One more helpful hint: I don't always have to be the one cooking, shopping, or coming up with ideas. All my kids started helping prepare meals at 4-5 (man, did they love the salad spinner!) and by the time they were 10, 9 and 7 regularly had a night for which they were responsible. This helped enormously with pickiness, as well. My husband pitched in by picking up the deals at various grocery stores on the way home a couple of times a month (very detailed list required.)
Great ideas! The meal kits are really handy for chefs in training. My son does a meal kit a couple of times a week, and I love that he's got those training wheels in the kitchen.
I had a friend who was married with 2 kids and. They were on such a tight budget she bought the exact same list of groceries every payday. She never bought anything othher than what was on the list.They ate the same thing over and over, but it worked and kept them with full bellies until they got out of their budget crunch.
On the library point, a lot of libraries have digital copies of books you can borrow and read on a computer, phone, etc. You don’t even have to leave the house !
The cookbook suggestion is what I do - I have a lot of cookbooks, so when I’m in a rut, I pick a book and cook through it. I rediscover old favorites and find new ones. The Gooseberry Patch series is good for this - interesting stories accompany each recipe and it’s rare that a recipe will go beyond one page.
I LOVE cookbooks so much; I buy cookbooks at book fairs, garage sales, thrift stores... I have BOXES of them lol. But they are incredibly helpful for when you are in a rut.
I pressure can ground beef to have on hand at all times. If I need a quick spaghetti, I can grab a jar and add it to quick noodles with some sauce. Boom, you have a meal! You could also have some pre-cooked meat in the freezer to save time as well. When I make a "build your own" meal, my husband calls that a "some assembly required" dinner
Loved this video!! For all the parents of picky eaters, I know I've posted this a ton of times lol. I bought a cheap dehydrator and dehydrate frozen veggies in it (since they're already blanched). Then I put them in a food processor and have cheap veggie powder. I sprinkle it in food and my toddler is clueless. I feel better knowing he's getting veggies somehow even though he is in a very strong willed stage of toddler life lol
I use the pickup option at our grocery stores. I can shop at night next to my husband on the couch while we watch a show. Checking the prices at the various stores against each other. Once shopped at 4 stores in one hour - 3 pick ups and 1 actual shopping. Really works for my season of life.
This is the only way I grocery shop anymore. I have Walmart Plus and they deliver with that. Completely changed the game for me. I haven't stepped foot in a Walmart in MONTHS. it's been glorious lol
Great ideas as always Mindy! I'm a single-person household and I love how your ideas even reply to my situation. My friends consider me a bit of a picky eater but I'm happy to eat the same food for like three or four meals so if I make a casserole or something I'm happy to heat it up for the next couple of days. So for anyone who thinks this channel isn't relevant for single people you are completely wrong! Thanks so much Mindy!
Thanks so much, Rosemary! I'm also a person who can eat the same things. My mother has eaten peanut butter toast for breakfast almost every single morning since I've known her these 40 years. LOL! Runs in the family. :)
For households with different dietary needs- the way that worked for my husband and I when I was on a weight loss journey is that I cooked the main protein or item in a way that met everyone's needs (whether that meant low fat butter or cream cheese, sugar substitutes, etc.) and then the sides would meet each person's needs/wants individually. So sometimes I had just broccoli and he had broccoli and rice. I used low carb tortillas while he used regular. I had pasta sauce with zucchini noodles and he had regular noodles. He ate pizzas with regular mini pizza crusts and I made a keto crust.
I always keeps ingredients (or convenience foods) on hand for about 3 easy/quick meals + frozen pizzas for those nights where what's on the meal plan doesn't sound good or would take too much time or effort. I'm looking at you - sausage in the freezer + rice a roni, frozen chicken tenders + french fries or instant mashed potatoes. Pair with some frozen or canned veggies - so simple and quick.
Great ideas. Mindy has taught me that sautéed peppers can be a side dish for any meal, not just fajitas, and that a salad kit can be a mix-in with roasted chicken. Serve it as a salad or on a tortilla or in a pita. Think outside the box sometimes.
We cook once eat twice all the time. Is so great! Hubby does the heat up day 🤣 But he is breakfast for dinner guy! That's his thing he does well besides grilling!
I have heard that Anna Wintour eats the same breakfast/lunch every day! I feel for you. My life is chlldless, yet frenetic enough even without the little treasures! Thank you for the video!
I’m making pulled pork in the slow cooker for tonight’s dinner. ☺️ Toss a quartered onion in, place the meat on top, pour the sauce in. That’s it. Takes less than 5 minutes!
one of my favorite quick meals is broccoli pitas. I mixed diced ham lunchmeat, diced slices of Swiss cheese, red onion diced, and frozen broccoli florets cooked, cooled, and the big florets cut smaller. Add bottled ranch dressing to moisten and serve in the pita bread. Absolutely delicious! I haven't found one person who didn't love it.
One of thosethings that I do in cooler months is that once every couple of weeks I'll troll my fridge for veggies that are in desperate need of being used up. Then I troll my fridge and sometimes freezer for meat that needs to be used up (sometimes beef, sometimes chicken, sometimes sausage... pretty much anything works here). After that I wash and chop all the veggies up and dump the carrots, onions, peppers, celery, type veggies {ones that can take or need a lot of cooking time) in the slow cooker. Then I add whatever meat I found that needs to be used up and some boullion or broth and set the crock pot for 4 hours. At that point, if I have softer veggies (potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, etc... )that need to be used up I add them. Set the slow cooker to cook for another 2 hours and walk away. We call it "stone soup" and in the summer I prep the veggies that need to be used up and separate them by "hard" and "soft" and throw them in the freezer to await use in the cooler months. One quart bag that is "soft" and one that is "hard" and then I pop them in the freezer in a gallon bag - sometimes I throw the meat I plan to use in the gallon bag too. In hot weather it takes minutes once every couple of weeks to throw the veg together for "Stone Soup" (Shoutout to anyone who read that book) and it's there in the freezer when it's -5 outside and you're out of ideas. Another one that I do is to wash and dry dry beans and throw THEM in the bag in the freezer that holds the ham bone and other seasonings for Bean Soup. Out of ideas and have some leftover meat and veggies you need to useup? Make your own rice-a-roni. Toast some broken up spaghetti or orzo in a pan along with some rice, dump in the veggies and meat, add liquid (leftover gravy, boullion and water, broth from a can... whatever) bring to a boil, lower the heat, stir occasionally and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it sit a few minutes and you have a full meal without really having to DO much other than toast some rice and pasta. I'm OLD and LAZY when it comes to cooking - it it takes me more than 15 minutes of prep time I'm NOT doing it unless it's a holiday or I want to impress someone.
I loved that at the end of the video you recognized how difficult it can be to when you’ve got babies and small children. The acknowledgment was much appreciated!
