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For the first several years of my blogging journey I shared our menu plan almost every week. Those weekly menu plans were a very important part of our life at the time. Our food budget was very tight and stretching those food dollars was a necessity. Planning, and sticking to, a menu was critical to keep from exceeding the money allotted to food.
Even though our money was sparse, looking back on those times we ate well. Rarely gourmet but hearty, nourishing fare. The memories of those times brings a smile to my face.
Then things changed. Our budget loosened up when I took on more work. As a result of taking on more work, I was also busier. Taking the time to plan a menu had less appeal. One week I skipped making a menu. We didn’t starve so I skipped it the next week. Soon the weekly menu was only a memory. Oh, every so often I’d scratch out a menu and even posted on here on occasion but for the most part it was done and gone. Then when we moved into our new home, without a finished kitchen, cooking became a whole new adventure and menu plans didn’t fit.
2018
With the new year we find ourselves in a slightly different place. We have some financial goals we’re striving to meet. Around the middle of 2017 we started tightening our belts to help us fulfill these desires. We also have an *almost* finished kitchen which really makes our daily cooking so much easier (even though I still often use my wood stove for cooking instead of my range — it’s a money saver!) and the idea of planning our meals less overwhelming.
Since I’m back on the menu plan wagon, I thought I might as well share with you. 🙂 We follow a mostly traditional foods style of eating based on the principles shared in Nourishing Traditions to increase the nutrition in our meals. This means we focus on whole, nourishing foods. We like to soak, sour or sprout our grains, love raw milk and farm fresh eggs, and we prefer fresh, organic produce.
BUT…
… we also recognize our limitations. We live 45 minutes from the nearest town and only shop every two or three weeks so fresh produce is often replaced with frozen. Our goats are dry for the winter and our chickens are apparently on holiday waiting for sunshine before they supply us with eggs. Sometimes I forget to prepare my sourdough and I’ll make a yummy (non-soaked) whole wheat bread. I’m okay with this and give myself a little grace. You’ll also see letters after meals. These are references to Trim Healthy Mama meals which is a huge help in balancing my hormones, working on the middle age spread that has hit both Joe and I, and another thing we’re focusing on in 2018.
Our schedule; Monday through Friday my husband works a split shift. He works several hours early morning then comes home for breakfast about 8:45, leaves again around 11 am and returns at the end of his day around 5:30. We have breakfast together, the little guy and I eat a light lunch early afternoon, and we all enjoy dinner together. Because Joe’s been up working for several hours our breakfast often looks more like a lunch or dinner. He takes snack foods for lunch such as boiled eggs, cheese, cooked meats. We made a shopping trip yesterday so we’ll be eating lots of salads this week!
Note: THM separates fuels so we don’t eat carbs (E meals) with fats (S meals). Our little guy doesn’t need to lose weight or balance his hormones. While he eats the same meals as we do his become Crossover meals by adding additional healthy fats to E meals and helpful carbs to S meals.
Monday
Breakfast: Fried eggs with spinach and cheese (S)
Lunch: Leftover (from Saturday) roast venison and veggies (E)
Dinner: Cowboy Grub and side salad (E) from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Family Skillet Meals **made with venison
Tuesday
Breakfast: venison steaks with fried eggs and sauteed spinach (S)
Lunch: Hard boiled egg whites stuffed with salmon salad, sourdough English muffins (E)
Dinner: Bunless burgers with a BIG salad (S)
Wednesday
Breakfast: Super Prepared Purist Grains — Steel Cut Oats (E) from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Good Morning Grains
Lunch: Cowboy Soup, sourdough English muffins (E) **leftover Cowboy Grub thinned with chicken broth
Dinner: Egg Roll in a Bowl over rice (E) from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Family Skillet Meals
Thursday
Breakfast: Salmon salad, sourdough English muffins (E)
Lunch: Just Like Campbell’s Tomato Soup with chicken (S) from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Quick Single Soups
Dinner: Potsticker Patties Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Extra Skillet Stuff
Friday
Breakfast: Blended soup made from any leftover veggies or meats
Lunch: Heavy S Salad with chicken (S) from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Quick Single Salads
Dinner: Dreamy Chicken Lazone over sauteed cabbage ( for Joe and me, potato for C) (S) from Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Table Speedy Skillet Meals
Saturday
Breakfast: Super Prepared Purist Grains — Steel Cut Oats (E) from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Good Morning Grains
Late lunch/early dinner: Out for birthday celebrations
Sunday
Brunch: Egg white omelet with non-starchy veggies and nutritional yeast
Dinner: Wipe Your Mouth BBQ (venison instead of chicken) on sourdough buns (E) from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Crockpot Meals
What’s on your menu?
Learn how to get the most nutrition from the foods you eat! You’ll love the books from Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS.
Millie Copper (Homespun Oasis) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking amazon.com.
I have a friend that did Trim Healthy Mama, and she had some good results. She didn’t want to stay on it forever though. I am curious if you have seen any health improvements since starting Trim Healthy Mama. I have read some of the book and the part about it helping hormones always interests me. I seem to do better hormonally by eating balanced meals (with carbs and fat) to keep my adrenals healthy.
Hi Kristie,
I tried THM last year for three weeks. During that time I noticed a difference in my moods. I didn’t get uptight as easy. My husband also noticed. 😉 I also had an increase in energy during that time. I stopped it when we went on a trip, then didn’t start it up again until January 1st. I’m already seeing a difference. It does take some thought and planning but I don’t feel like I’m on a “diet”. ~ Millie