With my toddler feeding my dog dozens of doggie vitamins (oh my God) and the weather being a blistering 90 degrees outside, today is one of those "limited" cooking days. I spent the morning baking bread using my machine, dicing onions and garlic (throw them in some olive oil and place them in the fridge for later use), and combining brown rice flour and buckwheat flour into one big container. I will probably throw some northern beans into my crockpot (cook on low for 8 hours) and organize my kitchen tools. I might even get to my new "lentil stew" recipe if I am lucky. The rest of the day is about numerous other chores and errands which need attention.

I look forward to tasting my bread . The ingredients are:

1 cup of applesauce

4 eggs

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

flax seeds

salt

brown sugar

cinnamon

8 oz of chopped dates

Now I have not tasted this yet. So be forewarned! But it certainly smells good! Take care.

The turkey idea was ok, but nothing to write about. My two year old looked at it as if to say "What is that?" Turkey bacon made both of my kids smile while I ate my "experiment". It's amazing how a good glass of wine makes a "so-so" dinner taste much better. (ha ha)

I was looking for an old thread titled "Btd'ing on a budget." Sadly, I cannot find it. I did, however, decide that it is time to head back to the grocery store with a simple pad of notebook paper and a pencil. Most of the beneficial foods are memorized in my head, but the gluten free brands are not. It's time to merge two priorites into one. Once I am able to get to the store, I will post my results. It would be interesting to see how prices around here compare with other places.

I would just like to scream. I cut my workouts down to 2 a week during the recent holiday. Between my son’s birthday party and normal festival activities, it seemed like an appropriate compromise. What I didn’t realize is that I went a full seven days without a good workout. Good Lord, the withdrawal is killing me. I wasn’t kidding when I said that I have recently switched addictions. Instead of smoking cigarettes, I lift weights. With the way I have been acting and feeling lately, one could only assume that I just quit smoking yesterday! I am angry at everything and everyone, and my “Parental Patience” gas tank is completely low! Top that with the extra work a holiday creates (I didn’t do any laundry or any housework for two full days), and you’ve got one mean mama!

Which is why I am getting myself back to the YMCA tonight. As I try to juggle my beneficial meals with my “we’ve got to eat before getting in the car” schedule, I switch back and forth between meal plans. What I am lacking is a very good crock-pot meal, which can be assembled before we leave. Certainly, the Cornish Hen recipe worked out well last time, but I don’t have any! Hmmm. I have ground turkey (frozen). I have pre-cut onions in olive oil. I have a completely defrosted piece of steak. I have leftover bacon and pre washed salad. I think that after my mental break, (blogging and reading the BTD forum); I will be assembling our dinner. Laundry gets pushed back one or two spots on the priority list.

(A short time later….). Ok, I have decided to defrost my frozen turkey using running cold water and then set up my crock-pot to cook for two hours on high. I will try to report back on the experiment at a later date.

Take care everyone!

It is so funny. I plan the menu and then I change my mind. Ah well, at least all of the necessary groceries are in the house so that I can change my mind! My five year old claims that he likes spinach, asparagus and carrots. (And I know that he will eat onion if it is pureed into his burgers!)

Once or twice, I have stumbled across an author who talks about BTD’ing on a budget. I need to find that thread and jump into the discussion! It’s not the “cook from scratch” meals that are expensive. It’s the “convenience” gluten-free meals and the lack of cooking knowledge that really make the difference.

I think O’s have it a little rougher in the financial pocketbook. But I also need to admit that I am enjoying my food SO MUCH, that I would gladly give up something else if it guaranteed me $ for the store. I cooked my son steak for lunch. Oh! The smell of grilled steak made my mouth water! More importantly, he ate it without complaint J! The little guy and I had refried black beans (from a can) on a rice cake, carrots, pears, and a homemade granola mix.

We need to hit the road around dinnertime. Ergo, dinner will be simple. I will offer leftovers to the kids and let them decide. Tomorrow morning, I am going to make Lentil Stew for breakfast and I will also offer leftover blueberry waffles. I am missing my ‘cooking day’ immensely, but until the weather cools down, I just can’t bake. Ee vay.

On more than one occasion, I have been able to write some beautiful blogs. Full of whatever new information I had recently acquired and easy to read, I was quite proud of them. Unfortunately, my computer and my Internet connection decided to crash before the final versions were saved. This time, I have learned my lesson! Whether it is a short and rushed ditty or whether it is something I have put my valuable time into, I will use Microsoft Word and save my writings!

The Fourth of July holiday was full of both good and very “bad” food. Quite honestly, if I didn’t rebel every once in a while, I would blow up like a volcano. It is pretty easy to get back on track. I just take a look in the mirror at myself, and then I look at my children’s angelic faces. I think that I have a toddler who is offered the highest quality food in all of Rockford, Illinois. As for the five year old, he is stretching his vegetable boundaries at least! We talk a lot about the fist rule. A fist full of meat, a fist full of fruit, a fist full of vegetable and a fist full of grain are recommended every day. I kind of keep a casual tab running in my head and adjust snacks or meal accordingly. I also keep my sanity by remembering my top three priorities: 1) Get enough sleep 2) Eat good food and 3) Exercise 3 times a week (total body workout!)

Those same three priorities are also my children’s whether they realize it or not. I will back out of obligations or postpone other duties if those three are not met. I cannot do much for my husband, as his priorities are slightly different. But I can at least continue to offer good food and comfort whenever possible.

God is a big priority, too. But I am not the average church attendee. I try to keep his teachings in my mind and in my heart, and I hope that I am helping people by writing these blogs and by offering help to those in obvious need. I do need to get my children into bible camp and expose them to his teachings, but that is another story for another day!