I particularly loved your sage advice that it is okay to keep the meals simple and it is okay to eat the same things often. Sometimes in some seasons of life it is just SO nice not to have to think up new ideas. It is super easy to tweek those standby meals and make them a bit different if you do get tired of the same old same old. ❤
15:03 this right here! Now I live equally close to a great grocery and to Walmart. They’re across the street from each other. I’ve noticed Walmart doesn’t charge extra on pick up, but the grocery store slightly marks up each item that’s not an advertised special. So I schedule a pick up for both, in the same hour and hit one after the other. I get just the sale items at the regular grocery pick up and do most of the rest at Walmart pick up. I do make a twice a month run into Costco (hello teenage homeschooling boys!)… When I lived far from a variety of stores, I did choose to shop the specials at one each week and tried to buy several items ahead. So if I shopped Walmart, I’d try to get enough for the month of all the things that were crazy low there. Building up, initially, took some patience, or if I ran out of something early it was a bummer, but it still helped stretch my money while saving my time and sanity. Another thing I do is, if I’m making an unplanned stop at a store, I pull up their ad and get whatever is a steal while I’m there anyway. I don’t go out of my way, but don’t waste the opportunity. For example, we have a relatively expensive tiny grocery VERY close to our house. We only go there if we forgot something that absolutely can’t wait. BUT I also make sure to pick up loss leaders we use while I’m at it. 😂
I need a video specially addressing the situation of “I don’t want to turn on the stove, I don’t want to turn on the oven, I don’t even want to BE IN my kitchen and I forgot to start the crockpot” meals. Lol!
The traditional way of eating the Picadillo is with white rice. Many of our Hispanic cultures also add green olives 🫒 and others add raisins. I personally prefer olives or capers. Yours looks great!
It's not often a cooking/lifestyle/recipe video makes me cry, but you accomplished it with this one. A good cry of course. Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful videos. Even though I've had years of experience cooking and catering, I've found them incredibly helpful over the past few years, since my husband and I found ourselves unexpectedly taking in 3 children to raise, including 2 little ones who have dramatically changed the way our house and cooking was done. 💓
I thinks this is your best video yet Mindy. Terrific advice for those in different seasons of their lives. I'm almost 72 (June 8th), but I still have 4 grandkids (14-20) at home with me, so your suggestions are quite valuable. Do you have suggestions/ideas for seniors alone or couples?
I personally enjoy grocery shopping. I leave my kids with my husband and get to have a little time where it is just mommy. Having a list is the only way to stay on budget these days with the prices being what they are, but I do love the treasure hunt known as the clearance section. Thanks for all your videos they have helped me and my family.
I've been eyeing that slow cooker since you showed it the other day in a video! I really like the saute/brown option since my pressure cooker doesn't have that function.
Great informative video! And, as you were remembering young parents with infants and small children needing to make meals….it brought to my mind those of us who have been or still are caregivers to a loved one. This can be a very time-consuming job as well, not to mention the exhaustion that comes with it, but light, easy, and healthy meals help greatly!
In our house we make picadillo with refried beans and tortillas 😊 sometimes we add Spanish rice. It's also a great way to make burritos or chimichangas.
I make sure to keep an eye out for nights I know I am not going to make it home until later and utilize crock pot meals for those days. That way the night before I can gather everything up for the recipe and put my crock pot out on the counter. The morning of, I throw everything into the crock pot and then by dinner its ready. Only issue I have ever had with that is when I forget to turn on the crock pot lol
16:52 I’ve been gf for 8 years. Meal planning helps a ton. I’ve got a ton of great gf recipes my family likes, but I usually also make one meal for me that I reheat and eat throughout the week on nights they’re having something I can’t eat. Easy peasy.
Oh I love these tips, and seeing all the dinners looked great, especially varying the cooking methods and the short cut meals, like a simple sub sandwich or to stretch over a few days, I have been in a rut, so I bought all favorite vegetables but I kept putting off prepping them, then got bored, so now my rule is the day you buy the vegetable, cook it within 1 day to avoid things going bad.
I always have extra food staples in my freezer or pantry. When I can’t think of anything to make, I send my kids, I have four, to each find an ingredient that I must incorporate to make a meal. Kind of like the show “Chopped”. I use whatever else I need from the fridge or pantry. They set a timer for 30 minutes. They are always willing to try the new creation too. Of course they are free to tell me how they would have fixed those ingredients, but it’s all in fun.
Yeesssssssss library plug!!!!!!!!!! I learned so much of what I know about cooking from checking out and cooking through cookbooks from my library and it was all freeee! Use your library people, for books and your library may even have events like cooking classes or seminars!
I think your videos and ideas are crazy good! I started meal planning Sundays for the week! I am not a good cook and cannot afford a huge grocery bill plus am trying to watch the waistline! You are amazing! And I have a great free grocery pick up thanks!
I experience food rut a lot ... it is probably my most frequent headache here. I have been finding that having a variety of foods made conveniently available for myself (freezer meal, making 2 batches one for now and one for the freezer, canned food - ideally self but I do also have some Campbell's in my pantry right now-) has made my headaches a lot less. If I remember to do the freezer thing (thawing, esp) great, if I have time in the morning but not night I do crackpot, when I'm sick or the kids have to "fend" or have some meals that are easy enough that my kids could make ready has made a world of difference. It has made my purchasing prepackaged products decrease significantly AND sometimes I even PLAN to have some prepackaged products for dinner. It helps motivate me to utilize my actual excuses rather than just letting lazy take over. It has taken a good over a year to stock up, use, develop some habits, learn some skills, plan some days, buy some stuff in bulk, and rotate through my pantry and freezers. My grocery budget has significantly decreased for my family of 5 and my repertoire has increased and the anxiety about dinner has definitely decreased overall. I still have those days but all my kids are 11, 14, and 15 and they are all active and 2 of them have some mental illnesses that are very difficult to mitigate and the last thing I want to think about when something comes up quickly is what to make for dinner and/or how to time it properly.
Something that no one ever seems to think about, or know how difficult it is, is cooking for one. Everything is catered to families or moms. Meanwhile, us single ladies and men struggle to buy ingriedents that wont go bad withiut eating the same thing every day. Do you know what i had for dinner today? I love celery, so i had celery with cream cheese on it for lunch & dinner, the day before i had celery in my salad and celery with peanutbutter for breakfast. The day before, another salad with celery for lunch and and celery stick with buffalo wings for dinner. Today i opened my fridge and realized i got theiugh all my celery, was so happy, thdn realized that my cucumber and tomatoes were going bad. Had to throw out half of the cucumber, and one tomato. Then i realized i wasnt hitting my calorie requirement for the day because of all the celery (recovering ED patient) so i had to drink some meal supplements. Plus i have more groceries i have to use up in the next few days or ill be throwing those out, but i wint reach my calorie intake if i jnly eat those foods. Its so easy to use up ingredients and make differnt meals for a family. Not so easy when cooking for one and trying to eat relatively healthy. Everyones videos are always focused on the families and the moms that i have to admit, some of us feel frustrated and forgotten for not having a family.
