I love sitting down on Thursday afternoons in a quiet, clean house, sipping some tea, and planning out next weeks menu.
However, this Thursday afternoon is much less serene than the ideal situation stated above. My house is a mess, as is my tangled, wind-blown hair (which no doubt points to my mental state as well). I'm slowly learning to work among the chaos - not fight it. And Amen.
I'm trying to keep next weeks menu simple and straightforward, only going to the store for items that are absolutely necessary - like bananas. They are a must with G-love and breakfast kefir smoothies. We put in our Azure Standard order this week, and thus, spent most of the grocery budget on our bulk food items (this week, we ordered almonds, raw cheese, organic brown rice, Organic Valley pastured butter, and a few other things I can't remember at the moment). Even though it can be difficult to bite-the-bullet and invest in bulk food, it really does save us money in the long run. Eventually, I think I'd like to get to the point where I'm planning our menus out monthly instead of weekly. That way, I can make sure I order everything I need from Azure, as they only deliver locally once per month. I hate having to go to the health food store to buy an overpriced package of rice pasta when I can order the same product for less money in bulk - though sometimes it's just unavoidable.
I worry that my weekly menus may bore you - sometimes the culinary creation fever strikes, and other days, I'm just focused on getting nutritious food on the table. I suppose that's what this menu should serve as though - a glimpse into the actual everyday cooking that happens here on the homestead. It ain't always fancy - but it's always nourishing and delicious. This week, I'm drawing some inspiration from 'Jamie at Home' - a cookbook I checked out from the public library.
It's got pretty pictures. That's all a girl needs to get excited.
Let's rock it.
Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs & kefir smoothies
Snack: Homemade popcorn
Lunch: Leftovers from the weekend!
Dinner: Sweet tomato & sausage bake with mashed potatoes and green salad
Monday
Breakfast: Soaked oatmeal with fresh fruit
Snack: Cheese sticks, almonds
Lunch: Leftover tomato & sausage bake, fresh fruit
Dinner: Twice-baked potatoes with roasted corn and fresh herbs, green salad with veggies, and baked apples
Dinner: Twice-baked potatoes with roasted corn and fresh herbs, green salad with veggies, and baked apples
Tuesday
Breakfast: Fried potatoes, eggs, sprouted corn tortillas, fresh fruit
Snack: Bananas, homemade protein bars
Lunch: Leftover baked potatoes, fresh fruit and veggies
Dinner: Roman lentil soup, baguettes, and fresh veggies with olive oil & vinegar
Dinner: Roman lentil soup, baguettes, and fresh veggies with olive oil & vinegar
Wednesday
Breakfast: Pear tart with cream and cinnamon & scrambled eggs
Snack: Homemade protein bars, sliced veggies
Lunch: Leftover roman lentil soup, fruit & veggie slices
Dinner: B.L.T.A.s on baguettes with buttered sweet potato halves and veggies slices
Thursday
Breakfast: Fried eggs & kefir smoothies
Snack: Apple slices, homemade spicy almonds
Lunch: B.L.T.A.s, fruit, and veggies
Dinner: Jewel salad (recipe forthcoming!) and grilled sirloin steak
Breakfast: Soaked oatmeal with apples, eggs
Snack: Homemade popcorn
Lunch: Leftovers jewel salad and cheese sticks
Dinner: Mom and Dad's!
Saturday
Free-bird Saturday. Can you hear my rebel yell?
That's as good as it's gunna get this week folks - I am already exciting about photographing some of these recipes and sharing them with you!
I am a geek.
The end.
Have a great weekend!
I just began following your blog and I love it!! I am a newbie with things au-nauturale, and have had a blast getting to know so many new things! I make our laundry detergent and dryer sheets, most of our cleaning products, deodorant, soak our grains, and scratch cook from home. I have been working at making us more self-sustaining and have the groundwork laid for a garden come the spring (God willing it rains in Texas next summer!).
ReplyDeleteI am also expecting a little boy come February, and I am so excited to bring him into a home free of harsh chemicals and toxins. I write children's books and work alongside my husband any chance I get.
Unfortunately, right now, I am unable to acquire raw milk, but we do have free range chicken layers for eggs. My dream is to have a milk cow and a bovine for the table. In the next year, we hope to have a few goats for some wonderful milk.
There is so much information out there, that I have to remind myself to take it one day at a time. That learning how-to do some things is equally important as implementing. Supplies take money and money needs time. Little by little, I will get my family where I want us to be.
Thank you for your blog, it is a wonderful piece of information!
Jaclyn, thank you for this wonderful comment! I'm always so excited to hear from readers about what's going on in their homesteading journey. Quick question, is it illegal to buy/sell raw milk in Texas? Or is there just not a supplier near by you? And yes, just like you said, homesteading is a "one day at a time" journey - it's all little baby steps to where we'd eventually like to end up!
ReplyDelete