Fourth of July: Parade, Pool, and Flank Steak
This morning I made a fresh batch of bacon for the holiday, and everyone had bacon with the Costco bagels for breakfast. My husband wanted his usual over-easy eggs with sausage, so I made that for him too.
Then we packed everyone up and headed to our neighborhood Fourth of July parade.
And tell me…
Is it even a holiday parade if you’re not carrying someone’s abandoned bike, scooter, or tricycle because they suddenly decided they’d rather walk?
Apparently that’s just part of the parenting experience.
Unfortunately, by the time our group made it through the parade, they had run out of popsicles. We were toward the back, so a couple of my kids missed out, which caused the expected amount of holiday drama.
Thankfully, I had popsicles waiting at home, so everyone survived.
Lunch
Lunch was exactly what I’d planned yesterday.
We finished off the leftover burgers, and I used the very last of the grilled chicken thighs from earlier this week. I added some BBQ sauce to the chicken things in a skillet to reheat, and then did my favorite dressing with avocado salsa, salsa, rice wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Everyone built their own plate.
My son, in true growing-boy fashion, had both a burger and a hot dog.
Pool Time
After lunch we headed to the pool for about three and a half hours.
Since it was the Fourth of July, I gave in and bought pool ice cream again.
They also had a bunch of fun holiday activities:
- Balloon toss
- Duck races down the water slide
- Other little Fourth of July games
The kids had an absolute blast.
Dinner
When we got home, I realized I’d forgotten one important thing.
I hadn’t marinated the flank steak.
Normally I either do it that morning or even the night before, but today it just didn’t happen.
So I improvised.
As soon as we got home, I mixed together:
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Dried onion flakes
- Italian seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
I rubbed it all over both flank steaks, wrapped them back up, and let them sit on the counter for about 30–45 minutes while everyone took baths and showers.
Would it have been even more flavorful with a longer marinade?
Probably.
Was it still delicious?
Absolutely.
I grilled the steaks, sliced them at an angle thin against the grain, and served them with:
- Rice
- Sautéed peppers and onions
- Avocado
- Avocado salsa
- Leftover steamed broccoli for the kids who wanted it
This is one of those unicorn dinners at our house.
Every single kid happily eats flank steak, and everyone gets a really solid serving of protein.
10 out of 10.
Tonight
As soon as I finish writing this, we’re heading out to meet my sister-in-law and nephew for fireworks.
Believe it or not, we’ve actually never taken our kids to Fourth of July fireworks before.
It’s always felt so late, everyone is tired by the end of the day, and honestly…I’m usually ready for bed by the time they start.
But we’re giving it a try this year.
I’ll let you know tomorrow how it goes.