I made a great casserole tonight for dinner. Boiled two pounds of broccoli until soft. Drained them. Put back in hot pot. Added six slices of bread torn up. Added 1/3 cup milk. Added eight slices of American cheese, torn up. Stirred. Added a cup of shredded cheddar. Stirred. Added shredded rotisserie chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Boom! Done! A one bowl meal, protein, green veggie, and carbs.
A couple throw and go crockpot meals that I use are Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Swiss Steak. We eat both of these at least twice a month. SWISS STEAK 1 to 2 Lbs of Round Steak, Sirloin Tip Steak or Cubed Steak 2 cans of diced tomatoes 1 large sliced onion 2 bell peppers sliced 8 oz sliced mushrooms Salt and Pepper to taste Place everything in the crockpot. Cook low and slow 6 to 8 hours or on High 3 to 5 hours. We serve this with Baked Potatoes, Rice or I have even used Instant or Ready Made Refrigerated Mashed Potatoes like the Box Evans trays that you just heat in the microwave. We love to place the vegetables on top our rice or baked potatoes. BUFFALO CHICKEN 2 to 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 1 Ranch Packet for Every 2 Chicken Breasts 1 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce for Every 2 Breasts Cook on low 4 to 5 hours. Shred. Serve on Buns with extra Buffalo Sauce and either extra ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing. I serve this with raw carrots and celery and I often throw a bag of Waffle Fries in the air fryer for a full meal. When I can find them on markdown at my Kroger Pretzel or Brioche Buns are both good with this.
Rotating between multiple stores is definitely the easiest way to do multiple stores. Occasionally I'll miss a sale or pay $0.20 more because it's not worth the extra trip that week. I'll also plan to over shop when I go to Costco or Trader Joe's so I can only go every 5-7 weeks
These are wonderful ideas. I got a friend who gave me some hello fresh cards and I've had a great time getting outta a run by matching the recipes to foods I have here. We're low carb the kids ate on a balanced meal plan I love Nacho and taco night bc we can do bowls and lo carb wraps for tacos or burritos. A great meal is Asian night, I make up a lot of rice on meal prep day and I chop veggies for both a veggie lasagna and Asian night. Then you can add easy prep or ready rice to the veggies and and leftover or preped meat. I just do two nights of chicken or beef w garlic and onion then add Asian sauce and egg rolls or kimchi as sides!
When I was growing up (and I am OLD), you knew what day of the week it was by what my mother cooked. I remember a neighbor dropping by and she said, "Must be Friday! I smell fish!"
TBH, one of my favorite things after a busy day is seeing a new SMM video in my feed!!! I'm especially glad for this one because my YAs are not fans of turkey/pork tenderloins and I have two in the freezer, so the idea of slow-cooking and shredding the meat is perfect! Like you said, I'm pretty sure it's the consistency that they don't care for, rather than the flavor. So many great tips here, thank you!!
We have 6 kids still at home, but we are lucky to have a second fridge in the pantry. Anything that's for a future meal goes in there. Everything in the front fridge is "fair game." Do you have a drawer in your fridge or even the back of a shelf that you can designate for "hands off"?
I feel like I've ran into most of these situations before, and sometimes multiple ones in the same night! One that I'm currently struggling with is the varied diet one. I'm trying to lose weight, so I'm eating a lot of lean and green meals. But sometimes it's not filling enough for my husband. I've taken to getting quick convenient sides, like those 90 second rice pouches, just something that can be heated up really quick in the microwave. If what I'm making isn't filling enough for him, he can take a pouch of rice, throw it in the microwave, and then he has something more filling to put the meat on veggies on.
I was wondering what to do with the pound of grass fed beef I have thawing in the fridge. I'm going to have to make the picadillo. Haven't had it in a while and I love it!
I made meatballs tonight ,,, i put in ketchup, mayo and green relish, like a home style big mac ,,, i cooked them in the oven and put in crock pot with bbq sauce ,,, delicious,,, tks mindy ur awesome,, lv lv jilly
My brother works for Hello Fresh so I've fallen in love with cooking again! I'm a single mom who works outside the home (accountant) and their meals are so nice to make and have leftovers to take for lunch! I use it as a semi-meal prep since I eat one portion fresh and the 2nd leftover 😋 I know some people hate on leftovers but it's a huge money saver to cook in "bulk" or extra!
Love this! I marinade a few pounds of thin sliced chicken breast with a Greek marinade- First night its served with rice Pilaf, 2nd night i slice the chicken and serve it on a pita with lettuce, onion and Tzaziki, 3rd night I serve it on a salad and everyone can build it their salad 😊
Just found your channel. There were 4 of us and 1 paycheck per month! As the kiddos got a little older, I asked them for 4-5 meal ideas per month. Hubby also. There were a few rules. I chose the day the meal was made, and they had to eat each others choices! This helped with shopping and meal planning. Surprise to me, they all took it very seriously and most of the meals were foods we already liked. As kids got older, they helped with prep and cooking. Now, with just the 2 of us, I often make a large amount and we eat it for several dinners and a lunch or 2
I am absolutely in love❤ with all of your content. I am addicted to your channel. Your channel is the one I look for for new ideas. You're an awesome Wife and Mother🎉❤. Never change!
I have a very budget friendly easy meal to share.......... 2 boxes KRAFT mac n cheese, 1 lb hamburger cooked, small can corn drained, 10 oz can Campbells tomato soup, small chopped onion..... Make the mac n cheese as directed. when that's done just add in everything else. Its a child pleaser and SO good!!!!
I'm not a huge squash fan, and I just don't want to give up my pasta... but I don't mind spiraling a zucchini and doing a 50/50 blend of noodles and zoodles.
I'm single and live alone. I don't eat out because what I make at home is better. By the time Friday rolls around, I'm sick of packing food for work, washing containers, fighting 2 hours of traffic. I realize everyone can't do this, but I can tell you, tomorrow I will come home from work, have a margarita...and sit outside for 30 minutes or so. Regroup, reset. Meal plan for next week. I don't have to go to my kids soccer game, but I will be on my roof cleaning gutters.
I had to change the way I look at a meal plan. I could not follow the normal meal plan of tacos on Monday because of the reasons you stated. So for me my "meal plan" are meals that I can make during the week with what I have in the house. More of brain dump to remind me of what I have when it is time to make dinner. I also keep a list of freezer meals and pre-prepped meal kits that I have in the freezer on the fridge.
In Australia our summer is over Dec. school also finishes that month for the year, ontop of all the Christmas celebrations we do. I wish for a July-cember that sounds so much more manageable 😂
The picadillo I've eaten at Spanish/Cuban restaurants had no potatoes and either had green olives w/ pimentos OR raisins in it. (Some recipes called for both olives and raisins but I prefer one or the other but not both together.) It was served over rice.
I LOVE this video! I really struggle with fatigue, boredom, inconsistent schedules and tastes, and dietary restrictions. I first found you through the video of you passed out on the counter, the one you referenced in this video. I'm always trying some new diet and really struggle with what is healthy. I also just had a baby 4 months ago so I've gotten used to eating a lot of takeout. It's also really hard to cook with a baby. Sometimes, I can't put him down long enough to do much of anything.
