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Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week we celebrated both Mother’s Day and a birthday, and wrapped up the last full week of school. All of the highlights from the past few days, 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 was Mother’s Day, and if there’s one thing that every mom knows, it’s that we should always hold our plans loosely. I had arranged a fun-filled day for myself, starting with a get-together with three of my girlfriends at Mollie’s farm, followed by reservations for a fried chicken and brisket lunch with the family at Graves Mountain Lodge, and a soccer game that afternoon. Well, none of it happened — and that’s okay, too!

Poor Casey was still sick with many of the same symptoms that his younger brother experienced the week before, so we cancelled our plans and instead I took him to urgent care. We were grateful for an empty waiting room and a quick visit!

We made the most of a day at home while our patient rested. I baked blueberry scones for breakfast, got outside for a walk, and spent plenty of time on the porch enjoying the sunny, 75-degree day.

Blueberry scone recipe baked and cooling on a wire rack

Keith smoked baby back ribs for dinner (here’s my oven-baked recipe), which we paired with a house salad, canned baked beans, a broccoli slaw that I bought at Yoder’s,

Close up shot of oven baked baby back ribs on a cutting board with a side of sauce

and a skillet of honey butter cornbread.

Pouring honey on a slice of honey butter cornbread.

As far as this week’s reading goes, I really enjoyed Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan. I also liked My Oxford Year by the same author, so I was hopeful that this one would be equally entertaining. Whelan’s novels are well-written, predictable love stories, but they’re also fun, and not just total fluff, either.

Casey was home sick on Monday, so my day largely consisted of getting work done at the computer in between “nurse” duties.

I knew that I had to get Spencer to his soccer practice in Charlottesville that evening, which always means a quick, early dinner after school. I made the shrimp for our shrimp and grits in advance, and then just reheated it while making the quick cheese grits. I also served rice for those family members who don’t like grits (the horror!), and had leftover cornbread and sauteed spinach on the side for some greens.

Overhead shot of a bowl of Cajun shrimp and grits on a wooden table

Tuesday was similar to the day before — Casey home sick, so I cancelled meetings and focused on taking care of him instead.

I was testing a new fried chicken recipe for dinner that night (similar to this one),

White plate full of the best fried chicken tenders recipe

so we had the chicken along with buttermilk biscuits and vinegar coleslaw. Comfort food!

Close overhead image of bowl of old fashioned coleslaw with vinegar

I got out for a walk with my friend Ashley on a beautiful Wednesday morning, and then spent a lot of my day in preparation for Casey’s birthday. I wrapped gifts, and also baked and decorated a vanilla cake.

Keith took Spencer to soccer practice that evening, so we ate skillet lasagna for a quick and easy early supper (love this shortcut one-pan meal!). Plus garlic bread and Caesar salad on the side.

Overhead shot of spoon in a dish of the best easy lasagna recipe

Thursday was Casey’s birthday! We were so glad that he was feeling better and could enjoy his special day.

The only thing this 12-year-old really wanted was a regulation-size (i.e., huge!) soccer goal for the yard. Obviously, he was out there with Spencer at 6:30 a.m. to test it out!

The birthday boy’s dinner request was make-your-own chicken burritos. We used shredded Crock Pot chipotle chicken, which we wrapped inside flour tortillas with optional toppings like lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, cheese, and sour cream. Plus tortilla chips, Spanish rice, and homemade guac on the side.

Close overhead image of a chipotle chicken bowl with tons of toppings.

And the best vanilla cake for dessert!

The best vanilla cake recipe with a candle in the top

Friday included leftover birthday cake for breakfast (of course!), a short walk, a stop at Yoder’s for our weekly groceries once I dropped the boys off at school, and then a day at the computer to catch up on all of the work that I didn’t do when I was tending to sick kiddos over the past few weeks!

We had an early dinner before Gibbs’s golf lesson, which included Spencer’s favorite Crock Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken, along with rice, steamed broccoli, and frozen egg rolls.

Close overhead shot of a bowl of crock pot brown sugar chicken

We spent Saturday morning on the soccer fields for Spencer’s last game of the season,

and then I made a pot of chicken and stars soup for lunch. Spencer has been requesting this meal for weeks, so I finally remembered to add the ingredients to my shopping list. It’s not necessarily soup season right now, but this is a year-round favorite with the boys.

Homemade chicken and stars soup recipe on a wooden dinner table

I was ready for a night off from the kitchen, so we went to Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen for supper. Always a winner!

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

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Square overhead shot of hands serving a chicken pot pie recipe with biscuits
Overhead image of a bowl of chili mac on a dinner table with cornbread
Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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Comments

  1. Thank you, Blair! So glad Casey felt well enough to celebrate his special day! I have a potluck picnic in a couple of weeks and plan to make two of your recipes to take to it!

      1. The crockpot garlic chicken looks like something my family would love. So happy he was well for his birthday. I know for holidays we sometimes just have to go with the flow that wasn’t part of the plan. But, it usually works out. So happy he was well for his birthday. Pictures are all beautiful. Have a really blessed week. Melody

        1. That’s absolutely right. Thanks, Melody! I hope you’ll try that Crock Pot chicken. The kids love it! 🙂

  2. So sorry your Mom’s Day didn’t work out as you had hoped, but it definitely demonstrated why we should be grateful for you and all dedicated moms every day!

  3. Good morning Blair!
    Happy Sunday to you and your family!
    I have 2-3 recipes picked out that I’m going to try.
    Thank you for your time, you have some wonderful ideas.
    Enjoy the rest of your day Blair!

  4. Hey, Nurse Blair! What a relief that the boys are all back to health and active sports. I think I might be reading about these soccer stars in the future. I have been making a similar cornbread
    salad for several years and always get rave reviews. The only differences in my recipe are the
    addition of black beans (rinsed), whole kernel corn (drained), no celery, and ranch dressing. This is perfect for tailgates and potlucks and is so easy to put together. Have an awesome, healthy last week of school!

    1. Hi, Stephanie! Thanks so much for your sweet note. Yes, your cornbread salad is a version I’ve also had before — delicious! I need to make one soon! 🙂

  5. Sure glad Casey was well for his birthday! I hope that virus is behind all of you now. I know that you have to take the boys swimming and walking a LOT during summer vacation. Hopefully they will be able to burn off some of that energy with that soccer goal while you get some things done at home. Feel free to reschedule Mother’s day now that everyones well.