It’s the last week of February! That sure went by quickly. We’ve been enduring bitter cold here. I sure am anxious for spring. How about you? Until then I’ll keep getting as much broth down as possible and serving lots of soup.

This will be a busy week as usual. My son has a speech therapy appointment. He’s almost done!  I’m guessing we’ll have one more appointment. I’m amazed at how quickly his speech has improved. And I’m so thankful we started at a young age and he’ll have this taken care of before he starts school in the fall.

My little one turned six months old yesterday!  How is that possible? It seems like she was just born. Up to now we’ve only been giving her broth. Yesterday she had a tiny taste of my squash soup. She really seemed to enjoy it. I think we’ll let her taste avocado today. I have a feeling she’s going to be more interested in solids than my other two were at this age. She is always eyeing what we’re eating.

My kitchen will be a busy place as usual. It’s hard to keep up with how much I eat 😛  Here is what I hope to make: soaked gf df graham crackers, soaked gf df cereal, soaked gf cupcakes (recipe coming), soaked gf df noodles (recipe coming), spinach pesto, soaked gf df bread (recipe coming), sourdough bread, soaked gf df winter spice bread, soaked gf df scones, quinoa milk (recipe coming), coconut milk and water kefir. I will also make something for breakfast on Saturday that my kids choose (I haven’t asked them what they want yet). I’ll also have a couple crockpots of beef broth going all week so I can restock my freezer.

Last week I continued my basic grains series with oatmeal and rice. I also reviewed a Mom + Baby box from Ecocentric Mom. This week I’ll be finishing my basic grains series and kicking off a new one!

Here is a look at our menu. What are you having this week?

Sunday
B – breakfast cookies, yogurt
L – brats, french fries, peas
D – cp beef roast, roasted potatoes, carrots
*make graham crackers, soak flour for noodles, make coconut milk, soak quinoa for milk, make broth, make kefir

Monday
B – english muffin w/ pb and honey, fruit
D – pesto pasta, roasted cabbage, garlic toast
*make noodles, make pesto, make quinoa milk, soak flour for bread, make broth, soak beans, boil eggs

Tuesday
B – hard boiled egg, toast
D (prep ahead) – cp pork and beans, tortilla chips, fruit
*make gf bread, feed sd starter, make broth

Wednesday
B – yogurt, granola, fruit
D (prep ahead) – broccoli noodle soup, sd bread
*make sd bread, make broth, soak oats

Thursday
B – oatmeal
D – sweet and sour meatballs, mashed potatoes, beans
*soak flour for cereal, dry oats, make granola, soak flour for bread, make kefir

Friday
B – yogurt parfaits
D – winter spice bread, bacon, roasted cauliflower, smoothies
*make cereal, make bread, soak flour for muffins, soak flour for cupcakes, soak rice, soak flour for scones

Saturday
B – kids’ choice – gf df raspberry muffins, milkshake
D – salmon cakes, squash, seasoned rice
*make muffins, clean make cupcakes, make scones

Happy Valentine’s Day (yesterday)! I hope you got to spend time with loved ones and feel loved. Our weekend was filled with visits from family and friends. Today we get to meet our new  nephew!

Although fun, the weekend was busy and a bit stressful. So I’m feeling unorganized and anxious going into this week.  And starting the day with a baby wide awake at 4:30 am is already causing me to shift my plans since I couldn’t get anything done this morning. I hope we can still get out the door on time.

We have plenty going on the rest of the week. One big thing is that my daughter is starting her ortho work! We are all pretty excited.

I have a long list of things I’d like to do in the kitchen this week. We’ll see if I get to half of them. I need to make more milks, granola, sourdough bagels, gluten free bread, water kefir, yogurt and possibly amaranth tapioca bars.  I also need to grind some amaranth since I just got my bulk grain order.

My other project for this week is making a dessert for the auction at my daughter’s school. I think I’m doing cheesecake. I hope it turns out really well.

This week I’m continuing my basic grains series. Last week I started with the hows and whys of preparing grains and how to make quinoa. Have you started soaking your grains? I’ve got more for you to try.

Here is what’s on our menu this week – lots of easy, prepare in advance meals. What’s on your menu? 

