WIS, WWA | a week with Miss Sonia
Long-time readers may remember that we'd usually taken our kids on a week-long trip of their choosing when they were 16.
Sonia wanted to go to Prince Edward Island with me when she turned 16, but unfortunately, the pandemic happened. And Canada was closed.
The next year, Prince Edward Island still wasn't open.
And then last year, life was all in upheaval due to me leaving my marriage.
So, the budgeted trip money has been sitting there all this time, unused.
Anyway...eventually Sonia decided she'd actually prefer to go to the beach with me, because she wanted to do surfing lessons.
And now, at the age of 19, Sonia finally got her long-awaited 16th birthday trip.
And Zoe will get hers next year, when she's 18.
Better late than never, right??
So, we've been at the Outer Banks of North Carolina this week.
And Zoe's been bonding with Miss Chiquita at home. 😉
What I Spent
I'm sure I spent more than usual, but I'm not going to calculate it out. I did take a trip to Aldi the night before we left, to buy some supplies for our trip.
I knew Aldi would be cheaper than any store here on the Outer Banks!
And then when we got here, we visited the local Food Lion to buy the rest of our groceries.
It hasn't been as cheap a food week as I have at home, but I did do a really good job of keeping our food costs down by cooking every night. 🙂
And we've been eating simple breakfasts and lunches here too. Eating in is cheaper, but it also makes it way easier to work around Sonia's allergies!
What We Ate
I told Sonia that I was gonna have to dust off my allergy-friendly cooking skills; since Lisey and Zoe aren't dairy-sensitive, I have gotten used to being a profligate dairy-user in my cooking. 😉
Saturday
Our first night here; I made BLTs, and we had some fruit on the side.
Sunday
I made chicken katsu, which is pretty much Sonia's favorite thing ever to eat. We had that over rice, with a fruit salad.
This kitchen had no mallet to flatten the chicken with so, I improvised.
I ate the last of the Cheez-its that I'd brought, turned the bag inside out, put the chicken inside the bag, and used a can of tomatoes to pound the chicken.
I prefer my mallet at home, but this worked fine in a pinch. 🙂
Monday
We had skillet baked ziti, which was a bit of a challenge because all of the skillets here had plastic handles that didn't seem oven-safe.
So I made the recipe mostly in a skillet and then I transferred it to a cake pan for the baking part.
Cooking in a rental kitchen is ALWAYS an adventure. 😉
(To make this Sonia-friendly, I left out the mozzarella, but I did use the Parmesan, which doesn't bother her.)
Oh, and check this out: the oven here has no window and no interior light either. I was kinda worried I was going to burn the ziti!
Tuesday
Shrimp is a thing Sonia is not allergic to, soooo, I steamed some shrimp, which we dipped in cocktail sauce.
On the side, we had some garlic breadsticks (from the freezer section), and a salad.
When I went to steam the shrimp, I realized this kitchen had nothing that could work as a steamer. Hmm.
I went to the local Dollar Tree and found a little strainer that worked; I did have to steam our shrimp in two batches due to the small size, but hey, at least it worked!
Wednesday
I made pulled chicken sandwiches, which we ate on brioche buns that I'd brought along from Aldi. On the side we had a salad and some fruit.
This meal required no kitchen-equipment gymnastics. 😉
Thursday
We got a seafood boil from a local seafood market; they sell it to you in a big metal stove-top safe steamer pot, and you take it to your rental and steam it there!
Friday
Last day here!
We have plenty of leftover shrimp and potatoes from the seafood boil, so I think we will eat the shrimp cold with cocktail sauce, and I'll probably brown the potatoes in a skillet on the stovetop.
And on the side we will have whatever produce in our fridge that needs to be used up before we drive home.
We had a trip to Disney scheduled for our daughter's sweet 16 in 2020. It was the first week that the closed. Needless to say she still hasn't gotten to Disney, and I still have never seen Epcot, but that's another story.
I love that they still enjoy hanging out with you/us even though they are older.
So many plans got delayed from 2020 on! I hope that you guys make it to Disney soon!
