Meal planning..trying to at least

I feel like I would be an amazing stay at home mom, but being at home all the time actually doesn't appeal to me. However, if I were, I swear, I would make my husband the happiest man. I absolutely love to cook, especially from scratch. I usually have enough time to make decent meals that are prepared quickly and taste good, but if I was at home all day, I could make awesome meals from scratch every day. Well, since I'm not at home all the time, and I do work and babysit, I don't have as much time, but I still try to cook as much as possible from scratch. Not only is it healthier, but cheaper too. One of my goals for the year is to use as much as possible from my cupboard, freezer and fridge before going out and supplementing ingredients when I don't really need to. Sometimes you just have to get creative with what you are cooking. It's taken me 7 almost 8 years to master my cooking skills, but I'd like to say that I'm pretty good at cooking from scratch without a specific recipe, and can get creative when needed. I was able to compile a list of the ingredients I have in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator right now, and I'm planning on using as much as I can with what I have, only supplementing when needed, like with milk, cheese & produce.

Here's my list

Fridge/Freezer/Cupboard Stock 1/24

Cupboard

2 lbs GF pasta

4 28 oz cans org. diced tomatoes

5 cans org. tomato paste

7 cans albacore tuna

1 lb org. dry pinto beans

1 lb org. dry black beans

1 lb green lentils

2 bags org. mixed rice

3 bags chebe bread mix

1 can coconut milk

Pamelas mix

Coconut flour

Olive oil

Coconut oil

Raw honey

1 baking potato

1 onion

3 sweet potatoes

Freezer:

2 sandwich bags frozen swiss chard

Corn

Green beans

Mixed veggie blend

1 lb ground beef

1 beef neck bone

Enough tomato mix for chili for one meal

3 pkgs pork chops(2-3 in each)

6 2 breast portions chicken breast

Peaches

blueberries

Raspberries

2 quarts smoked turkey stock

2 quarts chicken stock

Fridge:

Produce:

9 carrots

2 celery stalks

6 radishes

4 beets

6 small heads baby heirloom lettuce

1 head romaine

1 1/2 lemon

1 bag apples

3 oranges

2 grapefruit

1 head broccoli

3 pears

6 bananas

½ head white cabbage

1 turnip

6 heads baby lettuce

2 russets

Proteins:

1 pkg chicken thighs

1 pkg of 2 pork chops

7 Eggs

1 quart chicken bone broth

Condiments, dips & spreads:

Parmesan

Teriyaki

Asian Barbeque

Sweet & Tangy

Fish Sauce

Brown mustard

ACV

Braggs

Mayonnaise

Ketchup

Ranch Dressing

Hendricks Dressing

Homemade Dressing

Salsa

Sour Cream

Plain Yogurt

Queso dip

Breads:

Flour & corn tortillas

Hot dog & hamburger buns

Wheat bread

Cheeses:

Gouda

Raw Cheddar

Mozzarella sticks

Lunchmeat & Cheese

The goal is to compile meals based on all these ingredients for the next month without having to buy too much extra. I don't know if it's enough, it may not be, but that's the goal. Here are the meals that I have come up with with only a few extra ingredients that I need to buy

Menu plan

Meatloaf-make w/eggs, coconut flour, onion, veggies (include liver if possible), corn & salad

Black Bean soup made w/beef neck bone, & rotel, maybe throw some shredded cabbage in there for extra nutrients?

Chicken thighs (with San-J sauce), peppers, broccoli & rice

Autumn Pork chops with potatoes & turnips perhaps? in crock pot (on cd kitchen)

Broiled or grilled chicken breasts w/roasted beets, carrots & sweet potatoes

Chicken & dumplings & salad

(use celery, onion, carrots, leftover roasted chicken, make a roux with flour, butter & milk, thyme), top with drop GF biscuits)

Lentil stew (soaked lentils, frozen swiss chard, corn, frozen squash, carrots, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, onion, sea salt, pepper, potatoes & diced ham)

Tuna & pasta ( use 1 can tuna, linguine, lemon juice, salt& pepper, parmesan cheese, & broccoli)

Pizza (use tomato paste & diced tomatoes, garlic, spices, honey & ACV), crust made with chebe mix, onions, bell peppers, garlic, whatever other veggies I have lying around, nitrate free pepperoni

For breakfasts, I'm trying to incorporate other foods besides eggs and fruit, my staple. I am going to try and start making smoothies, including yogurt, frozen fruit, flax seed meal, and raw eggs. I would also like to start soaking some breakfast grains so we can have grains for breakfast too, something I normally don't do.

Anyway, this list of stuff is primarily for me, but I thought I'd share with everyone else, too.

