In the pipeline...

dh (bizarrely) had muesli and yoghurt for dessert last night, and Princess discovered she loves it!

I don't know how long I have tried to get her to try it...it's homemade, and very delicious. So, now I will work out a way to make it a bit more healthy (soaked grains).

I made it with organic rolled oats, banana chips, organic raisins, organic dried apricots, dried mango, dried pineapple, dried apple...toasted (slightly) with butter, and probably brown sugar- though I'm sure that is not necessary with sweet yoghurt and so much fruit it was magic.

I made yoghurt yesterday with raw milk, and a spoonful of plain greek-style yoghurt. I mixed it with strawberry conserve for Princess, but she said it was gross- tastes lie milk. I didn't really want to try it, but did, and it's really nice! Next time, I might just put it on her muesli, because the nasty yoghurt is now all gone anyway.

We're using up bits and pieces of things we don't plan to eat any more...and giving away some more.

I am going to cook the boiling chicken today and see what that is like. I am also going to make some ice cream without sugar...not sure if dh will be keen, but we'll see. Also not sure if I want to use stevia (so nasty!) or maybe try honey...oh, i think xylitol will probably work. Also, raw milk, raw cream and free range eggs straight from the farm...bliss.

I also want to get started on making sourdough soon...first of all I need to get the chlorine out of the tap water...

I've ordered Nourishing Traditions so I can read more about soaking grains, and have recipes for such.

I'm also looking in to buying Tooth Mousse to try to remineralise Princess' (and J-Man's) teeth. I'm sure I've looked at he ingredients before and am not happy with them, but I think it's necessary now.

I'm also going to make my own sugar-free tomato sauce...for those that like it. I prefer chips without sauce, just with salt- or maybe some vinegar :0)

Shopping (payday!)

Today is the first day trying not to get sugar and refined grains. I decided to go to the shop when it opened, without the children, so that we can have the evening free...I thought I'd be OK because we still have 5kg (and some) spuds at home, and plenty of trolls (toilet paper rolls)...I was wrong.

I'm still all wobbly from carrying this lot home! I had 2 giant bags in one arm, 3 in the other and a backpack with around 12 cans of food in!

I do like the photo of all the food layed out, but it takes too long- and requires the table to be cleared, lol...so I'm going to write what I got, with the price beside it.

I also mucked it up, and forgot to keep aside cash for the farm...doh...so we will go over budget this fortnight. I'll try to make that work a bit by buying some bulk stuff for next pay.

Tuesday 31st March (17 years today since I moved to Auckland)

$1.19 Sesame Seeds, 100g
$1.49 Ground Almonds 70g
$1.99 Hazel Nuts, 70g (going to make dukkah...mmm)
$1.18 2x Chopped Nuts 70g
$1.49 Slivered Almonds 70g
$2.19 Dried Apricots 200g
$3.59 Cranberries 170g (really annoyed- didn't see they are sweetened!)
$1.98 2x Baking Soda 400g (on sale for 99c woot...I've got tonnes of it now)
$2.29 Gelatin 50g (will try to make healthy, lol, jelly iceblocks)
$4.89 Ground Linseed, 500g (to add to baking and bread)
$5.92 2x Corn Cruskits 125g (Princess' favourite- only maize and salt)
$5.29 Tabasco Sauce (Red) 60ml (we like it hot!)
$3.99 Rolled Oats 1.5kg (on sale)
$2.19 Red Lentils 500g
$2.98 2x Canned Chopped Tomatoes (these were *meant* to be on sale...grrr!)
$1.49 Canned Chopped Tomatoes with chilli and herbs
$1.29 Canned Chopped tomatoes in naturally thick sauce
$1.89 Tomato Paste 310g
$1.25 Canned Beetroot
$2.38 2x Canned Creamed Corn (contains sugar!)
$3.18 2x Canned Kidney Beans
$1.59 Canned Canneloni Beans
$0.79 Marshmallow Easter Egg (for me on the way home)
$5.69 Pure Olive Oil 500ml...amazingly we used nearly @450ml in a fortnight!
$6.58 2x Youth (Shrek) toothbrushes
$3.99 Floss 50m
$2.99 Fluoride child toothpaste 110g
$2.59 Natural toothpaste 110g
$1.69 Paprika 40g
$2.38 2x Coconut Cream 400ml
$3.69 Brown Rice 1kg
$2.84 2x Potato Chips
$4.38 2x Peanut Butter 375g
$4.95 St Dalfour Apricot Conserve (sweetened with juice) 284g
$4.95 St Dalfour Strawberry Conserve
$2.49 Wholemeal Flour 1.5kg (on sale)
$4.17 Energy Booster 262g (nuts seeds and fruit mix)
$19.80 Beef Mince 500g, Pork Mince 500g, Chicken Nibbles (corn fed), Rump Steak
$3.99 Braeburn Apples 2kg
$3.94 Bananas 1.5kg (some green)
$1.41 2x Lemon
$3.23 Nashi Pears 1.08kg
$3.99 Bosc Pears 1.5kg
$4.98 2x Lettuce
$1.98 2x Bok Choy
$2.49 Celery
$0.24 Garlic
$0.90 Red Onion
$3.99 Kumara 1kg
$4.58 2x Carrots 1.5kg
$2.75 Vivid Marker (for writing on boxes, or making puzzles for kids)
$7.49 800g Colby Cheese
$3.29 Butter 500g
$3.99 Verkerks Sweet Chilli Kransky Sausages 280g (no msg)
$2.59 Verkerks Hot Beef 100g
$2.99 Blue Brie 125g
$3.99 Frozen Boysenberries 500g
$6.69 Frozen Blueberries 500g
-----
200.08