Elegant is exactly how I would describe Sonia!
WIS: 0 dollars! Whee!
WWA:
Fri: salad (lettuce, cucumber slices, apple slices, chocolate granola, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and tajin), focaccia topped with bacon, mozzarella, parmesan and tomatoes.
Sat: unwrapped sushi rolls: basically all the sushi ingredients (rice, raw carrots, raw celery, red pepper, cucumber, avocado, wasabi, and soy sauce) piled on a seaweed sheet.
Sun: lettuce salad dressed with sesame oil and balsamic vinegar, leftover sushi rice and veggies, beef lo mein.
Mon: leftover lettuce salad with leftover sushi rice and veggies, Mediterranean chicken burgers on homemade buns.
Tue: leftover lettuce salad with tajin, leftover beef lo mein.
Wed: carrots, celery sticks, cucumber sticks, pork racetrack ring (pork loin, cheese, onions and red pepper in crescent dough ring).
Thu: cherries, orange slices, tofu and veggies scramble over brown rice.
Tonight: salad and foccach, of course!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
@Becca, I'm so excited that it's cherry season!
So fun! And thank you for doing a post even on your vacation. I did that, too, because people get very worried if an anticipated post doesn't appear.
My oven doesn't have a window or light. I don't even think about it. I guess I'm used to opening it to check. Also, when I was at a rental in Taos with my brother and sister, I used a bunch of utensils to prop up tamales to steam. I actually enjoy the challenge of cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen. Short term, anyway.
I have a question: Do you bring that seafood boil pot back to return, or are you supposed to keep it?
Anyway! Our food:
Saturday: T-bone steaks with caramelized onions and herb butter, mashed potatoes, green salad with herby ranch dressing. Hooray for garden herbs in all the things.
Sunday: We had a little Thanksgiving in June. One child requested roast chicken, and I found the last two bags of pureed squash in the freezer from last year's garden, so I decided to make pumpkin pie. Two pies actually. Since I had two main elements of a Thanksgiving feast already, I added mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, and a green salad. I also set it all out buffet-style, which I only do on holidays. My children were very pleased.
Monday: I used the chicken carcass to make stock, then pulled off the remaining meat and made a soup with mushrooms and rice. There was also leftover spaghetti to which I added diced chicken. And there was leftover pie.
Tuesday: I had a lot of leftover mashed potatoes, so I made shepherd's pie. Too bad all the pumpkim pie was gone. I find it amusing when I inadvertantly have a pie+pie meal.
Wednesday: Some leftover shepherd's pie for the children, some leftover steak for my husband, some leftover diced chicken in a salad for me.
Thursday: So. I bought a meat grinder that I had yet to use. We'll just ignore the fact that I bought it FIVE months ago (school was still in, I was still working, and I was not up for extra kitchen tasks). It came in handy when I realized we only have about a month of meat left in our freezers, but quite a lot of bull meat still. That's been in there for over two years now, because it's SO tough and lean, it's hard to make palatable. But now that I'm not working, I have all kinds of time and I can figure out a new tool. It's a manual grinder, so I enlisted my husband and his very strong hands and we ground the bull meat with some of the extra fat from last year's cow. It worked very well, and we'll be doing a lot more of it soon. For this batch, though, I only did about three pounds. I used about a pound of it to make taco meat with pressure-canned pinto beans. And I figured since we had gone to all the trouble to make the meat, I might as well make the tortillas too (so much time! I can do all the things!). So I made corn tortillas for our tacos, and there was happiness in the land. Oh! And I harvested the first garden lettuce, too. Hooray!
Friday: I have two more pounds of ground bull meat, and I'm making bread today, so I will make buns and we'll have hamburgers. Or rather, bullburgers. 🙂 I also harvested a cabbage yesterday, from which I will make coleslaw.
@kristin @ going country, I had the same question about the seafood boil pot! At any rate, what fun!