I wonder if that delicious looking Mexican dish would be nice poured over a baked potato as an alternative. It could then be doubled and frozen for a meal with a quick microwaved baked potato.
Hey Mindy, this Garrett. I am watching on Shannon 2's Computer. You're doing great, and Shannon 2 says that you filmed a part of this video at 12:04. Congrats!
I HAVE to eat a ketogenic diet for my health... my kids need/want their carbs... its very simple to serve an entree mine is over cauliflower rice they grt real rice...i have zoodles they have pasta...i love the "crack chicken" over cauli rice or mash.... kids have it on buns... it take a tiny bit to figure out what works...but is easy once you do ❤️
Lot of great ideas Mindy! I am very lucky to have multiple stores within a mile or 2 apart. I also live on the Illinois Wisconsin border and is much cheaper to shop in Wisconsin.
My big problem was usually decision fatigue about constantly coming up with “what to eat.” Like …can other people just decide that for awhile? (Even tho it’s just me living alone) Lol. That also becomes difficult all the way around Bcuz you have to also constantly coordinate that with grocery shopping and food storage…so it’s kinda like a triple threat. I think I’m doing better with it now tho at least. I wound up just kind of “letting go” and just going with the flow. Like just stop stressing over always having to know what to eat. Maybe its ok to just not know sometimes as hunger will drive us to eat SOMETHING eventually. It works better for me to just relax my mind about it and just flow more with my intuition and keeping it stupid simple. I have also heard somewhere that great cooks don’t think too hard about it. They just relax and tap into their own creativity. They aren’t all that meticulous either. They just sort of guesstimate how much of what gets thrown together and they kind of intuit their cooking methods as they go. I would say that I was letting a lot of things get in my way like perfectionism, over thinking, trying too hard to “make it work” (like pushing the issue which just added even more stress about the whole thing) and a whole bunch of “shoulds” that I needed to just drop. It might be something like the Karate Kid method. Lol. Such as go wax the car and go do the chores in order to learn “fighting” skills. Like a counterintuitive approach. Forget about it for awhile and just let it come to you instead of running around desperately chasing IT. Or Aka the surrender concept. “Giving up” on it was the best thing I ever did. Lol. It completely opened the floodgates and I was suddenly whipping up dish after delicious dish with much more ease and ideas were multiplying like rabbits (even in other areas like food storage, prep, shopping etc). Now it’s “flowing” and I’m no longer living in such constant dread about having to make food decisions multiple times a day.
Could you do a video for healthy, affordable meals that are low carb? I'm diabetic and I absolutely love your videos, but it's hard finding affordable recipes that don't raise my blood sugar sky high.
I’m guilty of planning to have something that night, get the meat out to defrost then come 5pm think I’m to tired, can’t be bothered, don’t feel well etc etc so end up getting takeaway pizza, not good for the budget at all I know. I have had all the meal delivery apps, hello fresh, Dinnerly, every plate, Marley spoon, I’ve cancelled two of them and removed the apps, I’ve kept hello fresh and Dinnerly but did suspend my membership, you then wait for the “we miss you please come back and get $x amount off your next 4 boxes”. That’s when I’ll reactivate my account to take advantage of the great saving, I got 6 meals to serve 2 people with free shipping all for just $36 😮, I couldn’t knock back that great saving, 12 meals for $36! So try suspending or cancelling your membership then wait for their email and if you like the deal they are offering then just reactivate your account. My daughter cooks these meals with minimal amount of help, it’s great to teach kids how to cook as they either have recipe cards or full instructions on the app.
I love that you choose meals for the week and make them as you want or need too. I learned that from your other videos, and it has saved me budget wise. Thanks so much! I'm going to try some of the ones you prepared in this video. Plus I'm going to try Green Chef too. Thanks for the discount! 😊
I loved Green Chef. It's a little pricier than Hello Fresh, so I opted to try HF for a while to show my viewers something different. They're both good.
Hi my family might be trying budgets meals plans because we trying a new car we tried today but it. Was too much money so I showed my mom one of your videos than she said she might watch it later I’m watching the video lAter I’m at 7 at battery
One more helpful hint: I don't always have to be the one cooking, shopping, or coming up with ideas. All my kids started helping prepare meals at 4-5 (man, did they love the salad spinner!) and by the time they were 10, 9 and 7 regularly had a night for which they were responsible. This helped enormously with pickiness, as well. My husband pitched in by picking up the deals at various grocery stores on the way home a couple of times a month (very detailed list required.)
Love this!
Great ideas! The meal kits are really handy for chefs in training. My son does a meal kit a couple of times a week, and I love that he's got those training wheels in the kitchen.
Great idea
I made my kids help with chores around the house and food
Kind ✔️ Positive ✔️ Encouraging ✔️ Realistic ✔️. Thanks for a great video, Mindy!!
Thanks for watching, Kimberly!
I had a friend who was married with 2 kids and. They were on such a tight budget she bought the exact same list of groceries every payday. She never bought anything othher than what was on the list.They ate the same thing over and over, but it worked and kept them with full bellies until they got out of their budget crunch.
On the library point, a lot of libraries have digital copies of books you can borrow and read on a computer, phone, etc. You don’t even have to leave the house !
I love downloading books from our public library. I never thought to look for cookbooks at the library. Such a great idea.
Oh that's so true! I've even looked at a few before on my kindle!
The cookbook suggestion is what I do - I have a lot of cookbooks, so when I’m in a rut, I pick a book and cook through it. I rediscover old favorites and find new ones. The Gooseberry Patch series is good for this - interesting stories accompany each recipe and it’s rare that a recipe will go beyond one page.
I LOVE cookbooks so much; I buy cookbooks at book fairs, garage sales, thrift stores... I have BOXES of them lol. But they are incredibly helpful for when you are in a rut.
I like old ones from the 20-30’s. It brings lots of memories of my grandmother
I pressure can ground beef to have on hand at all times. If I need a quick spaghetti, I can grab a jar and add it to quick noodles with some sauce. Boom, you have a meal! You could also have some pre-cooked meat in the freezer to save time as well. When I make a "build your own" meal, my husband calls that a "some assembly required" dinner
I like your husband’s term, totally going to use that!
Loved this video!!
For all the parents of picky eaters, I know I've posted this a ton of times lol. I bought a cheap dehydrator and dehydrate frozen veggies in it (since they're already blanched). Then I put them in a food processor and have cheap veggie powder. I sprinkle it in food and my toddler is clueless. I feel better knowing he's getting veggies somehow even though he is in a very strong willed stage of toddler life lol
This is a great idea! It would help with my picky eater. My youngest will eat pretty much any fruit but almost no veggies. Thanks!
I use the pickup option at our grocery stores. I can shop at night next to my husband on the couch while we watch a show. Checking the prices at the various stores against each other. Once shopped at 4 stores in one hour - 3 pick ups and 1 actual shopping. Really works for my season of life.