Sunday
B – sd english muffins with pb and honey, clementines
L (pack) – ham and cheese sandwiches, cucumbers, olives, apples
D (prep ahead) – cp pork chops, roasted potatoes, broccoli
*dry oats for granola, make quinoa for milk, make yogurt, grind flour, make kefir

Monday
B – yogurt, granola
D – sloppy joes, squash, french fries
*make coconut milk, soak flour for bread, make granola

Tuesday
B – baked eggs, toast
D (prep ahead) – cp meatloaf, baked potatoes, carrots
*make gf bread, feed sourdough, make cream cheese

Wednesday
B – yogurt parfaits
D (prep ahead) – pumpkin soup, sd bagels w/ cream cheese
*make sourdough bagels, make kefir

Thursday
B – sd bagels w/ pb or cream cheese, fruit
D – pork burgers, sweet potato chips, beans
*make cheesecake, make fudge sauce, soak flour for pancakes, soak flour for bars

Friday
B – yogurt, granola, fruit
D – pancakes, scrambled eggs, roasted vegetables, fruit salad
*clean, make bars

Saturday
B – pancakes, crispy nuts, fruit
D – at birthday party
*soak flour for graham crackers

Wow, I think I blinked and the first week of February was over.  Now it’s time to start a new week…and it will be just as busy as the last.

This week we have a speech therapy appointment, music, dance, chiropractor and swimming lessons. My bulk order of grains has come in so I need to get to the health food store. We have our mom’s group. It’s a speaker day, which means I’ve got work to do. We are also going to a basketball game and having my whole family over for dinner.

Of course with a busy week I like to plan way too much to do at home.  For now my kitchen plans include soaked gf noodles, soaked gf graham crackers, soaked gf crackers, oat milk, sourdugh english muffins, soaked gf bread, soaked gf sweet bread, water kefir and some kind of dessert for our family gathering. Plus cleaning the house.

Last week my little one had two shots. Thankfully she was only fussy for one day. Now she’s back to her happy self. So far I’m still doing daily broth plus probiotics. It won’t be long before we start some solids.

My son seems to be getting mostly back to normal. It’s been wonderful to have him sleeping well and being able to do his school work again. Though his skin is still a bit splotchy. I haven’t decided yet what I want to introduce next. Maybe nuts. But I’ll wait another week.

We had a consult for my oldest last week with a new dentist. We are going to start some orthodontic work with her so that she starts breathing better and getting quality sleep. It’s disheartening to see her grinding her teeth, snoring and flopping all over her bed in the night. So we are all very excited about this!

If you are still looking for a special Valentine’s Day treat be sure to check out last week’s posts for lemon cupcakes with strawberry buttercream, maple candy and neapolitan ice cream cake.

Tomorrow I’m talking grains – the hows and whys. Then I’ll be sharing some basic recipes on properly prepared grains. You don’t want to miss it! This is such an important factor in your health…one that I let slide and now I’m paying for with major nutrient deficiencies and cavities.

Here is our menu for the week. I let each child choose one meal this week. Oddly enough they each chose a soup! What’s on your menu this week? 

Sunday
B – yogurt, granola bar, banana
L – steak, baked potatoes, broccoli
D – hot dogs, chips and crackers w/ salsa, veggies w/ dip
*make oat milk, soak flour for graham crackers, make gf crackers

Monday
B – english muffin w/ pb, clementine
D – tacos, fruit
*make graham crackers, boil eggs

Tuesday
B – hard boiled egg, toast, fruit
D (prep ahead) – ham, roasted potatoes, maple glazed carrots
*soak flour for gf bread

Wednesday
B – yogurt and fruit parfaits
D (prep ahead) – split pea soup w/ ham, soaked gf bread
*soak flour for sweet bread, soak flour for noodles, make gf bread

Thursday
B – scones, fruit
D – chicken noodle soup, sweet bread
*feed sourdough starter, make sweet bread, make noodles

Friday
B – yogurt, granola bar, fruit
D – sourdough english muffins, ham and broccoli quiche, fruit salad
*clean, prep food

Saturday
B – sd english muffins w/ pb and jam, fruit
D (family party) – roasted veggies, meatballs, dessert (family bringing the rest)
*clean, make dessert, prep dinner, soak oats for granola

Welcome to February and Super Bowl Sunday!  It hardly feels like we’re already through January since we haven’t had too much bad weather. Though we are supposed to get a bunch of snow today.

January was pretty laid back (I loved it!). But February seems to be filling up quickly! This week we have a pediatrician appointment, Kindermusik, dance, grocery shopping, parent teacher conferences and the big kids start swimming lessons. We are also getting a new dishwasher (I may be just slightly excited about this).

