Planning for Success

I have done a pretty good job of meal planning every week. If I don't meal plan things can get hairy. Unfortunately, even after sitting down and writing out what we will eat and shopping for the ingredients  I usually forget what I planned in the first place. It is four o'clock, the kids are cranky and I am scratching my head wondering what the heck I supposed to be cooking.  I have a lot going on and getting dinner done is often a challenge.

I made this list to keep in my kitchen. Having the dinners right in front of me makes it easier to do prep work ahead of time. I also don't forget to defrost things-which has happened more than I'd like to admit. The list on the bottom is breakfast ideas -though I am blessed that my husband makes breakfast most mornings.

Organization is critical to how successful we are as a family with our food choices. It is easy to make excuses and eat crap when you don't have healthy options available.

Ups and Downs of Cooking Paleo for My Kids

If I am going to be honest I must admit that we have ups and downs at the dinner table. I cook the same meal for everyone. I don't have the time or the energy for anyone to, "have it their way!"  If you like it- eat it!  and if you don't -either eat it or you are going to be hungry until the next snack or meal time comes around.

Sometimes things go great! Tonight we made Fun Burgers; a recipe from Everyday Paleo.  The burgers were AMAZING! My husband already has plans to make more next week. We had two happy little eaters munching away at their dinner.

nom nom nom

Last night was a different story. Last night I was a bad mom. My 3 1/2 year old daughter said she was going to tell my husband that I cooked bad food. Luckily, I enjoyed dinner as did my son and my husband when he finally got home and had time to eat. I must admit that it was not my best or most creative meal- but not every meal can be award winning. This pic makes me think she might have been on to something.

The important thing is that I know when my kids do decide to eat they are eating healthy food. I know they are not going to starve if they decide something I make is YUCKY.  I'll just say it is intermittent fasting and call it a day.

Afternoon at "The Edge of America"

Here are some pictures from our trip to Folly Beach. You can definitely see how it earned the nickname "The Edge of America". It was really beautiful and as usual Pete did an amazing job with the pictures.We really try to spend as much time as possible outside and are extremely spoiled to be be so close to so many amazing locations. I wish I could have spent all day snuggling with the kiddos in that tree!

Check out more of Pete's amazing work HERE!

Nutty For Pancakes

Breakfast seems to be a challenge for many people starting out with paleo. It seems that as a culture we have specific ideas about breakfast foods (usually involving a bowl and milk or some kind of carb covered in syrup). It can take a while to be OK with eating last night's dinner for breakfast. I personally think turkey meatloaf & eggs= yum! I am also perfectly happy eating my spinach and egg scramble with some bacon or sausage day in and day out. My kids- on the other hand- like a little more diversity. This is where I need to get creative with breakfast options.  So if you need some transition foods or you have kids at home, it is nice to have some throwback recipes that are paleo friendly.

Nutty for Pancakes!

My daughter is actually nutty for this recipe and would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if it were an option. I like them because they are a 1 cup of coffee recipe. This means I can function enough to make them after only 1 cup of coffee.  The fact that they are also yummalicious is a bonus.

1 cup nut butter
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
sprinkle cinnamon
drop of vanilla

Mix it well and then cook them up in a little coconut oil. I usually scoop about 1/4 cup for each pancake. That is if I can find my fourth cup and it hasn't turned into a bath toy.

ENJOY!

Grok On!

I have moved here from Newmommyrant.blogspot.com in an effort to share more about our experiences as a primal/paleo family.

If you don't know me from NewMommyRant here's the scoop.

My name is Danielle and I am a SAHM to Eliza 3 1/2 and Jude 18 months. I have been married to Pete for almost 6 years. We are a semi-crunchy babywearing, breastfeeding, cosleeping family. We have recently switched over to a Paleo lifestyle which is a big change from being vegan just over two years ago. I have found this lifestyle to be more on point with all my crunchy beliefs- even without the granola!

There have been lots of challenges and successes so far and I hope to share them all here.