EATING PLAN FOR BELTANE - KID STYLE

  Now this is fun! And new for me. My eight-year-old son made a list of all the mom-made foods he likes (and let me tell you, the list is troublingly short! He doesn´t like veggies at all, and now I´m trying to learn to compromise...  =). I will fulfill his wishes by cooking the foods on his darling little list for this Beltane. Maybe I´ll learn to enjoy new foods too!
  Truth be told, I´m very bad at always terrorizing meals with healthier ingredients than what the average recipe calls for. That I´m guilty of this time also, but he doesn´t need to know! For example, if he doesn´t realize I´ve grated a ton of carrots in the pancakes, it will not hurt him... =)

Home made whole grain spelt bread, my favorite. The recipe: 5 dl warm water, 11g/one bag dried yeast, whole grain spelt flour, 1 tsp seasalt, 2 Tbsp raw cane sugar, 1/2 dl olive oil. + Mix the yeast with some of the flour. Pour in the water, which should be slightly over lukewarm to assure the yeast will start working. Stir and add the salt and sugar. As you mix/knead, add flour until a good ball of dough is formed. I like the dough rather soft. Finally add the oil and mix thoroughly. Throw the dough into a bread loaf pan, let rise about 25 min, and bake in a 200 Celsius oven for about 30 min. (Slicing the bread is easier after it has cooled down some.) This is a guilt-free pleasure!

 Breakfast:

 1/2 liter green tea, plain
1 slice whole grain bread (preferrably home made) + 1tsp coconut butter
plain soy yogurt with honey

Lunch:
1/2 liter green tea, plain
Rotating the following, making the next after the previous is all gone:
1. whole grain pasta + minced soy "meat" + any veggie I happen to have + a splash of vegan cooking cream
2. whole grain semi-sweet cinnamon buns + berries
3. whole grain rice (often jasmin) with soy sauce and vegan butter + cucumber (the only veggie my son will eat raw)
4. soup made of potatoes, corn, onion, carrot, and vegan weenies
5. whole grain bread + vegan margarine + cucumber + vegan "salami"
6. pancakes (with of finely grated veggies in the batter) with honey
7. mashed potatoes with finely chopped wild edible greens in it + smoked tofu

Dinner:
1/2 liter herbal tea, plain
2 slices whole grain bread (home made) + 2 tsp coconut butter
kissel (a kind of a cold berry/fruit "soup")

Supper/dessert:
1/2 liter hot chocolate (made with 1/2 water, 1/2 soymilk)
(oat porridge with soymilk and honey, if I´m hungry)

  My stomach likes steady mealtimes, to which I try to hold:
8-9 am breakfast
1-2 pm lunch
5 pm dinner
8 pm supper

  This eating plan is supposed to keep me in my current weight, or that is the goal anyway... The main/heaviest meal of the day is consumed at lunch, making sure the calories from it will be used up before bedtime. For lunch I eat as much as I want, but the other meals need to have an approximate idea of quantity beforehand to prevent getting fat. Getting fat happens slowly, unnoticed even, if not paid attention to actively. Our world is laden with highly processed quick treats lurking at every corner of our way, trying to lure us into grabbing "just this one, once". I find that having a proper set of mind beforehand, in form of an eating plan, helps keep my mind focused on the big picture during the day. It has worked so far - I´m still the same size I was in 20 years ago in my teens. =)

  Bon Appetít!