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Hey, friends! Happy Sunday! Are you ready to jump right into the details from Our Week in Meals?

For those of you who are new around here, this is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our meals each night. I hope that 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.

Keith left last Sunday for another week-long international business trip, so before he headed to the airport we squeezed in some family time outside. It was cold but sunny, so we took a short hike on the trails at Grelen Nursery to enjoy the fresh air.

I spotted the first signs of spring at Grelen’s market,

and the boys took advantage of the market cafe that just opened for the season! Snack was some homemade chocolate ice cream and raspberry sorbet by the fire pit.

After Keith left, my friend Kristie brought her two boys over for an afternoon play date.

I baked a few pizzas for dinner, while Kristie brought over a salad to have on the side. It was such a fun way to wind down the weekend!

We returned to our normal routine on Monday. The older two boys went to school, while Spencer and I headed to his Parks and Rec class. We caught up with my friend Kristin and her little guy Jonathan for social time and play time. It’s always a great way to start the week!

A quick Target stop on the way home included a late-morning treat at the in-store Starbucks.

Spence had chocolate milk while I tried the new Iced Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato. YUM!

For lunch I reheated a small piece of pizza leftover from the night before, and added the last of Saturday evening’s grilled salmon to the leftovers from the salad that Kristie brought on Sunday. Leftovers for the win!

I picked up these almond butter and pretzel snack packs at Target and the boys enjoyed them in their lunch boxes the past few days. I’m a sucker for anything that makes packing school bags easier in the morning!

Dinner that evening was another delicious dump-and-bake pasta recipe that I was testing for the blog. This was Dump-and-Bake Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole (turkey, bacon, tomatoes, cheese, and a cream sauce). It turned out great, so I’ll be sharing the full recipe in the coming weeks!

Tuesday was pretty routine — the boys went to school, I walked with friends, and then went to an acupuncture appointment while Spencer was at preschool. It was gray and rainy, so after preschool pick up at noon we stayed indoors and did artwork before heading back out to get the older boys.

When Keith is gone I keep meals really simple! That night I pulled these salmon burgers from Whole Foods out of the freezer and “grilled” them on my indoor grill pan. I served them on buns with a dollop of Ranch dressing and sliced avocado on top, plus a salad on the side.

On the evenings that Keith is away, I tend to just go to bed early after I put the kids to sleep. I don’t love sitting downstairs in a quiet house alone, so I climbed into bed on Tuesday evening by about 8:00 p.m.! And that turned out to be a very wise decision, because Spencer was up on Wednesday morning by 5:15 a.m. UGH!????

We made it a productive morning by heading straight to Charlottesville for errands — including the car wash (Spencer’s favorite!),

grocery shopping at Whole Foods (and a donut snack!), as well as a quick spin through Costco.

After lunch I photographed (and ate) this 3-Ingredient Tropical Coconut Smoothie, and then met my friends Mollie and Sallie for a walk with Spencer in the stroller. The weather was sunny and almost 70 degrees, so we had to take advantage!

Dinner that evening was an unpictured slice of leftover pizza from Sunday (cold, straight outta the fridge), as well as this delicious Buffalo Chicken Salad. It took 5 minutes to make — just toss some cooked chicken with buffalo sauce and add it to a bed of greens with 1/2 an avocado, carrot sticks, blue cheese, and Ranch dressing. So great!

Since the boys didn’t want spicy buffalo sauce for dinner, I just served their meal “deconstructed” — plain chicken + veggies + Ranch for dipping + a biscuit on the side. Everyone was happy…

I did a lot of running around on Thursday and I don’t have many photos to show for it!

Before I took Spencer to preschool, I whipped up a quick batch of these No-Bake Blueberry Almond Energy Snacks. We finished off the previous batch that morning (a chocolate and peanut butter version that I shared in this post), so it was time to re-stock our supply. We’re addicted!

The rest of the day included a walk with friends, a quick stop at the house for food photography and laundry, and then a Board Meeting at the preschool before picking up the older boys at school.

Dinner was this new Sheet Pan Supper — Flank Steak with Crispy Potatoes and Broccolini. A perfect meal that requires only 5 minutes of prep and one tray! Of course, the recipe is coming soon…

Friday was a nice combination of work and play! I dragged Spence around Orange in the morning for an acupuncture appointment, as well as multiple meetings with local print shops to discuss pricing for an upcoming project. Since he was patient with my business, I treated him to lunch on the way home (he wanted Subway, of course).

Turkey and cheese for him; Tuna for me!

We spent the afternoon catching up with one of my childhood best friends, Katie, and her parents. Katie and I met in kindergarten! She finished medical school and is now doing her residency out in Arizona, so an afternoon together is a rare treat. When they were passing through this part of the state, we made sure to take advantage! Our visit together included dinner at the local Italian restaurant. Katie and I shared a Veggie Pizza, which hit the spot. Perfect way to end the week!

That’s Casey’s Zombie Face.????

Keith made it home late on Friday (hooray!), so he was around on Saturday to help with exciting chores — like taking the kids to get hair cuts.

Keith was dealing with a serious case of Jet Lag, so we had a quiet evening at home. For dinner I made Black Bean Tacos with Avocado and Slaw, but I piled Keith’s tacos with leftover flank steak (I know that a vegetarian dinner wouldn’t win rave reviews from him)! We also had chips, guacamole, and salsa on the side. This was such a tasty (and simple) dinner — I’ll be eating the leftovers for lunch over the next few days!

And that brings us to this morning! We’re catching up on house chores, we’re taking a shopping trip for new soccer gear for the boys, and my friend Kristie is coming over this afternoon to talk about blog WORK. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new dinner recipe, so stay tuned for that. Have a great week!

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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Square overhead shot of hands serving a chicken pot pie recipe with biscuits
Overhead image of a bowl of chili mac on a dinner table with cornbread
Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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Comments

    1. Hi, Lois! Yes! I’m sharing it next month on the blog, but I will send it to you via email now so that you don’t have to wait. 🙂

  1. Blair Sounds like you had quite the week!! Would you mind posting the recipe for the 3 ingredient coconut smoothie?

  2. Just recently joined the Young Living team.
    Saw your awesome article in the essential oils magazine!!
    Awesome!
    Best personal regards!

    1. Hi, Sheryl! Thanks so much for the sweet note! I appreciate the support and I’m glad that you stopped by! 🙂

  3. Oooh! That buffalo chicken salad looks so good!

    It looks like you guys had a busy and fun filled week! I always love taking a peek at your adventures!