Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included soccer games, spring planting, and Mother’s Day. 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…
Sunday was Mother’s Day, and I spent it on the soccer fields with my boys! Spencer had a game that morning, and Casey was back out there in the afternoon.
We had Dorito taco salad and baked quesadillas (from my cookbook) for supper, plus tortilla chips and homemade guac on the side.
And for dessert, the chocolate chip bundt cake that Casey made with vanilla ice cream. Perfect!
Book time! This week I read Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth, a recent Book of the Month selection. It was so great!
In this novel, eighty-one-year-old Elsie Fitzpatrick is living a quiet life in suburban Melbourne until a neighbor’s death brings unwanted attention back to the dark secret she’s hidden for decades: she was once known as “Mad Mabel,” Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. As the police and media start digging into her past, Elsie teams up with an endlessly curious little girl next door and finds herself pulled into another mystery that forces her to finally confront what really happened all those years ago.
This is a sharp, funny, and twisty story with an unforgettable main character who refuses to let anyone underestimate her.
The boys returned to school on a rainy Monday. I got out for a short walk before settling into work for the day.
Made the best chicken salad for Keith and I to have on sandwiches for lunch…
Casey had a soccer game out in Luray that evening, so he and Keith were gone until very late at night.
Meanwhile, I took Spencer to his practice in Charlottesville and Gibbs went to work at the golf course. Once home, the three of us had a quick meal that I could pull together in minutes: egg roll in a bowl with a side of rice. We prefer this stir-fry with ground pork, but it also works with ground beef, turkey, or chicken.
Mollie, Adria, and I met for a walk in the woods on Tuesday morning, before my usual errands at Yoder’s and the grocery store.
It was another evening of soccer practices and games, which meant a meal that I could prep in advance. This way we could just assemble and eat whenever we got home. On the menu: seafood salad sandwiches with lettuce and tomato on croissants,
plus Southern potato salad,
and a honey lemon fruit salad.
Wednesday included a walk, recipe photography in the kitchen, and a dentist appointment for Spencer that afternoon.
Once Gibbs was home from work and before youth group, we all sat down for supper. I made dump-and-bake Italian sausage and rice casserole with a side of garlic bread and a simple green salad.
Ashley and I walked our dogs together on Thursday morning, and then I spent a couple of hours running errands in Culpeper.
Casey had an early practice after school, while Spencer had a late practice that night, so I prepped our whole dinner in advance and we just reheated the components as needed.
I made chicken shawarma paired with flatbread, tzatziki, hummus, feta, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber…
…and a side of dill roasted potatoes. This is one of those meals that the whole family loves!
Friday morning Pilates with Adria…
…followed by a trip to the garden center.
Gibbs had golf that evening, while Spencer and I made the drive to Stonewall Jackson High School for Casey’s soccer game.
We picked up subs along the way and ate dinner in the car as we headed over the mountains.
And that brings us to the weekend! Saturday was largely devoted to planting the garden beds and prepping for Casey’s upcoming birthday.
He turns 15 tomorrow, so I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for his soccer team, as well as a key lime pie for his special day.
We went out for an early birthday dinner at Ferlazzos in Culpeper that evening, where we had everything from fried oysters and calamari to this wedge salad, steaks, crab cakes, chicken alfredo, and my sesame-crusted salmon…plus creme brulee and flourless chocolate cake at the end. Everything was delicious!
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! Sounds like you had another busy week, as always.
Am planning to make your Key lime cake for potluck next Sunday, would you recommend using the glaze on the 9×13 version, or put out whipped topping to serve on it?
Thank you!
Hi, Ann! I think that either would work well! The sheet cake would also be great with a cream cheese frosting (either store-bought or homemade). Hope it’s a hit!
Thank you for the suggestions, Blair!
Much appreciated, and happy birthday wishes to Casey, they are growing up way too fast! ❤️❤️
I agree, Ann!
Sounds like you had a great week, and the recipes look fabulous. Happy Birthday to Casey, and hope he had a great one.
Thanks, Leslie! He’s getting spoiled by friends and family!!
Happy Birthday Casey!!! May the Lord richly bless you throughout your life…it sounds like your pre-birthday meal was fit for a king!!! Best wishes from the thawing north as it is finally warming up but only to cool down once again…we’ll get there finally but it will likely be summer by then…
Thank you so much, Wendy! Casey loved his meal…and continues to enjoy more favorites like burgers and pie!
It feels like summer here this week (90+ degrees), so we will be wishing for your cooler Canadian air soon enough. 🙂