menu plan december v

Did you survive the holidays?  We did - just barely.  :)  Here are the kids enjoying my big Christmas present from my grandmother-in-law:

Isn't it just like "parenthood" that within one day of getting an awesome new present, your kids think it's theirs?  Ha!

We are traveling to my sister's once again this week, just as we did over Thanksgiving.  My niece Sloane was born on New Year's Day (first baby of the new year at their hospital!), so her birthday party every year is a New Year's Day party.  We are going up to spend some time with my sister, my brother, my stepdad, and others!  Exciting.  I'm also excited to pack our own food for travel, once again.  That felt like a major triumph to me.  So, here are the eats I have planned this week:

Some notes:  we literally always have one of two things for breakfast if we are at home.

1)  -- scrambled eggs from our Mennonite hens
     -- homemade sourdough toast/English muffins/biscuits
     -- raw butter we have been making from our Mennonite cow cream
     -- local raw honey or homemade preserves (green rhubarb lately - yum!)
     -- seasonal fruit from our CSA or satsumas (in the winter)

2) -- pancakes
    -- raw butter
    -- real maple syrup
    -- seasonal fruit

Vicki usually requests #2.  If we have time, I'm happy to oblige.  If I do any sourdough baking, though, we will use the excess starter to have sourdough pancakes.

Since it is so monotonous, I'm not going to put breakfast on the menu plan.

For drinks, we always have raw milk on hand.  We also drink Berkey filtered water, kombucha, or homemade soda from our ginger bug.  I would love to start messing with water kefir soon.

Finally, I try to make one dessert-ish item that we nibble on all week for snacks and desserts.  The kids and I made some coconut macaroons over the holiday, so we are eating those up!  

Sunday
-- lunch:  we had hamburgers and fixings, homemade sourdough buns, and sweet potato fries,
-- supper:  Calypso!  My favorite neighborhood take-out.  I have a post coming soon all about their callaloo.  The kids and I shared a half dark chicken with jerk sauce, callaloo greens, black beans, rice, and fruit tea.

Monday
-- lunch:  egg salad on sourdough toast, a big sour lacto-fermented pickle, a satsuma, and some kombucha.
-- supper:  breakfast for dinner!  Homemade biscuits, sausage gravy (we are trying the sausage from our recent half-hog purchase for the first time!), eggs, sweet potato & onion hash.

Tuesday
-- lunch:  tuna salad on sourdough toast, pear sauce, kombucha
-- supper:  meatloaf, turnip fries, maple-glazed carrots, sourdough dinner rolls

Wednesday
-- lunch:  on the road!  I'm packing acorn squash soup in a thermos, sourdough bread, raw cheese, kombucha, satsumas, and cookies.
-- supper:  we will be at my sister's - no idea!

Thursday
-- lunch:  New Year's Day!  I'm bringing along some black-eyed peas and ham hocks we have in the freezer and fix this quintessential Southern dish for good luck.
-- supper:  no idea, once again.  Party stuff.

Friday
-- lunch:  we will be back on the road.  If we have any leftover squash soup I will pack that.  Otherwise we may pack leftover black-eyed peas to eat alongside our bread, cheese, and fruit.
-- supper:  we will probably grab a pizza from either 5 Points Pizza or Pizza Real, which tie as our two favorite neighborhood pizza joints.

Saturday
-- lunch:  grilled cheese on sourdough, French onion soup, lacto-fermented pickles, satsumas
-- supper:  roast chicken, green beans, sauteed cabbage, mashed potatoes, sourdough rolls

[Submitted to Menu Plan Monday 12/29/14, the Homestead Barn Hop 12/29/14, Fat Tuesday 12/30/14, the HomeAcre Hop 1/1/15, and Simply Natural Saturday 1/3/15.]