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Menu Plan

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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!

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