Early Morning (Car Breakfast + Getting Out the Door)
I got up at 5:30 a.m. so I could take my time getting ready — and I’m so glad I did.
We needed to be out the door by 7 for 8 a.m. Mass, so breakfast had to be quick and portable.
Car breakfast:
- Pre-cooked bacon (from yesterday) – just warmed it up on a sheet pan in the oven for about 5 minutes
- Frozen chicken sausage (Costco)
- Toast or rolls with butter or cinnamon sugar
- A couple kids had squeeze yogurts too
Everyone ate in the car on the way to church. I use these little divided containers when we need to eat on the road. I like how there is a lid so nothing spills on the way to the car or in the car if they don’t finish it.
We had nice warm weather for several days, but today it was so cold! Thankfully I was able to grab a quick blazer to throw over my Easter dress before we headed out the door!
Late Morning (Easter Brunch at Home)
Because I prepped so much ahead, this part felt really smooth.
As soon as we got home:
- Pulled out prepped fruit + veggies
- Opened the chips (big excitement after Lent)
- Tossed a salad with homemade vinaigrette
Reheating the Rolls + Cinnamon Rolls
I took the rolls and cinnamon rolls out of the fridge last night and left them wrapped on the counter.
When we got home from church:
- Oven to 350°F
- Removed plastic wrap, covered with foil
- Warmed for ~10 minutes
Then:
- Rolls → brushed with butter
- Cinnamon rolls → frosted + back in the warm oven for ~2 minutes uncovered
Same frosting as yesterday:
- ⅓ cup butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- vanilla + heavy cream
It gets soft and gooey — honestly tastes freshly baked, even though I made them on Wednesday. I used the leftover frosting from cookie decorating….which is why the cinnamon rolls are so colorful!
Ham (Stovetop Method — This Worked So Well)
Instead of baking, I:
- Sliced the Costco carver ham into thick slices
- Heated in a large skillet with butter + olive oil on low
- Flipped every few minutes
After ~20–25 minutes:
→ perfectly warmed
→ not overcooked
→ really tender
Even my mom commented on how good it was. I do typically cook this in the oven…just follow the directions on the package, but I was worried about it overcooking while we were at church for several hours.
Brunch Spread:
- Ham
- Rolls + cinnamon rolls
- Salad
- Fruit + veggies
- Chips
- All the desserts from yesterday:
- cookies
- cupcakes
- gluten-free carrot cake
- gluten-free chocolate cake
It was such a good meal. This set of china plates was my grandmother’s wedding china! When she passed away I received it and it’s so fun to pull it out for spring/summer special occasions.
Afternoon (Family Time)
After brunch:
- Played Monopoly (which got…competitive)
- Ended in a mutual decision to call it a draw between myself and my husband
(though I’m pretty sure I would have won…). We would have kept playing, but the kids were ready for their Easter egg hunt!
Then:
- Easter egg hunt outside
- My mom does the sweetest setup with curated eggs + shared eggs…so each child has a specific color egg they can hunt for. The little kids have it easy and the older kids need to SEARCH! She places each color in it’s own bag so we know who searches for which color.
Dinner (At My Parents’ House)
My mom made:
- Beef tenderloin (incredibly tender and flavorful)
- Mashed potatoes
- Vegetables
- Pasta
I brought:
- Leftover desserts
- Dinner rolls
And she also made a coconut cream limoncello sherbet that was SO good.
I’m absolutely going to recreate it for Instagram!
Kitchen Flow (How It’s All Working)
- Prep from earlier in the week → made hosting smooth
- Rolls + cinnamon rolls → made days ahead, reheated perfectly and we have leftovers for tomorrow
- Desserts → carried from yesterday to both meals
- Ham → cooked in a way that prevented overcooking
- Fridge → fully stocked with leftover ham, leftover burgers from yesterday, a little bit of the beef tenderloin, and several sides.
- Chris Breakfast → Prepped his Monday-Wednesday eggs. I just pan fry eggs till they’re just barely cooked, then transfer to glass containers. He adds sausage and an almond flour tortilla before microwaving…and they are perfectly over easy when he eats them!
This is exactly why I prep ahead — so days like today can feel full, not stressful.
What’s Next
I didn’t get to protein prep today — and that’s okay…I wanted to play Monopoly with my family instead!
Tomorrow:
- Use the second pack of ground beef
- Prep chicken thighs for the week
Back into a normal rhythm after a really full, really good weekend.