Meal Plan #4

Monday
Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast
Lunch:Leftover broccoli cheddar soup
Dinner:  Salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, collard greens

Tuesday
Breakfast:  Smoothies
Lunch:  Chicken salad sandwich, carrots, fruit
Dinner:  Grandparents' house

Wednesday:
Breakfast:  Oatmeal
Lunch: Egg salad
Dinner:  Baked chicken kiev, sweet potatoes, green bean

Thursday
Breakfast:  Eggs, fruit
Lunch: Big salad, fruit
Dinner:  Liver dirty rice, roasted cabbage, baked apples

Friday
Breakfast:  Sourdough pumpkin bread
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Thin crust pizza

Saturday
Breakfast:  Eggs, leftover waffles
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Split pea soup

Sunday
Breakfast:  Smoothies
Lunch:  Lasagna casserole
Dinner:  Leftovers

Salmon Patties

It's funny how your tastebuds change over time.  I have distinct memories of dread from my childhood of mom cracking open a can of smelly fishy salmon, knowing that it would soon be on our dinner table, and I would be expected to eat that weird fish pancake.  Oddly enough it was one of my brother's favorite meals.  I never did understand how it could be a favorite of his, that is until recent years.  Now I happily serve it to my family as a nourishing and inexpensive meal, polishing off every last bit of those thin crispy flavorful delights.  I have made some changes from the way my mom and dad used to make them.  Their original version calls for crushed saltines, and as delightful as they are, saltine crackers just aren't the healthiest if we're being honest.  I now use blanched almond meal/flour in its place, and honestly I can't really tell the difference.  Still yummo.  I always serve it alongside mac and cheese, just like my momma used to.  Some things never change.  I do usually use gluten free rice pasta when I make it though.  I hope you like this revamped recipe straight from my parents' Kentucky kitchen.

Salmon patties
1 can 7.5 wild caught sockeye salmon
1/3 c. blanched almond meal/flour
1/4 c. milk
1 egg (pasture/free range best)
1/4 of an onion minced
sea salt and pepper to taste (only start with a small amount)

Drain salmon and place in bowl, removing undesirable parts.  I remove the large parts of the skin and large center bone.  The small bones are rich in calcium and can be easily crushed so I keep them.  Add remainder of ingredients and mix well with fork.  It should be pretty wet, but you may have to adjust to get a decent consistency.  In cast iron pan, melt 2 T. butter over medium heat.  Scoop out small amount of salmon mixture, flatten in hands and place in pan.  I like mine thin, so I sometimes flatten it a bit more when it gets in the pan.  Cook for a few minutes until golden brown and flip, continuing to cook for another few minutes.

I like to eat mine plain, my family likes them with ketchup, and they would also be great with a homemade aoli or tarter sauce.  Enjoy!

Meal Plan #3

Oh how I love fall.  Pumpkin everything, pumpkin carving, bonfires, football, hoodies, beautifully colored leaves, cool air, soups....it's just a lovely time of year.  I have pinned several yummy fall recipes on pinterest and I'm excited to try some of them this week.  Pumpkin oatmeal and "better than Panera" broccoli cheddar soup are a couple of them that I have on the menu.  Anything you're looking forward to on your meal plan this week? 


Sunday
Breakfast: Smoothies
Lunch:  Out (Panera)
Dinner: Grilled hot dogs and brats, homemade hashbrowns, and fruit salad

Monday
Breakfast:  Eggs and sprouted toast
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Simple baked flounder, quinoa, buttered carrots, and raisin chutney

Tuesday
Breakfast:  Eggs and bacon
Lunch:  Apples and peanut butter for kids, leftovers for adults
Dinner: Creamy chicken and rice casserole , green beans

Wednesday
Breafast:  Baked pumpkin oatmeal
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Brisket tacos

Thursday
Breakfast:  Eggs and smoothies
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner: Broccoli cheddar soup

Friday 
Breakfast:  Coconut flour pancakes
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Homemade thin crust pizza

Saturday
Breakfast:  Eggs, bacon, and sprouted toast
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Baked chicken kiev

Meal Plan #2

This week my man is on vacation for part of the week.  Buffalo chicken and beef stroganoff are two of his favorite meals, so they are making an appearance.  Gotta keep the fam happy.  I'm also trying some new things this week.  Raisin chutney for a probiotic kick, baked cheese sticks and rice pasta with bok choy and chicken.  I'll edit this to let you know how we like them.  Happy eating!


Sunday
Breakfast:  Leftover sourdough waffles and eggs
Lunch:  Lunch with Grandparents
Dinner:  Out (Crazy bowls and wraps)

Monday
Breakfast:  Yogurt, eggs, fruit
Lunch:  Leftovers or sandwiches
Dinner:  Buffalo chicken tenders (plain for kids), baked cheesesticks, sweet potato fries, fruit salad

Tuesday
Breakfast:  Bacon, eggs, sprouted toast
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Beef stroganoff, soaked egg noodles, green beans, buttered carrots  (This may be pushed off depending on if we eat with my grandparents this night.)

Wednesday
Breakfast:  Oatmeal
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Veggie stir fry, Asian pasta with baby bok choy and chicken

Thursday
Breakfast:  Sourdough pancakes or waffles
Lunch:  Leftovers or sandwiches
Dinner:  Baked flounder, raisin chutney, quinoa, and whatever veg looks good

Friday
Breakfast:  Eggs, sprouted toast
Lunch:  Sandwiches, veggie sticks, fruit
Dinner:  Thin crust pizza and salad

Saturday
Breakfast:  Smoothies
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Sourdough crepes, fruit, bacon

Meal plan #1

I've decided I'm going to do things a bit different around here.  Instead of a "What We Ate" series, I'm going to start sharing my meal plan every week.  I think these will be more valuable because they will show how we implement "connected cooking", budgeting, freezer cooking, etc.  Hope you find these helpful.  Plus, my pictures in the winter stink.  I just can't take a good picture of dinner when it gets dark outside at 5.  :)  So without further adieu, here is my first meal plan to share. 

