I hope you enjoy today's video! Here are the time stamps for your reference. 0:00 Intro & Meal Plan 5:25 Potato Gratin 6:12 Salmon with Dungeness crab a la Balboa 9:16 Chicken Piccata 14:26 Chicken Crescent Roll-ups 17:18 Tacos 19:17 Linguini with clams and peach crisp For all recipes, please visit my corresponding blogpost (linked in the description box). Let us know how you like to meal plan, or if you would like to implement it into your homemaking. Love, Jennifer
And yes, please more of these. I'd love it if you could collab with une femme de certain age who addresses meals for one at this level of deliciousness? I'd be eating tacos for a month if I made that much food. LOL!
I live in Alaska so we have salmon often! I hate to be say this but sometimes it gets old. However, the crab topping 🤯. I think that will become a staple in our household! Thank you for the marvelous ideas. And also thank you for showing us how to delight in these things rather than just get through them the fastest we can. It's possible to enjoy these daily rituals and I love that. Thank so much. Keep up the great work!
Hello Jennifer! I just love your cooking videos! This was wonderful (as ALWAYS!) and so encouraging to have you acknowledge your own struggles with the meal planning challenge. Just an FYI - the citrus juicer is actually intended to be used by positioning the lemon half in the opposite direction (counterintuitive, I know!). This will enable you to get way more juice and less of the bitter citrus oils from the skin. If you roll the lemon, or microwave for 5-10 seconds first you will get even more juice.
i know Im asking the wrong place but does anyone know of a way to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my account password. I love any tips you can offer me
My husband and I were talking about meal planning the other day. He thought it should take a 'few minutes' to plan for the week. I nearly pushed him out of the moving car. The mental load of planning meals, making sure everyone likes them, keeping good recipes in rotation, inventorying for ingredients, shopping for food, seeing what is on sale, shopping my freezer, seeing what I have that is about to spoil, preparing meals, cleaning up after... it is exhausting. I laid it out for him and I got SILENCE. He cooked me lobster tail and steak that night ;)
My husband, who is a wonderful helper, also does not understand all that goes into meal planning and grocery shopping! He makes 4 dishes well and would only serve those meals if up to him. It would take him 5 minutes tops. But he is also the first to comment if I make the same dishes too often. I had him sir and help me once. He no longer comments on how long it takes me and has even thanked me for all I do as a wife, mom to 5, and full time teacher! 😊 Smiles, Abby Smith
Lynette Young, when you mentioned "making sure everyone likes the meals" it reminded me of my childhood. I come from a time when you either ate what was prepared or you did without. Needless-to-say I'm not a picky eater :)
My favourite dinner “hack” besides meal planning - is to cook dinner earlier in the day. I absolutely loathe making dinner when I’m hungry, the children are hungry, needy and clingy. So I’ve been making dinner right after lunch and then warming it up (or just leaving it on all afternoon if it’s a soup or stew). On seafood night, I will get as much prepped as I can do it’s literally turning on the oven or frying pan just before I want to serve the meal. It really helps keep those tricky late afternoons calm and helps me enjoy cooking rather than dread it the entire day. All your meals looked delicious! Especially the salmon/crab and peach cobbler. I think I’ll have to try both those recipes. Thanks for another great and helpful video!
Halcyon Days I do this too - for other reasons . I’m 79 and just get too tired in the evening to start cooking and I prepare as much as I can much earlier in the afternoon .
I’m not sure if anyone’s said this yet, but when you’re using the lemon press, put the cut side down towards the holes in the bottom, and you’ll extract more juices as the rind will then be forced to pop out around the reamer when you press down upon the handles. I hope I’m explaining that well enough. I didn’t know that- learned it in a Sur la Table cooking class myself. :)
Watching this a year later. I've been married for a year and expecting my first child in a few weeks. Even though I've been through 2 years of culinary school, I was clueless when it came to home cooking. It's a whole different game. The planning is always the hardest part for me and it made me think that I just hated cooking. I honestly dread being in the kitchen. This video was very encouraging.
You make me feel like I can do this. I’ve been a workaholic career woman and now I’m staying at home with my twins while hubby works. This is all new to me. I’ve watched you clean the bathroom, make dinner, I’m reading Madame Chic... you just give me so much HOPE. Thank you 💕
When you said “3 meals a day...forever” i wanted to cry and laugh at the same time! So funny. But im with 4 now too, my youngest is 1 and then i have a 2yr old (bad idea) and then 5yr old and a 9yr old and a husband who eats spicy food (hes pakistani) and between cooking kids meals of french toast and butter toast and plain pasta and then the alternatives for myself and my husband.... and my mum died 2yrs ago and i realise now that i basically ate ubereats for a lot of the past 2yrs..... im just getting back into cooking on the daily again. I really love your fall tea cake by the way, my kids ADORE it and it vanishes in a few hours, i add allspice to the mix itself though as a tastier version (i think the butter and sugar and cinnamon on the top gets them the most). Your reipes have helped me so much, as have your serving plates. I recently bought a new dinner set because id bought one from kmart last yr online, and when i got it the plates for dinner were homestly the same as serving platters! And so heavy. And so now we have regular pretty light plates and side dishes. I am trying to eat off the side dishes more to lose my baby weight. Gah. It is hard. But thankyou SO much for letting me choose to be more elegant and to love my body more. Your videos about homemaking are soooooo inspiring, i even went on shein last night and bought 3 pretty blouses just so i will have pretty frilled sleeves above my lovely linen apron which im pretty sure i also bought because of you. Thankyou for giving me hope and a happiness about looking after my home. I would LOVE it if you would do a daily routine video (timings of chores etc, like when you wash dishes etc, when you do laundry folding). Xxx
LOL Reminds me of a Barbara Michaels novel where she was thinking about meal planning. Can't remember the exact line, but something like like, "Chicken, fish, beef, pork. Chicken, fish, beef, pork."
