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How about a Nourishing Traditions meal planning thread?

58K views 142 replies 61 participants last post by  sabine 
#1 ·
I want to get it together to feed my family in a Nourishing Traditions sort of way, and would love to see what others eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks and how they organize their weeks WRT making stuff like stock, bread, and lacto-ferments (i.e., does anyone have a particular day of the week or month when they put this together on a regular basis?) I've tried paging through some of the lengthy threads in Nutrition and good eating, but there tends to be more discussion of new things people are adding and not so much of the tried and now routine. I would welcome links to related past threads, though--I can't think of what search terms would get me to what I'm looking for.

Also, how do you plan things so that you aren't shopping all the time?

Sherri
 
#2 ·
I would love a thread, although I'm not doing a lot of lacto fermenting, etc since baby #2 is due in a few weeks. I would follow along until I got back into the groove.


I've been meaning to make root vegetable kimchi for two weeks now- Maybe I will get it done before the baby comes.
Lately I've been buying things like sauerkraut, sourdough bread and sprouted whole wheat bread but I hope to be making more of my own by springtime and I could still use some ideas to make my meals more NT instead of just my ingredients, KWIM?

-Kelly

Oh, I just found this forum so you may want to post this on the Jan. NT thread if you haven't already.
 
#4 ·
So obviously there's a lot of interest, we just need some people who have been getting NT to work to post! I posted on the Jan NT thread, thanks for that suggestion.

FYI, you may want to check out the coconut book by Enig and Fallon (something like Eat Fat, Lose Fat). It does have weekly menus--the only problem for me is that my kids won't eat a lot of the suggestions. I may try it again, though. It's also got yummy recipes, but they many are either too spicy for my daughter or violate my son's taboo against mixed up foods he's unfamiliar with. I think I'll get it out of the library again anyway.

Sherri
 
#5 ·
Boy, I have been recommended like 8 books in the past week on here! I am going to have to bet to the library soon!

I will have to find this book. My kids aren't too picky about food, but DD1 is a hardcore veggie (as I mentioned on the NT thread she has recently started puking if I seek her the meat!). And we loooove coconut!!

that reminds me.... I made tamales with coconut oil instead of lard/shortening and they were so good!!
 
#6 ·
NT: Nourishing Traditions; see http://www.westonaprice.org/index.html for more info.

So here's my NT menu for this week (though we are halfway thru it already!)
A few quick notes first though:
this is mainly a menu for the kids and I. Dh does more or less his own, except for supper. Also, my kids like carbs for breakfast, and I am trying to cut back, so often I will leave out the bread product and just have fruit or whatever. We don't always stick to the menu, and if I forget to soak something or get lazy then we often end up eating eggs or soup (this usually happens at least once or twice a week)!

We snack during the day on things like crackers, cheese, pate, fruit, meat/jerky, veggies, kimchi (you'll see i eat a lot of that!)

Also, when I write out my menu, I put the meals on the right hand side of the paper, and the tasks on the left. I find it easier to plan and follow this way. I have designated jobs and a loose menu that follows a regular weekly schedule...i find it makes meal planning easier for me. They are as follows:
Monday: Wash day, housecleaning, roast or chicken night
Tues: Baking day, stir-fry or rice and curry-type dish
Wed: Free day to relax or catch-up on stuff; slowcooker dinner night
Th: Stock and prep day (to catch up on specific NT tasks): pasta, or mexi-type dish
Fri: Housecleaning and menu planning; fish or rice and beans, or salad night
Sat: shopping and errands; family cooks together night
Sun: Family day; salad or tapas or whatever's easy!


I try to get my jobs all done in the morning (or the bulk of them anyways) so that afternoons are more or less reserved for hanging out with the kids and homeschooling.

