Our Week in Meals #460

Good morning, and happy Sunday! We welcomed September with a long Labor Day weekend, a cookbook update, and easy weeknight suppers. 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 returned to the soccer fields in Richmond for Day 2 of his tournament on Sunday, while Keith and the older boys played 18 holes of golf. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely perfect all weekend, making just about any outdoor activity lovely.

Spotted this hot air balloon across the street when I took the dog out that morning!

We were all home in time for supper, so we had an easy Labor Day “cookout” — grilled hamburgers,

Jiffy corn casserole, and a tomato salad with fresh basil.

Let’s talk about books! This week I read When We Meet Again by Kristin Harmel, which Adria passed along to me after she really enjoyed it. This novel follows Emily Emerson, a woman reeling from loss who receives a mysterious painting of her grandmother with a note that hints at a long-lost love. Her search for answers uncovers a hidden chapter of history involving WWII POW camps in Florida, leading her on a journey from the Everglades to Germany. It was very entertaining!

Monday was a holiday, so the kids were home from school.

Keith and I got out for an early walk, I took Spencer to get a haircut, Casey met friends at the high school to play soccer, and Gibbs had a friend over.

I made chicken and noodles for supper (a favorite for Casey and Spencer),

which we paired with a basket of Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuits and apple butter,

and a salad with homemade Ranch dressing (use the leftover buttermilk from your biscuits to make the salad dressing!).

Back to work and school on Tuesday morning!

These cooler temps were starting to feel like early-fall…

Gibbs had golf practice and Spencer had soccer in Charlottesville, so we ate a late supper once everyone was back home. I was testing a new soup recipe earlier that day, so I just reheated the leftovers (it’s similar to this 30-minute meatball tortellini soup). Plus a side of garlic bread, of course!

Wednesday started with an early check-up at the dermatologist in town, followed by a little bit of work that afternoon, before heading back into Charlottesville for Spencer’s soccer practice that evening.

Mid-afternoon walk — the “neighbors” came over to say hi to Teddy…

Lunchtime traffic!

Gibbs had a golf match, Spence had soccer, and Casey went to youth group, so we all ate in shifts at various points. I thawed some leftover taco meat from the freezer, which we used to make ground beef nachos and soft tacos. Plus homemade guac on the side!

I received my first (non-proof) copy of my cookbook on Thursday!! It will officially “launch” on Tuesday, so my email subscribers and Instagram followers will be the first to receive the details. It will be available on Amazon and local readers will also be able to purchase signed copies at Yoder’s Country Market here in Madison. Stay tuned!!

Gibbs had a golf match a couple of hours away that evening, and Keith was working late, so Spencer, Casey, and I had dinner at Waffle House while we were in town! Spence loves nothing more than a diner, so of course this was a big hit…

Friday morning Pilates with Ashley and Adria in Culpeper, plus a Dunkin stop for my first pumpkin donut and iced sugar cookie pumpkin coffee of the season (best things I ate all week!)…

I had a couple of work calls mid-day, and then joined Mollie for an afternoon walk before I picked the kids up from school.

Fridays are always crazy evenings for us with golf practice, the high school football game, and back-to-back soccer practices in Charlottesville. As a result, I need meals that can be packed in coolers and enjoyed on the go! That night I made shrimp rolls, which we paired with potato chips and fresh fruit. Prep-ahead and done!

That brings us to the weekend! Our Saturday was fairly quiet, so we took advantage of the downtime and checked a few errands off of our to-do list, restocked the kitchen, and pulled out the fall decorations.

For lunch, I reheated a batch of stuffed pepper soup that I thawed from the freezer. Even if you don’t love stuffed peppers, you just might love this meal!

We went out to dinner at Bald Top brewery here in Madison for Keith’s early birthday celebration.

We had wood-fired pizzas and brownie sundaes, including my “Queen Bee” pizza: pepperoni, jalapenos, and hot honey. Sweet, spicy, and delicious!

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. Thank you for being here and have a wonderful Sunday!