Our Week in Meals #317

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week we played hockey, soccer, and golf, read a few good books, and enjoyed plenty of cozy recipes. All of the highlights, along with each of our dinners, are included in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.

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 morning started with warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast (which I prepped the day before — I don’t wake up that early!), followed by a walk with three of my friends at Mollie’s farm.

Back home, I made myself a mug of holiday tea that I picked up when we were in Williamsburg for Spencer’s soccer tournament last month. I also just ordered this one, which also looks great, and have this one for a caffeine-free option.

I canned a batch of Christmas jam that afternoon, which makes the house smell so good while it simmers. The jars are now stashed away to share with the neighbors in the coming weeks!

Keith grilled salmon for supper since the weather was nice,

and we paired the fish with rice, store-bought crescent rolls, and Arkansas green beans with bacon.

Let’s dive into this week’s book recommendations! First up, The Trespasser by Tana French. While I haven’t read the previous books in this author’s Dublin Murder Squad series, I had no trouble following along with the characters or plot. The entertaining mystery-thriller kept me turning the pages! Here’s a quick summary from Amazon:

In bestselling author Tana French’s newest “tour de force” (The New York Times), being on the Murder Squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad she’s there. The rest of her working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks, and harassment. Antoinette is savagely tough, but she’s getting close to the breaking point. 
 
Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’ quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed-to-a-shine, and dead in her catalog-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There’s nothing unusual about her—except that Antoinette’s seen her somewhere before.
 
And that her death won’t stay in its neat by-numbers box. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinn’s boyfriend, fast. There’s a shadowy figure at the end of Antoinetteʼs road. Aislinnʼs friend is hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the glossy, passive doll she seemed to be.
 
Antoinette knows the harassment has turned her paranoid, but she can’t tell just how far gone she is. Is this case another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or are there darker currents flowing beneath its polished surface?

I also read another really great book this week! I picked up The Maidens by Alex Michaelides because I enjoyed his other novel, The Silent Patient. This psychological suspense weaves together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession…with a shocking twist. It’s definitely a fun read if you like this type of drama!

And finally, a predictable and unrealistic fluffy read that was very welcome after the more intense books: Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. It’s nothing extraordinary, but a fun romance that you’ll fly through…

The kids returned to school on Monday morning, I met my friend Ashley for an early walk, and then I spent the rest of the day testing new recipes in the kitchen.

The younger two boys had roller hockey practice that night, so I served a quick and easy early dinner beforehand: homemade Sloppy Joe’s, along with potato chips, carrots and celery sticks, and ranch dip.

It rained off and on all of Tuesday, which meant a quiet work day at the house — Zoom meetings, photo editing, writing, etc. Here’s a cozy scene from the table in my office on an otherwise nasty, damp day!

I let the slow cooker do the work for dinner that night, so we had Crock Pot Mexican chicken tacos, along with homemade guacamole, tortilla chips, corn and beans, and salsa. Always a winner, and this meal couldn’t be easier!

Not too much to report from Wednesday! I went for a walk with Keith, ran some errands in town, and got work done at the computer.

We had pork schnitzel and mushroom gravy for supper,

along with rosemary roasted potatoes, store-bought sauerkraut, and marinated cucumbers. All of the boys loved this meal!

The sun returned on Thursday morning, so I met my friend Mollie for an early walk once the kids were off to school…

…and then headed into Charlottesville for a lunch date with my parents at BJ’s Brewhouse. Mom and I both had the broccoli cheddar soup with Caesar salads on the side, which hit the spot!

I made one-pot pasta with ground beef for supper…

…plus garlic bread and salad on the side.

Finally Friday! It felt like a looooong week for some reason. The kids still have another week and a half left of school, but they’re getting antsy and ready for a break.

I met my friend Ashley for a walk, and then stopped at Yoder’s for the weekly re-stock of buttermilk, lunch meat, peanut butter, and this week, a bag of Christmas ribbon candy that Casey requested. So old-fashioned, but still good!

Gibbs had golf that afternoon, and Keith took the younger boys to the hockey rink, so I planned a meal that would be waiting for us when we returned home at dinnertime: slow cooker white chicken chili,

with a side of Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn (baked earlier in the day).

Keith and Casey spent most of Saturday in Fredericksburg for Casey’s soccer, while I stayed home with the other two boys. I joined my friend Barbara for a walk, took care of house chores, and watched the World Cup games on TV.

We had three of Gibbs’ friends over that afternoon, and everyone stayed for dinner — takeout pizza from Giovanna’s to feed the group!

Gibbs requested these easy chocolate chip cookies for dessert, which always disappear fast!

And that’s it for now, friends! I hope that you’ve found some new dinner inspiration for your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful Sunday!