Our Week in Meals #450

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a heat wave, light summer suppers, and plenty of pool time. You’ll find all of the highlights from the past few days, along with each of our dinners, in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.

For those of you who are new to the blog, Our Week in Meals is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our dinners each night. This series gives you a glimpse “behind the scenes” at some highlights from our life, shows you how I balance a busy schedule with feeding my family, and offers a few new ideas for your own weekly meal plan.

Now, let’s back up to last weekend…

Sunday morning started with a walk, followed by church.

It was very humid and temps soared to 100 degrees almost every day this week, so we had to get outside early to beat the heat.

After church, I baked Aunt Mary’s blueberry bread and prepped the chicken marinade for supper.

An afternoon stroll in the woods, where at least it was shady!

The cilantro is thriving in our garden, so I took advantage and made the boys’ favorite grilled cilantro lime chicken for supper…

…which we paired with rice, corn, tortilla chips, salsa, and this easy guacamole recipe (which also included cilantro). And for dessert, slices of blueberry bread with vanilla ice cream!

Now, let’s chat books! This week I read The Bombshell by Darrow Farr — a May Book of the Month selection. This one was really interesting, and so different from something that I would typically pick up on my own. I think I really enjoyed it?! I found the setting (1993 Corsica) fascinating, and the story held my interest and kept me turning the pages. In short, it’s about a bold French-American teen who is kidnapped by Corsican rebels. She forms an unexpected bond with her captors, which sets off a whirlwind summer of romance, politics, and fame — with explosive consequences.

Monday!

Gibbs met friends to play mini golf that morning, and then they all came back to our house for lunch and indoor, air-conditioned fun that afternoon.

We also snuck in an orthodontist appointment for Spence, a short visit from my in-laws, and a late afternoon dip in the pool.

Dinner that evening included sheet pan Italian sausage and peppers,

plus homemade pesto tossed with pasta (again, using up fresh basil from the garden), and some dinner rolls from the freezer.

Another hazy, humid Tuesday!

I swung by Yoder’s that morning to pick up deli meats and cheeses (among other weekly staples), and came home with these beautiful flowers for my kitchen, too.

We went to the pool that afternoon, and the water in the pool was 90 degrees! That tells you how hot it was outside…

For supper that night, I used pulled pork from Yoder’s to make this pulled pork casserole with cornbread topping…

…served with a green salad dressed in this easy, herby buttermilk dressing.

Wednesday was a work day in the kitchen. I spent hours testing recipes and washing dishes!

For supper that night, I kept it pretty simple: pasta with 5-ingredient pomodoro sauce, garlic bread, and a very basic green salad with Dijon vinaigrette.

An early walk on Friday…

…and my parents came for a lunch visit. This was a belated Father’s Day celebration since they were traveling over the holiday.

We had crab melts, potato chips, and fresh fruit!

After the boys’ weight lifting that evening, I made a quick, no-cook meal that was refreshing and perfect for a hot summer night: build-your-own California roll bowls. For the child who didn’t want imitation crab, I also set out some rotisserie chicken.

I joined Ashley for Pilates on Friday morning, and then spent most of the rainy day working indoors.

After Gibbs’ golf lesson, I pulled together another quick weeknight dinner: easy fish tacos (with fish sticks!) and a creamy cilantro lime slaw. Served with chips, salsa, and corn, these are always a big hit.

And that brings us to the weekend! Gibbs spent most of Saturday playing 18 holes of golf with a friend, while the rest of us ran errands and had a low-key day around the house.

Colorful summer flowers are bringing me joy right now!

I took the night off from the kitchen, which is always welcome. Instead, Keith picked up takeout from the new Italian restaurant in town: Gino’s Pizza and Subs. This was my veggie pizza with pepperoni. It was good!

So there you have it, friends — we’re wrapping up the month of June with another week of easy dinner ideas! I hope that you’ve found something new to add to your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful Sunday and a safe 4th of July!