What Came Into the Kitchen
Small Walmart delivery today
Restocked my 3 year old’s BELOVED Paw Patrol Danimal drink yogurts….and a few other staples I can’t get at Costco like sweet potatoes, cabbage, and the pickles my kids like.
What I Cooked Today
Today was a big morning prep day because I needed my kitchen cleared out later.
My high schooler had a chemistry lab day with friends (yes…in my kitchen), so I made sure everything was cooked, cleaned, and put away before we turned the counters into a laboratory.
Ground Beef Prep
I cooked the entire large package of ground beef all at once.
- Half → frozen (for later this week)
- Cooked plain
- Flattened in a bag, labeled with the date (I like to let it cool completely on a shallow platter before I put it in a freezer bag)
- Into the freezer…I’ll use it for burger bowls provably on Thursday night…but I put it in the freezer because I’m not 100% sure, and I don’t want it to sit in my fridge.
This just gives me flexibility — I don’t have to guess what day we’ll use it.
- Small portion → kept plain in the fridge
- For kids who don’t like chili
- The rest → turned into chili
Chili
- Ground beef + a little ground pork sausage
- Onions + peppers
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- ½ can tomato paste
- Seasonings (chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder)
Let this simmer on the stove for about 5 hours while we did our chemistry labs…I don’t normally do the simmer this long, but it was necessary today and honestly worked just fine!
Afterward, I added:
- 2 cans kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- Adjusted seasoning
Lunch Prep
- Made brat bites (cut Costco brats into about 8 pieces each, spread out on a sheet pan, and roast at 400ºF for about 10 minutes)
- Reheated leftover rice
Rice tip:
I put an ice cube on top of the rice, cover it with a paper towel or wax paper, and microwave it. The ice melts slowly and keeps the rice moist without making the bottom soggy like adding water sometimes does.
What We Ate
Lunch
- Brat bites
- Reheated rice
- Simple and quick before our busy afternoon
Dinner (Post Chemistry Lab)
After everyone left and the kitchen was cleaned up, dinner was ready to go.
This ended up being a build-your-own bowl night, which worked perfectly.
Options:
- Chili
- Plain ground beef
- Elbow pasta
- Avocado
- Cheese
- Chips (Trader Joe’s “Fritos” — honestly better than the original)
Some had:
→ chili + pasta + toppings
Others had:
→ plain ground beef + pasta + toppings
Everyone ate what they liked, and it all came from the same base….this is the type of ADAPTABLE cooking that works well for my family.
Current Kitchen Inventory
Cooked Proteins
- Chili (2 large containers)
- Steak (leftover from my parents’ house)
Prepped / In Progress
- Cooked ground beef (portion frozen for later this week)
Cooked Staples
- Elbow pasta
- Rice
Produce & Fresh Ingredients
- Onions
- Peppers
- Avocados
- Broccoli
- Salad stuff
- Sweet potatoes
- Bananas
- Strawberries and a few other random fruits
Easy Meal Builders
- Chili
- Ground beef (fresh + frozen)
- Pasta + rice
- Chips
- Leftover hot dogs
Kitchen Flow (How Things Are Getting Used)
- Ground beef → split into chili, plain, and frozen for later
- Chili → dinner + leftovers for lunches/snacks
- Pasta → added for flexibility at dinner
- Rice → used from earlier in the week..the rest will be use tomorrow night with the pork chops
- Hot dogs → still available (possible chili cheese hot dogs)
What’s Next
Tomorrow I’m definitely cooking the pork chops.
I also still have:
- Chili (for lunches/snacks)
- Brat bites (enough for a snack or small meal)
The chicken thighs have a GREAT expiration date, so I don’t feel the need to rush to cook those till probably Wednesday.