Our Week in Meals #307

Good morning, happy Sunday, and welcome to October! We’re hunkered down indoors, staying dry, and waiting for the remnants of Hurricane Ian to pass through Virginia. I hope that you are safe and dry as well! All of the highlights, along with each of our 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 was a very quiet day at our house. The stomach bug hit us hard the week before, starting with Spencer, and then moving on to me and Casey. Keith and Gibbs both got sick on Saturday night, so we all stayed close to home on Sunday and continued to recover. We watched a lot of football on TV, picked up a grocery order, and played catch-up on laundry!

We were going for nourishing comfort food that night, so I prepared a rosemary roasted chicken and served that with a side of pumpkin muffins.

I have a few more fun books to share with you this week! First up, Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. This was an exciting thriller with twists and turns that kept me flipping the pages.

Next up, book #5 in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series: Her Last Breath. These novels never disappoint! If you’re looking for a quick read with plenty of action, I’d definitely recommend starting with the first book, Sworn to Silence.

And finally, my favorite from this week, The One and Only by Emily Giffin. While this isn’t exactly a realistic story, it still tugs at the heartstrings and touches on some deeper issues. I love a book that leaves us feeling good at the end! Here’s a quick summary from Amazon:

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.

Monday was another gorgeous fall day!

Goldenrod everywhere…

While Gibbs and Keith were still home resting, the younger two boys went to school, and I jumped back into my normal work routine. It felt good to get outside for some fresh air after being cooped up in bed all weekend, and also to get back into the kitchen!

I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner,

along with garlic bread and a Caesar salad.

Plus one-bowl buttermilk chocolate cake for dessert, because…why not?! We didn’t have to run out the door for a soccer practice (since Gibbs stayed home), so we took advantage of the slower evening.

Tuesday was another perfect morning for a walk with my friend Mollie, before returning home for the usual day of work.

We had golf and two soccer practices on the agenda that evening, so I prepped dinner in advance. Casey requested chicken and waffles! I made the waffles earlier in the day, and then just reheated them in the toaster as we needed them. We also tried a new-to-us brand of chicken tenders, which were really good. Plus some fresh fruit on the side.

Such a lovely evening…I actually got cold sitting there watching him!

Wednesday was entirely devoted to the kitchen — cooking, shooting recipe photos, and then washing a ton of dishes. It’s not glamorous!

All three kids had soccer practices after school, so we had flatbread pizzas and side salads for an early dinner beforehand. This is one of the boys’ favorite meals, and it’s so fast…which means it’s a staple in our weeknight routine. Plus, you can customize the toppings on each individual pizza…keeping everyone at the table happy.

I ran a couple of errands on Thursday morning, including a stop at Yoder’s for some local apples, lunch meat, and other weekly staples.

The rest of the day included photo editing, a Zoom meeting, and additional work at the house.

I served a cozy Dutch oven beef stew to match the chilly weather outside, and then Keith and the boys headed out to the high school football game, while Teddy and I enjoyed a quiet evening.

I snuck in a walk with my friend Ashley on Friday morning, before the rain arrived later that day.

Mexican shrimp was on the dinner menu (minus the tomato and corn salad). We put the shrimp in soft tacos, and paired them with guacamole, tortilla chips, salsa, beans, and red rice.

Fires in the wood stoves, maple-glazed pumpkin scones, and hot cups of coffee for a cozy Saturday morning treat!

I spent a large chunk of the day getting ahead on work (in anticipation of a busier-than-normal week ahead), and still found time to bake an apple crisp for dessert later that evening. Priorities, hah!

Three out of four soccer games were canceled for the weekend due to the weather, but Spencer was still able to play that afternoon. Happy to have an indoor field in Charlottesville!

We stopped for dinner at Timberwood Grill in town after the game — a Caesar salad with salmon for me, plus plenty of the kids’ fries!

And there you go, friends — another week of easy dinners! I hope that you’ve found some new inspiration for your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful Sunday!