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to plan a lot of kitchen projects this week too. I’ve already got a bunch started this morning!  This week I’m making sourdough soft pretzels (already rising), soaked graham crackers (already in the dehydrator), refried beans (already cooking), soaked gluten free bread, coconut milk ice cream, oatmeal, oat milk (already fermenting), crackers, muffins, pancakes and quinoa milk.

I’m still doing daily broth for my little one. And I finally started putting some fermented cod liver oil on her before bed.  That should help boost her vitamin D levels. She now has the nasty cold we’ve all been working through. So she hasn’t been sleeping well. Add teething to that and you’ve got one tired mommy.

We’re kind of at a stand still with my son. He’s had some major flairs lately and we’re not sure why. I just noticed last night that his eczema is back in addition to a bunch of other symptoms.  I’m not sure if we’ll have to take all dairy back out or not.

Last week I finished my simple smoothie series with true blue-berry, the health nut and a review of Stonyfield’s new OP Smoothie.

This week is all about Valentine’s Day treats!!! You won’t want to miss it.  There is something for everyone.

Now let’s get to the menu. I’ve got lots of easy and prep ahead meals for our busy week. What’s on your menu? 

Sunday
B – OP smoothie, granola bar
L – spaghetti, corn, garlic toast
D (Super Bowl Sunday) – 7 layer dip w/ chips, bacon wrapped dates, sourdough soft pretzels w/ cheese, fruit salad
*cook beans/make refried beans, make graham crackers, make sourdough soft pretzels

Monday
B – yogurt, sweet bread (from freezer)
D – cp sweet mustard roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli
*soak oats, soak flour for gf bread

Tuesday
B – oatmeal w/ nuts and fruit
D (prep ahead) – beef vegetable soup, bread
*make oatmeal, make gf bread, boil eggs, finish oat milk

Wednesday
B – hard boiled egg, toast
D (prep ahead) – cp pork chops, potatoes and carrots
*soak flour for crackers, soak flour for muffins

Thursday
B – yogurt, granola, fruit
D (easy clean up) – squash and sausage soup, scones
*make crackers, make scones

Friday
B – yogurt, scones
D – bacon sourdough pancakes, roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, berries with Russian custard
*clean, make cm ice cream, make chocolate sauce, make carob sauce, feed sourdough starter

Saturday
B – pancakes, fruit
D – chicken nuggets w/ honey mustard, french fries, peas
*make quinoa milk, make coconut milk

January is coming to a close. That means some of our regular activities start back up.  It was nice to have a little break from the busyness.

This week we’ll jumping in head first with speech therapy, Kindermusik, dance and a playdate. I don’t like that I’m starting out feeling run down after being out late last night. A nap may be in order today!

A couple weeks ago I started adding raw egg yolks to my diet. They seemed to go well for my little one. So last week I tried eating whole cooked eggs. She had some reactions last week, so I’m wondering if it’s the whites. I’ll take them back out for a week or two and try again.

I think I’m going to start my little one on broth this week. I’m excited to see her reaction.

I finally have all of my supplements! I started taking my vitamin K2 last week. Yesterday I started liquid cod liver oil (so I can get the correct/higher dose) and skate liver oil. The skate has vitamin K as well. I’m really hoping that I will see improvements now.

The food addition for my son has been at a stand still. He’s still been acting a bit off. Today is supposed to be our day to try sourdough. But I’m not sure if he’s ready. We’ll see how he’s doing today. I hope we can. Both of the big kids are so excited!

I was reading the beverage section of Nourishing Traditions last week and read that adding gelatin to raw milk makes it easier to digest – that is part of the homemade formula recipe. So when we are ready to try milk with my son again I will definitely try that! I also found recipes for oat and quinoa milk. Those are on my to-do list now.

Today I am going to try grinding amaranth.  It’s been a while since I’ve ground any grains. Once I see how that goes I can order my bulk grains.

We have a playdate at our house later this week so I’ll be doing some extra cleaning and preparing a few snacks.

Last week was the week of broth challenge. I hope you joined in!  I loved making sure my family got broth every day. I’ll do my best to keep that up.

I also posted some recipes in my simple smoothie series – kiwi strawberry and sunrise.  I’ve got more coming this week. Be sure to check back.

It’s time to get this week started. Are you ready with a meal plan so you keep your family well fed? Here is what we’re having.

