Sometimes you feel like a nut....

This week in food...

9:30 PM by Almen, Almond, or Almendra

Of the approximate 21 meals we sit down and share in a week, here are a few I stopped to take pictures of...

Fresh Picked Asparagus from our neighborhood u-pick farm, Gilcrease Orchard.
They are only open Saturdays right now, and even @ 7am there's a line to get in!

Using up last week's greens, mix of Kale, Chard, and Collard chips.

Lunch out this week @ Whole Foods. Charlie and I shared some Smoked Chicken Wings and Brisket for under $12.

I was feeling pretty run down this week, so a batch of bone broth was in order.

Kids like their fried eggs on top of some sweet potato hash.

Rushing from school- to soccer- AND then to scouts means a quick dinner TO GO. Almond flour pancakes, with a little almond butter and coconut, and a side of sausage. Fun, Fast, and Fuels us up!

Dinner and family movie night. BBQ chicken thighs, a side salad, and some almond flour muffins topped with our favorite grass fed butter.

This week's trip to the Farmers Market includes some Asian pears, parsnips, carrots, a few dozen eggs, asparagus, lettuce mix, turnips, Pink Lady apples, collards, chard, and radishes. I used the turnips in the bone broth, eggs mostly for breakfast and baking, carrots and fruit get snacked on, and turnips will be mashed up and served alongside a nice meatloaf this week. I need to pick up some prosciutto for that asparagus too....

2012 Pinewood Derby~ Do your best!

11:20 AM by Almen, Almond, or Almendra

This is probably the MOST exciting event of the scouting year! The scouts are given a wooden block to shape and design into a race car and then it's raced down a track against their fellow pack scouts. Dave and I really wanted to get more involved and decided to make cars ourselves and race against our fellow leaders. I think the kids really got a kick out of our competitiveness and $h%t talking! My garage has been a disaster for the last two months! We've had a couple of workshop days where the boys from our den came by to also work on their cars. I love seeing the creativity and determination they have, they want to get their cars. just. right. Jacob was no exception! He sanded for days, painted then re-painted his racing stripes, and added the perfect amount of weights to ensure maximum speed! Guess what? He won. He had the fastest overall car! And, Dave? He too took 1st place! in the adult race! Some fun pics below, including a short clip of what a race looks like. Each car is raced once, in each lane, and the best time is used. Jake's car is in the 2nd lane. My car was really fun to make, learned a lot for next year...like how NOT to get glue on my tires....

Pack 383 is the pack for ME!

Overall 1st Place!

Posing with Dad and his winning car!

My Bacon and Eggs looked better than it raced!

Extra bonus: Slidin' Thru coming by and feeding the hungry racers!

How cool is the Slidin' Thru Derby Car?! Thanks to talented Mr. Dave!

What's for Lunch?

11:42 PM by Almen, Almond, or Almendra

It's getting easier. Not eating grains. Or dairy. Or processed junk. The kids are actually liking most of the food I put in front of them. An occasional pout if there's too much green on the plate, but it's mostly a success! I think it'll be fun for me to share some of the lunches Jake takes to school. I get asked al lot, "Well, if he can't have bread...then what does he eat?" Well, he eats things like:

Leftover almond flour pancakes with almond butter/chocolate chips

Nitrate free deli meat wraps with greens and pickles

Chicken Apple Sausages, Deli Wraps and a Pickle

(not pictured: Wednesday's omelette with veggies)
I get a lot of meal ideas from mommy bloggers, specifically http://primalkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/08/launch-of-lunchbox-adventures.html
and I also rely a lot on his leftovers to tell me what works and what didn't. These lunchbox containers are called Lunch Bots and can be purchased on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/LunchBots-Stainless-Steel-Containers-Bento/dp/B006T2U4AY/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1332484999&sr=8-9
I chose them because they get really cold and stay pretty cold. That is important to me, being in Las Vegas where it can be 75 degrees after a mountain snow storm! I have the 4 divider, 3 divider, and single divider containers. I have gotten into the habit of making both of the kids lunches regardless if it's a preschool day for Charlie. I tend to be really good with leftovers and can generally whip up whatever for meals...but that is not the case with the kids lunches. I need to have a plan, meal ideas, ingredients IN the fridge. These lunches are made BEFORE I have coffee, mostly WHILE it's brewing. Creativity is not happening at that point. SO, I stock my fridge, bookmark ideas, and stick to the PLAN!