My Obsession with Menu Planning Part Deux :-)

So a few weeks ago I revealed to the world my obsession with menu planning and how it all started. So I had a few people ask me , "How?" this past week. As I was talking and sharing menu ideas I remembered a key event that shaped our families' palate. When our eldest son was just a toddler I was with another Mom on a playdate-she was a little more seasoned than I was. It came time for lunch and I began cutting the crusts off of Isaac's sandwich because it was the part he didn't like. She asked me why I was doing that. "Well he doesn't like them", I replied--almost annoyed at having to state the obvious. "But, if you cut his crusts now--you'll always have to--he'll never learn how to like them", she said. Suddenly, my whole future flashed before me. I knew we wanted more children--so I envisioned a world where my days were consumed with cutting the crusts off everyone's little sandwiches. I envisioned adult children coming to visit me for lunch and with my feeble, arthritic hands--still cutting their crusts off their sandwiches. Granted, I have a lively imagination, but her comment served it's purpose. I knew from experience that children will learn to eat whatever they are given. I'm happy to say I don't cut the crusts off anyones sandwiches and from the time they could eat solid food the kids had whole grain bread--get them hooked on that Wonder bread and you'll be wondering what you did. When my husband and I got married he thought he was being a health nut when he sat down to a bowl of iceberg lettuce--which he called "salad". I have over the years "converted" him in many ways too by learning to prepare the foods he claimed disdain for in new, fresh ways. We're still working on broccoli. However--even with the broccoli barrier I regularly fix it for our kids and myself. If I only cooked to one person's limited palate and likes then our growing boys with their growing palates would never learn to appreciate a variety. Variety is the key to health! Did you know that fruits and vegetables of different colors are rich in different vitamins and minerals. When the annoying nutrition police ( myself included) tell you to "Eat a rainbow everyday" there is a sound rationale behind it. I saw an interview with an author a few months ago, to a book entitled "French Kids Eat Everything". The obesity rate for the French is markedly less than ours. While I haven't had time to read the book yet, the point of the interview was that French parents do not make special food for their kids. They are not whipping up sides of mac & cheese and hot dogs because their kids won't eat the Potato and kale soup. The food is placed in front of you and that is it. Hmm. I like it--that's how we roll. Everyone in our family has chosen 1 item they absolutely disdain they are allowed to say, "no thanks" and leave it to the side. For Peter it is broccoli, for me--it is plain scrambled eggs. I like my eggs to hold lots of veggies together. I see them more as a binder and carrying vehicle for the other stuff. For Caleb--he really doesn't like gravy, which is fine with me. Logan despises bananas. I tried to push this issue once and the texture made him lose some of his breakfast--so he continues to have bananas on his list. Isaac can't stand mushrooms. Now, I still cook with all the above ingredients--it's just that the person who doesn't like those items is allowed a "free pass" if you will--but just on that ONE item. It's worked--you'd be amazed the variety of foods kids learn to like when it is simply a family expectation that they will eat what they are given gratefully. So here is this weeks menu: Sunday- I made a baked chicken with all the comfy fixings, potatoes, salad, steamed carrots Monday- On Sunday PM I shredded the leftover chicken, boiled the carcass and made homemade stock for a future soup and froze the stock. To the shredded chicken I added black beans and rice, diced chilis in anticipation of Monday PM. After working in the am, and coaching cross country in the afternoon I came home and made burritoes out of the chicken mixture--adding salsa, romaine lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream to whole wheat flour tortillas. It was easy, healthy and quick after a long day. Although I didn't have a lot of chicken left--I mixed it with rice and beans which makes a complete protein. After dinner I started Tuesdays meal so all I have to do after teaching gym and cross country this afternoon is pop it in the oven. Tuesday-- Tonight is shepherds pie. However, I make it a little different-- I sautee ground turkey and an onion and mix with onion soup mix, frozen corn, chopped frozen spinach and mushrooms. The onion soup mix makes a nice gravy. I boiled potatoes with skin and all. The skin contains lots of fiber and minerals....never get rid of it unless you have to. Now, because mushrooms are on Isaac's list I did make him a small crock and serving size without mushrooms--but that's ok, because it's the only item he's allowed to pass on. Chopped frozen spinach can be added to almost EVERY casserole and it looks like herbs--it rarely affects the flavor, but greatly improves the vitamin content of whatever you are cooking. I add it to spaghetti sauces, just about every casserole, and soups/stews at the last minute when fresh kale is not available. Wednesday--leftover extravaganza-- Mama works late Thursday--Baked Tilapia, rice and red beans (complete protein) and steamed veg medley Friday--meatball stew--Crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, carrots, celery, onions, black beans, chopped green cabbage and meatballs--your recipe or frozen, garlic, chili powder, paprika thrown in a crockpot all day and eaten with homemade whole wheat bread from a bread machine after our cross country meet Friday PM. It's one of the kids favorite stews. Saturday--would be homemade pizza night but we have special plans this weekend. Happy cooking!

