Weekly Menu Plan #29 ~ Simple Nourishment

This lil' blog has been quiet these days, I know.  Between sheering and docking, planting and jamming, wrapping up a school year and planning for the next, and the children growing like weeds well-watered plants, there is so much to share.  Life seems to be zooming by, and that's just it.  To miss a pensive question from my ten-year-old, a grand plan to make it rich from our eight-year-old, a story our six-year-old thought up, a hilarious phrasing of words from our four-year-old, or an endearing gaze from this little 12-week-old of mine... to miss any of this would destroy me.  So lots of things are on pause right now before this little season of life slips from my grasp.  I do, however, still need to nourish our bodies and I use these weekly menu plans, so I remain faithful to posting them.  Who knows?  Another post or two might slip in this week, but no promises.  I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

Monday:

To do: soak porridge

Breakfast:  Fresh Berries, Cottage Cheese, Scrambled Eggs

Lunch:  Salad

Snack:  Apricot Creme Smoothies

Dinner:  Chipotle-Style Food Bar

Tuesday:

To do: soak sourdough flatbread, that short ribs for Thursday's dinner

Breakfast:  Porridge & Eggs

Lunch:  Salad

Snack:  Fried Mush & Peach Slices

Dinner:  Summer Veggie Skillet Pizza

Wednesday:

To do: make sourdough flatbread

Breakfast:  Coconut Flour Crepes with Raw Whipped Cream & Fresh Fruit

Lunch:  Hummus Flowers 

Snack:  Raw Blueberry Bliss Smoothies

Dinner:  Flatbread Pesto Sandwiches & Summer Squash Gratin

Thursday: the last day of school!

To do: thaw beef stock & shanks for Saturday's dinner

Breakfast:  Strawberry Cacao Smoothies, Scrambled Eggs

Lunch:  Nibble Trays

Snack:  Nut Butter & Honey Popcorn

Dinner:  Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce (using fresh tomatoes, omitting the noodles), Steamed Green Beans, & Perfect Potato Wedges

Friday:

Breakfast:  Raw Summer Berry Tart

Lunch:  Salad

Snack:  Peaches & Cream Smoothies (recipe coming soon)

Dinner:  Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken & Braised Chard

Saturday:

Breakfast:  GF Zucchini & Chocolate Chip Muffins

Lunch:  Quesorritos & Fruit Slices

Snack:  Avocado & Raw Cheese Slices

Dinner:  Braised Beef Shanks (a GF version) & Raw Apricot Cobbler

Sunday:

To do: Menu Plan

Breakfast: GAPS Chocolate Beet Muffins

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Leftovers 

(Sunday is my day off)

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter.

Weekly Menu Plan #28 & Renaming Raw Dishes

As the temperature rises, our kitchen becomes cooler since we prepare more raw dishes and less hot ones.  The one thing I have against raw food is the names.  Pictured above is a raw "spaghetti" we ate last week.  It was delicious, but I made the mistake of calling it "raw spaghetti" to my family.  They in turn expected a warm, noodley dish with melting Parmesan on top instead of the cold zucchini "noodles" swimming in puréed fresh tomato sauce.  There probably would have been more chance of it being eaten without protest if I had called it Saucy Grates or something like that.  So when I made the raw strawberry shortcake, I just called it strawberry crumble and everyone ate it up.  Just keep it in mind to rename raw dishes if you plant to serve it to your family is all I'm sayin'.

Monday:

To do: soak porrige, thaw chicken stock for Wednesday night

Breakfast: Fresh berries, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs

Lunch: Quesorritos

Snack:  Apricot Creme Smoothies

Dinner:  Taco Salad

Tuesday:

To do: soak sourdough English muffins

Breakfast:  Porridge & Eggs

Lunch:  Fresh Pea Soup

Snack:  Fried Mush & Fresh Fruit

Dinner:  Chicken Enchilada Salad

Wednesday:

To do: make sourdough English muffins & pesto, thaw ground beef & beef stock for Fri. night

Breakfast:  Raw Strawberry Shortcake (using real whipped cream & not making multiple layers to save time)

Lunch:  English Muffin Sandwiches with Pesto, Raw Cheese, Avocado, & Tomatoes

Snack:  Raw Blueberry Bliss Smoothies

Dinner:  Nourishing Potato Cheddar Soup & Leftover Salad

Thursday:

