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How about a Nourishing Traditions meal planning thread? - Page 2

post #21 of 143
1/16/06 at 11:39am
:
Hibou, you rock! I can't tell you how great it is to have a reference like your weekly plan - I like your format too.
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post #22 of 143
1/17/06 at 1:09am
I'm glad you guys are finding it so useful. I couldn't do a traditional foods diet without a menu plan. I am not a naturally organized person, so I have to organize my thoughts on paper. I hesitate to ramble on and give unsolicited advice, but if making making a NT menu plan is something you would like to do, then here are a few suggestions to get you going: grab a pen and paper, and do the following:

1. write out the days of the week with space in between each.

2. consider your family's needs. What are the activities that take place during the week? Are there things that your kids are involved in or nights that your dh is away? (or that you aren't home?) Jot these down under the appropriate days.

3. given the weekly activities, consider what kind of meals are appropriate for each day. Eg. if you have to drive the kids to the pool and sit thru lessons until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, you might want to designate that as crockpot night, or if are away on Wednesday afternoons, you might want to designate that as a casserole/pre-prep day. Save roasting a chicken for days when you are home all or most of the day. I used to plan my roast nights for Sundays (thought it would be nice to have the big traditional family meal on Sundays) but half the time it would fall apart because we'd go out for walks/sledding/etc., so now Sunday is a simple meal, and Mondays have become *roast* day. Also consider what YOU are doing at home. If there are days that you do most of your housework, try to make a simpler menu for that day...like soup or stew, with a loaf of bread brought up from the freezer. I suggest picking one specific day each week to carve out a couple hours to focus on NT tasks like making fermented foods, drying jerky, etc. and use that day to get done some of the more time-consuming things. I have just started organizing my household tasks along with my menu, and it makes a big difference in how much I can get done...plus I feel less stressed about it.

4. Go to your fridge and freezer and take stock. What do you have that you would like to make this week? What needs to be used up? Consider your weekly needs and jot things down under the appropriate day. If come up with extra ideas, write these on the other side of the paper and save them for next week. If you are cooking a roast, how many meals can you get out of it?

5. Finish filling out your menu. If planning 3 meals a day is too much to start, then just start by planning your suppers, but plan them fully. Write out everything you plan to eat at that meal, and drink. It's pretty easy to add things like fermented pickles, yogurt, etc., once you start making them routinely.

6. Go back over your list. What do you need to buy? Make a grocery list. What do you need to make in advance? Write under the appropriate days when you need to soak/sprout/dehydrate/marinate/culture/etc. If something needs to be done specifically in the morning or at night, indicate so with a.m., or p.m., and then highlight it so that it gets done at the right time.

7. Stick to the plan. Check it first thing every the morning. Try to get some stock made the first week, and freeze it in small batches. Try to make a big batch of fermented veggies and transfer to the fridge when it's ready, so that if your day falls apart you can throw some veggies in with the stock, and bring out the sauerkraut, pour a glass of raw milk, and you're still eating what you should be.

hth.
post #23 of 143
1/17/06 at 1:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hibou

Okay, this is getting to be a really long post, but I just want to add one more thing before I go and let someone else yak for awhile ...While we are mostly NT now, it's been a slow transition and we didn't do it overnight, so if you're just starting out, don't get discouraged. I found what worked for me was making one small change at a time so as not to overwhelm myself or my family. Each change seemed kind of strange or novel at first, but then just became part of the routine. I am still working on making changes (right now trying to make sure I get fermented foods in the menu at least a couple times a day- it totally helps to write it out!) and still confronting my health issues slowly one at a time, but I feel so much more confident about the food that the kids are growing on and that we are putting into our bodies, it is soooooo worth it. It really has become sort of spiritual.
Well, i'm out of breath from rambling on
HTH
Yeah I am very new to it and I know that to try and be NT all the way would turn me off, so i have a good friend who is my NT mentor who helps me out when I have questions and I have also "hired" her to make a few things for me since she is doing it anyway she might as well make double and hook me up!! So she provides me with cream cheese and kraut (ps somebody said that they buy their kraut but store-bought kraut isn't really "alive" is it like the home made stuff?)

