• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A Lifestyle Blog

  • About
    • Work With Me
      • Delightful Life Media
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosures
  • Taste
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches
    • Dinner
      • Grilled
      • Sides
      • Pasta
      • Rice
    • Appetizers
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
      • Cocktails
      • Non-Alcoholic
    • Snacks
  • Travel
    • United States
      • Kansas
      • Missouri
      • Nevada
      • Nebraska
      • New York
      • Oklahoma
      • Texas
      • Wisconsin
    • Mexico
  • DIY
    • Projects
  • Contact
  • Lifestyle
  • 100 Things to Do in Wichita Before You Die

kale

How to Grow an Indoor Garden

January 11, 2021 by Vanessa Whiteside Leave a Comment

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. 

Last year, I killed most of my plants. This year, I’ve graduated to Plant Lady. If I can learn how to keep plants alive (and grow them!), you can as well!

I was curious about how to grow vegetables and herbs indoors, I had no idea how to get started. I watched a ton of YouTube videos and I asked employees at a nearby garden center questions. I purchased the supplies. Then, I got my hands dirty.

lettuce

It turns out that it is actually quite easy to garden indoors once you do your homework and follow the instructions. The process of gardening teaches you patience, a trait that carries over into other areas of your daily life. Gardening takes time, especially when you start vegetables from seed, but the results are truly incredible. The magic formula is good soil + light + water + patience = leafy greens!

I was so impressed with the results from growing tomatoes, peppers, and herbs in my first outdoor raised garden bed, that I decided to try my hand at indoor gardening. If you would have asked me five years ago if I had a “green thumb,” I would have laughed and told you to look at my indoor plants. But something changed when I took the time to research soil composition and each plant’s growth behavior. For my indoor garden, I decided to grow lettuce, kale, and herbs.

I want you to experience the joy of indoor gardening, too! Use the supplies list to shop for the items you need for your indoor setup. (I simplified the equipment as much as possible since I didn’t want to overly invest in expensive supplies.) Each item listed below is linked making shopping easy.

SUPPLIES

Sylvania Gro-Lux Bulb Housing Unit (here is a similar one)

Sylvania Gro-Lux 40watt LED bulbs x2

Steel Double Loop Chain

S Hooks

Small Fan

Indoor Plug-In Mechanical Timer

Spray Water Bottle

Seed Starting Tray

Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix

Burpee Organic Leafy Greens and Herb Plant Food 5-5-3

Botanical Interests Starter Seeds

Seed Tray Warmer (optional)

Plastic Container Pots with Drainage Holes (I also used plastic salad containers.)

HOW TO GROW LETTUCE & HERBS INDOORS

The key to giving seeds a good head start is to germinate them in water for 24 hours and then plant each individual seed in a small well of slightly moist soil (cake-like consistency). Of course, you should also read the sowing directions on the back of each seed packet to optimize results.

I placed the grow lights 4″-6″ above the soil’s surface. As the plants grew, I adjusted the lights to keep them the same distance from the tallest leaf. Setting a timer to control the on/off lighting schedule is important. I had success running the grow lights and rotating fan for 12 hours and then off for 12 hours. Why use a fan? Just as outdoor plants are exposed to circulating air, indoors plants need the exposure as well.

seed starting trays

Indoor grow rooms need to be at a comfortable temperature to give plants the best chance for success. I didn’t have to use a seed tray warmer since the basement room stays at approximately 65 degrees at all times. If you check your room’s temperature and it ranges between 65 degrees and 80 degrees when the grow lights are off, the seed trays should be okay without a warming mat underneath them.

After filling the seed trays with a seed starting soil and a bit of Burpee plant food, I used a pencil to create a well for each seed. Then, I carefully dropped one seed into each well and covered it with more soil. To keep them hydrated, I watered the seed trays from the bottom for the first couple of weeks. Later, I switched to top-down watering alternating between using a spray bottle and a watering can. I kept the soil moist but not saturated.

