Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, and lots of chocolate. 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.
This Week’s Meals
Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
Our frozen tundra seemed like it would never melt! We spent Sunday at the indoor soccer facility in Charlottesville for Spencer’s game in the morning, and then Casey’s game in the afternoon.
We made it home in time for the Super Bowl, and planned a meal that we could enjoy while watching the game. The boys requested this easy buffalo chicken dip, which we paired with chips, crackers, and cut-up carrots and celery.
To round out the spread, I served baked breaded chicken tenders and pigs in a blanket. A fun, snacky meal that everyone always enjoys!
In between football, college basketball, and Olympics-watching, I did manage to read a good book this week, too: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson.
In this novel, a young woman with no clear future after World War I is swept into a circle of unconventional women who ride motorcycles, dream of flying, and refuse to give up the independence they found during the war. As friendships deepen and romance quietly blooms, she must decide what kind of life she truly wants in a world that is trying to push women back into the past.
The kids returned to school on Monday morning, while Keith and I got back to work. I also managed to squeeze in a lunchtime walk, a quick stop at Yoder’s for groceries, and a trip to Culpeper for the car wash and Target.
Spencer was supposed to start outdoor soccer training that evening, but it was cancelled since the field was frozen! Instead, I set out an Asian-inspired spread for supper: Spencer and Casey requested lo mein, while Gibbs wanted California roll bowls. There’s not really any “cooking” involved in the California roll bowls, so that was an easy addition…
I set out the noodles, along with all of the fixin’s for the bowls, and just let each boy assemble his own hodge-podge plate. I also added some egg rolls on the side, since I had those in the freezer.
Mollie came over for a walk on a beautiful Tuesday morning, I ran a couple of errands in town, and then I sat down at the computer for the rest of the afternoon.
Spencer’s soccer practice was cancelled again (not a surprise, given the lingering snow and ice), which meant another quiet evening of Olympics-watching at home.
I took advantage of some leftover meatballs in the freezer and made these easy meatball subs for supper, paired with French fries and cut-up veggies and dip.
Note: Reusing the meatballs in this way is just one of the many suggestions that I included in my collection of “Cook Once, Eat Twice Meals.” I hope that you find it helpful! The chest freezer is my best friend…especially on busy weeknights.
More thawing out on Wednesday…
It was so nice to feel some warmer temps again!
Made my favorite chicken salad for lunch (perfect for scooping with crackers or stuffing in sandwiches)…
I also prepped a hamburger noodle casserole that afternoon so that we could eat dinner quickly before basketball practice and Youth Group. On the side we paired it with garlic bread and a simple green salad.
Thursday’s sunrise…
The kids had both Thursday and Friday off of school for teacher workdays, so it was a slower morning at our house.
I got out for a walk, baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for my Valentines, and took Gibbs to a doctor’s appointment that afternoon.
We had a night free from kids’ activities, so I made a pot of chicken and sausage gumbo, which we paired with a loaf of Ashley’s jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread. Delish!
Friday included an early Pilates session with Adria, a couple of trips to and from Culpeper with Casey and Khloe,
and an afternoon golf lesson for Gibbs. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in my car that day…
On the way home from golf, we picked up take-out pizzas for supper. Love a night off from dishes!
And that brings us to Saturday! Keith took Casey to Fredericksburg for soccer training, while I cheered for Spencer at his basketball game.
We opted to stay in and have a nice Valentine’s Day supper at home this year, so I made a double batch of my mom’s crab cakes,
which we paired with Old Bay roasted potatoes, coleslaw,
and cornbread (with cake mix).
Of course, we needed chocolate for dessert! My one-bowl buttermilk chocolate cake is the best…
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!
Good morning, Blair!
Glad it’s finally melting and you got to the car wash, I am holding off until after today’s rain, plus the lines are so long….
Your list of make once, eat twice recipes look interesting, unfortunately I don’t have a chest freezer to store extra meals, etc. My parents had one when I was growing up, and it certainly was convenient for putting up veggies they grew in the garden that couldn’t be canned, as well as fish my dad caught and dressed.
Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the warmer temperatures!
Thank you, Ann! Yes, it’s so nice to see warmer temps in the forecast. Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Blair that sunrise is breathtaking! Made me think of Heaven and Church!
Thank you, Trish. I agree! 🙂