To do: soak porridge

Breakfast:  Raw Muesli

Lunch:  Nibble Trays

Snack:  Raw Strawberry Cacao Smoothies

Dinner:  BBQ Chicken Salad (recipe coming soon) with Probiotic Ranch Dressing

Friday:

To do:

Breakfast:  Porridge with Fresh Fruit, Eggs

Lunch:  Mostly Raw Wraps

Snack:  Cherry Vanilla Smoothies (recipe coming soon)

Dinner:  Salisbury Steak (modified into a gluten-free version) & Mashed Potatoes, Dairy-Free Chocolate Ice Cream

Saturday:

Breakfast:  Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (recipe coming soon)

Lunch:  Organic, Grass-Fed Hot Dog Dippers (bunless hot dogs used to dip into favorite condiments)

Snack:  Peaches & Cream Smoothy (recipe coming soon)

Dinner:  Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts & Tomatoes (using rice noodles & fresh tomatoes), Raw Apricot Cobbler

Sunday:

To do: menu plan

Breakfast:  Paleo Breakfast Burrito

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Leftovers

(Sunday is my day off)

I"m sharing this at Monday Mania,  Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday.

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Apricot Crumble Pie ~ A Recipe

Here is our final recipe for Apricot Week.  I think.  We'll see.
Besides jams and jellies, pies are a happy way to preserve summer fruit when we need a warm-weather treat during the cold days to come.  Use up your very ripe apricots with this recipe if you're done making jam.  This is a pie that the Paleo, GAPS, gluten-free, and any ol' lover of food can gather 'round the table and enjoy.  Fancy a crisp instead?  Simple omit the crust, follow the filling & crumble recipe, and bake it in a 8x8 pan.  Lidded pans come in extra handy if you plan to freeze it.  My mixer was able to make two pies at a time.  If you want to make a potluck-sized crisp, double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 inch pan.

Grain-Free Apricot Crumble Pie


For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup expeller-pressed coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Filling:

• 4 cups apricots, pitted and quartered
• 1 cup coconut, date, or whole cane sugar (whole cane isn't GAPS or Paleo-legal, just FYI)
• 1/3 cup blanched almond flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the crumb topping:

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup expeller-pressed coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut, date, or whole cane sugar

1. Beat all crust ingredients in a mixer and press crust into pie pan.  You can either bake the crust in a pre-heated 350º oven for 15 minutes or dehydrate it at the highest temperature it will go for 45 minutes.  Let the crust cool while you prepare the filling.
2. To make filling, mix all ingredients in a mixer for about 10 seconds or until everything is mixed and the apricots have been mashed but not puréed.  Pour filling into crust.
3. To make crumble, combine all ingredients in mixer and.  Mix until the crumbs are of the consistency you desire and sprinkle on top of pie.
4. Now you may either cover pie and freeze for later or bake in a 375º oven for 45-55 minutes .  If you are ready to bake a frozen pie, first place pie in oven, then turn it to 375º and bake for 60-75 minutes, or until pie is slightly browned and bubbly. 

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

Raw Apricot Cobbler Recipe

Moving right along in apricot week, I offer you a raw cobbler recipe.  But before we get into it, have you tried the raw apricot (or aprium) smoothies yet?  We are loving them over here.  If you have never tried preparing a raw dish, this is a very good starter recipe.  It's simple and only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.  Having received many accolades, feel safe about taking it to your next pot luck or picnic.

Raw Apricot Cobbler
Prep time: 15 minutes, serves 8-10

• 14 apricots (or apriums), pitted & divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup grade B maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 cup pecans, walnuts, or almonds (we prefer pecans)
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean

1. Put 10 apricots, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 3 tbs. coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt in a blender (a high-speed like a Vita-Mix works best).  Blend on high until smooth and pour into a pie pan.  Chop up 4 remaining apricots in little bits and sprinkle them onto the apricot purée.
2. In a food processor, make the crumb topping by processing nuts, dates, 2 tbs. coconut oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla until it resembles coarse crumbs (before it turns into a butter).  Sprinkle on top of apricots.  Now you can either serve it right away or stick it in the dehydrator at 105º for 30 minutes to 3 hours if you'd like it warmed and your house to smell divine.  Scoop onto plates or bowls and serve immediately.  Store leftovers in the fridge.  It stays good for 3 more days.

