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.

Good morning, and happy Easter! We’re busy hunting for eggs and visiting with family today, but I wanted to pop in with a quick update from the past few days before the festivities begin. I’ve got all of the highlights, 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…

Sunday morning started with a delicious breakfast that I pulled together while the rest of the family was still sleeping. These are super-quick recipes, so the prep time is minimal.

First, I made a version of Spring’s Finest Baked Omelet, but I omitted the peas and asparagus and instead used a 5 ounce container of baby spinach. I sautĂ©ed the spinach in a skillet before adding it to the rest of the ingredients in the dish. So this version was a Ham, Cheese, Chive and Spinach Baked Omelet — and it was delicious! Keith and I enjoyed the leftovers throughout the week.

Baked omelet with spring vegetables on a white plate

On the side, I served my Healthy Strawberry Crisp. This is basically just fruit and oats, so I consider it a great breakfast option — as well as a very light dessert (add some ice cream)!

Healthy strawberry crisp with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries in the background

I photographed a couple of recipes that morning while Keith did yard work, and then we all headed to Charlottesville for Gibbs’s soccer game after lunch.

Back home, the kids had a fun time dyeing glitter Easter eggs on the porch while Keith and I pulled together dinner.

He grilled burgers (we kept it really simple with store-bought Bubba Burgers),

and I made Roasted Asparagus,

and sweet potato fries on the side.

For dessert? Perfectly chewy brownies that I prepared earlier in the day!

Later that evening, we watched as storms (and tornado warnings) rolled through Madison County. Meanwhile, poor Spencer went to bed with a sore throat and a low-grade fever — which meant no school for him on Monday!

The weather cleared by Monday morning, so Casey was back out in the yard playing soccer at 7:00 a.m. before school…

I walked the dog up the street, and then stayed close to home for the rest of the morning while Spencer rested.

We made a stop at my neighbor’s farm to pick up another batch of her homemade scones for the week, and of course I had to take photos of her beautiful flowers, too!

Then we were off to town, where we picked up a couple of DVDs at the library for the sick patient to watch,

went to a doctor’s appointment to confirm that he had strep throat (he did!), and grabbed some chocolate ice cream from Tastee-Freez to bring home for snack, because that’s all that sounded good to my little one.

Spencer obviously didn’t go to his soccer practice that night, but we still had to take Gibbs and Casey to the fields for their practices. As a result, we ate a quick dinner at home before rushing out the door at 5:00.

I made a Curried Chicken Salad (recipe coming soon), which I served on croissants. So good, and so easy for a prep-ahead meal!!!

After a quick dog walk on Tuesday morning, I joined the younger boys at their school for a science assembly that the PTO sponsored. I’ve never heard a group of children laugh and squeal so much in one sitting! Fun!

We spent plenty of time playing outside that afternoon (the weather was perfect!),

and we noticed that Keith’s apple, peach, and pluot trees in the “mini orchard” are starting to bloom. Hopefully we can keep the bugs away so that the trees produce plenty of fruit this season.

I made a Dump-and-Bake Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole (with ground turkey) for me and the kids to have for dinner while Keith was working late. My boys aren’t huge fans of cabbage, but this dish totally reminds me of my late grandmother and I love it — total comfort food!

I stayed close to home on Wednesday to walk the dog, photograph a new recipe, and finish up some writing.

Spence worked on filling eggs for his class Easter Egg Hunt on Friday. I know that he enjoyed this task only because he snagged a few treats in the process…

I made a big batch of my Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce to take to a girlfriend later in the week, so we had some of the extra sauce with pasta for dinner that night. I served a salad and garlic bread on the side.

Then Casey and Gibbs were off to soccer practice again…

After a hike in the woods with my friend on Thursday morning, my parents arrived for a visit around 11. They dropped off Easter baskets for the kids, met Spencer when he got off the preschool bus, and joined us at Yoder’s Country Market for sandwiches and ice cream.

Back home, I baked a batch of Strawberry Muffins to take with us to Easter brunch…

Close up shot of strawberry muffins on a plate with preserves in background

and Spence played in the yard until we had to pick up his brothers from school.

There were no sports practices on the schedule that evening, so we were actually able to sit down for a “normal” family meal at a regular hour! I served Dump-and-Bake Smothered Chicken with Bacon, along with rice and broccoli on the side.

Overhead shot of baked chicken breast in white dish with bacon and cheese

Friday turned out to be kind of a crazy day, thanks to busy plans and wacky weather. I started my morning at the gym for a Body Pump class with a friend, and then stopped at Yoder’s (again) on the way home. I needed some fresh lunch meat, as well as a couple of gifts for my sisters in-law. I also picked up some Havarti Dill cheese, which has been delicious on sandwiches!

