The late meal plan

We are with family this week - celebrating little babies and being together.

Here are some of the meals we will be having along with a few fun outings, I'm sure.

Meals (in no particular order)-

• Chicken or beef tacos
• Curried lentils
  
• Salad (veggies, black beans, and avocado) with hummus & pita
  
• Meat & potato quiche

Lunches

• Peanut butter & jelly on wheat bread
  
• Veggie wraps
• Tuna
• Egg Salad sandwiches

Happy meal planning to you too!

No Meal Plan Monday

Today is a travel day, so no meal plan. It will probably be more like a meal plan Wednesday this week :). For those who care...

Importance of human life

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago, but waited to post it... Here it is now.

This morning we heard some stories from South Africa. One of the stories shared was about a little 3 year old boy who was crying outside of a building. It was outside an organization where they fed and educated little ones. They only have enough resources to feed and educate so many, but they let other children come and get food when they have fed those that live there.

It sounded, from the story, that this little boy was crying because he was hungry. His 8 year old brother pushed his way through the crowd and brought out two handfuls (literally, it was in his hands) of mashed potatoes to share with his brother.

Food - a basic necessity. Something that sustains and nourishes our bodies. Yet so many people go without.

Today as I had fried rice for lunch I thought about our time in West Africa last summer. While visiting an orphanage we had lunch with the kids. Our food came in one dish that we all took from and shared.

The kids, however, each had a bowl. When we cleaned up after the meal we noticed that there was food left in each bowl. Sometimes as much as half their meal. This was obviously very curious to us. As we spent more time there, we realized that whatever was leftover was their meal that night.

This was at a wonderful orphanage where the kids were well looked after and taken care of. But, it makes me think about the bowl of rice I had today...for one meal. I'll probably have a snack, I had breakfast, I will eat dinner, and possibly go for ice cream as we walk the pier tonight.

Most of the people living in the world can't imagine eating that much food, or even having all of that accessible to them.

One statement I won't forget from this morning was in a thank you note for what the group who was sharing had done...

"Thank you for teaching the kids about the importance of human life." That's a pretty huge, and yet very simple, message.

Healing Food Pyramid

We are actually with friends all this week. So, no meal planning for me...although I will continue to work on my Trader Joe's meal plans for the fall. And, I will say, I'm so excited to share the plans and recipes I am coming up with - I'll be focusing it fully on the info below in this post.


I've loved the Healing Food Pyramid for awhile now, but recently realized that I haven't posted about it on here. It comes from the University of Michigan and creates a new food pyramid that focuses solely on foods that are healing. The website gives the reasons why they are on the food pyramid as well as serving sizes and how many servings you should have in a day. It is always a good reminder to me when I look back on it.

In A Month of Meals I refer quite a bit to the Healing Food Pyramid as I think it is a great way to adjust eating - to eat foods that are better for us and for the environment.

I recently looked at it again and thought I'd share some of the basics of it on here.

Here is a brief look at each "level" of the pyramid, starting with the lowest (largest) level and moving up. I encourage you to check out the links for more info...it's really helpful.

The foundation of the pyramid is water - drinking 64-96 ounces each day.

Next is fruits and vegetables. Servings for fruits are 2-4 and vegetables are unlimited. This includes raspberries, oranges, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, bananas, etc. The link to University of Michigan's site gives more information about buying organic and how to increase your intake.

Next up are grains. 4-11 servings each day and whole grains are highly recommended. This includes all types of whole grains - bread, brown rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.

Legumes are the 4th category. This includes both soy and legumes (like beans and lentils). You are supposed to have 1-3 servings/day of legumes and 1-2 servings of soy (in all forms - soymilk, tofu, soy nuts, etc.).

Healthy fats are next and include real butter, oils (like olive oil), nuts, seeds and avocado. You are to have 3-9 servings/day. Make sure to check out the link for serving sizes.

Last on the list of encouraged items are seasonings and you are to have a variety within your diet. They include spices, herbs, peppers and alliums (garlic, onion, etc.).

The pyramid continues to go up. It covers dairy, eggs, fish & seafood, and lean meats. These categories are not discouraged, but they are optional. The authors do encourage looking into the nutrients that each provides and eating the low-fat versions and share serving sizes that are much smaller than the normal size on most plates.

Last on the list is accompaniments (including alcohol, dark chocolate, and tea) and personal space (your own personal healing treat).

I am encouraged to eat better each time I take a look at this pyramid and think it's a great tool for all of us!

The hard part...

It's funny how you can search for who you are or what you are about...it can seem so vague...that there are too many hobbies or passions (or too few). Or it can seem that it's hard to make the time to really sit and think about who you are and what you are about (maybe it's just me).

Then it comes. It's more of a smack on the head than a grand revelation. Of course, that is who you are...what you are about. You couldn't help be any other way. It's you.

Then comes the hard part. Doing something with that knowledge.

Before it seemed that if only I knew what that one thing was, then it would be quite easy from there. But, no. In that end finding (realizing, actually) was the easy part.

Now there is more sitting, listening, waiting.

What beauty in that process though. If only we (I) embrace it. Being.

Being present.

"Children have neither past nor future;
they enjoy the present, which very few of us do."

~Jean de la Bruyere

I'm realizing that it is a struggle and a joy to live in the moment...for me.

Even from when I wrote that first line, I picked up the phone, thought about checking something else online "real quick" and have a few tabs open on the browser. Yikes!