This is the only way I grocery shop anymore. I have Walmart Plus and they deliver with that. Completely changed the game for me. I haven't stepped foot in a Walmart in MONTHS. it's been glorious lol
Great ideas as always Mindy! I'm a single-person household and I love how your ideas even reply to my situation. My friends consider me a bit of a picky eater but I'm happy to eat the same food for like three or four meals so if I make a casserole or something I'm happy to heat it up for the next couple of days. So for anyone who thinks this channel isn't relevant for single people you are completely wrong! Thanks so much Mindy!
I am in the same boat and do the same. I meal prep 2 main meals for a week, plus breakfast and I love having easily grabbed meals
I am alone as well. I make big pots of soups or chili. I can eat on it for several days.
Thanks so much, Rosemary! I'm also a person who can eat the same things. My mother has eaten peanut butter toast for breakfast almost every single morning since I've known her these 40 years. LOL! Runs in the family. :)
I’m also cooking for one, I’ve been in the “don’t feel like cooking” boat lately just eating the same easy things over and over.
I like throwing together a pasta salad around the middle of the week for the super hot days when cooking is just blah
For households with different dietary needs- the way that worked for my husband and I when I was on a weight loss journey is that I cooked the main protein or item in a way that met everyone's needs (whether that meant low fat butter or cream cheese, sugar substitutes, etc.) and then the sides would meet each person's needs/wants individually. So sometimes I had just broccoli and he had broccoli and rice. I used low carb tortillas while he used regular. I had pasta sauce with zucchini noodles and he had regular noodles. He ate pizzas with regular mini pizza crusts and I made a keto crust.
I always keeps ingredients (or convenience foods) on hand for about 3 easy/quick meals + frozen pizzas for those nights where what's on the meal plan doesn't sound good or would take too much time or effort. I'm looking at you - sausage in the freezer + rice a roni, frozen chicken tenders + french fries or instant mashed potatoes. Pair with some frozen or canned veggies - so simple and quick.
Great ideas. Mindy has taught me that sautéed peppers can be a side dish for any meal, not just fajitas, and that a salad kit can be a mix-in with roasted chicken. Serve it as a salad or on a tortilla or in a pita.
Think outside the box sometimes.
Glad I could give some ideas!
We cook once eat twice all the time. Is so great! Hubby does the heat up day 🤣 But he is breakfast for dinner guy! That's his thing he does well besides grilling!
Oh yeah, my kids LOVE breakfast!
I have heard that Anna Wintour eats the same breakfast/lunch every day! I feel for you. My life is chlldless, yet frenetic enough even without the little treasures!
Thank you for the video!
I’m making pulled pork in the slow cooker for tonight’s dinner. ☺️ Toss a quartered onion in, place the meat on top, pour the sauce in. That’s it. Takes less than 5 minutes!
Love it!
one of my favorite quick meals is broccoli pitas. I mixed diced ham lunchmeat, diced slices of Swiss cheese, red onion diced, and frozen broccoli florets cooked, cooled, and the big florets cut smaller. Add bottled ranch dressing to moisten and serve in the pita bread. Absolutely delicious! I haven't found one person who didn't love it.
One of thosethings that I do in cooler months is that once every couple of weeks I'll troll my fridge for veggies that are in desperate need of being used up. Then I troll my fridge and sometimes freezer for meat that needs to be used up (sometimes beef, sometimes chicken, sometimes sausage... pretty much anything works here). After that I wash and chop all the veggies up and dump the carrots, onions, peppers, celery, type veggies {ones that can take or need a lot of cooking time) in the slow cooker. Then I add whatever meat I found that needs to be used up and some boullion or broth and set the crock pot for 4 hours. At that point, if I have softer veggies (potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, etc... )that need to be used up I add them. Set the slow cooker to cook for another 2 hours and walk away. We call it "stone soup" and in the summer I prep the veggies that need to be used up and separate them by "hard" and "soft" and throw them in the freezer to await use in the cooler months. One quart bag that is "soft" and one that is "hard" and then I pop them in the freezer in a gallon bag - sometimes I throw the meat I plan to use in the gallon bag too. In hot weather it takes minutes once every couple of weeks to throw the veg together for "Stone Soup" (Shoutout to anyone who read that book) and it's there in the freezer when it's -5 outside and you're out of ideas.
Another one that I do is to wash and dry dry beans and throw THEM in the bag in the freezer that holds the ham bone and other seasonings for Bean Soup.
Out of ideas and have some leftover meat and veggies you need to useup? Make your own rice-a-roni. Toast some broken up spaghetti or orzo in a pan along with some rice, dump in the veggies and meat, add liquid (leftover gravy, boullion and water, broth from a can... whatever) bring to a boil, lower the heat, stir occasionally and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it sit a few minutes and you have a full meal without really having to DO much other than toast some rice and pasta.
I'm OLD and LAZY when it comes to cooking - it it takes me more than 15 minutes of prep time I'm NOT doing it unless it's a holiday or I want to impress someone.
I loved that at the end of the video you recognized how difficult it can be to when you’ve got babies and small children. The acknowledgment was much appreciated!
I've been there. I loved my babies as babies, but I also don't miss that season in a lot of ways!
I particularly loved your sage advice that it is okay to keep the meals simple and it is okay to eat the same things often. Sometimes in some seasons of life it is just SO nice not to have to think up new ideas. It is super easy to tweek those standby meals and make them a bit different if you do get tired of the same old same old. ❤
I keep frozen chopped onions and peppers on hand as well as frozen hashbrowns for nights when I don't have time to chop.
Great tip!
15:03 this right here! Now I live equally close to a great grocery and to Walmart. They’re across the street from each other. I’ve noticed Walmart doesn’t charge extra on pick up, but the grocery store slightly marks up each item that’s not an advertised special. So I schedule a pick up for both, in the same hour and hit one after the other. I get just the sale items at the regular grocery pick up and do most of the rest at Walmart pick up. I do make a twice a month run into Costco (hello teenage homeschooling boys!)…
When I lived far from a variety of stores, I did choose to shop the specials at one each week and tried to buy several items ahead. So if I shopped Walmart, I’d try to get enough for the month of all the things that were crazy low there. Building up, initially, took some patience, or if I ran out of something early it was a bummer, but it still helped stretch my money while saving my time and sanity.
Another thing I do is, if I’m making an unplanned stop at a store, I pull up their ad and get whatever is a steal while I’m there anyway. I don’t go out of my way, but don’t waste the opportunity. For example, we have a relatively expensive tiny grocery VERY close to our house. We only go there if we forgot something that absolutely can’t wait. BUT I also make sure to pick up loss leaders we use while I’m at it. 😂
Always grab the loss leaders! That's a good tip! :)
I need a video specially addressing the situation of “I don’t want to turn on the stove, I don’t want to turn on the oven, I don’t even want to BE IN my kitchen and I forgot to start the crockpot” meals. Lol!