This is how we've incorporated so far: We already ate plently of grass-fed or free range meat and OG veggies so that was easy.

The biggest step, and the one that makes me feel the best, is to make broth. So I do that about one a week-- chicken stock (sometimes beef). I use it for so many things-- first we drink a cup of it when it's done, then I sort out the meat and make a tamale pie, or enchiladas. I also sort out the veggies and my baby loves munching the super soft carrots; I also take the really small scraps of meat and veggies, add a little broth and process it and make baby food. finaly I give the super soft bones and a little of the organ meat to the cat. i feel like i am caring for everyone in the family with just one chicken and some cheap vegetables--very satisfying. Finally I take the fat from the top of the stock once it's congealed and save it to cook with for my DD who is allegric to milk (milk protein not lactose-intolerant)--I don't know if that is very NT but it makes her food taste great. then I cook with the stock and that makes everything taste wonderful!

We drink a glass of raw milk and beet kvass everyday, take cod liver oil, and Dh and I use plenty of raw butter on our food. also we eat bacon and eggs and sprouted bagels for bfast b/c it gives us energy.

I am okay with that for now, slowly i plan to incorporate more but we are very happy with the results and our decision to start embracing NT ideas.

Love this thread!!
post #24 of 143
1/17/06 at 5:07am
wow this thread is so great!

Thank you Hibou for your loads of information. Feel free to share as often as you like (my kitchen cabinets are quickly becoming covered in your posts!).

mama-nomad

thanks for posting your NT habits. I love making broth too. I like the idea of making tamales with them meat. We love tamales and I am so tired of curry and chicken soup.

I am starting my pillow (or whatever it is) for my yummy bread recipe tonite. LAst time I made it it turned out really heavy. I'm hoping it will be better ths time (I switched flours).

Hibou, I can't find my copy of Tassajara. How do you incorporate egss, etc into your bread recipe?
post #25 of 143
1/17/06 at 3:57pm
Quote:
Hibou, I can't find my copy of Tassajara. How do you incorporate egss, etc into your bread recipe?
after I've made the sponge, I add salt and oil, and if I'm using eggs I add them then too, slightly beaten. then I go on to add the remainding flour, etc.
post #26 of 143
1/23/06 at 11:23pm
It's been quiet here lately. How's everyone doing?

I made sausage this weekend, and it turned out well. Way more labour intensive than I had imagined though. My arms are sore today . I felt that we needed more stuff to snack on, so I also made the recipe for pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I started them drying in the oven, but moved them to the dehydrator, which went way quicker. I then roasted half of them in the oven, and mixed them with the raw ones (only because I prefer the way they taste roasted). They got eaten up within a couple days, so I am going to make more next time.

I also made jerky last week (my own recipe), and I had a leftover cooked chicken liver so I chopped it up in the food processor and mixed it in with the ground beef and seasonings. It tasted awesome. You couldnt' even tell that there was liver in it, and the kids have been snacking on it daily, and are none the wiser! I'm really happy to have found a way to get liver into them. Next time, I'm going to mix in some raw beef liver instead.
post #27 of 143
1/24/06 at 12:10am
I started reading this thread out of curiosity having never heard of NT ...
it seems very interesting & I plan to study it more.
I have been looking for something to change our familys diet & eating habits but not exactly sure what... other than our garden we are planning right now for this summer.
I plan to order the book that I found by searching google to learn more about NT soon!!
I'm glad I came into this forum , hopefully I will learn more
post #28 of 143
1/24/06 at 12:50am
i just picked up my first gallon of raw milk from the dairy here that all NT'ers have been using. Before I was buying it from the health store that was shipping it in from Fresno (Organic Pastures) but I never really like the taste...the local stuff is waaaay yummier and she now has cream as well. it is so good- like an ice cream-y treat without the sugar. I've been dolloping it on pancakes (yes once a week we have pancakes--so far grains are still my weakness and no I've never soaked them--shame on me!) and dippping fruit in it; it's really thick. so i am going to try and make butter.....
After that Washington dairy e-coli scare (still not convinced on the accuracy of that claim), and us being in Oregon, our local health store stopped carrying all of the raw products from OG Pastures, including the butter. I was helping my parents move this weekend and I saw that my mom has an old skool butter churn--like a big jar with wooden paddles and a crank. so what the heck! any advice......
post #29 of 143
1/24/06 at 4:35am
HI mama nomad,

I'm in eugene, where are you?

