What Came Into the Kitchen
No new groceries today — still working through everything from the Costco run.
What I Cooked Today
Today was focused on the chicken thighs and adding another easy staple for the week.
- Cooked the boneless skinless chicken thighs
- I split them in half and tried a new method for part of it
- Made a chicken shawarma-style dish in a loaf pan
- Cooked at 425°F for about 40 minutes
- It came out almost like a log shape
- Sliced it up and put it back in the pan with all the juices
It turned out so good — definitely something I’ll make again.
I only made one loaf pan because I wasn’t sure if we’d love it…
but looking back, I 100% should have made two. I’m actually a little annoyed no one convinced me to try this sooner
- The other half of the chicken is now marinating
- It’s supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow, so I’m planning to grill it
- Cooked extra pasta to keep in the fridge for the week
What We Ate
Lunch
We used up more of what we already had:
- The kids had nachos with taco meat
- I had a taco salad
That used up most of the taco meat — there’s just a little bit left now.
Dinner
Dinner was built around the chicken thighs:
- Chicken shawarma
- Veggies
- Pasta
Simple, filling, and now we’ve got great leftovers. I’m so intrigued by this cooking method…so many of you have asked about making this loaf chicken with chicken breasts…I worry that it will be super dry before the inside is ever cooked. But I’ll try it out and report back! The chicken thigh version was FANTASTIC! I can imagine making this for a crowd…two big loaf pans, slicing it up, then serving it with rice, veggies, and a nice sauce.
Snacks / Prep for Tomorrow
- Finished the remaining beef summer sausage
- Packed it into lunches for tomorrow’s homeschool co-op
Current Kitchen Inventory
Cooked Proteins
- Chicken shawarma (leftovers)
- Chuck roast (still about half remaining)
- Taco meat (almost gone)
Prepped / In Progress
- Marinated chicken thighs (for grilling tomorrow)
Cooked Staples
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Roasted russet potatoes
- Cooked pasta
Produce & Fresh Ingredients
- —
Easy Meal Builders
- Pasta
- Remaining taco meat
- Leftover veggies
- Lunches packed for tomorrow
Kitchen Flow (How Things Are Getting Used)
- Chicken thighs → half used today, half marinating for tomorrow
- Taco meat → used for lunch today, almost finished
- Summer sausage → finished today, used for snacks + packed lunches
- Pasta → cooked extra to use throughout the week
- Chuck roast → still available, likely lunches or a ‘pick your plate night’ for dinner
What’s Next
Tomorrow I’ll grill the marinated chicken thighs and keep leaning into what we already have in the fridge.
At this point in the week, I like shifting into “assemble meals from what’s already done” mode — and having things like cooked protein and pasta ready makes that really easy.