Our Week in Meals #68

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope that you’re enjoying the weekend! I’m back this morning with another roundup of Our Week in Meals, so let’s jump right into 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 a gray, rainy day.

Gibbs’s soccer practice was cancelled since the fields were under water, but that didn’t stop me and Mollie from getting out for a very wet morning walk! We have to take advantage when our husbands are around and can stay home with the kiddos.

Th whole family made a weekly spin through Costco after lunch,

where the boys spent the majority of their time snacking on samples (we came home with a double box of this cereal after Keith tasted it) and lobbying hard for a “surfboard.” Just what we need in the mountains of Central Virginia…????

The kids spent the rest of the afternoon entertaining themselves by building bug houses and wooden stick boats in the mud puddles outside.

And even though it was damp, the temperature was relatively warm — which meant grilled burgers for dinner!

We had salads and fries on the side. Is it spring yet?!

Monday was back to the routine! I walked with Mollie again in the morning while Spence was at preschool, and then came home to get some meal prep done for the week.

This included cutting up a rotisserie chicken from Costco, slicing fruits and veggies for the refrigerator, and preparing dinner for later that evening.

This marks the first week in months that we haven’t had any evening commitments, since basketball season and Gibbs’s after school enrichment program both ended last week. I’m trying to appreciate and take advantage of the quieter evenings, since I know that life is about to get crazier than ever when we have 3 boys on 3 different soccer teams this spring.

In reality, our evenings are not very quiet at all…and they often involve a lot of banging on drums by energetic 4-year-olds!????

Dinner that night was Dump-and-Bake Chicken Tikka Masala, served over basmati rice with peas stirred in for extra veggies. This meal is always a big hit with the kids, which is a pleasant surprise since we don’t normally eat a lot of Indian food. It’s so mild, though — what’s not to love?!

I’ll share the new recipe on the blog soon!

After about a week straight of rain, fog, and gray skies, the sun finally made a brief appearance on Tuesday.

We took full advantage and spent as much time as possible outside.

Keith was out of town that night, so the boys and I were on our own for dinner. Side note: Keith was actually at a Washington Capitals hockey game, where he sat in a box next to Pat Sajak (no Vanna White, though)!????

Since Keith was gone, I got a night off from the kitchen and we just did “breakfast for dinner” — one of the kids’ favorites!

They wanted cereal and pancakes (fine!), but I had some smoked salmon and eggs in the refrigerator that needed to be enjoyed ASAP. I decided to make myself one of my favorite egg dishes: a Ham & Cheese Baked Omelet.

I followed the recipe exactly, but I subbed a 12 ounce package of smoked salmon (diced) for the ham. It was delicious, and the leftovers made for easy breakfasts and lunches the rest of the week.

I served the baked omelet with a simple green salad and one of my 2-ingredient pumpkin muffins from the freezer.

The cool, gray clouds returned on Wednesday, so after a morning walk with Mollie, I hunkered down and got some work done inside.

This included writing a couple of blog posts, drafting a few new recipes, and writing out a meal plan and grocery list for the week ahead. Want to know my process? You can join the free 5-Day Meal Planning Challenge here any time.

I knew that I would need to go grocery shopping on Thursday, so spending a few minutes to get organized on Wednesday was KEY.

Keith wasn’t home in time for dinner that night, so I let the kids vote on their meal (after giving them a few choices, based on what we had in the kitchen).

As usual, they requested their favorite 4-ingredient pesto pasta wheels with chicken. I didn’t even bother to add the peas that night, though, since we had just enjoyed peas on Monday. Some carrot sticks on the side did the trick instead, along with crescent rolls warm from the oven.

Spencer and I spent our Thursday morning up in Culpeper doing a big grocery run.

Thank goodness a new $0.99 Hot Wheels car still entertains him in the cart (at least for a little while)…

Around lunchtime my “assistant” helped me photograph a new recipe for the blog. Can you spot the little 4-year-old hands pouring (err..dumping) the dressing?????

Keith was home with us for dinner that night, so we all sat down together to a Mexican-inspired feast. I made The Easiest (freezer-friendly) Beef Burritos, which I served with corn, chips, salsa, and guacamole.

I’ll share the burrito details on the blog soon!

Oh, man…Friday was a weird one. We had 78+ mph winds rip through Central Virginia starting late Thursday night, which meant that much of the area lost power, trees and branches were down everywhere, and schools were all cancelled for the day. Our friends’ new house even had parts of the roof and shingles blown off!

We just felt very fortunate that the only damage around our property was a cedar tree that fell along a fence line and took out part of the fence. Oh, and we found the rocking chairs from our front porch blown about 50 yards away in the grass! Miraculously, the power stayed on.

Other than a quick late afternoon errand, the kids and I stayed hunkered down inside all day while we waited for the winds to die down.

The calm after the (wind) storm.

Dinner that night was a new recipe that I was testing for the blog. OH MY GOSH…our family loved this Dump-and-Bake French Onion Chicken!

Even picky Spencer asked for seconds, and all of my boys cleaned their plates. Big success, so I’ll share it on the blog soon!

We had salads and cheesy Texas Toast on the side.

While Keith and the boys cleaned up debris from the yard on Saturday morning, I made another quick run to Costco.

I was back in time for lunch, and then Keith took Gibbs to soccer practice for the afternoon.

A new-to-me Costco purchase: this Falafel! It is so good tucked in pita with Tzatziki sauce or over salad for a quick lunch or dinner option. You can just heat as many patties as you need in the microwave, and keep the rest in the refrigerator or freezer. Love it!

I was ready for a break from the kitchen that evening, so we headed out for an early supper at a local Mexican restaurant in Orange.

Shrimp Fajita Bowl!

Perfect way to end the day!

Have a wonderful week ahead, friends!

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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