Our Week in Meals #251

Good morning, happy Sunday, and happy Labor Day weekend! We're enjoying some beautiful late-summer weather, cookouts, and lake time with friends. 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...

Sunday threw me a curve ball when we ended up at MedExpress for 4 ½ hours so that I could get antibiotics for Spencer's ear infection. Out of an abundance of caution, they gave him COVID and strep tests while we were there -- both of which came back negative. That said, the doctor advised me to keep all of the boys home from school for a few days until we received a second negative COVID result from the longer test. The good news is, Spencer felt totally fine. These days, we can't be too careful when it comes to the kiddos, and the last thing we want to do is spread germs!

We laid low the rest of the day, and Keith grilled the kids' favorite shrimp for supper.

I paired the shrimp with an Antipasto Pasta Salad (one of Keith's favorite sides), as well as sauteed zucchini and a loaf of beer bread.

It was a hot and sunny Monday before the storm clouds arrived late that afternoon.

Since the boys were all home with me, we had a quiet day at the house with online school assignments and work.

My younger two boys really like Chinese food, and it had been awhile since I'd made any Asian-inspired dishes. A quick stir-fry was on the menu that night! I used my Shrimp Fried Rice recipe, but substituted thinly sliced chicken breast for the shrimp. Plus egg rolls on the side!

Since Spencer's second test came back negative (it really was just an ear infection!), the boys all returned to school on Tuesday. I spent my day cooking and catching up on projects at the house...

...and made an easy dinner that everyone could agree on: Fish n' Chips! Instead of frying my own fish like I sometimes do, I just used frozen fish fillets that night and served them on rolls with tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato. Plus French fries and coleslaw on the side!

I have a fun book to share with you this week: The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Vérant. Maybe the story was a little predictable, but I enjoyed reading about the French culture, French food, and of course, Sophie's complicated relationships with the people she loves. A delightful escape!

Not much to report from Wednesday! It poured rain almost all day, so after a morning walk with my friend, I spent the rest of the day in the kitchen while the kids were at school. I was testing a couple of new baking recipes (that utterly failed), and also re-shot an old soup recipe to share again soon.

With cooler, wet weather in the forecast, I decided on comfort food for dinner: Baked Ziti with Sausage, garlic bread...

...and a green salad with my favorite red wine vinaigrette.

After the storms rolled through, we were blessed with the most gorgeous crisp, clear, and breezy September Thursday.

Casey joined me for a quick walk with the dog that morning before I had to take him to an orthodontist appointment (and eventually to school).

We opened up the house, and I actually drank a cup of hot tea while sitting at my computer. Fall is not here quite yet, but we're getting excited (and the decorations will be coming out this weekend)!

When we had taco quesadillas for dinner last week, I cooked extra taco meat, stashed it in the freezer, and used it to make nachos for supper on Thursday evening. Plus corn, guacamole, and salad greens. So, so good!

More clear blue, sunny skies on Friday meant a beautiful walk in the woods with my friends that morning before heading up to Culpeper to take care of a number of different errands on my list.

I don't love running around for these "chores," but I do love treating myself to Panera for lunch. I grabbed a bowl of broccoli cheese soup and a baguette at the drive-thru window on my way back to Madison.

Sour Cream Chicken was on the menu for supper that evening, which I paired with cornbread (leftovers from the freezer) and apple butter, rice and steamed broccoli.

My Saturday morning included house chores, a stop at the local farm stand for peaches and tomatoes, as well as dinner prep since I knew that we would be gone all afternoon. We had haircuts after lunch...

...and then met friends at their lake here in Madison for some time on the pontoon boat.

Back home, Keith grilled steaks for supper,

which I paired with Arkansas green beans, sliced fresh tomatoes,

and a loaf of no-knead bread.

And for dessert, our favorite one-bowl buttermilk chocolate cake! These were all really easy recipes that I could make in advance, so that when we arrived home from the lake hungry, there wasn't too much actual cooking to do. And every Saturday night deserves a chocolate cake!

So that's it, friends! I'm off to enjoy the rest of this Labor Day weekend with friends, family and another cookout. Have a great week ahead!