My Obsession with Menu Planning

So my path to being an obsessive menu planner did not happen overnight. The seeds of it were planted when our first son was still a toddler and, while wanting to remain a stay-at-home Mom, I just worked 1 day a week as an RN to maintain my nursing license. However, between the babysitter who came to the house, and my husband multi-tasking diapers and Lego duty--my love for my crockpot was born to insure our son wasn't fed hotdogs and mac & cheese everytime I was gone. The other problem, is that I'm a slight health food nut---I like to make everything from scratch, I am fundamentally opposed to bacon--to the woeful chagrin of my husband. Another issue is we live "in the boonies". While there is a great grocery store in town, the prices for many items are much cheaper if I travel 40 minutes away. However, every busy Mom knows a shopping trip with that driving time can eradicate the better part of a day in no time. Enter two more bouncing baby boys, a decision to send all 3 boys to our Christian school, carpools, a few more hours at work, growing appetites, my husband's genetic high cholesterol that was resistent to traditional meds and a perfect storm was created. The final piece of straw that finally sealed my identity as an obsessive menu planner was our youngest son's kindergarten year. He was an October baby who tested "young" in some areas, but above average in other areas. The right decision for him that year was to homeschool him, and he joined his class in 1st grade at our Christian school. We subsequently found out about some vision/motor tracking issues that were distorting his test results--but that required some eye excercises and more responsibilities I needed to fulfill. Who has time to shop? And even a half day away from our homeschool curriculum to grocery shop, when I was already working a day to help pay private school tuition was just not feasible. I either needed to clone myself, or learn to streamline my families' menu and meal prep while still satisfying my inner desire to fulfill all the RDA requirements for all the vital nutrients daily. The piece de resistance came when I discovered Sams Club, where I already had a membership, has a free service called, "Click and Pull". I could actually electronically order up my grocery list in the solace of my home in the midst of reviewing phonograms and writing nursing policies on BLS renewal, have someone else shlepp my order to me and be in and out in 15 minutes or less. Genius! The only problem with buying that much food is you must plan it--or it will go to waste, and you must have a place to store it properly. Also, when you buy in bulk you must budget for it initially. When you buy a month's worth of food for 3 growing boys--4 count the hubs--you bet those dollar signs ring out, Ka-ching. I set to work. While the boys all quietly played Legos, interspersed with skirmishes over Lego guys that had their accessories stolen and hijacked to a sibling's "Lego shelf", homework, carpools, squirrel..oh yes..back to menu planning--I crafted 6-7 weeks of menus around our life. The premise was to stock up on basics and frozen items which I could store in a pantry area and large freezer, then I could make a quick trip to the store in town for meats on sale, fresh produce and milk on a weekly basis--which would only take about 30 minutes of time. If it worked I would save countless hours in travel, impulse buys would be eliminated, the dilemna about "what to cook" every night and the inevitable storm of chaos that surrounds the 5PM hour when homework, showers, drum practice, sports practice and telemarketing calls all occur would be solved. Additionally, if I stuck to raw bulk items, I could save a lot of money! If you notice I write in run on sentences frequently that is just how my brain works--it's a blog not a term paper--so you get the stream of conciousness necessity for my menu planning. Every season I change our menu. I look at my families' schedule and create meals around our needs. For example, this is what my schedule looks like now--the boys are 13,11 and 9 years old. I work Mondays and Fridays at the surgical center from 9-2PM. I drop the boys off at school and pick them up--it's just I'm not around during the day to premake anything for dinner--and we all know about that 5PM hour. Wednesdays I am a closer in the recovery room of the surgical center. On Tuesday afternoons I teach gym at our kids' school. And as a new undertaking, this fall I teach cross country on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays until 