How do I get started on a traditional diet... what are the staples you use?

[Pacific Mama]

I want to move into a healthier lifestyle for my family, but I have a couple of hangups...My husband works in camp so I am home alone with a high needs 8 month old, thus simplicity in meal prep is important... and cost effective... I am going to be done my paid mat leave soon so we will be down to one income as I will be staying home. My husband and I are both big eaters we have super fast metabolisms and stay slim no matter what we eat. So I need filling high protein foods so we are not raiding the cupboards half an hour after we finish a meal. I have just made my first batch of goat milk kefir... Though I am scared to taste it! :P I have never had it before so I don't know how to tell if I screwed it up or not. I guess I am looking for references in making the switch. We get organic veggies delivered weekly... Help



Home birth mama to Sage Ocean

[Arduinna]

If you want simple meals you can't go wrong with soups. They need little tending and you can always scoop out a bowl any time to eat.

[PeggyinNC]

One of my staples is good oats...Scottish/Irish...pinhead...same thing. I cook a week's worth, then spoon it into mason jars, and it lasts easily for a week or two in the fridge. That way, the overnight soaking and the half-hour cooking is only once a week. We love to add good butter and maple syrup...not much better for breakfast. Eggs are good, too, and cheap. Beans and rice is wonderful, and very versatile. I've started making the artisan bread on 5 minutes a day stuff where you make the dough ahead of time, lots of it, and it keeps in our extra fridge for up to 14 days, so bread is a snap. Lots of fruit, veggies, homemade dairy and water kefir, kombucha, other ferments when I can. Chicken broth, made into lots of kinds of soup.... I try to have fun with it!

[LauraLoo]

Everything that you make -- rice, beans, lentils, meat, etc. -- make up double (or triple) and freeze the leftovers in individual containers. I always have frozen pre-cooked staples that I can add to fresh veggies for an easy meal. This is really nice when I don't have time (or forget) to soak ahead of time. Find blocks of time when you can do some batch cooking, like bone broth, and freeze it. In the fall, I cook up a bunch of squash and freeze it so that we can eat throughout the winter and into spring/summer. I should mention that we have an extra freezer, so having that makes it very easy to do.

Also -- with quick metabolisms, make sure that you are getting enough good fat (butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, lard, etc.) which will help satiate your appetites.

[cristeen]

One of the big staples for me to keep in the house is CO. I have a 5 gallon bucket of it. Beyond that, we eat eggs pretty much every morning for breakfast, lunch is either beans and veg or meat and veg (usually leftovers) and dinner is meat and veg. We don't really eat grains, so it simplifies things a bit.

I also like to cook one meal that will last several days - usually a larger cut of meat. A roast, rack of ribs, whole chicken, big pot of beans, etc. That way each night I just have to toss together a veggie or two and warm up the main dish. It's much easier on me with a 9 mo underfoot.