Wednesday: Burger Wraps, Cold Pizza for Co-op & A Fridge Full of Grilled Chicken

Got up this morning and finished off the last of the bacon.

Which means I need to make more tonight so we have it ready for tomorrow morning before co-op.

We had the bacon with Costco bagels, and then we got to work. We’re still playing a little bit of catch-up after taking Labor Day off on Monday, so it was another pretty full school day. This is what my morning looked like.

And That’s the End of the Labor Day Burgers

For lunch today, we officially finished all 24 burgers I grilled on Labor Day.

This is exactly why I love making as many burgers as my grill will hold. We ate them fresh Monday, and then they’ve been sitting in the refrigerator ready to become ridiculously easy lunches and snacks for the last couple of days.

Most of the kids just reheated their burgers and put them on buns.

My teen, however, made hers into a crispy burger wrap, and it looked delicious.

She took a tortilla, added a little shredded cheese and put one of the already-warmed burger patties on top.

Then she wrapped the tortilla around the burger and crisped the whole thing in a pan with a little butter.

Basically a burger meets a quesadilla.

We added fruit and vegetables, and lunch was done.

Lunch for Today, Lunch for Tomorrow, Snacks for Everyone

Of course, while I was making today’s lunch, I was also packing tomorrow’s co-op lunches and snacks.

Which meant my entire kitchen counter was covered.

Today’s plates.

Tomorrow’s lunches.

Snacks.

Fruit.

Vegetables.

Containers everywhere.

Every time I do this, I think I need a bigger countertop.

But I’m pretty sure I would just cover the bigger countertop too.

I really do like prepping it all at once, though. If I’m already cutting vegetables and fruit and pulling out all the lunch components, I’d rather make tomorrow’s lunches at the exact same time.

Now tomorrow morning we just have to get out the door.

One More Use for the Flank Steak

For my lunch, I used some of the flank steak left from Monday night.

I diced it into small pieces, got a little pan really hot and quickly seared the steak just until it was warm with some crispy edges.

Then I made myself a salad with vegetables and salsa.

Nothing complicated.

My Cold Pizza Co-op Trick

I also cooked a frozen pizza while I was working on lunch.

This is something I started doing toward the end of co-op last year, and I brought it back this year because it works so well.

I bake a cheap frozen pizza.

Let it cool completely.

Slice it.

Then put the pieces into little Ziploc bags.

That’s it.

It makes such a good afternoon snack for co-op days. When the kids are hungry later in the day—or we’re driving home—I can hand somebody a bag of cold pizza.

No heating. No utensils. No prep when I’m already exhausted.

And my kids are extremely happy to eat cold pizza.

It worked great last week, so we’re doing it again tomorrow.

Why I Always Put Dijon in My Chicken Marinade

This afternoon, I finally tackled the last of the proteins I bought at Costco on Sunday: the chicken breasts.

I used my standard chicken marinade:

• Dijon mustard
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika
• Italian seasoning

And I know I say this all the time, but the Dijon is important.

Yes, it adds flavor, but I also love what it does for the texture of the marinade.

Oil and seasonings alone can slide right off the chicken. The Dijon helps emulsify everything into a thicker marinade that actually clings to the meat.

If I’m going to bother seasoning a giant batch of chicken, I’d like the seasoning to stay on the chicken instead of ending up at the bottom of the dish.

I got all of that marinating, and then we headed to the pool.

Grilled Chicken Platters for Dinner

When we got home, I grilled the chicken.

And because I was already grilling, I cooked the whole batch.

For dinner, I made a pot of pasta, some peas and side salads.

Then everyone could build whatever version of dinner they wanted.

Some had grilled chicken, pasta, peas and salad all separately.

Some made a big salad and sliced the chicken over the top.

Same food. Same dinner. Arrange it however you want.

And now the best part:

I have a nice supply of grilled chicken sitting in my refrigerator.

Going Into Co-op Day

We’re in a very good spot heading into tomorrow.

The burgers are officially gone, but now I’ve got plenty of freshly grilled chicken.

I also still have the meatloaf I made yesterday, which I need to slice and deal with tomorrow. We’ll probably eat some of that for dinner after co-op and get the rest into the freezer for Dinner Insurance.

Tomorrow’s PlanetBoxes are packed.

The snacks are packed.

The cold pizza is ready.

I just need to make another batch of bacon for breakfast.

And then, hopefully, tomorrow morning is mostly a matter of getting everyone dressed, fed and out the door.