Feeding my family // Sunday

Day 1 of 31 a challenge in feeding my family – read more here. A part of #write31days challenge in the month of October.

Sundays are our starting point.  I like to launch into a new week with chores done, the plan made, feeling prepared. And this is especially true this Sunday as it’s the start of a new month – I’m feeling that pressure.

However, often times on a Sunday morning my husband does the music at our church. So he’s up and out early. He and my firstborn may have eaten something on the way out the door, but more likely they are eating what is provided in the green room. Things like hard-boiled eggs, fruit, maybe some pastries…  doesn’t really lend itself to a homey, tasty Sunday morning breakfast I had envisioned for my day one post.

That left me with the nursing of our 6 week old and getting the other two boys out the door so like many mornings this wasn’t a slow weekend breakfast. The kids had what we call “sugar muffins” which are just blueberry muffins. My mom happens to add a sugar sprinkle to the top so that’s where they got their name. This time around I added zucchini and the kids didn’t know it… Major win! So the two little boys had a muffin and a storybrook yogurt at home and then a Z-bar  on the drive to church. I’m a different story. Breakfasts are tough for me because I’m slow starter. I had a cup of coffee at home and then because I knew it would be a while before I ate again I grabbed a mocha and pastry at Starbucks. See I told you… I may love food, and love cooking but there’s lots on the go and lots of bad habits. That being said it is a fun Sunday morning treat and for that I think it’s OK.

Since I’m doing this real time, the weekly plan was still not finished (let alone the whole month of dinners which I plan to get laid out tomorrow using my “year long meal plan” resources.) This means that I didn’t know what I would be cooking for dinner. With errands to be run, chores to do to start our week, a birthday party, plus the hope of watching the Seahawks game tonight… I honestly had no idea. Therefore I raided the leftovers from last night’s dinner. Thankfully this last week I had picked up quite a bit of produce from friends and the local farm, and we keep a pretty stocked freezer so when it comes to produce, and I often have something on hand. (I maintain this stocked freezer by grabbing meat when it goes on “manger special” or during good sales – this makes making dinner easier and less expensive, especially on those nights when I have no idea what is for dinner even at 3 or 4 o’clock.) Tonight we eat yesterday’s  roast chicken and root vegetables.

To replicate my Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables

You can use any bone in chicken, I used frozen chicken halves, sometimes I use a whole chicken or even just drumsticks will work. Don’t use boneless chicken as it will dry out. Bone in really can’t overcook, it’s my secret weapon.

  1. Dice enough root vegetables to feed your family.  We used sweet potatoes,  russet potatoes, and carrots  Plus we coarsely chopped some red onion, but you could use any kind of onion.
  2. Toss until lightly coated in olive oil, (four large cloves) pressed garlic, salt, pepper, and some chopped Rosemary. (You could use any fresh or dried herb.)
  3. Put all the vegetables in the bottom of the roasting pan or Dutch oven. Lay the chicken pieces on top.
  4. Cook at  425° for about 45 minutes. I just look for the juices to run clear or for the meat to begin to separate from the bone. This tells you that the chicken is fully cooked.

It’s truly the perfect hearty, fall meal. We served with sautéed green beans.

Super thankful I made that pumpkin bread yesterday. While it’s definitely not the healthiest option it is nice to have baked goods around. Plus it was able to give a little to my folks as a welcome home and fall treat. Then my neighbor came over, first time meeting him and my dog was in his yard… whoops! It made me think that later this afternoon I’d have the boys deliver them “here’s to fall pumpkin bread” too.  That’s what I love about that recipe and using mini loaf pans. It’s a huge recipe, so I can make it go a ways and give some as a gift. Everybody loves festive bread in the beginning of fall!

This recipe makes 12 muffins and three mini loaves.
I like mine really soft so I almost under cook them.
I added some dark chocolate chips to the top of some of the muffins and loaves.

I have found that when it comes to feeding my family it extends to feeding others too. That looks like passing on baked goods, doubling a meal so I can share with someone else, inviting people into our home to eat, even making snack for the kids at school. I view each of these opportunities as a chance to love people, build community, and feed people. I find that sharing recipes and food really connects people. Stay tuned to read more about how I’ve seen feeding people build community in our lives.

If you are wondering what this challenge is all about read my introduction here. Or you can follow along by reading through the posts on my landing page for the challenge. And please feel free to send me “feeding your family woes,” questions, recipes you’d like me to try, or ideas I can use for “on the go meals.”

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