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Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week was full of surprises (some good, some not so good), as well as the usual routine of work, school, and family suppers. 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…
A gray, rainy Sunday started with a cozy pan of Amish Baked Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon for breakfast…
…followed by a walk with my friends at Mollie’s farm.
Keith and the boys hauled wood and took care of work outside, while I did some cooking inside. Spencer was so proud of himself for showering after the chores, so he asked me to take this picture. I guess we need to work on brushing our hair next.😂
Keith’s brother and our nephews stopped by that afternoon to watch football, and then we had Beef Short Ribs for supper. They can be tough to find in our little grocery store, but Yoder’s Country Market sells the locally-raised meat in a freezer case.
We paired the ribs with crispy rosemary roasted potatoes and a Caesar salad. Delish!
Monday was cloudy and gray (again!), so I walked to my neighbor’s farm to pick up eggs, stopped by the grocery store to pick up a food order, and then made my way to Charlottesville for a lunch date with my mom.
We were eating outside at Burtons Grill, where I ordered the creamy butternut squash soup and a salad. Shortly after our food arrived, however, I suddenly felt light-headed, my heart was racing, and my body was shaking. We didn’t know what was wrong at the time (and it was very scary), so Mom drove me to the ER at UVA’s hospital to be checked out. The ER was incredibly crowded, so I waited around for about 8 hours, only to learn that all of my tests were “normal” and I had in fact experienced my first panic attack. What a Monday!!!😭
Since we didn’t make it home in time for dinner, Keith brought me a turkey and cheese sub to eat in the waiting room. Glamorous, right?! I was so grateful for any food or water at that point!
Needless to say, I took it really easy on Tuesday. I felt fine, but only left the house for the regular rounds of pickups and drop-offs at school.
Harvest season
On a cool, gray evening, Lasagna Soup hit the spot. Plus garlic bread and a simple green salad on the side! This cozy meal can be made in either the slow cooker or on the stovetop, so choose whichever method works best for your schedule.
After a foggy Wednesday morning walk with the dog, I had an appointment with my primary care doctor as a follow up to Monday’s excitement. I appreciated her reassurance and advice.
I made it back home for lunch and work, followed by an afternoon walk in the woods with a friend.
We had French Fried Onion Chicken for supper…
…along with green beans and Gibbs’ favorite cheese biscuits.
Teddy’s always happiest when the boys are around…
After almost a week straight of clouds, fog, and rain, it was so nice to see the sun again on Thursday!
I met my girlfriend for a walk in the morning, then ran errands for things like Halloween candy at Target, buttermilk and lunch meat at Yoder’s, and a couple of other quick stops along the way.
The boys had soccer practices that evening, so we ate a later dinner when we got home afterwards. I quickly roasted salmon, a 4-ingredient recipe that only requires about 15 minutes from start to finish…
…and served it with rice (that I left cooking in the rice cooker while we were at the fields), salad (that I prepped before we left), and pumpkin muffins (that I also baked earlier in the afternoon).
I have another great book to share this week, too! The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware was a page-turning thriller that left me guessing until the very end. It’s not scary, but it sure kept me on the edge of my seat. Amazon says that it’s “reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works,” and I definitely agree. This is a fun one!
After I dropped the boys off at school on Friday morning, I drove about 90 minutes northwest, over the mountains, to the Clarke County Fairgrounds — just a few miles from the West Virginia border.
I met three of my friends at the big Luckett’s antique fair for a fun Mom’s Day Out! We shopped the vintage home decor and furniture for a couple of hours, and then when it started to get hot and crowded, we stopped for lunch in the shade.
Crab cake sandwiches and cold lemonade from a food truck hit the spot…and then I jumped in the car to get back to Madison to pick up the kids.
We had an easy Taco Bake for dinner, plus extra chips, salsa, and guacamole on the side.
The rain held off just long enough on Saturday morning so that the boys could play their soccer games.
My father-in-law joined us for tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for a late lunch when we got home from the fields, we had a new dishwasher installed (joy!), and then our friends came over for a visit that afternoon. It was a very full, fun day!
We were all pretty tired by dinnertime, and I was ready for a night off from the kitchen, so Keith picked up pizzas for supper and we had a quiet evening watching college football.
And that’s it for now, friends! I hope that you’ve found a few new meal ideas to add to your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here!
So sorry that you experienced a panic attack Blair. Indeed they are so scarey. I have had those in my younger years. You feel like you are out of control with your body. Do take care.
Love& Hugs ❤
Cindy
That’s exactly right, Cindy! Thank you for your kind words!
Im so sorry to hear about your panic attacks. Ive had 3 in the last month. I dont even know why. I woke out of a deep sleep with one. Very scary. Hope you wont have anymore. Lots of good recipes this week as always. Enjoy all your pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for understanding, Judy. I didn’t realize that you could wake from sleep with one! I think it must be the compounded stress of everything happening over the past year and a half that has taken a toll on so many of us. 🙁 Hang in there — you’re certainly not alone!
I’m glad to hear that you are alright after that scary incident! Thank goodness that you weren’t alone, & your Mom was with you. Thank you for another awesome post with great looking recipes for us to try. I plan to make the Taco Bake Casserole soon. Take care!