4:15. On Fridays for the next 2 months we have cross country meets. Oh, and last winter, on a whim I started a business making herbal soap, lotion and gift baskets and it's kind of surprisingly taken off so I frequently get orders I need to fill. So this is what my menu looked like this week: Sunday- I made a huge pork loin in the crockpot with potatoes and root veggies Monday- Shredded BBQ pork sandwiches using the leftover pork from Sunday. I carmelized a bunch of onions Sunday night and added a little cider vinegar and BBQ sauce to to the pork so it could "merry" throughout the day. Add bulky rolls of your choice and a nice salad and you have a wonderful quick dinner Tuesday- Lasagne (using ground turkey, lite Ricotta, spinach) and salad . I made the Lasagne Saturday because I looked ahead at my schedule and saw I would not have time Sunday or Monday to assemble this. Tuesday after cross country practice I came home, popped the lasagne in the oven and was able to hit the shower while the kids started homework. Then I made the salad while the boys started showering from practice. Isaac serendaded us to drum practice..it was a beautiful plan. Wednesday is always leftover cleanout extravaganza because I am a closer at the surgical center, in the recovery room. I don't usually leave until the last patient leaves, which is always unknown. Peter has to fly solo that night with homework etc, so I always make sure we have leftovers from the previous 3 nights they can graze on--plus no food wasted. I know the leftovers will be eaten by Wednesday. Thursday-Kielbasa, potato and black bean stew is in the crockpot. Black beans are a favorite--they have 7 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber per serving. If I can put black beans in something I will. They are cheap, nutritious and so versatile. I love them. Also tonight I will get the bread machine going and make some whole wheat Italian bread and a salad. I use 1 pound of Kielbasa for a 6 quart crock of stew. It is more for flavoring and to give my carnivorous husband the inkling there is meat in this meal, however, I am counting on those beans to provide the bulk of protein. As a note I opened a GALLON of crushed tomatoes for this recipe and used 1/2 of it. That whole gallon cost me $2.20. In the grocery store I would be lucky to get 24 ounces of sauce with added sugar for that much--this has no sugar. Score. In a little while I will go pick up the boys, we'll all practice cross country and when I come home dinner will be done so I can devote my time to helping them with homework etc. Friday--Lemon seasoned Tilapia--which cooks quickly after cross country meets, sauteed green beans and carrots (frozen whole green beans and I precut whole carrots into matchstick size to toss in), rice and red beans (seasoned with a little paprika, chili powder) I also like this combo because a whole grain and a legume make a complete protein . Cook in chicken broth with fat skimmed that I made after I simmered a whole chicken from a quick Hannaford rotisserie chicken night. Saturday--is always homemade pizza and movie night. I break out the bread machine and make a homemade thin crust with at least half whole wheat flour. I always use unbleached King Arthur flour when I use white flour. Unbleached flour maintains more vitamins and is better for you. If you use strictly whole wheat you have to add gluten, so I just add enough white flour to help the crust rise. We add my own sauce--no sugar and veggies and a little mozarella cheese--much cheaper in bulk and easily frozen. We laze around, cuddle, talk about our week, watch a fun movie and eat pizza. Sunday is ready for another big slab of roast beast to start off the week. I've had many people ask me over the years why I plan my menu, how I do it, what is the benefit--so I decided to jot it down. I'll have more installments when I have time, but for now off to set the bread maker and prewash the lettuce for tonight's dinner. I hope when my kid's are grown they'll always remember no matter how busy life got, no matter what was going on, we always paused, ate dinner together, and finished our day in the haven of home and family.

Big Toothies In

I knew this day would come eventually. But like so many milestones--good or solemn occasions, it just snuck up on me. We were sitting in church today awaiting the annual spring cantata when I glanced over at my freckled nine year old and noticed his two front incisors, his "big teeth" were even. They had come in fully. Now you may not think that's a big deal--but it hit me like a jab in the side.

