Current Fridge Protein & Leftover Inventory (Start of Day)
- Leftover sirloin steaks (from Sunday)
- Grilled chicken breast (big batch from Monday)
- Smash burgers (still plenty)
- Cooked ground beef (freezer)
- Chuck roast (going in the oven this morning — more on that below)
- Bacon (last of it — finishing today)
- Brats (uncooked and pulled from the freezer…planning to use them tomorrow)
- Thick cut pork chops (in the fridge — plan to brine tomorrow and cook Thursday)
Morning
- Kids finished the last of the bacon
- Bagels from Costco — still going strong, still a crowd pleaser
- Before leaving for the eye doctor at 8:30, I got the chuck roast going — more on that below
Eye Doctor + Snacks
One of my younger kids had an eye doctor appointment — we spend a fair amount of time in those small exam rooms between two of my kids. Packed snacks he’d like, brought an iPad, got through it.
Lunch — Leftover Steak (Reheated Right)
Everyone had leftover sirloin steak from Sunday, and here’s how I like to reheat it so it actually tastes good:
- Slice the steak into small chunks
- Get a pan blazing hot
- Add a big pad of butter, let it brown for a moment
- Toss the steak in — you want it to sear, not steam or boil
- Let the pieces get a nice crisp on them, hit with a little salt
It comes out genuinely delicious. Served with chips, fruit, and veggies.
Snack — A Premium Snack Day
My mom took one of my kids to violin and stopped at Chick-fil-A on the way home. She just showed up with Chick-fil-A like the absolute gem she is.
We were all outside in the yard anyway so I also made a round of shaved ice. Chick-fil-A and shaved ice in the backyard on a nice day — nobody complained.
Dinner — Pure Leftovers
Nobody was starving after a 3pm Chick-fil-A situation, so dinner was light and easy:
- Most kids had leftover grilled chicken
- One daughter wanted a repeat of her burger bowl from the zoo lunch yesterday — cut up bun, lettuce, pickle, onion, burger patty, a few crunchy chips mixed in, ketchup on top. She built it herself and loved every bite.
Minimal cooking, zero waste, completely easy. A perfect leftover day.
The Chuck Roast (Started 8:30am, Pulled at 5:30pm)
I got this going before we left the house at 8:30 and it just did its thing all day.
Credit where it’s due — this method is from Olivia Adriance’s original viral chuck roast recipe. I used to sear chuck roast on the stovetop, add broth, do the whole thing, make a huge mess. These Costco chuck roasts are enormous and nearly impossible to fit in one skillet. This method changed everything.
The method:
- Extra deep Nordic Ware half sheet pan (people ask me about this pan constantly — linking it. A standard half sheet is only about an inch deep and anything with a lot of juices risks overflowing. I learned that the hard way. This pan solves that for chuck roast, large roast chickens, deep sheet cakes — anything.)
- Salt and pepper on the roast — nothing else. No broth, no searing, nothing
- Cover tightly with parchment, then a big sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil, sealed well
- 300°F (her recipe says 325° — I do 300°) — low and slow, completely unattended
It came out with an actual sear on it despite never touching a hot pan — something about the oven versus sitting in its own juices in a crock pot. The size alone makes a crock pot a non-starter for me with these big Costco roasts.
Did I eat any? I mean. I had to check it. Due diligence.
Why I don’t serve it the same day: Letting it sit overnight in the fridge lets the fat rise and harden on top — skimming it off the next day gives you the most beautiful braising liquid. Then I can take it in any direction I want when I reheat it:
- Barbacoa-style
- Beef with gravy, potatoes, and carrots
- Whatever sounds good that day
The whole thing is in the fridge. Tomorrow I’m freezing half — I’ll use half this week and save the rest for later. I always love having frozen chuck roast on hand.
Post-Dinner / Looking Ahead
What’s in the fridge now:
- Chuck roast (full batch — freezing half tomorrow)
- Grilled chicken (still a good amount)
- Smash burgers, just 2 left
- Thick cut pork chops (plan to brine tomorrow, cook Thursday)
- Brats
- Cooked ground beef (I ate some of this for a snack this evening, so there’s probably one portion left)
- I also pulled out a log of my homemade beef summer sausage so I can use it to pack lunches for co-op on Thursday.
Tomorrow → freeze half the chuck roast, brine the pork chops, coast on leftovers for lunch.