How cool am I???

I also got a voucher for $180 for next week, and $20 cash is for dh to buy some non-msg corn chips, carob, and a bit more for the farm. $400 total, but will end up spending more next week probably, unless we don;t go to the far at Easter.

Monday (Day 7), Week 2

Breakfast: Porridge with brown sugar...got to change the topping soon!
Lunch: Corn Fritters...turns out only J-Man and I like them. Princess ate a
tomato sandwich and some canned peaches; Tombliboo asked for a jam sandwich
and (as usual) didn't eat it- he ate our last banana.
Dinner: Family Chow Mein, boiled spuds and salad for dh, Tombliboo and I, Princess
only ate potatoes, J-Man had creamed corn and salad.
Snacks: Canned peaches, corn fritters, apples, toast with peanut butter and jam,
homemade potato chips (crisps)

Family Chow Mein

This is one I do when I need to feed a crowd unexpectedly...you don't need much mince.

250g Mince (or more, whatever you like)
Onion
Carrots
2-3T Rice
Cabbage (lots)
Apple
Sultanas (or not)
Frozen peas (if you have them)
Curry Powder
Salt & Pepper, and a touch of sugar/xylitol/stevia if you like- but not really necessary with the fruit

Brown the mince with the onion- I don;t add oil, it's fatty enough.

Add the rice, and the curry powder. Cook for 30 seconds or so, then add some water to simmer. Throw in the veges and fruit, and seasonings, a bit more water, and simmer to get rid of the juice. Very easy, very yummy...however, our kids won;t normally eat it because of the curry. I'm pretty sure if they woudl just try it, they'd love it- but they won;t yet.

I'm sort of hoping that with our new regime, when it all comes together, they might become a bit more adventurous. Tombliboo eats it, but it was around 2 that the others stopped having anything with spices (taste!), so we'll see how that goes.

Homemade Chips (crisps)

This is from Schuyler's Blog, but I'm still tweaking it.

I got the potatoes ready for dinner, and then peeled extra bits and put them on an oven tray with some oil. Baked at 220 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or so...there's a bit of a knack to it, but as long as they're cooked, and not burned, they're yummy (seasoned with seas salt). Next time I will try bigger peelings, wiped first (less starch), and layed out individually instead of in heaps. The kids loved them, and it was an easy hot snack to make since we're out of popcorn.

Sunday (Day 6), Week 2

Breakfast: Porridge, toast for J-Man
Lunch: Hot Chips and Bread, apples
Dinner: Domino's Pizza (so nearly bought 3...but 2 is the budget, and it is
still too many calories!)
Snacks: Apples, pears, choc-chip cookies, tinned fruit

We are doing really well at using what we have, and not popping to the shop for this or that :0)

Saturday, week 2

Breakfast: Porridge with brown sugar (soon to be honey or fruit..and cream!),
Spaghetti for J-Man
Lunch: Spaghetti cheese and onion on toast for dh and Princess, salad for J-Man,
Curried egg sandwiches for me, and boiled eggs for Tombliboo (plus cookies
and fruit)
Dinner: Homemade Burgers- oh, these are good. I normally cut Tombliboo's bun
really small for him, but didn't tonight and boy did he think it was
funny! "Look Dad! Look my burger! Dat bunny! See dat Daddy? Dat a
BIG one!"
Snacks: Homemade choc-chip cookies, banans, cucumber, carrot, tomato (Tombliboo
eats whole tomatoes), cheese

I planned to bake burger buns today, but realised the house was a tip and I can buy them for $2 at the shop...eeek...I told you I was hopeless at sticking to anything.

But seriously, there was no room on the bench to make anything. I had to do the dishes in two sittings. I swept and mopped the filthy floor, tidied the table so we could actually eat there, did lots of washing, tidied the whole (hideously messy) lounge, and vacuumed it as well. I also went to the shops once to buy a container for cream, and to the library another time to quickly swap our books on tape before it closed.

Also, I had been up-and-doing from 5:30am (awake since 4:15am), so I was a bit jaded.

It was $2 well spent imo...but what to do when we are not eating refined grains? I think it will be a long way off, needs to be a bit of a journey...making changes slowly (not too slowly) so they stick. I think we can get some nice wholemeal (cape seed) bread rolls at a specialty bakery.

