Our Week in Meals #274

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week we enjoyed spring-like weather, prepped Valentine’s Day goodies, and spent almost every night at the basketball gym. 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…

I spent Sunday morning in the kitchen working on some new recipes, while Keith took the kids to get donuts in Culpeper.

It was a beautiful afternoon, so we got out for a walk, and my in-laws stopped by for a visit.

We had baked orange salmon for supper,

along with twice baked potatoes,

cranberry orange muffins (that I pulled from the freezer),

and one of my favorite winter salads: cabbage, fennel, and apple slaw with a creamy cider dressing. I had some leftover apple cider to use up from our pork roast last week, so it was perfect in this recipe!

Monday morning meant back to the regular school and work routine. I took a very chilly walk to Fannie’s farm to pick up our weekly eggs, and then spent the rest of the day at the house on laundry, cooking, writing, and more.

It was another week with 4 nights of basketball practices, so dinners were definitely simple! That evening I made Dutch oven chicken,

which I paired with drop biscuits,

and Parmesan-roasted cauliflower.

Tuesday included a 2-hour school delay due to ice on the roads,

frosty sunrise basketball,

afternoon dentist appointments for all 3 boys, and football in shorts before dinner.

Before the older boys’ basketball practice that night, we had baked bbq pork chops,

plus cornbread, steamed green beans, and (store-bought) shells and cheese on the side.

Such a treat — blue skies and almost 60°F on Wednesday! It felt like a little preview of the spring weather to come…

My day was filled with work at the computer, a couple of walks with the dog, and an afternoon conference call before picking up the kids.

I made taco biscuit cups for dinner before Spencer’s basketball practice,

along with tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, and corn.

Another beautiful day on Thursday, so I took full advantage by scheduling a walk in the morning with my friend Ashley, plus another afternoon walk with Mollie. In between, I made a trip up to Culpeper for a few errands, and took care of the usual house and work stuff.

Can you spot the little fishing dock amidst all of the brown and gray winter grass and trees? So ready to see this in bloom soon!

I made Italian Sausage and Peppers for dinner that evening, which we stuffed inside toasted hoagie rolls and topped with provolone cheese (stick them under the broiler to melt the cheese for a minute or two).

Plus a simple green salad on the side…then off to basketball practice (again).

All three of the boys had their annual physicals at the doctor’s office on Friday, so that consumed our whole morning. Once they were at school, I made a quick stop at Yoder’s Country Market for lunchmeat, bread, and buttermilk, and the rest of my afternoon flew by in what felt like an unproductive whirlwind.

I did manage to take Teddy for a short walk in the woods to enjoy the almost 70-degree weather, and baked a batch of our favorite soft cut-out sugar cookies for a fun Valentine’s Day afternoon snack.

Dinner that night looked like Chicken Parm, plus a side of spaghetti,

sauteed spinach,

and garlic bread. Forever a hit with the whole family!

And then it was the weekend! The boys had basketball games on Saturday morning, and I dropped off baby gifts for a friend who’s expecting twins that afternoon.

The boys requested Chinese takeout for dinner, which worked well for me (no cooking and no dishes)! Moo shu pork with a pancake, rice, and veggies…

Before I let you go, I almost forgot to mention the book that I read this week! I enjoyed one of Marie Benedict’s previous novels (The Other Einstein), so I was excited to check out The Mystery of Mrs. Christie when it popped up on my Libby app. This was a fun, quick read that kept me turning the pages. Part mystery, part thriller, and part historical fiction! Here’s the summary from Amazon:

In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car—strange for a frigid night. Her World War I veteran husband and her daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.

The puzzle of those missing eleven days has persisted. With her trademark historical fiction exploration into the shadows of the past, acclaimed author Marie Benedict brings us into the world of Agatha Christie, imagining why such a brilliant woman would find herself at the center of such murky historical mysteries.

What is real, and what is mystery? What role did her unfaithful husband play, and what was he not telling investigators?

Agatha Christie novels have withstood the test of time, due in no small part to Christie’s masterful storytelling and clever mind that may never be matched, but Agatha Christie’s untold history offers perhaps her greatest mystery of all.

That’s all for now, friends! Thank you for joining me here today, and have a sweet Valentine’s Day tomorrow. 💞💖