Jennifer - please please please do more videos like this. It’s so helpful! I just had my 3rd baby and I’m struggling so much to figure out meal planning and recipes. I’m slowly getting the hang of it, but seeing the whole thing in action, especially with real food that my family would actually want to eat is invaluable. It’s also nice to get through an entire video about food and not have to hear the word ‘keto’.
Thank you for your honesty! It is comforting to know that I am not the only one who falls off the wagon with meal planning AND the fact that it is okay to serve Monday's meal on Wednesday! It sounds ridiculous but I would become stressed because I was not following the plan accordingly. Thank you for revealing all the little things because you just never know who's can relate and also who's chord you struck the perfect note. Your channel is a pure blessing and has become such a calming part of my day. Thank you, thank you. Frances
I love time management and organization books and articles. Over the years I have read numerous times that the most important thing a homemaker can do in managing their home is meal planning. I have found it takes stress from my days when I have a plan. An additional benefit is saving money because you are buying what you need, not random food items. Leftovers (or planned overs) also means some days with little food prep. Thank you for being a mentor in the area of homemaking for so many of us.
I can relate to what you shared about going through phases of doing really well with meal planning and phases not doing so well. I definitely agree with your assessment that meal planning keeps your grocery bill low, but I also find that my home runs so much more smoothly when I'm intentional in this area, because I have a plan, and I'm prepared for it. And as you say, being prepared is chic. Thank you so much for your encouraging videos on homemaking!
Happiness is mostly a state of mind and you expressed it beautifully, it’s enjoying your home and finding beauty in the mundane. I’m in my late fifties and have felt inadequate and boring many times in my lifetime due to ‘wonder woman’ representations in the media and other people’s comments/expectations of me. I enjoyed the simple things of home life and raised my four children to be polite, thoughtful and decent citizens. I’m delighted to see, and mostly part to COVID-19, how the world is taking stock and appreciating the simple things, nature and one another. Keep shouting from the roof tops Jennifer about the recipe for a fulfilling and happy life - loving what you do with grace, kindness and dignity are indeed the main ingredients!
I dont usually keep watching until the end these type of programs but I love your style and all you have to offer. Thank you for sharing, believe it or not you have been a great inspiration to me. Starting with the intermittent fasting and how to go about it. Thank you!!! Good luck and many blessings to you and your family!!!😊❤🌹
My daughter & I just love to watch you..... We have so many interests & ideals in common. :) You're a joy to watch and we find ourselves learning something new often. And from my end, I'm inspired even more to be a better wife & mother... And honor my place as the keeper of the home with beauty & respect. Much love, From the Ryker girls in Indiana :)
The food looks amazing, especially the salmon. I was a staunch meal planner for years before the lock downs. For the past four months I feel like I'm on a episode of Food Network's "Chopped" every night. It has been a good exercise in challenging my culinary skills but I do miss trying new recipes and knowing what's for dinner for the week. I'm loving that meal planner.
I am hopeless at meal planning, and there's just me! I cannot imagine planning for all six of you! I'm currently reading your first book, and it's making me quite ashamed of myself, in that I haven't been giving my meals the priority of care that I should have done. I live on snack meals, a bit like a cheese and charcuterie board, or sandwiches or something easy. Easy because I can't be bothered, not because I'm busy. I have diabetes, so nutrition is incredibly important. Well, no more!! I'm going to get a cup of tea, and plan my meals for the week, then go shopping. Thank you for giving me a gentle prod to take care of myself!! Xxx
Homeschool Mom of 5 here, I more than understand getting burnt out from cooking and I love cooking as well. Those are the days we have chicken nuggets for dinner lol shhhhh dont tell my mother in law 😅
I do the exact same thing - meals get all out of order depending on time, expiration, etc. I've learned to let that go and just try to get in a planned meal in whatever order I can. It used to feel like defeat but now I see it as a positive adaptation. :) I also identify with having seasons of burn out. It was so nice to have someone as put-together as you talking about your seasons to encourage us we are not alone.
Yes! Yes to the cooking burnout. I just put a correct label on that today. I was feeling very overwhelmed and couldn't quite name what was going on. Thank you for saying that we go through phases with always being a home cook. Normalize burnout!
I do believe that meal planning saves immensely in the time it takes daily to figure out what to make (isn't that just the most difficult part of cooking?!?!?!) and in the money we spend on our groceries. I also never made what I planned on the day I planned it, so I found a similar planner that just allowed me to plan my meals for the week without specifying a day. Your videos are always so beautifully made, and I enjoy them immensely. Thank you for taking the time to share your home life with us.
Thanks for some recipe inspiration, they all look so delicious. I told my family that I was tired with cooking every day( especially during covid lockdown when I couldn't shop). All I got was "but you said that you love cooking".........15 yrs ago!!!😃
I haven’t even watched the whole thing but your intro really inspired me Jennifer. I love to cook but I’m so burned out I can’t even make a plan. I’ve now made it part of my homeschool for my kids to each plan and prepare a meal. This has made 3 meals I don’t have to cook.
that is so correct.. cook 3 meals a day forever !!! I am in the "I don't want to cook" phase. looking for the encouragement. thank you. Give yourself another gift for the kitchen. Tongs... so much easier to turn and transfer foods
You are such a life saver! I am going to use some of these recipes this week! Plus, I have been watching your videos and learning from you ever since I had my second child back in January. Hearing another mother - who I admire and think is very put together - say she goes through ups and downs with meal planning helped me feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel! That is until I encounter the next tunnel. 💗
Thank you for this detailed video! I just love it. I’m on day 3 with our newborn son and although meals will be brought to us by friends and family for the next couple weeks, I’m also concerned about the new addition and how meals can be more efficient and this totally helped with ideas. I need to watch your playlist on freezer meals again- thank you again and take care 💕
Pls do make more videos like this ...I loves them .. believe me I go through the phases of on and off cooking ... and I keep crying about the same thing three meals a daily forever 😭
I love your meal ideas! Please make more of these videos! And thanks for showing your plate too. Its helpful to be reminded of what a healthy portion actually looks like.
