i need a nudge-- help me take a few more baby steps

[honeysesame]

okay, i think i'm kind of stuck on eating grains and legumes (the tf way). basically what happens is i don't think enough in advance to soak long enough. especially something like beans and rice. or quick breads. i do try to buy sprouted bread, but when i bake i almost never remember to soak (though i have been baking some w/ organic masa-- yum!!), and i keep meaning to make my own cracker-y things but instead just end up w/ storebought. i am not sure if a grain grinder is in the cards for us and sprouted flour seems hard (and expensive) to come by. so i don't even know, if i soak my storebought flour if it is still as nutritious or if i need to bite the bullet (what a weird phrase!) and buy a grinder. aack! i don't even keep my flours in the fridge-- takes up so much space! and i've been too intimidated/lazy to try sourdough. maybe we shouldn't even eat grains so much but we really do like them. okay, kvetch kvetch, sorry to whine.... but seriously, can someone get me on track to do this thing right? ideally i'd love to be making a lot more things-- fermented veggies, yogurt, soaked granola, baking w/ a larger variety of grains, making more diverse baby foods.... but i think i need some kind of schedule. i probably just need to make one but if anyone has any tips, i could sure use some inspiration! thanks so much if you even just read this whole thing!

[quietserena]

One thing that helps me there is thinking 24 hours ahead of time for meals. I had a sticky note on my cupboard for the longest time that said "What's for dinner TOMORROW?"

I've actually kind of fallen out of the habit...

[Ruthla]

OK, on the "more diverse baby foods"- I'd just offer the baby whatever you're eating and not make any special effort in that department.

It sounds like simply planning meals a day (or more) in advance would solve a lot of your problems.

[velcromom]

For baking, try Sue Gregg's Blender Batter method, it doesn't require a grain mill. It works great. For bread, use the no-knead method, the long rise = soaking time.

And when you make grains or legumes for side dishes, instead of soaking each time you plan to serve them or use them in a recipe, do a big batch all at once and freeze meal-size portions so all you need to do is grab some out of the freezer. That way you don't need to remember to soak this or that multiple times a week, you will only need to do it a couple times a month.

Same idea with fermented veggies, yogurt, sauces etc. When you have figured out what you like, do larger batches and do it less often. Much less work.

One thing that helps me is to post an inventory sheet for the frig/freezer and pantry. I don't do it often enough. But when you know what you have in there, it's easier to decide what to make & what tasks need to be done ahead.

Also, try taking meat out of the freezer two nights in advance and letting it defrost slowly in the fridge. This weekend on Friday I put two cuts of meat into the fridge. That way, on Saturday and Sunday night, dinner is already decided and ready to cook.

And I agree on the baby foods, just take some of what you are already making and dice or mash it up for the baby. If there's a sauce or seasoning baby can't have or isn't ready for, just separate the baby's portion before adding it.

[honeysesame]

thanks, y'all! i think i need to sit down and make a schedule for the week(/month?!) and post it on the fridge. maybe that will help me achieve some level of organization. as for the baby food-- we do just feed her what we eat but i guess maybe she's kind of picky or there are some foods we eat that are tough for her (ground beef, sausage) so i'm wanting to expand so i can feed her better as she's now 1 and i think wanting more food. also i started giving her grains a couple months ago b/c it was easy and she often wants them, but now i feel like they are not always prepared as well as i meant to (often not, actually!) so i'm wanting to diversify.

i'm still a little confused about grinding and soaking. if i'm soaking flour that is storebought and sat on my counter, does it help it be nutritious? or does it really need to be ground recently (and then soaked/sprouted/fermented) to be digested well? in which case, maybe the blender batters are my perfect answer-- although from another thread i think maybe for bread i have to give in and get some kind of grinder. and when you grind grain, do the whole grains before they're ground need to be kept in the fridge? and what about sprouted flour? okay, my last question is, do rice and quinoa need to be soaked overnight, or can they have a shorter time?

thanks again everyone for your help! :