Food Diaries Week 1- What We Ate This Week

[@CynthiaAva]

Thank you so much for this video. We appreciate the work that went into it...especially since you weren't feeling well. Big "props" to you for following through with the Food Diaries and for keeping it real. I found this to be very comforting and relatable. Loved seeing you and Rick together at the dinner table. Miss you two! Such a sweet life together.

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊 I tried! Glad you enjoyed it😊

[@hardenmama1800]

Enjoyed the food diary. Appreciate you keeping it real. You have to give yourself some grace. You are working, going to school and student teaching.

[@TheBealles]

Whew! 😰 It’s a lot! Thanks for understanding 😊

[@taramac829]

Food diaries are my favorite, and an HOUR to boot??? So excited!

[@TheBealles]

I was hoping it wasn’t too much, but it was the best I could do to get it under 1 hour 😂

[@kristinperry9918]

Loved this. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊

[@kerrijones719]

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you for sharing another part of your life. I hope you are feeling much better. God bless. 😊

[@TheBealles]

Still on eye drops but much improved 😊

[@mama-of-four8370]

Thanks so much for this video! I love the food diaries and can't wait to see more❤

[@TheBealles]

I’m still working on them 😊

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

I use cottage cheese in my pasta bakes (sort of like ricotta) too. It’s so yummy. You did great this week, especially for not feeling well. Food diaries is a lot of work.
Girl, I’m not kidding but I count myself a rockstar every time I come home without picking up something after a long day. I eat leftovers all the time. I’ve been so good, lately. 🎉 I tried your baked spaghetti this year and ooooh, girl, it is sooo good. Nice to see Rick’s special appearance and you two together, for dinner. 💖

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊 I’m trying to nudge him back on camera.

[@texastea5686]

I'm not a fan of ricotta, I also use cottage cheese when I make lasagna.

[@positiveblessingskarrie3194]

I saw this last night but can comment. You did great job while busy vlogging what you ate best you can. I am needing to budget more on what we eat. I have a senior now and he’s always hungry.

[@TheBealles]

Thanks, Karrie 😊

[@lauriehester4682]

I love the real! We are in the same stage of life. Looking forward to more!!! :)

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊

[@SarahsOctoberHome]

Eeek! My favorite videos!👏🏻🫶🏻

[@TheBealles]

I’m glad you liked them 😊

[@mikeselness910]

Thanks for sharing and keeping it real, yes it's hard not spending money, but we keep on trying ,and staying accountable to ourselves ,thanks again ,that fruit salad looked so yummy 😄

[@TheBealles]

I love that fruit! So good 😋

[@samanthadodd8112]

I do the same with leftover spaghetti, but I put pepperoni on it, too.

[@TheBealles]

Rick would love that 😉

[@candylee8253]

Yes, now kids are allowed back in school after a dose of eye drops. Some districts may vary. Get well then try taking vitamin c and found some elderberry gummies that i felt helped. Eventually you will build up some good resistance to those kiddie germs.😊

[@TheBealles]

Eventually 😂 Hopefully, sooner rather than later 😂

[@stephanieburrell4200]

I like when you do your meal plan and do your grocery hauls

[@TheBealles]

I NEED to get a meal plan. I just constantly feel like I’m running from one thing to another, and I don’t have time to think 😳 I’ll work on it this week now that I’m feeling a little better

[@marygallagher3428]

Good job! That was a rough week for you!

[@TheBealles]

Thanks 😊 Sickness did make it challenging.

[@minime7375]

I love it when you do food diaries, you know it’s really what you eat, not a beautified version. Not a bad thing to indulge in some treats sometimes though (re getting a Sub or a Starbucks treat).🙂

[@TheBealles]

It is the real thing 😉 At least it’s helping me spend less

[@minime7375]

@@TheBealles May I ask what’s that miniature red cottage next to the coffee machine? Is it just an ornament or does it have some function? It’s so cute!☺️

[@TheBealles]

@@minime7375 It’s a house shaped jar from a set. I only have two. The red one says, “Freedom.” The other one I have says “Faith.”

[@juanitataylor6947]

Proud of you

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊

[@mariaolker]

My dad used to eat cold spaghetti sandwiches for leftovers.

[@TheBealles]

I used to eat warm spaghetti sandwiches 😂

[@glendaclay8992]

Hope you feel better

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊

[@anndbm]

We need to get you one of those lunch boxes that you can plug in and it stays hot

[@TheBealles]

We’ve tried all the things 😂 it’s easier when we keep things simple

[@babsblaney]

That's so weird! I had a cold recently and ended up with a funky eye too! I just put colloidal silver in it and hot compresses...it was better in a couple days.

[@TheBealles]

Really? Just straight colloidal silver?

[@babsblaney]

@@TheBealles Yep!

[@user-co5yp2jr8n]

In the eye? I have colloidal silver to kill infections but have used it yet.

[@babsblaney]

@@user-co5yp2jr8n Yes, just a couple of drops in the infected eye. Colloidal silver is great stuff!

[@Sevenforrests]

I’ve always loved watching your food diaries. I think you are doing great, all things considered.

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊

[@sarahscharber5559]

Great video, and l enjoyed seeing Rick too. Thanks for doing that when you were sick. I agree with you all on eating up the leftovers as it's a good feeling knowing that l didn't waste food. I too try to eat the same thing daily for my blood sugar level. Also, l found that when we eat too much lunch meat our BP's go up. So, like you all, l do a fresh chicken weekly for the meat AND broth. I use my own broth in Ramen noodles to lower the sodium.