Can't think of anything else to add, so here it is:
NT menu and tasks for Jan 9-15

Monday:
B: bacon, eggs, fruit, apple juice kefir with probiotic powder and cod liver oil (this is taken daily at breakfast), multivitamin (also taken daily)
L: Soup, biscuits, kimchi, milk
S: roast beef (done in slowcooker), potatoes, squash, kimchi, milk

Monday's tasks:
-freeze stock and drippings
-make butter
-make pate

Tuesday:
B: potatoes (leftovers) fried in pork fat, fruit, kefir mix and multi
L: Smoothies, nibble trays (mixed cheese, fruit, veggie, grain, etc.)
S: Veggie stir-fry with peanut sauce and beef, kimchi, milk

Tuesday's tasks:
-soak rice
-bake bread (I usually do a big batch and freeze)
-soak lentils
-soak oatmeal

Wednesday:
B: oatmeal with cream, fruit, maple syrup, kefir and multi
L: spicy fried lentils and rice with tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion; naan; yogurt, ginger carrots, milk
S: clam chowder (done in slowcooker)

Wednesday's tasks:
-make yogurt
-start soup in the a.m.
-soak beans

Thursday:
B: French toast in egg batter with cream, fruit, and maple syrup, kefir and multi
L: Broccoli salad with yogurt-acv dressing, milk
S: Mex casserole, kimchi, milk

Thursday's tasks:
-take casserole out of freezer
-rinse beans
-soak flour for crepes

Friday:
B: Crepes, cream, fruit, kefir and multi
L: leftovers, milk
S: baked beans with sausage and kimchi (usually Friday is meatless or fish night, sometimes not though), milk

Friday's tasks:
-put beans in slowcooker in the a.m.
-soak flour for waffles
-do next week's menu plan and grocery list
-make sauerkraut

Saturday:
B: Waffles, fruit, cream, maple syrup
L: leftovers, ginger carrots
S: Hamburgers with soaked grain buns (made on Tuesday), kimchi, milk

Saturday's tasks:
-grocery shopping

Sunday:
B: kefir smoothie, multi
L: sandwiches or wraps, kimchi, milk
S: salad grande with boiled eggs and crabmeat, milk

Sunday's tasks:
-boil eggs
 
#7 ·
wow hibou thanks so much for posting that. Its very helpful to have some idea of how to get it all done. Thats the only thing I don't like so much about NT. She has all these great, but time consuming things in there and doesn't give any ideas about squeezing it all in.

Thanks again
Deirdre
 
#8 ·
I merged the threads for you
Hibou, to have a thread merged just pm the moderator of the forum.

I'm going to delete your post above so no one tries to go to that link.
 
#10 ·
Since today's Friday (menu planning day) I just finished my new menu for the week; will post it when I get a chance. I am happy to try to answer any questions... We are about 90% NT with the occasional white french baguette or noodle dish
But everyone definately has their own way of eating NT.

Better run...apparently there is has been a houseplant incident
.
 
#12 ·
I'm relatively new to NT, but really like it so far. My guys at home LOVE all the meat they've been eating (I'm a "flexitarian", but have been an environmental vegetarian in the past, and we hardly ever had meat at home). My question is this: How do you soak flour? I usually bake a big batch of bread once a week (7 loaves) and freeze and pull it out of the freezer as the week goes on. I really loved this system, and will stick to it, but would love to hear how you could soak that much flour, and what recipe would you use to make bread with wet flour? TIA!
 
#13 ·
Dh is working tonight, so I got next week's menu and tasks typed up already. Here it is for anyone who is interested:

Menu for Jan 16-22
Have started a crock of soaked flour (sourdough-like) so don't have to worry about soaking flour every other day.

Monday
B: Pancakes, cream, fruit, kefir with CLO and probiotics, multivitamin
L: Quesadillas, yogurt, ginger carrots, milk
S: Roasted Chicken, greek salad (raw cider vinegar dressing), cranberries, roasted potatoes, milk

Monday's tasks:
-make butter
*we take juice kefir every morning, so I add to it daily.

