Happy Independence Day!!!
I hope all of us will be able to enjoy a customary 4th of July burger or hotdog fresh from the grill today! We will be spending the day at Nana and Pop’s celebrating not only the country’s birthday, but also my little nephew Ty’s big TWO year old birthday!
He is such a cutie, and I so wish I would’ve gotten him on video doing his rendition of “God Bless America” because it is so seriously the most adorable thing. He amazes me with how well he sings on tune too! The best part probably is how he is not quite sure how to end and just kind of sings and on and on and on. :)
I just love the 2 year old age. It’s so entertaining and fun…
Especially when it’s someone else’s 2 year old. :)
Case in point, check out what Wild Wade is doing in the pic. Nice, huh?
Up on the menu this week…
Monday… Cookout @ Nana & Pop’s
Tuesday… Ranch Pork Chops
Wednesday… Favorites Buffet
Thursday… Turkey & Cheddar Croissants {on the go… leaving for VACATION!}
Friday… B: Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits L: Lunch Cruise D: Dinner ALONE!
Saturday… B: Breakfast Cass L: Egg Salad Picnic D: Parmesan Chicken Tenders
Sunday… B: French Toast Cass L: PB&J or Turkey Picnic D: Pizza & Brownies
We are so excited about our getaway this week! We are going somewhere close to home…a cute little place in good old Lake Lure.
It is seriously IN THE MOUNTAINS with everything being at least a 15 minute drive away.
We’ll be doing most of our meals “at home” for several reasons, so that meant I had a few more things to prep ahead this week. I DO NOT want to be preparing long meals while I’m on vacation, and we’ll be without the normal quick options for food, so I am taking most of my meals prepped and ready to go!
This plan worked pretty well on our last adventure to Pigeon Forge, if you don’t count the sugary milk from the french toast casserole oozing onto everything else in the cooler or the fact that my hubby would much rather just eat OUT on vacation, for cryin’ out loud.
I’m thinking we will probably be eating out some, but this time it would seem that it will be much more convenient eating in since everything will be soooo spread out and far away.
Don’tcha agree, hunny?? :)
1 hour 11 minutes to prep… wait for it…
…EIGHT meals!
In the interest of full disclosure, I did half two of the meals… the Breakfast Casserole & the Parmesan Chicken Tenders… giving me FOUR meals instead of TWO. {Are you impressed with my math skillz?} We had the extra Breakfast Casserole this morning for a special 4th of July breakfast {Sooo delicious and EASY!}, and I froze the extra Parmesan Tenders for us to have the week we get back from Vacay.
Chris took pity on me and pitched in again this week… Isn’t he a gem? :) He was in charge of the Breakfast Casserole, the Ranch Pork Chops, and the Egg Salad. I know my time would have been much longer without him. ♥
Everything going with us on vacation went in the freezer. This way I won’t need to worry about it possibly spoiling on the trip there in the cooler. Plus, they will act as “ice packs” for the other refrigerated stuff. :)
I am loving this tip I came across on the ever awesomely increasing Pinterest {I think I’ve sent everyone an invite who requested one… lmk if you’re still waiting!}.
A Turtle’s Life suggested when filling a ziploc bag {You know I LOVE using ziplocs!}, to prop it open using your blender {after taking out the blade from the bottom}. I thought that was a MAGNIFICENT idea, only I just used a small pitcher instead.
Oh my word. It’s the small things that thrill me. :)
I am SO ready for our few days away, and it certainly doesn’t hurt having my meal plan ready to face our time in the wilderness, ha!
What do you typically do on vacation?
Eat out? Eat in?
A good mix of both?
Click for more info on my meal prep plan if you wanna take a stab at a stress free dinnertime. {Did I mention I ♥ them?}
…. and here for more Monday Menu Inspiration from orgjunkie!
we do both – eat in and eat out. BUT we usually only do lunch and breakfast in and do simple stuff – sandwiches, cereal, toast, etc. You have convicted, I mean inspired me, to make some yummy meals next time we go on vacation. :)
Ha, Christina! If it were up to just me I would probably go simpler too, but I gotta make them good meals or Chris will be like, uh, let's just go out. :) He wants to eat WELL on vacation! :) It is hard though to fix good meals when you're only there a little while and most of our meals we end up with leftovers. That's why I halved the french toast casserole and the bfast casserole. We just can't eat all that and I hate to throw away good food!
We plan on our vacations to eat in 2 meals and 1 out…which ever ones hit our fancy. Its worked well. We head to the beach with my inlaws and my parents and 3 kids (9 total) and allow one adult to choose the activity/meal each day. Never know who;s name will be drawn and what the activity/time of day will dictate the meal out.
look at you… such an organized mother! i've bookmarked the link and will be looking into planning meals ahead of time… for staying home. ;) typically, i like to eat some meals 'in' {while on vacay} when we have access to a kitchen. so much healthier.