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Good morning, and happy Sunday! We celebrated Casey’s birthday this week, picked loads of strawberries, and enjoyed summer-like temps. 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 snuck in a walk with friends on Sunday morning before the rain arrived later that afternoon.

Once it cleared up, I took the boys over to the school parking lot so that Casey could ride his new hoverboard and the other two could bike.

Plus a stop for ice cream afterwards!

Keith smoked a turkey breast for supper…

Side shot of an oven roasted turkey breast with flowers and greens surrounding

…which we served with mashed red potatoes,

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

and sauteed asparagus with lemon, garlic and almonds.

Close up side shot of sauteed asparagus with lemon and garlic on a white serving tray with toasted almonds on top

Monday was a whirlwind, non-stop day!

Between virtual school work for Gibbs and Casey, dog walks, a dentist appointment for me, and a doctor’s appointment for Spencer because we thought that he might have pink eye (he didn’t!), it felt like I was running in all directions.

I also managed to make an ice cream pie for Casey’s birthday on Tuesday, and baked a loaf of Dutch Oven Bread for dinner that night.

Overhead shot of a loaf of golden brown bread in a Dutch oven

The older two boys had soccer practice, so we ate an early supper beforehand. I served this roasted tomato soup (which will be SO perfect with fresh, late-summer tomatoes in a few months)…

Front shot of a bowl of roasted tomato soup with fresh basil garnish

…plus Ham, Brie and Apple Panini sandwiches on the homemade bread that I baked earlier in the day (the kids just had plain grilled cheese).

Ham Apple and Brie Cheese Panini Sandwich on a blue and white plate with yellow and white striped towel in background

Casey turned 10 on Tuesday! Strawberry-frosted Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast, plus Legos, NERF guns, and a new basketball made for a very happy birthday boy.

Spencer headed back to school, while I took the older two boys up the road to pick strawberries at our neighbors’ farm.

‘Tis the season for jam, shortcake, pie and crisp!

Casey requested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, along with garlic bread and salad. He didn’t actually request the salad, but I served it anyway!😊

Overhead shot of a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs with fresh parsley and bread

Plus an Oreo ice cream pie for dessert. I’ll share my mom’s pie recipe on the blog soon!

Side shot of a layered ice cream pie slice on a plate

A beautiful Wednesday morning! My neighbor, Fannie, has the most beautiful rows of peonies and they’re currently in bloom. I look forward to them every year!

All three boys have virtual school on Wednesdays, so we finished up their work before my parents joined us for lunch. We had Subway sandwiches (one of Casey’s favorites) and continued celebrating the birthday boy.

I’ve got another good book to share with you this week, too! My mom recommended The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, and I absolutely loved it. I can get tired of WWII historical fiction after awhile, but this one was a bit different. Based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together. If you enjoy this genre, The Paris Library is a must-read!

I served Salmon Burgers for dinner before we headed out for Spencer’s soccer practice that evening. Plus salad and potato chips on the side!

Front shot of a big homemade salmon burger recipe on a blue and white serving plate

The boys all returned to school on Thursday, so I spent my day focused on my own work. I was busy, busy in the kitchen with recipe testing and photographing some new meals for the blog.

I also squeezed in a short walk in the woods with my friend Ashley before we had to pick up the kids. The shade was our only relief from the heat!

We ate an early supper at 4:30 so that I could take the older boys to their soccer practice: pesto tortellini pasta with some added pancetta and broccoli. Plus rolls on the side!

Front shot of homemade pesto in a white bowl on a wooden table

Friday was much like the day before — the kids headed off to school, I met my friend Adria for a short walk, and then I buckled down to focus on my to-do list.

I served Taco Quesadillas for dinner, along with chips, salsa, guacamole

Stack of cheesy taco quesadillas on a white plate

…and black bean and corn salad. Always a popular meal in our house!

Blue bowl full of Black Bean and Corn Salad with tortilla chip for dipping

The dry, 90+ degree heat that we had on Saturday is great for the farmers making hay…

…but not so great for the kids playing soccer!

We spent most of the day at the fields for the boys’ games, and took a break halfway through to cool down in the air conditioning at home. My parents joined us for ham salad sandwiches for lunch!

Keith picked up pizzas for dinner that night, and I appreciated a night off from the kitchen. We were all pretty tired!

And that’s where I’ll leave off for today. I hope that you’ve found a few new meal ideas for the week ahead. Thank you for joining us!

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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Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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Comments

  1. I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your site and your recipes!! I also wanted to tell you what lovely children you have!!! A belated happy birthday to Casey! Enjoy your Sunday

    1. You do not know how I look foward to reading your your blog every sunday morning. The photos are absolutely stunning, and the food was mouthwatering!!!! Looking foward to next week.

    2. Thank you so much, Glenda! I appreciate your support and your kind words. Thanks for reading the blog! 🙂

  2. Another happy Sunday morning in having your blog to read – to catchup on your family – happy belated birthday to Casey – and to ‘drool’ over the photos and recipes!!!! It is a dreary day here in Orillia, Ontario, Canada but your blog always brightens the day…have a wonderful and blessed week!!!

  3. It’s the first time I’ve read your week in meals and I really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing all the fun, busy details of your family life and all your wonderful dinner ideas! You live in a beautiful place and your boys look like lovely young men. I don’t know what I’d do without your easy family recipes- your cheesy chicken broccoli rice dump and bake casserole has saved us on many a tired, busy night! Love from Reno, Nevada (via Nottingham, England!) Xo

    1. That’s amazing, Amy! I’m so glad to hear that the easy recipes are helpful in your home. That’s always my goal! Thanks for your kind note. It’s so nice to hear from folks all around the country (and world)! 🙂

  4. Love your blog, pictures,your books got me through the pandemic. We live not too far away in winchester, va. Strawberry season, heaven. Va strawberries are the best

    1. Yes, we’re practically neighbors, Carol! 😉 I couldn’t agree more — Virginia strawberries are the best! Hope you’re able to enjoy some this month, too!

  5. Thank you for your recipes ad love the pictures of the scenery and the family. What does your husband do work wise?

  6. I’m enjoying your blog with all the kids and sports as it was my hectic life not so long ago minus the Covid. Immediately after school we were driving to out of town practices doing homework in the car and eating dinner afterwards in the car too with tournaments on weekends. It all changes in high school and college if they keep playing as they travel with the team and we parent cheer leaders follow.

    1. Thanks, Karri! It’s been interesting getting back into the sports routine after a year-long break, but it’s SO good for the kids. I’ll enjoy the days when they’re older and can travel with their team to some of these events. Cheerleader is fun! 🙂

  7. I just finished a really good book that you might enjoy;
    The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion
    A Novel
    by Fannie Flagg

    Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother’s past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.

    Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family’s filling station. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

    Fabulous, fun-filled, spanning decades and generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America’s twentieth-century story, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is another irresistible novel by the remarkable Fannie Flagg. I laughed in many, many places as I could so easily put myself in Sookie’s place with a dominating Mother who knows what is best for everyone!! It was just a nice funny easy read.

    1. Yep, I’ve read that one and LOVED it! In fact, I think it was the first Fannie Flagg book I ever read, and it totally got me hooked on her writing. In fact, I just read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Thanks for thinking of me — I always love recommendations!

  8. Delicious recipes, great story lines and stunning photographs, an outstanding combination for sure. Having been housebound due to both the pandemic and a rare autoimmune illness diagnosis your postings have given me a few moments in the country every week. Thank you ever so much.

    1. That makes me so happy to hear, Sandra! Thank you for taking the time to leave a note and brighten my day. 🙂