Monday – Coconut Ginger Chicken and Vegetables

Tuesday – Potato Kale Soup with Whole Wheat Pitas

Wednesday – Crunchy Kale and Coconut Bowl

Thursday – Chicken Fried Rice

Friday – Mediterranean Bean Salad with Chicken

The Preparation Shortcuts:

1. Make extra farro on Wednesday and use it in place of the barley in the bean salad for Friday.
2. Extra pitas from Tuesday become Friday’s meal as well.
3. Use the kale in both Tuesday’s soup and Wednesday’s farro bowl of goodness.
4. Extra rice and chicken from Monday turn into the building blocks for Thursday’s meal. Use leftover vegetables to fill in the gaps.

I’ve just been existing on coffee, which isn’t such a bad thing, but a bit of sustenance every now and then wouldn’t hurt either. Let’s talk for a moment about coffee. I prefer mine dark. Espresso, dark roasts, strong brewed. You may prefer something on the lighter side, which is just as well.

I also like slow drip, cold pressed, french press and so many other nerdy coffee delivery mechanisms I can’t possibly keep them straight. However, there are more days than not where I need a cup to go, a cup right now while I’m in the middle of this and that and five other things, and I would just like it to materialize without a whole lot of effort on my part. Enter the Keurig.

My friends at Millstone decided they’d like to share a cup of coffee or two with us here. Seeing as how there’s always time for another cup in my life, I accepted. Millstone offers a few K-Cup varieties–Foglifter, Hazelnut Cream, Breakfast Blend–all Fair Trade Certified and a bit of something for everyone. The Foglifter ended up being my favorite. While a medium roast, it is full bodied and complex, and a medium roast does offer more caffeine than a darker roast, after all.

Plus, the little coffee fact on their website informed me of this: “Turkish bridegrooms were once required to make a promise during their wedding ceremonies to always provide their new wives with coffee. If they failed to do so, it was grounds for divorce.” Perhaps that’s what Ole was missing. Husbands, take note. Failure to provide coffee may result in massive meltdowns.

Note on the Keurig: Did you know you can buy a filter for the Keurig and use it for any of your favorite coffee grounds, too? Less waste and still convenient one-cup brewing. Additionally, they have tea and hot chocolate options for other members of the family, too. A certain 11-year-old wants you to know about them. She said I had to tell you.

THE PRIZE

One lucky reader will win a Millstone Keurig Coffee Package that includes:

• Variety of Millstone K-Cup Portion Packs in Breakfast Blend, Foglifter and Hazelnut Cream
• Crate and Barrel coffee cup
• Keurig Elite Brewing System
• $25 grocery shopping card to help you get your menu back on track

HOW TO ENTER TO WIN

1. Leave a comment. How do you take your coffee?

2. Follow @FoodforMyFamily on Twitter and tweet the following, and come back and let me know you did:

Enter to win a @Keurig Brewing System and Millstone K-Cups from @FoodforMyFamily http://su.pr/5UZW1d #giveaway

3. Share the giveaway on Facebook or join the Food for My Family community on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you did so. If you already do, THANK YOU. Just let me know.

THE RULES:

This giveaway will run until Sunday, January 29th at 11:59 p.m. ET and is open to all U.S. residents. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Each reader has 3 chances to win by completing the above tasks and leaving a separate comment for each entry method completed. Chosen winner must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

This giveaway is sponsored by Millstone Coffee and J.M. muckers. Tips, opinions and random thoughts are 100% mine.

Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Foods

Tammy covers the basics of what can be done ahead of time and saved to keep the stress off on Thanksgiving Day. Her tips can keep you level-headed on Turkey Day.

Allergen-Free Thanksgiving Dishes

If you or a loved one have an allergy, don’t fret. Mandi has your favorite Thanksgiving dishes in allergy-friendly form, as well as do-ahead tips.

Frugal Holiday Desserts

Thanksgiving dessert can be spendy, but if you plan to bake from scratch and use seasonal produce, you’ll end up with a dessert that wows mouths, not wallets.

