Scattered Sundays and Meal Plan
Well, friends, mark the date and time, please.
June 26th, 5:35 am. That is when my kids lost their damn mind and I realized that summer break is officially the dumbest idea anyone has ever had in the history of ideas.
Day one: great! Day two: we had fun! Days three – seven: our bucket list is getting a workout. Day eight: I will never like my kids again and I want to outsource being their mother to a one-armed monkey with scurvy named Lady Marmalade.
Ughhhhhh! Jack and his questions (about everything) and the constant Fortnite commentary (he’s never played it! Why does he know so much?!), and Bennett and his whining. Dear God, the whines of a two-year-old child should be piped into protests to get crowds to immediately and safely disperse.
We tried to stay busy this week because I would have strangled their little pale ass necks if we were home too much. We went to a $1 movie. It was a hit.
We went to the park. This was actually fun. Jack asked if we could go back at least once a week. Playground equipment AND lots of trails made for more walking and playing than whining.
And then we also went on a quick day trip to someplace I have only ever been once – Port Gamble. As a Washingtonian, this place should have been more on my radar but it just wasn’t.
It’s an adorable old mill town on the Hood Canal. For east-side Seattle peeps, you’d take the Kingston/Edmonds ferry and drive about eight miles.
Port Gamble is small. Really small. There isn’t a ton to “do” there if you’re one to need lots of activities. We played at the playground for a long time. Bonus: the bathroom next to the playground were the nicest public bathrooms I have ever been in. I even had to use the men’s bathroom at one point and I didn’t want to burn my eyes or shoes afterward.
The boys even at their lunches at a little picnic table built into the play structure. And then we threw pine cones for 20 minutes. No, I’m not joking.
We hit up the Port Gamble General Store for ice cream. After of course announcing loudly to the boys at the playground that we were going to get ice cream and making all the other parents want to skin us alive.
At the store, I found one of my two favorite ice creams from childhood – Tin Roof Sundae. Side note: if anyone knows of a company that still makes Goo Goo Cluster, I’ll be yours forever.
A local company made the Tin Roof Sundae, so I have no idea if this is a national flavor or not. But it’s rad. Track it down.
(Pathetically) the highlight of the week was solving a (first-world) problem I’ve been dealing with for awhile – the lack of the perfect lunch bag. I know, I hate me too right now.
Jack has an awesome lunch bag for school that can fit the two Yumboxes (snicker. And yeah they are $30 but we have had them for five years and they’re in perfect condition) the boys have. And then when I add in my lunchbox and Troy’s, there is just no room. All the large cooler bags I have are too big to cart around all day.
I mean, really. I’m horrible. Weep for me.
I found this bag and it fits all of our bento boxes, ice packs, cans of sparkling water (we found this brand in cans near Port Gamble and it’s local and awesome!), and cloth napkins.
This week we also tried a new recipe – French Onion Pork Chops. I needed lots of pork chop help from Facebook and you peeps gave me some rad ideas. But I needed baking times and temps so I turned to Pinterest to get the specifics. And I found that pork chop recipe and was done.
It was so yummy and that is even after I totally overcooked the chops. My bad. I needed to brine them first (yeah, you warned me) and then um, also not try to cook them still frozen. Doh. But the recipe? Still so yummy. If you’re dairy-free leaving the cheese off won’t change the awesomeness of the flavor. I was all about the sauce!
Bawk bawk. Who’s there?
On Sustainable Cooks This Week
It was a bit of a side dish theme this week!
Loaded Baked Potato Salad Without Mayo (<—because of course) – Looking for a delicious and easy side? This creamy Loaded Baked Potato Salad is the dish that everyone will love. This recipe has no mayo, which means it is the perfect cold salad for your next BBQ.
Mom’s Calico Beans – Tasty and healthy Calico Beans just like mom used to make! But um, with way less sugar and more healthy ingredients. You’ll be the hit of the next BBQ or picnic with this hearty side. Use your crockpot, Instant Pot, or bake this comfort food dish in the oven.
Five-Minute Sesame Snow Pea Recipe – Learn the secrets to cooking an amazing Sesame Snow Pea recipe! This healthy, simple weeknight side dish comes together in only five minutes which means you’re about to freaking rock your dinner game tonight.
Five-Minute Sesame Snow Pea Recipe
The Five Most Popular Posts This Week
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad Without Mayo
- Healthy Sweet Tea Recipe
- 10 Minute Instant Pot Bruschetta Chicken
- Air Fryer French Fries With Roasted Garlic and Parmesan
- How to Roast Asparagus – Three Ways
Meal Plan
Monday:: Asparagus ravioli and roasted broccoli
Tuesday:: Homemade frozen pizza and salad.
Wednesday:: 4th of July BBQ at my in-law’s
Thursday:: Grilled veggie BBQ scramble thing. We mix a bunch of different veg (onion, zukes, whatever we have on hand), and add some organic sliced chicken sausage. Toss it with some olive oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning and cook it in a grill basket.
Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night
Saturday:: Taco bowls with cauli rice
Sunday:: Family dinner
What We Bought This Week
Costco: $56.44
Fred Meyer: $40.12. Someone was a little over-enthusiastic with the markdown gun on those yogurts. I got them both for $2.25! And that is Troy’s favorite organic coffee creamer and I think they are discontinuing the flavor because it was $1.29 each. It doesn’t expire until November (um, yikes), so I got few bottles.
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I am gearing up for relatives from Wyoming here for the 4th of July. (Plus a few local relatives.) We live right across the street from the fireworks, so all we have to do is walk out to the main street (one block). The only “problem” is that everyone has to be here by 3:00 because they start closing the streets – but really, isn’t almost everyone where they should be by 3 on the 4th of July? We are having Sweet and Salty Goat Cheese (Goat cheese, Chambord and honey drizzle, sunflower seeds and raspberries-a very good recipe), guacamole and chips, steaks on the grill, baked potatoes (microwave start and finished on the grill) with all the bells and whistles (cheese, bacon, chives, etc. you get the drift), a not too spicy coleslaw made with 2 colors of cabbage, carrots, jicama and pecans (DELISH, and is even fab on coldcut sandwiches (or with the Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches later in the week!), green salad and fruit salad. Ice cream cake for dessert (not making it- from Baskin Robbins-celebrating a 90th birthday!). Yum! Happy 4th of July!
That sounds like so much fun and a very delicious few days!
I always request B&R ice cream cake for my birthday too. I don’t like cake but once a year an ice cream cake is so fun.
Just FYI-I’ve had great luck with freezing creamers…just toss in the freezer. Put one in the fridge the night before and whammy-ready to use in the am. Just in case you wanna grab some more…or in my case…I feel the need for a Christmas holiday flavor in July…. (don’t judge me ????)
Good idea! The high fat content probably helps keep it from getting ice cream. I’ll check next time I am there to see if they have more on the shelf.
http://Www.googoo.com The company is still in business in Nashville. Super cute stuff in their online store.
Ahhhhhhh, thank you!
My daughter buys Goo Goo clusters at Cracker Barrel, she has also ordered them off Amazon. They are pricey.
I’ve never had the candy before, but the ice cream has all the candy components in it. I should try to track some down.