This Week

For years I’ve been preparing a weekly meal plan that directs my grocery shopping.   My basic format was: Two chicken suppers, Two venison/beef suppers, salmon, pizza, leftovers/eat out

And then…we began GAPS.

As limiting as doing the Intro to GAPS was (we literally could only eat very well boiled meat and veggies at first), it was super easy to cook.  Not much planning involved in Intro: pick a meat, pick two veggies, and boil it to death in homemade broth. 

Now that we’re all on Full GAPS, we thankfully have many more choices, but eliminating all grains and refined sugar does change things some.  I’ve got boards on Pinterest devoted to the foods we can eat now (“GAPS Breakfast”, “GAPS Entrees”, “GAPS Sides and Snacks”, etc…) 

Now that we’re not having just Boiled Meat and Veggies ‘O the Day, it’s taking me more planning.  It's more challenging right now as I find new meals that we love that are allowed.  I know that I’ll get into the new groove soon.  But in the meantime we’ve had fun trying new recipes.  We’ve had some duds, but most have become quick favorites, like the Morning Glory Muffins I made this morning! 

Last week, for the first time since we’ve been on GAPS I wrote down everything we were going to be eating for meals that week, including sides.  It was so nice to just be able to refer to that menu on our fridge, instead of “reinventing the wheel” every few hours, given our new restrictions.

Gabriel is still eating Dairy, Nut and Egg-free, so his meals sometimes look different than ours, especially breakfast (yes, the rest of us eat a LOT of eggs here at our house!).  For the lunch and supper he usually can eat exactly what we’re eating. 

I don't always plan out our lunches, though.  We usually either have leftovers (my preference) or we throw together odds and ends like this:

Being on GAPS, homemade broth and probiotic foods (sauerkraut, fermented carrots, etc.) is a BIG part of healing our guts and restoring optimal gut flora.  As such, we are supposed to include a mug of broth and at least a couple tablespoons of probiotic food with each meal.  We do this, (except this bad mama has let us run out of sauerkraut right now!)...so I'm not going to type broth and probiotic food on each meal below.

Here is what we’re eating this week:

Sunday

Morning Glory Muffins, two eggs each  (I made a double batch of muffins and froze enough for breakfast later in the week) (I used almonds and cranberries instead of walnuts and raisins)

“Boofay” – leftover soup, chix salad, boiled eggs, celery w/ peanut butter, avocado, sliced apples  (“Boofay” is the funny way we say buffet, and it specifically refers to our meals that are a mish mash of assorted leftovers from the previous several days, with veggies and fruit added in)

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Zoodles  (yes, that is Zoodles and not noodles...they're my new BFF)

Monday

Three eggs each with sautéed onions and shredded cheese

?

Hamburger Soup, Cheddar Herb Biscuits (make a quadruple batch and freeze leftovers for Breakfast Sandwiches later in the week….we all LOVE these sandwiches!)(I use Italian Seasoning and Garlic Salt instead of the seasonings she suggests)

Tuesday

Chai Spiced Muffins, Two eggs each  (I made a quadruple batch of these muffins last week, now we have an easy peasy breakfast!)

Leftover Hamburger Soup from previous night, assorted veggies and fruit

Roasted Whole Chicken (2, actually), Green Beans, Roasted Brussell Sprouts

Wednesday

Three eggs each with sautéed onions and shredded cheese

Chicken salad (just shredded chicken from last night with homemade mayonnaise), apples, carrots, cheese  (We’re going to be at our food co-op this day, and this is an easy pack-able lunch)

T-bones steaks, Butternut squash, Green peas

Thursday

Breakfast Sandwiches (leftover biscuits from Monday night, fried egg, cheese and pepperoni…YUM!)

Leftover steak from previous night, assorted veggies and fruit

Salmon with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce, Green Beans, Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Rosemary

Friday

Pancakes, two eggs each  (double the pancake recipe and freeze some for a later quick breakfast)

?

Pizza

Saturday

Cinnamon Bun Muffins, two eggs each

Tuna Salad  (just tuna with homemade mayonnaise), other assorted veggies and fruit

White Chili,  Cheddar Herb Biscuits, Apple Tart (having Marissa over!)

The children (and sometimes me) have snacks several times a day, normally mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and right before bedtime.  Our snack choices are Kefir and Fruit Smoothies, apple, banana, nuts, dried fruit and boiled eggs (N, LK and D have discovered they LOVE soft-boiled eggs!)