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lettuce

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

6 Flavorful Salads with Dried Fruit

December 15, 2019 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

I love a hearty salad, and I especially appreciate the salads from Panera Bread. But at $11 per salad, dining there can get costly! My go-to order at Panera is the Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken. So, in an effort to make it myself I decided to dehydrate apples and create a kind of copycat version. As a bonus, I’m including a round-up of heart-healthy salads created by several of my food blogging friends. Any of these scrumptious recipes can be made during the week to tote to work for lunch or to serve as a lighter dinner option. Enjoy!

Gala Apple Salad with Rotisserie Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Made with mixed greens and tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is a combination of tangy and sweet flavors. My salad recipe is made with dried apples, freshly shredded rotisserie chicken (buy one at the store!), tomatoes, goat cheese crumbles, red onion slices, and almond slices. I also love adding dried cranberries or golden raisins when I want more fruit flavor.

Preparing this salad is as simple as coating a large salad bowl with your desired amount of homemade balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below), adding the salad ingredients, and using tongs to toss the salad mixture until evenly coated with dressing. I think you’re going to love it!

Gala Apple Salad with Rotisserie Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

One Delightful Life

About 1 cup

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This tangy yet slightly sweet vinaigrette can be used as a dressing over almost any salad.

10 minPrep Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 2 T. Agave Nectar Light
  • 1 T. Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • 1 finely diced garlic clove

Instructions

  1. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. (You can also add all of the ingredients to a mason jar, add lid, and shake vigorously until well mixed.)
  3. Serve immediately.
7.8.1.2
93
https://onedelightfullife.com/salads-with-dried-fruit/
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Nutrition

Calories

1863 cal

Fat

148 g

Carbs

82 g

Protein

85 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
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Farro Spinach Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts

Yay! For Food’s salad is described as a sweet and savory vegan salad featuring the healthy whole grain: farro! Marie’s Farro Spinach Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts recipe brings all the flavor and it’s nutritious. Farro, a grain that is nutty in flavor but a bit sweet, is high in fiber and a good source of protein and iron. Like rice, it is sold dried and prepared in water until it softens.

Recipe: YayForFood.com

Moroccan Couscous Salad

Contributing food blogger, Marlee from ijustmakesandwiches.com, says her Moroccan Couscous Salad is made with dried fruit such as apricots and raisins and tossed with a lemon vinaigrette. She suggests that this cold couscous salad be served with roasted chicken or salmon. The Mediterranean couscous adds texture to this highly flavorful salad!

Recipe: I Just Make Sandwiches

Apple Fig Walnut Rocket Salad

This recipe is a winner! It combines some of my favorite flavors including fresh fig. Rhian of hintohealthy.com made it using “crunchy apples, jammy dried figs, earthy walnuts and peppery rocket (arugula) coated in a garlicky pesto dressing!” Learn how to make this gluten-free, vegan Apple Fig Walnut Rocket Salad for your next brunch or lunch with friends.

Recipe: Rhian’s Recipes

Kale Salad with Apples and Cranberries + Tahini Dressing

The best part of making a salad is that it versatile. This hearty kale salad made with tahini dressing gets its texture from the leafy bits of kale, pumpkin seeds, chunks of apples, and dried cranberries. All you have to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl and toss it with the dressing! Not a fan of tahini? You could serve Hint of Healthy’s Kale Salad with Apples and Cranberries with a vinaigrette dressing as well.

Recipe: Hint of Healthy

Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

A perfect salad to make during the fall, Cooking Carnival’s Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad combines the rich flavors of chopped kale, onion, butternut squash, quinoa, pecans, cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. I could see making this healthy salad as my entire dinner!

Recipe: Cooking Carnival

Love what you see here and want yet another salad option? If you’re on the hunt for a mostly fruit salad layered on a bed of fresh greens, you’ll adore my Spinach Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette.

I’m always eager to add another fresh salad to my line-up of weeknight stars, so be sure to add your recipe idea to the comments below!