Organic versus Processed

Katie takes a look at the organic versus processed debate and oftentimes battle that can happen when different members of the family feel differently about the food you eat. Do you push the envelope and make holiday meals a political statement, or do you accept differences and just show up to eat?

One Turkey, Four Meals

Especially helpful if you intend to snag a turkey special immediately after Thanksgiving, Aimee will show you how to stretch just one turkey into four separate and completely different meals.

Leftover Turkey Recipes

Where there is a giant turkey, there will usually be leftovers. Katie looks at the multitude of uses for the leftovers and how you can make sure you’re putting every last bit of it to good use.

A Budget-Friendly Feast

Jessica shows us how to prioritize our Thanksgiving dinner so that we’re allocating funds to the things that are most important. Her tips are wise and reflective of the season.

Elegant Table Settings

Carrie has your table settings covered, from napkins to decorations, she’ll help your table feel like a true Thanksgiving celebration without breaking the bank.

10 Turkey Leftovers

Amy’s turkey leftover meals will make sure you don’t get bored eating leftover turkey for the week following Thanksgiving.


Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Thank you so much for being here and sharing this space with me. I am truly thankful for you.

Monday – Brick Grilled Chicken

Tuesday – Chicken Fried Rice

Wednesday – Sweet Potato Biscuits with Fried Eggs and Chorizo

Thursday – Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Friday – Lentil and Root Vegetable Soup

The Preparation Shortcuts:

1. After dinner on Monday, roast and toss your chicken bones in a pot and make stock for your soups.
2. Leftover chicken goes into the fried rice.
3. Make extra rice on Tuesday to use for Wednesday’s soup.
4. Dice extra sweet potatoes on Wednesday and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will reduce prep time for Friday.

THE PRIZE

THREE readers will each win a Smucker’s Orchard’s Finest basket that includes:

• A crate of Orchard’s Finest Preserves
• $100 gift card Cooking.com
• Crate & Barrel Cheese Board

HOW TO ENTER TO WIN

1. Leave a comment. What is one thing you’re making for the holiday season?

2. Follow @FoodforMyFamily on Twitter and tweet the following, and come back and let me know you did:

Enter to win a Smucker’s holiday basket including a $100 @CookingCom gift card from @FoodforMyFamily http://su.pr/32NySk #giveaway

3. Join the Food for My Family community on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you did so. If you already do, THANK YOU. Just let me know.

4. Join the Smucker’s community on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

THE RULES:

This giveaway will run until Monday, November 21st at 11:59 p.m. ET and is open to all U.S. residents. Three winners will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Each reader has 4 chances to win by completing the above tasks and leaving a separate comment for each entry method completed. Chosen winner must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

This giveaway is sponsored by Smucker’s. Pepperidge Farm is hiring me for their post that I mentioned above. Tips, opinions and random thoughts are 100% mine. You’re welcome, and thank you for reading and supporting me.

Monday – Pumpkin, Coconut and Lime Soup

Tuesday – Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Poached Eggs

Wednesday – Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Thursday – Baked Quinoa Patties with Potstickers

Friday – Sweet Potato Naan Pizzas

The Preparation Shortcuts:

1. Make a huge batch of naan to pair with soups and serve as a side of bread for the brussels sprouts.
2. Use the kale in both the soup on Wednesday and the leftovers for the quinoa patties the next day.
3. Everything leftover gets added to top off those pizzas. Sweet potatoes are definitely going to be on there, perhaps with some goat cheese and pine nuts leftover from the brussels.

This week I’m sharing one of my favorite kitchen appliances with you, our rice cooker. I remember when rice cookers first came into my family’s home when I was in high school. I couldn’t possibly imagine life without one now, and we use ours for everything from rice to having it make complete breakfasts and dinners for us. It really is a versatile appliance.