This weekend has been a very productive weekend. I got all the laundry done and put up, the house cleaned, and refrigerator cleaned out. I also have planned meals and prepped our lunches for the week. It's amazing what you can do with two whole days off! Plus, Mark and I had plenty of time to play with our little boy. Now, the weekend is almost over and back to the typical busy week! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, I decided to make some hot chocolate this morning. Here's my recipe:

2-3 tsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups raw milk

2 tbsp raw honey, or stevia if you are trying to cut the calories

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

dash of celtic sea salt

Mix together cocoa & salt in a large mug. Warm milk, honey, and flavorings in a pot on the stove, just until it's warm so you keep all the nutrients alive in the honey and milk. Whisk the milk into the cup with the cocoa. Serve!!

Creamy Swiss Chard W/Bacon Over Pasta

So this week I couldn't get my local, humanely raised bacon, so I used storebought, but everything else is organic and/or local. In the last produce coop, we each got two bunches of swiss chard, and since my husband isn't a fan of leafy greens, I had to cleverly disguise the greens in a bacon/cheese fest :) He still wasn't crazy about the greens, but ate it all, so that's a good sign! This meal closely resembles macaroni and cheese, but with some green stuff and bacon added. YUM!

1 bunch rainbow chard, chopped coarsely, stems and leaves

7 pieces thick cut bacon or 3/4 lb or so, reserving 1/2 the fat for the sauce

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup sour cream

3 tbsp flour (I used pamela's)

1/2 cup raw cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 lb linguine pasta(I used Hodgson Mills gluten free)

Cook bacon and crumble. Cook pasta according to directions. Use 1/2 of the leftover bacon grease to cook onions and garlic in. Add flour, creating a roux. Then add the milk, sour cream, salt, oregano, onion, garlic & pepper until it thickens. Top with chopped chard, and cook down until greens are soft. Add crumbled bacon. Stir, and mix in with pasta. Serve with a crusty bread or a green salad to complete the meal.

Sheperd's Pie

I love shepherd's pie, and it's probably my husband's favorite meal, so that's a plus! Tonight, I had plenty of time to make dinner, so I started at about five, peeled and cubed potatoes for mashed potatoes, and prepped the makings for Shepherd's Pie. I've adapted this from several different recipes and attempts and trials, and I think this is the best version yet.

Shepherd's Pie(serves 6-8?) Time to make:1 hour, 20 minutes

1 1/2-2 cups chopped assorted veggies(tonight I used green cabbage, celery, zucchini, carrots, onions and corn) The addition of cabbage really adds a lot of flavor

1 lb ground beef or lamb(preferably grass-fed beef)

1 tbsp gluten free flour

1 cup organic milk

1 cup beef broth(I used homemade beef bone broth)

6 small potatoes, peeled and cubed( I used 3 baby reds from the farm and 3 organic russets)

1/4 cup organic sour cream

2 tbsp grass-fed butter

1 tbsp lard (for cooking the beef in, grass-fed is very lean)

1/2 can organic tomato paste

salt and pepper

garlic powder

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350, Put potatoes on to boil. Brown ground beef in lard in a skillet(I used a cast iron skillet so I could just pop it in the oven. Add all veggies and cook until tender. Add broth, 1/2 cup milk, salt, pepper, worcestershire and tomato paste and then sprinkle in the flour, mix well. Let simmer for a few minutes. Meanwhile, make mashed potatoes. You can just take the pot off of the stove, add butter, 1/2 cup milk, sour cream and salt and pepper and mash right in the pot, or you can transfer potatoes to an electric mixer. After all is done, if using a cast iron skillet, just plop the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture and spread evenly. You can also use an 8x11 glass dish and put meat mixture in first, then top with potatoes. Sprinkle mashed potatoes with shredded cheese and cook for 30 minutes in the oven! Let cool for a few minutes before eating. It gets VERY hot!

Thanksgiving recipes

I have decided this year I'm going to help out my mother-in-law with Thanksgiving dinner, even though she usually say's that I don't need to bring anything when I ask. Here's the recipe that I found I'm going to use.

GLUTEN FREE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Cream of Mushroom Soup:

olive oil

1 lb. button mushrooms (or any other kind you prefer)

6 Tablespoons butter

2 cups chicken/vegetable broth

2 cups whole milk

6 Tablespoons flour (sweet rice flour preferably, but brown rice flour works ok too)

1 teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard less than 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper for a little kick (optional)

salt to taste (maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons)

pepper

French Fried Onions

1 3/4 – 2lbs fresh Green beans, cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 Tablespoon Tamari J’s Wheat Free Soy Sauce

Directions: To start this recipe, I would prepare the french fried onions. It would be smart to prepare these in advance and store them in an air-tight container, so you are not stuck in the kitchen for longer than you have to be. First, saute your mushrooms in olive oil and set aside. Next, prepare your cream of mushroom soup. Start by melting your butter in a large saucepan and once the butter starts to bubble, add your flour. Then add your spices- I chose dry mustard, shake of garlic powder, salt, pepper, and the tiniest amount of cayenne pepper. Once the roux has cooked/bubbled for a few minutes, add your milk and chicken/vegetable broth. Whisk until the sauce thickens. Once the sauce has thickened, add back in your mushrooms. At this point, cook your green beans for 4-5 minutes until bright green. Strain the water from the green beans. Once they are done, put the green beans in a large casserole dish. Mix in the soup and soy sauce. Top with the French Fried Onions. Bake for about 35 minutes on 350 degrees or until bubbly. This will make a huge casserole!

