Quick Getaway + Our Week in Meals #117

Good morning, and happy Sunday! Keith and I are currently on our way home after a quick overnight getaway. I’m sharing all of the highlights from the past few days, along with our easy 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…

The sun was finally out and our temps reached the upper 50’s, so we basically acted like spring had arrived.

We spent Sunday morning washing cars (Keith and Spencer), changing bed sheets, walking the dog, and taking care of other really exciting house chores.

We also started our day with Cinnamon Rolls! Scab on Spencer’s nose courtesy of a wrestling match with his brothers…????

Casey and Spencer took swimming lessons up in Culpeper after lunch, and then the older boys went to their indoor soccer practice later that afternoon.

We used this recipe to make 10-Minute Hoisin Glazed Pork for supper, but Keith grilled the meat instead of roasting it in the oven. We had to take advantage of the weather while we could!

I prepared some rice and a pot of Southern Collard Greens to serve on the side.

We then spent the rest of the evening watching the Super Bowl and enjoying an Oreo Poke Cake for dessert! Such a delicious treat and definitely a kid favorite!

I was helping my neighbor out by reviewing some contracts, so she came over for a visit on Monday morning and “paid” me with two loaves of her delicious homemade bread. Clearly she knows the way to our hearts!

I had to pick up a grocery order as soon as Spencer got off of the school bus at lunchtime, so I treated him to his favorite fried chicken and biscuits carryout while we were in town. Where are the green veggies?!????

Keith was traveling for a funeral that evening and I had to get Gibbs to a basketball practice, so our early dinner was really simple. I just reheated some Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder that I had stashed in the freezer a couple of weeks ago.

We enjoyed the soup with Jan’s toast and side salads.

Tuesday was another warm, beautiful day here in Virginia! I took the dog for a short walk up our road that morning, and then headed back inside to photograph a couple of recipes while the boys were all in school.

Spencer played outside for a long time after lunch (including Kinetic Sand on the front porch), and then we picked the older kids up a little bit early from school because Gibbs had his annual well check at the pediatrician in Charlottesville that afternoon.

We made it home just before dinner, which gave me time to throw together some quick Ham, Brie and Apple Panini Sandwiches before we had to leave again for Casey’s basketball game.

Wednesday was a pretty routine day — I met my friend Mollie at the gym for strength training, walked the dog, edited some photos, and ran a few errands in the afternoon once Spencer came home.

I also browned the ground beef, garlic and onions for my Spaghetti Meat Sauce. I stashed the cooked meat in the refrigerator so that I could just toss the beef mixture into my slow cooker the next day (along with the rest of the ingredients). Prepping this step in advance made my task even easier on Thursday.

We tried a new recipe for dinner that night — Dump and Bake Creamy Garlic Chicken and Vegetables. This was really tasty (and easy), so I’ll share the full details soon in a separate post.

In the meantime, you can try this Dump-and-Bake Chicken Pot Pie Pasta for a similar option!

Then we were out the door for Gibbs’s basketball game. These late night games and practices are wearing me down this season! My boys usually go to bed between 7:00 and 7:30, so games that don’t start until 7:30 p.m. are leaving us all dragging the next day.????

That said, Spencer was very excited about school on Thursday morning…because he could dress as a “farmer” for Career Day! In reality, he just wore the same outfit that he always wears — his Carhartt overalls, a John Deere t-shirt, a tractor sweatshirt, and his “work boots.” We have multiples of all of these items in his closet because we need extras when one set is in the wash! This kid is passionate about his “uniform…”

I met my friend for a walk, but we called it quits a few minutes early when it started raining on us. That fog lingered all day!

Teddy got a Valentine’s Day haircut (much to his dismay)! ❤️????

And for dinner that night we had my slow cooker (or stovetop) Spaghetti Meat Sauce with garlic bread before heading out the door to Casey’s basketball practice. Total comfort food on a nasty day!

Friday was a Teacher Work Day at school, so the older boys only went for a half-day in the morning, while Spence stayed home with me all day.

We met my friend Mollie at the gym for a strength class early that morning, and Spencer and her son Miles played in the childcare room. I brought along my new water bottle, which my friend Jenny sent to me after I helped her with her new blog. Jenny is a school teacher with some great parenting advice that she shares on Calm Chaos.

After the gym, Spence and I swung by Starbucks for our Friday treats — a chocolate cake pop for him and a Cherry Mocha Frappuccino (minus the whip) for me. I had to give it a try while it’s “in season!” LOVED this flavor!

I came home and put dinner in the slow cooker so that I wouldn’t have to fuss with it later in the day.

By noon, we had to be back at the school to pick up Casey and Gibbs, and then we all headed to lunch at Vinny’s Italian restaurant in Ruckersville (kids’ request)!

We filled up on a giant Antipasto Salad with salami, pepperoni, olives, Provolone, ham and all of the goodness; minestrone soup; pizza and pasta!

It was windy, but beautiful and sunny! We’ll take the 60 degrees in February…

I served everyone an early supper that night because I had to get to the school to help with the PTO’s Father-Daughter Valentine’s Day dance. We had my friend Sarah’s recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken, which I served on sandwich buns with veggies and dip, plus potato chips. Delicious!

Then I left Keith in charge of the boys and headed over to the school to sell admission tickets and watch the little girls dance with their daddy’s. Adorable!!!

All 3 of the boys had basketball on Saturday morning, so we were booked from 8:30 until 1:00 p.m.

As soon as the sports were over, we all hopped in the car and headed down to my parents’ house. We left the kids and the dog with their grandparents for the night, and Keith and I escaped for a very short getaway!

We snacked on some very spicy (and good!) Buffalo Ranch Pop Chips as we drove about 45 minutes south of Charlottesville to Lynchburg for the night.

Lynchburg is a small Southern city that sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the banks of the James River. It’s a quiet, historic town with some good restaurants and cute shops, and we always have a good time when we stop for a visit. Plus, it’s convenient when we don’t have much time!

We checked into our room at The Virginian Hotel late afternoon, and then immediately got outside for some fresh air and a walk along the river before it got dark.

I also managed to find a beautiful bowl to buy at Oxide Pottery (of course)! ???? I love when I can meet the artist and see where the art comes from, too.

We started our evening with drinks and appetizers in the William & Henry Steakhouse bar in the lobby of our hotel.

This food was incredible!! We shared raw oysters…

and Tuna Poke before heading on to our next destination.

I guess I was on a seafood kick that night, because I thought that the grilled salmon Caesar salad sounded tasty at The Depot Grille…

along with a cup of the Soup of the Day (which was a combination of Chickpea, Tomato and Spinach) and a fluffy roll.

We made the short walk back to our hotel with full bellies and then proceeded to get cozy in bed with a magazine. Such a wonderful break from the regular routine!

As I said, we’re now headed home bright and early to pick up the kids, get to swimming lessons, make it to indoor soccer, and deal with loads of dirty laundry! Thanks for stopping by today!

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