Also, I am a teacher, and we aren't out of school quite yet. We have three snow/smoke days to make up this coming week and then we will be done. So, I'm living vicariously through your "so much time to do all the things!" feelings. Congrats on being through another school year, and I cannot wait to join in those feelings next week!
You get to keep the pot. It's very lightweight, but I washed and dried it and brought it home. I could use in the future for a homemade boil.
Orrrr, you know me; I could find some other use for it, probably!
What a fun idea to spend a week long trip with your kids when they hit a certain age. I may just steal that idea from you!
Lettuce is the only vegetable currently producing in our garden, so we're eating A LOT of lettuce-inspired meals (i.e. salad, lettuce wraps).
In no particular order, dinners this week included:
1. Salmon, rice and salad
2. Pork, slaw and rice
3. Grilled chicken pasta
4. Lettuce wraps
5. Grilled chicken salad
6. Pizza and salad
7. Tonight is going to be leftover pork and, of course, a salad
How did you enjoy surf lessons? I used to surf as a teenager and decided to take it up again with lessons a few years ago. Um....it was not working with my current level of physical fitness. (A level barely above "dead." womp womp) I wrote something about it: "There's a party atmosphere in the beach parking lot. A party to which everyone has been invited except my self esteem."
Last night we had apricot chicken
Night before, leftovers
Tuesday is when I was out visiting my mom in the hospital. Pizza.
Monday: Penne vodka
Sunday: Cobb salad with garlic mozz bread
could also use a frying pan to flaten the chicken.....
Maybe this is the summer I will finally get to the beach! Just a couple of days would be plenty for me... I spent $81 at HEB and around $10 on take-out. Menus:
Monday - kitchen closed (I had P. Terry's on the way home)
Tuesday - Trader Joe's Gorgonzola Gnocci with grilled chicken thighs, skillet sweet potato cubes
Wednesday - Garlic Herb Tilapia, brussels sprouts, grain and lentil blend from Central Market that was pretty good (bonus: enough leftovers for my lunch one day)
Thursday - Crockpot Korean Beef, sauteed bok choy, mashed potatoes (another serving of leftovers takes care of a lunch for me on my weekend shift)
Tonight - Stuffed Baked Potatoes (crumbled cooked sausage, cheese, purple onion, sour cream), maybe the rest of the bok choy, sauteed {after today, the oven will remain off}
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed, but I have the aforementioned meals and a few things in my freezer so I won't starve!
Happy Weekend!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/
That looks like such a fun week!
My week wasn't that impressive meal wise. Was alone in the house for a few days so I ate very simply. Had Chinese take out last night upon the return of my men who had been camping.
Super impressed that Sonia and you surfed. The waves at the OBX are good for that but I'd not be brave enough to try. I've been slammed enough in those waters just trying to body surf and ride the waves. We've stayed in rentals in Avon, Buxton, and Hatteras. Love how the beaches were never that crowded. We were always able to secure relatively private spots to set our umbrellas, chairs, and towels.
Sonia looks elegant, indeed.
Enjoy your day!
So fun that you guys finally get to take your trip and enjoy that time together! This makes my heart rejoice.
A decade+ ago, my extended family rendezvoused at the Outer Banks for vacation. I lived on the road at the time, so had a well-stocked kitchen box that my family kept diving into when the rental kitchen came up short. One of the most used items from my box was my Foley fork for mixing pancakes and such.
Imagine my dismay when I was at my next stop (states away!) And realized the Foley fork had been left in OBX!!!
I mourned it for it had been my grandmother's and good Foley forks are hard to find these days.
Fast forward a year and a half and my brother was with me for Christmas. He excitedly gave me my Christmas gift. Opening the box, I found a Foley fork. In fact, upon closer inspection to melt scars, it was MY Foley fork!!!
He had ended up back at OBX a year later, so stopped by the house we had rented, asked the current renters if he could come grab something he left in the kitchen previously, walked into the kitchen and retrieved my Foley fork!!!
He will always be my hero for that. 😉
@Dorinda, that's such a cool story, and such a nice brother!
@Dorinda, thanks for teaching me about a foley fork!
