Our Week in Meals #511

Good morning, and happy Sunday! It was another week full of kids’ sports, quick weeknight suppers, and a fun murder mystery. 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…

We spent Sunday at the soccer fields watching Casey play a couple of games, and then took Casey and Khloe to play pickleball before supper. Thankfully, the weather cooperated for all of the outdoor activities!

We had bratwurst and sauerkraut with potatoes,

plus 4-ingredient cream biscuits,

and a simple side salad.

Book time! This week I read A Killer Wedding by Joan O’Leary.

In this novel, a fashion magazine writer heads to a luxurious Irish castle to cover a billionaire family’s glamorous wedding, only to find herself in the middle of a murder mystery when the family matriarch turns up dead. The family insists that the wedding continue and the death remain a secret, leaving her to wonder which of the wealthy, secretive relatives might be responsible. It’s a fun, fast-paced whodunnit filled with family drama, plenty of suspects, and twists that keep you guessing until the end!

The boys returned to school on Monday, I met Ashley for a walk with our dogs, and then I got to work photographing a couple of old blog recipes.

Knowing that we’d be coming and going all evening for various soccer and golf practices, I planned a meal that we could assemble and eat as needed. Keith grilled cilantro lime chicken for me on Sunday, so it was already prepped and ready in the fridge. We used the chicken to make tacos…

…and paired them with chips, rice, homemade guac, and homemade salsa (leftover from the batch I made the week before).

Tuesday was largely spent in the kitchen testing new recipes…including a soup that I ate for lunch and an apple dessert. ‘Tis almost the season!

It was another full evening, and one of those nights where we pack a cooler and eat on-the-go. Not ideal, but we made it work.

I was in Charlottesville for back-to-back soccer practices, while Keith went up to Fauquier County to watch Gibbs’ golf match.

We had crab rolls with potato chips and fresh fruit. They always taste like a treat!

Wednesday started with a walk in the woods with Mollie, followed by a quick stop at Yoder’s for a few groceries, and more recipe testing in the kitchen (pumpkin, this time!).

I went to Gibbs’ golf match that afternoon, so I knew we’d need an easy supper that I could quickly heat up when I got home late.

This creamy tomato soup with ground beef and noodles fit the bill, which I prepped ahead of time through Step 1. That way I just needed to add the pasta and cream cheese when reheating it on the stove. Paired with a loaf of sourdough bread, everyone was happy!

Back at it on Thursday!

Ashley and I walked together, I tested another fall recipe in the kitchen, took Spencer to an orthodontist appointment mid-day, and made dinner in advance (again) so that we could reheat it in stages throughout the evening.

Gibbs had golf, I took Spencer to an early soccer practice, and Keith took Casey to a late soccer practice. Whenever we were home, we had reheated chicken and broccoli stir-fry with rice and a side of store-bought egg rolls.

Friday was another non-stop day, including Pilates with Adria and Ashley, a Zoom meeting mid-day, lots of laundry, and a grocery re-stock.

I made an early supper before we all headed out for the evening — Keith and the older boys to the high school football game, and Spencer and I to the UVA soccer game with his teammates.

On the menu: dump-and-bake chicken ravioli Alfredo,

along with garlic bread and another quick side salad.

And that brings us to the weekend! It was nice to have a slower morning on Saturday, so I got up the street for a walk,

took Casey over to Madison Gardens to get a new house plant (I also found these new-to-me “Lemonade” apples, which have the flavor of Golden Delicious and the crunch of Honey Crisp!),

and then we made our way up to Northern Virginia for Spencer’s soccer game.

We didn’t get home until fairly late, so I was happy to take a night off from the kitchen. Instead, we picked up pizza, subs, and salads from Gino’s, which hit the spot.

So there you have it — 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!