Great video and inspiration! Meal planning, cooking & clean up are probably my least favorite of all homemaking tasks. With 3 littles, I feel that as soon as I'm done cleaning up, it's time to start on the next one...But planning and staying organized definitely helps.
I've been in a rut, planning the same meals again and again. I love this because other than the tacos these are not meals I've made in the last 6 months! Thank you for filming!
Your videos make me excited, since I am already happy, it just elevates my mood even more. I think it is because you have a positive disposition, and no matter what is going on, your priorities are in order : ). Thank you! Hope you have a beautiful day.
Please make more of these videos! I have twin 2 year olds so I’ve spent the past 2 years cooking the same 20 boring meals because I didn’t have time for anything else...ready to get more creative in the kitchen!
I love watching people cook - I also was amused because my "children" are grown up and the youngest who is 25 would eat all of the meal to himself he is 2 meters tall and skinny, if my daughter and son in law with grandchildren are there too its amazing how much food we can get through. You will have that joy yet to come of children with their families visiting.
Loved this video, I like that you included the how to's. And thank you for not being perfect in the meal prep and showing that imperfection. It makes us all feel much better that the little mishaps happen to all of us.
Lovely video! So glad to know I’m not the only one who goes in spurts with meal planning. I also enjoy cooking, but I get burnt out! After seeing this I’m not going to be so hard on myself for not having a meal plan set up all of the time.
This was my favorite of your meal videos! I definitely want to try these recipes. I really do enjoy you sharing how you cook, what you cook, and how you portion meals. I really enjoyed your breakfast one from many months ago, and this one was just as inspiring. Definitely keep making and sharing these please!
Green onions from the garden -- yes!! I have "bunching onions" or "green onions" that continually reseed themselves and provide delicious green onions continuously. I love them too. Your meals looked terrific. I'm in a bit of a cooking slump but now that it's just my husband and I, we can get by with eating meat and veggies for the most part. The salmon/crab meal looked scrumptious! Thanks for sharing.
New subscriber here. Happy to have found you! Agree that a meal plan is a must. I keep a small spiral weekly planner and note my list of meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) each week with no assignment to a particular day. My grocery list is made and tossed afterwards, but I can look back at my planner to see when I last made a particular recipe. I find that my method helps to inspire more variety and less repetition.
Yes! Love cooking videos! It’s always great to have new inspiration. I have pretty much always made all our meals at home, but I think more people are doing this now because of the lockdowns and such. One thing I like to do to stretch taco meat is add lentils or black beans!
Love this. And I totally agree meal planning is so essential. I used to make a daily plan as well. In July I tried just making a list of the meals my family wanted for the whole month and just crossed it all off as we went. It worked out beautifully. I felt like I had so much more wiggle room in the menu. We shop for a month at a time. I found i save myself so much more money staying out of the grocery stores and even with online shopping i would still go over my grocery budget. I love the encouragement you bring to homemakers. It can become so overwhelming at times to constantly serve others. But it is the best job ever.
Hello Jennifer, I totally go through the same burnout feelings. Its nice to know I'm not alone. I do make a list / menu for the whole week. Its all in the details and they all add up. I thank you for taking time out to share with us. I wake up on Mondays with my feet hitting the floor running. LOL. Have a wonderful week and God bless. 🌴🌞🌴
I learned to meal plan in my late 20s from a homesteading mom of 10 who grocery shopped once a month. She had it down to a science. I always thought, if she can master this, with a family of 12 and all her stores over an hour away, anyone can. If I fall off the meal plan wagon even for a few days I regret it because money and time are wasted right away. I also love to cook but I get cranky without a plan. When all my kids still lived at home I sometimes let them each plan the meals for one day of the week, and that took care of six days. :) Your meals look delicious and nourishing. 🍽❣
Thank you Jennifer! I was desperately in need of inspiration since I'm in a bit of a resentful slump at the moment. Part of it is everyone wanting and/or requiring different foods but for the sake of sanity I'm going to simplify things until I get my mojo back!
I have finally bought the Madame Chic first book. I usually get books on my Kindle but I wanted your book so I could make notes in it. Trying to do this on the Kindle can be tiring when trying to find what I wrote. I found you on You Tube through Inspired by Nikki. You are so aligned with my way of thinking. Truly you are. I have followed this way of thinking for years. I have looked for someone like you and Nikki and also, Faith and Flour. I feel lately that I have found a new family and we think alike. Keep up the good work and God Bless you!
H Jennifer 🏡, yes please do more cooking videos. I like that you have such a nice variety of meals for the week using healthy and delicious ingredients🤗
Fantastic overall preview and step-by-step process- which I usually find tedious-was the perfect method from which I gleaned so much helpful information ❤️ Great job as usual!
New subscriber... loved this video. For my family I usually have to amp up the flavor or some recipes are just too much work. All of these loos so delicious, easy, beautiful no diet vibes.... I just love it. And I love that you come across as so classy but with so much personality and so real. Great job, thanks.
I enjoy seeing how you cook for your family. Many of your day to day meals would be fancy for us! I would love to see you do more "One Pot" style cooking- and watch you prep your ingredients. I only like to cook 2x a week.for about an hour each time.
Love all your videos and loved this one too! You have different meal ideas and I so appreciate that. Keep these what’s for dinner videos coming! You do amazing work!!