Sunday
Breakfast:  Leftover pancakes and yogurt
Lunch:  Out
Dinner:  Sourdough waffles from the freezer, homemade hashbrowns, eggs, and sausage

Monday
Breakfast:  Soaked granola and eggs
Lunch:  PB&J, fruit, carrot sticks
Dinner:  White chicken chili

Tuesday
Breakfast:  eggs and toast
Lunch:  leftover white chicken chili
Dinner:  Grandparents' house

Wednesday
Breakfast:  smoothies
Lunch:  Grilled cheese, fruit, veg sticks
Dinner:  Honey butter pork tenderloin, roasted butternut squash, sauted green beans

Thursday
Breakfast:  sourdough pancakes or waffles
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Irish nachos

Friday
Breakfast:  eggs, bacon, toast
Lunch:  leftovers
Dinner:  Homemade pizza

Saturday
Breakfast: soaked granola with milk
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Chicken breasts, buttered carrots, roasted broccoli

Baked apple oatmel

The hubs is working early mornings again.  He's usually gone before the kids get up, which means most mornings, I'm relishing in some extra sleep too.  Yeah it's pretty sweet.  We're talking 8am some mornings, folks!  ::happy dance::  Mr. Buss is hungry in the mornings and still requires breakfast even though the Mrs. is snoozing in the back bedroom.  Our normal breakfast fare consists of eggs of some sort, maybe a smoothie, or sourdough pancakes or waffles, but you know how it is when it's early and you are rushing out the door trying to get to work on time.  Who has time to make a big breakfast?  Plus if he ran the blender and woke up my grumpy toddler, Mama might have words.  Enter....the baked oatmeal.  It's easy, fast, can be eaten cold or warm, nutritous, and makes enough to last for a few days so that Mr. Buss has something he can eat on the go.  Did I mention my kids love it too?  They both gobble it down.  Bailey calls it apple cobbler.  Sure why not.  Yes dear, you can have cobbler for breakfast.  :)

What makes it healthy?

Glad you asked.  Here are some of the highlights.  Most people think oats are healthy.  I tend to agree to an extent.  They are healthy when they are properly prepared.  Oats and grains in general are loaded with phytic acid which can block absorbtion of zinc, calcium, and iron.  They should be soaked, sprouted or soured to reduce phytic acid to help you receive all the nutrition found in grains.  This recipe calls for oats soaked in an acidic medium for 24 hours.  This helps get rid of all the nasties and helps unlock the goodness of the oats.  It is also made with a natural sweetener of choice.  I like to use real maple syrup because I like the maple flavor but raw honey would work great as well.  Both are great alternatives to highly processed white or brown sugar.  This also has a fair amount of coconut oil in it which I love.  Truly a wonder food, coconut oil does a lot for your health including lowering blood pressure, improve thyroid function, aid in weightloss, boost metabolism, fight infection, and helps absorb other minerals.  Yeah I like it a lot.  I won't go into the fruit or nut add ins, because we all know those are healthy.  Load up people! 


Now on to the recipe...

Baked apple oatmeal
Adapted from Kelly the Kitchen Kop

2.5 c oats ( I used regular rolled oats)
1 T whole wheat flour (gives phytase to help break down the phytic acid in oats)
1 3/4 c yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, or water with 2 T of liquid whey or lemon juice
1/2 c coconut oil
4 eggs
1/2 c real maple syrup or raw honey
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt (I like Redmond's Real Salt brand)
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
2 c. chopped apples

Options:  any other fruit, raisins, nuts

Soak oats, flour and yogurt covered on kitchen counter for 24 hours. So you want to do this the morning before the morning you want to eat this.  The next morning, mix up remainder of ingredients and add to the oats. You may need to add some milk at this point it seems a bit dry.  It will depend a bit on the acidic medium you used in the soaking process.   Pour into 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, depending on your desired consistency. 

This can be frozen after mixing all ingredients together.  Thaw the night before you want to serve and bake the next morning.

Sources:
Phytic Acid  
Benefits of coconut oil 

What we ate: August

You know the drill.  Good eats from August.  No special diet, just real food, simple, and really good.  This month in the garden we had zucchini, tomatoes, a few cucumbers, peppers, a little broccoli, onions, and figs.  Hope this gives you some ideas.  Anything yummy cooking in your kitchen lately?  Share in the comments below.

 Ham leftover from church, scalloped potatoes, and roasted asparagus

 This was the end of the week when food was really low.  It was kind of made up.  Some leftover rice, grass-fed beef, peppers and tomatoes from the garden, eggplant and garlic.  

 Grilled chicken, figs from the yard wrapped in bacon and zucchini from the garden.  

 Chicken piccata, sauteed zucchini (garden), and tomato and cucumber salad (garden)

 Baked fish with lemons, carrots and green beans, and fruit smoothies with chia seeds

 BLT on sourdough bread, roasted okra (farmer's market), and watermelon (farmer's market)

 Filets, mashed potatoes, and broccoli (garden) with cheese sauce

 Beef and broccoli (leftover from the steak night) over rice with fruit salad

 Again this was a made up night with leftovers when food was getting low.  Chicken flatbread melts topped with tomatoes (garden), homemade slaw, and peaches (farmer's market).

 Skillet lasagna, peas and salad

Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, pan gravy, and sauteed green beans