Our Week in Meals #509

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week we went back to school, ate a lot of quick weeknight meals, and settled into a new routine. 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…

We spent Sunday morning at church,

and then I took the younger boys to do some back-to-school shopping while Keith and Gibbs played a round of golf.

For supper, Keith grilled a couple of whole chickens,

as well as some corn on the cob from our neighbors’ garden.

While he was busy at the grill, I pulled together the roasted yellow squash,

flaky biscuits,

and crispy roasted potatoes. Our Sunday evening meals feel even more important than usual during this time of year, since the weeknights have become so busy with the kids going in three different directions.

Now, on to this week’s book! I recently finished one of the best beach reads of the season: Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan. Have you read this one yet? It’s so fun!

In this novel, a hardworking single mom returns to her seaside Rhode Island hometown for the summer to help save her family’s home and unexpectedly crosses paths with a handsome, wealthy man fresh from a very public breakup. The two agree to a fake dating arrangement, but their pretend relationship gets complicated when dinners, boat rides, and plenty of chemistry start to feel very real. It’s a warm, funny summer romance about family, starting over, and learning that sometimes it’s okay to let someone else take care of you, too.

Monday was the boys’ last day of summer break, so they said they wanted to “go out with a bang” for breakfast that morning…and requested their favorite Bisquick waffles with maple sausage.

We spent the day getting everything organized for the new year, from backpacks and school supplies to paperwork and forms.

I also tended to the garden and filled our house with fresh cut flowers.

Since I knew I’d be home all morning and would have the time to simmer a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce on the stovetop, that’s what I planned for supper! The recipe makes a big batch and freezes well, so I know it will come in handy for future weeknight meals this fall.

We reheated the sauce and served it over pasta at various points throughout the evening. Gibbs had golf, I took Spencer to an early soccer practice in Charlottesville, and Keith took Casey to a very late practice that night.

On the side: a baguette from Costco’s bakery and a green salad dressed in red wine vinegar dressing.

Back to school on Tuesday morning (they were NOT happy about it)! We had such a wonderful summer; it was sad to send them off. Hoping for another great year ahead!

Casey (10th), Gibbs (11th), and Spencer (7th)

My day was devoted to computer work and restocking the kitchen with groceries.

I made a quick stop at Yoder’s for lunch meat, cheese, and fresh produce (have you tried my fig preserves yet?!).

Another evening full of sports practices meant another meal that we could assemble and enjoy in shifts: flatbread pizzas. I set out some sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil from the garden for those who wanted margherita pizzas instead of regular shredded cheese and pepperoni. Plus green salads again (an easy repeat from the night before).

Ashley and I walked our dogs together on Wednesday morning, and then I had a quiet day of work at the house.

Treated myself to a pimento cheese sandwich for lunch!

There were no soccer practices on the schedule that evening, so we had dinner as a family once Keith was home from work and Gibbs was back from golf. I made a tray of maple-glazed sheet pan salmon (added some soy sauce to the glaze and skipped the sweet potatoes)…

…and served the fish and broccoli in rice bowls with cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, green onions, ramen noodle coleslaw, and store-bought egg rolls. So flavorful and satisfying!

Thursday looked a lot like the day before — a morning walk with Ashley and lots of computer time.

We were back to three different sports practices at various times throughout the evening, so I needed another meal that I could prep in advance and have Keith finish in the oven.

These ham and cheese sliders are always a favorite with my boys! Plus, the options are endless, so you can mix and match whatever deli meats and cheeses your family prefers.

Add some fresh fruit and potato chips on the side and supper is DONE!

I met Adria and Ashley for Pilates on a cloudy Friday morning, spent much of the day taking care of house chores, and got some more work done before scooping the boys up from school.

We were happy to have an evening off from soccer practices, so we all had dinner together once Gibbs was home from golf.

I made this southwest ground beef and rice skillet,

which we paired with tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, limes, green onions, and guacamole.

And a peach salad, because I had everything in the fridge to quickly throw it together!

And that brings us to the weekend…

Keith and Casey were in Richmond for soccer on Saturday, while I took Spencer to Charlottesville for his practice.

That evening we met my parents for dinner at The Boar’s Head to celebrate their anniversary, and later made our way over to the UVA men’s soccer game.

My salmon Caesar salad with cornbread croutons (and some of my mom’s smoked tomato grits) were delish!

Spencer and his buddies…

So there you have it, friends — another week of easy meals. 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!