HOW TO ENTER TO WIN a Zojirushi Umami 5.5-Cup Rice Cooker

1. Leave a comment. Tell me the craziest Halloween costume you’ve ever donned.

2. Follow @FoodforMyFamily on Twitter and tweet the following, and come back and let me know you did:

Enter to win a Zojirushi Umami Rice Cooker from @FoodforMyFamily http://su.pr/4WJepI #giveaway

3. Join the Food for My Family community on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you did.

THE RULES:

This giveaway will run until Sunday, November 6th at 11:59 p.m. EDT and is open to all U.S. residents. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Each reader has 3 chances to win by completing the above tasks and leaving a separate comment for each entry method completed. Chosen winner must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

I received a Zojirushi Rice Cooker back in May. I’m in love with it, and I’ll show you exactly how I use mine this week, starting with breakfast and ending with dinner.

Monday – Homemade bagels with cream cheese and strawberries, banana, cucumber slices, roasted pumpkin seeds

Tuesday – Red pepper hummus, homemade naan, cucumber slices, pumpkin pie fruit rolls

Wednesday – Homemade granola bars, apple, sunflower seeds, carrots and avocado ranch dip

Thursday – Hard-boiled eggs, cinnamon popcorn, dried mangoes, raw mini bell peppers

Friday – Frozen fruit smoothies, carrots, roasted pumpkin seeds, apple

The Preparation Shortcuts:

1. Plan ahead to use similar foods in your dinner menu. We love naan pizzas as a meal, and making a big batch of naan is just as easy as making a small one.
2. Hummus can be made ahead and stores for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
3. Bagels can be made and frozen far in advance if you want, and it’s a fun baking project if you’ve never tried to make your own before. Otherwise, we love visiting our local bagelry here, too.

Last week from Food for My Family:

Strawberry Groundcherry Jam
Finding Health Through Food
10 Chili Recipes to Warm Up With
Fed Up with Lunch’s Mrs. Q Reveals Her Identity

The October Unprocessed Challenge

The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to avoid processed foods. You can read the October Unprocessed Rules over on Eating Rules. Andrew defined unprocessed food as “any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.” You can check out a list of potential ingredients and discussion on Andrew’s site as well.

Right now the plan is to try one week pretending we’re part of the Ingalls family, eating only what we can buy at the market and grow ourselves and a few “corner store” items. Making butter won’t be difficult, and I am personally looking forward to breakfast-for-dinner fried eggs.

The rest of the month we’ll focus on not buying convenience items, but we will utilize a few items that we don’t have the resources to make at home, oil being the most common and cheese following soon thereafter. (I do plan on attempting a few homemade cheeses, though.)

I hope you’ll consider joining us on this challenge. Feel free to jump in whenever is good for you and your family, and at least consider joining the challenge for a week or so to get a feel of how your diet would change when relying more heavily on whole foods and less on prepackaged, manufactured and convenience items.

Monday – Brick-Grilled Chicken with farmers market chicken, homegrown onions, herbs and homemade butter

Tuesday – Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with homemade ketchup and butternut squash mash.

Wednesday – Tomato Basil Soup with Homemade Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread from a homemade starter

Thursday – Butternut Squash Risotto with farmers market squash, brown Arborio rice and homemade chicken stock

Friday – Eggs fried in homemade butter, toast with homemade jam, fresh fruit and homemade sausage using maple syrup in place of brown sugar

The Preparation Shortcuts:

1. My favorite way to start off the week is roasting a whole chicken to make stock and have leftover meat for the upcoming week. After the carcass is picked clean, turn it into stock that will be used for both the risotto later in the week.
2. Make your bread dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator, taking it out to proof the day you’re baking it.
3. Leftover bread can be sliced and refrigerated to toast for dinner later in the week. Because we’re toasting it, keeping it fresh in a sealed container in the refrigerator will suffice.
4. Use half the butternut squash for risotto and half for the shepherd’s pie. Just cut it all at once and store the rest in an airtight container.

