Our Week in Meals #384

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included fresh air with friends, the regular juggle of work, school, and kids’ activities, and a good mystery-thriller. You’ll find all of the highlights from the past few days, along with each of our dinners, 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 were still in Virginia Beach on Sunday for his soccer tournament.

He played his last game of the weekend around lunchtime, and then we hit the road and made it back to the mountains of Madison County by dinnertime.

Keith was in charge of supper at home, which included marinated and grilled chicken thighs, a pan of Sister Schubert’s rolls, a packet of rice, and a salad. Simple, quick, and tasty!

Let’s chat about books! This week I read The Whispers by Ashley Audrain, a mystery-thriller about the secrets in relationships that take place behind closed doors. Like the author’s previous novel, The Push, this one had an ending that I didn’t see coming. Love that!

Monday morning arrived too soon, and Spencer and I both agreed that we needed another weekend to recover from our weekend. It was tough to get out of bed! Nevertheless, the boys returned to school and I met my friend Ashley for a walk with our dogs.

I ran a few errands in Culpeper, edited photos at the computer, and caught up on some house chores. Once the boys were home, we had an early dinner so that I could get Spencer to his late soccer practice. On the menu: the easiest beef burritos, tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole, and a can of seasoned corn and beans.

Highlights from Tuesday included pimento cheese and crackers for lunch (Wheat Thins are my fav),

and a mid-day visit at Adria’s farm. We walked some hills, soaked up some sun, and checked out the progress in her gardens. Simple pleasures!

Keith took Casey to soccer that evening, so I had dinner ready and waiting when they were back home: sheet pan smoked sausage and potatoes. Plus roasted zucchini that I added to the oven at the same time.

Wednesday started with a walk in the woods with Mollie, a Zoom meeting, and more not-so-exciting work at the computer.

It was one of those nights when we had multiple kids’ activities on the calendar, so we were coming and going at different times. I prepped dinner in the morning, and then let everyone eat at different times before and after practices. We had Crock Pot Coca-Cola chicken on sandwich rolls along with coleslaw, pickles, and potato chips.

Other than a morning walk with Keith and a quick run to the grocery store before lunch, Thursday was a quiet work day at the house.

Casey’s soccer practice was canceled, so we had a rare evening without anything on the schedule. I made homemade meatballs to serve with pasta, and included a creamy Caesar salad and garlic bread on the side. Always a favorite meal for Keith and the kids!

I spent a cloudy Friday morning in Culpeper for a Pilates class with Adria,

and then devoted the rest of my day to recipe testing in the kitchen.

Keith took Gibbs to a golf lesson after school, while I stayed home with the other two boys and made dinner. Casey helped me make the garlic butter shrimp with Old Bay, which we paired with rice, steamed green beans, and dinner rolls.

And that brings us to the weekend! It poured rain on Saturday, so Spencer’s soccer game in Richmond was canceled and we were suddenly looking at a free morning. Keith and the boys watched a movie and got lunch in Culpeper, while I spent a few hours sorting through the kids’ spring and summer clothes, cleaning out dressers, and getting everyone’s closets organized for the season. It’s a daunting task that I always dread, and I’m now relieved that it’s done!

We all got hair cuts that afternoon, and Keith grilled chicken wings for dinner (here’s my oven-baked version if that’s your preference).

I added red skin mashed potatoes, a house salad (using store-bought candied pecans), a skillet of cornbread, and baked beans on the side to round out the meal. The salad, baked beans, and cornbread are enough of a meal for me, but the boys wouldn’t agree…

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