Back to school means reviewing what we’ve learned! If you’re a beginner on a food journey to wellness, this list is for you.
Meal plan on ___________ day of week. Eating at home is immeasurably healthier than going out. Meal planning also saves money. There are a million systems and strategies out there. Find one that works for you and just do it. (Preaching to myself here. I don’t enjoy meal planning but I love it so much once I do it.) I wrote more about meal planning here. Live and die by a plan.
Have a sharp knife. The right tools make a job so much more enjoyable. Three knives are all you need. In order of importance: chefs, paring, and bread knives. Twenty years ago, I was gifted this 8” Global Chef’s knife. It is a popular brand of knife, even in chef circles, but you can also go to a kitchen store like Williams Sonoma and ask to hold any of theirs. You may prefer a heavier knife with a different shaped blade. I have my knives sharpened at least once a year and use a honing steel almost every day on the chef’s knife to keep it sharp.
Remove cheap industrial oils that are bad for our health. Use healthy fats: butter, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, tallow, ghee. Oils like vegetable, canola, corn and margarine are these cheap, inflammatory fats - most are genetically modified (GMOs are notoriously bad for gut health - seek to eliminate at all costs). Additionally this is another reason to meal plan and eat at home: you are in charge of the fats. When eating out, restaurants use cheap industrial oils that are bad for our health.
Learn to cook a whole chicken - with bones. The joints and bones bring flavor, moisture and nutrition. Then save the bones for broth. Learn to make homemade broth. Homemade and store bought broth are not the same. I wrote here all the things you need to know about making broth. Homemade broth gives you things like collagen, chondroitin, gelatin, glycine and glutamine, which have been shown to sooth gut irritation and inflammation, as well as strengthen the gut barrier. Bonus: make soup with your homemade broth.
Replace regular iodized table salt or kosher for sea salt without anti-caking agents. Anti-caking agents keeps salt from clumping and flowing freely from the shaker. It’s basically a preservative and my aim is to remove all preservatives from our food.
I’m not saying eliminate salt. I use a lot of salt. Salt is LYFE!!
Quality sea salts will have only one ingredient: salt. There are over 90 minerals in the ocean - minerals that our body can use and many of us are deficient. Sea salt is taken from naturally occurring salt in the ocean.
The quality of the end product greatly relies on the drying process. When sea salt is harvested the traditional way, a higher mineral content remains in the salt. The traditional way is when water evaporates naturally, via sun and wind. This is called solar evaporation. Boiling sea water or using fans to evaporate water results in fewer remaining minerals. Like most things the price predicts quality.
Some say I have an obsession with salt (my cabinets are full with various varieties and my basement has at least 50 pounds in buckets!) My favorites to recommend are Redmond’s Real Salt, Baja Gold, and Celtic. Just like financial investments, I prefer to diversify. People ask if I approve of Himalayan. It’s certainly better than table salt. I will use Himalayan it’s just that I like the others mentioned much better for various reasons. Do your own research. I wrote a bit more about salt here.
Does this list seem overwhelming? I bet you’re already doing at least one! Which one is next?
Chick Update
I don’t know anything about Lionel Ritchie’s spiritual background but listening to Easy Like Sunday Morning I can almost guarantee he didn’t get kids ready for church.
My pastor-husband leaves super early. I’d roused the kids and our Sunday morning was rocking along when I glanced out the window to see the dog playing with something in the yard. I assumed she caught a squirrel (or rabbit or mole or groundhog or ??) and said it aloud. My daughter, who was in the bathroom without windows, immediately shrieked, “IT’S A CHICKEN!!”
We ran outside to rescue the birds but too late. It was a traumatic few minutes. I’ll spare the details.
This dog is a smart one. She lifted the handle on the garden gate AND punched down hardware cloth (that was weighted down by boards) on our brooder to get to the chicks live squeaker toys.
Two were still alive so Caroline used a blow dryer on their wet feathers and immediately made a chick hospital in the basement. We only found one body so that meant 3 fled to our neighboring woods where hawks, foxes, coons, snakes and who knows what other predators lurk. Schaeffer spent a good deal of time roaming in poison ivy searching for the survivors to no avail. He could hear one but we never found it. John said he later saw the resident fox with something black in its mouth (2 of the lost ones were black.)
I’d already showered and put on my dress for this circus then got to dig a grave for the one who didn’t make it. It was easily 80* and 85% humidity that morning; we all needed more showers. We missed most of Sunday school but did make it to church.
A second body appeared in the sunroom after homeschool co-op Monday. And one of the mauled ones breathed her last in the hospital.
That left one sole survivor. Schaeffer said, “She must have been wearing the immunity idol.” (Can you tell we binged Survivor while John drove John Isaac to college?!)
I tried to talk them into re-homing the dog. They talked me into getting 6 more chicks.
What We’re Eating the First Week-ish of School
Usually meal planning for me is brainstorming a list of recipes we like. Then grocery shopping to make sure I have all supplies on hand. I decide on a whim which meal for which night, depending on our schedule.
Creamy Mexican Chicken (actually with beef) - this makes a ton and leftovers are perfect for lunch.
Easy Big Mac Sliders - Recipe is written for 1lb in 9x9 pan. I used 1.5 pounds of 85/15 fat in a 9x13 pan & seasoned with mushroom salt + dried onions. Big hit with the fam. I used mini-brioche buns from Aldi.
Egg Roll in a Bowl (Mediterranean also regular version)
Goulash - the classic creamy, tomato-y, beef and pasta comfort food. Leftovers travel well in a thermos for lunch.
Creamy Golden Chicken with rotisserie chicken see also: 5 Recipes to Use with Rotisserie Chicken
Chef Salad - the youngest eats it deconstructed.
Clafoutis - fruit custard for breakfast or dessert. Take advantage of the delish Michigan blueberries in season right now!
Baked Oatmeal for breakfast (same one almost weekly for over a decade!)
Oh Hamish Bars - uses whole oats, has texture of rice crispy bars & has a PB/chocolate icing. Perfect for a crowd. I took half to a friend.
Family Devotions
A homeschooling friend recommended Not Consumed Ministries’ family devotions. I bought this set (just parent guides) - currently 15% off. The questions facilitate good conversations and the devo is short enough to keep our attention. I read a few sentences then assign a kid to look up a verse (from the devo). If you’re looking for something short yet meaningful, check them out.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PS - Send this list to a friend who is trying to do better with their health. Reply and tell me (or comment on the post) which of the 5 things for success you’re focusing on next. And maybe it’s not on this list!