Soon, the seeds grew into fragile seedlings. A few weeks later, they were ready to be transplanted into larger pots until they were harvest two months later. During every stage of growth, I watched the leaves change in color and size as they grew taller all the while reaching for the light. I had the best luck growing heirloom kale, dill, romaine lettuce, and arugula. But I have to be honest, growing vegetables and herbs indoors wasn’t without challenges.

lettuce seedlings

One day, I was tending to my plantings and noticed small, black gnats flying around some of the pots. Fungus gnats! My research proved correct. The gnats came from the store-bought potting soil. Ironically, I spent a pretty penny on the best potting soil in town. But, such is the gardener’s life! To get rid of the pesky gnats, I filled shallow bowls with apple cider vinegar, a few drops of Dawn dish soap, and a bit of water and placed them around the pots. Voila! The gnats flew into the bowls and died. Mission accomplished. (After I harvested the lettuce from those pots, I tossed the soil in the trash.)

lettuce indoor garden

The learning never stops when you’re growing food from seed. Each time I was perplexed by something, I read about it or watched my favorite YouTube channel “Growing a Greener World” or searched Google. In the end, it was all worth it. The feeling you get when you harvest food from your indoor garden is beyond words.

“I’m going downstairs to get some lettuce for our salad,” was never a sentence I thought I’d say out loud. I still consider myself a beginner gardener.

I suspect you’re one of those people who appreciate where your food comes from and want to know its path to your plate. I encourage you to try gardening. You will have successes. You will experience small fails. It will all be worth it the moment you taste the vegetables you’ve grown.

Please comment below if you have questions about my indoor growing setup. If you have indoor gardening stories to share, I’d love to hear from you!

Bonus! Click Properly Fill a Raised Garden Bed to learn how to grow massive garden plants outdoors. If you dream of having your own garden house, be sure to check out Garden House Showcase to see how my mom took the idea of a potting shed to a new level.

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: container pots, dill, garden, gardening, green thumb, grow lights, harvest, herbs, homegrown, indoor, indoor garden, kale, lettuce, light bulbs, plants, potted plants, seedlings, seeds, soil, sowing, vegetables

Thin Crust Alfredo Pizza with Bacon and Kale

January 8, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Restaurant pizza is yummy. But homemade just-the-way-you-like-it pizza is far more delicious even decadent especially when it’s topped with bacon.

I live with a native New Yorker so you can bet we eat a lot of pizza. We’ve made homemade crust and purchased a case of Sam’s frozen pizza crust. No matter how you slice it, preparing homemade pizza crust is labor intensive and messy. By the time the pizza was on the plate, we were exhausted and the kitchen was a flour-covered mess that we didn’t want to clean. Then, I discovered Mama Mary’s oven-ready crust! My Thin Crust Alfredo Pizza with Bacon and Kale doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to prepare.

You can find oven-ready pizza crust in medium to large sizes in your grocery store next to store bought sauces and near ethnic foods. A lover of white garlic pizza, I created my version of Granite City’s bacon flatbread pizza. Topped with Alfredo sauce, crumbled pork-bacon sausage, thinly sliced red onion, finely chopped kale, sliced mushrooms, shredded mozzarella, and crumbled blue cheese, my homemade pizza took minutes to prepare and less than 10 minutes to bake. Now that’s decadent!

Since the New Year, I’ve taken the time to prep my vegetables and recipes starters during the weekend so I’m ready for the work week. This dedicated time in the kitchen has helped me so much! I don’t throw out half-rotten produce and I’m preparing more flavorful, healthier meals. My energy level during the day has improved because my intake of nutrients and fiber comes from prepared lunches stocked with fruits and vegetables. So, this pizza was easy to get on the table because I already washed and sliced my produce.

Tip: After slicing the red onions, place them in a bowl with water for at least 30 minutes and then drain. This reduces the robust raw onion taste that can overpower other pizza flavors. I do this in advance and store my onions in the refrigerator for later use.

If you want another pizza recipe, you’ll also enjoy my semi-homemade Grilled Greek Pizza!

onedelightfullife.com

5-6 pizza slices

Thin Crust Alfredo Pizza with Bacon and Kale

This thin crispy crust is the platform for delicious white pizza flavor you won't be able to resist.

15 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

Save RecipeSave Recipe
Print Recipe
My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

  • 1 Mama Mary's thin crust
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Toppings:
  • 1/4 c. Barilla Creamy Alfredo pasta sauce
  • 1 c crumbled Farmland pork bacon
  • 1 c sliced mushrooms
  • 1/8 c. diced kale
  • 1/8 c. sliced red onion
  • 1 diced garlic clove
  • 1/2 c mozzarella
  • 1 T crumbled blue cheese
  • shredded parmesan (optional)
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Brush crust with olive oil.
  2. Add half the mozzarella.
  3. Add the remaining toppings.
  4. Add the other half of the mozzarella.
  5. Sprinkle with light coating of parmesan.
  6. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  7. Bake for 71/2-10 minutes until the crust edges are golden brown. (Bottom of crust will not brown but will be crispy.)
  8. Allow to cool a few minutes before slicing to serve.
7.8.1.2
64
https://onedelightfullife.com/thin-crust-alfredo-pizza-with-bacon-and-kale/
onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

