and Grandma. In the evening Justin and his parents are going to the Grand Rapids Symphony. Lots of fun stuff…although I’ll be home almost the whole day (aside from a half hour of soccer). There is a chance of a playdate. And a chance the energy audit people will come back (they had to cancel last week).

In the kitchen last week I made s’mores ice cream, sour cream, yogurt, breakfast cookies, Rebecca’s birthday cake (she helped…it’s in the freezer now ready for decoration!), and I finally started my sourdough. This week I have a lot to do with birthday and guests. I will continue to feed my sd starter. It should be ready on Thursday. I can’t wait to make some sd bread!! I will be decorating Rebecca’s cake. She requested a Lego Friends cake. We’ll see what I can come up with 🙂  I also want to make sour cream, ice cream, pesto, baked oatmeal and food for the weekend. I finally got out some patterns yesterday for stuff for Rebecca and her doll. The doll clothes look pretty simple. I know I won’t have time to work on them this week, but maybe next week.

So, last week I saw my colon surgeon. It’s been 3 1/2 years! He did confirm one pressing issue that I thought was going on. So I have some medication for that. And sadly he put me back on the miralax 🙁  After working so hard for so long to stop it. But I know that God is in control. For now I need to do this to get past certain problems. Maybe some day down the road I can try again. But for now I guess I need it. I go back in a month for another check. After that we’ll see about more testing to see if there are any other issues going on. In the mean time, I haven’t been feeling good at all lately. I think I’m still working through the die off phase. I think I’m on the upswing, but it’s hard to say. It usually lasts about 2 weeks. It’s been over a week already, so I hope it’s over soon. My weight continues to go up. And I don’t like it. It’s not so much where I’m at. It’s the fear of how long this will go on. When will it stop? Some days I feel hopeful. Other days I feel so worn out and totally lost. It seems like no matter what I do/eat I don’t feel good and I keep gaining weight. I know part of it is the die off and the issue I’m treating. Thankfully I’m in the process of dealing with those. But aside from that I get lost. As I think about my current diet the only major difference over last year is that I eat a fair amount of wheat now. Maybe too much? Maybe I don’t handle it as well as I thought? Maybe with my gut out of balance my body is not tolerating it that well at the moment? It’s an idea. So I think I’m going to scale back a little on wheat this week. Not eliminate it. But not go quite so bread crazy 😛  This is another reason I’m anxious to try my sourdough. I mostly eat soaked wheat, but even that is harder on your system than sourdough. I have also read some stuff about pork and how it can impact your system/health. I ate quite a bit of pork last week (not intentionally…that’s just how it went with meals and leftovers). So maybe I need to give both beef and pork a rest for a bit. Or at least really limit them. They are just so hard for me to digest. I also want to reintroduce more fiber. Because of the pain I’ve been in I haven’t been able to eat any raw food or much fiber of any kind lately. I’m hoping to add some back in this week and see how it goes. So for this week I want the bulk of my diet to be vegetables and healthy fats. Sufficient protein of course, but from easily digested sources like eggs, dairy, etc. I’m not going to eat low carb. That is not my goal. But I am going to be careful about going overboard with grains. I want to get my gut back in balance as quickly as possible, so I need to give it a break.

I think that’s it for this week. Here’s what’s on the menu.
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S (prep breakfast, prep lunch, feed sd, church, CCS, prep smoothies, make pesto)
  B – banana walnut yogurt parfait
  L – cp sweet mustard roast w/ sweet potatoes, peppers and carrots / salad w/ beets, olives, avocado and cucumbers
  D – soaked veggie cheese cups (w/ salmon?), fruit, peas

M (make cake decorations, feed sd, crumb coat and frost cake, nursery cmt)
  B – smoothie, toast w/ pb
  D – (early/prep ahead) – leftover veggie cups / leftover hot dogs

T (decorate cake, skim cream, feed sd, KM, make ice cream, birthday, soak oats)
  B – pancakes w/ syrup, fresh fruit
  D – pizza balls (Rebecca’s request/idea…I will be experimenting), peas, cake/ice cream

W (prep breakfast, feed sd, make mayo, Dr. S., strain kefir)
  B – baked oatmeal w/ milk and bananas
  D – tacos bacon pesto panini, roasted asparagus, fruit / veggie cups

Th (feed sd, food prep – bake sd bread, make vanilla wafers, chop veggies, make muesli, make mud balls, soak beans , cleaning)
  B – baked oatmeal, smoothie
  D – roasted eggs or zucchini cakes,leftover pizza, broccoli

F (food prep – bake cinnamon raisin bread, cook beans, make caramel dip, make fruit salad, make pesto, make hummus, Voogts)
  B – roasted egg w/ toast or yogurt, fruit, baked oatmeal
  D – grilled burgers, roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower, chips, fruit salad
  Des – birthday cake/ice cream

S (boil eggs, make yogurt, prep dinner, Voogts, soccer, Pinkalicious, GRSO)
  B – muesli w/ vanilla yogurt, fruit salad, cinnamon raisin swirl bread w/ pb
  L – egg salad sandwiches, tortilla chips, peppers, carrots and cucumbers w/ hummus, apples w/ caramel dip, mud balls, vanilla wafers
  D – pork roast, sweet potato wedges, beans, applesauce
  Des – cake/ice cream/mudballs/vanilla wafers

Happy Easter!! Christ is risen!!

