A Week of Homestead Meals ~ Large Family Cooking on the  

PS... u look fabulous.... don't even talk about your weight, because u look ABSOLUTELY stunning the way you are!

Honestly I would watch you make these repeat dinners like a little kid hitting play on Moana for the 70th time🤣🤣 thanks for inspiring so many of us to get creative and be grateful stewards of our family’s food

Thanks for being a relatable channel. So many channels on youtube, even homestead channels, are so unrelatable for people on a tight budget. Your channel helps me feel like I'm doing a decent job raising my kids and homesteading!

I think you're awesome! I don't have kids (hoping to foster at some point) or a homestead (yet) but I feel like I'm learning so many life lessons just for my own life as is. Thanks for sharing!

I'm still doing a pantry challenge too. Unlike Jan., though, I am allowing myself $20 a week for minimal fill ins. So far I only spent $30 but I splurged at the Amish surplus market for a few items I found cheap to put back into the pantry. I have to buy when it's cheap and available.

You look stunning. You're are a mother of 7 a wife and a busy lady. Never worry about your weight. You have a natural beauty.

I am absolutely amazed at what you’re able to create by just putting leftovers together. My husband and I just talked about how talented you are and how agreeable the children are about eating what’s in front of them. I’m not saying there is never a unhappy child over the meal but they seem to be good eaters. Like my husband said, we ate what was put in front of us or went without. Thank you for the video, we are learning so much.

Meals should be simple. Life should be simple. A simple life allows for more time for worship and family. Beautiful as always! Thank you!♥️

You have made the definition of "made do" into an art form. You have taught me to be much more experimental in my cooking! Thank you!

Jessica, you are a true inspiration to so many. May the Lord's peace, grace and comfort pour over you. Pls know most of us are not looking at your stove or criticizing. We're too busy making mental notes on recipes and resourcefulness while cleaning our own homes 😆🤭💕🤷‍♀️

When I'm particularly lazy, I would throw my protein & veg together with rice into the rice cooker, add some seasonings, then just press the 'cook' button. It always makes the most delicious meals too!

Been waiting for this too!!!! Have a great day with home church with your gorgeous family Jessica!!!!! 💜💜💜

I haven’t converted to instant pot either. Still love my two crockpots, small and big. It’s okay! Still works!

You had me at the homemade pop tarts. My husband can’t wait until I make them! Adding the blueberry juice to powdered sugar was a great idea for icing. We would have poured the rib juice on the potatoes, but I can’t wait to see how you make the baked beans with it.

I love to watch your "meals we ate" videos! I'm trying to find more ways to cook without dairy since we recently found out our youngest daughter has a dairy allergy. I'm going to give some of these recipe ideas a try! I know for sure the homemade pop tarts are on the menu for this week!Thanks for sharing!

I’m falling in love with this channel and these challenges. Now I want to look into freeze drying. Great video!

What a beautiful big brother David is. Melting my heart with the sleepy baby on his shoulder

Yes, children in the kitchen with you is a blessing. My children are grown now and I miss those moments. My grandson is almost three but lives three hours away from us. I love when he is here and wants to help me cook. It is a bit messier but cleans up just fine .

I absolutely love seeing your little helpers. You are so creative and inspiring. I am loving the bacon grease in potatoes. I tried that last week, and threw in some chives I had in the freezer and it was so darn good. I love any allergy subs I can find, as my siblings and I all struggle with our own allergies. So tips like the bacon grease will be a huge benefit to family dinners. Thank you so much for all your tips and tricks. Can't wait for next weeks video.

Love your fridge dump soup idea. :-) My grandpa would make "forever" soup whenever my family would come to visit. Whatever leftover soup was in the freezer, he put that in a pot with whatever was leftover in the fridge. I'm 40 now, and it's one of my fondest food memories.

