Today was a big day — Costco, prep, baking, and getting ready to host Easter brunch!
Morning (Costco + Reset)
I got up, got ready, and went straight to Costco — early.
Like 9 a.m. early (executive member life), and honestly…no line for gas, in and out in an hour. I might be a morning Costco person now. My husband even texted me mid-trip to ask if I would chat with the tire/battery guys to see when his car battery warranty ends!
Also had a very important conversation with the guy packing my cart — turns out he’s a mechanical engineer, I’m a chemical engineer, and we both deeply appreciate a well-packed cart. Berries on top. Chips not crushed. It matters.
Came home and immediately:
- unloaded everything
- put it all away
- got cooking
Lunch (Grill + Batch Cooking)
I took one of the big packs of ground beef and went all in:
- Made 20 burgers on the grill
- Roasted 2 bags of Trader Joe’s shredded potatoes
- Did a skillet of onions and mushrooms for the burgers
- Served with fruit + veggies
→ Easy lunch for everyone.
But the real win:
- extra burgers = lunches/snacks this week
Then I took the rest of that same pack of beef:
- browned it on the stove
- bagged it
- froze it
I LOVE to have cooked ground beef in my freezer…I can pull it out and make a quick snack or dinner in minutes!
I also grabbed a second pack of ground beef:
→ planning to make a meal for a family with a new baby (meatballs or meatloaf tomorrow afternoon when everyone is chilling out after the Easter egg hunt and before we head over to my parents’ house for dinner)
Afternoon (Frosting Marathon)
We went ALL IN on frosting today.
Buttercream (for cookies):
- ⅓ cup butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- vanilla + heavy cream
Tripled that for all the cookies.
We colored it, piped it, and decorated everything.
And honestly — I love this.
This is one of those things I lean into as a mom because it brings me joy. Someone once told me to find the things I enjoy doing and just bring my kids along into that activity…I’d rather cut and decorate cookies over dying eggs ANY DAY!
(My 3-year-old even joined in after her nap — it was chaos and perfect.)
Lemon Frosting (for cupcakes + lemon cookies):
- 2 sticks butter
- zest of 2 lemons
- juice of 1 lemon
- ~8 cups powdered sugar
- vanilla + heavy cream
Whipped it until light and fluffy — so good.
Dairy-Free Frosting (for cakes):
- 1 cup dairy-free butter
- ~9 cups powdered sugar
- vanilla
- coconut milk
Split it:
- half → carrot cake
- half → chocolate frosting (added cocoa + more coconut milk)
Everything is now baked and frosted.
My kitchen was…a disaster
(photos for evidence that I love my kids and the mess was worth the fun!)
Dinner (Clean-Out + Easy Button)
After all that, I wanted zero effort dinner.
So we did a full clean-out meal:
- Chili (from the freezer, reheated)
- Brat bites (from earlier this week)
- Crispy chicken bites (leftover)
- Pizza (last of it)
- Side salads (of course)
Everything reheated, everything used up.
And honestly — it was perfect.
Extra Prep (Hosting Mode)
While dinner was going:
- Prepped fruit + veggies for Easter brunch
- Used a cooling rack in the fridge to create an extra shelf (hosting hack)
Kitchen is now ready for tomorrow.
Kitchen Flow (How It’s All Working)
- Ground beef → turned into burgers + future meals
- Freezer → added the 3 lbs. cooked ground beef
- Leftovers → cleared out before hosting
- Baking → fully done ahead of Easter!
- Fridge → reset and ready to hold all the brunch food
This is exactly what I want going into a hosting day:
→ nothing wasted
→ everything prepped
→ no stress tomorrow
What’s Next (Easter!)
Tomorrow is Easter and I’m hosting brunch.
Plan:
- Early Mass (8 a.m. → out the door by 7)
- Car breakfast:
- bacon (pre-cooked today)
- reheated rolls
When we get home:
- Reheat cinnamon rolls
- Warm rolls
- Ham in the oven
- Fruit + veggies ready
- Salad
- Chips (everyone is VERY excited since my kids all gave up chips for Lent)
Dinner is at my parents’ house.
And I’m using my grandmother’s china for brunch — it has little flowers and it’s going to be beautiful.