Our Week in Meals #357

Good morning, and happy Sunday! It was another routine week around here, complete with kids’ sports, sweet fall treats, and a good book. 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…

Spencer and I left before the sunrise on Sunday morning for his soccer game up in Northern Virginia.

Back home, I made my mom’s crab cakes for dinner,

…along with Old Bay roasted potatoes, coleslaw, and cornbread. A classic meal that I grew up on! This was a belated birthday dinner for Keith, who was gone on his actual birthday last week.

And because it’s finally fall, an easy apple strudel for dessert! This idea was courtesy of my mom, and I’ll be sharing the recipe soon.

Let’s chat books! I recently finished an entertaining thriller: You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose. I love a page-turner with a good surprise twist at the end! This one was set on an idyllic ranch in Wyoming, which was a fun backdrop for the romance, mystery, and creepy plot.

Back to work and school on Monday morning! After a short walk up the road, I spent most of the day in the kitchen testing new recipes.

I took Gibbs and Spencer to orthodontist appointments that afternoon, and Keith took Casey and Spencer to their soccer practices in Charlottesville that evening. Once we were all back at the house, we had a late supper that included a dump-and-bake meatball casserole with veggies, as well as a Caesar salad and a baguette from Panera.

Ashley and I walked our dogs together on Tuesday morning, and then I made a couple of stops on my way home.

First, Yoder’s to restock our buttermilk, lunch meat, dairy, and peanut butter, and to say “hi” to the goats.

Next, Madison Gardens for pumpkins to add to our porches and a couple of bags of fresh local apples (my absolute favorite)!

I took Casey to soccer that night, and left Keith in charge of the pulled pork nachos for supper. We used pulled pork bbq from Yoder’s, so this meal came together in a matter of minutes. Plus homemade guac, store-bought pico de gallo, and corn on the side.

Wednesday was a fairly quiet work day at the house.

I went for a morning walk,

baked a batch of salted chocolate chip cookies, and checked off my to-do list on the computer.

Before Spencer’s practice that evening, we had chicken and broccoli stir-fry for an early supper, along with rice and frozen egg rolls.

After an early morning walk in the woods with Mollie, I spent the rest of my Thursday cooking and taking photos of a couple of recipes.

Gibbs had golf that afternoon, and Casey had soccer practice. When we all got back home for a late dinner, I kept our meal about as simple as possible: chicken tikka masala using this jar of simmer sauce that I picked up from Target last week.

I warmed the sauce in a skillet with some shredded rotisserie chicken, and served the meat and sauce with naan bread and steamed green beans. Those unmentioned boys who didn’t want tikka masala used the same naan to make flatbread pizzas!

I met Ashley for a walk on Friday morning, and then headed up to Culpeper to run a couple of errands.

The boys and I had appointments to get our flu shots that afternoon, so I picked them up early from school. Once done, we were off to soccer practices and the golf course (again).

For an easy supper, I made a batch of Bisquick waffles in advance, which we could just toast when we returned home. Plus yogurt, fresh fruit, and maple sausage on the side!

Saturday started with a loaf of our favorite one-bowl pumpkin bread. So easy, and so perfect for the season!

Our day included soccer games for both Casey and Spencer, and a birthday get-together with friends for Gibbs. I guess when you’re in 8th grade it’s no longer called a “birthday party.” Hah!

By the end of a busy day, we were all ready for a low-key evening, which included takeout pizza and a salad tossed with leftover poppy seed dressing that I quickly tossed together to clean out the veggie drawer…and college football on TV!

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