Our Week in Meals #473

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included another birthday celebration and our first snow day of the season. 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…

Gibbs turned 16 on Sunday! We went to church in the morning, and then had a fairly quiet day at the house. It was pretty cold out, so bowls of warm white turkey chili (reheated from the freezer) scooped with tortilla chips hit the spot for lunch.

The rest of the afternoon included opening gifts and watching football and soccer on TV. Clothes, accessories (like a watch and belts), plus golf gear were all at the top of the wish list! In Virginia you have to be 16 + 3 months old to drive, so he’s got a little bit longer to wait for the keys to the truck…

Gibbs planned the menu for his birthday dinner: shrimp po boys, fries, and coleslaw…

…with easy banana pudding for dessert. It never disappoints…

Let’s chat books! This week I read Anne of Avenue A by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding, the third book in the “For the Love of Austen” series. It’s a perfect one for the holiday season!

In this novel, Anne and Freddie are thrown back into each other’s lives after nearly a decade apart, and all those old sparks start flying again as they navigate nosy neighbors, holiday chaos, and the lingering feelings they never really dealt with. It’s a cozy, modern spin on Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

The kids weren’t happy about it, but after a long holiday weekend we were back to school and work on Monday morning.

I got out for a short walk with the dog, then spent the rest of the day in the kitchen updating the photos for a couple of old recipes.

Right on schedule, the Christmas cactus that my mother-in-law gave me last year is blooming again!

Once Casey was home from soccer with his friends that night, we had a Dutch oven pot roast for supper. Plus a loaf of Ashley’s sourdough bread, which makes perfect pot roast sandwiches when it’s toasted. Comfort food!

The boys were so happy to have a 2-hour delay on Tuesday morning, thanks to a winter weather advisory. In the end, it only rained…so they got some extra sleep and off they went!

I made a pot of easy Italian sausage tortellini soup that evening, plus some garlic breadsticks (from the freezer) and a green side salad.

After a morning walk with Ashley and our dogs, Wednesday was a long work day in the kitchen for me (testing out a number of new recipes and washing zillions of dishes).

Casey had soccer practice that evening, so we ate a quick, early supper before Keith took him to Charlottesville. On the menu: spaghetti (using some homemade sauce from the freezer), plus garlic bread and salad. Two nights in a row of pasta and my boys were not complaining…

Thursday started with a walk with Mollie and Adria, followed by a day of work at the computer.

Keith took Casey to another soccer practice that night, while I made fried chicken sandwiches for supper. Paired with frozen waffle fries and cut-up veggies with dip…

We got a light dusting of snow on Friday morning, which meant a day off of school for the kids.

Another long weekend made this crew very happy!

In spite of the weather, Gibbs had a golf lesson that evening, so I picked up pizzas for supper on the way home. The perfect low-key Friday night!

And that brings us to the weekend! Keith and Casey left the house early on Saturday morning for soccer in Fredericksburg, while I stayed home with the other two boys to take them to haircuts and Spencer to a birthday party.

We went from fall to winter practically overnight…

I made a chicken and stuffing casserole for supper, along with steamed broccoli, canned cranberry sauce,

and gingerbread muffins (minus the streusel and glaze so that they’d be less sweet for supper). ‘Tis the season!

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