If he wants to and you get time, I'd love to see more of David's baking. Great video as usual!! I'm not sure, but I think every home in America that has little boys have those dinosaurs! Lol I had them on my counter when I was trying to make biscuits yesterday! Lol

I want to give you huge props and all the credit for changing my way of thinking when it comes to discarding scraps. Now when I make something, or if I see a video where there are "discards", I know automatically start trying to figure out if I have seen Jessica do something useful with that type item. When I saw your Crock-Pot of sauce and rib bones, I didn't even think about the juice, but I automatically wondered if you could do a broth with those bones. Would they be usable given the fact that they have been soaking in barbecue sauce? I can't wait for the baked bean recipe! On that note, I think it would be a wonderful idea, and I know that a lot of us would benefit, if you did a little talk on multiple different ways to use the most common types of discards, so that we could have a list all in one spot. Thank you so much for opening my mind and changing my thought process as to automatically throwing away remnants!

Insta pot, Seers, slow cooks, pressure cooks, for multiple options... Love mine

The baby is getting so big ! The food looked so good! Take care.

Dear Jessica, You are anything but lazy! Your stove is fine too! You do an amazing job cooking for, teaching and loving all those wonderful children. John certainly is a cute little camera ham and he really loved his food too! Everyone sure stays busy in your home ! It is always a pleasure to see what you have to share with us weekly and to see how you do things! I tend to watch you every Sunday while I have my late morning coffee and seeing all the love gives me a wonderful start to my week. Thank you so much!

Loved these meals this week. Loved seeing so much of the kids. I learn so much from you. You look amazing I wouldn't think you would need to loose weight. Be blessed Jessica.

I love this challenge and have been learning so much! I'm incorporating this challenge in my child's home ec curriculum. Those pop tarts look amazing!

Would you be able to freeze-dry egg whites for angel food cake mix? That would be neat.

Same here!! Its my peaceful time on sunday morning hihi

Tongue was delicious! Juicy, tender, easy, flavorFUL I will start saving my drippings again. Don't cook much bacon anymore but need that fat! Never thought to use it in mashed potatoes. I may try dehydrating cooked rice - don't have a freeze dryer but sure would love to add rice to my fast food shelf.

#threeriverspantrychallenge. I'm a grandma living alone in Australia with a VERY limited income. I'm eating out of my freezer & pantry. Only buying milk, fruit, chook food, dog food & a weekly cake for church. Its amazing the things you find in the bottom of the freezer.

Your family always looks so happy!!!!! You do a fabulous job of keeping everything running so well. My mother was well known for her fridge cleanout goodies like your soup. That was how she came up with some of her best BBQ sauce!!!!!!

Such a beautiful mother and homemaker! Your children are precious!

Always great ideas and great ways to use foods in ways I don’t really thing of! Thanks for sharing your life with us.

I would love to see a little house tour after the rearranging!

I enjoy & appreciate these meal videos. You’ve inspired me my friend ❤️ You’re absolutely beautiful (inside & out). Love the children always helping. Blessed family. Enjoy 😊

Jessica I need to tell you I really enjoy your weekly menu video's. I am a grandma and have cooked for lots of kids but now it's just me and two adult kids who don't really eat at home. I'm loving your life style choice and am so excited my oldest daughter and four grandkids will be here this summer to stay while they decide where to live. I can't wait to have little helpers in the kitchen too and trying your recipes for healthy menus. After watching you use your freeze dryer am seriously thinking of getting one, if I use you link do you get credit for it ? Bless you and your beautiful family and only good things coming to you, Make sure to rest honey!!

Yay for dairy free yogurt next week!

So not only have you used up food in your pantry but by gifting that freezer once it was empty you have also reduced your monthly expenses a little since there is now one less freezer being powered. With costs of everything going up right now it is great to be able to reduce expenses to be able to absorb those increased costs once you do start shopping again. Kudos.

Nice. It would be good to see your freezer and pantry tour after the challenge to see the changes that have happened

I’m always IMPRESSED by your pantry! Another awesome video and SHARING! Watching you from Gander Newfoundland and Labrador Canada 👩‍🌾🇨🇦👩‍🌾!

Jessica I thought of you the other day when I made a gluten-free banana bread sweetened solely with dates (chopped very finely) and no sugar. It was absolutely delicious! The dates in your lara bar recipe here reminded me. I had my doubts that it would be good with nothing but dates to sweeten it but I was pleasantly surprised. I know you can't have sugar so it might be an idea for you to utilize in baking!

I just LOVE how you save and use EVERYTHING! Using the BBQ drippings…. GENIUS!!!!! And you would truly love and benefit from an InstaPot!

