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Hey, friends! It’s been another busy week around here, so how about we play some catch up with a glimpse at Our Week in Meals? For those of you who are new to the blog, 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.

Last Sunday started with an early grocery shopping trip to stock up on food for the week. I love when I can take advantage of an opportunity to run errands alone (it’s so much more efficient and less stressful!) — and it’s made even better when there’s a Starbucks inside the store! Love the Charlottesville Kroger.

Almond Milk Cinnamon Macchiato

We had grilled turkey, cheese, and avocado sandwiches for lunch and then made our way to the Rose River Trail in Shenandoah National Park for an early afternoon hike.

It was chilly and the snow on the top of the mountain made it feel more like winter than spring…

Casey had a play date scheduled with his buddies at the playground around 3:00, so I took Casey and Spencer to run around while I chatted with my girlfriends. Keith and Gibbs stayed home to get dinner prepped! Keith was in charge of smoking two chickens on the grill, while I roasted broccoli and Brussels sprouts in the oven. I also cooked a batch of quinoa and made a delicious Lemon Tahini Sauce to drizzle on top!

I kept the leftover tahini dressing in the fridge all week to use on salads, sandwiches, veggies, whatever. It’s SO good!

Here’s the quick recipe:

Lemon Tahini Dressing

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup tahini
  • 1 cup warm water
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • Whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week!
Author: The Seasoned Mom

Spencer was exhausted after a very busy weekend, so he was happy to stay home and have some quiet time on Monday. Often he is bored and itching to go do something by about 9 a.m., so I took advantage of a slower morning while I could! He helped me in the kitchen while I prepared our dinner and a couple of other recipes to photograph, built train tracks, and enjoyed a warmer afternoon outside.

For dinner that night I tossed together this easy Dump-and-Bake Chicken Caprese Pasta, which I will share on the blog soon! I used the leftover smoked chicken from Sunday night’s dinner and it was so simple, fresh, and FAST!

I was out of the house most of the day on Tuesday with errands and appointments while Spence was at preschool for the morning.

I did manage to squeeze in a walk around town with my girlfriends.

After picking the older boys up at school in the afternoon, we came home to quickly do homework and eat an early supper. It was the first night of soccer practices for both of their teams, so we were on the fields from about 5:15 until 7:15. That makes dinnertime tough!

My solution was a simple make-ahead meal that I could keep in the refrigerator and reheat as necessary since we were eating in shifts. We had my Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet with toast on the side,

as well as this Southern Pea Salad. It tasted good, and more importantly, I didn’t have to worry about meal prep when we were tired and rushed. Just serve and eat!

Spencer and I spent Wednesday morning around the house, and then met Mollie for a walk after lunch. This little guy does NOT like to sit in the stroller anymore, so I have to lure him into the seat with his favorite snacks and then promise some playground time afterwards…

For dinner that evening I made a quick 16-minute stir-fry: Teriyaki Shrimp and Vegetables over rice. I prepped the teriyaki sauce, peeled the shrimp, and chopped the veggies in the morning, so it was only about 10 minutes of hands-on time to cook everything at the end of the day. The shrimp was a huge hit with the kids!

Thursday was a busy day with lots of running around.

Spencer’s “job” at the preschool that day was Flag Holder.????  ????????

While the boys were at school in the morning, I went on my usual walk with my girlfriends. Mollie was standing next to me, but here are the 3 other moms with their bundled up little ones. We’re like a stroller parade as we walk through town.

My older boys had a half day of school, so I picked everyone up at noon and my mom joined us for Subway sandwiches for lunch at home.

Then I was off for the afternoon — business conference calls, school parent-teacher conferences, and a work-related errand at a printer. Meanwhile, Mom entertained the kids with a hike along the Rapidan River,

and ice cream snacks at the Wolftown General Store. Lucky boys!

By the time dinner rolled around, I had hardly been home all day. I was so glad to just be able to reheat some leftover Pulled Pork Barbecue that I had stashed in the freezer a few weeks ago. Served on buns with potato salad, carrots + Ranch! The recipe for the barbecue will be coming soon.

All 3 of the kids were off from school on Friday, so I put them to work helping me with a recipe that morning. We made 5-Ingredient Strawberry-Chocolate Mousse Crackers, and then proceeded to devour them for snack! Ohmygosh…they are SO good. Salty-sweet perfection! I will share the details soon…

We all needed some fresh air before lunch, so we headed over to the high school track so that I could walk while the kids played with trucks in the sand pit.

Casey ran sprints (for fun) while I walked, but we only lasted a few minutes outdoors. It was cold, damp, and Spencer was crying to go home instantly!????

Instead, we got our energy out by taking turns on the indoor trampoline at home!

It warmed up nicely that afternoon, so we spent some time playing soccer in the yard before grabbing our usual carry-out Italian food for dinner.

Pizza, Hoagies, and Caesar Salads

Followed by dessert, of course. I recently bought this new Hershey’s syrup, which is by no means health food…BUT, I at least appreciate knowing that our desserts don’t include a load of funky ingredients or GMOs. Just 5 simple ingredients — all of which I recognize and can pronounce. Plus, it tastes good with vanilla ice cream!

On Saturday morning I took care of my weekly meal planning and grocery list while Keith and the boys repaired fence boards outside.

We then parted ways for a variety of errands. Casey and I headed into Charlottesville for grocery shopping and lunch at Tropical Smoothie Cafe, while Keith took the other two boys to the hardware store.

A cookie in one hand and a smoothie in the other = a happy boy! Unfortunately, he dropped half of that bright pink smoothie on the floor of the grocery store a few minutes later…????

I had the Baja Chicken Bowl, which is described as chicken, black beans, smashed avocado, romaine, pickled red onion, cheddar, and roasted tomato salsa. It tasted good, but I was starving an hour later. As soon as we got home I pulled out the snacks!

Hannah arrived around 6:00 so that Keith and I could go on a date for the evening! I gave the boys their showers and fed them leftovers from Friday night before we took off to Sperryville to visit one of our favorite restaurants: Thornton River Grille. I had a glass of Prosecco and a Caesar salad to start. We love these salads…

I ordered the Boullabaisse for dinner, which included giant scallops, mussels, shrimp, and fish in a saffron broth with asparagus on the side. Unbelievably good!

Keith had a great meal, too! He went with the filet mignon, mashed potatoes, and sauteed greens. Home run, and such a fun way to spend the evening. Best of all, it was still light out as we were leaving the restaurant. The seasons are a changin’!

And that brings us to today! I’m shooting recipe photos this morning, Keith’s working on the fences some more, and if the rain holds off maybe we’ll sneak in a hike. Have a great week ahead, friends!

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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Comments

  1. An almond milk cinnamon macchiato?! That sounds heavenly! And perfect for fall – which it is right now in Australia!

    I never would have thought of putting mousse on crackers – but that sounds like salty sweet heaven!

    I hope you guys are having a lovely weekend! xo

    1. Yes! That macchiato is heavenly! I get the iced version when it’s warm here, but the hot version is definitely perfect for fall!

  2. Sounds like a great week! I think that’s awesome you take time for date nights! Very important!! Xoxo

  3. 5 stars
    Will there be a recipe coming soon for the Teriyaki Shrimp and vegetable dish? The Chicken Parm was great!!