Current Fridge Protein & Leftover Inventory (Memorial Day Weekend)
Cooked grilled chicken breast
Cooked burger patties
Cooked ground beef portions (moved to freezer today)
Chuck roast leftovers
Two flank steaks
Frozen bacon stash
Fresh vegetables and salad ingredients
Pasta leftovers
Birthday Oreo Pie – ready for the party!
Morning — French Toast Sunday
This morning my teen decided she wanted to make French toast, which immediately made breakfast feel a little extra fun and cozy for a Sunday morning.
She used leftover bread from my parents’ house from last night.
Her method:
- crack two eggs into a shallow dish
- splash of heavy cream
- little vanilla
- cinnamon sugar
Then whisk it together and soak the bread for about 5–10 minutes.
The bread was pretty dry, so she actually had to press it down into the egg mixture a bit so it could really absorb everything.
Then she cooked it in a buttered skillet over medium heat until golden on both sides.
But the BEST part is what we do afterward:
the second the French toast comes out of the skillet, we add:
- real maple syrup
- frozen berries from Costco
directly into the hot buttery pan.
It creates this incredible quick berry maple sauce that gets spooned over the French toast.
Very decadent.
Very fun.
Absolutely worth it for a slower weekend breakfast.
The rest of breakfast was:
- bacon
- bagels
- the last of the English muffins
- eggs
So everybody kind of mixed and matched what they wanted.
My 3 year old has been my shadow since we returned from our trip. She even wanted to dry dishes while I cleaned up this morning
Lunch — Chuck Roast Remix
For lunch today, I reheated the rest of the chuck roast from Friday night.
And everyone kind of turned it into whatever version sounded best to them.
Some people had:
- chuck roast
- pasta
- vegetables
- fruit
Others turned it into sandwiches.
My husband made himself an open-faced sandwich with:
- warmed chuck roast
- lettuce
- tomato
- onion
- mayo
- Dijon mustard
And honestly it looked really, really good.
One thing I love about chuck roast is how versatile it becomes once it’s already cooked:
- bowls
- sandwiches
- platters
- tacos
- salads
It stretches beautifully into multiple meals.
Afternoon — Flank Steak Prep
This afternoon I prepped the flank steaks for tomorrow’s Memorial Day grilling.
The Costco flank steak comes as a two-pack, so I did two different flavor profiles.
Flank Steak #1
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- olive oil
Flank Steak #2
Same base, plus:
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- oregano
Both steaks are marinating overnight and will get grilled tomorrow.
I love doing flank steak for holidays because:
- it cooks quickly
- slices beautifully
- feels special without being complicated
- leftovers are fantastic
Evening — Fairy Birthday Party
Tonight we celebrated my 11-year-old’s birthday at my parents’ house.
And this child is absolutely a “more is more” kind of person.
The party theme ended up being:
twinkle fairy garden chaos in the BEST way.
She:
- washed all the fairy garden toys before our Charleston trip
- pulled out crystal serving pieces
- added candles everywhere
- decorated with fairy lights and sparkly things
It was genuinely adorable.
And one of my favorite details:
most of the fairy pieces are literally little Dollar Tree fairy garden decorations that normally live outside.
But once they were cleaned up and styled on the table, the whole setup looked magical.
Dinner included:
- steak
- ham
- appetizers
- lots of sides
Then we sang happy birthday and had the Oreo pie I made yesterday.
Huge hit, as expected. I have to brag that Eleanor is just the MOST patient with her 3 year old sister who was semi-convinced it was her birthday too.
Post-Dinner / Looking Ahead
What’s stocked and ready now:
Marinated flank steaks for tomorrow
Cooked grilled chicken breast
Cooked burgers
Cooked ground beef in freezer
Steak and ham leftovers
Pasta leftovers
Birthday Oreo pie leftovers
Fresh produce and sides
At this point, the fridge is feeling fully alive again after vacation:
- cooked proteins
- freezer backups
- planned meals
- leftovers with purpose
And tomorrow’s Memorial Day grilling should set us up really nicely heading into the week ahead.