Another Saturday, Another Cart Full of Good Food
If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know Saturday morning usually means two things in our house: church prep and grocery runs. This week I made the trip to BJ’s and came home with a cart stacked high enough that our six-year-old thought we were “having a party.” In a way, I told him, we kind of are — we just call it Tuesday dinner around here. Here’s what we grabbed, why we grabbed it, and the meals I’m planning to build around it this week.
The Protein Haul Is Real This Week
I’ll be honest — when I spotted those ribeyes and NY strips at BJ’s, I didn’t hesitate. We grabbed three to four cuts plus a large flat piece that looks like London broil, and I’m already thinking about how far I can stretch those across the week. Add to that two full trays of chicken breasts and thighs, a 3-pound bag of Ready Crispy Roasted Wings, and a box of SeaPak Shrimp Scampi from the freezer section, and we are set on protein for the week. Four growing boys — aged six to fifteen — go through meat at a rate that still surprises me some weeks. Keeping quality protein stocked means we’re less likely to reach for something processed when 5:30 rolls around and everyone’s hungry.
We also picked up four gallons of Wellsley Farms whole milk, a half gallon of Almond Breeze almond milk, two containers of Cabot Greek yogurt, eggs (two to three dozen — yes, really), and the fully cooked Wellsley Farms bacon, which is genuinely one of my favorite shortcut items at BJ’s. That bacon saves us time on rushed mornings without sacrificing flavor.
Produce, Sauces, and the Good Stuff
On the produce side, I grabbed romaine lettuce, celery, a couple of yellow peppers, two or three oranges, and a fresh container of strawberries. It’s not a massive produce haul, but it’s enough to add color and nutrition to the meals I’m planning without letting anything go to waste. I’d rather buy focused and actually use it all than overbuy and compost half of it by Thursday.
The sauce and condiment game this week is strong. Chosen Foods Lemon Garlic sauce came home with us again — it’s become a staple in this kitchen. Ken’s Honey Mustard, Hidden Valley Ranch, La Mexicana Pico de Gallo, and their Mango Peach salsa round things out nicely. These are the kinds of ingredients that turn a plain piece of chicken into something the boys actually get excited about. We also grabbed some Late July Garden Ranch Tortilla Chips and Mission Zero Net Carbs Tortilla Wraps, which the older boys especially love since they stay full longer without the carb crash.
Recipe One: Tex-Mex Steak and Egg Breakfast Burritos
Saturday and Sunday mornings are sacred in this house. After we get home from church on Sunday, the boys are starving and full of energy, and I want to put something on the table that actually fuels them rather than just fills them. This weekend I’m slicing up some of that grilled steak thin, scrambling a big batch of eggs, and crumbling in pieces of that fully cooked bacon. Everything gets wrapped up in the Mission Zero Carb tortillas with a spoonful of pico de gallo, a drizzle of ranch, and some of that sliced deli cheese melted right in.
The whole thing comes together in about twenty minutes, which matters when you’ve got a six-year-old dancing around the kitchen asking if it’s ready yet. These burritos are hearty, high-protein, and genuinely delicious. The pico de gallo adds brightness and the ranch ties it all together. It’s become one of those meals where everyone cleans their plate without complaint — and as any dad of four knows, that’s worth writing down.
Recipe Two: Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken with Green Beans
For a solid weeknight dinner, I’m going back to one of our reliable favorites. I’ll coat the chicken breasts in the Chosen Foods Lemon Garlic sauce, hit them with lemon pepper seasoning, and bake at 400°F until they’re golden and cooked through. While those are in the oven, I’ll steam the Sperry frozen green beans and toss them in a little olive oil and garlic. Simple, clean, and easy to scale for a table of six.
What I appreciate about this meal is that it doesn’t require much active cooking time, which means I can help with homework or sit with the boys while dinner finishes itself. The chicken comes out juicy, the green beans have just enough bite, and even the youngest usually goes back for seconds on the protein. It’s the kind of dinner that doesn’t need to be fancy to be good — it just needs to be made with care.
A Few Other Things on the Meal Plan
Beyond those two anchor meals, I’m planning Ranch Chicken Caesar-Style Wraps using leftover lemon pepper chicken sliced over romaine with bacon crumbles, honey mustard, and Hidden Valley Ranch all rolled into the Mission Zero wraps. Served alongside the Late July Ranch chips, it’s an easy school-night assembly meal that takes maybe fifteen minutes. The SeaPak Shrimp Scampi is going to make a quick Friday night dinner — the boys love shrimp and it cooks fast. And those steak cuts are going to get grilled mid-week when the weather cooperates.
The maple syrup and vanilla extract are earmarked for some weekend pancakes or a yogurt parfait situation with the strawberries and Greek yogurt. Small things, but the boys notice when breakfast feels like something special.
Grateful for the Ability to Feed This Family Well
I don’t take lightly the ability to walk out of a store with a cart like this. Every week when I load the groceries into the car, I say a quiet thank you — for provision, for health, for four loud and hungry boys who make this kitchen feel alive. Feeding your family well isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up consistently, making thoughtful choices, and turning good ingredients into meals that bring everyone around the same table. That’s what we’re doing this week. Hope it gives you some ideas for yours.