The secret to perfect chia seed pudding is to just stir every 5-10 minutes or so for the first half hour. That's all it takes! You could do it in a larger jar and then portion it out into the cute little ones and it would be perfect.

Q Ok...I joined this challenge for 4 days. I feel like I already lost some weight. Yes...I actually cooked and baked....instead of others doing that for me or eating out. Tasty mush for breakfast otherwise known as oatmeal. Q

Just curious but I'm sure you've mentioned before I never see your husband and you eating dinner??

G.Morning Ms. Jessica. Always such a busy Bee .Enjoy u sharing your hard work & day with your Family. Wonderful tips. Very helpful & healthy. Have a excellent week.

Very enjoyable video, I’m a new subscriber. ♥️ Patricia

"Fridge-dump soup" Love it!!!

Have you ever tried crushed pineapple with it's juice into a dry cake mix. Nothing else, just the two ingredients. Mix together and bake in a 9x13 pan. Pineapple sweetens it so no toppings are needed.

Your videos inspire me to grow my own food and pray more and for that I thank you 🙏🏻

Just an inspirational video all the way @. I so enjoy those children. I hosted a slumber party for my great granddaughter and her 2 sisters along with another granddaughter and my daughter Marlena. I just feel so so Blessed Jessica to be apart of the next generation. I just want to be the best version of Jesus to everyone. The small amount of time I get with Noella may she know Jesus and his Plan for her life. Pray for our family. T u so much.

your so creative ...love that your showing to waste nothing ...very refreshing for sure 🌺🌺

I am looking forward to the bake beans, becouse in the uk bake beans are in tin cans? In may houses beans means a cans 2 people per can on toast!!!!

Im very impressed with all your creativity, my mom was real good at that ,me, not so much!

Cheat way to cook sausage patties is in the oven like bacon (works well if frozen) and easy way to save grease/fat to cook with.

Hello Jessica 👋🏻. Your videos make my heart happy 😃❤️ I enjoy each and every one of them. 😁 I think you would enjoy an InstantPot. It might help make life of a busy mom easier. I have an 8 quart and a 3 quart. I started out with a 6 quart, but gave that to my adult son. I do have a slow cooker, but have found that my InstantPot’s just work better for me. I was skeptical of the IP at first, but quickly learned to love the 8 quart, just recently I ordered the 3 quart. It’s just me and my husband at home now. The 8 quart is perfect for making and then freezing large batches of food, and the 3 quart is perfect for smaller amounts of food. Blessing from Green 🌱 Ohio ❤️

That beef and noodles looked fantastic, I think I will have to make some after my pot roast ( using the leftovers)

You have the most handsome little tribe. Your older boys are getting so handsome, the girls are absolutely gorgeous, and your 3 munchkins are just adorable. David holding little Ben, ah so adorable. And I always say Levi, he is so so adorable. God bless them all. Oh, I miss my babies. Well, just a bit. LOL. Now, did you say dairy free yogurt? I look forward to that. I look forward to all your videos. I enjoy watching your meal preps. Thank you for sharing.

Your kid's are amazing. I love how they pray with every meal they get. My mother raised us like that and I still get surprise when people give me a weird look because I bless every meal I get out of habit no matter where I am. 😊

Your food videos are so nice and helpful.. I've recently had to go back to work after being home with my children for 15 years we and am now not home during dinner time..so your videos help me to prep meals for them while I'm out of the house.thanks for the inspiration

Been waiting for this 😊

Just curious, what do you do with the lime water after using all the eggs from it? Thanks.

Love that olive oil was your “convenience “ food” it is sometimes hard to remember while cooking to use different things. I left my son to make Rice Krispie treats and he used shortening in the pan. Maybe not the best choice but I think he clearly remembered to just use the butter wrapper this time 😂 Another amazing week!

Always love the things you do. Thanks for the mashed potato trick that looks like a really good one and I heard add some chives from one of the comments that sounds really good too. Looking forward to using the leftover barbecue sauce juice for the baked beans never thought about that. Same to use most juices sauces and gravies up pretty good but that one was one that always kind of stumped me I think now I have a home for it also. You do so well. We have stuck our toes and using the instant pot this winter. My tip to you would be by a very large one to start out with. Or too little ones which seems redundant but if you were wanting to do two different things at the same time. I will not ever be without my Crock-Pot if I can help it. I feel the flavor is better there is some time savings in the instapot but it's kind of pick and choose your battles. Like it well for some things I'm not a real fan on others. The couple things I do like at four or no brainers but they are handy making shredded chicken from Frozen. Making mashed potatoes work real good too.

