Our Week in Meals #452

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a botanical garden, a lot of golf, and plenty of time with friends. 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…

Keith and the older two boys were golfing with family up at Wintergreen on Sunday, while Spence and I had a quiet morning at home.

We went over to Adria’s farm to pick flowers before lunch. Her dahlias are popping!

For dinner we had pesto pasta…

…but instead of shrimp, Keith grilled salmon.

On the side, my new favorite summer peach salad and garlic bread.

And for dessert, this Bisquick peach cobbler (’tis the season!) — featuring the last of the peaches that Casey picked the week before.

Let’s chat books! This week I read Count My Lies by Sophie Stava, a smart, fast-paced psychological thriller that follows a compulsive liar who infiltrates the seemingly perfect life of a wealthy couple — only to uncover secrets far darker than her own. It’s a gripping, twist-filled read that will have you guessing until the very end!

Monday started with an early walk, and included a lot of computer work for me.

All three kids joined me on my weekly Yoder’s run that afternoon because they all wanted ice cream! Food is the greatest motivator for teenage boys…

The younger boys went to play soccer at the high school that evening, so we had an early supper beforehand. On the menu: grilled steak tips,

baked potato wedges, steamed broccoli florets, and a box of Rice-a-Roni.

We got an early start on Tuesday, since Casey had to be at the high school for an orientation and Gibbs had a tee time to play golf with a friend.

I photographed a couple of recipes while the boys were busy, and took care of the usual house chores.

Since I grabbed some beautiful heirloom tomatoes at Yoder’s the day before, tomato sandwiches (add bacon, since I was cooking it for dinner anyway!) were on my lunch menu…

On a hot summer evening, hearty salads really fit the bill for a light-yet-satisfying supper. I assembled Chick-Fil-A cobb salads that day, which we paired with waffle fries and fresh fruit. This is the Chick-Fil-A avocado lime ranch dressing that I buy for the salads. For those boys who don’t think a salad constitutes dinner, I used the Just Bare chicken patties to make Chick-Fil-A style chicken sandwiches (with cheese, pickles, and Chick-Fil-A sauce).

I took Teddy to the vet on Wednesday morning, and then met Ashley for walk afterwards.

We ate an early supper before the kids were supposed to go fishing with the Youth Group that evening (ultimately, it was canceled due to thunderstorms): Crock Pot turkey Sloppy Joes…

…and classic pasta salad. Both easy, convenient options that I could prep ahead.

Casey, Khloe, and I went to the botanical garden in Richmond on a cooler, cloudier Thursday.

He has always loved exploring these paths!

For a late supper after the boys’ weightlifting, I had beef barbacoa ready and waiting for us in the Crock Pot. We made tacos and paired them with tortilla chips, guacamole, rice, corn, and pico de gallo — just like Chipotle!

Adria and I met for Pilates on Friday morning,

and then I took Spencer and a friend to ride bikes at a park in Culpeper.

Of course, we stopped for ice cream at the Ole Country Store on the way home!

Then it was off to Gibbs’ golf lesson, home briefly to feed everyone a quick dinner, and then back out the door to take Casey and Spencer to soccer. I’m basically my kids’ Uber driver these days…

We had a really light, flavorful summer meal — cast iron chicken breast,

which I paired with stewed tomatoes, garlic and olive oil couscous, and a simple arugula salad tossed with the leftover dressing from the peach salad earlier in the week.

I spent Saturday morning at Mollie’s farm, Keith and the older boys played some golf, and we took Spencer to watch a friend’s basketball game later in the afternoon.

It was a rare night off from the kitchen for me, as Keith and I went to the local Italian spot for dinner. I had the BBQ chicken pizza with caramelized onions, and it was a tasty change!

So there you have it, friends — another week of easy summer dinners! 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!