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Spring Cleaning and Other Thoughts
Source: thekitchn.com via Melissa on Pinterest
Did you enjoy the Spring Clean Challenge? I’ve been slowly working on my own home. Somehow, over the last couple of months, I’d gotten really behind on a lot of things around my house. That means…. major cleaning! We’ve had a rough few weeks. Lots of family crises have occurred over the last few months. Nothing I can really talk about, but there have been a number of trials that have left me feeling worn out emotionally and physically.
I am not on the internet much anymore, but I’m still working to make A Virtuous Woman work! But if days go by and you don’t “see” me around, that’s why! I try to check moderated comments a few times a week and I try to get posts up and scheduled so days don’t go by without anything new. It requires a good deal of organization… which, in my life, can vary from day to day!
I thought about taking BEFORE photos of my house and doing AFTER photos. Not sure yet. You know how no one ever comes to see you when you’ve got the whole house clean and neat? Wait. You mean that just happens to me? I hope not!
Anyway, so yesterday was the first day in over a week I’ve cooked a real meal – as in, something that took more than five minutes to prepare. We’ve been eating a lot of cold or hot cereal, oranges and grapefruit, angel hair pasta, and salads. Oh the up side, I’ve lost about four pounds in the last two weeks!
I made Cream Cheese Patties, Cream of Mushroom Gravy, 60 – Minute Dinner Rolls, Spelt Dinner Rolls, Steamed Brussels Sprouts, Corn on the Cob, and Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms. Both of the roll recipes were a keeper. I think they could be very versatile, too! I’m thinking bread sticks, herbed rolls, pizza pockets…
Today we’re having hot dogs or hamburgers. Not sure which yet, but I’m planning to make deviled eggs, coleslaw, baked beans, and and Impossible Cheesecake to go with it.
And before I forget, doesn’t that Lemon Tart photo above look scrumptious? I am definitely putting it on my list of must make foods!
All in all, despite the frustrations of life, I have found a lot of joy. And I can see God working in miraculous ways even in the chaos! He is so very faithful.
Menu Plan Monday
We’ve been sick with a nasty cold the last few days. Thankfully, I think we are on the tail end of it. Needless to say the last couple of days I haven’t done much cooking and menu planning made me really hungry. So, at 7:30 p.m. tonight I decided to get up and cook something yummy.
Also, is it just me, or have you found the most amazing recipes through Pintrest? You really must check out my “Recipes to Try” board on Pintrest.
Like this photo of Lemon Merigue Pie!!! Which has inspired me to make a Lemon Meringue Pie with a Double Meringue for our Sabbath Evening Meal on Friday. Gorgeous!
Source: flickr.com via Melissa on Pinterest
Sunday:
B – Cereal and Soy Milk
S – Veggie Hot Dogs and Homemade French Fries
Monday:
B – Cereal with Soy Milk
L -Fettuccine Alfredo
S -Indian Chickpeas, Rice, Asparagus with Rosemary Citrus Butter
Tuesday:
B – Bagels and Gluten Free Brazilian Cheese Bread with Cream Cheese
L – Crockpot Enchiladas, Black Bean Salad, and Guacamole
S – Cabbage and Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Pimento Cheese Fritters with Homemade Apple Pepper Jelly
Wednesday:
B – Sourdough Blueberry Muffins and Scrambled Eggs
L – French Lentils, Garlic Cheese Biscuits, Steamed Cauliflower
S – Cornbread Pancakes with Honey Butter Syrup, Fried Eggs
Thursday:
B -English Muffin Sandwiches, Grapefruit
L – Crockpot Taco Soup, Salad
S – Stewed Tomatoes and Rice, Salad
Friday:
B – Cheese Grits or Cream of Wheat
L – Homemade Gouda Cheese Crackers, Salad, Boiled Eggs
S – Tacos, Lemon Meringue Pie with a Double Meringue
Sabbath:
B -Cereal, Yogurt
L – Potluck: Oatmeal “Meatloaf”, Sweet Pickled Apples, Scalloped Potatoes
S – Leftovers
Snacks:
This week we’ll be eating lots of citrus – a few bushels oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit that need to be eaten before they go bad now that spring has sprung.
Baking:
I’ll be busy every afternoon baking Brazilian Cheese Bread, Sourdough Blueberry Muffins, Amish Sourdough Sandwich Bread, Gouda Cheese Crackers, and Double Lemon Meringue Pie.
Be sure to check out Organizing Junkie for hundreds of ideas for your meal planning!
What are you eating this week?
Menu Plan
Sometimes I really hate menu planning. I love to cook. I love to eat. I love feeding my sweet family food they love to eat. But sometimes actually coming up with what to eat is a real chore. Needless to say, menu planning is very helpful because it is even more of a chore to figure out what we are eating five minutes before everyone is ready to eat.
