Our Week in Meals #63

Hey, friends! Happy Sunday, and welcome to this week’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…

It felt like spring on Sunday morning, so I met Mollie for a trail run after breakfast to enjoy the beautiful weather and to catch up.

Before lunch we all went to the playground for climbing,

and for basketball practice (I even got roped into a game of 2 v. 2)!????

I picked up a grocery order that afternoon, and then came home and immediately put a batch of my Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup in the Crock Pot.

This is so full of veggies and protein, that I basically feel like I’m eating a cozy, winter salad when I have a bowl! I kept some in the refrigerator for easy lunches during the week and then stashed some more in the freezer for later.

I also made a batch of Frosted Lemon Bars, since I wanted to try a new recipe from my neighbor. These are really tasty, so I’ll share the details in the coming months!

When we were at Costco the day before, Keith picked out salmon for Sunday night’s dinner. He grilled the fish, which I served with mashed potatoes (store-bought) and a salad.

And speaking of Costco, my kids always find at least one or two new items to throw in our cart, and this week was no exception. I thought I’d share two of their latest obsessions, because they seriously love these things.

First, these juices. Never did I think that my boys would like “green juice,” but they have been devouring these little bottles. Casey’s favorite is the “Green Machine,” while Gibbs loves the “Mighty Mango” the most.

The kids have been drinking them with breakfast or with snack, which is a great way to get in some extra nutrients. The smoothies still have plenty of sugar (thanks to the naturally occurring sugar in the fruit), but there isn’t any added sugar or coloring. Not a sponsored item, just wanted to share in case you have kids that might like them too!

The other newest Costco favorite has been these Soft Pretzel Bites (from the bakery section). The boys eat them straight out of the container, without adding the salt and without heating them up. So easy, and they disappear fast (we actually bought two tubs for the week).????

 

We returned to our usual routine on Monday. All 3 boys had school, so I spent the morning running around to get as much done as possible.

I went for a run with Mollie, and then came home to photograph a few recipes for the blog before heading back into town to pick Spencer up from preschool at noon.

One of the recipes that I made that morning was our old favorite: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup. This time, though, I wanted to test it in the Instant Pot. Spoiler alert: it worked!

I even had enough extra soup, toppings, and Lemon Bars to share dinner with Mollie’s family that night.

Side note: Mollie texted me later to let me know that her 9-month-old baby, Miles, devoured the soup. It’s truly kid-friendly!

I have now updated the old soup post with instructions for the slow cooker, Instant Pot, and stovetop cooking methods, which you can see here.

We had the Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner that night, along with quesadillas on the side. It’s a great healthy and flavorful option for this time of year, so I hope you’ll try it!

Spence and I had to run to Walmart on Tuesday morning to pick up some supplies for one of Casey’s school projects.

He definitely wasn’t happy about running errands with Mom, but the chocolate donut at the end made up for that…

We also took advantage of the almost-70-degree-temps that afternoon with a hike in the woods,

and some tree climbing!

Keith was working late, so he didn’t make it home to join us for dinner. The boys and I still enjoyed an easy Dump-and-Bake Chicken Kiev Casserole, which was really delicious. I served it with a salad on the side for some easy greens.

The casserole recipe will be on the blog soon, but in the meantime you can try my Chicken and Stuffing Casserole recipe HERE (which is very similar)!

It was another pretty day for a run with Mollie on Wednesday morning while Spence was in preschool.

I also stirred together a batch of these No-Bake Blueberry Almond Energy Snacks to have on hand for quick grab-and-go bites or lunchbox treats. The kids love them, and it had been far too long since we’ve had them in the fridge.

I didn’t have any dried blueberries or almond butter in my pantry this week, so instead I used peanut butter and chocolate chips. While the Blueberry Almond combo is still my favorite, the peanut butter-chocolate is always a good option too! The recipe is incredibly versatile, so you can use just about any nut butter, nuts, or add-ins that you prefer.

Also in the regular snack rotation this week? These Cara-Cara oranges! Aren’t they pretty?

The inside is such a dark orange color that they almost look red. In fact, the boys thought they were Ruby Red grapefruits the first time that I sliced into one.

These are so sweet, and while I’m not sure if they’re called “seedless,” they don’t seem to have many (if any?) seeds in them — huge bonus.