Back home, I showered, walked the dog, and baked Aunt Bee’s 5-Ingredient 5-Minute Cherry Dump Cake to bring to a girlfriend who recently suffered a loss in her family.

Here’s the rest of the food that I packed up, in case you need an easy idea to share with someone you love:

  • A jar of my Quick and Easy Bolognese Sauce and a box of spaghetti
  • Caesar Salad: a box of mixed greens, a bottle of Caesar dressing, a bag of croutons, and a wedge of Parmesan to shave over top
  • Garlic breadsticks (frozen), that she could just bake in the oven
  • Dessert: the Cherry Dump Cake and a carton of vanilla ice cream
  • Breakfast: cheddar scones and cranberry scones (other good options would include a loaf of Whole Wheat Banana Bread, biscuits, or muffins)

Just as I was ready to head out the door to go to Charlottesville to deliver the food, I received a call from the school to let me know that the kids would be released at noon due to threatening storms and flash floods in the forecast. So…I scooped up the boys, dropped them at the house with Keith (who happened to be working from home that afternoon), and then proceeded on to my friend’s for a visit. Phew!

I made it home in time to throw together an easy seafood supper for our Friday night at home. We had my Dump-and-Bake Shrimp Scampi with Linguine, along with salad and breadsticks. YUM!

Shrimp scampi linguine in an oval dish

While dinner was in the oven, I also prepared a batch of my dad’s Cheddar Biscuitsfor breakfast on Easter morning (once cooled, I put the biscuits in the freezer to stay fresh until today). For this particular batch, I omitted the bacon and chives and just made plain cheese biscuits — the kids’ favorite!

A close up of cheddar biscuits cut in half and spread with butter sitting on a plate

We woke up to an absolutely gorgeous day on Saturday! Unfortunately, Spencer didn’t fare as well as the weather. He woke up with a fever, so I took him back to the doctor where he tested positive for Flu strain B! That’s right — both strep throat and the flu — in less than 1 week! Poor kiddo. And yes, he had the flu shot earlier in the year, but it wasn’t effective in this case. Fingers crossed that we don’t pass it around the house!

Needless to say, Spencer did not play in his soccer game. Instead, Keith took Casey to his morning game, and I stayed home with the other two boys.

Cuties!

While we were stuck at home resting, Spencer insisted on painting this wooden truck that he picked up at the pharmacy while we were filling his Tamiflu prescription. Naturally, that “project” turned into MOM painting the truck so that he could play with it…

I also used the time at home to bake Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake, which was one of my contributions to Easter brunch at my in-law’s house today. I don’t consider myself much of a baker, and I generally tend towards boxed cake mixes, but I figured the holiday was worth a little bit of extra effort!

Keith recently bought a new grill, so he was excited to cook dinner outside that evening. While Keith grilled the steaks and chicken, I worked on the side dishes indoors.

Bite of grilled chicken on a fork

We had our grilled meat with Old Virginia Plantation Spoon Bread,

and 2-Ingredient Sugar Snap Pea Salad! Hello, Spring!

An overhead shot of Italian Sugar Snap Peas in a large bowl

Finally, dessert was this ice cream that the kids picked out at the store…

That’s all I’ve got for now, friends! I’ll be back next Sunday to share the full details from our Easter celebration, and of course, all of our easy dinners from the week ahead. Have a wonderful holiday!

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.

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Comments

  1. Have a wonderful Easter!
    You are a remarkable woman!
    I look forward to your blog every Sunday.
    You take me away from my troubles & I feel like I know you and your family.
    Your like the Energizer rabbit, you keep going & going.
    I get exhausted just reading about everything you do on a daily basis. To top it off, your pictures are such a lovely touch!
    Looking forward to next sunday!

    1. Oh, Judy — what a kind note! Thank you so much! I hope that you have a wonderful Easter as well. Thank you for your support and for following along with us! 🙂

  2. Happy Easter ????????????????????to you & your family. Love the pictures & trees & flowers are so beautiful ????

  3. I continue to enjoy your recipes and updates on all of your boys’ activities. I have to admit that I am a little envious when I see your outdoor pictures with all the blooming trees. Here in Canada we still have plenty of snow and the lake is still frozen – bah humbug! Thanks for sharing wonderful recipes – that for me is much appreciated because I don’t always have to decide what’s for dinner/supper. Thanks and happy Thanksgiving.

  4. I continue to enjoy your recipes – it makes it easier for me so that I don’t have to decide what we will be eating. I am somewhat envious when I see your pictures with all the blooming trees because we have a lot of snow up here in Canada. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Hi, Diane! Thank you! I’m so glad to know that the recipe ideas continue to be helpful. And don’t be too envious — I’ll be pining for your cooler Canadian summer when it’s 100 degrees and humid here in July! 🙂

  5. Just a wonderful post this week. Beautiful pictures and I picked up several
    helpful and interesting recipes. Thank you.