Thursday: Co-op Lunches, Snacky Platters & Cava-Inspired Chicken Bowls

Got up this morning, and it was back to our regular Thursday routine.

Homeschool co-op day!

Which means getting everybody fed, packed, and out the door for a full day away from home.

For breakfast, I made bacon and pulled out the last of those square artisan rolls from Costco that I’d been keeping in the freezer.

We also had some chicken sausage and yogurts.

Nothing complicated, because Thursday mornings are not the time for elaborate breakfasts.

Then I loaded up the cooler with all our PlanetBoxes and the rest of our food for the day.

And off we went.

My Weekly Frozen Pizza Routine

One thing I do almost every single Thursday is bake a frozen pizza to bring along.

I know that might sound a little strange since we already pack lunches.

But hear me out.

We have a long day at co-op, and we also have a fairly long drive home.

And kids have this amazing ability to finish lunch and then become absolutely starving again approximately seventeen minutes later.

So I like having something substantial that I can hand them without any preparation.

Here’s what I do.

I bake a frozen pizza, let it cool, and cut it into 12 slices.

Then I put each slice into its own little baggie.

Yes, I know.

Individual plastic baggies.

It sounds wasteful.

But this is one of those situations where the convenience is genuinely worth it to me.

I can reach into the cooler, grab one slice, and hand it to a hungry kid.

No plates.

No cutting.

No trying to separate slices that are all stuck together.

And no opening an entire pizza box in the car.

Just a little bag of pizza.

It’s particularly helpful on the drive home, when everybody is tired and suddenly needs another meal.

I pack the cooled pizza into the cooler with ice packs so it stays cold until we’re ready to eat it.

Sometimes the best food prep isn’t about cooking something impressive. It’s about making food incredibly easy to serve when you need it.

And this little pizza system has worked really well for us.

Lunch Outside at Co-op

We spent the whole day at co-op.

And the weather was beautiful!

So we were able to sit outside for lunch.

I love when the weather cooperates and we can get out of the building for a little while.

The kids had their packed PlanetBox lunches, and we enjoyed some time outside before heading back to our afternoon activities.

Then, eventually, it was time to pack everybody up and head home.

And after a full co-op day, I was ready for something to eat.

My Latest Favorite Snacky Platter

When we got home, I made myself a big snacky platter.

Because sometimes after a long day, I don’t want a formal meal.

I just want a plate full of things I can dip into something delicious.

And lately, I’ve been loving Ithaca hummus.

Especially the roasted red pepper flavor.

It’s so good.

I pulled together a platter of whatever sounded good for dipping.

Vegetables, crackers, and a few other little things from the refrigerator.

Then I added a generous portion of the hummus.

And here’s something I really like to do.

I drizzle a little vinaigrette right over the hummus.

Then add some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

It just hits the spot.

Dinner Was a Build-Your-Own Platter Night

For dinner, I knew I wanted to use the grilled chicken breasts I made Wednesday night.

Remember how I grilled that whole batch of chicken while the focaccia pizza was baking?

Well, tonight was exactly why I did that.

We’d been gone all day.

Everybody was tired.

And I had absolutely no desire to start cooking a brand-new protein from scratch.

But I had three containers of grilled chicken in my refrigerator.

So dinner was already halfway done.

I decided to make a big pot of rice and put out a bunch of different ingredients so everybody could build their own plates.

Some kids wanted simple chicken and rice with fruit and vegetables.

Others wanted more of a Cava-inspired bowl.

And I was happy to accommodate both because everything started with the same ingredients.

How I Reheat Grilled Chicken Without Drying It Out

I think one of the biggest complaints people have about leftover chicken breast is that it gets dry and rubbery when you reheat it.

And I completely understand why.

Chicken breast is lean.

If you take a big, thick piece of already-cooked chicken and blast it with heat, the outside can get tough before the center is even warm.

So here’s how I reheated ours tonight.

First, I sliced up about half of the grilled chicken I’d made yesterday.

I cut it into relatively small chunks, probably about half a centimeter thick.

Not shredded.

Just little bite-sized pieces that would warm quickly and evenly.

Then I pulled out a sauté pan with a lid.

I added a little bacon grease.

And remember those juices that collected when I put the grilled chicken into its storage containers?

Of course I saved those.

Those juices are full of flavor, and they’re perfect for reheating the chicken.

So I added those to the pan, along with a small splash of chicken broth.

Then I added the sliced chicken.

Put the lid on.

Turned the heat to low.

And let everything warm gently for about ten minutes while I made the rice.

That’s it.

Low heat, a little moisture, and a lid.

You’re not trying to cook the chicken again.

You’re just trying to warm it through without drying it out.

And because the chicken was already cut into smaller pieces, it reheated beautifully.

I love using the saved cooking juices whenever possible because you’re putting all that original flavor right back into the meat.

And the bacon grease adds a little richness too.

Chicken and Rice for Some, Cava Bowls for Others

Once the rice was ready and the chicken was warm, I started putting everything out.

I love doing dinners this way.

Instead of assembling seven identical plates, I just put out the components and let everybody choose.

For some of the kids, dinner was very straightforward.

Chicken.

Rice.

A few vegetables.

Some fruit.

Perfect.

And for the rest of us, I made Cava-inspired bowls.

If you’ve ever been to Cava, you know the idea.

A base of rice, some flavorful protein, vegetables, dips, and a really good dressing.

It’s one of my favorite ways to use leftover grilled chicken.

Tonight we had the warm chicken, rice, vegetables, hummus, and vinaigrette.

And everybody could make their bowl exactly how they liked it.

I love the combination of warm rice and chicken with cool vegetables and a tangy dressing.

Especially when you add a little hummus.

It makes everything creamy and flavorful without needing to cook an entirely separate sauce.

And it feels like a completely different meal from the grilled chicken we had last night.

Same chicken.

Different presentation.

New dinner.

The One Thing I’m Missing: Cava Lentils

The only thing I really wanted for these bowls tonight was lentils.

Specifically, those lentils you can get at Cava.

I love adding lentils to bowls like this because they give you another layer of texture and flavor.

And they’re such an easy way to make a rice bowl more substantial.

But I haven’t been able to find the Cava lentils locally.

I’ve been keeping an eye out, but no luck so far.

So that’s on my list of things to figure out.

In the meantime, the bowls were still delicious.

And nobody was complaining about the missing lentils.

Why I Love Having Cooked Chicken in the Refrigerator

Today was a perfect example of why I like cooking extra protein earlier in the week.

Wednesday night, I was already making pizza.

So I took less than ten minutes to grill a big batch of chicken breasts.

And now, after a full day at co-op, I was able to put together a really good dinner with very little effort.

All I actually cooked tonight was rice….and you KNOW I made extra rice for future meals too!

Everything else was just warming, chopping, or assembling.

And because I had enough chicken, everybody could have the version of dinner they wanted.

Simple chicken and rice for the kids who prefer that.

Cava-inspired bowls for those of us who wanted more toppings and flavor.

Plus, I still have more cooked chicken in the refrigerator for another meal.

That’s what I love about prepping components instead of complete meals.

I’m not locked into eating the exact same thing every day.

I can use the same cooked protein in completely different ways.