I put a previously browned pork tenderloin in the crock pot for dinner, 92* here today, turned it on warm. Dinner tomorrow, pizza for dinner 😮
I’m not a crockpot fan. To me things turn soupy. I use instant pot because frozen to dinner in an hour
The traditional way of eating the Picadillo is with white rice. Many of our Hispanic cultures also add green olives 🫒 and others add raisins. I personally prefer olives or capers. Yours looks great!
We do both the raisins and the olives!
I knew about the olives, I didn't know about the raisins, though!
No on the white rice, Spanish rice is the way to go! But either way rice is good
It's not often a cooking/lifestyle/recipe video makes me cry, but you accomplished it with this one. A good cry of course. Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful videos. Even though I've had years of experience cooking and catering, I've found them incredibly helpful over the past few years, since my husband and I found ourselves unexpectedly taking in 3 children to raise, including 2 little ones who have dramatically changed the way our house and cooking was done. 💓
I thinks this is your best video yet Mindy. Terrific advice for those in different seasons of their lives. I'm almost 72 (June 8th), but I still have 4 grandkids (14-20) at home with me, so your suggestions are quite valuable. Do you have suggestions/ideas for seniors alone or couples?
I personally enjoy grocery shopping. I leave my kids with my husband and get to have a little time where it is just mommy. Having a list is the only way to stay on budget these days with the prices being what they are, but I do love the treasure hunt known as the clearance section.
Thanks for all your videos they have helped me and my family.
I've been eyeing that slow cooker since you showed it the other day in a video! I really like the saute/brown option since my pressure cooker doesn't have that function.
I'm using it again today. I like it better than my IP Aura. The slow cook function works better (to temperature) in my opinion than the IP brand did.
I also operate on a "boring monday thru Saturday" but save sundays for a super fun fancy pinterest recipe...some become keepers...some do not!
I cook a whole 3# chub of gb at one time and portion control it for the freezer. Tacos in minutes, ditto adding gb to pasta sauce and spaghetti,
Great informative video! And, as you were remembering young parents with infants and small children needing to make meals….it brought to my mind those of us who have been or still are caregivers to a loved one. This can be a very time-consuming job as well, not to mention the exhaustion that comes with it, but light, easy, and healthy meals help greatly!
So true!
In our house we make picadillo with refried beans and tortillas 😊 sometimes we add Spanish rice. It's also a great way to make burritos or chimichangas.
I ate the leftovers in a tortilla the next day. So good!
Sometimes, it's just a simple ham sandwich with a side of chips. Cheap and easy and fills the belly.
I make sure to keep an eye out for nights I know I am not going to make it home until later and utilize crock pot meals for those days. That way the night before I can gather everything up for the recipe and put my crock pot out on the counter. The morning of, I throw everything into the crock pot and then by dinner its ready. Only issue I have ever had with that is when I forget to turn on the crock pot lol
16:52 I’ve been gf for 8 years. Meal planning helps a ton. I’ve got a ton of great gf recipes my family likes, but I usually also make one meal for me that I reheat and eat throughout the week on nights they’re having something I can’t eat. Easy peasy.
That's a great plan! Good tip. ;)
Oh I love these tips, and seeing all the dinners looked great, especially varying the cooking methods and the short cut meals, like a simple sub sandwich or to stretch over a few days, I have been in a rut, so I bought all favorite vegetables but I kept putting off prepping them, then got bored, so now my rule is the day you buy the vegetable, cook it within 1 day to avoid things going bad.
Great tip!
I just love you Mindy. You are always here with a smile and encouraging words😊 also lots of great easy meal ideas.
Thanks so much, Angela!
I always have extra food staples in my freezer or pantry. When I can’t think of anything to make, I send my kids, I have four, to each find an ingredient that I must incorporate to make a meal. Kind of like the show “Chopped”. I use whatever else I need from the fridge or pantry. They set a timer for 30 minutes. They are always willing to try the new creation too. Of course they are free to tell me how they would have fixed those ingredients, but it’s all in fun.
Yeesssssssss library plug!!!!!!!!!! I learned so much of what I know about cooking from checking out and cooking through cookbooks from my library and it was all freeee! Use your library people, for books and your library may even have events like cooking classes or seminars!
I think your videos and ideas are crazy good! I started meal planning Sundays for the week! I am not a good cook and cannot afford a huge grocery bill plus am trying to watch the waistline! You are amazing! And I have a great free grocery pick up thanks!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Valerie! :)
I experience food rut a lot ... it is probably my most frequent headache here. I have been finding that having a variety of foods made conveniently available for myself (freezer meal, making 2 batches one for now and one for the freezer, canned food - ideally self but I do also have some Campbell's in my pantry right now-) has made my headaches a lot less. If I remember to do the freezer thing (thawing, esp) great, if I have time in the morning but not night I do crackpot, when I'm sick or the kids have to "fend" or have some meals that are easy enough that my kids could make ready has made a world of difference. It has made my purchasing prepackaged products decrease significantly AND sometimes I even PLAN to have some prepackaged products for dinner. It helps motivate me to utilize my actual excuses rather than just letting lazy take over. It has taken a good over a year to stock up, use, develop some habits, learn some skills, plan some days, buy some stuff in bulk, and rotate through my pantry and freezers. My grocery budget has significantly decreased for my family of 5 and my repertoire has increased and the anxiety about dinner has definitely decreased overall. I still have those days but all my kids are 11, 14, and 15 and they are all active and 2 of them have some mental illnesses that are very difficult to mitigate and the last thing I want to think about when something comes up quickly is what to make for dinner and/or how to time it properly.
Something that no one ever seems to think about, or know how difficult it is, is cooking for one. Everything is catered to families or moms. Meanwhile, us single ladies and men struggle to buy ingriedents that wont go bad withiut eating the same thing every day. Do you know what i had for dinner today? I love celery, so i had celery with cream cheese on it for lunch & dinner, the day before i had celery in my salad and celery with peanutbutter for breakfast. The day before, another salad with celery for lunch and and celery stick with buffalo wings for dinner. Today i opened my fridge and realized i got theiugh all my celery, was so happy, thdn realized that my cucumber and tomatoes were going bad. Had to throw out half of the cucumber, and one tomato. Then i realized i wasnt hitting my calorie requirement for the day because of all the celery (recovering ED patient) so i had to drink some meal supplements. Plus i have more groceries i have to use up in the next few days or ill be throwing those out, but i wint reach my calorie intake if i jnly eat those foods. Its so easy to use up ingredients and make differnt meals for a family. Not so easy when cooking for one and trying to eat relatively healthy. Everyones videos are always focused on the families and the moms that i have to admit, some of us feel frustrated and forgotten for not having a family.
I made a great casserole tonight for dinner. Boiled two pounds of broccoli until soft. Drained them. Put back in hot pot. Added six slices of bread torn up. Added 1/3 cup milk. Added eight slices of American cheese, torn up. Stirred. Added a cup of shredded cheddar. Stirred. Added shredded rotisserie chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Boom! Done! A one bowl meal, protein, green veggie, and carbs.
