Menu Plan Monday ~ Dietary Changes and The Kitchen

Our actual menu is really not that exciting these days. I am definitely cooking kid- and budget-friendly foods, since Rick is still in Oklahoma and we have two households right now. This week we are having chicken and rice, cheeseburger macaroni, easy chicken parmesan, and pizza bread.

On Wednesdays we get to go to potluck at church before I have handbell choir practice. I bring a food that I know my kids will eat, because they are the only kids there. One week I took pizza rolls, last week it was hotdogs and peaches, and this week I am taking a frozen lasagna. Funny how those foods get eaten by the elderly of our church, too. It's so cute to see a little old man eating some pizza rolls.

On Sundays we go to my mom and dad's for our weekly family dinner. My dad is loving doing that. Even Kyndal comes down to have dinner some weeks. On the weeks that he is at the home Chiefs football games, I am in charge of dinner. This week we had broccoli noodle soup and hot ham and cheese sandwiches. This coming Sunday I am bringing chicken tortilla soup and chips and queso.

We have determined that Brynne has IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and mild lactose intolerance. We have always known that she had some kind of aversion to milk (since birth), but we have determined that the very bloated stomach she has is a true sign of it. Now that she is having obvious bathroom issues, it's clear that she picked up my childhoold IBS. It is hereditary. So, we have had to make some dietary changes.

It's strange because we are taught to feed our families primarily fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But, many of those things are bad for her. Now I am having to switch her to white bread, white rice, pasta, minimal soluble fiber, which includes bran, the peels on her apples, dairy, and many fruits that she loves. The diet has a lot of gluten-free aspects to it. I have also put her back on lactose-free milk. If you have a child with these issues, do you have any advice??

So, while we are talking about what goes on in the kitchen, I thought today I would share our kitchen makeover (so far). We still have new appliances to purchase, new countertops to install, and a change in sink cabinet and sink. But, for now, the improvement is spectacular! I love it!

The Before

The After

I am planning to paint the metal cabinet under the sink a contrasting red and add grout to the side to make it a chalkboard.

We are planning to (eventually) put in granite countertops. But did you know you can put a finish on your existing countertops to mimic granite? It's only about $75. I saw some pictures of someone who did it, and I am thinking I would like to give it a try. We won't be able to put in real granite for a while.

Would black appliances be too much black, or would you go stainless? Don't want to over-improve too much. Also, I am going to paint that microwave shelf a distressed red.

I love those tall cabinets! I use it as a pantry, and it works great!

I have a rooster theme because my grandma had a lot of old roosters that she gave me. I love them, and have a bird fetish, so I kept up the theme in this house, too.

See that cool trim at the top of the cabinets? We didn't even know it was patterned until we were sanding the cabinets to paint them. My aunt just put red and black paint on a rag and gently rubbed it across the raised pattern. I think it turned out SO COOL!

There was no flooring in the kitchen or bathroom when we bought the house. So we put in tile. Wanna know a secret??? It's peel and stick vinyl with a special vinyl grout! We floored both rooms for about $120. When you buy a $30,000 house in a poor town, you absolutely do NOT want to put in high-end finishes. You will never get your money back out of it should you want to sell later. We did everything as pretty and CHEAP as possible.

My kitchen is actually wonderful to cook in! I love it! It's a decent enough size to move around, and the cabinets and countertops are very functional. I also have a little t.v. in there so I can watch t.v. while cooking or unloading the dishwasher. There are tons of cabinets so (so far) everything has a place.