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Hello, hello! We had a great week around here with even more birthday fun. The month of November is CRAZY in our house (in a good way).

Since it’s Sunday morning, that means it’s time for another roundup of Our Week in Meals. Shall we get right to it?!

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…

Sunday was my 38th birthday! I started the day off right with some homemade Apple Cider Donuts from Yoder’s,

and some gifts from the family. Since we’re chatting about food on here, I thought I should mention this dreamy concoction that Keith included in my bag of goodies. I didn’t even know that Pumpkin Spice Cookie Butter was a “thing,” but now I’m a believer. My husband knows me so well…

I met Mollie for an early walk in the woods, and then we had an open day ahead of us. Gibbs’s soccer game was cancelled because of the rain, so we had zero plans on the agenda. Nice!

After a rainy weekend, the boys were getting very restless and misbehaving after lunch. We decided to go for a hike to get everyone outside, in spite of the weather.

Hunting for the prettiest leaves in Madison…

My day ended with magazine reading while the boys watched football…and pajamas by 4:00 p.m.!

Speaking of reading material, I have an Amazon gift card to use and I’m wondering what books you all are loving right now. Any suggestions for new reading material? Fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, anything! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

We went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday on Saturday night, so on Sunday evening we stayed cozy at home. I planned a meal that wouldn’t require much effort on my part: Keith made my Garlic & Herb Roast Turkey Breast on the grill (except we used a whole chicken instead of a turkey breast), which I served with biscuits, mashed butternut squash with brown sugar, and a salad topped with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries. Delicious!

And we can’t forget the cake on my birthday! My mother-in-law made me a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and I baked myself her recipe for White Texas Sheet Cake. We had TWO cakes to choose from, which is a good situation as far as I’m concerned.????  I’ll share the sheet cake recipe on the blog soon!

The sun came back out on Monday (thank you!) and we were back to our normal routine. Keith left bright and early for a business trip, so the boys and I were on our own for the first part of the week.

While Spence was at preschool for the morning, I snuck in a beautiful walk with Mollie and Baby Miles before returning home to get some work done.

I also made myself a delicious lunch, so I thought I’d share it here. It’s an easy way to use up leftovers! This was a Fall Harvest Chicken Wrap, and it was packed with flavor!

I started with a giant wholegrain lavash wrap, but a tortilla would also work. I spread a thin layer of pumpkin butter on the wrap, topped it with the leftover chicken from Sunday night’s dinner, and sprinkled shredded cheese over top. I put that in the toaster oven for a few minutes to heat it all up and melt the cheese.

While the wrap was in oven, I tossed together the Kale Cranberry Pecan Salad mix. Then I just stuffed as much salad as I could fit into the wrap and rolled it all up. So good!

Still pilfering the kids’ Halloween candy for dessert…

Now that we don’t have much daylight in the evenings, we are officially done with soccer for the season. Basketball doesn’t start for a few more weeks, so I’m enjoying less running around at night!

For dinner we had some Southern comfort food — simplified! I created a Dump-and-Bake version of Chicken and Dumplings, and I can’t wait to share it with you soon. We had the leftover salad from my lunch on the side for a few extra veggies.

Spencer and I got drenched on Tuesday morning as we ran a variety of errands. We voted here in Madison,

and then made the trek into Charlottesville to restock at Costco. Spencer wanted me to take this photo of the light-up holiday decorations to show Casey (no, we didn’t actually buy any)!

I don’t know if it was the cold, rainy weather or the time change (probably both), but Spencer crashed in his bed for a nap that afternoon — which hasn’t happened in about a year! I took advantage of the quiet house and snapped some photos of my kitchen.

I’ve had some requests for a behind-the-scenes tour of my farmhouse kitchen, so I’ll be sharing that on the blog in the coming week. Stay tuned if you’re interested in that sort of thing!

Dinner on Tuesday was pulled straight from the Simply Mailed meal plan last week — 5-Ingredient Garlic Parmesan Tilapia, which I served with asparagus and rice.

Wednesday morning started early for these two when they decided to rake a leaf pile at 6:45 a.m. before school. They thought it was wonderful, and I just thought it looked wet and cold!????

While Spence was at school for the morning, I took advantage of a solo shopping trip to buy our groceries for the week. I planned our meals and I wrote my shopping list the night before while I was sitting on the couch with the kids after dinner, so it was a quick, easy trip in the morning.

The fun continued outside after school, as these three spent the whole afternoon raking a giant Leaf Maze…in the drizzling rain.????

Keith made it home from his trip by Wednesday evening, so we all had supper together. I served another Simply Mailed recipe: my Dump-and-Bake Chicken Florentine Pasta. We had the casserole with a side salad and a loaf of my neighbor’s bread. Big hit with the whole family!

Spencer and I spent a rainy Thursday morning at home while we were waiting on the delivery of our new dining room table. I spent some time in the kitchen doing recipe testing while we were trapped indoors!

When he needed fresh air, I set up some river rocks for Spencer to paint on the porch that afternoon.

I basically took the night off from cooking, since it was “Girls’ Night Out” with a bunch of my friends. I fed the boys pizza before Keith got home, and then I hustled out the door to meet the ladies at the Silk Mill Grille for some drinks and uninterrupted conversation. No photos, though — it was so dark!

While Spencer was at school on Friday morning, I took advantage of a quiet kitchen and baked two batches of cupcakes and a cake for his birthday next week. I stashed them in the freezer for his big day!

