What Came Into the Kitchen
No new groceries today
What I Cooked Today
Lunch Prep (Quick Reheat + Simple Sides)
- Reheated leftover steak from Sunday
- Cut into small pieces
- Quick sear in a hot stainless steel pan with butter
My parents cook their steaks sous vide and sear them, so they stay nice and medium rare. This quick pan sear is the best way I’ve found to reheat without overcooking them.
- Made boxed mac and cheese
- Served with fruit + veggies
Dinner (Braised Pork Chops)
I had an 8-pack of thick Costco pork chops, so:
- Froze 4 (for later)
- Cooked the remaining 4
These are very thick, so I like a braise method:
- Sear pork chops in bacon fat + olive oil
- Remove and sauté:
- carrots
- celery
- onion
- Add:
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ~2 cups chicken broth
- garlic powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika
- Bring to a simmer, then return pork chops to the pan
- Cook low for about 1.5–2 hours
I started this around 3:30 and we ate around 5:30.
At the end:
- Thickened with a cornstarch slurry → made a really nice gravy
Sides
- Reheated the rest of the rice (now gone)
- Reheated roasted potatoes (from Sunday) for kids who don’t like rice
- Roasted broccoli, red peppers, and onions
Real life moment:
The broccoli got a little…extra crispy
Not quite burnt, but definitely pushing it. Still edible though.
What We Ate
Lunch
- Steak
- Mac and cheese
- Fruit + veggies
Snack
- Chili (for me and my teenage daughter)
- Sent chili with my husband for lunch
Dinner
- Braised pork chops + gravy
- Rice or potatoes
- Roasted vegetables
- Corn on the cob (or ‘off’ the cob for those who have braces or dental work)
A really solid, comforting dinner.
Current Kitchen Inventory
Cooked Proteins
- Pork chops (with gravy) – just a little left…sending it with my husband for lunch tomorrow
- Chili (1 large container left)
Prepped / In Progress
- 4 pork chops (frozen for later)
- chicken thighs that will be cooked tomorrow
Cooked Staples
- a little pasta left from chili night
Produce & Fresh Ingredients
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Peppers
Easy Meal Builders
- Chili
- Pork chops
- Frozen ground beef (earlier this week)
Kitchen Flow (How Things Are Getting Used)
- Steak → used for lunch today-a little left still!
- Rice → fully used up
- Potatoes → gone
- Chili → still being used for snacks/lunches
- Pork chops → cooked fresh + some frozen for later
- Watermelon → finished today
What’s Next
Tomorrow I’ll be cooking the chicken thighs, and I’m really excited about that — I’m planning to do another round of the loaf pan version, but with some different seasoning blends.