I finally soaked my rie and lentils for the first time last night!! I followe the recipes ofr basic soaked brown rice and basic lentils in NT nad they both cam eout awesome. that sis the best batchof rice I have made in ages! My rice usually turns to mush, but not this time. I thought it woud taste weird fromt he soaking, but it didn't taste any different to me at all.

I am freecycling some glass OG apple juice containers to a mama for her raw milk and I am hpong she will hook me up with her source. I have been getting hormone and antibiotic free but still pasteurized milk from a local dairy (and at a great price) but I really want to get the raw milk at least for the kids to drink. I have a really hard time settling when it comes to food. if I know there is better than what I have I have to have it (especially when it come to stuff for the kids).

We have our 18 yr old nephew living wiht us and he was watching me "beating the crap out of the bread' this morning and decided he wants to make the bread for me next time. I'm so glad. I get no help in the kitchen from DP so it would be really cool if the nephew would take over the bread task (he's been taking turns washing the dishes too, i'm not sure why his mom let him leave!). And he and DP have volunteered to ride their bikes all the way to the store that sells good meat (like 8 miles away) to get buffalo for making giant batches of tamales and empenadas to freeze for lunch. wow!!! this is so cool! I love it when there's someone else in the house b/c DP doesn't want to seem lazy so he helps out much more.

has anyone bought quick oats on accident? Can i soak them or will they turn into slime?

Hibou,

I have been following your plan loosely and I say thank you! I am making spicy fried lentils for lunch tomorrow and the next day and you have inspired me to try making jerky and apple juice kefir. How does apple juice kefir taste? Do you use a dehydrator for your jerky or do you do it in the oven?
post #30 of 143
1/24/06 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oregonicmama
How does apple juice kefir taste? Do you use a dehydrator for your jerky or do you do it in the oven?
The taste of juice kefir depends on how long you let it culture. After 1-2 days, it's sweet and effervescent, after 2-3 days, it gets stronger and loses it's sweetness- more like wine. My kids like it sweet, so I just use a little 250ml jar (half-pint) and we drink most of it each morning, then just top it up. I wash the jar and start fresh each week or so.

re: jerky: I just have a cheap little nesco dehydrator, nothing fancy, but I sure find it handy! btw, I usually do ground meat using the jerky gun because the baby can chew it, but you could also just use a roast sliced in thin strips if you don't have a jerky gun.

tsk mom, welcome! Have you checked out the Weston A Price Foundation ? NT is based on the research of WAP. It might help you get started before your book arrives.
post #31 of 143
1/24/06 at 5:30pm
: ooh ooh, me, me... I need help with NT! I have a freezer full of game, 600 lbs of wheat-- and other than that, I'm pretty much stuck. LOL.
post #32 of 143
1/24/06 at 7:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oregonicmama
HI mama nomad,

I'm in eugene, where are you?
...............
wow!!! this is so cool! I love it when there's someone else in the house b/c DP doesn't want to seem lazy so he helps out much more.
I am in oh-so-popular-right-now Bend...this city is growing like crazy! I am really happy that b/c of the growth (and that so much of the surroundng area is rural farms) WAP and NT has some support here.

I think you should definitely seek out the raw milk for your family; you'd think someone in you area is providing it...have you contacted any chapter leaders in your area?