Logan was late to lose his teeth. He was 8 1/2 before his first tooth came out. Many a Christmas and birthday passed and he would just pray that he would lose his first tooth. When all his classmates' "big teeth" had come in, he was still sporting his baby teeth. While it caused him some distress, it was just fine with me. You see, Logan is my baby.

When Logan arrived, we knew he would be our last child. We already had 2 very active toddlers in the house and knowing out human limits, we believed our quiver was full. When I was just a few months along with Logan I went in for a routine ultrasound. Having gone through this a few other times, I found the tech to be a little quiet--careful with her words. I suspected something was wrong. When I asked if everything was ok, her curt reply was, "The doctor will contact you with the results". My heart sank, knowing that if everything was fine I wouldn't be getting a call like that.

The next day Peter was on a brief errand and I got a call from the midwife. She gave me the grave news that there was a chance something was terribly wrong. They had seen some indicators that our baby may have a Trisomy disorder--one that at best would allow him to survive 4 months or so after birth, hooked to a feeding tube and with a myriad of other health problems. We would have to travel to Dartmouth for some conclusive tests and special imaging to know for sure. The wait was harrowing. When Peter arrived home he found me slumped on the floor sobbing at the news.

Suddenly, all the dreams I had for our small brood were shattered. I was facing carrying a baby, loving it for 9 months--only to give him back to God after a very short time. The worst part was not knowing and having to continue on caring for the other kids in the meantime--not succombing to my grief. My faith was stretched and I pulled from lessons in faith I had learned in earlier years. I drank from a deep well of hope and bathed in the balm of prayer. Our friends and church rallyed around us and prayed us through--and they prayed for Logan.

Three weeks later the day arrived and we traveled to Dartmouth for the battery of tests needed to plan the future. Whatever the outcome we knew this child was a borrowed gift and our job was to love him for the time we were allowed to hold him. The hours that followed seemed to hold the course of our future in each tick of the clock and every test result revealed. I cannot tell you the sheer sobs of relief I felt as the 3D ultrasound revealed there were no signs of Trisomy defects. What it did reveal was a perfectly formed wonder--a gift from God.

From the time he was one year old I never had to worry about Legos being a choke hazard to Logan because he was too interested in building what his brothers were building. He draws detailed, imaginative pictures. He attempts to convince me on a weekly basis that he really doesn't have to go to school because he's going to grow up to be a Lego designer anyways--and afterall he already knows how to count money which is the only skill he'll need.

When Logan has recycling duty he frequently comes back with half the discards. On the journey to the basement he has designed a robot, a car, or a machine for doing homework from the various milk containers, cracker boxes, and discarded empty pineapple cans. He is the baby I relaxed with--allowing him to wear his Tigger costume for 3 days in a row if he wanted to-- even to the grocery store.

When I tuck Logan in we have a game we play. It starts out with, "I love you to the moon and back a gazillion times". Then, he replies with something he loves--like "I love you more than gummy worms". I respond with something I love---"I love you more than cheesecake" and so on and so on. One day as we were snuggling, Logan whispered in my ear, "I love you more than Legos". I knew I had arrived then.

When Logan finally lost his first tooth he was giddy. Before it was even ready to come out he was begging me to "get out the pliers" and help it along. He couldn't wait to grow up and get his big teeth. I was in no rush--the pliers stayed in the workshop and I cherished his toothless grins through freckled dimples--hands always busy and mind always creating something.

So you see, when I looked across the aisle and saw my baby with two even incisors--big toothies in, my heart sank. They weren't like that yesterday. Little by little, day by day they grow bigger and bigger. Even the baby grows up and will probably create new Lego sets for kids to play with and parents to step on in their barefeet. But for Logan--as he grows there is special significance of it for me. It is a reminder of the incredible mercy showered on us with his arrival. So many families do struggle with caring for a special needs child. It could have easily been our family too.

When I think about what could have been, and the miraculous gift we were given I am humbled and grateful. I know his big toothies had to come in---but somedays I wish they could stay little just a little longer--but at the same time how wonderful it is to see what God grows.