Locavore Meal Plan – Mid August

Meal-planning is an important part of our week.  As locavores, it makes eating locally much easier because we take the time to figure out what seasonal foods are available and how we can use them.  If you live in a similar climate (we’re in Southern Ontario, which is a pretty classic upper-midwest climate) you should sign up for email updates or check out the facebook page or twitter feed and compare what you’re eating with us!

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Summer is flowing all around me.

Days are full and we go to bed tired.  I wake up early and enjoy a few minutes by myself before the family wakes up.  Sitting alone it’s clear that I am not alone as the open windows bring in the joyful sounds of all the creatures beginning their day.

The joyful sound of the squirrels eating the last pear from our tree snaps me out of my meditation as I run outside to throw sticks and gravel in a futile attempt to scare the little critters away.

Life is not perfect.  As soon as I think a bit beyond my own small chunk of life this becomes more apparent.  So what do we do?

We work as a family to contribute good to the world.  Not all that we do achieves this, but we try.  Since food and eating are integral to our living this is a starting place for us.  We want our food to build positive connections between us and our community.  Our food should be part of the sustainability of the region we live in.

We talk to the farmers growing our food and make our meals from scratch using local ingredients.  We limit the animal products we eat since eating high on the food chain is not a sustainable model for how the world can eat.

And we try to make a plan for what we will eat, to limit our stress, save time, use the food we’ve purchased and grown better, and maintain a record of what we’ve eaten to reference later.

Okay, so meal planning doesn’t necessarily make the world a better place.  But if it helps us to feel less stressed then hopefully that can help us to go about our week in a more positive and helpful way.

This week’s plan features several more recipes from Chef Michael Smith’s Family Meals cookbook.  We received a review copy and have been happily devouring our way through the book.  It’s worth checking to see if your local library or bookstore has it.

One of our favorite tips from the book so far?  Turn leftover smoothies into popsicles!  We got these great molds (get them anywhere in Canada ) from Relish Cooking Studio in Uptown Waterloo!

Monday	Quinoa Greek Salad Fresh bread
Tuesday	Tortilla Lasagna Pico de Gallo with Fruit
Wednesday	Broccoli Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Thursday	Fennel and Mushrooms Beet Red Quinoa
Friday	Pizza… hmm, what Pizza what will make this week?  Likely something new.
Saturday and Sunday	Celebrating our Anniversary in Niagara on the Lake

This Meal Plan is shared at Menu Plan Monday , check it out!