Sundays

Sundays are about rest, recovery from the busy week, church, familyand food.  In this house it is also about meal planning, getting prepared for the week ahead and just plain organization.  You have to realize, having a child with celiacs and dealing with 3 other kids who aren't I have to plan/make breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack AND dinner, not just a meal plan for dinners.  Add in crafts and sometimes the weekly planning takes all day.  I don't want my kids to be bored with food and I'm super picky about ingredients so it's a lengthy process that most people wouldn't take the time to do or have the patience with.  This week I'm going to break apart each aspect of my planning and give you some ideas.  Yes, Pinterest has become my best friend as it just makes my life easier!

Let's start with my breakfast plan for this week.  I've had several people specifically request ideas in this department.  Mornings are hectic no matter who you are.  I try to stock as many things in my freezer as possible.  But healthy too.  Sometimes that can be trying.  I will buy organic fruits and put them in individual baggies for smoothies, smart healthy muffins (bite size and regular size - banana, carrot, blueberry, and even choc chip filled with flax and chia seeds), quick breads (zucchini, banana, apple, pumpkin also loaded with flax and chia) and pancakes ( all flavors, silver dollar sized).  Usually I just make a double batch of whatever I'm making for the day and freeze everything else so week day mornings especially are super quick.

This week I wanted to change things up some...
Here are my breakfast ideas are:

Sunday night I baked banana bread, I followed the general directions for Pamela's baking mix, added extra banana and used organic coconut palm sugar as my sweetener as well as flax and chia seeds.  I let it cool, sliced and toasted it with coconut spreadable butter with some fruit on the side for Monday's breakfast. 

Breakfast pizzas is next up.  For those of you who aren't Gfree you can toast some buttered or coconut spread English muffins. For those of you who are Gfree - I'm not a huge fan of what is out there for Gfree English muffins.  Lets be honest, they are awful.  For Izzy, I have used Schar's par-baked ciabatta rolls split in half and toasted lightly in the oven as well as making actual gfree pizza dough/cornbread in whoopee pie tins for the base.  Add a TBSP olive oil or coconut oil, some Gfree sausage/peppers/potatoes if you wish and sauté until cooked through (spices, marinara and sunny side up egg are all added if you choose), beat a couple of eggs and push sausage mix to the side and scramble the eggs in the other side of the pan.  Top your base  with the mixture and add some cheese and toast in the oven until melted  and serve!!

Breakfast casserole is also on the list.  You may use Gfree potatoes (shredded or diced), sausage, bacon, peppers, onions, eggs, everything and put it in the crock pot or oven, chives, cheese and plain organic greek yogurt are also among the add in and thing you want.  You don't have to make it with meat, it's just an option. No crust needed! A great Gfree start of protein to the day!

Yogurt with berries or whatever fruit of the season is in, even homemade applesauce/apple pie filling or pumpkin in the fall

This muffin recipe is THE BOMB...using all organic ingredients, homemade when you can and subbing both cups of flour that are not gfree for Pamela's or your favorite gfree blend and gfree oats....this is an amazing favorite in our house! You can def sub coconut yogurt or your fav non dairy, add nuts if you aren't allergic, flax, chia, or even dried fruits  http://reallifedinner.com/the-best-toddler-muffins/

Finally pancake dippers.  I reserve these for the weekends.  WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE about crispy bacon doused in Gfree pancake????? and dipped in 100% maple syrup?? This you'll need a skillet for. Make your favorite pancake batter, gfree or otherwise and cook the bacon.  I choose to cut the bacon package in half and bake the bacon for 20 minutes @350 F in the oven the drain.  Put bacon on skillet then drop ice cream scoop sized  pancake batter on top of the bacon and cook like a pancake.  A little side of maple syrup or agave and YUM!!!

Tomorrow's got Lunches and afternoon snacks!

Pause Button

Sometimes I wish there were a pause button on life.  We are already a month and a half into the school year with my sweet littles, a month into Shelby's senior year and Lana's freshman year of college and almost through our birthday "season" in this house.  All the time I thought I'd have once Izzy was in school full time was a farce, lie, total ridiculousness.  Fall is always so busy and I know it will calm down soon but then there will be the holidays and the new year and a move.  And this time next year I will be sitting here with all of my kids another year older wishing for the same thing....a pause button. 

So let's catch up on the last month and a half! 

First day of school for the littles was a HUGE success!  Izzy's allergies were taken care of quickly, efficiently and lovingly by her teacher and EVERY staff member at our school.  Within two weeks she not only had an action plan but a 504 as well.  Her teacher is amazing and has such an awesome personality and loving inspiration/environment that Izzy has been thriving!  Of course my girl is her usual social self and has made many new friends.  Sitting at the food allergy table has been a bit of transition, especially when they have special lunch days like "grandparents lunch" and all of our family is away yet she had no one to sit with, but we are working through the little things because in the grand scheme of things it is a VERY little thing.

Noah is in the BIG 1st grade now and is doing much better as I write this than when we first started school.  He has a hard time with change and this year has been difficult for him but he has already shown signs of improvement.  We had his 7 year old well check appt. this week to address some concerns his teacher had and I'm very happy to report that we are only looking at some dietary changes, and some other minor changes in his benefit.  She does not think that he is dealing with ADHD or Sensory issues or medication of any kind.  My heart lifted at that and my faith restored.  I have secretly been worrying about this for a month and I am so thankful that even at it's worst it wouldn't be the worst thing.  I have two children with such medical issues I thought we'd escaped with the middle two.  It's scary dealing with a heart transplant child and a child with an autoimmune disease.  Despite that there are 4 kids in this family with really big things going on and sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the other things. So I'm happy with the outcome as of now but there might be more to come. 

Shelby's senior year is going at warp speed already!  She's already applying to colleges and being recruited by a few.  She's got all A's and has redone her ACT's and improved her score.  So proud of her and all she's reaching to do in her life! She will take college by storm and in turn life.  She is so much stronger than she thinks she is and will do amazing things!  Watch out world, here she comes!!!

Lana has already taken the bull by the horns and started college and.......LOVES IT!  She's doing so amazing!  Proud parent moment is that with her new schedule we actually have one on one time that we haven't had in 18 years.  I love that she's going to school here right now and loving it as much as she does, here for an occasional lunch while everyone's in school or going to the elementary school to have lunch with her siblings.  It's truly been a blessing.  She's quite an amazing woman.  PS. Her transplant appt's have been fabulous!

There are some fabulous things happening with these kids and I'm so happy to see them flourish and develop their own personalities and traits.  What an amazing life...I want to pause right now.

New recipes to come!