Our Week in Meals #194

Good morning, and happy Sunday! We made it through another very hot week here in Virginia, escaped for a quick weekend getaway, and (of course) enjoyed plenty of good food. 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.

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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…

I recently got a new waffle iron on sale, so of course our Sunday morning started with homemade waffles and bacon. Our previous waffle iron was a wedding gift that finally died after a solid 15-year run!

We spent the rest of the morning at the pool…

…and eventually came home for lunch. Tomato Sandwiches on repeat these days!

Keith grilled hamburgers for dinner that night,

which we paired with Easy Potato Salad,

and Sautéed Zucchini. Perfect summer meal!

We were back at the pool on Monday, which is really the only way to cope with the 100-degree+ temps!

Our friends joined us for a swim, so it was a good way to wear out the boys and squeeze in a little bit of safe socializing (which we desperately miss).

I made fried shrimp for dinner that evening,

along with coleslaw,

and cornbread. I will share the shrimp recipe soon — it’s a favorite around here!

I also have another book to tell you about this week! Knowing my love for Louise Penny, my mom recently introduced me to a similar author: Julia Spencer-Fleming. In the Bleak Midwinter is the first in her Clare Fergusson mystery series, and I’m definitely hooked. Can’t wait to dive into more of her work soon!

I have a house full of early birds, so we hit the trail by 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning to get some fresh air before the heat and thunderstorms arrived.

Trying to tame his cowlick!😂

This is what it really looks like to go for a hike with three boys — constant horseplay and wrestling!

We cooled off with milkshakes and a caramel iced coffee afterwards while we waited to pick up our online grocery order.

And since I had a fresh rotisserie chicken from the store, I stirred together my favorite Southern Chicken Salad to make sandwiches for lunch.

Dinner was about as easy as it gets: this 3-Ingredient Apricot-Glazed Chicken, paired with rice and salad.

The Blue Ridge Mountains were looking particularly blue on Wednesday!

The kids and I snuck out for a quick peek at our favorite local antique shop and, as usual, found plenty of treasures to bring home.

I made Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Pork Tenderloin for dinner,

which I served with these easy mashed potatoes, homemade applesauce, and steamed broccoli.

The kids and I met our friends at their pool for a swim on Thursday. Have to keep these boys busy!

Keith was working late, but the kids and I had a tasty meal that was easy to prep early in the afternoon so that I only had to pop it in the oven when we returned home from swimming. I paired Baked Penne with garlic bread and a salad — simple and delicious!

Keith took the day off on Friday so that we could have a mini “staycation.” We didn’t go far, but decided to spend a couple of days at my in-laws’ mountain house for a change of scenery and some cooler temps. Unfortunately, it rained almost all day — but we did manage to sneak in a few minutes at the pool between storms. The boys said the water was freezing, which is definitely a big difference from the pools that we’re used to at the base of the mountains!

A short dog walk when the rain cleared before supper…

I had to pack all of our food for the weekend (no dining out and no grocery shopping), so I kept the meals really simple. Dinner that night was Taco Quesadillas,

which we paired with chips, salsa and homemade guac.

We started Saturday morning with a simple Farmhouse Breakfast Cake that I baked at home and then just packed to bring with us for a quick morning meal. I’ll share this recipe soon because it’s a huge hit with all of my boys and I think you’ll love it, too.

We then headed out on the Appalachian Trail to hike up to Humpback Rock. Distance-wise it’s not too far, but it sure is steep and slippery!

The weather was perfect and the views of the Shenandoah Valley were beautiful.

Later that afternoon we drove down the other side of the mountain to the Rockfish Valley.

We were on a mission for fresh peaches, local Honey Crisp apples, and homemade ice cream from Saunders Brothers’ Farm Market. Keith swears that the peach ice cream is the best, but I went with the salted caramel pecan chocolate chip cone and it was really great!

Barbecue chicken was on the dinner menu, along with a box of mac and cheese, and a green salad.

My parents live nearby, so they came over to join us and Mom was in charge of dessert. She made this gorgeous peach galette with vanilla ice cream on the side!

So there you go — another week of easy dinner ideas! Thank you for joining me here again this week. I hope that you’ve found some tasty new ideas to try in your own kitchen in the days ahead. Have a great Sunday!