Meal Plan February 4-10 + Other Good Stuff

I've decided to highlight some interesting links and articles that I've been reading when I post my meal plan.

Exclusive Breastfeeding For Six Months?

I've been doing research for a post that will be up tomorrow about when babies are ready for solid foods. I came across this article from January 2011 stating that some scientists believe it could actually be harmful to exclusively breastfeed for six months without introducing solid foods. This goes against the recommendation of the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other organizations who recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months. I found this quote by Justine Roberts of Mumsnet interesting:

"....it is quite hard work trying to exclusively breastfeed for six months without introducing solids. If that turns out not to be correct advice, we'd like to know as soon as possible."

What do you think? Is it more difficult to exclusively breastfeed for six months, or introduce foods as early as four months? I'm sure this depends on your situation and whether or not you had a difficult start to breastfeeding. Either way, I'm not convinced that starting solid foods at four months is the best idea. Let me know your thoughts!

Good Stuff From Last Week

• I'm excited to try these Potatoes with Bacon and (hidden) Liver! I've tried hiding liver in spaghetti sauce before, and it just made it taste like liver. But I'm intrigued by this one. She claims that people she has served it to couldn't tell there was any liver in there. Do you believe her? Have you ever tried to sneak liver into anything? (If you're not sure why you'd want to sneak liver, click on the recipe link; she has a great explanation of liver's benefits!

• Oh my. This Homemade Cookie Dough Butter looks dangerously good. But not as dangerous as most desserts: it contains healthy fats from nuts and real butter, and is naturally sweetened with honey. Yeah, I'm gonna have to make that soon.

• Are you a fan of Girl Scout Cookies? My most memorable Girl Scout Cookie moment was in high school, after finding out some nasty stuff about a boy I liked: I indulged in a whole sleeve of Thin Mints. I cringe to think of it now! Jill from Modern Alternative Kitchen gives the low down on Girl Scout Cookies and suggestions on what to do instead of buying them.

Quinoa Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Meal Plan February 4-10

My meal plan might look fairly similar to last week's...I didn't get to some of those meals, so they are reappearing. :) You know me...I never follow my meal plan exactly.


Monday
Dinner: *Pizza (crust from Real {Fast} Food) topped with One-minute Pizza sauce, grass-fed cheese, organic pepperoni, and veggies
Lunch: Leftover chicken sandwiches
prep: thaw beef soup bone, soak barley

Tuesday
Dinner: Beef Barley Soup, crusty whole grain sourdough bread
Lunch: Leftover Pizza

Wednesday
Dinner at church
Lunch: Leftover Soup
prep: soak quinoa, thaw salmon

Thursday
Dinner: Baked Salmon, quinoa salad with maple vinaigrette
Lunch: Easy Mac & Cheese
prep: thaw cooked white beans from freezer

Friday
Dinner: Leftover salmon & quinoa
Lunch: White Bean Dip

Saturday
Dinner: Spaghetti with doctored-up store-bought sauce (I'll add grass-fed ground beef and saute diced onion and celery, and season the heck out of it), salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Lunch: leftover bean dip
prep: make quiche crust

Sunday
Dinner: Quiche with greens, mushrooms and bacon
Lunch: Leftover spaghetti

*Note on the Pizza: I learned in Real {Fast} Food to make a double batch of dough every time and freeze half of it in balls the right size for a pizza. Then next time, homemade pizza is just a matter of thawing the dough, rolling it out, topping and baking. Much less of an ordeal and perfect for a busy day!

*I'm sharing this at Modern Alternative Kitchen and Organizing Junkie. Check them out for some great meal planning inspiration!*

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