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Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Salads Tagged With: balsamic, dried fruit, lettuce, salad, vinaigrette

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

June 5, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Sometimes you just have to give yourself a break…from the kitchen. Enter the crockpot!

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps, by SkinnyTaste.com, is a recipe that’s sat untouched in my old school recipe box for awhile now, but boy am I glad I used it this week. Have you ever had one of those incredibly busy weeks? I just talked to a mom who was busy trying to run a business, rush her kids to and from activities, and be a doting wife. She’s a superwoman! But, let’s be real. Moms like her, like you, need a break from hovering over a stove.

Pin this one! You’ll thank me later.

This recipe is as easy as dropping items in the crockpot, setting it on high for four hours, and walking away! Ah, I love the digital “ding!” of my crockpot’s timer when dinner is done and so will you.

For this savory recipe, you will need three chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, celery, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and Frank’s hot sauce. After the crockpot “dings!” you’ll want to remove the chicken and place it in a bowl so you can shred it using two forks. Afterward, add it back to the crockpot and add in Frank’s hot sauce, mix again, and turn to the warm setting.

When you’re ready to plate, simply tear large leaves of Bibb lettuce and put them face up on a plate. Pile a heap of buffalo chicken, shredded carrots, and sliced celery. A lover of bright colors, I also added thinly sliced red cabbage. Oh, and I like my lettuce wraps spicy so I drizzled more Frank’s hot sauce on top.

Add blue cheese or gorgonzola for added flavor richness.

Your family will thank you for this tasty, light dinner that was ready when they entered the door and you’ll thank yourself for not stressing out over another weeknight dinner fiasco. Just set it and forget it.

You can view SkinnyTaste’s recipe for Crock-Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps here. What would you like me to recipe test for the crockpot next? Leave a comment in the space below.

For more delicious recipes, visit One Delightful Life on Twitter for daily updates of scrumptious food.

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’ve got to take a moment to add this recipe back to its recipe box for later use.

Filed Under: Dinner, Taste Tagged With: blue cheese, buffalo sauce, chicken, crock pot, Frank's hot sauce, garlic, gorgonzola, hot sauce, lettuce, low-carb, shredded chicken, wraps

Crunchy Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

December 28, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Maybe the reason I decided to eat healthy for dinner was because I cancelled my YMCA membership this week. If I’m going to be lazy, I better eat low-fat dishes.

My Crunchy Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps are my first step to reprogramming my mind to eat healthier and get back into shape, even if that’s not in front of strangers at a high-priced sweaty gym. Maybe you feel the same sometimes?

Full of sweet but tangy flavor, these delicious lettuce wraps remind me that eating healthy is not only easy to prepare but pretty tasty too.

The key to keeping these lettuce wraps on the lighter side is to use ground lean 93/7 turkey meat as the base with fresh broccoli slaw and bib lettuce. The crunch comes from added fried wonton strips (optional) and the slaw, which nicely balances the soft meat mixture and bib lettuce exterior. I don’t add extra sugary or salty sauces on top leaving the wraps on the lighter side. There is enough flavor from the marinade ingredients. While these wraps can be served for a lighter-fare dinner entree, they could also be served for lunch.

crunchy-asian-turkey-lettuce-wraps

If you want to add heat to the meat mixture, you could add Sriracha or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the marinade. This colorful entree looks bright and appetizing when plated on white or dark contrasting plates. If you have leftovers, you can deconstruct the lettuce and create a bowl of “salad” out of the ingredients too.

My Instagram post of this recipe was quite popular yielding more likes than any of the 130 posts yet. Follow One Delightful Life on Instagram!

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onedelightfullife.com

Serves 6-8 lettuce wraps

Crunchy Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

A gorgeous 30 minute meal sure to please every palette.

