Many people ask what the HFFG family eats! So here's a candid look at a week of meals looks like for our family. Before you proceed, keep in mind a few things
- We don't eat perfect. We are on a budget. A tight one, in fact. But we do make a lot of sacrifices and have a lot of resources to get our groceries for MUCH less than most people.
- This diet is not right for everyone. In fact, I have many clients whose bodies need a lot of healing before they are able to have things like properly-prepared grains or even fresh, unprocessed milk. (Be sure to check out my post Milk: Harmful or Helpful.) This is what our family has found to work for us after years of fine-tuning and healing from past issues.
- This kind of lifestyle DOES take some time. It is NOT easy or convenient. However, I've learned a lot of tips that I share at the bottom of this article for making it easier. But it still means it takes some effort. I personally would rather make a huge batch of homemade kombucha in place of watching television all the time. But part of the reason is because I have seen the amazing benefits of eating healthy and frankly when one is healthy and has energy, who wants to sit around and watch TV anyway?!! And for those who aren't familiar with the HFFG family, time is kind of a luxury. 6 kids, homeschooling, work-at-home mom, and we have a small hobby farm. I'd say if I can make time to do it, so can anyone!
- Our family has been on this journey towards a healthy lifestyle for 8 years. It does NOT happen overnight. In fact, gradual progression is usually best for everyone anyway! So don't be too hard on yourself. Take it slow. (That said, it's important to note that for those who wait until they have severe health problems to change their diet, more drastic and sudden changes are usually needed to heal. So it's best to start this transition BEFORE health problems come into the picture!
That said, here's a typical Sunday through Friday food log from the Poff home. It looks different every week as I tend to make do with what we have, what's on sale, what's in season, etc. (see my budget webinar above). We aim to get at least 6 servings of vegetables each day with at least 2 servings of organic dark leafy greens. We have had our diet completely free of refined sugars for around 4 years and have avoided fast food for 8 years (with the exception of occasionally enjoying Chipotle!).
Sunday
Breakfast
Raw soaked muesli: organic oats soaked in filtered water with acid medium (raw ACV) overnight, added homemade raw milk kefir, raw honey, organic raspberries (Costco!), and chia seeds in morning.
Lunch
Veggie omeletes: Organic zucchini, organic red bell pepper, organic red onion, organic bella mushrooms, organic kale, pastured eggs and organic cheddar cheese; Smoothies: homemade raw milk kefir, homemade kombucha, coconut milk, the rest of raspberries not used for breakfast, a couple strawberries, bananas, and lots of organic spinach.
Snack
Organic pink lady apple, homemade almond butter (with coconut oil, raw honey)
Dinner
Chicken spinach cheddar burgers (used organic ground chicken, oat flour in place of breadcrumbs) served on lettuce leaves instead of buns and with organic onion slices, organic avocado; boiled organic beets with pastured butter, Himalayan salt; homemade lacto-fermented sauerkraut.
Monday
Breakfast
Homemade granola, deglet noor dates, chopped Brazil nuts, raw milk
Lunch
Clean-out the fridge salad: Organic mixed greens, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, homemade ranch; organic grapes
Snack
Homemade raw ice cream, homemade lemon coconut macaroons
Dinner
Veggie egg bake with sweet potato "crust" and bell peppers; kefir smoothies
Tuesday
Breakfast
Homemade granola, whole raw milk
Lunch
Cooked (soaked) organic quinoa with mozzarella, organic broccoli, organic beet greens and Swiss chard (Whenever I get our organic produce order, I chop up lots of fresh leafy greens and keep them in the freezer so I can add them quickly to meals.); Fresh organic strawberries
Snack
Green kefir smoothies--Homemade raw milk kefir, coconut milk, organic spinach, organic kale, mixed berries, bananas.
