Our Week in Meals #259

Good morning, happy Sunday, and happy Halloween!🎃 We spent the week celebrating at school events, trick-or-treating, and enjoying plenty of cozy fall foods (and candy). 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 started slowly with the kids’ favorite Secret Ingredient Bisquick Waffles and maple breakfast sausage.

That afternoon I met my friends at Mollie’s farm for a walk, followed by peony thinning! She has these beautiful, giant peony bushes that have been blooming for decades — some with vintage color varieties that are hard to find today. We dug up the roots and tubers so that we could bring them home to re-plant in our own yards. Fingers crossed that they thrive here, too!

Keith grilled salmon for supper that evening,

which we enjoyed with a simple green salad, plus a loaf of no-knead bread that I baked earlier in the day.

Monday morning started with an orthodontist appointment for Casey, followed by a stop at my neighbor’s farm for our weekly eggs.

I stayed home and worked while the boys were at school, and then made the world’s easiest baked pork tenderloin for dinner. Plus rice and Southern-style green beans on the side!

After reading last week’s heavier, more intense book, I was ready for a lighter, happier novel this week. I turned to book #2 in Jan Karon’s Mitford series, A Light in the Window. I read the first book a few months ago, and so many of you commented to let me know how much you have enjoyed these books as well. They’re well-written, heart-warming, and funny — and they always have a little bit of a mysterious twist. Highly recommend!

After some storms rolled through overnight, we woke up to another beautiful, cool, and breezy October Tuesday. I met my friend for a walk, and then had a quiet day at the house to check off my to-do list.

I served a quick, 20-minute spaghetti carbonara for supper, along with garlic bread and Caesar salad on the side.

Scenes from Wednesday…

I walked with my friend in the afternoon to enjoy the sunshine and the quickly-changing leaves before picking the kids up from school.

Spencer had his last soccer practice of the season that evening, so we ate a simple dinner that I could prepare in advance: Chicken Stew…

…and flaky buttermilk biscuits. Comfort food!

Thursday included another walk with a friend, work at the computer, and a quick stop at Yoder’s Country Market for basics like lunchmeat, local apples, and bread.

The lunch special at Yoder’s deli this week was a turkey, gouda, and apple butter panini. I love that sweet-and-savory flavor combination, so I picked up sandwiches for lunch and joined Keith at his office for a mid-day break.

We had an early dinner that night before heading out to the Halloween celebration at Spencer’s school. On the menu: my easy Nacho Casserole, along with extra tortilla chips on the side, guacamole, and salsa. Mexican night always makes my boys happy…

I spent a very rainy Friday morning running errands in Culpeper, and then returned home to shoot some recipe photos for the afternoon.

Dinner was delicious, and perfect for fall: Cider-Braised Pulled Pork, stuffed inside baked potatoes, with roasted broccoli on the side.

Spencer’s soccer game was cancelled due to the wet fields on Saturday morning, so we had an unexpected free day at home.

Believe it or not, the Blue Ridge Mountains were hiding behind those low clouds…

I picked up my order from the farmer’s market and spent time in the kitchen, while Keith and the boys took care of yard work.

It wouldn’t be Saturday without pizza for dinner! Keith picked up this order nice and early so that we could get a meal in the kids before heading out for trick-or-treating.

We attended the Madison County Sheriff’s annual Trick-or-Trunk event at the local high school, which always works well for us, since there aren’t any neighborhoods nearby. The boys just love to see their friends and collect loads of candy!

Jake from State Farm, Tom Brady, and a creepy Jester

And that’s it for now! I hope that you’ve found some new dinner ideas to add to your table in the days ahead. Thank you for joining me here each week. Have a happy Halloween!🎃👻🦇