I must be tired this afternoon. Mentally tired. Maybe because we are currently working on high school math in our homeschool and its 4:30 in the afternoon.
Lately, rather, the last few months, I have had to spend even more time in the kitchen. Sometimes I feel like I spend at least six hours a day in the kitchen (sometimes more) just cooking and cleaning. Since Sarah has gone wheat free and mostly vegan for her health I have to prepare two of everything, very often, and it takes forever. Gluten free foods cost so much, we can’t afford for everyone to eat them. So when we have pasta, I make a separate dish for her. It’s okay. I really don’t mind. I love her more than anything in the world and spending more time preparing food is soooo worth her feeling healthy and normal.
Here’s my latest attempt at making a yummy gluten free sandwich bread:
Unfortunately, it tasted gross. I have not yet found a sandwich bread using gluten free flour that tastes good. I was excited about this recipe because I had made pizza crust for her and that turned out nice and tasted good as a pizza and had a good texture. So, I thought, why not try it as a loaf of bread? Yuck. I don’t know. I am planning to try making my own Brown Rice Flour Mix soon. Something about the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour is just not appealing, the smell, the taste, the texture. Sorry! I think I prefer the King Arthur Brand Gluten Free flour, but unfortunately, we bought several ( a lot ) of the Bob’s Red Mill flour when it was on closeout at Big Lots, because the price was so much lower than at the health food store. So, I need to find a way to use it up. Maybe some sweet breads would taste better.
Anyway, back to the whole cooking and meal planning thing…
The fact remains, cooking takes time. For instance, my husband requested Lasagna last night, which Sarah cannot eat. I hate for her to feel neglected without just as delicious food to eat, so I made her a single dish of Eggplant Parmesan. It took me about three hours to get dinner on the table. We’ll have Eggplant Parmesan again (all of us later in the week).
There are days when I really want to just have something quick and easy like hot dogs or veggie burgers, but since she can’t have them, I try to keep prepared meals in the freezer for her. Like her favorite enchiladas, gluten free pizza crust and toppings, gluten free oatmeal patties that can be eaten with gravy, rice
So here’s the rundown for this week:
Sunday:
B- Tea Towel Biscuits with Milk Gravy and Spelt Biscuits with Tomato Gravy (for Sarah)
D – Vegetable Lasagna, Salad, Fresh French Green Beans with Fingerling Potatoes (Eggplant Parmesan for Sarah)
Monday:
B – Krispy Kreme Doughnuts ( a very rare treat)
L – Leftovers
S – Fruit, Cream of Wheat
Tuesday:
B – Sourdough Blueberry Muffin, Scrambled Eggs
L – Southern Fried Tofu (from Earth Fare in Johnson City, TN – its amazing!), Fresh French Green Beans, Cornbread, Mashed Rutabagas
S – Salad with Boiled Eggs and Beer Bread Toast
Wednesday:
B -Oatmeal with dried fruit, walnuts, and soymilk
L – Eggplant Parmesan, Salad, Garlic Cheese Biscuits
S – Leftovers, Cereal
Thursday:
B – Toast and Fried Eggs, Veggie Sausages
L – Chickpea Salad Sandwiches (tastes like Tuna), Fruit
S – Pancakes, Pecan Oatmeal “Sausage,” Tangerines
Friday:
B – Cereal, Yogurt, Toast
L – Fruit, PB&J Sandwiches
S – Black Bean Soup, Cornbread
Sabbath:
B – Cereal
L – Potluck – Oatmeal Meatloaf, Pickled Apples, Scalloped Potatoes
S – Leftovers
Desserts:
Georgia’s Cornmeal Pie with a Spelt Pie Crust
Strawberry Pretzel Salad (made with gluten free pretzels)
Raw Vegan Chocolate Cream Cake
Baking:
Amish Friendship Sandwich Bread (gluten free experiment and wheat flour versions)
Spelt Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits
Beer Bread
If you didn’t notice, in an effort to be healthier as a family, help myself and my husband lose a little weight, we are eating our biggest meal at the lunch hour and a lighter meal in the evening when your metabolism slows down.
What are you cooking this week? Be sure to stop by Organizing Junkie for hundreds of ideas for meal planning!
Menu Plan Monday
May was all about getting ready for campmeeting and then actually doing campmeeting. I didn’t really cook very much during May. This past week I was pretty much sick after coming home from campmeeting so… I didn’t really cook very much. Needless to say, I am excited about planning this week’s menu!!
I am working on a new meal schedule. Traditionally, we eat breakfast, a snack (during the school year), lunch, and then our largest meal has always been supper.
In an effort to help my husband lose weight and for me to maintain my weight easier, I have been trying to prepare our largest meal for the lunch hour. Then, we eat something light for supper (cereal, fruit, etc.), or leftovers, or sometimes skip it altogether if we are not hungry.
