Meal Plan Monday ~Del Monte Splinda Pollution!

Every day

carrots/yellow veggie

whole grain

leafy veggie

green tea

fruit

nuts

Three times a week

oily fish

yogurt

avocado

broccoli

sweet potato

Once a week

red meat

sugary desert

(wine) we do not drink however

miscellaneous chicken, turkey, eggs and other things like fresh foods not listed are added. Just this is the base of the menu each week. We have made it our dietary 'way of life'.  Each person is considered. For the different meals of the day. Dove eats her nuts in the morning.

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Yesterday for supper desert I prepared a fruit salad. At the grocer there was a good deal on Mandarin Oranges. Knowing me of course you know I purchased a few of them. Also knowing me you would know that I have never used or would ever purchase artificial sweeteners. To my dismay and disgust what I purchased as 'No Sugar added' so as to be able to use the juice in another recipe. As the can was being opened it was then that the label stood out. SPLINDA! that garbage was in my FRUIT! What in the world! Why!? Why would anyone pollute fruit (sweet wonderful) a God given gift of nurture.

I HATE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER!

Give me sugar, molasses, honey not poison.

Meal Plan Monday

http://orgjunkie.com/

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Well here I am!

Goodness things are caught up enough to do a post on the meal plan. 

You will have to come on over 

here at organizing jukie

to join us all.

Congratulations are in order this dear lady has made her way into a wonderful home based business. Now that is an entrepreneur for you!

We are keeping up with the way of life we call diet.

Looking forward to the balance for the holiday week played havoc on our nutritional bounty.

While back I began an herb listings I am just not able to keep it up. Posting is a bit more effort these days and now with the sewing ahead of me. It's all good. Enjoy your good eats.

Meal Plan Monday

Introducing, Our New Plan!

Menu Plan Monday

yum! Vanilla bean in the sugar jar.

We are implementing a new method that is based on four lists.

 Not limited to, but a every day thing. Many other foods as well.

Every day we will eat

Carrots (raw baby carrots are very sweet the kids love them.)

green leafy vegetable (this week Kale fine chop in the rice, savoy .)

whole grain (bread, cookies,waffles we do not really like store bought cereals)

fruit (soft fruits eat them first oranges toward weeks end)

nuts

Green tea (we will work on getting one we like)

Three times a week we will eat

oily fish (this week salmon, sword fish and some shrimp. I also eat tuna and sardines)

Sweet potato (we love them, we also have three types of winter squash)

avocado ($$)

yogurt  ( I'll start making my own again)

broccoli (raw of course :)

only 1 time per week

red meat (other days chicken, beans,fish)

pasta (Steve hates pasta, kids love it)

desert (fruits are a wonderful center here, also healthy ones the kids do not need to know)

(alcohol) we don't drink so not an issue for us

zero times per week

fast food

soda (exception Club Soda)

diet anything

canned soups

Eating breakfast EVERY DAY!

To accomplish the goal when shopping the one time a day foods were considered. 4 (four of us) x7 portions of fruits were sure to be available. Like wise and so on I shopped. When returning home the menu was set by what might expire first. Each every day item set on board, then the three times a week and so on. So far it is a far better method. We also have reduced our meat to a 1/4 pound portion per person. We are filling up on the veggies, nuts and fruits. The meat is like an accent to the meal rather than the center of it. Now the other ingredients fill in. My rice and such. It is working wonderfully!

The produce was tended as per good habits for keeping things fresh.

The kids are not fussing so much either for the veggies are mostly served in a raw or lightly cooked way as normal. Just more of them. Nuts are added. Walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, pecans, peanuts YUM! These are all in a container available at a moments notice in the refrigerator.

Meal Plan Monday

 Click any image to enlarge

 

Spent 

$214.62

Saved 239.71

That includes three $15 knives 50-60 pounds of beef for the fall.

Today will be a grind 

Meat grinding that is...

old post here

Spent

$116.6

Saved $84.02

That includes 40 pound chicken legs , thighs and quarters. Sardines, lunch meat and 

100 %cranberry juice. Also they had nail care for 50% off so 4 manicures plus.

''

 This was a sweet morning. Dash and I walked our lab around the block after Daddy man was off to work lunch in tow. The kids wake now independently. YA!!!

This gives us plenty of time to get ready and then be together.

WE aggravated each other before they were off to the bus stop.har har

To be finished after school. 

I'm listening to some sweet JOHN DENVER music.

''

 Monday is laundry day

Finally got a good process going now week after week.

It is so wonderful to have my strength back.

 ''

 I'll need it for the kitchen saw little attention with the full weekend.

Dishes were neglected.

 '

 Dove won a water bottle with a candy bar in it for helping so much with the bus evacuation drill on Friday. I am so proud of her. This girl is so thoughtful of other kids. A real kind heart of a kid. Makes me feel real good about my example.

 '

 Laundry is being hung out and the morning is agreeable. Not too hat this morning. Fall is teasing us. We get a good hour of cool (all things relative) in the morning.