@Dorinda, That fork story made my day! You have a wonderful brother!
@Dorinda, Your brother is amazing!!
I grabbed a screenshot of all your compliments and shared them with my brother so he can rub it in sometime when I give him a hard time. ;-)
And I'm always glad to introduce another person to the magic of a (good) Foley fork. 🙂
The week before last was my first excursion into cooking dairy free. My nephew and his fiancee came for lunch, she is dairy free. We did chicken on the BBQ which I had marinated in a homemade Jerk marinade overnight, plus 3 different salads, all with vinegar based dressings.
WIS, $102.08 + $33.35
Vegetable soup from the freezer.
Chicken in a Butter Chicken cooking sauce, steamed carrots and broccoli. Plus leftovers for the following day.
On the BBQ: Hamburgers on Brioche buns and Hasselback potatoes (my version). Future me is going to be very happy that I pre-made 4 extra burger patties (raw) for the freezer.
Leftover burger for HB; and for me leftover roasted potatoes and roasted tofu (roasted in the oven the day before) with "rotisserie chicken dipping sauce".
I cubed the leftover Hasselback potatoes and roasted them in the oven, threw an egg on top for both of us; steamed broccoli.
Tonight: a salad with the leftover roasted potatoes for HB, and for me I'll have the leftover roasted tofu on my salad.
Happy weekend to all!
What a fun way to mark turning 16!
We're leaving for the Outer Banks next Friday. Your photos make us more excited to be there than we already were!
@Barb, So agree about the photos. We spent a week on the beach every year of my childhood and then as we brought up our kids, rotating to Maryland, New Jersey and Cape Cod beaches. Now I want to try OBX.
@Erika JS, obx are my favorite of all beaches, you won’t regret trying them out!
Such a fun trip! We had two trips planned in 2020, a girls trip and a couples trip. The girls trip happened last summer, and the couples trip hasn't happened yet.
Sunday: We were visiting family in Idaho, I can't remember what we ate
Monday: Our day traveling back, I made sure we had frozen stir fry to heat up quickly with rice
Tuesday: Pizza, which we cooked on the grill. We've done this plenty of times before, but this time we accidentally caught the pizza on fire. Whoops!
Wednesday: Preschooler's choice, mac and cheese
Thursday: Chicken and rice, and we also fed some neighbor kids too. Having kids just stop by instead of having prearranged playdates is a new development this summer, my girl is getting older!
Friday/Saturday: Leftovers
Curious how you cook for 2-3 people. I am either making way too much or not enough for my little group. Any tips?
You know, that's probably a good post topic! I bet my readers have some good tips, since I know not everyone here is cooking for a crowd.
@Kristen, I agree. It does make a difference with WHO those two or three people are--the guys in my family can really put food away (and annoyingly, never gain weight).
That looks like a fun week for sure!
I shopped last Friday, so WIS was $134 and change for two weeks, which included a farm order. Today the only food shopping I'll do is for dogfood, ha.
WIA - my cooking this month is uninspired for the most part. I'm trying to get better.
I made roasted pork chops with honey-rosemary carrots, and broccoli that was roasted with the chops. I had that twice.
A goat steak, with longevity spinach and komatsuna greens from my yard, onions and mushrooms, all cooked in the skillet after the steak was done.
I actually ate out Saturday night with an old friend. I had garlic-parmesan wings and a salad.
I cooked a grass-fed London broil and had it twice. With it I had the leftover roasted broccoli, squash n' onions, and applesauce for dessert.
Amish Lebanon bologna sandwich on GF bread with cucumbers and plantain chips on the side. For dessert I had sweetened (by me) yogurt over blueberries and boysenberries from my yard. The blueberries are all but done, sadly.
Tonight will be meatloaf, since I should get home earlier since I won't grocery shop, and the meat is already thawed. For most of what you see above, I made enough to also have a lunch (or two) out of it.
One of my old co-workers declared she never froze ground beef; she only used fresh ground beef, because once frozen ground beef thawed, it was watery. I silently wondered at that, since I don't have that problem. I just thought I'd throw that out there since this group seems quite happy to stock up and freeze meat, as am I.
