Monday, May 9, 2016

My Family's Spring Diet

When I blogged a few months ago about My Family's Winter Diet, I promised to share what our Spring, Summer, and Fall diets look like as well. We are still primarily eating a nutrient-dense diet, but rather than aiming for perfection, I am aiming for an unstressed, maintainable diet that my family can eat for many years to come. We do eat somewhat seasonally, so our diet changes a bit with the seasons to reflect which fruits and vegetables are in season.  

Each Saturday morning, I spend a few hours in the kitchen preparing baked goods for the coming week. Typically, this includes making one custard cake (clafoutis), one or two batches of muffins, and perhaps some cookies or waffles to freeze. By preparing these items on the weekend, our breakfasts throughout the weekdays are very quick-and-easy. Here is a snapshot of our Spring diet.


Breakfast

  • Since I wake up early, I often eat two breakfasts. My first breakfast is generally simple, followed by a more substantial breakfast a couple hours later. 
    • My second breakfast is most often sprouted whole wheat or white sourdough toast with eggs and frozen veggie mix sauteed in butter, usually with a glass of raw milk. I have a dose of extra-virgin cod liver oil with my second breakfast perhaps once a week (as determined by when I feel a craving for it). At this time of year, I spend so much time outside that I don't seem to crave cod liver oil as much as I do during the winter months, so I reduce how often I take it to match my desire. 

 

Lunch

  • My husband takes frozen homemade leftovers to work for lunch everyday, which he re-heats in a toaster oven.  This Spring, his favorite leftover lunches are:
  • This Spring, the lunches my children and I are eating most often are:
    • Cheesy scrambled egg sandwiches, with mayonnaise, served on sprouted whole wheat bread or gluten-free waffle
    • Lunchmeat rolls with cheddar cheese, homemade honey mustard, and fermented pickles, with a side of avocado oil chips or crackers (Absolutely gluten-free flatbread is a great, grain-free option that we all enjoy)
    • Leftover soup (from the freezer)
    • Canned sardines, served with buttered crackers or sourdough toast (or waffle for my daughter)

 

Snacks and Desserts

  • The only snacks my kids are allowed between breakfast and lunch is fruits or veggies, which they have to get for themselves. That makes it where they are certain to be hungry at lunch (whereas previously when they were allowed more-filling snack options, they often didn't eat well at lunch). In the spring, their fruit and veggie snack options are:
  • My husband typically has one of the following snacks while at work:
  • Perhaps 40-50% of the time, the kids will have a small snack after our afternoon Quiet Time, usually consisting of nuts, fruit, or cookies (such as butter shortbread or chocolate macaroons). I am always ravenous when I wake from my daily nap, so I always have an afternoon snack such as plain whole-milk yogurt, butter shortbread, apple and cheese, etc.
  • The kids and my husband have a snack before bed every night; usually fruit, fried fruit, yogurt, or applesauce. About twice per week they will have dessert such as ice cream or cookies. I'm not generally hungry after dinner, so I don't usually eat anything before bed.
  • Perhaps once a week, my husband and I will each have a package of Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

 

Drinks 

The drinks we consume the vast majority of the time are:

 

Dinner

  • I make a from-scratch dinner meal about 2-3 times per week (and I always make a large portion so there will be enough to freeze for my husband's lunches, or for us to have as leftovers). I can't stand eating the same thing two days in a row, so I plan to eat leftovers a few days later, or freeze them for a future use. This Spring, as the temperature is warming up, we move away from soup and onto other foods. The dinners I'm making most-often are:
  • Side dishes I've been making most often this Spring are:
    • Butter smash boiled potatoes (I haven't blogged this recipe, but I will if there is interest)
    • Coleslaw with cabbage, carrots, and celery (I could blog this recipe, too)
  • On days when I don't make a from-scratch dinner, we have leftovers or dinners which include some already-prepared ingredients (which I consider to be compromise dinners). The ingredients in our compromise dinners aren't absolutely perfect, but they are pretty good, and incorporating these items into our diets allows for busy days when I don't have hours to spend in the kitchen. Our most commonly-consumed compromise dinners this  Spring are:
    • Pizza made with Against the Grain crust, quick-and-easy homemade pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sauteed mushrooms
    • Nitrate-free sausages such as kielbasa or hot dogs, served with frozen sweet potato fries or chips, and fermented pickles
    • Tuna salad or chicken salad sandwiches, made with canned tuna or chicken, served with kettle chips and fermented pickles
  • We eat out at a restaurant about 2-3 times per month. We also often eat Sunday dinner at my mom's house, and are often blessed with leftovers to often bring home which will make for an easy meal some other day of the week.