Dinner
Burrito bowls: Organic cauliflower cilantro lime "rice," organic grass-fed ground beef with homemade taco seasoning, organic cheddar, organic romaine, organic tomatoes, organic guacamole, salsa, sour cream; homemade lacto-fermented cortido (Latin American sauerkraut)
Wednesday
Breakfast
Soaked oatmeal with butter (from pastured cows which is much healthier and higher in vitamin A as well as other nutrients) and pure maple syrup, kefir smoothies
Lunch
Broccoli Bites, lacto-fermented ginger carrots (recipe from Nourishing Traditions)
Snack
Veggie tray: organic carrots, organic bell peppers, organic cherry tomatoes, organic snap peas with homemade spinach cream cheese dip (cream cheese, sour cream, seasonings, chopped organic spinach)
Dinner
BBQ Chicken Pineapple Pizza, homemade kombucha
Homemade Barbecue Sauce (I make a huge batch of it once in a while and freeze in quart jars so it's quick and easy to pull out in the morning and thaw for dinner!)
Soaked quinoa pizza crust (recipe in my eBook), organic spinach, pineapple, organic chicken, organic red onion, organic red bell pepper, mozzarella
Thursday
Breakfast
Fried eggs (from our own pastured hens) over sauteed kale, homemade freshly-juiced veggies & fruit: organic carrots, organic oranges, organic kale (good use for stems leftover from what was chopped to saute with eggs), organic ginger, and organic lemon
Lunch
Leftover pizza, kombucha
Snack
Air-popped organic popcorn, pastured butter and virgin coconut oil, Himalayan salt
Dinner
Healthy Hamburger Helper--organic sweet potatoes, grass-fed beef, organic onions, organic greens (usually beet greens and/or kale) This is one of my favorite meals because it is surprisingly delicious, easy, and doesn't make a lot of dishes.
Friday
Breakfast
Muesli (see Sunday's breakfast) with organic blueberries, chia seeds
Lunch
BLT salad--organic turkey bacon, organic romaine, organic cheddar, homemade honey-mustard dressing; organic grapes
Snack
Veggie tray (It's our favorite, easy, healthy snack!)
Dinner
Turkey burgers (this is my "night-off" meal--cheap, non-organic turkey burgers from Trader Joes. See--we don't eat perfect all the time!) wrapped in organic romaine lettuce leaves, topped with sliced organic tomatoes, avocados, onions, organic Dijon mustard, homemade lacto-fermented dill pickle slices; baked sweet potatoes with pastured butter and salt.
Now I know lots of people are saying, "I can't afford to feed my family like that!" But guess what--as I explain in my Budget webinar, our family spends less than most Americans per family member on groceries to eat like this.
And for those who say, "I don't have time to cook like this," here are some time-saving tips that I've learned over the years:
- Teach kids to cook! My 13-year old son makes breakfast just about every single morning and has for at least the last year or so. He remembers to soak the oats before going to bed the night beforehand, and whips up breakfast in the morning for muesli or oatmeal. For granola, he prepares it ahead of time and it is in the oven dehydrating the night before. He is also responsible for making the milk kefir every 2 days. And he's the go-to guy when we need some spinach cream cheese dip made! And he makes a mean green smoothie! My 11-year old daughter can make many homemade salad dressings by memory now. I am teaching her how to make water kefir now. I am proud to say that these children know more about cooking than many adults in America today, and I am excited to see how much they will be able to cook by the time they are adults!
- Cook big batches of EVERYTHING whenever possible. When I make soup, I make at least enough for lunch the next day and some to freeze for another night. Same with my homemade broccoli bites. And when it comes to probiotic-rich lacto-fermented veggies, I make at least a gallon at a time of various ones (fermented sauerkraut, fermented pickles, fermented ginger carrots, etc.) so that they are always on hand for a quick and healthy addition to each meal.
- Have a variety of kitchen gadgets on hand like food processors, high-powered blenders, etc. They sure make life much easier! ;-) For instance when I make soup, I throw some rough-chopped carrots in my food processor and they are chopped super tiny super quickly, which makes the soup cook faster as well. This food processor also makes rices cauliflower in no time.
Be sure to check out my eBook
for more information about why we don't eat gluten and for my recipe for homemade pizza dough.
Many of the other recipes for these and similar foods can be found on my Pinterest boards:
http://www.pinterest.com/HFFG/
I hope you've enjoyed this little candid look into the HFFG family's weekly meals!
Blessings of good health,
~Sara