Or maybe I'll be more organised and make my own healthy ones...or maybe we will just have the burger middle, and no buns...we shall see, lol.

New Shopping List

$7 Bacon or Baking Supplies (this is mainly to add to Princess' lunch)
$7 Non-MSG corn chips and carob (dh to pick up from a different shop)
$25 Farm...3L milk, 1L cream (produce the next), 12 free range eggs, an
organic Boiling chicken, produce ($9 or $4 when having cream)
$5 Lunch meat for Saturday...a special request from dh
$43 Fruit and vege
$27 Meat...steak (2, one for a casserole), mince (2), boneless chicken breasts
$1 Ham Steak
$8 Cheese
$5 Sour Cream/Cream Cheese/Other cheese
$5 Canned Beans (hopefully these will make meals more filling)
$5 Canned tomatoes (also want to make my own sugar-free sauce)
$8 Cleaning/Personal Care
$3 Butter (this is a bit light, since it's normally $5, but has been on special
the last 2 weeks)
$6 Cruskits (2) This is Princess' special request. They are made with corn
(probably gm...wail) and sea salt
$3 One lot of Pasta, preferably wholemeal...just so we don't completely cut it yet
Will Probably need dh to pick that up too, since there is none at our local shop
$2 Herb/Spice
$2 Tomato Paste
$4 Honey/Marmite/P. Butter
$4 Weetbix/Rolled Oats (no more cornflakes or rice bubbles)
$3 Coconut Cream (2) or Mayonnaise (will probably attempt my own)
$3 Baking Soda
$3 Potato Chips (2)
$10 Frozen berries and vegetables
$7 Olive Oil or Stationery
$4 Nuts
____
$200

Now we'll see if I can make a menu plan for 3 meals (plus snacks) a day for 5 people with that...how exciting.

Maybe my problem is not sticking to stuff, rather it is making ordinary stuff more exciting...oh dear.

Another Learning Curve

I've found a hole in one of Princess' baby teeth. She won;t let me look at it, but it is there- very grey in deed. I'm not sure how deep it is, she'll let me in another time. This is actually number 3 for her. She has two (now very large) holes that we are opting not to fill. We didn't opt not to treat them at all- but sadly, that is what we have done.

Nothing can assuage my guilt on that, but at least this new piece of horrible news has propelled me forward.

Luckily too, I have at least 4 friends who have already moved in that direction so I won't have to slog it out as much as they probably did. Yes, I'm stubborn. Yes, I have good friends that have given me good information before, but I chose to think about it later. Silly, silly me.

I was already starting to cut sugar a bit, but not in any real way. A bit here and there, but nowhere near enough, and not particularly quickly either.

I had started to think of other ways to get "sweet", and was making a lot of headway there...until, a good friend said there was little point eliminating/minimising sugar if we were still eating refined grains. Oh dear.

So, now I need to work out how to stick to my budget, avoid sugar, and avoid refined grains. I didn't like how much wheat we were eating, or sugar for that matter...but I am struggling just at the moment to get my head around feeding us all for a week on $200 with no pasta or bread to fill us up. And what about lunch? Princess doesn't like salad, or eggs. She's intolerant to potato, not that you would guess with the amount I feed her...oh, I am a bad mother :0(

Looks like her body new best- she loves meat. She doesn't want all these other things in place of meat- she wants meat...and it's one thing that won;t upset her body (because of intolerance) or hurt her teeth.

I've worked out a new shopping list, and it looks pretty good...and I think I can do this. I need to work out a new menu plan, but already ideas are forming about how it will all pan out.

I probably need a big sign up in the kitchen to remind me (and my little girl) about what we are doing and why. She has been wonderful, we've talked things over and she is happy to make big changes to try to heal her teeth, or at least not make them any worse.

As for me, I will miss sugar in my tea...I have tried and tired to have it without- and while it is drinkable, I don't enjoy it, and usually just stop drinking it altogether. I still haven't discussed things with J-Man, and this will all affect him, for the better too, but he probably won't like to hear it.

dh is inclined to think a toothbrushing after sugar will suffice, but I don't think so. A more gradual move to a new regime makes sense too, but it's not my style. Still, I normally begin things with a hiss and a roar, then fizzle. As you have probably already seen.

I've packaged up the sugar to give away...why not just throw it? Can't, too Scottish. I forgot I'm getting organic raw sugar (5kg...doh!) this week, but will find it a new home.

I'll post my new shopping list shortly.

Oh, that's not the most exciting part...

We finally got our own raw milk! dh, Princess and Tombliboo drove to a farm to pick up raw milk, raw cream, free range eggs and an organic boiling chicken.

We will go each week...raw milk is supposed to be fine for lactose intolerant people. We'll know shortly...or probably not, since we've all been eating a lot of dairy lately anyway...but I'm pretending all is well.

Princess wants us to never run out of blueberries and cruskits and she will be happy, lol...and she loves frozen mixed berries and raw (thick) cream.