Thursday: Costco Restock, Monster Cookies & an Easy Salmon Dinner

This morning was another very quick breakfast.

I reheated some of the bacon from earlier this week, and the kids had toast and cereal alongside it.

My four-year-old also requested her classic smoothie—the one she has supposedly loved forever.

So we made it. banana. frozen fruit. yogurt, cutie orange. blend…

And then she decided she no longer likes it.

Apparently that chapter of our lives is over. She did however insist on bringing a ‘car snack’ for our morning errands!

A Quick Costco Trip

After breakfast, I took the three youngest kids to Costco because I had a couple of returns to make.

One of those returns was a tray of nectarines I bought last week.

They looked completely fine on the outside, but when I cut into the first one, the inside was disgusting. It was almost like reverse mold—the outside looked normal, but the fruit had gone bad from the inside out.

I cut open a second one, and it was the same.

At that point, I was done experimenting. Back to Costco they went.

I also needed a few last-minute groceries to get us through the next couple of days. Since my larger Costco trip was last Friday, we were starting to run low on produce and some of our basic staples.

For protein, I bought:

• Ground beef
• Chicken breast
• Salmon

That sounds like a lot of meat right before a trip, but I’m thinking about two things at once.

First, we need enough food to bring with us. We’re staying at a lake house where there really aren’t restaurants nearby, so almost every meal will be eaten at the house. I’m having produce and some other groceries delivered through Walmart, but I’m bringing most of our proteins myself.

Seven people eating for four or five days requires a surprising amount of food.

Second, I want to make sure there is food in the freezer for when we get home. I don’t want to return from vacation and immediately realize we have nothing available for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The goal is to take care of Current Me and Return-From-Vacation Me at the same time. I also came home with a new cooler…and I just KNOW that we already own many coolers…but none of them were the right size last year when we were on the boat, so I stand by this purchase!

BLTs for Lunch

When we got home, I made another tray of bacon.

I’m still building our vacation bacon stash, and apparently we are going to need every slice.

Since the bacon was fresh, several of the kids requested BLTs for lunch.

We use the term BLT loosely around here because everyone customizes theirs.

The basic sandwich starts with:

• Bacon
• Lettuce
• Tomato

Then people add whatever sounds good:

• Cheese
• Red onion
• Ranch
• Other sauces

A classic BLT is apparently not exciting enough for us.

I finished the last of the taco meat from Sunday by turning it into a taco salad.

I could probably eat taco salad every day and not get tired of it. It just always works.

My Avocado Salsa Dressing

• 2 spoonfuls avocado salsa
• 1 spoonful regular salsa
• Splash of rice wine vinegar
• Drizzle of honey
• Garlic powder

Mix it together and taste.

It is creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and takes about 30 seconds to make.

Monster Cookies for the Freezer

We stayed home this afternoon and worked through trip preparation and other things around the house.

My teen went to the pool with a friend, and I made a batch of my gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free Monster Cookies.

These freeze really well, which makes them perfect for the lake trip.

Monster Cookies

• ½ cup coconut oil
• ⅔ cup natural peanut butter
• ⅔ cup applesauce
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups gluten-free oats
• 2 cups almond flour
• 3–4 cups mix-ins

For the mix-ins, I use whatever combination we have around: dairy-free chocolate chips, M&Ms, peanuts, or other add-ins.

Mix the coconut oil, peanut butter, applesauce, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

Add the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla.

Stir in the oats and almond flour, then fold in the mix-ins.

Scoop onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and flatten slightly because they don’t spread much.

Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until just set.

Once they are completely cool, I’ll freeze them and bring them along with us.

More Beef Stick Testing

I also posted a reel today sharing my homemade beef sticks.

Later tonight, I’m hoping to start another batch of the beef sticks using that summer sausage recipe as the base.

I want to film the full step-by-step process this time because there are several small details that make a difference.

This version took me three separate experiments to get right.

I adjusted the amount of Morton Tender Quick, changed the additional seasoning, experimented with the thickness, switched from cutting with a knife to scoring with a bench scraper, and tested different cooking times.

I want the detailed reel to show exactly how I do each step so that someone following the recipe has the best possible chance of getting the same result.

If I mix everything tonight, the meat can cure overnight in the refrigerator. Then I can bake it tomorrow and hopefully finish the reel before we leave town.

I do it for you guys.

The kids played outside while I worked, and I passed around ice cream cones for a snack.

Easy Salmon Dinner

For dinner, I cooked the salmon I bought this morning.

I keep salmon very simple.

Roasted Salmon

• Salmon
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Fresh or dried dill

Season the salmon and roast it at 400°F until it flakes easily and reaches your preferred doneness.

I prefer fresh dill, but dried dill worked perfectly well tonight.

I served the salmon with rice and green beans.

One of my children is allergic to salmon, and a couple of the others simply don’t like it, so I always buy the smallest salmon Costco has.

The kids who couldn’t or wouldn’t eat salmon had chicken nuggets with the same rice and green beans.

Same dinner structure, different protein.

Everyone ate.

Tomorrow’s Lunch Is Already Planned

The salmon eaters in our family are Chris, my teen, my four-year-old, and me, so I already know the leftovers will disappear at lunch tomorrow.

I especially love cold leftover salmon with rice, seaweed snacks, rice wine vinegar, and a little liquid aminos or soy sauce.

It’s almost like a very loose homemade sushi bowl, and it may be even better the next day.

Now I’m going to get this Kitchen Log posted and hopefully head back into the kitchen to start that next batch of beef sticks.

The refrigerator is stocked, the vacation freezer is filling up, and we’re very close to being ready to leave.