The apricots before the crumb topping was sprinkled.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

Raw Apricot Creme Kefir Smoothies ~ A Recipe

It's apricot week!  Or in my case, aprium week.  I thought I'd kick it off with a simple, delicious, probiotic-rich recipe.  You'll notice that our weekly menu plans list one kefir smoothie a day.  They are the vehicle in which I get a good dose of the aforementioned probiotics down my family, along with fermented cod liver oil and chlorella powder without any fuss or objection.  Have you still not invested in your own kefir grains?  The time is now to take the dive.  Order some here (be sure to check out their free video tutorials) and save a bundle with homemade kefir.  You'll also benefit more from it health-wise than the store-bought kind.

Raw Apricot Creme Kefir Smoothies 

Prep time: 5 minutes, makes 5 cups

• 1 quart milk kefir
• 8 apricots
• 1/4 cup raw, local honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 banana (optional but suggested if you want a creamier, sweater smoothie)
• 2 cups ice cubes

1. place all ingredients in the order they are listed and blend on high for about a minute.  You will get the creamiest results with a Vitamix.  Freeze any leftovers in popsicle moulds for later enjoyment.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

Real Food Weekly Menu Plan #27 ~ Apricot Week!

We purchased a fifteen-pound box of organic, local, hail-damaged apriums (an apricot/plumb mix, heavy on the apricot side) for $15.  In honor of that box, we're calling it Apricot Week!  It's amazing what you can make with fifteen pounds of apricots.  I made fourteen 8-ounce jars of honey-sweetened jam, apricot cream smoothies aplenty, a raw apricot cobbler, and two gluten-free, grain-free apricot pies that will be stored in the freezer and pulled out when it's cold enough to turn the oven on again.  We even had some left to enjoy by themselves.  Stay tuned for the recipes mentioned above and if you want to make all that apricot jam sweetened with just one and a half cups honey, buy yourself a packet of Pamona's Pectin, follow the recipe provided, and go to town!  You might want to buy at least one six-pack to be prepared for the blueberry, strawberry, peach, and blackberry seasons.  I also highly recommend these BPA-free reusable lids.  Reusable and BPA-free makes me happy.  So does putting food by.  It's quite therapeutic and I warn you, it's addicting.


Monday:
To do: soak porridge
Breakfast:  Coconut Flour Crepes
Lunch:  Quesorritos
Snack:  Apricot Creme Smoothies
Dinner:  Taco Salad

Tuesday:
To do: soak sourdough flatbread
Breakfast: Porridge & Eggs
Lunch:  Hummus Flowers
Snack:  Fried Mush
Dinner:  Raw Spaghetti & Fresh Strawberries with Creme Fraiche for Dessert

Wednesday:
To do: make sourdough flatbread, freeze ice cream maker
Breakfast: Raw Strawberry Crumble
Lunch:  Irish Nachos using Perfect Potato Wedges
Snack:  Raw Blueberry Bliss Smoothie
Dinner:  Sourdough Flatbread, Fava Bean Spread, avocado, tomato, and raw cheese slices

Thursday:
To do: make pesto
Breakfast:  Raw Muesli
Lunch:  Nibble Trays
Snack:  Strawberry Cacao Smoothies
Dinner:  Fresh Pea Soup, Flatbread, Pesto

Friday: (We celebrate our daughter's fourth birthday!)
To do: make cake & raw ice cream! Soak pancakes
Breakfast:  Grain-Free Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch:  Grain-Free Pigs in a Blanket
Snack:  Raw Strawberry Kefir Smoothies
Dinner:  Sourdough Pizza, Grain-Free Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting, Raw Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

Saturday:
Breakfast:  Pancake Bar
Lunch:  Pancake Sandwiches
Snack:  Orange Julius (using kefir instead of milk)
Dinner:  Sour Cream Bake (using rice noodles)

Sunday:
To do: menu plan
Breakfast: Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Scones
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Leftovers
(Sunday is my day off.)

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday.

Real Food Weekly Menu Plan #26

Raw Apple Pie

The forecast this week is telling me to prepare for the annual goodbye to the beloved oven.  Once the thermometer reaches the nineties and above, the oven rests until cooler weather greets us once again.  Tomorrow is supposed to hit 90º, so with a tearful farewell, I close the oven door until it dips back down to a reasonable temperature and pull out some old raw food and skillet-cooked favorites; and maybe discover some new ones.

