Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a driver’s license, outdoor sports, and a great thriller. 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.
This Week’s Meals
Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
We had an unusually quiet Sunday, so we got out for a walk, went to church, and Keith and Gibbs played a round of golf.
We took advantage of the warm weather with a cookout for supper: cilantro lime chicken,
which we paired with rice, tortillas, pico de gallo, tortilla chips, and homemade guac.
Book time! This week I read another unputdownable mystery-thriller: My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney. I was sucked in from the first chapter!
In this novel, a woman heads out for a run and comes home to find another woman living in her house, while her husband insists the stranger is his wife. As the story shifts between past and present, dark secrets and twisted lies unravel. It leaves you guessing who is telling the truth and what really happened at the mysterious house.
Monday was a big day — Gibbs got his license, took the keys to the truck, and drove his brothers to school!
Keith and I headed up the road for an early walk, and then I spent the rest of the morning running errands…Target, the car wash, and Yoder’s, just to name a few.
It was also a big day for Casey! The varsity soccer team had their first scrimmage of the high school season…
When we were all back home, I made one of my personal favorites for a late supper: reuben sandwiches with potato chips, carrots, celery, and French onion dip, as well as pasta salad from the Yoder’s deli.
An early walk on Tuesday, followed by recipe testing in the kitchen, a trip to Costco in Charlottesville, and another soccer game for Casey’s team that evening.
Once home, we had another late meal that included baked meatballs with pasta,
the best (and easiest!) homemade garlic bread,
and a green salad dressed in lemon vinaigrette.
Ashley and I walked our dogs together on Wednesday morning, and I spent the rest of the day in the kitchen working on some new recipes.
After Casey’s soccer practice, I made sheet pan sausage and potatoes for supper…
…plus a side of braised cabbage with apples and bacon (one of my faves; the boys? not so much). I added some frozen dinner rolls on the side as well.
Thursday was a nasty, chilly day. We went from a few days of 85-degree weather to 40 degrees, rain, and snow!!, so I stayed tucked indoors and worked through my to-do list at the computer.
We had my mom’s pulled bbq beef for supper,
along with my grandmother’s easy potato salad recipe and coleslaw from Yoder’s.
The sun returned on Friday, I met Ashley for Pilates in Culpeper, and otherwise got work done at the house while the boys were in school.
Once Gibbs was home from golf and Casey was back from soccer, we had Chick-Fil-A nuggets for supper…
…with a side of fruit salad with honey lemon dressing, a green salad, and store-bought frozen onion rings.
And that brings us to the weekend!
It was a full Saturday, as Casey went to watch Khloe’s volleyball tournament, Keith and the older boys went to lunch, and I took Spencer to his basketball team’s championship game as well as his team’s soccer practice that afternoon.
Keith smoked a couple of turkey breasts for supper,
which I paired with cornbread with cake mix, Stove Top stuffing, steamed broccoli, and store-bought cranberry sauce.
So there you have it, friends — another week of easy dinners! 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!
Good morning, Blair! Did you all get much unexpected snow there Thursday? We got a couple of inches on grass and surfaces, but not the roads.
Both the Guinness cake and Boston brown bread recipes are on my must make soon list, the brown bread in particular should make a good sandwich with a spread of cream cheese and orange marmalade on it.
Hi, Ann! Not really! We got (maybe) an inch on the grass, but the roads were just wet — thank goodness! I heard that Fredericksburg and other areas in VA got much more. The brown bread is PERFECT with cream cheese and marmalade, you’re right! Hope you enjoy and have a great week!
Such a fun post. That book sounds so good. I recently finished Strangers by Belle Burden. Wow – I read it in a day. Still thinking about it. I feel like everyone is talking about it. That book and Love Story on Hulu!
Hi, Teresa! Adding that book to my list! You’re right — I’ve heard a lot about it recently. Can’t wait to dive in!
Good Morning! I am enjoying going through your Cookbook making lots of your recipes. Last night I made the Maple Dijon Chicken. It was very good! I made the 90 second microwave brown rice in bag to go with it. The sauce was delicious on the rice.
Some of your recipes, not all in your cookbook, are “ old faithfuls” that I make often…. Grandmother’s Hamburg Soup, No Knead Bread ( not your father’s recipe but your first one), Arkansas Green Beans ( my dinner party side every time!), Buttermilk Pound Cake….
Have a great week… looks like no more Summer weather for awhile…
Debbie Hill
Hi, Debbie! Thank you so much for your kind words. It makes me really happy to hear that you enjoy the recipes and that you’re having fun with the book. It was definitely a labor of love! Fingers crossed for plenty of sun this week (even if it’s not 90 degrees)… 🙂
Hi Blair – Gibbs got his license? Wow, how time flies since I started receiving your weekly email. It’s exciting but a bit scary as well.
Have a great week!
I know, isn’t it crazy? Time definitely flies. Thank you for reading for so many years, Tylene. You are a bright light on Sundays!
I just read that book too! I couldn’t put it down!!
So good, right?!
Congratulations to Gibbs on getting his license! How exciting! Just tell him to take it easy out there. I’m glad Casey’s scrimmage games have started. I guess he’ll get his license next year?
I read about Spencer breaking his foot. Bummer! I know he must be disappointed but at least he has a cast to show his friends. Did he miss a landing, like in basketball? How soon can he get the cast off? I hope it’s not too painful.
Thanks, Marion! Yes, Casey will get his license next year.
Spencer fell wrong on his foot because he got knocked mid-air while taking a shot. He’s in the walking boot until we go back to the ortho on Friday, then hoping he can get it off. He’s trying to be patient, but it’s hard! The poor kid is ready to run!
Hope you’re doing well!
Of course it’s different from your book, being a comedy, but there is a highly rated 1940 movie called My Favorite Wife. It stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Same old story, she has been missing for seven years, he decides to remarry, right after the wedding, lo and behold, the first wife shows up. AWKWARD! You might check it out.
Oh wow, I’ve never heard of that one. You’re right — similar! In the book, the wife goes out for a jog and comes home to a new woman in her house. It sucks you in from the first chapter!
This movie is fantastic! Watched it recently with my 17 year old daughter and she loved it too.
This is my first time commenting, but I have been reading your blog for years and the “Week of Meals” posts are some of my favorites!
I would love to know what a typical Costco run is for you and your family and what you like to stock up on! Have a great week! 🙂
Hi, Kathryn! Thank you so much for reading the blog! We don’t live too close to Costco, so it’s not a regular in our grocery rotation. We try to get there about once a month. Staples that come to mind are steaks and seafood (especially salmon), pulled rotisserie chicken, crab dip, frozen crab cakes (my son heats them up for quick lunches/snacks), lots of fresh produce (love their berries and salad kits), bakery items like breads (especially the baguettes) and muffins (the boys love the chocolate muffins). Casey also loves the chocolate croissants. As far as pantry items go, I like the olive oil and avocado oil, Duke’s mayo, ketchup, coffee beans, and Purely Elizabeth granola (I eat the original flavor every day). We also pick up snacks for the boys to pack for school, like mini bags of Cape Cod potato chips and Goldfish, fruit snacks, protein bars (Casey likes the Tru bar brand), Core Power protein drinks (chocolate is their favorite), and individual packs of Kirkland trail mix.
Hope that helps!