The Farmers Market and Grocery Shopping List:

1 whole roaster chicken
1 pound pork butt
1/4 pound fat back
1 bunch green onions
3 tomatoes
2 ears sweet corn
1 large butternut squash
1 cup fresh basil leaves
chives, sage, rosemary, thyme
8 ounces Parmesan cheese
heavy cream and milk
eggs

Pantry Items:
garlic
onions
jam
olive oil
white wine
chicken broth (homemade)
apple cider vinegar
maple syrup
arborio rice
green lentils
canned crushed tomatoes
fresh grated nutmeg
cayenne pepper
red pepper flakes
cumin
kosher salt and pepper

Last week from Food for My Family:

Pumpkin Pie Coffee Cake with Pecan Crumble
Is Your Child Eating Their School Lunch? on Lifetime Moms
Healthy Meals Lead to Healthy Kids on Enough Time Moms
Madeleine Jam Bars on Family Kitchen

Five Ways with Lentils

Aimee shares five different ways to prepare lentils, as well as cover the nutritional information, their frugality and a gorgeous recipe for Green Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk and Curry from Super Natural Every Day, which I am a huge fan of.

Five Ways with Beans

Katie shares five ways to work with beans. Whether you’re buying canned or dry beans, they’re a great source of protein and an essential to keep in your pantry and have on hand.

Five Ways with Pasta

Closely related to whole grains (made from them, in fact) is pasta. Mandi shares her go-to meals, which are perfect when you’re snowed in or can make a campfire or use a camp stove to boil water.

Emergency Fund in Your Pantry

Amy over at Kingdom First Mom shares her essentials to keep on hand in the pantry at all times. Things like peanut butter, granola bars and nuts that pack plenty of protein, store well and can be snacked on while you wait for the power to come on are great to have on hand.

Make the Most of Your Pantry, Fridge and Freezer

Do you ever feel like you have nothing to eat even though your pantry, fridge and freezer are all full? I can admit to being there almost weekly. Jessica shares a few ways to make sure you’re eating the food you have on hand.

Five Basic Steps to Emergency Preparedness

It should be no surprise that Katie covered the basics in detail. This is a great where-to-start post if you’re thinking of how to make sure your basic needs are met if you find yourself without electricity, running water or a way to run to the store for a few days. A great reference for people who may be affected by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or snowstorms.

Creating and Using Long-Term and Short-Term Food Storage

Tammy covers the process of stocking up. If you’re looking to create a store of food in the pantry or freezer, she has tips to help you decide what to store, when to buy it and how to store it.

This week’s menu is inspired by our Eat Well, Spend Less series, and it’s all eating from the pantry, garden and freezer. No grocery shopping required if you’re well stocked.

Monday – Coconut Curried Green Lentil Soup

Tuesday – Pasta with Pesto and Grilled Chicken

Wednesday – Bean and Rice Burritos

Thursday – Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

Friday – Fried Rice

The Preparation Shortcuts:

1. Make a whole chicken to shred for Thursday’s soup on Tuesday.
2. If you’re making dry beans rather than canned, you can make your beans in advance for the white bean chicken chili and use the same variety in Wednesday’s burritos.
3. Make your own flour tortillas and fry or bake them crisp for chips to accompany Thursday’s soup.
4. Make extra rice on Wednesday for Friday’s fried rice meal.

Pantry, Garden and Freezer Items:
sweet potatoes
garlic
ginger
onions
cheese
rice
pasta
beans
lentils
crushed tomatoes
diced tomatoes
salsa
chicken or vegetable broth
cornstarch
flour
pesto (frozen)
corn (frozen)
coconut oil
olive oil
sesame oil
soy sauce
curry powder
cumin
oregano
bay leaves
hot sauce
salt

Last week from Food for My Family:

Honey-Sesame Dressing and Asian Chicken Salad
Is Your Child Eating Their School Lunch?
Healthy Alternatives to Childhood Favorites
10 Cute and Creative School Snacks
10 Cocktails and What They Say About You
Tailgating with Barbecued Bloody Marys
Passing on Family Traditions Through Food
Kitchen Organization Means More Time for You