10 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • Bib lettuce
  • 1 lb. 93/7 lean ground turkey cooked until its browned
  • Marinade:
  • 1/3 c. hoisin
  • 3 T Thai chile sauce
  • 1 T sesame oil
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T rice wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 chopped green onions
  • salt and pepper
  • Toppings:
  • broccoli slaw (purchased prepared in a bag-add as much as you like)
  • sesame seeds to garnish
  • wonton strips (buy in a package in the produce department)

Instructions

  1. Mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
  2. Cook 1 lb. 93/7 ground turkey until its browned
  3. Add marinade to ground turkey, mix well, and simmer on low until fully heated.
  4. Spoon turkey marinade mixture into individual bib lettuce leaves.
  5. Top with broccoli slaw, sesame seeds, and wonton strips.
7.8.1.2
63

https://onedelightfullife.com/crunchy-asian-turkey-lettuce-wraps/

onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

131 cal

Fat

2 g

Carbs

24 g

Protein

3 g

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


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Filed Under: Dinner, Taste Tagged With: Asian, bib lettuce, broccoli slaw, chile sauce, crunchy, garlic powder, ginger, green onions, ground turkey, healthy, hoisin, lettuce, lettuce wrap, live lettuce, rice vinegar, sesame, sesame seeds, soy sauce, wrap

Creamy Dill Chicken Salad Sandwich

June 21, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Nothing, I mean nothing is a delicious as my mom’s homemade chicken salad. Over the years, I created my own take on her recipe but with a few changes. I love fresh dill and mayo as a spreadable combination on any sandwich and this Creamy Dill Chicken Salad Sandwich bumps it up a notch and incorporates cranberries (optional). I think mom would be proud.

It’s so good, I might just eat two sandwiches in one sitting. Want to avoid carbs? Add this creamy salad on top of mixed greens instead.

This creamy, cool chicken salad is addictive. You'll want to sandwich it between bread, pita bread, or just top it on top of a bed of mixed greens. Addictive. You've been warned.
This creamy, cool chicken salad is addictive. You’ll want to sandwich it between bread, pita bread, or just top it on top of a bed of mixed greens. Addictive. You’ve been warned.


onedelightfullife.com

Serves 3 large sandwiches

Creamy Dill Chicken Salad Sandwiches

10 minPrep Time

18 minCook Time

28 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 2 diced, poached skinless & boneless chicken breasts (You could cut prep time by using a store bought rotisserie chicken.)
  • Creamy Dill Chicken Salad Base:
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 T. dill pickle juice
  • 2 T. roughly chopped fresh dill
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. stone ground mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 c. diced celery
  • Optional-cranberries, chopped walnuts for crunch

Instructions

  1. Poach Chicken Breasts:
  2. Trim any fat from 2 large skineless, boneless chicken breasts
  3. Add to large pot
  4. Cover with chicken broth (or water) by at least an inch
  5. Add 3 springs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, 3 springs of parsley, 3 large pieces celery, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cracked pepper
  6. Bring to a boil.
  7. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 18 minutes.
  8. Remove chicken and allow it to cool prior to dicing it.
  9. (Strain and freeze the remaining chicken broth liquid for another use.)
  10. Dice chicken and reserve.
  11. In a large mixing bowl, combine all base liquid ingredients. Add in chopped dill, celery, salt, pepper, and stir. Add in optional dried cranberries and chopped walnuts to taste.
  12. Allow to chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

Notes

Substitute basil for dill or grapes for cranberries. Almonds also make a great swap ingredient instead of walnuts.

7.8.1.2
11

https://onedelightfullife.com/creamy-dill-chicken-salad-sandwich/

onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

101 cal

Fat

2 g

Carbs

1 g

Protein

18 g

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


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Filed Under: Lunch, Sandwiches, Taste Tagged With: celery, chicken, chicken salad, cranberries, creamy, dill, dill chicken salad, dill pickle juice, lettuce, mayo, mayonnaise, mustard, sandwich, walnuts

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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!

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