Monday:

To do: thaw steak for Wednesday's lunch

Breakfast:  Sourdough Crepe Suzette

Lunch:  Mostly Raw Wraps

Snack:  Strawberry Cacao Kefir Smoothies

Dinner:  Swiss Chard Frittata

Tuesday:

To do: soak porridge, thaw ball tip for Friday's dinner

Breakfast:  Avocado Slices & Scrambled Eggs

Lunch:  Mostly Raw Wraps

Snack:  Blueberry Kefir Smoothies

Dinner:  Hamburger Patties Over Lettuce, Tomato, Sauerkraut, & Pickle Relish, Perfect Potato Wedges

Wednesday:

To do: soak sourdough flatbread

Breakfast:  Soaked Porridge

Lunch: Steak & Cheese Quesadillas & apriums

Snack: Fried Mush

Dinner:  Turkey Pesto Pasta & Summer Squash Gratin

Thursday:

To do: make sourdough flatbread, thaw enchilada sauce for Saturday night

Breakfast:  Egg Burritos

Lunch:  Sourdough flatbread sandwiches with Fava Bean Spread

Snack:  Aprium Kefir Smoothies (recipe coming soon)

Dinner: Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken & Salad

Friday:

To do:  soak sourdough pancakes

Breakfast:  Paleo Breakfast Bread (it's supposed to be cooler today so I'm using the oven)

Lunch:  Nut Butter & Berry Wraps

Snack:  Orange Julius (using kefir instead of milk)

Dinner:  Thai Sirloin Beef (variation) over thinly sliced cabbage, sugar snap peas, & peanut sauce

Saturday:
To do: thaw ground beef for Monday night

Breakfast:  Pancake Bar

Lunch:  Pancake Sandwiches

Snack:  Apriums & Almonds

Dinner:  Chicken Enchiladas, Salad, & Butterscotch Pudding 

Sunday:

To do:  menu plan

Breakfast:  Eggs, bacon, & Avocado

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Leftovers

(Sunday is my day off)

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday.

Kohlrabi Fries ~A Recipe for Snack Time or a Side Dish

Thanks to our weekly produce box, we get to enjoy things like parsnips, apriums, and kohlrabi regularly (when they're in season, of course).  This week, our kohlrabi was made into fries.  Except they were baked.  They make a delicious snack or side dish.  Kohlrabi (or German turnip) is actually of the cabbage family and is a good source of fiber, Vitamins C and B6, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, and Phosphorus. It's also gluten-free and GAPS and Paleo legal.  We call these Baby Fries because they're only a couple inches long.

Kohlrabi Fries

• 3-4 kohlrabi bulbs, pealed and chopped into baby-sized fries
• 2 tablespoons expeller-pressed coconut oil
• seasoning of choice (garlic powder, salad dressing seasoning, etc.)
• salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450º.  Peal & chop kohlrabi bulbs.  Be sure to really peel them well or you will end up with tough fries.  
2. If your oil is solid, melt it, then pour over fries and toss to coat.  Lay the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Generously sprinkle seasoning over fries.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until browned.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Serve warm.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~ 

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, SImple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday.

Dress a Table Tuesday ~ Join Us!

It's been a week and so far our table has something pretty on it every dinnertime; and sometimes for snack!  My oldest latched right on to this new table-dressing thing.  At snack time, she got out her tea set, the cloth napkins, and arranged a new bundle of flowers she found outside.  She explained to me her method, "I gathered mint and lavender for a nice smell, Sow in the Summer for white accents, an Iris for color, and Lamb's Ear for texture."  My goodness, she has a gift, I tell you.  She even lit the candles and turned on some mood music.  Suddenly the orange-and-milk snack became a beautiful, peaceful gathering of siblings while I started making dinner in the kitchen.

"Are your napkins on yer laps?"  Our son reminded the girlies.  Napkin police is he.

It was a thing of beauty, I tell you.

What a difference some flowers and cloth napkins make.

Now it's your turn!

What have you done to add beauty to your table?  A flower?  A new candle?  A whole spread of gorgeousness?  What effect did it have on those you dine with?  I've been waiting all week to see what you've done!  Now is the time to leave a link in the comments section of this post that takes us to your blog, an Instagram picture, or some other link that we can visit and admire your dressed table.  Remember, if you're using Twitter or Instagram, include the hash tag #dressatabletuesday so we can all enjoy our very own collection of pretty tables and accents.

Where did this idea come from?  Visit this post to get caught up.  Now let's see those tables!