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Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a holiday, fall décor (in spite of the heat wave), and plenty of cozy autumn recipes. 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.
This Week’s Recipes
Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
Keith and Casey were still in Richmond for Casey’s soccer tournament on Sunday, while I was home with the other two boys. I took a walk before it got too hot, picked up groceries, and baked a pie for dessert.
Once everyone was back home, we had a classic Labor Day weekend cookout for supper, including grilled hamburgers and hot dogs…
…along with baked potato wedges, canned baked beans, and corn.
Plus my mom’s easy apple pie.
P.S. — The Seasoned Mom aprons are perfect for all of your future fall baking!
Let’s chat about this week’s book! I recently read The Legacies by Jessica Goodman, which was a light-but-entertaining thriller set in the old-money elite social circles of New York City. Complete with backstabbing and blackmail, twisty secrets, and a dead body, this one keeps you turning the pages to figure out how it will all end…
Monday was Labor Day, and our family spent the holiday at the house — catching up on yard work, indoor chores, and resting after a busy few weeks.
Keith made this buttermilk marinated chicken, but grilled the meat instead of roasting it.
On the side, we had vinegar coleslaw, dinner rolls, and a skillet of Southern cornbread.
Tuesday marked a return to school for the boys, and a return to work (at home) for me and Keith.
The morning was nice and cool, but the temperature quickly rose and hovered right around the 100 degree mark for most of the week. Even Spencer’s soccer practice was shortened that night — it was just way too hot to do anything outside.
In spite of the summer-like weather, my mind has definitely switched into “fall mode” — and our dinners this week reflected that!🍁🍂 I thawed a batch of turkey chili from the freezer and heated that up for supper once everyone was home from practice. On the side, we had corn chips for scooping, as well as homemade guacamole.
Wednesday included a morning walk with my friend Ashley, some work at the computer at home, and dinner prep in advance of another busy evening.
I made my mother-in-law’s lasagna recipe early in the day, and then just popped it in the oven for a quick meal before heading to Charlottesville for Spencer’s soccer practice.
We paired the lasagna with my current favorite kale apple salad with bacon and creamy poppy seed dressing (subbing romaine for the kale, since my boys are not on board with kale!), as well as half of a loaf of garlic bread that I pulled from the freezer.
Once all of our boys were out the door, Mollie and I met for a walk in the woods on Thursday morning. The shade of the trees was our attempt to stay cool in the oppressive heat!
I assembled our dinner early in the day again, since Keith was in charge of putting it in the oven later that night. Keith took Gibbs to golf, I took Casey to soccer, and we all reunited at the table for our favorite chicken and stuffing casserole, steamed broccoli, cranberry sauce, and rolls. Of all of the casserole recipes I make, this is definitely the kids’ favorite.
Ashley and I walked our dogs together on Friday morning, and then I ran errands in Culpeper while Teddy went to the groomer. I’m happy to report that fall items are on full display in Target! I came home with more than my fair share — including this sparkling water and this sparkling water, this Harvest Trail Mix variety pack, pumpkin pie granola, and so much more. Love this Pumpkin Woods candle!
I’m also happy to report that this is a delicious “seasonal offering”! Apple crisp ice cream swirled with caramel and oatmeal pieces…say no more.
Keith was away that evening for a baseball game with his brothers, so I took Spencer to soccer practice, and then picked up pizzas for dinner. The perfect low-effort Friday night meal!
And these beautiful skies were a lovely way to end the week…
After a walk with my friend Barbara on Saturday morning, I spent some time pulling out our fall decorations, and also baked these dessert bars for Keith’s birthday.
He saw the recipe on Instagram and immediately sent it my way! Talk about decadent (but easy): you just layer store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough, Hershey bars, peanut butter, graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, and more cookie dough in a pan — and then bake! It’s like a cross between blondies, s’mores, and Reese’s cups…
The rest of our day was spent at the soccer fields in Charlottesville. First for Spencer’s game, and then for Casey’s game. We were planning to go out for Keith’s birthday dinner afterwards, but the second game was delayed due to thunderstorms. Everyone was tired and hungry, so instead we grabbed takeout subs and headed home to watch college football!
