Meal Plans Week of 10-14-12

Apples, apples and more apples.  That was my week last week.  I made and canned applesauce four days in a row.  Then made dried apples the next.  Instead of doing a bunch of different projects I decided to just keep going until I worked through our big stash of apples.  I now have 52 jars of applesauce in the pantry (a combo of quarts and pints...some are still leftover from last year) and a big bag of dried apples.  Turns out that Abram loves dried apples.  Before I could even put them away he kept coming into the kitchen and grabbing them off the dehydrator tray, two at a time.  I may have to make another batch soon.  Now I have just a handful of apples left for some baking.

Aside from apples I did squeeze in a batch of pesto, soaked graham crackers, yogurt, ice cream and bagels (our best batch yet...I think that Rebecca is a better bagel maker than I am...I may have to have her always help me :P).  And Rebecca and I got a second Mommy/daughter date at a local ballet company seeing Cinderella.  What fun.  I also finally got to go to a Mom's Night Out!  A much needed night to chat with other adults.  And I tried some of my new Norwex products.  Wow!!!  I may have to do a separate review on them sometime.  Maybe once I've tried all of the ones I got.  Best cleaning products ever and so safe.  All you  need is water :)

This week has our usual activities.  We were supposed to see my family today to celebrate my (baby;) brother's 30th birthday, but Abram's been sick so we'll have to skip it.  Happy Birthday, Dan!!!!  I go back to my colon surgeon this week.  Fingers crossed that I actually get some help.  I haven't seen much improvement since I talked to him last.  So we'll see what happens...if he suggests other tests, other treatments or maybe even surgery.  Who  knows.  If time allows I'd like to do some shopping.  I'm in serious need of fall/winter clothes.

Since I focused on apples last week I had to skip some of my other work.  We'll see if I can get to it this week.  I want to bake and freeze squash, roast beets, bake with apples (maybe a tart), sew, make pesto, make something sourdough and possibly wheat thins and/or vanilla wafers.  I might try a soaked version.  I also still need to make toothpaste and deodorant.  I did do a little cleaning/organizing this morning.  I want to continue that project, but I need to get some storage bins.  Maybe next week when I go to the store.

I had an up and down week.  Abram is winding down with nursing.  He's mostly down to just at night.  So my body is trying to adjust.  Hormones go a little crazy.  And my weight even went up a little for a few days.  I realized that for over two years now my body has had to provide nourishment to another person.  That's a lot of work!  All of a sudden I don't need quite as many calories to mostly just nourish myself.  The whole process is exciting (a bit more freedom :) and sad.

I'm still trying to figure out diet stuff.  That never ends.  With some of the recent developments/information from my psychologist I wonder about both my diet and Rebecca's diet.  I keep wondering about GAPS again.  But not the same way as before.  The first time around I didn't really know what I was doing.  Now I know what my body needs and some of the big mistakes you can make.  For now I'm trying to focus on high carb/non grain foods.  I still eat small amounts of wheat and white rice, but not a lot.  I was bad about broth last week.  I need to get some out/make more and keep up with that.  And for food focus on squash, pumpkin, beans, honey and some dried fruit.  Lots of vegetables.  I ate white beans four days in a row last week!  And both Abram and I did fine.  So exciting!!!  I love beans, but I've had to avoid them for so long.  I want to try to have them on hand more often now.  Bring on the hummus!  I also want to try coconut flour again and see if we tolerate it better now.  That would be helpful to have a few coconut flour baked goods once in a while.  It helps with my carb intake and keeps me from wanting tons of wheat products.  I would also view GAPS as a very temporary diet.  Not a two year thing.  At least to start and see how things go.  I'm definitely not ready to start GAPS at the moment.  But I'm going to try to eat closer to full GAPS, focusing on what I know works for me.

I'm getting started with Village Green Network.  I'm very excited.  You'll notice a few blog updates.  It's still a work in progress.  Let me know what you think/if you have any suggestions.
On to the menu.  I had to throw it together yesterday and haven't updated it since we figured out we weren't going away today.  So I'll try to adjust it and may update things as the week goes on.
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S (clean/organize, church, birthday celebration, prep smoothies)
  B - english muffin, grapes
  L - (light) - crackers w/ ham and cheese, peas, chips, fruit or leftover cheeseburger cups
  D - stuffed french toast, apples, bacon

M (prep dinner, make pesto, roast beets, PS, DENTIST, prep squash)
  B - french toast, smoothie
  D - cheesy pesto chicken, garlic noodles, peas / make broth

T (skim cream, make sc, bake/freeze squash, freeze broth, prep dinner, prep breakfast, make pudding, KM, Dr. L., CCS)
  B - granola, yogurt, fruit
  D - (prep ahead, soft foods) - cp meatloaf or pork chops, baked sweet potatoes fresh pea squash broccoli soup, cinnamon raisin swirl bread

W (bake w/ apples, make sd muffins, Field Trip, soak flour) (sick kid)
  B - smoothie, sd muffins
  D - sweet and sour meatballs over squash, beans misc.

Th (sewing, freeze peppers, prep breakfast/lunch, soak flour, make wheat thins and/or vanilla wafers, prep squash) (sick/sick kid)
  B - sd bread, fruit
  D - TBD soup, soaked biscuits sweet and sour meatballs over squash, beans, rice

F (make biscuits, make toothpaste and deodorant, bake/freeze squash, MB) (sick/sick kid)
  B - biscuits w/ honey, fruit
  D - quiche, biscuits, peas

S (sewing, hooping?, shopping?, Critter Barn? make ice cream) (sick)
  B - sd bread, fruit
  D - salmon, roasted potatoes, broccoli