Sunday
B – yogurt, granola, fruit
L – hamburgers, hummus and gaucamole w/ veggies and chips
D – ham and bean soup, sourdough bread
*make sourdough bread, make fruit snacks, soak quinoa for bars, boil eggs

Monday
B – hard boiled egg, toast
D – cp roast chicken, roasted potatoes, broccoli
*cook quinoa, make bars, grind amaranth, make broth, prep smoothies

Tuesday
B – smoothie, fruit
D (prep ahead) – cp sweet and sour meatballs, TBD cold salad
*soak flour for cereal, strain broth

Wednesday
B – yogurt, granola bar, fruit
D (prep ahead) – baked potato soup, crackers w/ cheese
*make “Golden Grahams”

Thursday
B – english muffin w/ peanut butter, fruit
D – beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, carrots
*clean, bake TBD, soak flour for waffles

Friday
B – yogurt parfait
D – waffles, sausage, peas, fruit salad
*clean, soak rice

Saturday
B – waffles, sausage
D – salmon cakes, seasoned rice, beans
*feed sourdough, make oat milk, soak flour for graham crackers, soak beans

Good morning! January sure is going by quickly, don’t you think?

We’re enjoying our three day weekend. We’ve already gotten hair cuts, gone ice skating and had family game night. Still on the agenda…Packers football.  My son is becoming quite the sports fan, so he and my husband will be glued to the TV.

My little one will be five months old this week! How is that possible?? I’m still debating about when to start solids. I may still push it out until six months like I did with my other two. When I do I’ll start with broth and maybe egg yolks and liver. That should give her a nutritional boost.

To boost my own nutrition I finally ordered some vitamin K2.  I can’t wait for it to arrive. Hopefully it’s the last thing I need to help my body utilize calcium and get my teeth back on track.

My son did not do well with avocados. So we gave him all last week off from anything new. But we still had a few rough days. We noticed it was linked to either chocolate or sugar. So we’re still keeping an eye on that.  Next on the list will be nuts. But I might wait another week yet to let his body settle.

I’ve been experimenting with my oldest by taking oats out of her diet. She has had a couple pretty good days. But it could be unrelated. I’m observing for now.

I’m calling this the week of broth, bread and smoothies. I have broth incorporated into our meals every day this week. Check out the links if you need some dinner inspiration.

I am finally starting my sourdough starter (did it this morning).  I’m so nervous about this. It’s easy to take things out of your diet. You just watch for improvement. But when you add things in you have to watch for bad reactions. I really don’t know if anyone besides my husband will tolerate the sourdough. So it’s a big experiment. But I really hope it goes well. I’ll be feeding my starter every day so that by the end of the week I can make bread.

I’m also kicking off my simple smoothie series this week!  Grab your blender. I’ve got some delicious and nutrient dense smoothies coming your way.

I am back to working on a gluten free bread recipe.  But now I’m trying to make it a soaked version. We’ll see how it goes. I’m working on a soaked noodle recipe too so that my son has noodles he can eat. So much experimenting this week!

I need to figure out what appetizer and dessert to make for a party this weekend. Plus it’s time to start planning Super Bowl food (i.e. try to read my husband’s mind about what he’ll actually want).

Here is our menu for the week. I’m hoping all this broth will help us kick our colds!  We’re all sick of being sick. What’s on your menu this week? Are you joining the broth for a week challenge?

Sunday
B – granola bars, yogurt, fruit
L – salsa chicken fajitas w/ beans and cheese
D – sloppy joes, chips, squash
*soak flour for bread, start sourdough starter, soak rice

Monday
B – hard boiled eggs, toast, smoothies
L – sloppy joes, veggies w/ dip
D – sweet and sour stir fry over rice
*feed sourdough starter, make gf bread

Tuesday
B – yogurt, granola, fruit
D – cp beef roast, scalloped potatoes, mixed vegetables w/ gravy
*feed sourdough starter, soak flour for muffins

Wednesday
B – toast w/ pb, fruit
D (prep ahead) – beef vegetable soup, bread
*feed sourdough starter, soak quinoa, soak oats, make muffins

Thursday
B – oatmeal w/ fruit and nuts
D – macaroni and cheese, beans, applesauce
*make oatmeal, feed sourdough starter, cook quinoa, make granola bars

Friday
B – oatmeal w/ yogurt
D – quinoa granola bars, scrambled broth eggs, roasted vegetables
*feed sourdough starter

Saturday
B – quinoa granola bars
L – leftover soup, bread
D – at party
*feed sourdough starter, make sourdough bread, make hummus, make guacamole, chop fruits and veggies, make cookies

Need some other broth meal ideas? Try these:

Pumpkin Pasta

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Broth Burgers

Beef Stroganoff

Split Pea Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

Squash Soup

Creamy Broccoli Noodle Soup