The best thing I have done during this quarantine time is have my kids cook with me. I have always had them in the kitchen, but this time allowed them to really grow in their cooking skills. Now, they can cook dinner every once in a while. Your video was great. Try turning your lemon upside down in your squeezer, it will juice even better.
Loved this video. So helpful, and incredibly relatable in regard to getting burnt out. Glad to know that it's not just me! Would love to see more!! Thanks :)
These recipes would be a huge hit at our house! I am going to try your salmon recipe. I already have very similar recipes for the other meals. Our families seem to have some of the same preferences. Meal planning is a very helpful part of homemaking and budgeting, but I too go through long phases where I don’t do it. It always feels good when I get back on track. Thank you for this lovely video Jennifer! 💛🤗💛
This was such a sweet and enjoyable view into how you feed your family. I've been coming out of a cooking rut these past few weeks and watching your honesty and joy has so encouraged me to not only find joy in the workaday, but to also seek little ways to make them extra special. Your channel is one of a kind. Though I may not always comment, I am always watching your videos and being encouraged. God bless!
I collect old magazines & cookbooks. Women's Day used to have a month of meals in each issue. My fav cookbook is the American Woman's cookbook by Ruth Berolzheimer. It has a section on how to feed a family of five on $15 per week (circa 1942), but meals are nutritious & easy.
I still have a folder of all those Women's Day menus, Nina. Back when women's magazines were less about celebrity diets and more about practical household matter, right? ;-)
Jennifer I loved all of the meals you made and want to try them all soon. I too get burned out with cooking sometimes. I also love to,cook. Thank you so much for all you do. You are such an inspiration to me and many others too I’m sure❤️❤️
Your cooking videos are some of my favorites because I always get fresh ideas for meals from you!!! I definitely want to try the peach cobbler as well as the chicken piccata!
Thankyou Jennifer. I really enjoyed the video and the background music. Yes i can relate to cooking burnout. I'm going through a stage myself. I'm taking a day out of my week to precook a couple of meals and breakfasts so that should free me up for a few days and give me time to do other household things. Have a great week. Beverley xx
Yes, when something has to give-it’s housekeeping. I make sure easy meal are planned, every one has clean clothes- but I let the rest go until the dust and dirt drives me crazy.
Thank you! Your videos are always inspiring but this one in particular inspired me to take action. I am planning my menus for the week now and guess what is on the list? Yes! All of your suggestions. I can’t wait for my family to try them. More please!
Hi Jennifer! Yes, please do more “what’s for dinner” videos. I love these and your meal ideas are great. They are inspiring me to cook for my hubby again (we are newly,empty nesters and i haven’t wanted to come for a while!) Thank you for your class and elegance as always 💕
Hi Jennifer! I don't usually comment but I have to say, you always look so elegant and put together, and I think you look especially fresh and slim in this video! Hope you and the family are safe and happy!
I love the dinner ideas and can’t wait to try them! Please keep the recipes coming. I have 5 children and a hubby and I so relate to your dinner fatigue phases. Planning meals, shopping, cooking to keep everyone fed is not for the faint of heart! New ideas are so helpful. I have a future video request! I would love to know how you and your family keep up with the house cleaning! Do you have any outside help with that area or is it all you and the family doing it? I would love to know your daily, weekly, etc routines for cleaning and keeping the house tidy. Thanks so much in advance Jennifer! 💕
I hope you enjoy today's video! Here are the time stamps for your reference.
0:00 Intro & Meal Plan
5:25 Potato Gratin
6:12 Salmon with Dungeness crab a la Balboa
9:16 Chicken Piccata
14:26 Chicken Crescent Roll-ups
17:18 Tacos
19:17 Linguini with clams and peach crisp
For all recipes, please visit my corresponding blogpost (linked in the description box). Let us know how you like to meal plan, or if you would like to implement it into your homemaking. Love, Jennifer
And yes, please more of these. I'd love it if you could collab with une femme de certain age who addresses meals for one at this level of deliciousness? I'd be eating tacos for a month if I made that much food. LOL!
I live in Alaska so we have salmon often! I hate to be say this but sometimes it gets old. However, the crab topping 🤯. I think that will become a staple in our household! Thank you for the marvelous ideas. And also thank you for showing us how to delight in these things rather than just get through them the fastest we can. It's possible to enjoy these daily rituals and I love that. Thank so much. Keep up the great work!
Hello Jennifer! I just love your cooking videos! This was wonderful (as ALWAYS!) and so encouraging to have you acknowledge your own struggles with the meal planning challenge. Just an FYI - the citrus juicer is actually intended to be used by positioning the lemon half in the opposite direction (counterintuitive, I know!). This will enable you to get way more juice and less of the bitter citrus oils from the skin. If you roll the lemon, or microwave for 5-10 seconds first you will get even more juice.
Ok I can’t fined salmon with dungeness crab a la balboa respect plz help
i know Im asking the wrong place but does anyone know of a way to log back into an instagram account..?
I was stupid forgot my account password. I love any tips you can offer me
My husband and I were talking about meal planning the other day. He thought it should take a 'few minutes' to plan for the week. I nearly pushed him out of the moving car. The mental load of planning meals, making sure everyone likes them, keeping good recipes in rotation, inventorying for ingredients, shopping for food, seeing what is on sale, shopping my freezer, seeing what I have that is about to spoil, preparing meals, cleaning up after... it is exhausting. I laid it out for him and I got SILENCE. He cooked me lobster tail and steak that night ;)
So funny!
