So refreshing to see meal planning like this - "Saturday Erica is not going to tell Wednesday Erica what to eat" 😂 I so relate to this. I also always do one soup per week and usually try to do it early in the week so I can just heat it up on those days I just don't feel like cooking. It's usually part of my Sunday reset and I can use any older produce from the previous week up, so nothing goes to waste.
Oh my goodness I thought it was just me! I tried meal planning and some days I didn’t feel like what I’d planned! That’s when it all went to heck! I’ll try your way.😂
I was not good at meal planning until I started using themes, Mon is soup/sand night, Tues Mexican, Wed chicken, Thru leftovers or frozen, Fri is pizza, Sat hamburgers/ hot dogs and Sundays take out or whatever’s. I can flip it around if needed or try new dishes. Having a theme helped me and having a suggested menu I branched off to try different dishes. Loose and flexible works for me. Loved that you shopped basics and created from there! 😮❤❤❤❤
I do meal planning the same way. I have a list of meals available, and we see what we want for the day. It has cut down on wasted food so much. I love your gentle approach to your videos! Take care, Linda 🦋
This IS such a good idea! You’re not locked in to a certain meal . You just do what you feel like and how the day is going. Now, why didn’t I think of that?🤔
Basil is a doddle to grow from cuttings. If you want that one plant, now split, to be 'big and bushy', take the tops off the plants - cut it off just above a leaf node and more branches will sprout from that leaf node making it bushy; I'd suggest leaving at least 4 leaves on the plant and take the rest. With the stalk you have just removed, you then either have some fresh basil to use now, OR put them in a glass of water on your windowsill and after a week or so (change the water if need be, don't let it go green) they will develop roots. Hey presto new plants to stick in compost... and the cycle starts all over again. Warning: keep doing this and you'll end up with more plants than you can cope with, all from one initial plant! 😆 BTW Fresh basil 'tea' (fresh basil steeped in hot water) is AMAZING for the effects of a cold and healthier than..... Get well soon. xx
@@EricaLucasLoves , I've grown them in water but had better (and more long-lasting results) by treating them as a plant start and planting them in a planter.
Great ideas. I recently discovered Healthy Elizabeth channel. I love how everything is super healthy, delicious and not fussy. Most of the prep time seems to be chopping veggies, so I'm learning how to do it faster but still be safe.
Thank you for sharing. I needed a meal plan sheet set up like this as I find when I plan for specific days of the week I hardly ever get around to or feel like cooking those meals on that day but I also want to list snacks for the week and most meal plan sheets don’t include that. This is simple and I can use it over again on my ipad with digital planning. Great idea.
Hi Erica! Could you please share some of your go to smoothie recipes? We always have fresh/frozen fruit on hand but the kiddo rarely eats it. Thought smoothies would be a better way to get more fruit in her diet.
Sure! I will add it into a video but for now: 1 1/2 cup frozen fruit + 8 oz apple juice + ice + 1/2 cup greek yogurt or one scoop vanilla protein powder.
I know you mentioned a goal of reducing your grocery expense in a previous video. You should try the Aldi trash bags! We like them, they’re sturdy and work great for us.
Idk why I had it in my head you were one of those cooks that makes literally everything from scratch and it makes me happy to see this haul having things like frozen onion rings and chips and stuff. Also, glad you are going easy on yourself here and there for balance I'm working on going easier on myself instead of guilting myself for not doing all the things all the time. ♥️
My Italian genes winced. Please don’t use barilla. Try Garafalo . Is it warm where you are? Still cold in Chicago.😢 That’s a lot of cooking. Well done. Good mama!
Barilla is fast dried and uses low quality grain. If the pasta you buy is orange in color, don’t buy it. Pale is better. Some of the best will say 18 hr slow dry. That’s the best, but the price is often nuts. Fresh pasta is 3 cups of grain to 1 egg or water. It should not look orange. Also, look for semolina as the first ingredient. Check where it’s made. I buy the one made in Naples, at the shop across from where my grandma lived. But, it’s sometimes hard to get even at Caputo, our Italian supermarket. Italian pasta is just better for the gut. Lot fewer gut problems. I had a friend with celiac’s. She was in Italy for an extended stay. Nervous. One day, she had some pasta. No reaction. I don’t know what they do to it here. Some think it’s all the chemicals they use on crops. Just be careful about what you eat, especially when there are children involved. My daughter never had barilla, Ronzonni, or other generic pasta. She’s having a hard time eating the college food. Last time I checked, she’d given up on eating pasta. That’s the first thing she requests when she comes home. This year they have kitchens in dorms. I have sent her pasta. Not kidding.
Thank you for taking the time to show us how & what you meal plan. (Gives some of us incentive to do it! 🙂). So glad you’re feeling a bit better. Take care of yourself. I’m pulling for the “bushy” basil. (My seedlings are just starting, too.)
I make my own ranch dressing, and it’s very easy as well as much cheaper than store bought. Here's the recipe: 1 cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, ½ teaspoon dried chives, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon dried dill weed, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix everything together, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using. This will make a thick dip or dressing, so you can thin it with milk or buttermilk (I keep powdered buttermilk for this use) as you like for dressing. I have a bunch of small plastic containers I use to measure out single servings of the mixed dried herbs and spices, so when I need to make a fresh batch of dressing I just have to measure out the mayo and sour cream, dump in the herb mixture, stir it up and I’m ready to go. Much better than store bought, less expensive, very quick and easy to prepare, less plastic waste, and you can adjust the individual herbs and spices to your liking.