I've been reminded lately of the power and beauty of staying in the moment. Sticking with what I'm doing till it's done or till the next thing should start. Or not even "sticking to" something, but just being. I am at so much more peace when I do this and feel so much more connected to who I am with or the world around me.

The reminders of this have been simple, but ones I'd like to remember.

Time with an old friend. Sitting outside her house while two kids played and another slept. Just being. I'm pretty sure I felt inspired because, to me, she stays in the moment regularly. Even growing up and going to her house I always felt so un-rushed and present.

Watching a woman bring produce from her garden to a friend. Hearing her talk about her love for gardening. Listening as she told me about how the younger women in her neighborhood now come over to learn how to garden, share in the harvest, and to talk. She has her own chickens and gathers their eggs. One chicken just had babies and she passed a chick on to a neighbor who had wanted her own.

Regular picnics by the pier with Evee this summer. Laying in the sun (or sometimes lack-there-of), eating a simple lunch, rolling down the hill holding hands (until I'd get dizzy...then she was on her own). Watching the boats and watching Evee as she picked up sticks or grass or flowers (actually, they were just weeds).

I think this is why I love when I do certain activities that end up forcing, in a sense, me to be present. Having a date on the porch after Evee is asleep. Crafting - sewing, crocheting. Reading a book. Making bread from scratch - esp. the kneading process. Drinking tea/coffee with a friend. Gardening (the one year we had a garden before we moved). Playing a game (or our version of) with Evee.

And, this is why I need and want to do some of these more.

"We are always getting ready to live but never living." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meal Plan Monday

I just wanted to thank you for reading and commenting on my "Just Start" post (just below). I appreciate your thoughts and look forward to writing about it and discussing with you more.

Like I said last Monday, we are in "use it up" mode around here. Last week I gave a list of stuff that we have on hand.

This week will incorporate everything we already have on hand and will look something like this...

Meals -

Monday - Noodles & Gravy (not the best name, but it's a classic we haven't had for awhile) w/ farmer's market veggies (carrots, green beans, and squash)
Tuesday - Leftovers - from Monday night and we have some from a potato quiche this past weekend
Wednesday - Roasted Chicken w/ potatoes and veggies
Thursday - Sandwiches on whole grain bread with veggies from the farmer's market and leftover chicken
Friday - Curry stir fry
Saturday - Maybe another potato quiche or hamburgers with a potato side dish - we'll see how many potatoes we have left!
Sunday - Leftovers (our last night here...)

Happy meal planning to you this week! Don't forget to check out the other Meal Plans over at Organizing Junkie!

Just Start

I've had this written for a couple of weeks now, but haven't actually been able to push "publish post". I'm not exactly sure why and I don't know why I'm pushing it today, but I figure I should just start...

Recently I’ve been thinking back to things that were so heavy on my heart years ago, that over the course of life and its distractions, have fizzled a bit. In the last month or so, these have been coming to the forefront of my mind once again.

9 years ago I decided to learn and get into the fields of psychology and social work. I had such a strong desire to help the poor and those chained in oppression. When I worked as a social worker, I regularly felt that I was doing something true to that calling, even though I got paid to do it.

Since becoming a mom and getting involved in other things, these desires have been on the back burner, somehow almost forgotten. I think we often hear so much of the despair in the world, but it doesn’t hit home for us…it is not our experience. Even seeing it at times, it still does not touch our hearts.

In the last few weeks I have been reminded of the pain in our world – human trafficking, starvation, little ones with so much need, but such basic needs that many of us take for granted.

I have been asking God, what would you have me to do…now…in this moment and time in my life. What small thing can I do that doesn’t put these issues on hold till a more convenient time in my life (since when will that time come if not now)? These issues do not wait for a “better time”.

My mind, of course, always goes to big things, but what has been pressed upon my heart seems so small but yet it requires doing something. I’m realizing that we can use the things we do to make our lives peaceful and simple to benefit not our families alone, but those around us – both close and far.

I am currently brainstorming how my current simplicity can help the oppressed – simple things like meal planning and clothing swaps and saving money. I believe these things may just help change some of the oppression in our world. Crazy? I don’t think so and I hope not.

Anyway, there is more thoughts on this to come. For the sake of length, I think I’ll put make it a series of posts.

Meal Plan Monday

Here are the meals that we have mostly "on hand" already or that only need a couple of things from the grocery store or farmer's market. We are trying to use up the ingredients we have on hand since we head out in just over 2 weeks. Hard to believe!

Instead of putting the meals on their particular days I thought I'd just list them out. Some of these meals will move on to next week, I'm sure. We know, then, that we have everything we need but are flexible (as the summer seems to be) in what we eat on which day.

Meals -

• Alfredo Pasta (with Chicken or Shrimp and veggies)
• Pesto Pasta
• Hamburgers
• Curry
  
• Stir fry
  
• Quesadillas - always a quick easy option
• Egg Salad Sandwiches & Potatoes (see how to hard boil an egg perfectly) - from last week
  

I thought I'd add a link to an eHow article I just wrote on fried rice. It's such an easy recipe, makes a ton of food, and is pretty healthy. Here is that recipe.

We've also been having a super easy salad - cucumbers, tomato, and onion (red or white). Then we'll mix it in a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette and add feta cheese. Although, sometimes we have it without and it's great that way too.

Happy meal planning to you this week! Don't forget to check out the other Meal Plans over at Organizing Junkie!