Where do I begin today’s post? Last week we enjoyed a little break from all activities and got to stay home a lot. We did crafts, baking, played outside. It was nice. This week…it’s back to chaos. And I’m just praying my body is up for it.

I kept very busy in the kitchen last week making a meal and goodies for my grandparents (we visited them one afternoon). I also made two batches of bars, tapioca pudding and cherry pie for birthday treats for Justin (some for home, some for work). I did some recipe experimenting for my next GRNL post. I made soaked graham crackers, peach bread, sour cream, ice cream (strawberry, cherry, kiwi), pesto, mayo and we made Easter sugar cookies.

On to this week. Today we are visiting my family. We’ll be going to church and having lunch with them. So that means an early morning for us to get there on time. Hopefully Abram handles the trip ok. Monday is milk pick up and a meeting in the evening. Tuesday is Kindermusik. I also have an appt. with my colon surgeon in the afternoon, and Justin has orchestra rehearsal in the evening. Wednesday is groceries, and Justin has worship team rehearsal. Thursday we get the results from our energy audit (they will come to our house to discuss it). Friday is MOPS. Saturday is the first day of soccer! I don’t like weeks where we  have something going on every day. But that’s the way it goes sometimes. Sadly next week won’t slow down. So I’m trying to prepare for a couple crazy weeks.

I’m not sure I’ll have time for a whole lot in the kitchen this week. Mostly I’ll be focused on our meals. Four out of five weeknights I need some kind of prep ahead meal. Aside from that I’ll deal with our milk and make more sour cream. Possibly more ice cream. I would really like to start my sourdough, but we’ll see if I get around to it. We are low on breakfast items, so I could make cereal or breakfast cookies. I would also like to bake Rebecca’s birthday cake. Her birthday is next week. I want to get the cake done and in the freezer. Then I can focus on decorations.

I don’t have much good to say about my status. I’m feeling a bit lost right now. I’ve had some pretty bad days lately. And my weight keeps going up. I’ve gained almost 10 lbs. in the last 3 months. And I don’t like it! No matter how much or little I eat. No matter how much or little I exercise. It keeps going up. I just feel uncomfortable in my own skin. If I felt great the weight wouldn’t bother me so much. But when I feel heavy, plus my acne is worse, my belly is as bloated as ever and my digestion is bad it’s not a good situation. Sometimes I feel like I can hardly eat. But then I eat junk to relieve stress. I made an appt. with my colon surgeon. I am going for a particular issue. I’m hoping he can help with that (really hoping…I’m sick of being in pain and hardly being able to eat healthy food). But I’m also hoping maybe he can give some overall direction. Every time I seem to figure something out and feel good then a couple weeks later I’m back to where I started. It’s hard to keep up with a house and two very active little ones when you never feel good. I added wheat back into my diet in January. Maybe I’m not handling it as well as I had originally thought (one reason I really want to get my sd started…maybe I’ll handle that better)? I think I’ve been eating quite a bit more sweet stuff lately. I’m thinking I really need to take a break from sugar. I’ve been reading quite a bit about fructose. I’m going to try really limiting my fructose consumption – including honey, fruit, etc. See what that does for me. Maybe I need to go back to full GAPS for a few days or a week and give my gut a rest. I’m not really sure at this point. I’m doing a lot of praying for direction and clarity. I’m trying to trust that God has a plan and a purpose for all of this. I’m trying to not worry because I know God is in control no matter how out of control things feel. I’m trying to take things one day, one step at a time and not let my mind wander into all of the what-ifs down the road. Sometimes you have to hit the bottom to start moving up again. I’m hoping I’m on the way up soon. The weather is getting nicer. I want to be out and about and active with my kids. We’re planning our summer vacation. I want to feel good when we travel and be able to make it enjoyable for everyone. I don’t have time to feel sick. I want to be living life and giving my family my energy and attention instead of giving it all to my body. I’m praying that my appt. on Tuesday will be very helpful and that I can figure out what works for me so I can get on with life.

Anyway, on to the week. I hope I can manage our trip ok today. Trying to keep the anxiety down. No Easter feast for me. Here’s what’s on the menu for now.
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S (church, family dinner, Easter, prep smoothies)
  B – granola w/ milk, fruit
  L – at my parents’ house
  D – spaghetti / leftover crab cakes

M (make broth, prep dinner,  boil eggs, milk, meeting)
  B – smoothie, muffins
  D – (early/easy clean up) – cp honey mustard chicken breasts and veggies over rice

T (freeze broth, prep dinner, skim cream, make sour cream, KM, Dr. L, CCS, soak flour)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast
  D – (cp/prep ahead) – sausage and veggie soup

W (make breakfast cookies, clean, Meijer, WT)
  B – breakfast cookies, smoothie
  D – (early/easy clean up) – hot dogs, chips, peas

Th (make yogurt, bake cake, pick up Rx)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit
  D – (prep ahead) – crockpot sweet and sour chicken meatballs, baked potatoes, beans spaghetti, beans, garlic toast

F (chop fruit, clean, start sd, MOPS, grind flour, soak flour)
  B – smoothie, breakfast cookies
  D – roasted eggs, scones, roasted veggies hot dogs, veggies, fruit

S (feed sd, soccer, bank)
  B – scones, fruit
  D – cheeseburger cups, beans, sweet potato wedges roasted eggs, soaked scones, roasted veggies