@JD, oh man, I remember Lebanon bologna from when I was a kid. Best thing ever!!
@JD, I am team freezer. No issues with frozen meat (other than occasional freezer burn if something gets “lost”)
@JD, Maybe because she was using store beef. I always notice how wet store ground beef is when I have the misfortune to have to cook with it.
@OregonGuest,
My mother used to buy it when I was a kid, but it had been years of Lebanon bologna deprivation before I discovered a farmer here with PA Amish roots who sells some of his old PA Amish neighbor's goods along with his. He sends a truck to Pennsylvania every month from Florida.
@kristin @ going country,
I was thinking along those lines. I wondered if the store where she bought her beef added a little "juice" to the meat, maybe, like stores will do to ham and turkey.
@JD, I buy my ground beef from a grocery store, #city living. The ground beef that I freeze lets out a lot of water when being cooked. Hence: Any ground beef I freeze is used for either meat sauce for spagetti or for chili. If I want burgers, I will buy the beef fresh.
@JD, I’ve been cooking for many years and never noticed any difference between never-frozen and frozen ground beef. It depends more on the ratio of fat to lean, and how you cook it. The butchers in my close family were amused by this question! Their only theory was maybe she doesn’t freeze it properly.
Kristen, I loved hearing a little bit about your trip! Years ago, my husband and I went to the Outer Banks, which I just learned is now called OBX, and it was one of the best places we ever went. We explored all around, but could only spend a little time on the beach because it was chilly. I remember we got our vehicle stuck in the sand- our first time for driving on a beach. We stayed in an adorable, nostalgic little family motel right on the beach and ate at cute little local places. The next year there was a very bad hurricane that destroyed a lot of buildings and even the beaches were pretty wrecked. We saw photos- so sad! I guess now they mostly build those elevated houses on stilts and things are more storm-resistant. Maybe you’ll talk more about surfing and Sonia- I haven’t finished reading the comments or your other post.
Saturday - our last night in Legoland and per usual, the kids were melting down (day 3 of vacations seems to be when the change in routine finally hits them and they become more prone to tantrums) My husband has friends in San Diego and we had originally planned to meet up with them for dinner. I told him to go alone though so he’d actually get to enjoy himself and I ordered room service for the kids. They were very happy for a calm evening to stay in the room and play with legos!
Sunday - home from vacation, didn’t feel like cooking so the kids just had pb&j, I had cheese and crackers
Monday - chicken pot pie from scratch, felt good to cook again after a few days of just restaurant food
Tuesday - orange chicken (homemade, not our usual Trader Joe’s), broccoli, rice
Wednesday - spaghetti al limone
Thursday - I was meeting up with some friends, microwaved frozen Kraft dinners for the kids (in the little plastic compartment trays) The kids loved that the food was in a little tray
Friday - chicken quesadillas and corn
What a delightful, happy post! Sonia always looks sophistication defined, in a wetsuit, swim wear or one of her elegant outfits. Even her beach hat has style to set it apart.
And to have this fun trip happen in the summer before you dive into nursing school is just perfect timing.
I also like that this choice of Sonia's lets you guys hone your surfing skills for future trips to Hawaii. Did the waves cooperate!
The waves were good, but I was not too good at surfing yet! I'd need a few more lessons to really feel comfortable.
The wetsuit made me look like I knew what I was doing, though. lol
You can use a small, heavy saucepan or skillet inplace of a mallet. Weird oven!
Oh, good ideas!
And yes, I have never in my life seen an oven with no window. This is truly a budget model. lol
@Kristen, I bought one of those "budget models" purposely because for one, there's nothing on them--keypads, etc.--to break, and for another, I can use it even when we have a power outage. The fancier ranges have safety features that don't allow the burners to be lit with a match, and if the electric igniters are out of commission, the entire range is useless.
Ok, but does yours at least have a window??
@kristin @ going country, Nope, no window at all.
