How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

I had the opportunity to get away this past weekend for almost three days with a bunch of women for a retreat.  It was so special to just get some time away and relax, and my amazing husband took care of both of our girls so that I was able to go.  He fed them, bathed them, played with them, read to them- everything I could hope for, and I am so grateful for him.  One thing that does not happen, though, when I am gone, is healthy eating.  (They all, apparently, think Cinnabon for dinner is a good idea!)  :)  I do actually think it is just fine for them to do that every now and again, but when I came home, the fresh fruit that had been sitting around had started to gather fruit flies.

Because we have so much fresh produce sitting around all the time, fruit flies are an issue we deal with from time to time.  I have done a lot of research online, and tried many methods of getting ride of them, and I have come up with what is, for us, the quickest, easier, and surest way to get rid of them.

Gather a jar, cup, bowl or other such container, some red wine vinegar and some dish soap.  I have heard the saying "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" but I no longer believe it, red wine vinegar works like a charm.

Just add several tablespoons of vinegar to your container, then add in some dish soap.  One or two drops is probably all that's needed, but I always want to be extra sure that I catch them, so I add one or two teaspoons.  There is no need to measure, just eyeball it.  

The flies are drawn to the vinegar, then because the soap had broken the surface tension, they drown.  Just set it out where you have fruit flies, and wash it out or throw it away when it's done it's job.  Easy as that!

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I hope you all had a happy Halloween, and were able to avoid eating too much junk!  Instead of letting my kids have any candy, I let them open one box of sweet cereal- Lucky Charms, which they usually don't get in our house.  They both enjoyed several small bowls to snack on through the evening and were perfectly happy with their treats!  I know if I had planned ahead, I could have come up with a very healthy Halloween treat, but cereal seemed like a decent last minute compromise.  How about you, what are your strategies for healthy treats, or avoiding candy this time of year?

I also want to tell you about Vitacost, if you have not already checked it out.  They are an affordable, reliable online retailer of vitamins, and health food items.  I find it is a great place to get protein powder, coconut oil, vitamins, and more.  They have nearly anything you can imagine, at very competitive prices.  They carry most name brands, but you can also score some awesome deals right on their Vitacost brand products.

Right now, I am loving their Vitacost Whole Food Meal Replacement.  I am a person who needs to start my day with some protein, so I add it most of my smoothies- this is great plant (rather than animal) based protein, and it has the added benefit of vitamins, minerals, greens and more!  I encourage you to try it- it is one of the best protein powders I have tried thus far.

I also like their Vitacost Plant Protein Powder, Vitacost Apple Cider Vinegar, and Vitacost Coconut oil.

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If you have already tried Vitacost, I would love to know what some of your favorite products are.

How to Menu Plan... And a Free Printable

Have you always wanted to menu plan, but didn't know where to start?  I have always had a menu plan, but now that I have so much fresh produce on hand, I find it is crucial for me to plan out my meals, or it all ends up going to waste.  Here is a quick breakdown of how I menu plan.  I hope it helps.

First, there are some things I buy in bulk and always have on hand.  Once a year, we get together with friends to buy and split half of a grass fed cow.  So, we always have beef in the freezer.  I also have staples like brown rice, quinoa, dried beans, spices, etc, so I don't often have to go buy those.

Next, once a week I get a big box of produce.  It is full of lots of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetable that I want to work into my menu plan this week, so I don't waste any of it.

Once I look through it and a see what's there, I sit down with my menu plan worksheet to map it all out.  I start by writing down anything on my calendar that would affect how I plan my meals (because I am so forgetful, and need the help remembering things like dinner with friends, birthdays, etc.)

Next, I actually list all of the produce I got that week, as well as anything else I need to use up.  If I don't list it, I tend to loose a cucumber in the back of the fridge, or some sweet potatoes in the bottom of the produce drawer, and not remember them until they are no longer recognizable.

Once I have everything listed out, I start to fill in my menu plan, crossing things off as I use them up.  If I have a lot of bananas, I might plan banana smoothies for breakfasts, and bananas for snacks on a few days.  Between meals, smoothies, and snacks, I try to account for all my produce each week (except for things that keep well, like potatoes and onions.)  I usually plan one day for leftovers, to eat up anything we had extra of throughout the week.  I keep my grocery list with me, and when I put something on my menu plan, I make sure I have it on hand, if not, I add it to my grocery list.

Menu planning this way (based on what I have, rather than the other way around) saves me a lot of money each week.  If you plan out seven yummy sounding dinners, then have to go buy every ingredient for those, you will have a very expensive shopping trip.  However, if you are planning around what you have, and only shopping to fill in the gaps, you grocery bill will go down,and you will waste less food.

Here is a sample of what my menu plan for a typical week might look like:

And that's all there is to it!  You can download my menu plan template here, and start your menu planning tonight!  Good luck!

Do you have any tried and true menu planning methods that have worked for you?  I would love to hear your ideas!