Our Week in Meals #505

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a heat wave, the County Fair, and a lacrosse tournament. 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…

I got out for an early walk on Sunday before we headed out to church.

My mom gave me her crepe recipe so that I could recreate Spencer’s favorite treat from our time in France: Nutella-stuffed crepes for a post-church brunch!

Gibbs played 18 holes of golf with a friend that afternoon, and then we all sat down for the ultimate summer supper: Keith grilled bbq pork chops,

while I was in charge of the corn salad,

sauteed zucchini,

and grilled peaches. Plus a warm baguette!

Now let’s chat books. In honor of the World Cup and our recent trip to England, I read a light, fun soccer romance on the flight home from France last week: Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie.

In this novel, Abby leaves behind her cheating fiancé, quits her job, and heads to England for a fresh start, where she unexpectedly lands a job with a professional football club. She quickly forms a close friendship with one of the team’s star players, but their growing attraction is complicated by his seemingly unresolved marriage and the professional lines they shouldn’t cross. It’s a sweet romance filled with witty banter, plenty of chemistry, and an uplifting story about starting over and finding yourself along the way.

Monday started early with a walk up the road…

…before taking Spencer to the high school track to do his soccer conditioning workout.

Saw a neighbor cow in the road on our way home (he made it back to the pasture safely)!

Gibbs worked at the golf course, I took Casey to a doctor’s appointment mid-day, and then I headed to Charlottesville for Spencer’s soccer training that evening.

Once everyone was home, we had easy chicken enchiladas for supper, which I prepped earlier in the day since I knew we’d be out of the house.

Plus tortilla chips, guac, and pico de gallo on the side!

Tuesday was a full one, starting with an early walk with Mollie and Adria at Mollie’s farm.

It was so nice to beat the heat and to catch up before we all got busy with our work and kids.

I stopped at Yoder’s on the way home for some produce, deli meat, and cheese…

…and then the boys and I went to Costco for lunch and even more groceries. We brought home macarons, croissants, and baguettes — all clearly influenced by our recent trip!

I took Casey and Spencer back down to Charlottesville for soccer training that evening, and then came home to baked meatballs and spaghetti for supper.

On the side, we kept it simple: garlic breadsticks from the freezer and a peach salad (a regular request from the boys!).

Gibbs worked most of Wednesday, Spencer did his soccer conditioning, and Casey went to the County Fair to watch Khloe compete with her lambs and goat.

We watched the World Cup game that afternoon, and Keith grilled cilantro lime chicken for supper.

On the side: Jiffy Mexican cornbread, rice, and another peach salad.

An early walk to start my Thursday…can’t you just see how hot it would ultimately be that day?!

Gibbs was off to work, I took Spencer to an orthodontist appointment before lunch, and then I drove Casey and Spencer to Charlottesville that evening for soccer.

I prepped dinner ahead of time, knowing that I would just need to quickly reheat it when we returned home. On the menu: lemon garlic shrimp,

along with pesto pasta, crusty bread, and garlic roasted broccoli.

The Canadian wildfire smoke officially arrived in Central Virginia on Friday…

Spence did a soccer conditioning workout, Keith and I had a lunch date at Yoder’s, I took Casey to PT for his knees, and Gibbs played golf.

Dinner was an easy meal that didn’t require the oven: pastrami reuben sandwiches, plus potato chips, pickles, and fresh fruit. A delicious option on a hot evening!

And that brings us to the weekend…

Keith and Gibbs both had to work on Saturday, but Spence and I took a fun road trip up north to Maryland for the day to see my brother’s family. They were in town from Florida for my niece’s lacrosse tournament, so we caught a game and then joined the group for lunch afterwards.

We made it back home in time for supper, and I was very grateful that Gibbs could pick up pizzas for us on his way home from the golf course!

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!