 Our lawn has come back and thriving pretty well. Soon I'll feed it and in a month or so toss the winter rye. So good to see the summer lawn thrive. Beloved mowed while I cleaned the coop when we got home yesterday. We were so hot and sweaty we figured we would push ourselves a little more.

'

 We got together and moved the compost of chicken and straw one compost barrel and started a pile as to be better able to turn it. It will be right there in the garden too.

 Lots of work to do out here this week.

Soil needs to be turned so the seeds can get in.

 

 Speaking of work...

This all needs to get gone.

Craig's list get this all cleaned up!

 '

 Try something new...

boiled water with Anis, use some cheese cloth the strain it. 

If you like licorice you'll love it!

Well my cup is empty and the dishes have soaked some.

Better get up my 45 minute break is over.

 Speaking of breaks some things here have broken free and I feel awesome!

Clean hands pure heart!

Meal Plan Monday * butcher your own Meat*

A day late but saving the  short dollar

Saving on your meat purchases can easily be accomplished.

Purchase top round or bottom round when it is on sale.

Mine was on sale for $1.50 pound.

Start with the roast and use toweling under the cutting board.

By cutting across the grain the meat is tender cut. If your direction is wrong the meat is tough because in essence your eating it stringy. Now trim down the extra marble (good fat) save for your grind.

There is nothing like a good sharp knife

check this out click on image

By setting your scale to tare with the saucer you have it on zero with plate on it. We cut a 1/4 steak for we eat a lot of veggie and grain.
The meat off the tail of the roast is then ground. It is tender adding the marble here in the grind is important. We are looking at maybe 98% lean beef, if no marble is added the flavor and texture will be negatively effected

Well the yeast was happy today and after the kids were off to the bus I got my upper body work out :)

Love that towel.
My sister gave it to me. Fits well to cover the dough while it rises.

Baking before 1 p.m.

We saved $65. on electric this month using the time of use plan.

Power down the house at 1 p.m.

Also we added extra dark tenting on all south and west facing windows, and glass doors.

Meal Plan Monday

Happy Monday

I hope everyone had a nice weekend

This week for meal plan Monday

A simple easy week due to three days labor four days rest.
Each Thursday for 2 more weeks knee injections  (synvisk) will put me on my fanny for a few days rest. It is really a few days out of a whole year not too bad really to avoid a knee replacement.

Last week found us with a good 6 dozen quality eggs. The date on them nearing the end makes them perfect for boiled eggs. Tip here never use NEW eggs to boil. The shell is set to membrane inside the shell. So as they age the air is escaped (eggs are porous except those that are covered in wax as in store bought commercially grown). So farm fresh or organic eggs are the exception. The other eggs sit so long it makes no matter.

So for you who raise chickens let your eggs set at least a week before using them as boiled.

With this find menu was set over egg dishes. Deviled eggs, egg salad (kids love it) a high protein after school snack with crackers. Also a Egg based breakfast with bacon and fruit.
Speaking of breakfast the cookies were due. Each day Beloved eats these with an Orange Juice on the way to work.

click here for a former post of on Breakfast Cookies
B
Breakfast Cookies

By cooking up sausage patties breakfast muffing are an early morning sinch

Morning prep done for the week

Hope you all have a wonderful week

Meal Plan Monday

Good Morning!

Well the 'big board' is up and running another week here.

This is my brain on the wall,suppose you could call it a 'fly on the wall ' as well.

This is central station where we are all kept on the same page.

Order in the mind can become complicated and distract from the very efforts put forth.

I hope you dance today it is the spice of life

Pencils are sharpened for school begins next week.

This is prep for the pickles.

Purchased by the gallon for $5. 

Now this jar is broken down like so, the two smaller jars are relish.

This is not for the pantry (they are not processed or canned ) however just refer cut.

Those onion harvested from the fellow off Creigs list.

Cut in dice for the weeks menu, bell pepper as well.

Gee is in the other.

A wonderful dish was made here.

Turmeric Corn

Saute' onion in olive oil till tender, add peppers (adente'),then corn with the turmeric.

Now gently pan fry. We had it with BBQ steak over the weekend.

Prep work is essential in any professional kitchen. This kitchen 3x7 meals at least each week. Home cooked almost all by scratch. That is professional cooking folks.

Think of it.

The profession of homemaker is a high paying wage of its own.

Skills only serve you to gain and refine.

Doing it well beats any eat out unless your palls with Chef Ramsey. 

Working in a kitchen job from hell.

Yukon baked in glass. Just wash no foil needed to bake them and the moisture stays in.

These are for the week. Used in meal, as a snack cold or diced at breakfast sauteed with peppers and onion some diced green onions for color.

Roasted garlic as a spread for toasted begets with tomato basil and Parmesan cheese.

Roasted large pearl onion for meals.

See the new clear canisters they were on a table at curbside for free.

I thanked the neighbor when dash and I went for a walk.

The far right one...I had it in the pantry it is the same as the others.

Red lidded prepped foods and left overs.

All in one place in the refer.

Now uniform size containers work best for good space savers.

Enjoy the meal making by less to do when the day is worn as well as you own self tired.