How I Sonia's vintage-y beach outfit! I particularly envy her for the hat -
I passed on the compliment! Sonia forgot to bring a hat, and we found that one, oddly enough, at a little gas station gift shop.
So fun! I went to PEI with my mom a few years ago. It's charming beyond belief and I recommend it in the future, especially at the end of June or early July--though to be honest, if you don't like camping it might be hard to find a week's worth of activities there. We stayed in a university dorm with a kitchen and ate bagged salads and frozen quiche, and the like. I don't like eating out too much on vacation anyway; aside from cost, restaurant food is often not as fresh and healthy as what we'd make ourselves. Nice for a treat, though!
Monday: I made pasta with sauce, with raw veggies on the side.
Tuesday: Mr. B made pizza.
Wednesday: I made tofu and gai lan stir fry, with rice. My mom brought some extra berries and we had strawberry and blueberries for dessert.
Thursday: Mr. B made salmon, I made green beans sauteed with butter, and we used the leftover rice.
Friday: Mr. B and I are going out to my program's yearly formal--but the first since covid started. I hear we're having pizza and Indian food. Plus a "midnight" snack at 10:30 because most of us are tired and don't actually want to party until midnight lol. The little Bee will have scrambled eggs, cheese, and avocado with my parents.
Love the pix of you with the surfboard!
Sounds like you used your improvisational skills well to cook this week.
I've often thought that rental properties should list all the equipment and utensils in a location. It makes sense to me because so many people rent a property with the intention of staying in to cook. I'd pay a bit extra for a property that took the effort to list what they have and also if it had more than mere basics (but to me, a steamer, a saute skillet, a dutch oven, baking pans, a good can opener are among the basics.)
It's so special that you do these trips with your girls. They are lucky to have you.
On another note, loved your post sharing your enthusiasm for starting nursing school.
It's terrific that you would do this years after college, but even more amazing given what is going on in your life. I think, perhaps, this goal of becoming a nurse even though it has required work and effort, is helping you make this major transition in your life. Plus, there is a huge confidence that comes from knowing you will be working in a field where pay may not always reflect the level of work and commitment, but there will always be jobs. Robots will NEVER replace nurses, especially compassionate ones.
Wish there was a place around here to get the crab boil. My mouth was watering when reading about it.
That seafood boil looks like a fun and easy dinner option. WWA in a landlocked province:
Saturday- Mississippi pot roast, roast potatoes, corn on the cob
Sunday - salmon grilled on cedar, fruit salsa, coconut rice, homemade cherry pie
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - cheese enchiladas, green salad
Wednesday- unstuffed peppers skillet from the freezer
Thursday- sriracha noodles with chicken and broccoli
Friday - definitely leftovers
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
Your trip looks fabulous! I admire your meals as well- we go way overboard when vacationing and always end up with leftovers that we waste.
Things we ate this week:
Pasta with veggies & pesto, sourdough bread, salad
Grilled bratwurst, hotdogs, and burgers with baked beans, potato salad and fruit
Rotisserie chicken, caprese salad, braised lentils with fennel, & garlic bread
Homemade white bean dip with crackers & veggies, marinated beans, fresh fruit, leftover lentils, bruschetta on bread
Grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, salad, fruit
Tonight will be chicken salad on croissants or toast, fruit, veggies with dip
I'm slightly bummed my daughter has never read Anne of Green Gables, even though she has bright red hair and is named what Anne thought is an elegant name. I guess she still has time!
Oooh, I think I know what that name is. Have you ever seen Kelle Hampton's blog? Her middle daughter has that name, and I'm pretty sure it's because of Anne of Green Gables.
@Kristen, For me, it was a character in Brideshead Revisited, not to mention the meaning "daughter of the sea." I'd forgotten all about Anne until I took the baby home and a neighbor asked her name. Ooops.
@Rose, did you name your daughter Cordelia???
@Central Calif. Artist, Yep. AKA Deelie Bopper (when she was little), Weasel, Cupcake, Boxcar, or Chimpface. We're lavish with the nicknames here.
