completely cocoNUTS

Here are the books I finished reading during the month of February 2012…

FISH!:  Stephen C. Kudin, Ph.D, Harry Paul and John Christensen

I LOVED this quick read! Now, I really do mean quick…I read it in a little over and hour while the kids and hubby played at Chuck-e-cheese…I sat in a booth and read!

Although the book is aimed at boosting morale in the work place, I personally found it inspiring on a personal level and could easily see implementing this parable on a family/household level.

Food Rules: Micheal Pollan

Another Quick read! I picked this book up at the thrift store for 25¢ (total BARGAIN!) a while back and finally got around to reading it. I’ve seen a number of reviews for Pollen’s other books and was eager to see what I thought. The author has outlined 67 various “food rules” and gives a brief explanation as to why this is an essential ”food rule.”  Again this was a quick read, worth reading if you’re setting out to change your eating habits (for the better). I enjoyed it but it wasn’t life changing as our family already supports the rules he’s outlined.

I have a love/hate relationship with meal plans…however I’m always in need of accountability and I get that with a weekly meal plan. I know if I don’t plan to fix meals, the time gets away and we’re scrambling come eating time! I keep our meal plan simple for each week with 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners in mind. I don’t specifically assign meals to days so we’re still flexible. Each Sunday I make a list of the potential meals for the week and keep it posted on the fridge.

Breakfast
“Green” smoothies x2
Bacon, Scrambled eggs
German Pancakes w/ fruit
Pancakes x2 w/ eggs or fruit
Crockpot Amaranth (I’ll double the water and set crockpot on low overnight)

Lunch
“No Crust” Salmon Quiche (or salmon pizza as my kids call it)
Green Sandwiches x2 w/ fruit & veggies
Leftovers x3
Homemade Tomato Soup w/ veggies

Dinner
Coconut flour battered Elk Steak, pan fried yellow squash & kale
Chicken soup, Almond flour scones
Elk Burger, Baked reds w/ parsley
Spaghetti sqaush spaghetti
Lemon chicken, Jerusalem artichokes (will be modifying this recipe)
Leftovers
Sunday Elk Roast

To make (in large batches) this week
Granola Bars
Buckwheat Banana Bread
Homemade Chocolate Chips
Green sandwich rounds

Our family eats Grain, Dairy Free and refined/cane sugar free so all our cooking is modified to be so. We’re limiting our potato consumption to once per week.

 A monthly ritual for 2012. Taking a peek into our families life this month. Things we hope to remember and Treasure.

• Happy New Year, 2012! We rang the New Year at my parents annual hors d’oeuvres party! My big bro and his family were in town from Alaska and my baby sis from Virginia.

• The Mister and I celebrated 8 years of marriage with an actual DATE NIGHT, thanks to an awesome sister-in-law…dinner (Canyon Crest) and a movie (Mission Impossible)

• J continues to excel in Piano

• Participated in our first Azure Standard delivery and we’re pleased as plums

• Kiddos built their own castles and dinosaurs courtesy of Lowes

• Finally got Idaho drivers licenses (what an ordeal) and I had to have an eye exam first…Lasik PLEASE!

• Thanks to a wonderful mother-in-law we took my parents to see the Celtic Nights (kids at sis-in-laws again)

• We met “Ilene” for the first and most likely last time (my grandparent’s foreign exchange student from 30 years ago) visiting from Ghana, Africa.

• Several Sunday nights were spent cozy-ing up to a warm fire at Nana & Pops.

• Attempted to “de-clutter” and sent 8 large boxes/bags to the thrift store.

Welcome to my virtual bookclub!  Below is a list of the books I hope to read in 2012 and you’re invited to read along. Most of these I’m in current posession/ownership of, I will, however be borrowing a few from friends and family and do plan to check a couple out from the library. I plan to read a few each month, in no particular order, and will give a short review or synopsis.

1. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
3. Mocking Jay – Suzanne Collins
4. Alive in Christ - Robert Millet
5. Our Search for Happiness – M. Russel Ballard
6. How to Talk to Your Child about Sex – Eyre
7. Honey for a Child’s Heart – Gladys Hunt
8. Living Well With Hypothyroidism - Mary J. Shomon
9. The Primal Blueprint- Mark Sisson
10. Why Bad things Happen to Good People- Brent L. Top
11. Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?  When My Lab Tests Are Normal- Datis Kharrazian
12. Teaching your Children Joy- Linda & Richard Eyre
13. Mary Behold thy Son- Roxcy Jeppson
14. The Birth that We Call Death - Dunn/Eyre
15. Breakthrough - Suzanne Somers
16. To Grow in Spirit – Joe J. Christensen
17. What Manner of Man/The Secret of the Sabbath – Richard M. Eyre
18. Reviving Ophelia – Mary Pipher
19. No Greater Gift - Paul H. Dunn
20. Mere Christianity- C.S. Lewis
21. Husband Coached Childbirth - Robert A Bradley
22. No One can Take Your Place - Sheri Dew
23. Refuse to Choose – Barbara Sher
24. The Well Trained Mind - Susan B. Wise
25. The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman
26. Common Sense - Glenn Beck
27. Growing Up- Brad Wilcox
28. Lifebalance - Linda & Richard Eyre
29. The Power of Now – Eckhardt Tolle
30. Fast Food Nation- Eric Schlosser
31. The Help- Kathryn Stockett
32. How Full is Your Bucket? – Tom Rath & Donald O. Clifton
33. Goals- Dunn/Eyre
34. House of Glory - S. Michael Wilcox
35. The Second  Rings/The Wrappings and the Gifts – Richard Eyre
36. A Return to Christmas – Chris Heimerdinger
37. Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
38. The Girls who Played with Fire – Stieg Larsson
39. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – Stieg Larsson

I just came across this article titled “Sugar Should Be Regulated As Toxin, Researchers Say” on yahoo news supporting the knowledge that sugar is toxic to our bodies, more specifically added sugar, and should be regulated much like alcohol and tobacco.

Read up, tell me what you think.