🤣🤣🤣 I love this
My husband, who is a wonderful helper, also does not understand all that goes into meal planning and grocery shopping! He makes 4 dishes well and would only serve those meals if up to him. It would take him 5 minutes tops. But he is also the first to comment if I make the same dishes too often. I had him sir and help me once. He no longer comments on how long it takes me and has even thanked me for all I do as a wife, mom to 5, and full time teacher! 😊 Smiles, Abby Smith
Lynette Young, when you mentioned "making sure everyone likes the meals" it reminded me of my childhood. I come from a time when you either ate what was prepared or you did without. Needless-to-say I'm not a picky eater :)
Catherine Holcombe “ you get what you get and don’t throw a fit” I also did hear about starving children.
My favourite dinner “hack” besides meal planning - is to cook dinner earlier in the day. I absolutely loathe making dinner when I’m hungry, the children are hungry, needy and clingy. So I’ve been making dinner right after lunch and then warming it up (or just leaving it on all afternoon if it’s a soup or stew). On seafood night, I will get as much prepped as I can do it’s literally turning on the oven or frying pan just before I want to serve the meal. It really helps keep those tricky late afternoons calm and helps me enjoy cooking rather than dread it the entire day.
All your meals looked delicious! Especially the salmon/crab and peach cobbler. I think I’ll have to try both those recipes. Thanks for another great and helpful video!
Halcyon Days I do this too - for other reasons . I’m 79 and just get too tired in the evening to start cooking and I prepare as much as I can much earlier in the afternoon .
I do that too, we live in Texas and it gets so hot in the evening. It really helps keep the house cool.
I often do that too. Great tip. Or we just have the large meal for lunch and a light dinner. I know. I'm so tired at the end of the day...
This is what Chef's do. The only evening add is the grilling.
I’m not sure if anyone’s said this yet, but when you’re using the lemon press, put the cut side down towards the holes in the bottom, and you’ll extract more juices as the rind will then be forced to pop out around the reamer when you press down upon the handles. I hope I’m explaining that well enough. I didn’t know that- learned it in a Sur la Table cooking class myself. :)
Came to leave the same comment! It works so much better with the lemon cut side down.
Came to say the same thing! 👍🏻
Yes, when I filmed it was the first time I used the press. I figured it out afterward :)
Love the French music!
Watching this a year later. I've been married for a year and expecting my first child in a few weeks. Even though I've been through 2 years of culinary school, I was clueless when it came to home cooking. It's a whole different game. The planning is always the hardest part for me and it made me think that I just hated cooking. I honestly dread being in the kitchen. This video was very encouraging.
The point is that you stuck to your menu, just changed the day so still stayed on target! I do this as well
You make me feel like I can do this. I’ve been a workaholic career woman and now I’m staying at home with my twins while hubby works. This is all new to me. I’ve watched you clean the bathroom, make dinner, I’m reading Madame Chic... you just give me so much HOPE. Thank you 💕
You can do it!
What I love about meal planning is knowing that no matter what days the meals fall on I have all the ingredients I need to make 5 different meals!
When you said “3 meals a day...forever” i wanted to cry and laugh at the same time! So funny. But im with 4 now too, my youngest is 1 and then i have a 2yr old (bad idea) and then 5yr old and a 9yr old and a husband who eats spicy food (hes pakistani) and between cooking kids meals of french toast and butter toast and plain pasta and then the alternatives for myself and my husband.... and my mum died 2yrs ago and i realise now that i basically ate ubereats for a lot of the past 2yrs..... im just getting back into cooking on the daily again. I really love your fall tea cake by the way, my kids ADORE it and it vanishes in a few hours, i add allspice to the mix itself though as a tastier version (i think the butter and sugar and cinnamon on the top gets them the most). Your reipes have helped me so much, as have your serving plates. I recently bought a new dinner set because id bought one from kmart last yr online, and when i got it the plates for dinner were homestly the same as serving platters! And so heavy. And so now we have regular pretty light plates and side dishes. I am trying to eat off the side dishes more to lose my baby weight. Gah. It is hard. But thankyou SO much for letting me choose to be more elegant and to love my body more. Your videos about homemaking are soooooo inspiring, i even went on shein last night and bought 3 pretty blouses just so i will have pretty frilled sleeves above my lovely linen apron which im pretty sure i also bought because of you. Thankyou for giving me hope and a happiness about looking after my home. I would LOVE it if you would do a daily routine video (timings of chores etc, like when you wash dishes etc, when you do laundry folding). Xxx
Oh, thank you so much, Sarah! You have your hands full. Definitely give yourself grace.
LOL Reminds me of a Barbara Michaels novel where she was thinking about meal planning. Can't remember the exact line, but something like like, "Chicken, fish, beef, pork. Chicken, fish, beef, pork."
Ik
Jennifer - please please please do more videos like this. It’s so helpful! I just had my 3rd baby and I’m struggling so much to figure out meal planning and recipes. I’m slowly getting the hang of it, but seeing the whole thing in action, especially with real food that my family would actually want to eat is invaluable. It’s also nice to get through an entire video about food and not have to hear the word ‘keto’.
Haha! 😆 And Congrats on the baby :)
🤣
Loved the recipes! To use the lemon press turn your cut lemon with the cut side facing down.
Barb Huber yes!! I was going to
Say that too.
Yes, you will maximize the amount of juice if you turn it over to face the holes as Barb mentioned
Thank you for your honesty! It is comforting to know that I am not the only one who falls off the wagon with meal planning AND the fact that it is okay to serve Monday's meal on Wednesday! It sounds ridiculous but I would become stressed because I was not following the plan accordingly. Thank you for revealing all the little things because you just never know who's can relate and also who's chord you struck the perfect note. Your channel is a pure blessing and has become such a calming part of my day. Thank you, thank you.
Frances
I love time management and organization books and articles. Over the years I have read numerous times that the most important thing a homemaker can do in managing their home is meal planning. I have found it takes stress from my days when I have a plan. An additional benefit is saving money because you are buying what you need, not random food items. Leftovers (or planned overs) also means some days with little food prep. Thank you for being a mentor in the area of homemaking for so many of us.