Steak and cheese for me!
There you have it — another week of easy dinner ideas! 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!
Beautiful photos!! i, too, am so ready for fall-especially the coolness! Our high on Friday was 112 degrees. This week is supposed to be cooler-highs in the 80s! I will be cooking more this week! I can’t wait to try some of your recipes! Have a blessed and cooler week!!
Hope you can enjoy some cooler temps!
I absolutely agree with the boys – chicken and stuffing casserole is THE BEST; only we call it “hot chicken salad”!
Fall is absolutely my favorite season so SO READY for fall!
Thanks, Cathy! Have a great week!
I always love your photos! How do you stay so organized with your dinners with such a busy schedule? Do you plan your meals weekly?
Thanks, Lisa! Yes — I absolutely have to plan our meals each week in order to have the right groceries in the house. I generally look at our calendar for the week ahead, and then jot down meal ideas that might work for each evening (given what’s on the schedule). I do this with some flexibility, though — knowing that we might need to move meals around depending on how the week plays out. For instance, if I’m driving boys to soccer practice at meal time, I’ll try to come up with a dinner that I can prep in advance so that it’s ready when we get back. If Keith’s the one driving to Charlottesville for sports, then I can be home to cook something. I also try to keep in mind some variety — usually a couple of chicken dinners, pork or seafood, ground beef, and maybe a meatless option. We typically have some sort of pasta, a Mexican-inspired meal, maybe a soup or sandwich (depending on the season), sometimes a slow cooker option, and often a casserole.
I don’t love the process of meal planning, but it saves my sanity during the week. At this point, I have it down to a routine so that it doesn’t take me very long either. I often do it while I’m waiting for the boys to finish a sports practice. Then I order my groceries online so that I just have to swing by the store to pick them up. Such a time saver!
I sure do miss the autumns of my childhood in West Virginia. I’m glad you mention your seasonal purchases since the only way I can really have autumn is to purchase it, especially here in New Mexico. Sure, Halloween candy and decorations have been on display since school started but you and I both know that’s not all there is to autumn. Looks like you’ve been having the really hot temperatures we’ve had all summer and are still having, for the most part. Your autumn recipes look delicious for when I finally want to turn on the range and stove.
I’ve been concerned about Gibbs. I know he loves his golf but you haven’t mentioned him and soccer for a long time. I hope he’s doing ok. I suppose he may have more homework now that he’s in junior high or school extracurricular activities but I just wanted to double check. Please tell him I said “Hello”
Hi, Marion! Gibbs is great! He doesn’t play soccer, but he golfs a couple of times each week. He’s also an almost-14-year-old, so I try to respect his privacy and only take his photo with his consent. It’s a delicate balance!
That’s good news. He did used to play soccer, right? I know children switch in and out of activities and, I guess, especially when school is in session, one sport at a time is enough. My brother played with the high school golf team when he was in school. That was in the early to mid 1970s. I don’t know if that is available in your area or if Gibbs prefers to either go solo or with his Dad.
Of course, you do want to reserve his privacy and only take his photo when he’s willing. I suppose his opinion may change from one day to the next at his age!
Take care!
Hi Blair
I hope all is OK. I haven’t received any of ur recipes since # 356, showing a Cider chicken and how to cook.
When you have a chance, could you check for me, please. They show dated Sept.
I appreciate ur help. You are missed.
Hi, Anne Marie! All is well! The regular Sunday posts have been published each week as usual. You can always find the newest posts on my website here:https://www.theseasonedmom.com/
My email folks are looking into your email address to see if we can figure out why you have been unable to receive the weekly emails. Sometimes readers accidentally mark the emails as “spam” in their inbox, and then they will no longer be delivered. We’ll check and let you know what happened!
Hi, Anne Marie — just to follow up, our email team fixed something on your backend that was blocking you from receiving the emails. Hopefully you’re all set going forward. Keep your eye out for a new email on Sunday morning!