Our Week in Meals #156

Good morning, and happy Sunday! It was another full week around here — complete with birthday celebrations and lots of sweet treats. All of the highlights, along with our easy dinners, are included in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals!

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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 were finishing up my birthday getaway at The Greenbrier on Sunday morning, so our first stop was the ultimate breakfast buffet in the formal dining room at the resort. I had heard good things about this particular brunch, so I was really excited about this meal!

Plate #1: Coffee, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, and fresh pineapple smoothie. Bran muffin + Cinnamon Sugar Donut Hole + Mushroom and Onion Quiche + Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, onions and cheese + Fresh Fruit

Plate #2: Smoked salmon on marble rye + Belgian Waffle with West Virginia Maple Syrup + Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding + Biscuit with Sausage Gravy + more fruit!

Once full, we made our way outside for a hike before checking out of the hotel.

We were treated to the last few days of fall color and the most beautiful weather!

Perfect day to be in the mountains…

Then it was back in the car to pick up the kids and dog from my parents’ house, and back to the reality of laundry, unpacking, and feeding the family. Plus a stop for lunch at Sheetz on the way!

Italian sub on Pretzel Roll with chips

I didn’t have time to do any grocery shopping when we got home on Sunday afternoon, so I was glad that I had thawed some leftover Crock Pot Pulled Barbecue Chicken before we left town. I served the chicken on sandwich rolls and paired the sandwiches with coleslaw and potato chips.

The boys returned to school on Monday morning and Keith went back to work, so after a walk with the dog, I got busy in the kitchen working on some new recipes for a client.

We had Instant Pot Turkey Chili with corn muffins for dinner that night (which reminds me — have you entered to win the Instant Pot giveaway in this post? You have until November 18 to leave a comment on that post and you’ll automatically be entered to win!).

And I finished another book that evening! I had heard so many different friends rave about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo , so I was really excited about this one. It was definitely a well-written page turner — but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Have you read it yet?! I’d love to hear your thoughts…I feel like we need a book club discussion for this one…

Daylight Savings is rough with the shorter days, but I sure did appreciate morning dog walks in the daylight this week!

Tuesday was my 40th birthday! I spent the weekend before getting wined-and-dined at The Greenbrier, so this particular day was a bit more routine…but still wonderful!

I started the morning with breakfast, a few gifts from the family, and a walk over to my neighbor’s farm to pick up our weekly carton of eggs.

Once the kids got on the bus, I drove to Culpeper for a gym date with my friend. She even brought these beautiful flowers that she arranged (plus a couple of my favorite chocolate bars, naturally).

I treated myself to an old-fashioned donut afterwards — because you only turn 40 once — and then made a quick run through the grocery store before heading home for lunch.

Other than voting in the election, the rest of my afternoon was spent quietly at home. While Keith offered to pick up dinner from a restaurant that night, I decided that it would be just as easy to have a simple meal at home. I didn’t even have to do much cooking, because I had a batch of Beef Ragu stashed in the freezer.

We had the beef ragu with pasta, salad, and garlic breadsticks…

…followed by Red Velvet Cake for dessert!

Wednesday was another beautiful, sunny fall day around here.

I joined my friend Mollie for a hike in the woods…

…and then headed south to my parents’ house for my birthday lunch.

My aunt joined us for lunch as well, and brought along the most delicious smoked ham, Swiss and broccoli quiche from the local bakery (for a similar homemade quiche, check out this recipe).

And of course, my mom made yellow cupcakes with my favorite chocolate frosting for dessert!

I returned home in time to get the kids off the school bus, and then prepared a really simple (and delicious) dinner: 5-Ingredient Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken (we had chicken thighs that night, but drumsticks or breasts will work, too).

One of the gifts that I received from Keith for my birthday was an air fryer, so I was excited to try it out that evening. We had the crispy chicken with a side of jasmine rice and some air fryer roasted broccoli and green beans. Worked great (and the veggies were done in just 10 minutes)!

More birthday flowers on Thursday (thank you, Sallie)!

After a walk in Orange with my friend and some errands in town, I returned home for lunch and work behind the computer. I thawed thick-cut boneless pork chops from ButcherBox and made my Stuffed Pork Chops for dinner.

We served the pork chops with green beans (leftover from the night before), roasted acorn squash (made in the air fryer!), and dinner rolls.

The cold winds arrived on Friday morning and it almost felt like winter!

I spent my morning largely indoors — meeting my friend at the gym, getting a flu shot, and taking my car to the dealer for an oil change — before finally returning home for a warm bowl of soup for lunch.

I thawed some leftover Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale from the freezer, which I paired with a leftover dinner roll from the night before. Perfection!

And more comfort food was on the dinner menu! We had my Great Aunt Bee’s Swedish Meatballs with egg noodles and a salad. Always a winner — especially on a cozy Friday night.

After a morning walk with the dog, Keith took the kids to get their flu shots, while I stayed home to do some cooking.

Another bowl of soup for lunch, followed by this Cinnamon Cranberry cupcake that Keith brought me from Cake Krums! There was a cranberry filling inside and cream cheese frosting on top. Yum!

We returned football equipment in the afternoon, but otherwise had a quiet day at the house.

Dinner was a sheet pan supper: Maple-Glazed Salmon with Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli. I mixed some white potatoes in there as well, since the boys prefer those over sweet potatoes. Make it work for your family! The kids love this fish…

Finally, before I sign off for the day, I have one more easy and delicious recipe to share with you! My latest creation for Taste of Home is now live, so you can find my easy recipe for a Taco Crescent Ring HERE. I hope you’ll give it a try for a quick weeknight dinner or a party appetizer this season!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!