Loved your video, yes I would love to see what's for dinner style meals. You did a great job tapeing and camera work.👍
Thank you, Rose!
Cooking family packages of meat & freezing is a fantastic way to save time & money. Loved this #Jennifer
Yes more dinner ideas! Love your classy meals
I can relate to what you shared about going through phases of doing really well with meal planning and phases not doing so well. I definitely agree with your assessment that meal planning keeps your grocery bill low, but I also find that my home runs so much more smoothly when I'm intentional in this area, because I have a plan, and I'm prepared for it. And as you say, being prepared is chic. Thank you so much for your encouraging videos on homemaking!
💞
Happiness is mostly a state of mind and you expressed it beautifully, it’s enjoying your home and finding beauty in the mundane. I’m in my late fifties and have felt inadequate and boring many times in my lifetime due to ‘wonder woman’ representations in the media and other people’s comments/expectations of me. I enjoyed the simple things of home life and raised my four children to be polite, thoughtful and decent citizens. I’m delighted to see, and mostly part to COVID-19, how the world is taking stock and appreciating the simple things, nature and one another. Keep shouting from the roof tops Jennifer about the recipe for a fulfilling and happy life - loving what you do with grace, kindness and dignity are indeed the main ingredients!
I dont usually keep watching until the end these type of programs but I love your style and all you have to offer. Thank you for sharing, believe it or not you have been a great inspiration to me. Starting with the intermittent fasting and how to go about it. Thank you!!! Good luck and many blessings to you and your family!!!😊❤🌹
My daughter & I just love to watch you..... We have so many interests & ideals in common. :) You're a joy to watch and we find ourselves learning something new often. And from my end, I'm inspired even more to be a better wife & mother... And honor my place as the keeper of the home with beauty & respect. Much love, From the Ryker girls in Indiana :)
Would love to see more meals Jennifer - this has been so pleasant to watch while I prepare dinner for my family. Thank you for sharing!
The food looks amazing, especially the salmon. I was a staunch meal planner for years before the lock downs. For the past four months I feel like I'm on a episode of Food Network's "Chopped" every night. It has been a good exercise in challenging my culinary skills but I do miss trying new recipes and knowing what's for dinner for the week. I'm loving that meal planner.
I am hopeless at meal planning, and there's just me! I cannot imagine planning for all six of you! I'm currently reading your first book, and it's making me quite ashamed of myself, in that I haven't been giving my meals the priority of care that I should have done. I live on snack meals, a bit like a cheese and charcuterie board, or sandwiches or something easy. Easy because I can't be bothered, not because I'm busy. I have diabetes, so nutrition is incredibly important. Well, no more!! I'm going to get a cup of tea, and plan my meals for the week, then go shopping. Thank you for giving me a gentle prod to take care of myself!! Xxx
Homeschool Mom of 5 here, I more than understand getting burnt out from cooking and I love cooking as well. Those are the days we have chicken nuggets for dinner lol shhhhh dont tell my mother in law 😅
"Three meals a day...forever!" 100% FACTS 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😢
I do the exact same thing - meals get all out of order depending on time, expiration, etc. I've learned to let that go and just try to get in a planned meal in whatever order I can. It used to feel like defeat but now I see it as a positive adaptation. :) I also identify with having seasons of burn out. It was so nice to have someone as put-together as you talking about your seasons to encourage us we are not alone.
I love watching people cook. It's so relaxing to me. Thank you for the delicious meal inspiration! I will try one of your recipes this week.
I agree. I love cook with me videos. I get meal ideas and I find it relaxing too.
I could watch videos of your cooking and serving for hours! You could make a boiled sponge look delicious! More of these please!
Yes! Yes to the cooking burnout. I just put a correct label on that today. I was feeling very overwhelmed and couldn't quite name what was going on. Thank you for saying that we go through phases with always being a home cook. Normalize burnout!
I do believe that meal planning saves immensely in the time it takes daily to figure out what to make (isn't that just the most difficult part of cooking?!?!?!) and in the money we spend on our groceries. I also never made what I planned on the day I planned it, so I found a similar planner that just allowed me to plan my meals for the week without specifying a day. Your videos are always so beautifully made, and I enjoy them immensely. Thank you for taking the time to share your home life with us.
Thanks for some recipe inspiration, they all look so delicious. I told my family that I was tired with cooking every day( especially during covid lockdown when I couldn't shop). All I got was "but you said that you love cooking".........15 yrs ago!!!😃
I haven’t even watched the whole thing but your intro really inspired me Jennifer. I love to cook but I’m so burned out I can’t even make a plan. I’ve now made it part of my homeschool for my kids to each plan and prepare a meal. This has made 3 meals I don’t have to cook.
that is so correct.. cook 3 meals a day forever !!! I am in the "I don't want to cook" phase. looking for the encouragement. thank you. Give yourself another gift for the kitchen. Tongs... so much easier to turn and transfer foods
Your list 3 minutes sounds yummy. You gave me some great ideas. Thank you.
You are such a life saver! I am going to use some of these recipes this week! Plus, I have been watching your videos and learning from you ever since I had my second child back in January. Hearing another mother - who I admire and think is very put together - say she goes through ups and downs with meal planning helped me feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel! That is until I encounter the next tunnel. 💗
Growing up, my mother planned meals every week. She would review the grocery store sales flyer and planned the menu around the deals.
Thank you for this detailed video! I just love it. I’m on day 3 with our newborn son and although meals will be brought to us by friends and family for the next couple weeks, I’m also concerned about the new addition and how meals can be more efficient and this totally helped with ideas. I need to watch your playlist on freezer meals again- thank you again and take care 💕
Congratulations, Amanda! ❤️
the Daily Connoisseur thank you so much 💕✨
Pls do make more videos like this ...I loves them .. believe me I go through the phases of on and off cooking ... and I keep crying about the same thing three meals a daily forever 😭
I love your meal ideas! Please make more of these videos! And thanks for showing your plate too. Its helpful to be reminded of what a healthy portion actually looks like.