277 cal

Fat

8 g

Carbs

32 g

Protein

3 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
ESHA Logo

Filed Under: Dinner, Taste Tagged With: alfredo, bacon, blue cheese, Greek, homemade pizza, kale, mama mary's, mozzarella, mushrooms, New York, oven baked, oven-ready, pepper, pie, pizza, pizza crust, pork, prep, red onion, sausage, semi-homemade, slice, thin crust pizza, vegetables

How to Make Healthy Kale Chips

August 9, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Kale was a super trendy vegetable a couple of years ago and it hasn’t lost its mojo yet.

Why is kale considered the world’s healthiest food?

The benefits of eating kale are tremendous because studies have shown that if you consume it, it improves your blood sugar levels, reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, limits your risk of cancer, decreases the chances of bone fractures, and improves your digestion.

Wow, right?

My Healthy Kale Chips are delicious and good for you. I love the inevitable crunchy sound they make too. I’ve tried only eating handful, but usually end up munching on the entire bowl. When finished, I think “you just ate all of that kale?” I ate the whole bag!

Baking kale chips couldn’t be easier because you only need three ingredients and an oven. I buy the longer leafy variety at the farmers’ market, but you can also pick it up at the grocery store near the lettuce section. I made these healthy babies twice in one week.

Step 1: Clean and dry the kale. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Step 2: Remove the middle stems with a knife.

The stem doesn't soften when baked and leaves a bitter taste.
The stem doesn’t soften when baked and leaves a bitter taste.

Step 3: Toss de-stemmed leaves in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 T. olive oil. Transfer coated leaves to a baking sheet. I prefer to set the leaves on to a metal rack. Sprinkle with a light coating of sea salt.

It's okay if the leaves overlap. A bunch of kale produces two baking sheets worth of leaves.
It’s okay if the leaves overlap. A bunch of kale produces two baking sheets worth of leaves.

Step 4: Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Monitor the baking process so the leaves don’t scorch.

Step 5: Transfer bake kale leaves to a bowl and serve! If you don’t gobble them all up like me in one sitting, you can leave them out on the counter overnight or store them in a Ziplock bag.

healthy-kale-chips1


onedelightfullife.com

Healthy Kale Chips

10 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

Save RecipeSave Recipe
Print Recipe

My Recipes
My Lists
My Calendar

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch broad leaf kale
  • 1/2 T. olive oil
  • heavy pinch sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Wash and dry kale leaves.
  3. Remove stems using a knife.
  4. Transfer de-stemmed leaves to a large bowl.
  5. Toss in 1/2 T. olive oil using your hands.
  6. Transfer coated leaves to a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet.
  7. Sprinkle with a heavy pinch of sea salt.
  8. Back at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Monitor baking so the leaves don't burn.

Notes

Swap seasoning salt for sea salt, if you want to zestier tasting kale chips.

7.8.1.2
44

https://onedelightfullife.com/how-to-make-healthy-kale-chips/

onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Fat

7 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info


ESHA Logo

Try swapping kale chips for artificially flavored bagged chips or top your baked potato with them.

Signature ODL 170x70px

Filed Under: Appetizers, Taste Tagged With: appetizer, baked vegetables, healthy food, kale, kale chips, vegetable

Primary Sidebar

SEARCH

Ammar
Hello! I'm Vanessa. Welcome to One Delightful Life, a blog created to add more delight to your life with delicious recipes, travel destinations, and lifestyle improvement ideas. Thanks for exploring my blog!

Archives

Contact Us

  • Email
    info@onedelightfullife.com

Popular Posts

Back to School Brain Breaks12K Total Shares
Going Underground in Historic Ellinwood, KansasGoing Underground in Historic Ellinwood, Kansas7K Total Shares
Weston, Missouri: Making the Most of a Weekend VisitWeston, Missouri: Making the Most of a Weekend Visit2K Total Shares
Cucumber Lime Vodka SplashCucumber Lime Vodka Splash1K Total Shares
Sun Palace: A Couples-Only Resort in Cancun, MexicoSun Palace: A Couples-Only Resort in Cancun, Mexico508 Total Shares
  • About
  • Taste
  • Travel
  • DIY
  • Contact
  • Lifestyle
  • 100 Things to Do in Wichita Before You Die

© 2023 · onedelightfullife ·