 

 

 

Do you find it helpful or interesting to see what we're eating?  What are your favorite Spring meals? 

 

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9 comments:

Amy@ServingPinkLemonade said...

Thanks for posting your meal ideas! I have referred to your family's winter diet post quiet a few times over the last several months. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes you posted here.

Sarah Smith said...

I'm glad you are finding these posts to be helpful, Amy@ServingPinkLemonade!

Katelyn said...

I would love to have your hashbrown and cheese casserole recipe. Please share!!

Unknown said...

Love to have the recipes..... I love your blog, thanks.

Laurie Paul said...

I like these types of articles. Please blog on all the recipes you mentioned. Thanks!

noradawn said...

One of my secret fascinations in life is what people eat, so I loved this post. I'm curious about which restaurants your family frequents, and if, when you eat out, if you try to/are able to order meals that are consistent with your diet principles/needs.

Sarah Smith said...

Hey Nora,
Lovely to see you here! :)

When we eat out, the restaurants we frequent most often are:
International Delights (their baked chicken and gyro meat are amazing)
Le Rendez-vous (their food is pretty good, and their desserts are absolutely fabulous)
Panda Express (maybe this is a surprise, but we really like their Chinese food, and there aren't many other good options here as you probably know!)
Fidencio's (they have amazing tostadas and burritos)

We try not to worry too much about our dietary preferences when eating out, since we eat out so infrequently. Mostly, we just focus on enjoying our meals and the fact that we can eat yummy food with no prep or clean-up. :)

That being said, since Alina still does best avoiding grains and especially gluten, she usually eats gluten-free meals when we eat out. At International Delights, she usually eats the baked chicken with rice and salad, at Le Rendez-vous she usually has a Chef Salad, at Panda Express she has rice instead of noodles, and at Fidencio's she has a tostada (on a crispy corn tortilla) instead of a burrito.

What are you favorite restaurants here in Las Cruces?

noradawn said...

I also rarely eat out, but International Delights is at the top of my list! And when I go, I usually just get a "side" of the gyro meat, which is plenty! It's so good, and so different from anything I make at home, I don't want to "waste" my appetite on anything else!

I occasionally eat at Main Street Bistro because it's within easy walking distance from Eric's house and the theaters, plus we have coupons for "buy one burger/brat, get one free," but I wouldn't say I recommend them.

There's a new cafe called Nessa's that's an easy walk down the ditch from my house. Judy and I have started going there instead of Starbucks, which feels great. They're open at 6:30 am! The kids and I walked over there once, too. Zephyr had a BLT which was very nicely done. Other than that, I've just tried their muffins, which I appreciate because they aren't overly sweet. But it's only open until 2:30 I think.

Once or twice a year, when I really feel like a treat (like my birthday or a celebratory date) I'll go to Si Italian Bistro or Saint Claire Bistro. I tend to order interesting salads with salmon or chicken for protein. I've always been pleased at those places.

I also like Rendezvous, and a few times a year the kids and I will take the city bus there. It's just one of our special traditions. Their pastry is unbeatable. and I like their soups, too.

Sarah Smith said...

I, too, love that International Delights has food that is so different from the food I make at home. I've never been to Si Italian Bistro, as I think it is much harder to find gluten-free options with Italian food. I think I may have eaten at Saint Claire Bistro once, and it was good. Or it may have been another place on the same street... Nessa's sounds interesting, maybe we'll try that soon!