Great video and inspiration! Meal planning, cooking & clean up are probably my least favorite of all homemaking tasks. With 3 littles, I feel that as soon as I'm done cleaning up, it's time to start on the next one...But planning and staying organized definitely helps.
I'm cooking dinner while watching, thanks for keeping me company! All the dinners looked delicious. Thanks Jennifer
I've been in a rut, planning the same meals again and again. I love this because other than the tacos these are not meals I've made in the last 6 months! Thank you for filming!
Yes, please keep these meal ideas coming…Thank you for all you do!
I love the cooking/what we ate for the week videos. I’d love to see more of these. Thank you.
I love it when you smile and wave at the camera!!
Your videos make me excited, since I am already happy, it just elevates my mood even more. I think it is because you have a positive disposition, and no matter what is going on, your priorities are in order : ). Thank you! Hope you have a beautiful day.
Please make more of these videos! I have twin 2 year olds so I’ve spent the past 2 years cooking the same 20 boring meals because I didn’t have time for anything else...ready to get more creative in the kitchen!
I love watching people cook - I also was amused because my "children" are grown up and the youngest who is 25 would eat all of the meal to himself he is 2 meters tall and skinny, if my daughter and son in law with grandchildren are there too its amazing how much food we can get through. You will have that joy yet to come of children with their families visiting.
That serving dish you had the chicken piccata was lovely. Meals looked great. Nice hack Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle to shread up chicken.
Thank goodness I'm not the only one who gets burnt out on meal planning. I love how honest you are about it ♥️
Loved this video, I like that you included the how to's. And thank you for not being perfect in the meal prep and showing that imperfection. It makes us all feel much better that the little mishaps happen to all of us.
Lovely video!
So glad to know I’m not the only one who goes in spurts with meal planning. I also enjoy cooking, but I get burnt out! After seeing this I’m not going to be so hard on myself for not having a meal plan set up all of the time.
This was my favorite of your meal videos! I definitely want to try these recipes. I really do enjoy you sharing how you cook, what you cook, and how you portion meals. I really enjoyed your breakfast one from many months ago, and this one was just as inspiring. Definitely keep making and sharing these please!
I am the most uncreative person in the kitchen. Please do more of these type of videos! 🙏🙏🙏
Amen sister! Same here
Green onions from the garden -- yes!! I have "bunching onions" or "green onions" that continually reseed themselves and provide delicious green onions continuously. I love them too. Your meals looked terrific. I'm in a bit of a cooking slump but now that it's just my husband and I, we can get by with eating meat and veggies for the most part. The salmon/crab meal looked scrumptious! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this video. And as another meal burned out mom, I’m always looking for inspiration.
Hi Jennifer, it would be wonderful if you shared more meals of the week. Great ideas! Thank you ~Tina
New subscriber here. Happy to have found you! Agree that a meal plan is a must. I keep a small spiral weekly planner and note my list of meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) each week with no assignment to a particular day. My grocery list is made and tossed afterwards, but I can look back at my planner to see when I last made a particular recipe. I find that my method helps to inspire more variety and less repetition.
I do the same thing....do awesome for a while and then totally burn out and don't want to cook...so relatable!
Great video! Watching other people cook is very relaxing plus your recipes look delicious.
Yes! Love cooking videos! It’s always great to have new inspiration. I have pretty much always made all our meals at home, but I think more people are doing this now because of the lockdowns and such. One thing I like to do to stretch taco meat is add lentils or black beans!
Favorite video award. I will be trying all of these meals. Bravo, and I’d love more meal ideas too...whenever you have time :).
Wow! The meals all look delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Love this. And I totally agree meal planning is so essential. I used to make a daily plan as well. In July I tried just making a list of the meals my family wanted for the whole month and just crossed it all off as we went. It worked out beautifully. I felt like I had so much more wiggle room in the menu. We shop for a month at a time. I found i save myself so much more money staying out of the grocery stores and even with online shopping i would still go over my grocery budget. I love the encouragement you bring to homemakers. It can become so overwhelming at times to constantly serve others. But it is the best job ever.
Hello Jennifer,
I totally go through the same burnout feelings. Its nice to know I'm not alone.
I do make a list / menu for the whole week. Its all in the details and they all add up.
I thank you for taking time out to share with us. I wake up on Mondays with my
feet hitting the floor running. LOL. Have a wonderful week and God bless. 🌴🌞🌴
I learned to meal plan in my late 20s from a homesteading mom of 10 who grocery shopped once a month. She had it down to a science. I always thought, if she can master this, with a family of 12 and all her stores over an hour away, anyone can. If I fall off the meal plan wagon even for a few days I regret it because money and time are wasted right away. I also love to cook but I get cranky without a plan. When all my kids still lived at home I sometimes let them each plan the meals for one day of the week, and that took care of six days. :) Your meals look delicious and nourishing. 🍽❣
Thank you Jennifer! I was desperately in need of inspiration since I'm in a bit of a resentful slump at the moment. Part of it is everyone wanting and/or requiring different foods but for the sake of sanity I'm going to simplify things until I get my mojo back!
I have finally bought the Madame Chic first book. I usually get books on my Kindle but I wanted your book so I could make notes in it. Trying to do this on the Kindle can be tiring when trying to find what I wrote. I found you on You Tube through Inspired by Nikki. You are so aligned with my way of thinking. Truly you are. I have followed this way of thinking for years. I have looked for someone like you and Nikki and also, Faith and Flour. I feel lately that I have found a new family and we think alike. Keep up the good work and God Bless you!