One other benefit to preparing our main meal in the middle of the day is that kitchen clean up in the evenings when I am already exhausted is so much easier!
Sunday:
B -French Toast
D – Haystacks
Monday:
B – Cereal
D – Fajitas, Rice, and Tortilla Soup
Tuesday:
B – Pancakes, Vegetarian Sausages, Juice
D – Squash Patties, Kale Soup, Mashed Cauliflower
Wednesday:
B – Oatmeal with Almond Milk, Dried Fruit, Walnuts, Brown Sugar
D – Enchiladas, Tossed Salad, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole
Thursday:
B – Grits, Toast with Homemade Apple Spice Marmalade
D – Warm Hummus Soup, Tabbouleh Salad, Pita Chips
Friday:
B -Toad in a Hole, Cereal
D - Veggie Burgers, Baked Potatoes, Tossed Salad, Pineapple Pretzel Salad
Sabbath:
B – Yogurt, Granola
Potluck – Carrot Bars,Taco Pasta (using vegetarian burger crumbles)
What are you eating this week? You can find hundreds of ideas over at Organizing Junkie!
Menu Plan Monday
Some things on my menu last week didn’t get cooked, but I did accomplish most of my menu plans. This week, I have a lot of produce that will go bad if I don’t get to everything!
Breakfast
S – Cereal with Soymilk
M – Leftover Rice Pudding
T – Oatmeal with Raisins and Walnuts
W – English Muffins, Fried Eggs
TH – Pancakes with Homemade Apple Syrup
F – Cream of Wheat with Honey and Sweet Cream
S – Cereal with Soymilk
Lunch
S – Leftovers
M – Squash Patties, Salad
T – Thai Peanut Noodles, Sliced Oranges
W – Pasta Salad, Sliced Fruit
TH – Hot Dogs, Chips and Salsa, Apple Slices
F – Vegetarian “Chicken” Burgers, Hash Browns
S – Potluck
Supper
S – Creamy Mushroom Pasta, Herbed Tuscan Brad with Parmesan and Peppercorn Cheese Spread
M – Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Egg Noodles, Zucchini and Onions,
T – Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup, Dinner Rolls
W – Spaghetti Squash, Marinara Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread
TH – Vegetarian “Sausage” and Cheese Quiche, Caesar Salad
F – Eggplant Parmesan, Spaghetti, Steamed Veggies
S – Leftovers
Baking/ Canning/ Make Ahead
S – Applesauce, Apple Butter Canning
M – Bake Potatoes, Freezer Hash Browns, Canning Apple Jelly
T – Bake Sweet Sourdough Bread
W – Feed Amish Friendship Starter, Canning Apple Pie Mix
TH – Canning Spiced Apple Marmalade
F – Canning Applesauce, Brownies
S – Feed Amish Friendship Bread
I am looking forward to a week of yummy food! What are you eating this week?
You can find hundreds of ideas for your meal planning over at Organizing Junkie.
Menu Plan Monday
January really puts me in the mood to cook. I love the quiet winter days. Something about frigid temperatures and roaring fires just makes me want to putter around the house including the kitchen! I am looking forward to a week of baking and another week of canning all of that produce that is still chilling in my garage. You can watch my progress over on the sidebar!
Here is this week’s menu for our family:
Breakfast
S – Cereal with Almond Milk
M - Cream of Wheat, Maple Syrup, Wheat Germ, Cream
T – Oatmeal with Raisins and Walnuts
W – English Muffins, Fried Eggs
TH – Pancakes with Homemade Apple Syrup
F – Cream of Wheat with Honey and Sweet Cream
S – Cereal with Almond Milk
Lunch
S – Egg Salad Sandwiches, Hummus w/ crackers
M – Big Frank Spread Sandwiches, Potato Chips, Sliced Cucumbers
T – Broccoli Salad
W – Ramen, Cho Bap, Kimbap
TH – Steamed Veggies and Rice
F - Pea Soup, Macaroni Salad
S – Potluck
Supper
S – Salad, Fried Dal w/ Rice
M – Zucchini and Parmesan Squares, Salad
T – Squash Patties, Steamed Veggies, Carrot Sticks, Sweet Hawaiian Bread
W – Oatmeal Patties w/gravy, Rice, Corn Pudding, Salad
TH – Veggie Skallops, Veg-all Casserole, Homemade Tartar Sauce, Homemade Pickles
F – Eggplant Parmesan, Pasta, salad, Garlic Bread
S – Leftovers
Baking
S – Rice Pudding w/ leftover rice
M – Sweet Hawaiian Bread, Bake Potatoes, Feed Sweet Sourdough Starter
T – Freezer Hashbrowns
W – French Bread
TH – Feed Sweet Sourdough Starter
F – Bake Sweet Sourdough Bread, Potluck
You can find hundreds more menu plans and lots of great ideas over at Organizing Junkie!
