Menu Plan: Week of April 20

Here's a photo log of the past week.

Tuesday I took 9 boxes of stuff to Goodwill. Love getting rid of stuff!

Wednesday we got a load of dirt delivered for our garden beds.

Asparagus growing in our garden, harvested a day later for dinner.

Three bulbs of garlic growing in the garden.

Saturday's Food Camp demonstration about water kefir.

Husband Jeff built Sonny D a balance beam on Sunday morning.

Then Husband Jeff put together his new firepit (birthday gift).

Jeff also built this pair of garden beds on Sunday.

The closer bed is Sonny D's and he's planning to grow carrots and blueberries.  The next bed back is Husband Jeff's, he's going to put in flowers.The far-left bed in the back is my vegetable garden. 

Kefir grains, looks like water crystals.

At the water kefir presentation at Food Camp we were given about 1/2 cup of kefir grains.  The grains are a SCOBY, a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Water kefir grains are used to ferment sugar water and turn it into a probiotic fizzy beverage similar to soda. I didn't take notes at the presentation and I followed a recipe the presenter recommended but hopefully I did everything correctly!  I made a lime kefir water, inside the quart mason jar are a dried apricot (somehow dried fruits help it ferment), 1/4 cup sugar, about 1/3 cup of kefir grains, two limes cut in half, and filtered water.  This primary fermentation creates the probiotics and then there's a second fermentation to create the carbonation.

My lime water kefir right after making it on Monday morning.

My water kefir a little more than 24 hours old. Look at the grain growth!

The water kefir grains seem to be multiplying pretty quickly even though our kitchen is pretty cold.  They are mature grains and hadn't been dehydrated like the ones you buy online because I've read those take a little longer to get going.  I'll let it ferment for two days and then strain out the grains and combine the resulting fermented kefir liquid with some sort of juice and let that ferment a couple more days and then it will be ready to drink.

This Week

• Monday - We watched our friends' boy who goes to preschool with Sonny D.  The two of them had a great time romping around and playing while I made dinner.  We had Trader Joe's Italian sausages, Syracuse salt potatoes (potatoes boiled in really salty water. try it, so creamy!), and roasted veggies. The veggies included seven spears of asparagus from our own garden.  I also made a creamy cashew-based dip/sauce with chives from our yard, it worked as a great sour cream substitute for the potatoes. 
• Tuesday - No dinner planned because Sonny D is hanging out with grandma and grandpa while Husband Jeff and I go to Zumba.  I want to try eating the pre-workout foods for the Whole30 detox we start next week, but I might wuss out and stick with my usual two pieces of toast with almond butter.  Next week I'll really have to do it though since we'll be on the detox.
• Wednesday - Pasta with red sauce since we have a leftover half a jar frozen.  The sauce doesn't fit within the Whole30 restrictions, so we need to eat it now rather than later.
• Thursday - Husband Jeff's birthday and a family celebration at his cousin's house.  We'll eat whatever they're making, sounds like brats and chicken breasts on the grill. 
• Friday - pesto pasta with cheese ravioli, corn, and salads. 
• Saturday - Sonny D's swim lessons again, we haven't discussed what we'll do for lunch afterwards, but it always includes getting ice cream.  We're also going to pull out the tent and try taking a nap in the yard in the afternoon.  If that goes well, we'll also try sleeping out there at night, but this weekend looks rather cold so we might have to wait a while. Dinner will be hot dogs grilled over Husband Jeff's new firepit (birthday gift) and of course we'll toast marshmallows for s'mores. 
• Sunday - I'm going to a vegetarian Indian cooking class in the afternoon while Sonny D and Husband Jeff go to a birthday party for the boy we watched on Monday evening.