Grab your tissues, a weekly meal plan to borrow, and the handiest summer gadget yet
the weekly r.e.p.o.r.t. 06.26.26
What is the Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T? I wanted to create a fun weekly format to share food, reads, hobbies, items, shows and more that I’m currently loving or making my life easier. I see “Efficient Kitchen” embodying the whole home as well as the people in it. I also want to hear from YOU. What are you enjoying? Comment on the post anything you’re loving in a R.E.P.O.R.T category.
Grab your tissues if you start reading The Wingfeather Saga. I finished book three (Monster in the Hollows) and needed to take a breather to digest it all before starting book four. I am so glad that I got over judging this series by its covers (they just look particularly juvenile and not for adults) and pressed on. It is beautifully written and I would describe it somewhere between Lewis and Tolkien. It has the whimsy of Narnia with children as the protagonists but the adventure and trials of the Hobbit.
I am particularly tickled and how much my older children have loved it and asked to read it. I bought the audiobooks on Libro.fm and made Yoto cards for them to listen to them. Like with the Narnia series, it is enjoyable as a child but speaks deeper to the soul of an adult who has walked through life with more trials.
I have read the audio books for this series and think that Andrew Peterson does an incredible job at narration. I think he helps bring the story alive with his voice and particularly helps young readers follow the story well in the audio version.
Psst… the Yoto player is on sale right now for a great price…
Our meal plan we had this week:
Saturday: Tri tip fajitas (just seasoned tri tip and grilled onions and bell peppers)
Sunday: Evening activity
Monday: Turkey summer skillet (psst the easiest way to get summer veggies in)
Tuesday: Turkey summer skillet leftovers
Wednesday: Sheet Pan Pad Kee Mow
Thursday: Sheet Pan Pad Kee Mow
For lunch, I worked on refining a recipe that I will include in my easy mom lunches coming soon!
Also ICYMI, I published an easy no bake cereal bar recipe on Tuesday!
The 5-Ingredient Snack Bar My Kids Grab Themselves
Kids snacks are the single easiest way to blow the grocery budget at our house. My kids can demolish a box of anything before I've put the groceries away. These 5-ingredient cereal bars have genuinely helped — they're filling because of the fats, they live in a spot the kids can reach themselves, and I make them once and they're just there.
For paid subscribers, I will be publishing a kids freezer meal prep soon that will simplify meal time and have breakfast and lunch ready to go and reheat!
I finished my Angelina Ballerina ornament and learned a new technique with tulle ribbon. I think I made the skirt a little too fluffy but it was very easy to do. I followed a tutorial on TikTok for making 3D tutus. I will make some adjustments next time but it was easier than I thought to accomplish. I love fun little extras that can make a project pop. Creating this ornament was one of my faster and easier projects!
I’m trying to decide which project I should start next. I have all the thread for Spot, Corduroy and a Harry Potter ornament. Comment which one I should start next!
One of my favorite summer activities is hosting swim play dates! Summer swimmers are always so darn hungry and I usually prep a tray of snacks ahead of time. I’ve been on the hunt for a container with a lid and cooling packs for hosting. I was so excited when I saw a friend post this one, and I ordered it so so quickly!
You put the ice packs in the freezer and the lid seals shut, so it’s ready to go for a pool day or road trip. I put cut up fruit, babybel cheese, and cookie dough bites in ours.
Somehow I spilled pad kee mow sauced all down by nap dress one night, and so I grabbed the Koala Eco stain spray. The stain actually disappeared before my eyes. I was just hoping that the stain wouldn’t set and I could wash it out. My flabbers were ghasted at how well it worked.
THANKFULLY, they are having a huge sale with gifts from June 26- July 5th with 20% off site wide and gifts with purchase, so I will be stocking up. My entire family comments on how much they love the smell when I clean with their products but this stain spray is genuinely the best one that I’ve tried out of every “non toxic” or conventional product. My personal favorites are the kitchen cleaner, laundry wash, oxygenated bleach, stain spray, and hand soap. I have all my favorites linked here.
Gift with purchases include: Rosalina + Peppermint Body Wash, Rosalina + Peppermint Hand/Body Lotion, receive a Pink Grapefruit + Peppermint Room Spray based on how much you spend.
I know you’re probably over Prime Day posts. I just wanted to share a couple of my ride or die kitchen products that are on sale right now:
Breville Smart Oven: I use this every single day without fail and my kids can use it as well. I treat it like a mini oven for a quarter sheet and it can fit a whole chicken in it! We air fry vegetables in it constantly. Make fries and reheat food in it. I recommend it to anyone. It’s $80 off which is the lowest price that I’ve seen it.
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker: Y’all know I put this thing to work in the summer and this is the lowest price that I’ve ever seen it. It’s almost half price.
Instant Pot: a great deal on this one. I have so many quick meal preps where I use this appliance!
Stokke has 35% off their Tripp Trapp high chair. I have had ours for seven years and is one of my top “baby” items but they hold up to 150 lbs . I haven’t ever really seen them on sale!
Bauble Bar has 20% off site wide. I love my custom necklace that I wear every day and you see in most of my videos. Mine is in size small. There are so many cute semi custom options to look at!
Hill House Home- having their summer sale! So many cute dresses marked down here.
*This post may contain affiliate links at no extra charge to you. All opinions are my own.