Early Morning
Walmart Delivery: I needed a few items for the week that I couldn’t get at Costco on Saturday. It was mostly stuff like you see below….someone on IG mentioned this Margherita Pepperoni Log and I’m excited to try it this week!
Morning
We started the day with…more cinnamon rolls
You would think my kids would be sick of them by now, but absolutely not. Still very excited. Still acting like they’re fresh out of a bakery.
We also had:
- the last of the pre-cooked bacon (I will be restocking tomorrow morning)
And I posted my Cook’s Illustrated bacon experiment reel today…which was honestly hilarious.
Here’s the reel if you want to watch it:
I still cannot figure out what they were thinking with that article.
They really said “this is how you cook a pound of bacon” — like it’s the only way??
And for a brand that’s usually so thorough and objective…this was a miss.
Instagram agrees with me, so I feel validated
Midday (Mom Life Logistics)
I had to take one of my kids to an appointment, so I was gone most of the morning and through lunch.
But — systems for the win:
- My mom came over to help with my kids (because three-year-olds require a dedicated adult and I didn’t want to make my 16 year old babysit for an undetermined amount of time)
- I left instructions
Lunch was:
- leftover burgers (from Saturday)
- fruit, veggies, chips, cookies from Easter
→ everyone fed, no stress, I wasn’t even home…but we didn’t get a picture, so you’ll just have to believe that the burgers and chips were enjoyed.
My Lunch (When I Finally Got Home)
I made myself a big salad with:
- leftover ham
- all the random leftover veggies from Easter
Kind of like a cobb salad…minus the eggs (because I don’t eat eggs)
It was actually so good.
Afternoon Snack (Gone in 2 Seconds)
My dad had bought pretzel rolls for Easter dinner…which we did not need because my homemade rolls showed up
So I brought them home.
I warmed them up, walked outside with the tray…
…and they were gone instantly.
Like a swarm of children just appeared and took them.
Afternoon Cooking
This was the short cooking block of the day.
I used the second Costco pack of ground beef and made:
- 2 large meatloaves
- one for us (dinner tonight)
- one for a friend who just had a baby
I always deliver meals cold, not hot (unless I’m bringing it RIGHT at dinner time):
- easier for the family
- safer (if I cooked the meatloaf the day I delivered the meal, it would be difficult to cool it, package it, and deliver it)
- they can reheat when it works for them
Plan:
→ package tomorrow (when I have time to cut things up and make it nice)
→ deliver Wednesday at lunchtime after I finish a morning of homeschooling with my kids
Extra Protein Prep
- Used ~4 lbs ground beef for meatloaf
- Remaining ~2 lbs → browned, bagged, frozen
- Extra sausage → browned and saved for breakfasts
I ALWAYS love have frozen cooked ground beef…I plan to use this for taco bowls later this week.
Dinner
This was such a good “use what we have” dinner.
- Meatloaf
- Leftover potatoes + mashed potatoes → reheated together on a sheet pan
- Rolls → turned into garlic bread
And then my favorite part:
“Everything veggie pan”
- sautéed fresh onion (olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic)
- added:
- leftover veggie tray veggies
- mushrooms
- leftover green beans
→ all chopped, tossed together, reheated
This is exactly what you do when you have “random veggie odds and ends.”
And it was delicious.
Kitchen Flow (How It’s All Working)
- Burgers → carried lunch without me being home (still have 3 left)
- Ham → turned into a fresh salad (plan to use it for snack tomorrow)
- Pretzel rolls → instantly eliminated
- Ground beef → became dinner + freezer stock + meal for a friend
- Sausage → prepped for breakfasts
- Easter Veggies → fully cleared out and repurposed
What’s Next
Tomorrow:
- Prep the rest of the food I’m bringing to my friend in the foil pans and plastic containers I purchased in bulk at Costco on Saturday
- Homemade rolls
- Fresh fruit and veggies (she has several young kids, so prepped fresh fruit and veggies is always a nice addition)
- A ‘snack box’…I like to put together a box of packaged snacks for the little kids
- Chocolate/Oreo cake for a sweet kid-friendly treat
- Bagged Salad from Costco
- Frozen green beans
- Roasted Potatoes (I might swap this with Mac n’ Cheese…I need to check with my friend to see which one she would prefer)
- Cook chicken thighs
I’m thinking:
- half grilled
- half loaf pan version (maybe taco-style)
We’ll see what happens.