My mother-in-law arrived late morning, just in time to join me to pick up Spencer at noon. We let him choose the venue for his birthday lunch with Chi-Chi, and of course we ended up at McDonald’s.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

Aunt Barbara stopped by too a short time after, so Spence got to open some early birthday presents. This little guy is turning 4 this week!

Meanwhile, I headed out to get a much-needed haircut.

It was so windy and cold — felt like winter out there!

I had just enough time after my appointment for a quick run through Yoder’s to restock our supply of Candy Crisp apples and Kite’s Country Ham before I had to pick up the older boys from school. I was happy to see that Yoder’s already has some of their Christmas candies out on display!

Dinner that night was a quick 10-minute meal, which I will share with you soon! We had “5-Ingredient Dump-and-Bake Meatball Subs” with a side salad. HUGE hit with all of my boys!

I took Gibbs and Casey to their friend Henry’s birthday party on Saturday morning,

Cake at 10:00 a.m. makes these guys giddy!

while Keith and Spencer ran manly errands at Lowe’s.????

Since Spencer’s birthday falls on Wednesday of the coming week, we celebrated with our family this weekend. His request? An outing to Bounce n’ Play in Charlottesville with his brothers,

plus dinner at the Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet,

and Sweet Frog for dessert. Mission accomplished! He was a very happy almost-4-year-old!

And with all of the excitement and activity from the day, he was a very tired little guy. He crashed in the car at 6 p.m. and went straight to bed when we got home!

So that’s where I’ll leave it for this week! I hope that you’ve enjoyed your weekend and that you have a full week of tasty dinners ahead!????

Need some help planning your family’s meals? When you join Simply Mailed, I will send you 3 quick-prep dinner recipes and a grocery shopping list each week (for less than $1 per week!!!). This super-affordable service takes the stress out of dinner, saves you time and money, and brings your family together at the end of the day. There are even options for smaller households of just 1 or 2!

Simply Mailed Meal Planning Service

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Square overhead shot of hands serving a chicken pot pie recipe with biscuits
Overhead image of a bowl of chili mac on a dinner table with cornbread
Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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Comments

  1. Hi Blair! I enjoy your weekly blog so much on Sunday morning- it’s my “mom time”, and I’m able to ready it along with my Sunday coffee ????

    You asked for book suggestions, and I have two to recommend. The first is “Church of the Small Things”, by Melanie Shankle, and the second is “Only Love Today” by Rachel Macy Stanford. Stafford also wrote the “Hands Free Mama” book that was also pretty good. I really enjoyed them both, maybe you will too!

    Have a great week ahead!

    1. Megan! Thank you SO much! It makes me so happy to hear that you enjoy our weekly updates. Thank so for reading! 🙂

      And thank you for the book suggestions! I’m keeping a running list of ideas, so I will definitely check them out soon! I’ll let you know when I do. 🙂

    2. hm hm chcken and dumplings my all time comfort food. \i amde a roast duck for tonights supper, first time my grandsons who are in their 20’s have ever tasted duck.,surprisinglythey lovedit. I made duck a l’orange.
      I must try tiapaia , have never tasted it. thank you for the recipe
      the pasta will go over big everyone here loves cheese and pasta.
      Have a great week

      i

      1. Sounds great, Jane! I’ve never actually roasted a duck myself. I’ve tasted it, but I’ve not prepared it on my own. You have some lucky grandsons!

        Thanks for your note and for reading the blog. Have a good week!

  2. Loved the pics of the boys, my two are all grown up, they were 15 months apart and so much fun, your guys bring back memories of those days. Thanks.

  3. I really enjoy the blog. I miss access to the recipes you mentioned. My budget does not allow me to purchase the subscription. I have made many of your past recipes. I will look forward to the White Texas Sheet cake recipe. Thank you for your blog and recipes.

    1. Hey, Julie! Don’t despair! Those recipes will make it onto the blog eventually too! 🙂 Thanks so much for reading along with us!

  4. I love your blog and look forward to it every week! All of your beautiful pictures and details make it feel as though I’m “talking” to a friend. The recipes I have tried have all been wonderful and are practical for our busy family. Thank you!

  5. Hi Blair!
    I subscribed to your blog about a month ago and I am so happy that I found it. I love getting your weekly e-mails and have already tried several of your recipes. They are great! I love cooking, but I don’t have any one to talk food with as none of my friends cook. And as a busy mom I’m always looking for new ways to feed my family well! Thank you for sharing!

    1. Hi, Cynthia! I’m so glad that you found the blog, too! I’m happy to chat food with you any time! 🙂 Enjoy the recipes, and thank you so much for your note!

  6. Hi Blair! Love your blog! Can’t wait for the chicken and dumplings recipe. Can u do that this week! It’s raining here in Chicagoland this weekend and I have a cold so I’m looking forward to some soup/stew!
    I’m thinking of painting my kitchen a nice pewter gray color and I noticed your kitchen color. Do u know the color brand? It’s spot on what I’m looking for!
    Keep the selfies coming! You look great! Susan

    1. Hey, Susan! I just sent you the recipe via email, so let me know if you don’t receive it. Enjoy! 🙂

      The kitchen paint is Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray!

  7. I would recommend any of Susan Branch’s books. They are collectible and I think you would really enjoy them. I just bought Christmas from the Heart of the Home which I believe is out of print but there were plenty of used copies on Amazon. You can get a “taste” of her style/philosophy on her blog susanbranch.com. Enjoy!

    1. Thanks, Katherine! I love Susan Branch, so that’s a great idea to check out some of her other books. I didn’t even know that she had a blog! And her Christmas book is great — I’ve got that in my collection! 🙂