Our Week in Meals #440

Good morning, and happy Easter and Passover to those who celebrate! This week included beautiful spring weather, kids’ sports, and holiday prep. 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…

We went to church on Sunday morning, and I had a pimento cheese sandwich for lunch in honor of The Masters. Hah!

Adria came over for a walk that afternoon, while Keith and Gibbs played a round of golf. Taking advantage of a gorgeous day!

We had grilled salmon for dinner,

along with a broccoli grape salad and store-bought yeast rolls.

Book time! After finishing Wild, Dark, Shore (which was heavy but so, so wonderful), I was in the mood for something much lighter. First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison was the perfect answer. This cute romance is based on the plot from the movie Sleepless in Seattle, and it turned out to be a fun “beach read” while we were on Spring Break!

The kids returned to school on Monday morning, Ashley and I walked our dogs together, and I spent most of the rest of the day getting work done at the computer.

Casey and Spencer both had soccer that night at different times, so we ate dinner in two different shifts. On the menu: flatbread pizzas (topped with pepperoni and leftover cooked Italian sausage that I had stashed in the freezer from a previous meal),

plus a house salad with candied pecans on the side. Tip: use store-bought candied pecans for a quick weeknight option.

Tuesday included another morning walk with Ashley, followed by a golf lesson before lunch.

Keith was traveling, and we had a full schedule that evening — Casey’s soccer game plus a late practice for Spencer in Charlottesville afterwards — so a homemade dinner just wasn’t going to happen. Subway to the rescue! I picked up an order that afternoon (it’s right across from the high school), packed a cooler, and fed the boys as we were on-the-go throughout the evening.

It was a beautiful Wednesday to get outside with Mollie and Adria.

Teddy went to the groomer, I stopped at Yoder’s to pick up some groceries, and I made myself (yet another) pastrami Reuben for lunch using a fresh loaf of Ashley’s sourdough.

In my mailbox that day: my grilled salmon recipe featured in the current issue of Farmhouse Style magazine. Have you tried it yet?!

After Casey’s soccer practice, Gibbs’ golf, and before Youth Group that evening, we squeezed in this easy 4-ingredient crescent roll ground beef casserole for supper…

…which I served with a side of tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, and corn.

I got out for a short walk on Thursday, sat at my desk for a number of Zoom meetings…

…and baked a batch of easy chocolate chip cookies. For an Easter spin, I added Cadbury mini eggs (both coarsely chopped and whole on top). So pretty, and these were definitely a hit with my boys!

It was another late night on-the-go, as Casey had an away game in Rappahannock County and Spencer had practice in Charlottesville. I cooked dinner earlier in the afternoon, and then just reheated everything at various points. We had breakfast-for-dinner (always Spencer’s favorite): Bisquick waffles (with a secret ingredient), fresh fruit, and maple bacon from Yoder’s.

Friday!

It was a fairly quiet day at the house, followed by a busy evening with the kids.

Gibbs had a golf lesson and Casey had another soccer game at the high school, so we sat down for a later dinner once everyone was back home. On the menu: pesto cream pasta with chicken and broccoli, plus garlic bread and a simple green salad on the side.

And that brings us to the weekend!

Spencer had a game in Charlottesville on Saturday morning, Casey and I got out for a walk that afternoon, and I otherwise spent time in the kitchen baking for the holiday.

I made my strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting for our Easter dessert,

and prepped a batch of blackberry muffins to have with fruit and bacon this morning before church. The blackberries have been so good at the store recently!

We took the easy route for dinner since I was ready for a break from cooking. Instead, Keith picked up pizzas and we called it an early night!

So 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!