Feeding Ferrara Family of 4

Since my post on how we are going to eat in 2012 and my recent image of Sarah helping me cook kale on Facebook received a lot of comments, I thought I'd post a quick update on how things are going in our household and what a week typically looks like. 

The Routine

Saturdays: On my way home from my morning run, I stop at the Farmer's market to pick up eggs, goat cheese and milk. Sometimes I miss my milk man or the eggs are sold out, so I refill from the grocery store if I have to. I also buy local raw honey and salad dressings from the Farmer's market as well. 

Co-op days: I have been getting a half share of organic foods from Rawfully Organic about every two weeks (Tuesdays or Saturdays). In the in between weeks, I buy extra greens - chard, lettuce, spinach and kale - from the Farmer's market. When I bring home veggies, I try to get them all cooked and prepped for eating within 24 hours. It is a losing proposition if food goes bad, so I try to avoid it at all costs. I saute all of the greens in olive oil with onion, lemon juice and garlic. Carrots and celery, I wash and chop into sticks and store in water in the fridge. Bell peppers I dice so they are easy to toss into salads or eggs during the week. They would probably be good in the greens too, now that I think about it. If I have a lot of something, I'm not sure what to do with, I will dig up a relevant recipe. Last week I got two eggplants, so I made moussaka. The fruit we eat as the week wears on, but if it is building up in the fridge too much, I get after it and make a fruit salad. 

Meat: I keep a freezer stocked with meat, and we eat a lot of chicken, pork, lean ground beef, sirloin and fish. Fish is the one thing I do not ever plan to have left over. We cook and eat it right away and I plan those meals for the weekends. Typically I cook 5-6 pounds of meat per week along the lines of a roasted chicken, grilled beef or chicken, pork in the crock pot, ground beef, etc. I rarely make casseroles as I've found I end up being the one that eats them instead of my family.

Side items to go with meat and veggies are beans, quinoa or sweet potatoes. I cook the meat and sides on Sundays typically and if I think I've cooked too much, I'll freeze some of the extras. 

What makes a meal

Adding up those veggies, meat and side items pretty much makes up the bulk of mine and Jeff's meals. The girls eat about the same, but they usually have some fruit with their dinners as well. In a pinch, I might make scrambled eggs or smoothies for dinner just to change things up a bit for them. I also eat a few good salads a week. 

I know some people repackage leftovers to make new and fancy meals. That takes more time and energy than I have, so it is what it is. It also means I don't invest a lot of time in meal planning itself. I just cook what we have with what we have. Fortunately Jeff and the girls don't seem to mind, although the girls eat way more meat when it is fresh off the grill than when it is in its reheated form. Jeff and I have also noted that when everything is ready and in the fridge, we eat it. When it isn't we don't take the time to prepare it, instead we eat cheese and crackers or graze mindlessly, so this is much preferred. 

It is worth noting that Jeff and I typically eat out one meal a week together. I work and eat lunch at home. Jeff packs his lunch, so this is food for nearly all of our meals. Sarah and Jessica eat a lunch and snack that is provided by their school and they eat pizza at church for dinner on Saturday nights. You can throw in an occasional social lunch or outing, but I don't plan on them when I'm cooking.

This is also not terribly different from how Jeff and I were eating about a month ago. The primary thing that has changed is the radical increase in fresh vegetables and sourcing of our dairy and eggs. We used to rely more on frozen veggies, so if I can keep up with the preparation, I'm sure the eating will stick.

Breakfast

Breakfast is the only meal I cook or prepare every day.  It typically consists of one of the following options.

• Oatmeal: Steel cut oats cooked in a crock pot overnight with frozen berries or peaches. The girls eat it plain. I add a spoonful of honey to it.
• Eggs cups: Eggs poached in the oven in ramekins with added veggies and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
• Yogurt
• Smoothies: Milk, whey protein powder, banana, frozen blueberries, cinnamon
• Sunday breakfast: Pancakes or waffles. I make these whole grain, this weekend I'm going to try paleo pancakes and see how they go over. 

Snacks, convenience and experiments

Convenient snack foods we haven't given up for S&J: Cheerios (Central Market or Cascadian Farm brand Toasted Os), Kashi Go Lean, Triscuits, Ak Mak crackers, apple sauce, string cheese, freeze-dried bananas and Stoneyfield Farm Oikos Vanilla Greek Yogurt. The grab and go factor is the main appeal. I'm still making some snack foods on the side, but it is hard to compete with Cheerios. 

Experiments: I'm starting to make things I used to buy and buying things differently. I'm now making our hummus instead of buying it. Yesterday I made crackers out of almond flour and coconut flour. I'm buying salad dressing and salsa from raw vendors at the farmer's market, but may try making my own at some point when I have extra time. I have found lots of recipes for wheat-free friendly recipes for bread, pancakes and crackers, but I'm trying to not go crazy in making them, because I think some of the benefit of skipping wheat is that I'm eating more vegetables and fruit - not just the same food or substitute food I would have eaten otherwise.

Sometimes I feel like I'm cooking or doing dishes all of the time. Last night I suggested that we go out to eat, not because I didn't have food cooked, but just because I didn't want to do dishes after dinner. Jeff suggested paper plates. That worked. 

I can't say that I have really lost weight since I started doing all of this. Since the first of the year, my weight is probably only down a pound or two, but I feel good enough that I am going to keep it up. My jeans are looser than they were in early December for sure. When I eat something that is definitively bad for me, I definitely feel terrible, so it is a good trade. In the end I'm spending probably 2-3 hours more a week on food preparation than I was previously and almost all of my cooking is done in two days -- save breakfasts, most of the rest of the week we are all reheating and eating. 

So what do you think? Questions? Ideas? Recipes to share?

I continue to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pinterest for finding and trying new recipes.