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Good morning, and happy Sunday! I’m checking in with another roundup of Our Week in Meals! From harvesting to fun runs, haunted houses to sports games, it was a full fall week around here. Let’s get right to it!
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…
The kids decorated their Haunted House (which was from a cookie kit that my mother-in-law bought them at Trader Joe’s).
They love doing these each year — probably because they consume just as much candy as they stick onto the house!
As soon as they were finished, I sent them straight outside to run off that sugar high…
Mid-afternoon, Keith had to leave for the airport to go on a business trip for the week, so the boys and I were on our own. Since it was a cold, rainy day, I decided that I needed a pot of My Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup for supper. Total (healthy) comfort food! We also had toast with homemade apple butter on the side.
I made my weekly stop at Yoder’s Country Market early on Monday morning after dropping the boys off at school.
Then it was back home for a second cup of coffee and some photography before Spence got off the bus at lunchtime. Somehow this mug just jumped right into my cart when I saw it on Amazon recently!????
Gibbs’s soccer season is now over, so our Monday nights are free again! We had a quiet evening at home, and I made Aunt Bee’s Leftover Turkey Casserole for dinner. I subbed chicken for the turkey in that recipe, since that’s what I had on hand.
Tuesday was another busy-but-standard day around here. I walked with Mollie in Orange in the morning, photographed some recipes, and then headed to the soccer fields for multiple practices that evening.
The boys and I got home late, and since Keith was out of town, I kept dinner even easier than usual. We had “breakfast for dinner,” which really just meant eggs, toast and fruit for me — and bowls of cereal and/or bagels for the kids. Not fancy, but it worked…
The weather was fall perfection on Wednesday, and we didn’t have any sports practices, so we spent plenty of time outside in the yard.
It was obviously cold and rainy on Sunday when I was planning our meals for the week, because we had another soup recipe on the menu that night! I made my favorite 30-Minute Tomato and Basil Soup, with grilled cheese sandwiches on the side. Gibbs was excited to discover the fine art of dipping his sandwich in the soup. Best combo EVER.
We had another beautiful, cool day on Thursday, so I met my friend for a walk in the woods that morning, and then got some work done at the computer before Spencer arrived home at lunchtime.
Casey had a soccer practice scheduled that evening, and Keith was getting in from the airport later that night, so I planned a dinner that would be easy to feed all of us in stages. We had Slow Cooker Sloppy Joe’s, which I made using ground beef instead of the ground turkey called for in that recipe. Always a hit!
On the side we just had chips, carrots sticks, and sliced cucumbers with hummus.
After traveling all week, Keith was able to take the day off from work on Friday. I dropped the boys at school, and then we headed up the street for a morning walk.
Keith said that it felt like we were retired — going for a walk together without children!????
While Spencer and Keith stayed home to do yard work after lunch, I made a quick trip into Charlottesville so that I could grab some exciting things at Costco (like paper towels and laundry detergent). Since I was solo in the “big city” you better believe that I treated myself to a pumpkin coffee, too!
Friday afternoon was so much fun! Knowing Spencer’s love for all things farm-related, my friend Amanda invited us over to “help” her dad with harvesting after school.
Amanda and I picked up our kids at the school and then headed straight to the farm, where they drove the combine, played in the soybean fields, and climbed on equipment until dark. To say that Spencer was in heaven would be a drastic understatement! We have such kind friends to have spent their Friday evening bringing him so much joy. And now he can’t wait to go back…
I had prepped dinner earlier in the afternoon, so by the time we got home (starving), I just had to stick it in the oven. This Italian Sausage Pasta Bake never disappoints! I served the pasta with a Caesar salad that I had picked up at Costco that afternoon. So good!
Saturday morning started bright and early when I coached Spencer’s 8:30 soccer game…and we hardly slowed down after that.
I had worked with a few other ladies to put together a 5K Trick-or-Trot fundraiser for the PTO at the kids’ school, so I spent the rest of the day outside coordinating (and walking in) the Halloween Fun Run.
By the time we got back to the house at about 4 p.m., I was exhausted and I had no interest in cooking dinner. Keith picked up pizzas, I threw together a salad kit, and we called it a night.
And that’s a wrap, my friends! Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week ahead!
Need some help planning your family’s meals? When you join Simply Mailed, I will send you 3 quick-prep dinner recipes and a grocery shopping list each week (for about $1 per week!!!). This super-affordable service takes the stress out of dinner, saves you time and money, and brings your family together at the end of the day. There are even options for smaller households of just 1 or 2!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