Dinner on Wednesday was another round of the Garlic Chicken Sausage that I purchased at Costco the week before (we still have yet another package of it in our freezer — bulk shopping)!

This time I sauteed the sausage in a skillet and then tossed it with pasta and a little bit of marinara (which made the kids very happy). On the side I served some frozen peas that I steamed in the microwave and then tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese. Tasty!

Those readers who have participated in my free 5-Day Meal Planning Challenge probably recognize that this is one of my go-to quick dinner options that uses ingredients from my list of pantry and freezer staples. I share a bunch of other pantry recipes in that Challenge, so be sure to join for free {HERE} if that sounds helpful to you!

Any mom with little kids knows how hard it can be and how much coordinating is involved in scheduling time to see girlfriends. That’s why Thursday was such a treat! I had not one, but TWO dates with friends!

First, Spence and I headed into Charlottesville that morning to see my friend Kristin. We went to C’ville Coffee, which has a great little area for the kids to play — which meant that Kristin and I had a chance to sit down and chat for almost 90 minutes. Whoa! I can’t even remember the last time that happened!

Cafe au Lait

While in town, we made a quick stop at Costco to restock our berries, meat, juices, pretzel bites, and flowers (among other things),

But the purchase I’m most excited about is this new book.

I love Tim Ferriss’s podcast, and I really enjoyed his book, Tools of Titans, so I’m excited to dive into this one (as soon as I finish my current book — which might take me awhile)!

I had another “date” with friends on the calendar that evening, so we ate a dinner before I headed out the door.

I sauteed shrimp in a skillet with butter, olive oil, and garlic, which I served with salad and bread. Basically, a 5-minute Shrimp Scampi! Simple, fast, and tasty…

Then it was time for a night out with the girls. It was a big group (almost 15 of us!), so instead of a sit-down dinner, we just met up for drinks at the Silk Mill Grille. Again, always a treat to catch up with other mammas!

I made the executive decision to keep Spencer home on Friday morning when I heard that the flu officially struck his little preschool. I’m not interested in bringing those germs home, and I can’t think of a better breeding ground for sickies than a room full of 3-and-4-year-olds!

Instead, Spencer and I headed towards Charlottesville. We went to Target first (can I say how much I love the Hearth & Hand line there?!). This pouf made its way into our cart for Casey’s “book nook” in his bedroom.

We then met my mom at a fabric store. I’m having a cushion made for the bench seat in our dining room, so we were on a mission to pick out a print.

Thank goodness, Spencer entertained himself while we shopped by driving a giant garbage truck around the store. Best way to shop with little boys…bring toys!

It was almost lunchtime by that point, so we came back towards Madison and had lunch at one of my favorite local spots: Jack’s Shop Kitchen. It’s a farm-to-table restaurant, where the chef even raises some of his own pork on a farm here in town.

I had one of the best sandwiches that I’ve enjoyed in a long time: the Open-Faced Roast Beef Sandwich with arugula, pickled red onion, horseradish, and buttermilk blue cheese. Oh my gosh…so good! It was served with a fruit salad on the side.

We finished our little outing with a spin through the antique store upstairs, before finally making our way home. Spence was DONE with shopping at that point!

After I picked the older boys up from school that afternoon, we drove to Ruckersville to pick up pizzas for dinner. This was our early supper before the kids were back out the door for basketball practice in the evening.

Served with a salad that I tossed together at home.

We spent Saturday morning on the basketball court,

and then went straight to Salvagewrights Architectural Antiquities in Orange to buy some wood for a new media cabinet. My uncle Gary is a woodworker, so he will build the cabinet with the boards that we supply.

We found the perfect antique barn siding boards for our project, so I can’t wait to see how it comes together. And fortunately, they even had toys at the shop to entertain the kids!

I picked up a grocery order that afternoon, and then Keith grilled burgers for dinner. It was about 60 degrees out, so we had to take advantage of the warmer temps and fire up the grill.

Keith and the boys love the Sweet Onion Bubba Burgers, while I prefer the turkey burgers. We always have a couple of boxes in the freezer for quick meals when we don’t want to make the hamburgers from scratch.

We had the burgers with potato salad from the deli, as well as broccoli and cauliflower.

And that’s where I’ll leave it for today. We’re looking at another busy week ahead, so be sure to check back next Sunday for all of the details. Thanks so much for reading along with us!

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 about $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!

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