Yet ANOTHER reminder that my crock pot game needs an upgrade (I have the standard no rack, dial that just does off/high/low/warm… thing)
My manual SC is my go-to for slow cooking meat, like chicken and beef and pork for shredding. It gets the job done!
A couple
throw and go crockpot meals that I use are Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Swiss Steak. We eat both of these at least twice a month.
SWISS STEAK
1 to 2 Lbs of Round Steak, Sirloin Tip Steak or Cubed Steak
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 large sliced onion
2 bell peppers sliced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place everything in the crockpot. Cook low and slow 6 to 8 hours or on High 3 to 5 hours. We serve this with Baked Potatoes, Rice or I have even used Instant or Ready Made Refrigerated Mashed Potatoes like the Box Evans trays that you just heat in the microwave. We love to place the vegetables on top our rice or baked potatoes.
BUFFALO CHICKEN
2 to 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 Ranch Packet for Every 2 Chicken Breasts
1 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce for Every 2 Breasts
Cook on low 4 to 5 hours. Shred. Serve on Buns with extra Buffalo Sauce and either extra ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing. I serve this with raw carrots and celery and I often throw a bag of Waffle Fries in the air fryer for a full meal.
When I can find them on markdown at my Kroger Pretzel or Brioche Buns are both good with this.
Rotating between multiple stores is definitely the easiest way to do multiple stores. Occasionally I'll miss a sale or pay $0.20 more because it's not worth the extra trip that week. I'll also plan to over shop when I go to Costco or Trader Joe's so I can only go every 5-7 weeks
These are wonderful ideas. I got a friend who gave me some hello fresh cards and I've had a great time getting outta a run by matching the recipes to foods I have here.
We're low carb the kids ate on a balanced meal plan I love Nacho and taco night bc we can do bowls and lo carb wraps for tacos or burritos.
A great meal is Asian night, I make up a lot of rice on meal prep day and I chop veggies for both a veggie lasagna and Asian night. Then you can add easy prep or ready rice to the veggies and and leftover or preped meat. I just do two nights of chicken or beef w garlic and onion then add Asian sauce and egg rolls or kimchi as sides!
Always look forward to your videos. They are so helpful, and sometimes they are like you're reading my mind.
thanks so much, Alma! I appreciate that. :)
@@SeeMindyMom you're welcome, friend.
My mother fixed oatmeal with fruit cocktail and eggs on toast for a go to supper all the time.
When I was growing up (and I am OLD), you knew what day of the week it was by what my mother cooked. I remember a neighbor dropping by and she said, "Must be Friday! I smell fish!"
haha! If I didn't have a channel devoted to food, I would definitely adopt that strategy from time to time.
I'm all of them at once. Tired, tight budget, short on time sometimes combined with food rut has made me long for carryout.
Oh and add in picky eaters
TBH, one of my favorite things after a busy day is seeing a new SMM video in my feed!!! I'm especially glad for this one because my YAs are not fans of turkey/pork tenderloins and I have two in the freezer, so the idea of slow-cooking and shredding the meat is perfect! Like you said, I'm pretty sure it's the consistency that they don't care for, rather than the flavor. So many great tips here, thank you!!
Thanks so much! I'm the same way about tenderloin. I much prefer it shredded than sliced.
Thanks Mindy! It was so sweet that you gave a shout out to the new Mom’s. How you said, it is a blessing but also a very challenging time❤️
For sure!
My biggest pet peeve is when someone eats what I was planning on cooking for a meal. Lol I have to reset and figure out something else.
That happens in my household, too. My kids have learned with a food youtuber for a mom to ask, "is this for a video, mom?" LOL!
We have 6 kids still at home, but we are lucky to have a second fridge in the pantry. Anything that's for a future meal goes in there. Everything in the front fridge is "fair game."
Do you have a drawer in your fridge or even the back of a shelf that you can designate for "hands off"?
Love your videos, Mindy. You are so informative and helpful and comprehensive. This is a good one. 😊
Thank you Mary! I have a great "team" helping me, too. RUclips pals, my husband, a fantastic editor...it's super fun. :)
I feel like I've ran into most of these situations before, and sometimes multiple ones in the same night! One that I'm currently struggling with is the varied diet one. I'm trying to lose weight, so I'm eating a lot of lean and green meals. But sometimes it's not filling enough for my husband. I've taken to getting quick convenient sides, like those 90 second rice pouches, just something that can be heated up really quick in the microwave. If what I'm making isn't filling enough for him, he can take a pouch of rice, throw it in the microwave, and then he has something more filling to put the meat on veggies on.
I was wondering what to do with the pound of grass fed beef I have thawing in the fridge. I'm going to have to make the picadillo. Haven't had it in a while and I love it!
It was so good! And so easy. Lots of ingredients that I usually have anyway.
Getting fed is the goal! Love it! Thank you!
I just got some pork tenderloin 50% off today. I'm excited to try this!
That's a good deal!
I made meatballs tonight ,,, i put in ketchup, mayo and green relish, like a home style big mac ,,, i cooked them in the oven and put in crock pot with bbq sauce ,,, delicious,,, tks mindy ur awesome,, lv lv jilly
My brother works for Hello Fresh so I've fallen in love with cooking again! I'm a single mom who works outside the home (accountant) and their meals are so nice to make and have leftovers to take for lunch! I use it as a semi-meal prep since I eat one portion fresh and the 2nd leftover 😋 I know some people hate on leftovers but it's a huge money saver to cook in "bulk" or extra!
Postpartum mom here! I appreciate the shoutout - feels good to be seen 💛
Love this! I marinade a few pounds of thin sliced chicken breast with a Greek marinade- First night its served with rice Pilaf, 2nd night i slice the chicken and serve it on a pita with lettuce, onion and Tzaziki, 3rd night I serve it on a salad and everyone can build it their salad 😊
Just found your channel. There were 4 of us and 1 paycheck per month! As the kiddos got a little older, I asked them for 4-5 meal ideas per month. Hubby also. There were a few rules. I chose the day the meal was made, and they had to eat each others choices! This helped with shopping and meal planning. Surprise to me, they all took it very seriously and most of the meals were foods we already liked. As kids got older, they helped with prep and cooking. Now, with just the 2 of us, I often make a large amount and we eat it for several dinners and a lunch or 2
I am absolutely in love❤ with all of your content. I am addicted to your channel. Your channel is the one I look for for new ideas. You're an awesome Wife and Mother🎉❤. Never change!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words. :)
I have a very budget friendly easy meal to share.......... 2 boxes KRAFT mac n cheese, 1 lb hamburger cooked, small can corn drained, 10 oz can Campbells tomato soup, small chopped onion.....
Make the mac n cheese as directed. when that's done just add in everything else. Its a child pleaser and SO good!!!!
Great information and ideas offered! Thank you!
I'm not a huge squash fan, and I just don't want to give up my pasta... but I don't mind spiraling a zucchini and doing a 50/50 blend of noodles and zoodles.
That's a reasonable approach!