On of the things thst has helped me so much about pursuing the diet, is that I am typically very lazy if things are left up to me and there is little structure....my DH on the otherhand, is motivated and always doing something productive whether it's running his own biz, or writing articles or a book, pursuing music, or just doing house projects! since i've been reading NT i always have something soaking or simmering in the stove, our freezer is stocked with soups and broth.....i feel like i am really accomplishing something--or at least i look like i accomplished a lot even if i spent half of the day on the computer!
post #33 of 143
1/25/06 at 1:53pm

kefir grains

If anyone is interested in acquiring kefir grains, check out this thread .
post #34 of 143
1/25/06 at 6:52pm

making stock from "used chicken carcass"?

i roast a chicken once a week....do you think it is worth it to use the carcass and saved bones to make a stock after we're done "picking it"? i usually do a 24-stock and would treat it like my usualy chicken stock (onion, celery, carrot, parsley)--maybe the flavor would be weaker? does any one else do this?
post #35 of 143
1/26/06 at 12:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mama_nomad
i roast a chicken once a week....do you think it is worth it to use the carcass and saved bones to make a stock after we're done "picking it"? i usually do a 24-stock and would treat it like my usualy chicken stock (onion, celery, carrot, parsley)--maybe the flavor would be weaker? does any one else do this?
Yes! It is so worth it to save those bones for stock. That is how I always make my chicken stock; I roast it, use the meat, then make the stock with the carcass (funny you mentioned that- my dh calls it *carcass soup* ). When I first read NT I was really surprised that SF used whole chickens just for stock! (I know she says to pick the meat off for other dishes)...but I pay a lot for a naturally raised chicken, so I can't justify just sticking the whole thing in the stock pot when I can get 3 good meals out of it by roasting it first, then still get bone broth afterwards.
post #36 of 143
2/9/06 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hibou
I also made jerky last week (my own recipe), and I had a leftover cooked chicken liver so I chopped it up in the food processor and mixed it in with the ground beef and seasonings. It tasted awesome. You couldnt' even tell that there was liver in it, and the kids have been snacking on it daily, and are none the wiser! I'm really happy to have found a way to get liver into them. Next time, I'm going to mix in some raw beef liver instead.
Can you share this recipe with us? I have a few livers in my freezer and they have been sitting there for a while because my kids will not eat liver.

Hibou, thank you for your wonderful input .
post #37 of 143
2/11/06 at 4:12am

Is this the NT group?

Wow, I'm so excited to find this group!! I'm mom to 4, six and under and I do quite a bit of NT stuff. I'm able to get raw milk, totally grass-fed beef, pastured chix and eggs so I feel pretty lucky. I make a least 1/2 gal raw milk yogurt each week, kefir a couple of times a week, soak and dehydrate all my nuts NT way (walnuts, pecans, almonds, macademia, hazelnuts, etc). I created a 5-grain cereal inspired by NT, sprout seeds, buckwheat, and oats for smoothies, make a killer kombucha and grape cooler, make stocks pretty regularly, and soak, dry and grind most of my grains. Still there's a lot I would love to try and would be interested in seeing how others' stuff has turned out. Like, some of the other beverages...any really yummy ones? And what about fermented veggies...do your kids like them? Anyway, it's great to be here!!
post #38 of 143
2/11/06 at 5:06pm
Wow Motheresa!

Welcome. All that with 4 kids under 6, I'm majorly impressed!

DS loves (well used to love, when he tolerated them ) the pickled cucumbers, I peel and slice and ferment that way. Also the red peppers, roasted first with olive oil, peeled, then fermented.
post #39 of 143
2/11/06 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by motheresa
I created a 5-grain cereal inspired by NT, sprout seeds, buckwheat, and oats for smoothies, make a killer kombucha and grape cooler,
Please share your recipes!

Quote:
Originally Posted by motheresa
Like, some of the other beverages...any really yummy ones? And what about fermented veggies...do your kids like them? Anyway, it's great to be here!!
I haven't had luck with the NT beverages, but have with the kefir soda recipes in Eat Fat, Lose Fat.

As for the veggies, my kids LOVE kimchi. It would be a main course some days if I didn't curb them!
post #40 of 143
2/11/06 at 5:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by yitlan
I haven't had luck with the NT beverages, but have with the kefir soda recipes in Eat Fat, Lose Fat.
Ooooo, how do you do that? juice, club soda, kefir?
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