Our Week in Meals #502

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included Father’s Day, some beautiful June weather, and lots of easy summer suppers. 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 was Father’s Day! After a busy few days and a late Saturday night, we enjoyed a slower start and quiet day at the house — complete with World Cup watching, laundry, and a walk up the street.

For supper, Keith grilled lobster tails and marinated chicken breast,

which we paired with grilled potatoes,

4-ingredient cream biscuits,

and a simple green salad dressed in red wine vinaigrette.

Shall we chat about books? This week I wanted to share Heartwood by Amity Gaige…a story that was moving, sad, poetic, suspenseful, and incredibly heartwarming…all at once.

In this novel, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker disappears deep in the Maine wilderness, setting off an urgent search led by a determined game warden while an unlikely amateur sleuth follows the case from afar. As the search unfolds, the story shifts between the missing woman’s struggle to survive and the people trying to piece together what really happened. Part wilderness survival story, part mystery, and part emotional character study, it’s a beautifully written novel that kept me turning the pages to find out how it would all come together.

After an early morning walk with Keith, it was back to work on Monday morning. I spent some time in the kitchen, and also at the computer.

Gibbs went to work at the golf course that afternoon, and we ate an early supper before my board meeting for a local organization whose board I’ll be serving on.

On the menu: pasta with pomodoro sauce,

homemade garlic bread,

and roasted yellow squash.

Ashley and I skipped our morning walk on Tuesday, thanks to the rain.

Instead, I headed into town for a few errands, including a stop at Yoder’s for produce, lunch meat and cheese, and ice cream…

…and baked a batch of easy one-bowl zucchini bread muffins for afternoon snacks.

The weather cleared and Spencer had soccer, before we all eventually sat down for fried chicken fingers, waffle fries,

and a tomato basil salad.

Ashley and I walked our dogs together on a gorgeous Wednesday morning before I had to jump on a mid-day work meeting.

Once Gibbs was home from work and before Casey headed off to Youth Group, we had homemade pizzas to take advantage of all of the fresh basil growing in our garden. Plus a simple green salad on the side! This is always a favorite with the kids…

I was up early on Thursday for a walk before a very full day.

Teddy went to the groomer, Gibbs went to work, the boys and I got haircuts, and we had soccer in Charlottesville that evening. During a quick stop for snacks en route, Casey tried this beautiful “butterfly refresher” drink at Starbucks!

Since I knew I wouldn’t be home until late, I prepped an easy dinner in advance: homemade Sloppy Joe’s,

served with coleslaw and onion rings.

Friday included pilates with Adria and Ashley, followed by lunch at Tip Top diner with my parents and the kids.

Gibbs had a lesson with his golf coach that evening, and Keith grilled chicken shawarma for supper (another summertime favorite)!

We paired the chicken and pita with rice, tzatziki, marinated cucumbers, and loads of other toppings.

And that brings us to the weekend! It was a rainy Saturday, so I spent a good amount of time working in the kitchen (cooking and updating photos for a couple of old recipes).

After Spencer’s soccer that afternoon, we picked up pizzas and subs from Gino’s for dinner on our way home.

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!