The Last Stretch
There’s a lot going on over here, and my head is a tornado of work and life and kids. Those of you who follow along on Instagram know I’m beyond excited to get out of town soon. We’re celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary Thursday and taking a quick trip to Mexico. I’ve been obsessively planning and packing my outfits, and need to stop shopping and save my pesos! I’m working ahead so I won’t need to do anything while we’re gone. My husband has declared that I get one photo of the two of us while we’re away (don’t worry, I plan to challenge that declaration!). But I do not want to pick up my phone except to check on kids or snap a few photos. I’m excited to recharge.
A few things I don’t want you to miss:
- Register for Fearless Fish! I’m sharing a special Fish Fixe discount code and shopping list with everyone who registers, and I don’t want you to miss out! I’m also sharing my recommended tools for cooking fish and TONS of amazing recipes. I’d love to cook with you! And the recordings will be shared for all the classes in case you can’t make it live.
- I developed a fun cooking quiz that I’d love for you to share with everyone you know! It was kind of a brain teaser to figure out how to create this, so give it a shot and let me know what your results are.
- Join my cooking school membership for a little discount on the Fearless Fish class, as well as discounts on every online course I teach. All cooking class members will receive my mini knife skills class later this summer. I just finished recording the knife class and it’s going to be a great reference for you guys!
- Want a mini summer reset? Download my free Whole30 ebook for some of my favorite clean and healthy recipes!
- Join the waitlist for Smart Meal Plan Formula this coming September. After summer, we’ll be ready to get organized, make a game plan and implement easy weeknight family dinners like a pro!
SUNDAY
My husband likes to go to La Michoacana meat market in Houston and load up on marinated chicken and beef for an easy taco night. Check out the photos in my IG stories. It’s so easy and inexpensive, and the meat tastes delicious. Pick up a variety of their salsas, tortillas, and sides. This would be a great stop before heading out of town for the weekend or when you’re cooking for a crowd. If you’re not local to Houston, look for a Mexican meat market near you or make fajitas at home. We loaded up on marinated chicken and steak, pico de gallo, guacamole, a roasted red salsa, and tortillas. I’m also making my homemade La Taqueria hot sauce.
MONDAY
I’m teaching an online cooking class for a corporate team at Starbucks that spans multiple time zones. We’re kicking off Monday afternoon with fresh grapefruit Palomas, my cast iron skillet shishitos (the version linked here is a sheet pan recipe), white bean dip with rosemary oil and crudites, and a couple of other summer appetizer favorites you can download in this ebook. For dinner, it’s minestrone soup with garlic bread. I make this soup using my “any vegetable soup” formula. Or follow my kale and white bean minestrone soup recipe using what you have available. I’ll make elbow pasta on the side and let kids add a scoop to their bowls, that way if you freeze leftover soup the pasta won’t get mushy when the soup is thawed and reheated.
TUESDAY
Instant Pot lamb stew will be easy and comforting. It looks like rain, and my older two can hunker down and study for their last final. Serve over mashed potatoes, Ina’s creamy parmesan polenta, or on its own.
WEDNESDAY
Honestly, for the rest of this week, I’m not cooking. We’re heading out to celebrate the end of a long and emotional school year. I’m so very proud of all my kids, they all had separate challenges and struggles to deal with this year. And they coped! And persevered! Anxiety, stress and overwhelm were real hurdles for ALL of us. One of my kiddos in particular, who struggles with a serious reading diagnosis and ADHD, had to work extra hard to study and tackle high school finals. I could not be more amazed at the work ethic and focus that kicked in after the drain and strain of this school year. The kids are all right! They can have whatever they want for dinner tonight, Whataburger included!
THURSDAY
Keep it easy breezy. I absolutely love these one pot sesame noodles that are FULL of veggies. Leftovers are best eaten cold straight out of the container.
FRIDAY
Weekend project: Marinate some chile-lime flank steak and fire up the grill. Start with some Texas caviar, and make a big kale caesar with some red chili flakes, shaved radish, and drained and rinsed garbanzos added to the mix.
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