Menu Plan Monday

Family is coming to town at the end of the week and we will be eating every meal together… this whole GAPS thing could get a little interesting! We’ll see how it goes… but we’re committed, so I am predicting that I will be jealous and have a lot of cravings! 🙂

Here is the menu for this week.

 

 

Menu Plan Monday

Last week’s grain free dinners were all a superb HIT! Here we go again… This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. However… we haven’t taken out dairy fully yet. We’ve turned it down, but haven’t shut off the tap. After we have used up all the dairy in our fridge, we are going on the FULL GAPS diet. Up until now it has been really just no grain, no sugar, no starch, add probiotics. My next goal is to FERMENT! We already do some fermented stuff, but not too many homemade things. I will be doing yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, beet kvass and maybe more. My house may smell like a brewery 🙂

So here is April, week 2:

Menu for April 16-22

Blender Pancakes

Photo Credit

This recipe is one of our favorites! We have it once a week, at a certain 3 year old’s request! This can also be made into waffles. (Waffle batter is better slightly thinner, so add a little more buttermilk.)

1. Place in blender and blend at highest speed for 3 minutes:

• 1 1/2- 1 3/4 C. Buttermilk
• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 C. Brown Rice or Uncooked Rolled Oats (or other grain variation)*

The batter should always swirl about a vortex in the blender. If it doesn’t go smoothly, slowly add more buttermilk until the hole re-appears.

2. Cover blender and let stand at room temperature overnight or 12-24 hours. This time is necessary for the acid in the buttermilk breaks down the phytates or “anti-nutrtients” in the grain. (More about this in another post.)

3. Preheat griddle on Medium-High heat.

4. Just before baking, add & reblend on highest speed for 1 minute:

• 1 egg
• additional Buttermilk, if needed

5. Blend in throughly but briefly:

• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt, to taste

6. Pour batter onto hot griddle sprayed with olive oil or a dab of butter.

Grain variations:

• Brown rice or millet- equal parts
• Kamut, spelt, wheat
• Buckwheat- reduce to 1 cup because it expands
• Barley- hulled, not pearled. Reduce to 1 cup, it expands.
• Quinoa- thoroughly rinse in strainer 1-2 minutes. Let stand in water overnight, drain & rinse 1 more minute. This removes bitter flavor. Batter will be thin.
• Oats- uncooked rolls oats or oat groats. Use in combination with other grains. *

*I typically use 1/2 C oats and 1 C Kamut (or use 1/2 and 1/2 if cutting recipe in half). I have also used spelt, buckwheat, and brown rice with great success!

Sometimes I add mashed Bananas for Banana Pancakes- those are always a hit! Or blueberries (right before pouring).

Serve with REAL Maple Syrup and/or Butter or Almond Butter. This is packed with protein, though not complete protein, so serve with eggs to start your day off with a nourishing meal!

(This recipe was adapted from Sue Gregg’s Blender Pancake Recipe)