I'm single and live alone. I don't eat out because what I make at home is better. By the time Friday rolls around, I'm sick of packing food for work, washing containers, fighting 2 hours of traffic. I realize everyone can't do this, but I can tell you, tomorrow I will come home from work, have a margarita...and sit outside for 30 minutes or so. Regroup, reset. Meal plan for next week. I don't have to go to my kids soccer game, but I will be on my roof cleaning gutters.
I like your thoughts on not pinning a certain meal to a particular day. Weeks always change. Good video and thanks for links to old videos. ❤❤❤
I had to change the way I look at a meal plan. I could not follow the normal meal plan of tacos on Monday because of the reasons you stated. So for me my "meal plan" are meals that I can make during the week with what I have in the house. More of brain dump to remind me of what I have when it is time to make dinner. I also keep a list of freezer meals and pre-prepped meal kits that I have in the freezer on the fridge.
You truly offer the most useful information, thanks!!
Thanks so much, Theresa! I really appreciate that!
In Australia our summer is over Dec. school also finishes that month for the year, ontop of all the Christmas celebrations we do. I wish for a July-cember that sounds so much more manageable 😂
We make picadillo to stuff in a turkey for Thanksgiving
Great video Mindy but that’s not surprising!😊I love picadillo especially the Cuban one that has green olives in it!
Thanks, Delline! Yes, I noticed a lot of recipes called for olives. I'm not a fan so I left them out! LOL
@@SeeMindyMom I remember you saying that at one point!🥴
Very helpful advise!
My thought and idea is I forget to take out meat or the starter.
I just Southern California had Fred Myers and Winco
The picadillo I've eaten at Spanish/Cuban restaurants had no potatoes and either had green olives w/ pimentos OR raisins in it. (Some recipes called for both olives and raisins but I prefer one or the other but not both together.) It was served over rice.
I LOVE this video! I really struggle with fatigue, boredom, inconsistent schedules and tastes, and dietary restrictions. I first found you through the video of you passed out on the counter, the one you referenced in this video. I'm always trying some new diet and really struggle with what is healthy. I also just had a baby 4 months ago so I've gotten used to eating a lot of takeout. It's also really hard to cook with a baby. Sometimes, I can't put him down long enough to do much of anything.
I've been there! I remember those days. :)
Love love love!!!! Realistic - AMEN!
I wonder if that delicious looking Mexican dish would be nice poured over a baked potato as an alternative. It could then be doubled and frozen for a meal with a quick microwaved baked potato.
Hey Mindy, this Garrett. I am watching on Shannon 2's Computer. You're doing great, and Shannon 2 says that you filmed a part of this video at 12:04. Congrats!
I HAVE to eat a ketogenic diet for my health... my kids need/want their carbs... its very simple to serve an entree mine is over cauliflower rice they grt real rice...i have zoodles they have pasta...i love the "crack chicken" over cauli rice or mash.... kids have it on buns... it take a tiny bit to figure out what works...but is easy once you do ❤️
But traveling to different stores uses more gas which can eat up your grocery savings! Definitely something to consider 😊
Lot of great ideas Mindy! I am very lucky to have multiple stores within a mile or 2 apart. I also live on the Illinois Wisconsin border and is much cheaper to shop in Wisconsin.
My big problem was usually decision fatigue about constantly coming up with “what to eat.” Like …can other people just decide that for awhile? (Even tho it’s just me living alone) Lol. That also becomes difficult all the way around Bcuz you have to also constantly coordinate that with grocery shopping and food storage…so it’s kinda like a triple threat. I think I’m doing better with it now tho at least.
I wound up just kind of “letting go” and just going with the flow. Like just stop stressing over always having to know what to eat. Maybe its ok to just not know sometimes as hunger will drive us to eat SOMETHING eventually. It works better for me to just relax my mind about it and just flow more with my intuition and keeping it stupid simple. I have also heard somewhere that great cooks don’t think too hard about it. They just relax and tap into their own creativity. They aren’t all that meticulous either. They just sort of guesstimate how much of what gets thrown together and they kind of intuit their cooking methods as they go.
I would say that I was letting a lot of things get in my way like perfectionism, over thinking, trying too hard to “make it work” (like pushing the issue which just added even more stress about the whole thing) and a whole bunch of “shoulds” that I needed to just drop. It might be something like the Karate Kid method. Lol. Such as go wax the car and go do the chores in order to learn “fighting” skills. Like a counterintuitive approach. Forget about it for awhile and just let it come to you instead of running around desperately chasing IT. Or Aka the surrender concept. “Giving up” on it was the best thing I ever did. Lol. It completely opened the floodgates and I was suddenly whipping up dish after delicious dish with much more ease and ideas were multiplying like rabbits (even in other areas like food storage, prep, shopping etc). Now it’s “flowing” and I’m no longer living in such constant dread about having to make food decisions multiple times a day.
I would ask my coworkers for an easy good recipe...... they had a lot of good ideas
Could you do a video for healthy, affordable meals that are low carb? I'm diabetic and I absolutely love your videos, but it's hard finding affordable recipes that don't raise my blood sugar sky high.
I’m guilty of planning to have something that night, get the meat out to defrost then come 5pm think I’m to tired, can’t be bothered, don’t feel well etc etc so end up getting takeaway pizza, not good for the budget at all I know.
I have had all the meal delivery apps, hello fresh, Dinnerly, every plate, Marley spoon, I’ve cancelled two of them and removed the apps, I’ve kept hello fresh and Dinnerly but did suspend my membership, you then wait for the “we miss you please come back and get $x amount off your next 4 boxes”. That’s when I’ll reactivate my account to take advantage of the great saving, I got 6 meals to serve 2 people with free shipping all for just $36 😮, I couldn’t knock back that great saving, 12 meals for $36! So try suspending or cancelling your membership then wait for their email and if you like the deal they are offering then just reactivate your account.
My daughter cooks these meals with minimal amount of help, it’s great to teach kids how to cook as they either have recipe cards or full instructions on the app.
Love this video since I almost always think cooking totally sucks! 😄❤💙💚
If you like spice add green chile
Thank you Mindy! I very much needed this talk!
I love that you choose meals for the week and make them as you want or need too. I learned that from your other videos, and it has saved me budget wise. Thanks so much! I'm going to try some of the ones you prepared in this video. Plus I'm going to try Green Chef too. Thanks for the discount! 😊
I loved Green Chef. It's a little pricier than Hello Fresh, so I opted to try HF for a while to show my viewers something different. They're both good.
Oops I meant Hello Fresh. I’ll try them first. 😊
Eggs were 88cents at Aldi today. Thought of you.
I’m going to try this recipe tonight! It looks amazing.
Great video thanks !!
Hi my family might be trying budgets meals plans because we trying a new car we tried today but it. Was too much money so I showed my mom one of your videos than she said she might watch it later I’m watching the video lAter I’m at 7 at battery
Hi Mindy thanks so much for all the great ideas and inspiration to share with my friends and family 😊❤️👍
Thanks so much for watching!
Awesome ideas, thanks Mindy,❤️❤️❤️
Thanks so much, Christeen!
Good ideas