That is so cool that you do that trip with your kids. I am sure they love having some solo mom time, as well as a trip that doesn't involve their siblings wants as well. I am excited to see where Zoe picks next year.
This week was a physical reset week for me. Between work and the Bachelorette trip, I had basically been gone most of May and both my fridge and my body needed a Crl+Alt+Delete.
Sunday: Home from Austin and still 90% queso and margs so my husband picked up pho, which is my ultimate reset food.
Monday- homemade chipotle bowls with riced cauliflower, beans, fajita veggies and so much avocado
Tuesday- homemade white bean and kale soup. Though it was more a stew by the time t was done bc of the amount of kale I added.
Wednesday- Gojuchang salmon bowls with kimchi, sesame broccoli and ofc more avocado. I have discovered if you mix riced cauliflower in with regular rice, you can't tell it is in there.
Thursday- I had pre-planned 10 mile hike so I picked up greek on the way home. And it will be at enough for at least 2 more meals/snacks over the weekend
Friday- Probably pasta primavera with chicken sausage that needs to get used
Saturday- Pizza night
I absolutely love your 16th birthday trip plan! I will be sharing this amazing idea with my husband tonight! I also really love how easy and delicious your dinners looked this week. I’ve been working at simplifying the meals I make (I just don’t have the time anymore) while keeping them as healthy as possible. I’m done with cooking for an hour to have everyone done eating in 15 minutes. It just doesn’t feel the effort was worth it most nights.
Friday – we met up with a group a friends for dinner at one of my favorite local restaurants. I cook out of the chef’s cookbook frequently so I was excited to try something on his menu that I haven’t made at home.
Saturday – Greek Salad with homemade dressing and leftover chicken from my husband’s dinner on Friday.
Sunday – my husband made his signature smash burgers which I paired with fresh veggies, homemade ranch dip, and cut up fruit.
Monday – Sriracha Salmon Bowls
Tuesday – Eggroll in a Bowl over brown rice (I put the leftovers in leftover eggroll wrappers from another meal and threw them in freezer for later – I did see the irony in avoiding food waste in this way)
Wednesday – Red Beans and Rice
Thursday – Chili Mac
Yes, simple meals are the name of the game on vacation; I don't want to be spending hours cooking!
WIS: I don't have an exact total this week but the only things we shopped for were milk, bread, a few potatoes, hamburger buns, iceburg lettuce & a lone tomato. Not much spent at all.
WWA:
Saturday: I was planning on take out this night but we had a sudden change of plans so I threw some frozen chicken breasts into a pot with some cream of chicken soup & broth, boiled up some frozen mixed veggies, and made a quick pot of pepperidge farm stuffing. Definitely not a banner meal but everyone was fed and I called it good.
Sunday: chicken parmesan pasta in the crockpot
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Hamburgers on whole wheat buns, lettuce, tomato & baked potatoes
Wednesday: take out on the way home from the pool
Thursday: I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot and shredded it for bowls. We added kidney beans, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, cheese, cilantro, onion and rice. Waltermelon on the side. Delicious & fresh.
Friday: Beef stroganoff
Happy weekend to all!
I've made many a creative meal in vacation rentals. It truly always is an adventure!
We almost got takeout 2x this week, but somehow managed to pull together meals from the fridge. It's been a very, very busy week!
We had:
-Grilled chicken + rice (x2)
-Barbecued chicken + coleslaw (x2)
-Pasta & meatballs
-One night I had a leftover delivery dinner (freezer), and my husband had salmon
-Tonight, our 16 year old is flying to my parents house, as he doesn't have to work next week. He will be eating out with my family. We're considering taking our 17 year old (who, has to work next week, and is staying home with us this week as a result) out to dinner to celebrate the end of school.
I'm glad you had a good week at OBX. We were in Duck this time last year and the surf was so rough that no swimming flags were up most days. We have stayed in Corolla many times and one year we stayed in Salvo, just north of Avon. I love having a rental with a kitchen on vacation but it is interesting the things that lacking when it comes to cooking.