Enjoyed watching your video. My daughter in law found a huge container of dried beans. I brought them home and am canning them. So far a total of 18 quarts. Now I'm working on my dried beans. Winter is the best time for canning Beans, meat, etc I do enjoy canning, baking, and making cheese.

Hi Jessica, I really enjoy your videos so much. I know I can put them on while I cook or do chores and they are family friendly, my kids are always interested in seeing your kids too! Do you have a video where you discuss your Crohn's in detail and your diet? I have Ulcerative Colitis and eat mostly from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, but am always curious how others are healing themselves with food. Thank you!!

Watching the kids eat those awesome pop tarts have me hungry! I think it’s time to go make breakfast! 😀

Love watching your videos and your little helpers are lovely too from Kathy in Spain xx🍞🧀🍎🍋

I was going to ask about using the waterglassed eggs but you explained that at about 34 minutes in. This was a great video on using what is in the pantry. Also love seeing the family life.

You made some really yummy meals this week. I love how you just dump containers of this and that to create what looks to be really good soup. Thanks for sharing. I know your kiddos enjoy being with other kids, but how do you protect Gabriel? You have discussed how careful he has to be, and I am just curious. I am sure there are other families facing similar situations, and we could all benefit from your knowledge.

Jessica you are amazing in planning your meals. Bless your sweet family!

Making pop tarts for my gang of gluten free eaters

Since you're not putting milk in your mashed potatoes, use the drippings like a gravy. It's delicious!

I love watching your videos. They fill me with inspiration and provide quality information. I especially love your pantry challenges and full week of meals for family. It can be tough cooking everyday, but when I see what other mothers are making and baking for their babes, it makes me smile and I feel motivated again. Thank you 🙏 😊

After watching Rose Red Homestead’s careful and thorough testing I purchased an instant pot max. I’m slowly starting to use it for more things, but especially small batch canning. Our college age kids appreciate having pints of soup and ready-to-eat meals such as sweet and sour chicken to take after visits and I appreciate not having to haul out the big canner

Hi Jessica and Family!! I always get so excited to see your videos come up! 🥰🥰 I pray your week is so very blessed my friend!!

I’m learning a lot from you, thank you for the videos!

Love your videos. Your children are so precious

Hey Jessica 👋 love your channel and watching your creative kitchen skills. I have a RU-vid channel that I just began and understand how much work goes into making a video while having a large amount of children around 😊 Could you link you dresses sometime I have a really hard time finding cute modest dresses?

Yes the best years of your life raising your children your a wonderful mother 🙏 Great video

I love your videos, I'm not capable of putting up a bunch of homegrown food or even the amounts that you guys manage. Such great inspiration and as Jess would say "turn your waiting room into a classroom".Your little helpers are just too adorable, I appreciate a good finger gun Levi

Great video once again! I look forward to these every week. You give me so many great ideas on how to use leftover food. God bless you and your family 💗

You mentioned you haven't converted to the instant pot yet, but I can't recommend it enough. It's a life changer! Plus it has a crock pot function so you can still do crock pot meals, but it's so multifunctional that I hardly even use my stove anymore.

I’ve really enjoyed watching this video. Greetings to all from Johannesburg, South Africa

Jessica, what kind of olive oil did you say you used? It was maybe several videos ago and you discussed why are used that particular one. I believe it was not extra-virgin. Thank you

i love it you use everything up i love the homemade poptarts. perfect.........Angie from Arkansas

Hi Jessica and everyone, I just wanted to comment about the yogurt Chia seed jars. I bought those on Amazon years ago probably before any of you were born, lol. No seriously in like 2010. I bought them separately. So possibly you can still get them? They are great, I used them all the time

Amazing 🤩 just love to watch your videos Mam 👍Stay connected 🙏

It's funny how sometimes you learn about something new that you have never heard of in your life, and then it crops up again right away somewhere else. I had never heard of using mayonnaise in eggs until last week, when I watched your video. The following day, someone posted a recipe for mayon-eggs on Facebook. I've seen it several times since. I guess I'll have to try it!

