April Menu Plan

Our April menu will be largely based on eating from our pantry and freezer, since we're trying to clean out things for selling the house.  We will take our large freezer to my mom's for storage while we build the new house, so we'll still have access to that if we need it.  We will take advantage of some things from the food pantry, and we'll pick up what fresh items we need in the way of fermented dairy (kefir, yogurt) or produce.

We're also trying to convert to a gluten free, low sugar diet to help alleviate some yeast overgrowth issues that some of us have had (and prevent it in the rest of us).  This means we'll be incorporating more coconut items, garlic, oregano, and ginger, all of which are natural antifungals.  We'll be experimenting with some more fermented veggie recipes, and be eating more veggies as a family to add good bacteria to our guts.  We're doing well with our goal of more veggies at each meal, and slowly are getting there with a healthier diet (not that it was too bad compared to the standard American diet to begin with).  I'm using The Wahl's Protocol, Body Ecology, and The Microbiome Diet as resources for recipes, etc. to help us with this transition.

Breakfasts:

• overnight crockpot oatmeal with unsweetened coconut, chia seeds, and flax meal served with blueberries or dried fruit (dried fruit for those not dealing with yeast)
• eggs and sauteed/steamed veggies
• smoothies with yogurt, almond milk, flax seed meal, and fruit
• almond flour muffins with blueberries or chocolate and orange flavor (chocolate made with cocoa powder, so not added sugar)
• yogurt with grain free granola
• paleo zucchini pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup (super simple:  1 cup berries, 2 T water, 1/2 t cinnamon cooked at a simmer for 5-10 minutes), chicken sausage, sweet potato hash, and fried eggs

Lunches:

• leftovers
• veggie sticks and garlic hummus
• salads with homemade dressing and fermented veggies

Dinner:

• crock pot black beans and brown rice with fixin's (avocado, salsa, plain yogurt, cheese) and paleo cornbread (I might add in some tumeric into the cornbread for added color and nutrition)
• black bean and smoked turkey chili with leftover cornbread
• coconut chicken curry soup in the crockpot with salad with fermented veggies
• veggie stirfry over coconut rice or quinoa with Asian cabbage slaw and frozen egg rolls
• lentil and sweet potato soup with kale salad or veggies and dip (incorporate fermented veggies)
• Friday night pizza night with gluten free pizza crust and salad (x4)
• egg sandwiches on gluten free bread (love the first one with garlic and feta) and salad w/ fermented veggies
• meatball subs (using gluten free bread or rice) with peppers and onions and salad w/ fermented veggies
• lentil sloppy joes over coconut quinoa and salad
• black bean tacos with corn tortillas and fixin's (avocado, salsa, plain yogurt, cheese, jalapenos, and spoon of fermented veggies) or taco bowls over quinoa/rice

Snacks:

• nuts
• gluten free crackers and cheese
• fresh fruit (mostly low sugar varieties like berries or grapefruit) or veggies
• air popped popcorn with garlic and oregano (both are natural antifungals for yeast)
• almond flour muffins
• grain free granola with plain yogurt
• coconut chia seed pudding
• homemade jello with blueberries and coconut milk
• hard boiled eggs seasoned with oregano and garlic