Ohhh yes, we are just south of Salvo I think!
What a beautiful trip. We asked our daughter last year if she wants a sweet 16 party. She said no, all she wants is to see a Broadway show specifically-The Lion King and a trip to Texas. We went to Texas during the spring break and have another birthday dinner at Rainforest Cafe, San Antonio and The Aquarium Restaurant in Houston (both her favorite restaurants).
Wow, you've been posting while vacationing? That's impressive. But it's also ok if you want to tell us you are taking a week off sometime. 🙂
I went to PEI several years ago with a friend--we were huge Anne fans and decided to do a road trip to Canada. PEI was the only specific destination we had. It was fun--we enjoyed exploring the island more than we did doing the tour of Green Gables.
Haha, yes, I prepped some posts ahead of time, but I wrote todays post from here, obviously. I couldn't write it ahead of time!
My family was in Corolla last week! We always go in the beginning of June, but it was so much cooler this year than it normally is. I hope you guys had some pleasant beach days!
That is so wonderful that you were still able to do this "16th birthday trip" with Sonia - so many precious memories made, I'm sure. It is so rough on the kids who were growing up through the pandemic; there were many experiences they lost out on in those years that they won't get back. I think it's great that you made the effort to take this special time with her and do the trip! Looked like fun!!
So special to catch up on her sweet 16! Love the rental kitchen adventures.
We've been traveling too! So it's been a weird mix:
- fast food fried chicken x3
- yogurt & thiakry (it's like millet couscous) and chips.
- Empanadas (my go to travel meal). I filled them with beef and rice, then beans and rice when I ran out.
-Salad and tuna sandwiches
This has been a crazy week. I'll try to remember what we ate
Sat: BLTs and salad. I went to Aldi after test driving a car.
Sun: Grilled chicken and salad
Mon: Clean out 'fridge.
Tues: Hawaiian ham & cheese sliders
Wed: Leftover slider after my grandson's end of the year school program
Thurs: Appetizers at the art exhibition
Fri: Herb garlic spread and crackers after I spent the afternoon buying a car.
My 10-year-old car was starting to give me problems that were getting difficult to diagnose and starting to get costlier. Also the body was rusting. I figured it is about time. Also, I need a dependable vehicle if I am going to drive my grandson around (and my other grandchildren). So, my summer trip is a brand new car. Hopefully, it will be dependable. All I wanted was heated seats. The new cars have so many bits and pieces to them, a computer chip here and a computer chip there. It is crazy.
That sounds like a lovely week away! How lovely to spend some quality time with elegant Sonia. 🙂
I think it would break my heart to hear my mom say she’d gotten used to cooking for my sisters and not me.
Sort of seems you are pals with the two daughters, this one doesn’t want to live there? Does she feel excluded?? It all seems sad with you kids.
Just a heads up; I'm going to delete any further comments from you. You are not interested in listening to what I say or in trying to understand the situation.
My girls are fine, and to continually leave comments insinuating that they are not, or that my mothering is lacking, is just flat-out unkind, and the fact that you try to hide behind different email addresses and usernames just shows that you know you are being rude.
So; don't bother. Your comments will automatically be marked for the spam folder in the future.
@Jen, that’s pretty shocking and presumptuous, and none of our business!
@Kristen,
YAY! So glad you are doing this, and I hope you do not read any further comments from this person.
Your trip looks amazing. If you ever decide to go to PEI, I would go late August, early September. Cottage rentals tend be cheaper then. Fresh , local food can be bought at road side stands that are many time paid by the honor system ( you leave a note of what you bought, and deposit your cash in a lock box). There a lots of free beaches, with minimal people, and miles to walk. It's my favorite vacation spot, and you can drive the island from tip to tip in about 4 hours. There'sl even a Nordic Spa on the island now. ( and it is heavenly). I'm sure that there are a few readers from PEI that could help out even more, with fun, frugal things to do. ( Perhaps a graduation trip for you?)
Ohhh, I love those kinds of roadside stands! Thank you for all the tips!