French Fried Onions

1. Gather your ingredients.

2 or 3 big sweet onions (shallots are a good variation)

enough milk for soaking onions

1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons salt (try the first batch and adjust the salt to taste)

pepper (you can also add a little cayenne pepper if you wish)

gluten free flour

oil for frying

2. Measure gluten free flours, salt, and pepper and put into a zip lock bag.

3. Slice the onions and separate into rings.

4. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Oil should be about an inch deep. When the oil is hot enough, a flick of water will make the oil sizzle.

5. Soak the onions in milk for a few minutes. Don’t try to do all the onions at one. Just one batch at a time.

6. Dredge the onions in the gluten free flour. Give them a good coating of flour.

7. Place the onions in the frying pan with the heated oil.

8. When the onions start to float to the top turn them over and cook until just golden brown

9. When the onion rings have finished cooking, lay them on a paper bag or paper towels to cool/drain some oil.

10. Store in air-tight container, top your casserole, or eat them!

Recipes taken from www.glutenfreemommy.com I think I'll also make a gluten free cornbread dressing as well. Anyone got any good recipes?

Steak Fried Rice

I'm down to the dredges of the cow share that I took part in last october. Why I saved the filet mignon for last, I dont know. Well anyway, it was sort of freezer burned. So, instead of throwing it out, I decided to cut it up in pieces and make filet mignon fried rice. Turned out pretty good except I wouldnt cook the filet all the way through next time. Medium rare would have been perfect. Another good reason not to use such a fine cut of meat for fried rice!!

2 filets, or cheaper cut of meat, cut into 1 inch cubes.
2 cups cooked brown rice(day old is best for fried rice)
2 free range eggs
any combination of vegetables that you like. I used zucchini, white onion, carrot and white cabbage, about 1 1/2 cups.
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp organic wheat free soy sauce.
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, sliced
sautee veggies until tender. In a separate pan, cook meat until medium rare or medium if you are using filet, otherwise, you can cook the meat in the same pan with the veggies. Combine veggies and cooked rice. Season with fish sauce and soy sauce and ginger.Add steak right before serving. Enjoy!

Acorn Squash stuffed with Apples, Sauteed Swiss Chard with Bacon & Raisins and Roasted Lemon Chicken

This is a three course meal that I made last week. I usually have to prep food ahead of time, because I get home around 6:30 or 6:45 most nights, but I will not sacrifice homemade food just because I don't have enough time when I get home to make meals from start to finish. I cooked this chicken ahead of time and reheated later. I used the microwave to cook the squash because I was running short on time, but I normally would use an oven. It would taste better but take longer to cook..probably like an hour or so. So, if you have time, go for the oven! The swiss chard took like 6 minutes to cook. I cooked the bacon ahead of time and chopped all the veggies, so all I had to do was combine ingredients in a pan and cook.

Roasted chicken with lemon:

1 whole (preferably organic)chicken-I used a 2.5 lb chicken from a local farm
1 lemon, cut in quarters
2 cloves garlic, chopped
sea salt & pepper
1 tbsp coconut oil for basting

Rinse chicken & pat dry. stuff cavity with garlic and squeeze lemon juice over it. rub salt and pepper into the chicken skin and then stuff the lemon in the cavity as well. Baste with coconut oil. Cook in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until juices run clear.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Apples

1 acorn squash, cut in half
1 granny smith apple, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tbsp grass fed butter
cinnamon
agave nectar or maple syrup

Place squash in a microwave safe dish, fill cavity with apple chunks. Microwave on high for 15 minutes, or until done. Top with pats of butter, agave nectar and cinnamon. Cook in microwave for another minute or so.

Swiss Chard w/ Bacon & Raisins (adapted from recipe on www.themovementdallas.com)

1 bunch swiss chard, leaves removed from ribs, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
1/4 cup raisins
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion, chopped

Sautee onion in coconut oil until tender and transulcent. Add smoked sea salt and swiss chard. Cook down until wilted, add water and raisins and cook for a few more minutes. Add in bacon right before serving. Very kid friendly with the raisins and bacon..oh and afraid of vegetables that are too green husband friendly too. He liked it! yay!