Our Week in Meals #347

Good morning, and happy Sunday! July greeted us with the classic heat and humidity of a Central Virginia summer, a bounty of fresh seasonal produce, and sunny afternoons at the pool. 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…

The Sunday morning air was so thick with humidity that we could practically cut it with a knife. Welcome to July in Virginia!

The boys requested Bisquick waffles for breakfast (in the best Belgian waffle maker!),

and I ventured up the road for a walk before the sun really came out.

After lunch, we went to Greene Hills so that Keith and Gibbs could hit golf balls while I took the younger two boys to the pool.

Supper was a classic summer meal: the perfect 15-minute grilled salmon,

a Southern tomato pie,

and 3-ingredient Parmesan roasted yellow squash from my neighbor’s garden. Plus the kids’ favorite store-bought dinner rolls on the side!

If you’re looking for an entertaining read for your next vacation, Jenny Jackson’s Pineapple Street just might fit the bill. Set in Brooklyn, this novel follows three women in a wealthy (and slightly dysfunctional) family. It’s a funny, moving, and smart look at life among New York’s one-percenters — the good, the bad, and the ugly!

An early Monday morning walk to beat the heat…

Our primary outing that day was an appointment in town to submit new passport applications for the kids and myself. No specific trip on the agenda yet, but we’re hoping to be able to travel more in the coming year…

An afternoon on the breezy front porch, while the boys played in the shade of the front yard.

Casey and Spencer wanted to swim at the pool that evening while Keith and Gibbs played a round of golf, so we all ate an early supper before heading out. On the menu: one-skillet peach-glazed chicken (a summertime must-have to use up the peaches on our trees!),

as well as a green salad dressed in Dijon vinaigrette with sliced peaches, fresh basil, feta cheese, and candied pecans,

a pot of white rice, and my weeknight cast iron cornbread.

Swam until closing time!

Tuesday was the Fourth of July, but it felt kind of odd having the holiday in the middle of the week.

We made the most of our time off by getting outside for a morning walk, spending the afternoon at the Graves Mountain Lodge pool (what else to do when it’s over 90 degrees?!), and having a little cookout for supper.

Keith grilled hamburgers and hotdogs,

while I made my grandmother’s potato salad recipe. We also had the leftover tomato pie from Sunday on the side.

Followed by easy peach cobbler for dessert…

…and indoor s’mores because it was way too hot to sit around the firepit outside.

Back to work on Wednesday! I spent the morning testing new recipes in the kitchen, and then took the boys to the pool for a quick swim after lunch.

We stopped at Yoder’s on the way home to pick up some staples for the week (buttermilk and lunch meat), along with local peaches and ice cream for snack!

The hostas are blooming all around the yard and I just love it…

For an easy dinner that evening, I broiled lemon garlic chicken skewers, which we paired with store-bought Naan bread, rice, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, quick pickled red onions, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce. Meals like this are such great ways to take advantage of fresh summer herbs and veggies. I set out the chicken, bread, rice, and toppings buffet-style and let everyone make their own plates — the whole family was happy.

After a morning walk with my friend Ashley, the kids and I spent much of Thursday up in Culpeper running a variety of errands.

We stopped for lunch at Panera, where we also picked up bagels to have on hand for breakfasts. This was the tuna salad sandwich on focaccia with a southwest Caesar salad on the side.

Supper that night included ground beef tacos with all of the toppings (including leftover pickled red onions from the night before), along with tortilla chips, guacamole, store-bought pico de gallo, and this Mexican street corn dip. Always a winner with the kids!

Friday morning!

I took Gibbs to a golf lesson before lunch, and then we all went for a swim in the afternoon.

Dinner was the perfect post-pool summer meal — quick, easy, and it didn’t require the oven! We had my 15-minute shrimp ramen noodles with peanut sauce, along with a side of egg rolls (cooked in the toaster oven) and steamed broccoli.

And that brings us to the weekend! Saturday started with a walk, a trip to the farmer’s market (fresh summer tomatoes = many tomato sandwiches for lunch in the foreseeable future), a grocery pick-up, and some housework and laundry.

So much corn in every direction!

We had a brief swim at the pool before it was closed for thunder, and then went out to dinner at the kids’ favorite restaurant in Sperryville: Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen. It was busy and service was slower than usual, but the food was well worth the wait!

So there you go — another week of easy dinner ideas! I hope that you’ve found some new inspiration for your own table in the days ahead. Have a wonderful Sunday!