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Good morning, and happy Sunday! It was another routine week around here, complete with school, work, and a little St. Patrick’s Day “celebration.” 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…
Sunny skies on Sunday morning!
An afternoon hike…
…followed by grilled New York Strip steaks for dinner.
Keith cooked the steaks, while I prepped the sides: Au Gratin Potatoes…
…and a vinegar-based coleslaw (which I will share on the blog soon). I cut the potato recipe in half to prepare a smaller portion, since we didn’t need 8 servings. The coleslaw was a nice contrast to the creamy potatoes. Delicious and simple Sunday supper!
We had a beautiful sunrise on Monday morning, but Daylight Saving Time made it hard to get out of bed…
Spence returned to school, while the older boys stayed home with me to work on their virtual assignments.
I made a chicken and broccoli stir-fry for dinner, which I will share on the blog in the coming weeks. We paired the meat and veggies with a side of rice and some store-bought spring rolls.
Tuesday was a repeat of Monday (school work and a couple of dog walks with friends), but I did finish another really interesting book! I don’t even know how to categorize The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, since it crosses over so many different genres. It’s part historical fiction, part fantasy, part romance, and part thriller — all wrapped up into one package! This novel is incredibly unique, well-written, and just a nice change of pace from the norm. Highly recommend!
We had breakfast-for-dinner at the kids’ request. I served Baked Buttermilk Pancakes (the boys call them “pancake squares”) with a side of bacon, as well as fresh berries topped with this rich, creamy yogurt. Always a hit, and so, so easy!
Wednesday was St. Patrick’s Day, and since all 3 boys were home from school, my mother-in-law joined us for a festive lunch. I made chicken salad sandwiches, and Carole brought green-frosted cupcakes for dessert, along with leprechaun hats for the kids and a shamrock plant for me.
We also managed to get out for a hike along the river (in spite of the cool, gray weather), knowing that there was a lot of rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.
In keeping with the Irish theme, I served Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner that night…
…along with a loaf of Irish Soda Bread.
I got everyone out the door for school on Thursday morning, poured myself a cup of coffee, and sat down at the computer to get my work done and enjoy a quiet house for the first time all week!
It was gray and nasty outside, but I did get out for fresh air when there was a break in the rain before lunch.
And I kept dinner really simple that evening — quesadillas, chips, salsa, guacamole, corn and refried beans.
It was windy and cold, but the sun returned on Friday!
I met Mollie and Sallie for a walk, took Teddy to the groomer, and otherwise stayed close to home to get as much work done as possible before the start of the weekend. Keith and I were able to get our first shots for the COVID vaccine that afternoon, too — such a relief!
We had fried catfish for supper,
which I paired with corn muffins,
and sauteed spinach.
Not too much to report from Saturday!
We filled our day with uneventful tasks like yard work, laundry, and a grocery pick-up.
I took the night off from cooking and put Keith in charge of dinner, so we had takeout pizza and then watched March Madness basketball for the rest of the evening.
And that’s where I’ll leave it for now! Thanks for joining me here again this week. I hope you’ve found some new dinner inspiration for the coming days. Have a great Sunday!
A wonderful post to read and enjoy. Love the tips and recipes. Thank you for your time. Have a wonderful week. Christine
Thank you, Christine. Hope you have a great week, too!
Love doing breakfast for dinner! We do that a lot on Sundays. I’ll make a large batch of buttermilk waffles, then the kids can have them for breakfast or a snack throughout the week. Have a great upcoming week!
Thanks, Renee. Yes, breakfast for dinner makes the kids (and me!) very happy, so I think it’s going to become a regular thing. Waffles are on the menu for this week!
Blair,
Thank you for your practical recipes, beautiful pictures and positive outlook! Reading your blog is a little escape. I admire your attention to detail including storage and freezing instructions. I love the cook once, eat twice (or more) mentality, but I sometimes forget what I have and when it needs to be used. Do you have a system for managing the “inventory” in your freezer? Thank you so much and have a great week!
Hi, E! Thanks for your kind note. I’m so glad that you find the recipes helpful. I wish I had a good system for managing the inventory in our freezer…it’s one of my greatest challenges, because I’m constantly testing new recipes and often throw extras into the freezer and then forget about them! Each week, when sitting down to plan our meals for the days ahead, I try to remember to take a look in the deep freezer and just poke around to see what’s out there. I often work those leftovers or ingredients into our meal plan, where possible. I’ve tried keeping a running inventory list of what’s there, but I never keep up with it. Open to any ideas! 🙂
Hi Blair What are the hills?mountains? in the background of your great photos??Your blog is the only one I read consistently. Love it. JMP
Hi, Joyce! Thank you! We live in Madison County, which is in Central Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains, Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park run right through Madison, so that’s often what you’ll see in the background. We’re at the lower elevation in the foothills, so lots of rolling hills here. If we want to hike up a steep mountain, we have to drive for a few minutes to get there. 🙂
So much fun as always to read your blog, Blair! Loved the combo of meals throughout the week. Your shamrock is lovely–never saw a purple one before! I still have one my mother-in-law gave me in the late 1970’s!
That’s amazing!!! Carole called it a shamrock, but I think this plant is actually an oxalis, which is known as a “false shamrock.” 🙂 I don’t think I can keep it alive for 40+ years, though!
Love your blog! Thanks for sharing life with us!
Oxalis plants are super easy to grow…they like being ‘abused’ meaning, they don’t mind being root bound (then they produce flowers). They don’t need to be watered a lot (they will droop when they need water). However, they are messy plants (the flowers drop, leaves dry out, etc.). But I love mine–I have had a green oxalis since 1986 and a red oxalis (like yours) since 1999.
Oh my goodness, Connie! You are a true plant mom! That’s amazing that you’ve kept yours alive so long. I’m not nearly as optimistic for my own plant, but I appreciate your tips. 🙂
Thanks for reading the blog!