Category: All posts
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It’s Not a Salad Summer, It’s a Salad State of Mind
Summer #7 – Meal Plan July 27, 2025 — by Carol in 2025, Summer #7, From Scratch, Meal Plan, Weekly Dinner ☀️ Summer Week 7: The Season Starts… We’re heading into Week 7 with the kind of energy that says “I might meal plan, but I’m not about to sweat for it.” The forecast is…
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What We Cooked for Summer Week 6 – Every Dinner Made, Even the Bad One
🗓 July 27, 2025 — by Carol in 2025, Summer Week, From Scratch, Meal Plan, Weekly Dinner We made it! Not just to the end of another week—but through five home-cooked dinners, no substitutions, no takeout cop-outs (until the weekend, of course), and only a mild amount of existential dread while grocery shopping in 90-degree…
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Chipotle Steak Bowl Sunday – Easy Dinner, Same Chaos, New Week
2025 Summer 6 – Sunday July 27, 2025 – by Carol in 2025, Summer 6, Sunday, Weekly Meals 🍽️ The Menu 📸 Final Plate 🔍 About the Meal This wasn’t our first Chipotle rodeo. In fact, we had the exact same meal on Summer 3 – Sunday because it’s one of the rare things my…
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2 Must-Try Lunches: Pepper Steak & Sweet & Sour Chicken [Ultimate Review]
2025 Summer 6 – Saturday July 26, 2025 – by Carol in 2025, Summer 6, Saturday, Weekly Meals 🍽️ The Menu 📸 Final Plate 🔍 About the Meal Saturday’s lunch out took us to Akina Sushi & Asian Food Bistro, which—let’s be honest—is the only Asian place Barbara will agree to. Why? Because every other…
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Shrimp and Noodle Salad Fail – What We Made and Why We Won’t Make It Again
2025 Summer 6 – Friday July 25, 2025 – by Carol in 2025, Summer 6, Friday, Weekly Meals 🍽️ The Menu 📸 Final Plate 🔍 About the Meal This sounded like it had potential: cool pasta, snappy shrimp, bright vinegar, and a crunchy cucumber salad. But in the end? Not even close. The pasta-to-dressing ratio…
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Easy Grilled Steak Salad – A Hearty Summer Dinner with Potatoes
2025 Summer 6 – Thursday July 24, 2025 – by Carol in 2025, Summer 6, Thursday, Weekly Meals 🍽️ The Menu 📸 Final Plate 🔍 About the Meal This dinner was equal parts “summer fresh” and “give me a fork and don’t talk to me.” We grilled a thick-cut steak to a perfect medium rare,…
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Mexican Street Corn Pizza with Bacon – Easy Summer Dinner Recipe
2025 Summer 6 – Wednesday July 23, 2025 – by Carol in 2025, Summer 6, Wednesday, Weekly Meals 🍽️ The Menu 📸 Final Plate 🔍 About the Meal After last year’s somewhat tame attempt, this 2025 version came in hot — literally. The crust was alive with puff and flavor thanks to proper resting (eventually),…
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Tex-Mex Salad Recipe with Ground Turkey – Easy, Cool, No-Oven Summer Dinner
2025 Summer 6 – Tuesday July 22, 2025 – by Carol in 2025, Summer 6, Monday, Weekly Meals 🍽️ The Menu 📸 Final Plate 🔍 About the Meal This was a no-fuss Tuesday night dinner that nailed the balance of flavor, texture, and ease. Ground beef was browned with homemade taco seasoning, then layered over…
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Easy Ranch Chicken and Rice Salad for Summer Meal Prep
2025 Summer 6 – Monday July 22, 2025 – by Carol in 2025, Summer 6, Tuesday, Weekly Meals 🍽️ The Menu 📸 Final Plate 🔍 About the Meal The base is a homemade version of Rice-A-Roni — long grain white rice toasted with vermicelli, simmered in seasoned broth (thank you, nutritional yeast), and fluffed to…
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Steak Twice, Salads Once: When the Meal Plan Got a Mind of Its Own
When the Plan Meets Real Life (and Steak Wins Twice) 👋 So… About That Week Summer Week #5 was supposed to be a parade of cold salads, smart prep, and low-effort wins. And it almost was… until the week started making its own decisions. We lost a few meals to heat, cravings, and leftover fatigue…