Tuesday
B: Omelets, kefir, multi
L: Chicken sandwiches, leftover salad or fruit, milk
S: Stir-fry veggies with chicken, kimchi, milk

Tuesday's task:
-Baking: make wraps and freeze (about 2 or 3 dozen)
-Make mayo in the a.m.
-take out ground beef for jerky

Wednesday:
B: toast with butter/honey/p.b. and smoothie, kefir, multi
L: Broccoli salad, nibble trays for kiddos, milk.
S: Curried chicken and veggies, rice, naan, yogurt, ginger carrots, milk

Wednesday's tasks:
-marinate jerky
-make ginger carrots
-make sausage (maybe)…(ground pork, beef, sage, salt, garlic, pepper)

Thursday
B: Crepes or sausage if made, kefir, multi
L: leftover stew etc. from last night, milk
S: Beef burritos, fresh veggies, mango guacamole, yogurt, ginger carrots, milk

Thursday's tasks:
-thaw beef and wraps for supper
-dehydrate jerky
-start stock (bone broth) in crockpot
-make noodle dough
-make ketchup if time allows

Friday
B: Omelet, kefir, multi
L: bone broth with homemade noodles, kimchi, fruit, milk
S: baked fish, paprika home fries, creamy caesar salad (made with yogurt cheese), ginger carrots, milk

Friday's tasks:
-freeze broth
-make tartar sauce (using mayo made on Tuesday)
-make Caesar salad dressing and croutons
-do menu plan for next week

Saturday
B: Potato pancakes with yogurt, smoothie, kefir, multi.
L: Egg salad sandwich or wrap, cut up fruit, kimchi, milk
S: Family cooks together: pizza, salad (use leftover Caesar dressing), milk

Saturday's tasks:
-shopping and errands

Sunday:
B: French toast, cream, fruit, maple syrup, kefir, multi
L: leftovers
S: Fresh rolls, peanut dipping sauce, kimchi, milk.

Sunday's tasks:
Family day


Quote:
I'm relatively new to NT, but really like it so far. My guys at home LOVE all the meat they've been eating (I'm a "flexitarian", but have been an environmental vegetarian in the past, and we hardly ever had meat at home). My question is this: How do you soak flour? I usually bake a big batch of bread once a week (7 loaves) and freeze and pull it out of the freezer as the week goes on. I really loved this system, and will stick to it, but would love to hear how you could soak that much flour, and what recipe would you use to make bread with wet flour? TIA!
hairylegs, (I love your username!
) some NT'ers make sourdough bread because it has to rise for a long time and thus the phytates in the flour break down during the prolonged rising time. Traditional rye bread is a bread that doesn't have to be kneaded, so this is another option, but it's very heavy and might not appeal to everyone. You could also make or buy sprouted flour if you have a mill or access to it. I have neither. What I do is I make my regular yeasted bread recipe, but instead of following the usual process, I let it rise much longer. I give it 2-3 hours to rise the first time (in a place that's not too warm) and punch it down, then another 2-3 hours, and punch it down again, and finally, shape into loaves, let it rise at least an hour or two, then bake it. This way, the flour has much more time to break down than the usual 3-hour type recipes. Sometimes I even pre-soak half of the flour overnight (make a sponge) and then add the yeast and remaining flour, etc., in the morning.

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
 
#14 ·
Hibou!!!

Wow...you're so on it. Thanks for posting your schedule again!

Well, I have oats soaking! I finally figured I can write it in the blank spots on my Moticated Moms calendar, since, uh, thats what they're there for.
That was difficult.


Anyway, the bread recipe I have always used calls for soaking the initial yeast flour etc mix for 12 - 24 hours. Are you saying you oly do that initial part for 3 hours? I never knew I could do that! This recipe is so good I just never bothered to try another one. That ould make it way easier though. Are you following a recipe from NT?

