Monday: Burger Bowls, Jell-O Ring Pops, and a Summer Pasta Dinner
This morning started with a very typical breakfast around here: bacon, cereal, and smoothies.
One thing we’ve discovered recently is that peaches are fantastic in cereal. My teen has been adding sliced peaches to hers instead of berries, and it’s been a fun change from our usual routine.
Of course, Daphne had her beloved drink yogurt.
We jumped right into a full homeschool morning, and because lunch was going to be on the earlier side, we skipped a morning snack altogether. Daphne wanted to eat her bacon while sitting behind me in the same chair…all while I’m trying to explain fractions!
Lunch: Five Guys Burger Bowls
My parents had taken the kids to Five Guys after Mass on Saturday, which meant we had a mountain of leftover fries sitting in the refrigerator.
Because if you’ve ever ordered fries at Five Guys, you know they don’t believe in measuring.
I pulled out the air fryer and had Fiona help turn those leftovers into lunch.
Reheating Five Guys Fries
My favorite method is:
- Air fryer at 375°F
- About 10 minutes total
- Shake or toss halfway through
They get surprisingly crispy again.
While the fries cooked, she warmed some of the ground beef I cooked yesterday. Then everyone built their own version of a burger bowl.
Fiona’s version was layered:
- Crispy fries
- Ground beef
- Freshly grated cheddar cheese
- Lettuce
- Pickles
- Onion
- Avocado salsa
- Ketchup and mustard
Other kids wanted every ingredient separate on their plates.
As always, I am completely fine with either approach. My goal is feeding people, not forcing presentation styles.
I made myself a burger bowl salad using the same basic ingredients over greens.
Afternoon Snacks: Jell-O Ring Pops
Years ago I bought a ring pop mold, and it remains one of the most-used random kitchen gadgets I own.
Instead of making popsicles with juice, I often use prepared Jell-O.
The reason is simple: as it melts, it doesn’t drip nearly as much as juice-based popsicles.
For little kids, that’s a huge win.
Sure, homemade fruit juice popsicles are wonderful, but when you want something fast and easy, Jell-O works surprisingly well.
The kids also had some simple snacks like:
- Cheese and crackers
- Fruit
- Pantry snacks
Freezer Restock Continues
This afternoon I finished a few projects from yesterday’s prep session.
Homemade Beef Summer Sausage
The beef summer sausage finished curing overnight, so I baked it today and got that stocked away.
Meatloaf
I pulled the meatloaf from the refrigerator and sliced it while it was cold.
This is one of my favorite freezer tricks because cold meatloaf slices beautifully.
I vacuum-sealed the portions with my FoodSaver and added two meal-sized packages to the freezer.
I intentionally kept a few slices in the refrigerator because they’ll make easy lunches later this week.
Chicken Prep
I also spent about five minutes throwing together a marinade for some chicken breast.
Nothing complicated:
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Smoked paprika
Just enough to get it seasoned and ready for dinner.
Yard Work and Summer Evenings
The afternoon was mostly spent outside doing yard work.
This is exactly the season where I try to lean into meals that don’t require a lot of last-minute effort because we’d much rather be outside than standing in the kitchen.
Dinner: One of My Favorite Summer Meals
Dinner tonight is one of those meals that perfectly captures summer for me.
I grilled the marinated chicken breasts while:
- Pasta cooked on the stove
- Corn cooked
- Vegetables roasted in the air fryer
If tomatoes were in peak season, I would have added fresh tomatoes and basil too. We’re just not quite there yet.
The finished meal looked like this:
Build-Your-Own Summer Pasta Bowls
- Pasta
- Grilled chicken
- Roasted vegetables
- Corn on the cob on the side
- Simple vinaigrette
- Mozzarella pearls
- (Future version: fresh tomatoes and basil)
The beauty of this dinner is how adaptable it is.
Some family members layered everything together into one big bowl.
Others ate:
- Chicken separately
- Pasta separately
- Vegetables separately
Same ingredients, different plates.
That’s one of my favorite ways to feed a family because nobody feels like they’re eating a completely different meal.
Looking Ahead
Today was one of those days where it felt like a lot happened behind the scenes.
Freezer Wins
- Homemade beef summer sausage cooked and stocked
- Two packages of meatloaf added to the freezer
- Ground beef already stocked from yesterday
Refrigerator Wins
- Marinated chicken used
- Leftover meatloaf slices ready for lunches
- Plenty of vegetables still available