Thank you so much, Leslie! I agree — thank goodness Mom was there! Hope you enjoy that taco casserole. 🙂
So sorry to hear of the “events” of that day but glad to know you are recovering. Will keep you in my prayers! And as usual, [despite those scary moments] your email has brought joy to my day, motivation for the week ahead and a calm that I now get to experience each week. I don’t know if it’s the recipes or the pictures or the references to my home state but it’s all so lovely. Thank you! And now off to print my menu – excuse me – YOUR menu for the week.
Hah! Thank you SO much for your sweet note, Jenn. You totally brightened my day!
Thank you Blair for the great recipes. It is a joy to read your blog! I pray you are feeling better. Have a great week in my home state
Thank you, Gail! I’m definitely feeling better and will continue to try to take good care of myself! 🙂
What a scary start to the week! Sending thoughts of love, cooking, and reading your way! caryn
Thank you, friend!!! xoxo
What a frightening experience, and as someone else said, thankfully you weren’t alone! Glad you were able to get reassurances from your PCP and that you are OK. Great move to go to the antique fair and have some fun! Maybe slow down a bit? (ha! when could that happen! 🙂
Take good care, thinking of you…
Exactly! Slowing down would be good… 🙂
Hope you have a great week ahead, Norma!
I’m sorry to hear about the panic attack Blair, look after yourself. I hope it was a one off. Thank you so much for sharing everything on the blog, I love to hear about your week and trying out recipes.
Thank you, Ruth!
I’m so sorry you had that scary experience last week. Thank goodness your mom was there to help you get to the hospital and that it was nothing serious. Thank you for still putting together yet another beautiful email with delectable food ideas and awesome photos. Take care!
Thank you, Johanna! I appreciate you so much!
So glad you’re feeling better. So glad your mom was with you! Great pictures and recipes as always.
Happy to hear you’re feeling better! When you said you had some good times and not so good, I worried about what had happened! Take care! I remember the days of running around here and there with my 2 boys. I actually miss those days but now I have 2 granddaughters (ages 3 and 1) who fill my days with happy times!
Thank you for your kindness, Tylene! It’s definitely a lot of running around, and the kids bring me so much joy, but man — it’s been a heavy, tough year and a half!
Hi Blair, Sorry to read about the panic attack you experienced, but glad you are feeling better. Thank you for all the great recipes and book suggestions. Have a great week!
Thank you for your note, Sharon! I appreciate you reading along with us each week! 🙂
Hi Blair -thoughts from up North – so sorry to hear about your panic attack but when one reads your blog it seems that your schedule would make most of us panic…but seriously please take care of yourself and tell your Mom how thankful we all are that she was with you…they are scary issues and make you intensely wonder what is happening to you…
Wendy
Thanks, Wendy. I appreciate that so much. Yes, I’ve got a lot going on (just like so many other busy moms), so my goal in the coming months will be to slow down and RELAX (easier said than done)! 🙂
SO jealous you got to go to the Lucketts Antique Fair! Their shop in Leesburg is awesome & I’ve been wanting to go to the fair for the last couple of years but then COVID….. was trying to go this weekend but my darn husband decided he wanted a birthday party instead!! oh well, hopefully will make it to the next one. Glad you were feeling well enough to go!!
Hi, Kathryn! Yes, it was a long drive for us, but it was worth the effort. We had a great time, and will definitely be back. Hope you can make it next year! 🙂
Feel better Blair. Try to take some time during the day to rest. Sending best wishes!
Janie
Thank you, Janie! That’s my goal! 🙂
Panic attacks are scary. I had one once while driving home from work in Philly suburbs rush hour traffic. That in itself is enough to give someone a panic attack. I thought I was having a heart attack. Thankfully I no longer work at that job am no longer have that commute. Glad all your tests came out normal. Try to take it easy. I know that’s an impossible tasks with three kids.
Thank you, Janine! That’s exactly how I felt — like I might be having a heart attack. I think Philly rush hour traffic might do that to me, too! 🙂
Sending you virtual hugs, Blair. There is so much going on, it’s very hard to cope. The blog is your full-time business, and being a mom is a full-time job (on top of all the craziness around us). You are doing an absolutely outstanding job with both. Hang in there, and take care of yourself.
Thank you so much, Mila. You are absolutely right. Life is always busy, but the past couple of years have been especially heavy and “a lot.” I appreciate your kind words and support more than you know!❤
So sorry you experienced a panic attack, hope you are feeling better!! So many great recipes this week, I have 2 in mind, thank you for all that you do!
Thank you for your note, Glenda! I hope that you enjoy the recipes this week! 🙂
Hi Blair,
Sorry to hear about your medical emergency. It was good your mother was there with you at the time. Glad to hear you are okayTake care of yourself and sending best wishes your way.
Thank you, Annette! I appreciate you being here each week! 🙂
I am glad you are doing well, especially after that panic attack. It’s been awhile since I’ve had one. But what has been going on in the past year and the concern for our families can get to you. I wanted to let you know that I, too, just read The Woman in Cabin 10 last week! That was just such a coincidence! It was an edge of your seat page turner. Loved it. Take care!
That’s funny that you read the same book, Grace! Glad you liked it, too.
And yes — it’s been such a heavy year. Clearly it’s taking a toll on me, even when I’m not consciously aware of it. Thanks for your kind words!
Our bodies are amazing at getting our attention! I hope you’re finding rest and healing, Blair. It’s brave to share your story and I appreciate hearing it as a busy mom of three myself.
Isn’t that the truth?! Even when I think I’m plodding along just fine, my body will let me know otherwise…and now I need to listen! 🙂