Our Week in Meals #229

Good morning, and happy Sunday! If you’re celebrating today, I hope that it’s a wonderful Easter. We’re excited to see family, have a low-key egg hunt, and enjoy some coconut cake! 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…

It rained off and on most of Sunday, so I was happy to sneak in a walk at Mollie’s farm with three of my friends when the weather cooperated.

The rest of our afternoon included a drive into Charlottesville to get the screen on my iPhone repaired, plus some indoor house chores (like sorting through the boys’ spring clothes). Not too exciting, but productive!

Keith smoked ribs for supper that night (here’s my Crock Pot version),

which I paired with roasted broccoli and crispy, seasoned roasted potatoes.

The sun returned on Monday, and once again everything looked so vibrant and green for spring.

My neighbor’s cows had the best time running along the fence with Teddy that morning! I think the weather put them in a good mood, too.😍

Spencer went to school, the older boys and I spent the morning working on their virtual assignments, and then we headed to Charlottesville for Casey’s dentist appointment. The poor kid had to have a baby tooth pulled because it was stubborn and just wouldn’t come out on its own. He did great, and even asked for a turkey sandwich from Subway on the way home — a numb mouth won’t get in the way of his meals!😂

A very spring-inspired dish was on the dinner menu that night: Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon, Lemon and Peas. I served the pasta with garlic bread and salad — just like a restaurant, but ready in about 40 minutes!

Tuesday was another repeat of the day before — sunshine, dog walks, school work, and some photo updates for an older recipe.

I had meatballs in the freezer, so we enjoyed Meatball Subs for dinner that night. I paired the sandwiches with chips and carrots, cucumbers, and Ranch dip. So quick and easy!

All three boys were home for distance learning on Wednesday, so Teddy joined Spencer on his class Zoom call that morning. Spencer’s teacher said that Teddy was “ready to learn” and showing “full body listening.” 😂

We stayed close to home for the afternoon, since it rained almost the entire day. I did manage to finish another great book this week, though! Not necessarily a surprise, but I loved Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny. This is book #14 in her Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series, and I continue to enjoy them. Many of my girlfriends are now hooked on the series as well, and I’ve heard that the audio books are very well done. If you’re interested, you’ll definitely want to start with the first book, Still Life.

We had “breakfast for dinner” that evening, and I was in the mood for Sallie’s Ham, Cheddar and Broccoli Quiche — so that’s what I made! Since the kids don’t love quiche, they had waffles (just like last week), and I offered fresh berries, yogurt, and sausage on the side.

Thursday was the only day this week that the boys were all in school, so I took full advantage and got as much done as possible.

My morning was largely devoted to photographing a couple of new recipes…

…and then I made a quick stop in town to deliver Easter gifts to the kids’ teachers. Teachers deserve so much love!

We had Garlic and Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs for dinner,

along with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Friday was the first day of the boys’ “spring break,” which is really just a long Easter weekend this year.

We spent the afternoon in the woods, hiking along the Rapidan River, where the kids have been working on building a fort out of sticks and rocks.

I made the boys’ favorite fish for dinner: “Sweet Heat” Southern Glazed Salmon,

along with Sauteed Asparagus,

and my great Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins, which I’ll share on here soon.

I spent some time in the kitchen on Saturday morning prepping our favorite coconut layer cake for Easter.

Plus a batch of Hot Cross Buns to enjoy the next morning!

A couple of friends joined me for a virtual 5K fundraiser walk that afternoon in honor of my high school friend who recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. That’s my blue “Rally for Ryan” t-shirt hiding under my coat!

It was a beautiful afternoon and a wonderful way to celebrate the life of a truly great person!

And for dinner that night…simple-but-delicious grilled hamburgers, French fries and salad.

That’s all for now, friends! I’m off to spend the day with family, celebrate Easter, and hunt for Reese’s-filled plastic eggs. Have a great week ahead, and thanks for being here!