Our Week in Meals #282

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week we canceled a spring break trip, and instead enjoyed a “staycation” at home. All of the highlights, 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 put a loaf of banana nut bread in the oven early on Sunday morning for a breakfast treat that would use up some of the overripe bananas sitting on my counter. The perfect start to the day with a hot cup of coffee!

After a morning walk, my main goal for the day was laundry, bed linens, towels, and packing the family’s suitcases for our spring break trip. No easy feat with 3 kids and a dog to account for…

We grilled two pork tenderloins for dinner that night,

which I served alongside roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon,

and a platter of hoe cakes.

If there’s one thing that any parent knows, it’s that flexibility is key and plans can change at the drop of a hat. The boys were on spring break from school this week, so we were scheduled to leave for vacation in West Virginia and Lexington, Kentucky early on Monday morning. Instead, we canceled our trip at the last minute, because Spencer got hurt on Sunday evening. He was playing outside with his brothers when something flew in his eye, and even after eye drops, water, and other efforts to clean it out, he was still in pain on Monday morning.

Instead of leaving town for spring break, we spent Monday at the doctor’s office. The eye didn’t look scratched, but the physician also couldn’t find any foreign particles stuck in there. We left with prescriptions for two different types of eye drops, and doctor’s orders to keep an eye on it (no pun intended). Since we knew that we might need to see an eye specialist in the coming days, and since there was cold, rainy weather in the Lexington forecast, we decided to scrap our travel plans in favor of a “staycation.” Oh, well — at least AirB&B has a generous cancelation policy and there weren’t pricey airfares involved!

I picked up eggs from my neighbors’ farm, got lunch with the family at a Chinese buffet in Culpeper (a favorite with the boys!), and otherwise spent my afternoon unpacking all of our luggage.

We had pasta with sausage and spinach for dinner,

plus a side of homemade garlic bread that I pulled from my freezer.

Cornhole in the yard, followed by a quiet evening on the couch reading and watching the men’s NCAA basketball championship!

Tuesday was gray and cool, but the rain held off for the most part. I took a walk, did some grocery shopping, and prepped a handful of recipes for photos the next day.

Casey had soccer practice that evening, so we ate an early “fish n’ chips” supper that included oven-fried fish,

coleslaw, pickles, and Alexia seasoned waffle fries.

While I stayed home to do some cooking and photography on Wednesday,

Keith took the boys out for lunch and bowling in Charlottesville.

We had baked chicken wings for dinner,

along with a house salad, potato chips,

and a basket of blackberry muffins.

The weather was crummy on Thursday, but we wanted to get the kids out of the house, so we went for a fun hike at the Blue Ridge Tunnel. This trail, which happens to be right near my parents’ house in Nelson County, was constructed between 1850 and 1858 beneath Rockfish Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s almost a mile long inside, and you need flashlights to be able to see…so of course the kids loved it.

On our way home, we stopped for lunch at the Tip Top Diner in Charlottesville. The boys were thrilled to get chicken and waffles, while I ordered my usual tuna salad sub. I love their tuna fish!

I thawed some leftover taco meat from the freezer to make taco quesadillas for dinner,

along with corn, tortilla chips, salsa, and homemade guac. Soccer practices were canceled because of the weather, so we appreciated the low-key evening at home.

Friday was largely devoted to spring cleaning — in the form of the boys’ clothes. Each season I have to spend hours figuring out what fits each of them, which hand-me-downs are still in good shape, which new items we need to purchase, and which pieces we can pass on to my younger nephews. I always feel accomplished when the job is done and the drawers are organized!

Mollie and Sallie came over for a walk that afternoon. The sun was shining, everything was bright green, and the birds were chirping. Hopefully all of these April showers will lead to beautiful May flowers…

For their last day of spring break, we let the kids pick the dinner restaurant. Not surprisingly, they voted for Chili’s in Culpeper! A bowl of endless chips and salsa to start (plus Spencer’s toy soldier in the mix),

…and the world’s biggest Southwest Shrimp Caesar Salad for my entree.

Let’s chat books! I recently finished The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica, and all I can say is whoa! It’s a creepy thriller with an ending that I didn’t see coming! Definitely a fun read if you enjoy this genre. Here’s a quick summary from Amazon…

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to a coastal island in Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. And as the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of what really happened that dark and deadly night. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

We spent Saturday on the soccer fields, and squeezed in the usual laundry, yard work, and walk with my neighbor.

Keith grilled chicken breast for supper,

which I paired with greens and Dijon vinaigrette,

plus shells and cheese.

There you go, friends! It wasn’t the “spring break vacation” that we originally planned, but we made the most of the kids’ rainy week off. Most importantly, Spencer’s eye is back to normal, and everyone can return to school healthy on Monday. Thanks for joining me here this weekend! I hope that you’ve found some fresh, new ideas for your own table in the days ahead. Have a great Sunday!