[@TheBealles]

I usually make Tik Tok ramen, but being sick, I took the easy route 😂

[@nancyshrout-wankowski7147]

We had ramen for dinner last night! Had a large bowl of homemade chicken broth/soup in the fridge, made with the remains of a Walmart rotisserie chicken, half a bag of shredded carrots, dried diced onions, instant Knorr chicken broth powder, salt, pepper, boatload of Italian seasoning and water. I did not cut up any celery when I made it, so none. It wound up making the bowl full, a quart container full, 2 more pint containers, and another container. I bought the chicken on sale, and I think it was mislabeled, because it felt as if it weighed 5 lbs, instead of the smaller size. We had two or three dinners for two with the chicken breast before the soup was made.
I cracked up two pkgs of ramen, without the spice packets, and started cooking them in about a half cup of water. As they got wet and hot and started to expand just a little, I added the whole bowl (about two quarts) of chicken broth/soup. I needed the water to get it started as the broth was so thick and gel like. Dinner in 15 minutes, with a little leftover.

[@jamiebaynes9488]

Quick question, what do you think is a good grocery budget for 2? I am fairly new to North Carolina (for medical specialist), after living in California for most of my life. What state are you in? I am hoping to find discount stores near me, just like you find wherever you are. Again, thank you for sharing.

[@TheBealles]

I am also in NC but it’s hard to gauge a good grocery budget. Each area of NC is very different. Not to mention, each family has different preferences and dietary needs. I recommend tracking your spending for 30 days then try cutting it by 10% every 30 days after until you find a comfortable limit.

[@jamiebaynes9488]

Thank you so much for your advice; so cool we are somewhat neighbors. Take care.@@TheBealles

[@user-co5yp2jr8n]

I had to stop snacking because I have some insulin resistance. And had to cut out all processed carbs. Pasta, bread, crackers but I still cheat once or twice a week but trying not to. I'm allowed to have Ezekiel bread but it's expensive so only rarely. I eat mostly low salt stir frys, salads with everything in there veg chick peas and only vinegar or some homemade dressing I find on line. My A1c was in diabetic range. It came down.

[@TheBealles]

That’s great! I’m glad you have made so much progress!

[@susansage9908]

You deserve to have Chic Fillet! You did the most important thing- taking care of yourself. Sending a big hug and lots of well wishes that you feel better very soon. It's so nice to see Rick in the video. You two are very sweet together.

[@TheBealles]

I thought I deserved Chick fil A that day 😂 Rick isn’t used to being on camera anymore. I had to convince him 😉

[@user-co5yp2jr8n]

It tastes good but it's the msg believe it or not, listed under ingredients and surprisingly many other things you can't pronounce. I try to copy cat it at home. And KFC black pepper is one important ingredient

[@user-co5yp2jr8n]

Tell Rick he is part of the show, lol

[@nancyshrout-wankowski7147]

Glad to see you back on UA-cam! You have been missed.
Great video!
Where is Rick working, and what kind of work is he doing?
Surprised you are working and doing student teaching at the same time; so many colleges either do not recommend or allow you to do that. I never understood how they expected you to live and eat while having no income.
You look like you are tired and need some sleep, but you are doing so much all at the same time. Sending you hugs. When I was substitute teaching, my husband swore I picked up every illness the kids had. And that was often at a time when I had no health insurance. Keep up the fluids.

[@TheBealles]

Rick is working at a grocery store as he has been for almost all of our 25+ years 😂 The college does not have any policy against students working😂 I can’t work for the school system, though, beyond my student teaching. Since most college is online now, it’s not usually a problem

[@nancyshrout-wankowski7147]

Thanks for responding. I must have been confused or geezing; I thought he went to work in law enforcement. Take care of yourself.@@TheBealles

[@cathybrown554]

I miss your Fundamental home channel.You must have grandchildren now. Best wishes to your Beautiful family. Does Breana or her brothers have a UA-cam channel? God Bless and Stay Well 😊

[@TheBealles]

@@cathybrown554 I have one grandson. None of our children are on UA-cam and I am busy as a preschool teacher. It’s nice to keep up with old friends, though 😊

[@sarahd7034]

Thank you for sharing! You might be taking on to much... Take care of yourself ❤

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊

[@babsblaney]

Have you tried any of the meal boxes like Hello Fresh? They're not the most economical unless you have a really good coupon deal. I was able to sign up for Every Plate with a code my daughter sent me and we'll be getting food For 6 dinners and I paid less than $20. We're going through a Hello Fresh box this week which was 4 or 5 meals for around $33. So far we've really liked the food and convenience... empty nesters here too.😉 (My daughter said to get the best deals, get the promo box and then cancel. She said they're always sending her great deals to get her back.😆)

[@TheBealles]

I’ve tried some of those before but it’s not really my thing. I like making my own food

[@Betterbeing45]

That looks good, I want to eat that.

[@TheBealles]

Thank you 😊

[@jamiebaynes9488]

Hello, I just love your videos but I apologize sometimes (only due to health issues) I miss some. Do you have a video that shares your jobs/side jobs? I am not familiar with Instacart and others that you might be able to share details on. Thank you and take care as always. One more thing, you and Rick are empty nesters; like me and my husband so I love learning how you shop, cook and etc. with the adjustment.

[@TheBealles]

We don’t share Instacart videos because we don’t film in the store. However, we do have DoorDash videos.

[@CottageDiaries]

Hey Amanda :)

[@TheBealles]

Hey 👋 😊

[@ashalacarte]

I love leftover spaghetti cold but I'm weird

[@TheBealles]

That is definitely not for me 😂

[@allheartandsong]

If you get conjuntivitus again, put colloidal silver into your eyes. That's how I clear up my kids if they get it. It works right away. I get sovouriegn silver brand...will save you a trip to the doctor. ❤

[@TheBealles]

Thanks for the suggestion. I just might do it 😉

[@juanitataylor6947]

Sing to have lunch together

[@TheBealles]

Sing 😂 That would be something