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Monday, August 1, 2011

menu and blog change



I spent some time this weekend finally learning how to make a blog banner (!) and updating my pages on the menu bar.  The most exciting change for me (besides my banner) is the addition of a true bookstore!  I've always wanted to be a bookstore owner and now I am.   Virtually anyway.  Sure, I can't dance around it with my daughter like Meg Ryan did, or smell the inky pages, but it's something!

I also spent some time thinking this weekend.  John ended his summer camp schedule this week with his last youth camp and he is ready for a change in his eating.  To be honest, I am too.  Our occasional treats have gotten way out of control this summer and I have been left feeling shaky and crampy.  It is just a sad truth of my life that I have to eat better than the average bear in order to feel somewhat normal.  My threshold is very narrow.  Before I know it I am clear on the other side feeling awful.  In that light, we have decided to do a week of grain free, sugar free, and pasteurized dairy free (so long tiny cheeses) eating.  Just a week, but it will be a good start to see where we should go from here.  I for sure had to do some meal planning this week, or I knew I would revert to "how about some cheese and crackers for lunch?".  We are also doing some major juicing this week to help jump start our engines.

A grain free a dairy free meal plan:

breakfasts:

almost oatmeal
paleo pumpkin muffins
homemade raw yogurt
pastured eggs
good morning muesli
lots of green juicing
smoothies

lunches:

romaine salad with blueberries, almonds, chia seeds
confetti salad
thai salad mix
leftovers
miso soup (here's hoping I can find miso!)

dinners:

chicken soup with bone broth
roasted chicken w/ sauteed okra and tomato, summer veggie kabobs
lamb meat balls w/ garlic swiss chard and ginger carrots
beef soup with bone broth (potato free)
beef and bean casserole (cheese free)
lemon chicken with capers sauteed summer veggies

*daily kombucha intake as well (and hopefully kefir, if I can come across some grains!)

That's more meat than we typically eat.  But with the very light lunches I figure we'll be pretty hungry in the evenings.  Also, Buddy has been very cranky lately and we've been eating mainly a vegetarian diet, high in carbs.  I'm interested to see how a higher protein intake effects him.

11 comments:

Traci said...

Mandi, please read Nina Planck's "Real Food" I am reading her newer one "Real Food for mother and baby" and really love her advice and traditional, easy food recommendations...meat and eggs for babies, not carrots and crackers. They can synthesize proteins better than adults and need them to thrive. So good to see in this wacked out world of modern food and confusing advice on what to eat. We also do Paleo recipes and keep the grains down as almost a condiment with sandwiches often breadless..had burgers last night sans bread. Of course, all grass fed, natural foods, etc. Hope you feel better with your recharge! You will.

Ivy Mae said...

We (my husband, 2 year old son, and I) went grain-free and sugar-free 4 months ago, and we feel so much better. I don't have sugar crashes any more, my husband no longer has achy joints, and our son has a lot more behavioral self-control. We have really thrived on a meat, dairy, vegetable-based diet. Like Traci mentioned above, this type of diet is GREAT for kids, who need all that healthy fat, and I wish I would have started my son out like this rather than plying him with grains in the beginning. Let us know how it works for you!
PS--the Wellness Mama blog has been a great resource for me, as well as Nourishing Traditions.

Megan said...

love the banner!

amanda {the habit of being} said...

i will happily send you some kefir grains if you'd like :)

and yay on the new banner - it looks great :)

A said...

Pretty updates. You must have some hard-core self control. Afraid I can't quite say the same!

The Farmers Nest said...

love the new banner.

Rosie_Kate said...

Love the new banner! It's great! (My favorite color combination!)

I've been considering doing a grain-free experiment. I'm not sure if I should do it while pregnant and nursing, but I think it is in our future. I keep hearing good things about eating that way, and I can tell that we don't do that well on grains. The unfortunate part is how much I'll miss my sourdough bread... but we'll see how it goes.

Keep us updated! :-)

Rachel said...

Your banner is so pretty! I hope your experimental diet week goes well. The difference in energy and crashes is remarkable when you really start pulling sugar and grains out of your diet. It is killing my grocery budget, but oh well! I feel good, my husband loves the way he feels, and my blood work and weight gain this pregnancy has been the healthiest of all of them.

TxFarmhouse said...

Love the new banner! It's refreshing! We're on the same page as far as changing our diets. The heat and our bad eating habits have been making us feel horrible. Today was a good day to start a change.
Stay cool,
Berte

Greta said...

Wow! Talk about timely. My little boy is suffering some real stomach pain.
I cut all dairy first--that's what I had to do with my 2nd. But there is something else still. So out with eggs, soy, nuts, gluten, citrus and avocado. Some are the big allergins and others he seems uncomfortable after I eat. So your post is giving me good ideas for meals.
And I love your new banner!
Love from,
Greta

cally said...

Awesome banner, love the bookstore going on, and huh? No grains? Am I ignorant...I thought grain was good for you. I'm with ya on the sugar (I'm an addict, it's a problem), but explain to me the no grains.

Please keep the giving the detailed updates on the diets and its effects. I'm so curious.

And your menu looks delicious. I'm coming over.