I love all your meal ideas. I watch often with my son and it helps us to think how we can get away from those convenience foods but still make his favorites. I have been dehydrating more in recent months and I'm loving my mixed vegetables powder. I add it to rice to give it vitamins and flavor ( and it ends up looking a lot like the store bought rice side this way). I am so very inspired by the pantry challenge as well as learning new ways to preserve. Thanks again for sharing.

how do you make the powdered gelatin? If you have a video can you send me the link so I can watch it?

At your boys were such cute little cheeky monkeys back then weren’t they. One thing this does for you is providing memories, such a precious thing. Fabulous ideas and recipes too thank you, loving watching your old videos x

BTW…I have tried several recipes for homemade ketchup also. This is one I liked the best…I will post it separately but I know I have another recipe that is even better than this one but I thought you might take a look at it to see if you have tried it or not. I am thinking that the recipe I need to look for is actually the one I like the best. I will try to look for it tomorrow after I get my sourdough bread loaves baked in the morning. I have a really good book that I got many years ago called, “ Make Your Own Groceries”, by Daphne Metaxas, and “More Make Your Own Groceries”…both have some great recipes in them that I think you would like.Also a really good book that I have used since the 70’s is titled, “Make Your Own Convenience Food”, by Don and Joan German. Then another one that is full of mixes is called, “Make-a-Mix Cookbook. It is a wonderful book of homemade mixes but might not be as helpful since you don’t use wheat as much and I am not sure you can substitute other ground grained for the wheat flour.

Have you ever tried brushing the parchment with a little oil before placing the homemade pop tart on the parchment. I put oil in a sprayer and use it like non-stick spray. And, yes, never toss out the drippings or broth from cooking meat. I am 74 and I loved seeing your beautiful bones you used for the bone broth. I can remember in the late 60’s when they still had butchers at the grocery store and if you asked the butcher, he would give you a bag of really nice marrow bones. Soup stock made without marrow and big knuckle bones is just NOT the same as the stock is made with them. BTW…the little jars with the screw on lids you are using for the pudding can be purchased separately from a yogurt maker by doing a search on eBay. I bought extras for my electric yogurt maker because I usually make about a 3/4 to a gallon of yogurt at a time. I LOVE my homemade whole milk yogurt.

I really like your channel. 🌺 you are so talented in using everything. It’s amazing 😀You are using frozen carlic in some small balls, I can’t remember what you call them. But is it frozen scraps? Take good care and God bless

Do you arrange your home canned foods in any particular order on the shelves behind where you are sitting at the end of the video? I love the little boy’s table and you can see they do too. We had a table for our little girls but it was a painted one and after I painted it, we took all 5 of the girls and dipped a hand in white paint and had them press their hands on the table the put their names and the date under their hand prints. Neither of my sons lived at home when we had the little table but those little girls loved it. My children’s birth order was 2 sons, then 5 daughters but their ages were also very different too because my first husband and I divorced after 17 years…I remarried and had three more daughters. Our youngest daughter is 32 and having her first baby, a little girl, in just a couple of weeks. I have 17 grandson, from ages 28 down to a three year old…my granddaughters are 15 yrs. and 2 1/2 yrs. According to everyone, they are all done having babies except for our youngest…we shall see. My oldest grandchild and first granddaughter, was killed in a car accident on 12-5-08 when she was just 21 yrs old and then we lost her father, my oldest son, on 7-4-19, just 3 days before his 54th birthday. It has been, and continues to be the most horrible time in my life. I miss him so. He was a C.P.A. and owned his own accounting firm. I never, never dreamed that Rick would not be here if I ever needed him in an emergency. I will pray that you never walk this journey of grief.

Please.let me know how you cook wild rice..I bought some on line and followed directions ..it just didn't taste like white rice as far as texture is concerned..do you have a video on that??

Just for reference. You can buy little jars like that on Amazon. I bought some for my hubby’s pudding for in his lunch when he goes to work.

I made a batch of beef vegetable soup. I put my store bought beef chunks in the food processor (my first time trying it this way). I put everything in my instant pot with vegetable broth. It is delicious! I WILL do this again. Thank you for your good instruction and inspiration!