Current Fridge Protein & Leftover Inventory
- Cooked bacon (guessing this will be enough through Saturday)
- Loaf pan chicken (Chipotle version) – 2 small portions
- 2 grilled chicken thighs
- Meatloaf (about 2 servings)
- Brat bites (plain + some in Rao’s sauce)
Morning
- Regular breakfast:
- Bacon (from earlier prep this week)
- Toast + cereal
- My teen made herself a fried egg with sausage and cheese (love when they start doing this on their own)
Mid-morning:
- Light snack:
- Fruit
- Kids spent time outside (trying to soak this up before summer heat hits)
Lunch
- Continued fridge clean-out → no new cooking
What we had:
- Side salads (we are still very much in our “side salad era”)
- Cut veggies for those who didn’t want salad
Protein usage:
- Husband:
- Brat bites with Rao’s + pasta
- Side salad
- Teen:
- Side salad topped with Chipotle chicken
- Me:
- Turned mine into a taco-style salad with the Chipotle chicken
→ This chicken continues to carry us through multiple meals in totally different ways
Afternoon / Family Time
- Family outing to Cincinnati Museum Center
- Took all the kids (ages 3–16)
- Daphne (3) was completely in awe of the children’s museum—it was really sweet. I used to take my older kiddos to all kind of little museums and story times at the library…but life is so busy now…Daphne was overwhelmed by all the cool things!
Celebration prep:
- Celebrating my husband starting a new job on Monday
- Baked a chocolate cake using the King Arthur Baking Company “recipe of the year”
- Depression-era style (no dairy, no eggs → perfect for our family)
Frosting (this was a VIRAL reel back in November!):
- 2-ingredient ganache:
- Sweetened condensed milk (I use coconut version)
- Chopped chocolate bars (not chips—important!) – about 2 cups
- Melt + pour over cake for a ganache/truffle texture
Dinner (Celebration Night)
- Ate out (very rare for us) at Silver Spring House in Cincinnati.
Why we love it:
- Super kid-friendly (popcorn + peanuts while you wait)
- Known for roast chicken that fits our dietary needs (gluten/dairy/egg-free)
What we ordered:
- My husband and I:
- Roast chicken
- Baked potato + veggies
- Kids:
- Mix of kid menu options and some adult menu options too.
- Daphne:
- Plain pasta + chicken tenders
- They served the butter on the side (like truly plain)
Post-Dinner / Evening
- Came home and had cake to celebrate
- No additional prep needed for tomorrow since:
- Leftovers are nearly cleared out
- Dinner tomorrow already planned
- We’re going to do another big bonfire/cookout tomorrow night. I’ve already got the hot dog appetizers ready to go! I’ll be heading to Costco tomorrow afternoon to stock up for the week and get a few things for the bonfire night as well.