Menu Plan Monday
Today we start our homeschool. I have to say, I am glad summer is over. Not that it wasn’t a great summer with lots of wonderful memories, but we were so busy and out of town almost the entire summer it seems. I am ready for routine!
So here is my first menu plan in several months!
Download the .pdf version of this menu.
Breakfast
S – Cereal with Soymilk
M – English Muffins, fried eggs
T -Blueberry Pancakes, Bacon, scrambled eggs
W – Toast, Fried Eggs and Cheese Grits
TH -Pancakes with Homemade Apple Syrup
F -Cream of Wheat with Honey and Sweet Cream
S – Cereal with Soymilk and Homemade Yogurt
Lunch
S – Fajitas
M – Cesar Salad
T – Homemade Pizza, Salad
W – Leftover Oatmeal Patties, Steamed Veggies
TH – Steamed Veggies and Rice
F – Hot dogs, Macaroni Salad
S – Potluck
Supper
S – Cesar Salad
M – Sausage Cheese Quiche, green beans and potatoes,
T – Oatmeal Patties, gravy, squash with onions and peppers, Frozen Peaches
W – Sesame Tofu, Rice, Roasted Cashews, Vegetable Lomein
TH – Veggie Skallops, Homemade Tartar Sauce, Homemade Pickles, Green Bean Casserole
F – Crockpot Lasagna, Salad, Sweet Sourdough Garlic Toast
S – Leftovers
Snacks
M – Goldfish crackers
T – Canned Peaches
W – Celery with peanut butter
TH – Cheese Crackers
F – Sliced Apples
Baking
M – Start Amish Sourdough Starter
T – Homemade Yogurt
W – Feed Sweet Sourdough Starter
TH -Feed Amish Friendship Bread Starter, Bake Sweet Sourdough Bread
F – Black bean soup for potluck
S – Feed Sweet Sourdough Starter
You can find lots more great menu plans over at Organizing Junkie!
Menu Plan Monday
Breakfast
S – Asiago Bagels with Cream Cheese
M – Asiago bagels with Cream Cheese
T – Cream of Wheat with Wheat Germ and Soy Milk
W – Pancakes, TVP sausage patties, applesauce
TH – biscuits and gravy, little links
F – yogurt and granola
S – Cereal with soymilk
Lunch
S – veggie dogs and sauerkraut
M – Taco Soup (leftover)
T – peanut butter and jelly, sliced oranges
W – tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
TH – sub sandwiches, pickles, and apple slices
F – egg salad sandwiches, chips
S – potluck
Supper
S – baked potatoes
M – spaghetti, french bread, salad, chocolate cake
T – cauliflower and dip, grapefruit, cheese and crackers
W – veg-all casserole, veggie burgers, potato skins, steamed asparagus
TH – chili rellenos, zucchini and onions, rice, corn tortillas
F – Potluck
For hundreds more ideas on how to plan your menu, visit Organizing Junkie!
Menu Plan Monday
After last week’s detox and not cooking anything at all… I am looking forward to some regular meals!
Breakfast
S – Yogurt with granola
M- leftovers
T – Berry Smoothie, Scrambled Eggs, toast
W – Yogurt with Granola
TH – grits, fried eggs, sliced oranges
F – Oatmeal with dates, soy milk, and sliced oranges
S – yogurt with granola, soy milk, cereal
Lunch
S – grapefruit, hot dogs, carrots
M – Sandwiches, chips
T - hummus, carrot sticks, leftover oatmeal “meatloaf”
W – black bean salad, crackers
TH – vegetable lo mein
F – macaroni and cheese, peas
S - Potluck
Supper
S – pizza, salad, tater tots
M – oatmeal meatloaf, steamed asparagus, honey carrots
T – cabbage, apples, and onions, steamed broccoli
W – chana masala
TH – “chicken” and dumplings
F – 15 bean soup, corn bread, tapioca pudding
S – leftovers
For hundreds of menu ideas, be sure to hop on over to Organizing Junkie today!
Valentine’s Day Menu
I love making my family feel special on Valentine’s Day. Here is a free download of our traditional Valentine’s Day Menu. I hope you enjoy the recipes!
Download the .pdf version of this menu along with the recipes here.
Breakfast:
Heart Shaped Pancakes with fresh Strawberries and Maple Syrup
Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits
Orange Juice
Dinner:
Spinach Lasagna Béchamel
Tossed Salad with Strawberries, Green Onion, Feta and Raspberry Vinaigrette
Garlic Toast
Strawberry Lemonade
Heart Shaped Butter Cookies
Decadent Chocolate Cake with Strawberries and Cream