Hi Jennifer! GREAT video!! Thank you!! I can only imagine how much work it must be to film all of this!! You are amazing!! Have a great day! :)
It was a lot of work. I admire the ladies who do these videos on a regular basis.
This all looked so delicious! Yes, please more dinner idea videos! Thank you!!
H Jennifer 🏡, yes please do more cooking videos. I like that you have such a nice variety of meals for the week using healthy and delicious ingredients🤗
Fantastic overall preview and step-by-step process- which I usually find tedious-was the perfect method from which I gleaned so much helpful information ❤️ Great job as usual!
Beautiful Jennifer! I am dying to try the clam dish. Such a wonderful idea! Love it!
Thank you for the inspiration! I will definitely try the potato Gratin this holiday season.
New subscriber... loved this video. For my family I usually have to amp up the flavor or some recipes are just too much work. All of these loos so delicious, easy, beautiful no diet vibes.... I just love it. And I love that you come across as so classy but with so much personality and so real. Great job, thanks.
Omg that is such a great idea with the soap in water in the sink, thank you!
I enjoy seeing how you cook for your family. Many of your day to day meals would be fancy for us!
I would love to see you do more "One Pot" style cooking- and watch you prep your ingredients. I only like to cook 2x a week.for about an hour each time.
Love all your videos and loved this one too! You have different meal ideas and I so appreciate that. Keep these what’s for dinner videos coming! You do amazing work!!
The best thing I have done during this quarantine time is have my kids cook with me. I have always had them in the kitchen, but this time allowed them to really grow in their cooking skills. Now, they can cook dinner every once in a while. Your video was great. Try turning your lemon upside down in your squeezer, it will juice even better.
Loved this video. So helpful, and incredibly relatable in regard to getting burnt out. Glad to know that it's not just me! Would love to see more!! Thanks :)
These recipes would be a huge hit at our house! I am going to try your salmon recipe. I already have very similar recipes for the other meals. Our families seem to have some of the same preferences. Meal planning is a very helpful part of homemaking and budgeting, but I too go through long phases where I don’t do it. It always feels good when I get back on track. Thank you for this lovely video Jennifer! 💛🤗💛
Thank you, Robin! Love you!
This was such a sweet and enjoyable view into how you feed your family. I've been coming out of a cooking rut these past few weeks and watching your honesty and joy has so encouraged me to not only find joy in the workaday, but to also seek little ways to make them extra special. Your channel is one of a kind. Though I may not always comment, I am always watching your videos and being encouraged. God bless!
I collect old magazines & cookbooks. Women's Day used to have a month of meals in each issue. My fav cookbook is the American Woman's cookbook by Ruth Berolzheimer. It has a section on how to feed a family of five on $15 per week (circa 1942), but meals are nutritious & easy.
I still have a folder of all those Women's Day menus, Nina. Back when women's magazines were less about celebrity diets and more about practical household matter, right? ;-)
Great video! Thanks for the meal ideas. I too get so burnt out on cooking, and I burn the bread lots of times. I'd like to see more videos like this.
Jennifer I loved all of the meals you made and want to try them all soon. I too get burned out with cooking sometimes. I also love to,cook. Thank you so much for all you do. You are such an inspiration to me and many others too I’m sure❤️❤️
Your cooking videos are some of my favorites because I always get fresh ideas for meals from you!!! I definitely want to try the peach cobbler as well as the chicken piccata!
Thankyou Jennifer. I really enjoyed the video and the background music. Yes i can relate to cooking burnout. I'm going through a stage myself. I'm taking a day out of my week to precook a couple of meals and breakfasts so that should free me up for a few days and give me time to do other household things. Have a great week. Beverley xx
I've gotten so many great meal ideas from these videos Jennifer, thanks so much!
Hi Jennifer, thank you for showing us how you plan as well as the recipes, can't wait to try them out. Have a lovely day. xx
Yes, when something has to give-it’s housekeeping. I make sure easy meal are planned, every one has clean clothes- but I let the rest go until the dust and dirt drives me crazy.
Thank you so much for this informative video! I especially love the time stamp info for future reference when trying out those recipes!
I want to try every recipe. The Salmon and crab topping would be wonderful for guests. Thanks for sharing .
Loved the video and menu ideas. Very excited to try out the Salmon Crab recipe. Thanks again!
Thank you! Your videos are always inspiring but this one in particular inspired me to take action. I am planning my menus for the week now and guess what is on the list? Yes! All of your suggestions. I can’t wait for my family to try them. More please!
We make old Bay Season in bulk! We love chives in the crab topping
Everything looked delicious and I loved the tip of filling up the kitchen sink with sudsy water as you cook, thanks for sharing!
I love you for sharing that the burnout has happened to you too! I appreciate all you share :)
Hi Jennifer! Yes, please do more “what’s for dinner” videos. I love these and your meal ideas are great. They are inspiring me to cook for my hubby again (we are newly,empty nesters and i haven’t wanted to come for a while!)
Thank you for your class and elegance as always 💕
Hi Jennifer. Thanks for the information. I am single and find great value in meal planning. I love cooking too. 😁
Hi Jennifer! I don't usually comment but I have to say, you always look so elegant and put together, and I think you look especially fresh and slim in this video! Hope you and the family are safe and happy!
I love the dinner ideas and can’t wait to try them! Please keep the recipes coming. I have 5 children and a hubby and I so relate to your dinner fatigue phases. Planning meals, shopping, cooking to keep everyone fed is not for the faint of heart! New ideas are so helpful.
I have a future video request! I would love to know how you and your family keep up with the house cleaning! Do you have any outside help with that area or is it all you and the family doing it? I would love to know your daily, weekly, etc routines for cleaning and keeping the house tidy.
Thanks so much in advance Jennifer! 💕