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Good morning, and happy Sunday! I’m checking in today after another summer week at home. It was hot, but we made the most of the temps with plenty of time in the water. We also took advantage of lots of fresh local produce! All of the highlights from the past few days, along with our easy dinners, are included in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.

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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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…

I took the dog out for a walk on Sunday morning, and then we all headed to the pool for a swim before lunch.

Later that afternoon, I baked a couple of loaves of Honey Wheat Bread to have on hand for sandwiches and toast during the week, while Gibbs and Keith drove over to Jenkin’s Orchard to pick up more fresh peaches. They’re so good right now!

Close up side shot of a loaf of homemade honey wheat bread with a jar of honey in the background

We had grilled steaks for dinner that night,

Sliced New York Strip Steaks on a cutting board after using a steak marinade and grilling

along with Rice Salad,

Overhead image of a cold rice salad with fresh herbs on top

green beans from the farmer’s market,

Shot from above of Amish Green Bean recipe in a bowl tossed with brown butter

fried green tomatoes (because I never turn them down when a neighbor has some available),

Side shot of three fried green tomato slices on a plate with parsley and dip

and Mashed Red Skin Potatoes (will share this recipe in the coming weeks).

Close up side shot of a bowl of mashed red potatoes with skin and chives on top

The pool was very quiet on Monday morning!

Back home that afternoon, I made a batch of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. It’s been too long since I’ve had these, and they’re definitely some of my favorites — soft, chewy and buttery!

Close up front shot of a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies

I bought a pork shoulder from the farmer’s market last weekend, so I cooked that in the slow cooker and served Pulled Pork for dinner.

Kids hands holding a Crock Pot Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwich

On the side, we had Skillet Cornbread,

Close up front shot of drizzling honey over skillet cornbread on a blue and white plate

Macaroni Salad,

and Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad. Casey’s cucumber garden is still going strong!

Overhead shot of a bowl of tomato cucumber salad with onion and fresh basil

I also finished a book that evening! A Trick of the Light is book #7 in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series, and I’ll continue to say it: these are the best mysteries that I’ve ever read. I’ll be cruising right along to book #8 in a couple of weeks, but first there are a couple of other novels that I’m excited to get to. Let me know if you enjoy this series as much as I do!

We picked up a grocery order on Tuesday morning, had lunch at the house, and then went over to our friends’ farm for the afternoon.

The Robinson River is really low at the moment, so our boys were able to play together in the water while we sat and chatted in the shade.

Dinner was a kid favorite around here: Southern Glazed Salmon, which I paired with a box of Rice-a-Roni and a green salad.

Close up front shot of glazed salmon on a cutting board

Wednesday was another scorcher, so we met friends at the pool for the morning and tried our best to stay cool in the water.

Casey and Spencer have been asking for Chinese food for months now, but we don’t have any food delivery (of any kind) in Madison, so I never feel like driving out to a restaurant to pick up take-out in the evening. Instead, I grabbed their lunch order on our way home from swimming. The boys were thrilled with their very un-photogenic, un-fancy plates of sesame chicken, rice and spring rolls! Gibbs and I just wanted sandwiches at home on a 90+ degree day. That Chinese didn’t seem appealing at all.

Keith was gone for the evening, so the boys and I had another one of their most-requested meals for dinner: homemade pizza! I tossed together a green salad on the side for some veggies, too.

And since there were a couple of overripe bananas sitting on our counter, I made my Quick and Easy Banana Pudding for dessert. This is such a classic no-bake summertime treat — I have to make it at least once each year!

We joined our friends for a swim at their pool on Thursday afternoon. I know that it seems repetitive, but at this time of year, water is the only way to keep the kids cool outside (and to burn off some of that energy).

We had One-Skillet Peach-Glazed Chicken for dinner,

A close up of peach glazed chicken in a blue skillet

along with a loaf of crusty No-Knead Bread (perfect for soaking up that delicious sauce)…

Front shot of no knead bread recipe made in a Dutch oven

…and a side of Garlic Roasted Broccoli (made in my air fryer this time so that I didn’t have to turn on the oven again).

Beautiful sunset that evening!

I dragged everyone out early for a short hike in the woods on Friday morning while it was still relatively cool and breezy.

The boys requested 5-Ingredient Taco Casserole for dinner that night, so that’s what we had!

Slice of taco casserole with crescent roll crust on a blue and white plate

Plus homemade guacamole, chips, salsa and salad on the side.

Overhead shot of tortilla chips and a wooden spoon in a bowl of easy guacamole

I met a friend for a walk on Saturday morning and picked up my order from the farmer’s market.

So much goodness at the market right now — blueberries, blackberries, bread, cantaloupe, tomatoes (for all of the tomato sandwiches!), yellow squash (to make my favorite summer squash casserole), corn, cabbage, chicken, pasta, flowers and apple cider.

We then made our way south to Nelson County for the day, where Keith took the older two boys to swim at a lake with his brother, while Spencer and I visited my parents at their house.

We made it back home in time for supper, which included BBQ Chicken,

Overhead shot of oven barbecue chicken breast served on a plate on a wooden surface

fresh corn on the cob, baked potatoes and Creamy Cucumber Salad.

That’s it for now, friends! I hope that you’ve found some new inspiration for your own summer meals in the week ahead. Stay cool out there, and thanks for spending some time with me this weekend!

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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  1. We love salmon….I’ll have to try your recipe for Southern Glazed Salmon!

    (So glad that the cake recipe was enjoyed by your family )