Our Week in Meals #490

Good morning, and happy Easter! This week included holiday prep, spring blooms, and lots of kids’ sports. 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 took Casey over to Harrisonburg on Sunday morning to watch Khloe’s volleyball tournament, while I stayed home with the other two boys. Spencer’s soccer was canceled, so it was nice to have a quiet day to get out for a walk and take care of house chores.

I made a batch of pimento cheese to have on hand for the week ahead, which meant a pimento cheese sandwich for lunch!

Keith grilled hamburgers for supper,

which we paired with 3-ingredient crispy seasoned red potatoes and a green salad.

Let’s get to the books! This week I read Strangers by Belle Burden. While a memoir about one woman’s divorce is definitely not something that I would typically gravitate towards, this book has been getting so much praise recently. After many blog readers recommended it, my curiosity was piqued and I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it!

In this memoir, Belle Burden looks back on her seemingly solid twenty-year marriage after her husband suddenly walks away without explanation, leaving her to question everything she thought she knew about their life together. As she digs into the past, she starts to see the cracks she once missed and begins to understand both him and herself in a completely new way. It’s a thoughtful, emotional story about love, betrayal, and finding your voice after everything falls apart. Oddly, it wasn’t too sad — just beautifully poignant!

The kids went back to school on Monday, and I spent a long day cooking (and washing dishes) in the kitchen — testing new recipes and updating the photos for a couple of old dishes.

Both of the younger boys had soccer that evening (at opposite times and places), so we ate in shifts. I prepped everything in advance while I took Spencer to Charlottesville and left Keith in charge of supper: sheet pan chicken fajitas,

as well as tortilla chips and guacamole.

Mollie, Adria, and I got out for a walk on Tuesday morning before another kitchen day for me.

Keith was gone that evening, so I took Spencer to soccer practice in Charlottesville, and then made my way to Stanardsville to watch Casey’s high school game.

Knowing that it would be a late night on-the-go, I planned another meal that I could make in advance. We had Southern chicken salad croissant sandwiches with cut-up veggies, chips, and fruit — assembled at various points throughout the evening as we needed them!

Wednesday morning included an early walk up the street,

and a batch of Easter chocolate chip cookies (I skipped the sea salt on top and added pastel M&Ms to this recipe).

It was so nice to see colorful signs of spring and a handful of 80-degree days this week!

When Gibbs got home from the golf course, I made a dinner recipe that my mother-in-law recently gave me (similar to this Italian sausage with peppers and onions served with rigatoni).

Plus sugar snap peas with Italian dressing and frozen garlic knots for a couple of quick sides.

Thursday morning was devoted to a walk with Ashley and errands in Culpeper.

I baked a pan of focaccia bread for the Easter bread basket that afternoon, and stashed it in the freezer to keep it fresh until the weekend.

Casey and Spencer both had soccer practices that afternoon, so we had a later supper once everyone was home. Keith grilled scallops for the first time this season…

…which we paired with oven roasted asparagus, rice, and a loaf of French bread.

Finally…Friday (and the kids’ last day of school before Spring Break)! Ashley and I had Pilates that morning, and I worked on a couple of recipes in the kitchen for most of the day.

Gibbs and Keith played golf, while Casey had soccer that evening. For a late, easy supper, I thawed some leftover pork sirloin roast from the freezer. We used the thinly sliced pork to make Cuban sandwiches (roasted pork, ham, pickles, mustard, and Swiss cheese). Plus potato chips and cut-up veggies on the side…

It was a beautiful Saturday!

After an early walk, I baked a French farmhouse breakfast cake for Easter brunch. This one keeps well, so it’s a great make-ahead option at any time of year!

The rest of our day was spent at home, taking care of yard work and enjoying a slower schedule.

I took the night off from the kitchen, and instead the kids requested take-out from The Bavarian Chef: giant Bavarian pretzels, lots of schnitzel, sliders, and more…

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 Easter!