Current Fridge Protein & Leftover Inventory (Start of Day)
Two whole roast chickens (still a good amount left)
Large batch taco-seasoned ground beef
Cooked loaf pan chicken breast
Leftover taco toppings and sides from yesterday’s prep
Fresh vegetables and salad ingredients
Monster cookie ingredients ready to use
Various frozen proteins starting to build for travel prep
Morning
Started the morning with a double batch of bacon.
Honestly, from here on out (until we leave for the trip), anytime I make bacon, I’m probably doubling it.
One of the greatest blessings of my kitchen setup is the double oven, and since we’re heading to Charleston in two weeks and staying at a Residence Inn with a full kitchen, I’ve officially entered “travel food prep mode.”
I always bring frozen cooked bacon strips on trips because:
- they reheat beautifully
- breakfast becomes SO much easier
- it saves time and money while traveling
I purposely slightly undercook the bacon since I’ll reheat it later in the hotel oven.
Honestly, it’s like lasagna:
if you’re already making the mess… you might as well make a bigger mess.
Breakfast today:
- bacon and toast
- one daughter had a baked potato with butter, garlic salt, and bacon (honestly one of her favorite comfort foods)
- my three-year-old requested a Paw Patrol drinkable yogurt, naturally
Lunch — Fridge Odds & Ends Working Together
Lunch today was another “everyone assemble what sounds good” kind of meal.
My teen made herself a wrap using leftover grilled chicken, shredded cheese, and then some sauces and toppings once it was heated through
I finished off the rest of the grilled chicken on one of my favorite salads lately:
- avocado salsa
- Trader Joe’s red salsa
- splash of vinegar
- little drizzle of honey
It makes SUCH a good dressing.
Other kiddos had:
- chicken nuggets
- leftover pasta
- cut vegetables
- fruit
Again — not fancy, but exactly the kind of flexible lunch flow that keeps the kitchen moving without needing a full production three times a day.
After lunch my 3 and 7 year olds wanted to make Rice Krispie Treats…so we did that for a little post-lunch dessert
Afternoon — Monster Cookie Prep
This afternoon I made a batch of my allergy-friendly monster cookies.
These are:
- gluten free
- dairy free
- egg free
(They do contain nuts.)
I shared them again today on IGbbecause honestly they’re just really good cookies — not just “good for allergy-friendly.”
What I especially like about them is that there really aren’t a bunch of strange specialty ingredients.
Yes:
- coconut oil
- natural peanut butter
- almond flour
…but honestly those feel pretty mainstream these days.
And the best part is the mix-ins are completely customizable:
- chocolate chips
- nuts
- candies
- whatever your family likes
I’m freezing most of this batch because these are EXACTLY the kind of things I like bringing on trips:
- easy car snacks
- beach snacks
- quick desserts
- familiar food for kids while traveling
FULL RECIPE:
1/2 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
2 applesauce pouches (about 2/3 cup)
4 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups gluten-free oats
2 cups almond flour
Mix-ins (aim for 3–4 cups total)
Mix coconut oil, peanut butter, applesauce, and sugars. Add salt, vanilla, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in oats and almond flour. Fold in mix-ins.
Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes. These don’t spread much, so flatten them slightly before baking.
Dinner — Taco Tuesday Meets Cinco de Mayo
Of course, since Cinco de Mayo landed on Taco Tuesday this year… Mexican food was mandatory.
Yesterday’s six pounds of taco meat absolutely paid off today.
All I had to do was pull everything out and build the meal around it.
Now yes — anytime you make a full Mexican-style dinner, the kitchen becomes absolute chaos because suddenly you’re making:
- rice
- beans
- refried beans
- fajita vegetables
- toppings
- salsa
- all the things
But it was still completely worth it because:
- dinner was easy
- everyone was happy
- now we have excellent leftovers
And most importantly:
I froze a large portion of the taco meat exactly like I planned to.
That taco meat is officially becoming “travel dinner insurance.”
One night on vacation, I’ll be VERY grateful to pull out fully cooked taco meat instead of trying to figure out dinner after a long beach day.
Post-Dinner / Looking Ahead
What’s in the fridge/freezer now:
Roasted chicken (still a good amount left)
Taco Tuesday leftovers
Rice, beans, refried beans
Fresh bacon
I also froze the loaf pan chicken breast from yesterday
That’s another super flexible protein option ready to go for our trip:
- wraps
- salads
- easy lunches
- quick dinners
Going into tomorrow, I’ll probably use some of the roasted chicken for dinner.
Right now I’m thinking meatloaf for Thursday night… but we’ll see. The nice thing is the kitchen is stocked enough that I don’t HAVE to decide yet.