My new habit I'm trying to form is drinking Kombucha. I have been buying it (don't throw tomatoes at me!) at the HFS. Its pretty intense at first, but I think I like it. And it makes my mouth feel really clean! And oddly enough the baby really likes it (i don't give her too much, but she follows me around yammering for it
).
 
#15 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Oregonicmama
:

Anyway, the bread recipe I have always used calls for soaking the initial yeast flour etc mix for 12 - 24 hours. Are you saying you oly do that initial part for 3 hours? I never knew I could do that! This recipe is so good I just never bothered to try another one. That ould make it way easier though. Are you following a recipe from NT?

Some bread recipes call for starting with a sponge (that is the initial part that you soak). Soaking is good
. Yes, sometimes I only soak it for a few hours, but sometimes overnight. Sometimes I skip the sponge and just make up the dough. Whichever method I use, I try to let it rise all day. There are so many different ways to do bread. I try to stretch mine over the course of the day so that I know it is well broken down, and using a sourdough culture, as recommended in NT is a good way of ensuring this, as it takes a long time to rise, and is certainly more "traditional" than commercial yeast.
No, I don't use a recipe from NT. I use a recipe from the Tassajara bread book, with any number of variations. My kids eat lots of bread, so I try to make it really full of nutrition. I add milk, eggs, etc. My bread is seldom the same twice. Most of my recipes aren't from the NT cookbook- they are my own that I've adapted to NT principles.
 
#17 ·
Thanks so much for posting, Hibou! And thanks to cathe for moving everything around. I know it was a lot of work to write all that out, but it's really appreciated. Any other experienced people want to add another weekly menu?

hairylegs--we just started using the compromise yeasted bread recipe in NT--the one where you soak and then add regular package yeast). I soaked the flour in kefir instead of buttermilk, cause I make kefir but not butter. I thought it was great--not ultra-flavorful but very light and soft for home-made whole grain (I want to try sourdough rye at some point, but I know my husband may not go for anything super heavy). I definitely kneaded more than was recommended.

Sherri
 
#18 ·
Hibou-you should consider going into some sort of consulting business for NT-I can't tell you how helpful your menus have been to me! Thank you so much!

I'm excited to try the compromise yeasted bread recipe in NT, JohannasGarden. My kids will not like the heavyness of sourdough either. I wonder if there's a sourdough compromise? My grandma makes the best white sourdough bread ever, so I'm sure there's a way to do it.

I have a batch of soaked pumpkin seeds in the oven slow roasting right now-they smell so good!

OH! I have another question- when soaking all this stuff, should I consider getting a special crock? I only have one big mixing bowl, and I use it and wash it everyday for one thing or another. I'm thinking it might make life easier for me if I get a special big bowl with a cover or crock for my soaking item of the day. Any reccommendations?

Blessings!
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by hairylegs

I have a batch of soaked pumpkin seeds in the oven slow roasting right now-they smell so good!

OH! I have another question- when soaking all this stuff, should I consider getting a special crock? I only have one big mixing bowl, and I use it and wash it everyday for one thing or another. I'm thinking it might make life easier for me if I get a special big bowl with a cover or crock for my soaking item of the day. Any reccommendations?

mmmm pumpkin seeds sound really good right now.

For soaking flour, I use a clay casserole with a lid. I have a few different ones (lidded bean-pot type things) that I use for soaking nuts, pulses, beans, etc. I also use glass jars if I'm just soaking a little bit of something. If you check out second hand stores, bean pots and the like are usually pretty easy to come by. I would love to get some old-fashioned crocks for fermenting, but it seems that collectors are usually quick to scoop them up! I have also heard though that some of the antique ones were treated with a lead-based paint so it's not recommended to use them. I may invest in some new ones eventually; goodness knows they'd get used enough!
 
#22 ·
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.
 
#23 ·
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!!
 
#24 ·
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?
 
#25 ·
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.
 
#26 ·
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.
 
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