Our Week in Meals #151

Good morning, and happy Sunday! I hope that you’re enjoying a weekend of fall fun! We’re finishing up another busy week complete with football tailgates, birthday parties, and quick weeknight meals. All of the highlights, along with our easy dinners, are included 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 beautiful sunrise dog walk after breakfast, before the heat really kicked in. This was another week of 90-degree summer-like temps (but there’s now an end in sight)!

I spent the morning in the kitchen testing new recipes, we snuck out for an ice cream snack after lunch, and then we had a quiet afternoon of football watching at home since Keith wasn’t feeling well.

Dinner that night was a delicious fall meal — even if it didn’t feel crisp and cool outside! We had Roast Turkey Breast, along with an Easy Broccoli Casserole, my favorite homemade 3-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce, mashed potatoes, and (store-bought) gravy!

It rained almost all day on Monday! On more than one occasion, I tried to sneak out for a quick dog walk (thinking the rain had stopped), but each time I got drenched. Needless to say, I didn’t make it very far…

I photographed a new recipe for a client that morning, and then ran a quick errand in town for the school PTO. I also made a stop at the gas station, which included these Candy Corn M&M’s. ‘Tis the season!

I made a really easy, really quick dinner that night before we had to leave for Spencer’s football practice. This was my grandmother’s recipe for One Skillet Homemade Hamburger Helper, along with side salads and garlic breadsticks. Very kid-friendly meal!

I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday morning, which is definitely one of my least favorite adult responsibilities! Love my dentist, but hate getting my teeth cleaned.????

The dentist is right on Main Street, so afterwards I scooped up Teddy at the house and met my friend at her farm for a walk before lunch.

I also got to meet her two new kittens, which are just 2 weeks old! They’re teeny tiny little fluff balls — and they didn’t want to stay still to pose for a photo (hence the blurry shot). So, so cute!

Gibbs had football practice that evening, so we ate a quick meal before heading out the door. I served Dump-and-Bake Maple Balsamic Chicken with rice, green beans, and leftover cranberry sauce on the side. This sweet and savory chicken was a hit with all 3 of the kids — try it for the picky eaters in your life!

Spencer and the rest of his teammates wore their football jerseys to school on Wednesday because they had their last game of the season that evening.

Once the boys were on the bus, I met my friend for a hike before returning home to do some baking.

The football families hosted a “tailgate party” for Spencer’s football game, so I brought a double batch of brownies, as well as a tray of Ginger Oatmeal Cookies.

I fed the kids a quick meal that evening before we had to be at the fields for Spencer’s game and Casey’s soccer practice. We had Dump-and-Bake Chicken a la King, which I served over biscuits with a salad on the side.

This was quite the production for the 5-and-6-year-olds’ final flag football game of the season — starting with a full tailgate feast for friends and family, face painting, and blue and white hair paint.

The JV cheerleaders from the high school joined in the fun, and even Spencer’s teachers from last year and this year came to watch.❤️

He was so proud of his touchdown — and what a fun way to finish off the season!

I met my friend at the gym for an early yoga class, followed by an Iced Pumpkin Coffee. Hoping that was the last 90+-degree day of the year!????

I spent the rest of my day at the house taking care of the usual: recipe photos, blog post writing, dinner prep, laundry, and more.

Gibbs had a football game that night, and Casey had soccer practice again, so dinner was an Easy Taco Casserole before I had to rush everyone out the door. I used the leftover turkey from Sunday night in this dish, but you can also use rotisserie chicken or other leftover chicken if that’s what’s available.

We opened up the house on Friday to let in the cooler, crisp fall air that finally decided to arrive in Virginia. I celebrated with a seasonally appropriate breakfast: a Gingerbread Pumpkin Smoothie, which I paired with granola for extra staying power.

Keith and I took the dog for a short walk once the boys were on the bus, and then I headed up to Culpeper to meet my friend at the gym for some chatting (and exercising).????

The rest of the day included a conference call for an upcoming work project and other tasks behind the computer screen.

I especially appreciate Friday evenings, since it’s the one day of the week when we can all have dinner together at a normal hour without rushing off to a sports practice (and I can put on my PJ’s by 7:00 p.m.)! That particular night I served Chili con Carne with plenty of toppings and tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole on the side.

Saturday started with an early run to the grocery store, since I knew that I wouldn’t have time to go shopping later in the day. Naturally, I picked up this coffee when I saw it!

Spoiler alert: it doesn’t really taste like Twinkies.???? It’s not bad, though!

Casey had a soccer game here in Madison at 10:00, and then Keith took Spencer to his football team picnic after lunch.

Later that afternoon, I took the kids over to Casey’s friend’s house for a birthday party. I appreciated the fact that Robin served dinner, so I didn’t even have to cook! Pizza and cupcakes are the perfect party food…

We made it home in time for baths and bed for some very tired kiddos! Today looks like it’s going to be another full one, so I’m off to get going. Have a great week ahead!

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