Lots of you have asked what in the world Ryan and I eat since we are grain-free right now. So last week I started sharing our weekly menus with you guys so that you can see that we really aren’t missing out on that much.
Earlier last week I got a book that I’ve been wanting to read called Trim Healthy Mama (several of my recipes for this week are coming out of this book). I hesitated on buying it for a while since it’s a whopping $31.50, but I was very intrigued by the ideas and I had several friends who absolutely loved the book and were posting about their progress on Facebook.
The book incorporates a mostly grain-free lifestyle (you can easily adapt it to be completely grain-free) and switching off meals that are more fat-heavy with meals that have more carbs. I’m familiar with the ideas behind cycling fats and carbs (not eating fats and carbs in the same meal, and eating each with protein) but I LOVE that the authors of Trim Healthy Mama not only explain the science behind it in easy-to-understand terms, but the second half of the book is a recipe book to go along with it! So getting two books (a “why/how-to” book and a cookbook in one) for the $31 price tag isn’t unreasonable at all.
I’ll keep you guys updated on the progress!
If you’re interested in reading the reviews, you can just click on the box below:
Okay, on to the meal plan! :)
The kids will be mostly eating the same things as us with some extra carbs added in to the meal plan below. I can easily throw in a slice of bread or some rice for them to round things out a little more for their growing bodies.
Breakfast:
Fried eggs (yes, in butter) with onions and bell peppers
Coconut Flour Breakfast Bake
Grain-Free Cinnamon & Spice Muffins (recipe coming later this week!)
In-season fruit for the kids – Mangos, Kiwis, Bananas
Quinoa “oatmeal” – 1 cup of cooked quinoa with stevia (or sucanat), and cinnamon
Lunch:
Salads (with leftover salmon, leftover burgers, or lunch meat, and broccoli, carrots, and cheese)
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Leftovers from dinner
Grain-free sandwiches – recipes to come, I’m getting brave this week and I’m going to try to make my own sandwich rolls! :)
Coleslaw (cabbage is on sale this month!)
Snacks:
Apples & Peanut Butter
Homemade Guacamole with grain-free crackers
Greek Yogurt and frozen berries
Oranges
Trail Mix
Dinner:
Burger Salad (the kids will have a bun with their burgers) and roasted sweet potatoes (this is pretty much a weekend staple in our house!)
Stuffed Bell Peppers (ground beef + quinoa + cream cheese/cheese mix + sauteed onion + garlic powder + salt & pepper to taste; fill bell peppers with the mix and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes)
Roasted spaghetti squash (I cook it in the oven just like a whole pumpkin) with meat sauce (2 lbs. ground beef + one bottle of favorite pre-made sauce + extra fresh basil)
Seared Salmon with basil-garlic Neufchatel Cheese (I *might* attempt making my own neufchatel cheese this week, we’ll see) and steamed broccoli
Asian stir-fry with konjac noodles (I’ll let you know how these turn out, it will be my first time to try them!)
Leftovers
Beverages:
Water
Raw Milk (thankfully here in Texas we can still go get it from a local farm)
Unsweetened almond milk (mostly for the 2 year old, but I’ve been incorporating it some too)
I like to do my menu plans on the weekends since the week is pretty crazy for us, and I don’t set up my menu plans by day of the week so that I don’t have to set in stone what we are having every single night. It’s a big enough deal for this non-scheduler to plan out a general menu at all, so I like that each evening can be somewhat spontaneous since I can choose that day (or the night before) what we are going to eat.
As I make this meal plan each week I take a look at what we have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer first, and then if I’m lacking anything I look at what’s on sale so that I can make a quick trip to the store on Sunday afternoon (although I try to avoid that if possible since I like to go to the store on Wednesdays to do my stock-up shopping).
For those who are curious about Quinoa, see my post on How To Cook Quinoa. I was scared for the longest time to try it out (I guess because it was so new to me?) but I make it all the time now!
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I’ve mentioned before
how sensitive my sinuses are to chemical-based cleaners, and while my reaction to chemical-based air fresheners is a little milder, they are still not something that I want sprayed in my home.
Many have stopped using air fresheners because of the chemicals like phthalates, formaldehyde, petrochemicals, p-dichlorobenzene and aerosol pollutants that are used.
Here are a few ideas for freshening the smell of your home without the harsh chemicals:
Coffee Grounds
Even those who object to drinking coffee typically agree that the aroma is amazing (there might be those of you out there who hate the smell of coffee, but I haven’t met you yet!) You may use fresh or used coffee grounds but if you chose used make sure to dry them out first. Place coffee grounds in breathable fabric and tie with a string or ribbon then place in key areas of your home to keep away odors.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is definitely one of the least expensive ways to eliminate odors in your home. Of course it’s useful in the fridge and pantry to getting rid of food smells there, but you can put an open container of baking soda in any room of the house that gets overrun with odors (i.e. the laundry room!) I like to sprinkle it on the carpet before I vacuum too (along with some essential oils mixed in). You may place it in a smaller container but be careful to position it away from pets since it can pose serious health risks in high amounts.
House Plants
House plants are wonderful for fighting against toxic air! In fact, an unassuming house plant can rid your home of 87% of toxic air in a day. The African Violet and Spider Plant are tough on air toxicity and easy to maintain.
Essential Oils
I really think that I’m going to end up having essential oils in every natural remedy and chemical-free post from now on. I’m finding SO many uses for my oils (lavender oil for burns and diaper rash, lime oil for dry scalp, melrose oil for skin issues, thieves oil for infections) and I’ve loved adding them in various combinations to my homemade cleaners.
I’ve used essential oils (usually lavender and lemon) in my Scentsy jar and they smell absolutely amazing throughout the house. You can also use essential oils in a diffuser to spread the smell throughout the house. This one is a great diffuser at Lowe’s that’s much less than the ones typically sold from essential oil companies (it looks like you can’t have it shipped, but there are stores across the country that still have it in stock). I’m a HUGE fan of Young Living and am happy to buy my oils from them, but this diffuser is a much more economical price than the ones that they have available.
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Do you have any other chemical-free ways to freshen the air of your home? I’d love to hear them!
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RedPlum Coupons |
Smartsource Coupons |
Coupon Network Coupons Have you checked out
No More Rack yet? It's a great daily deals site with only $2 flat rate shipping!!
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