Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

Hey, friends! I can tell that May is officially here and we’re in the final countdown of the school year. Between class activities, birthdays, and after school sports, we had a jam-packed week with at least one commitment on the calendar every single night. It’s all fun, but it certainly makes family dinners and cooking meals a bit more challenging. Curious to see how I did it? Let’s jump right into the weekly 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…

What a beautiful Sunday! It was a full day that included some of our favorite things…starting with a homemade latte and breakfast.

I met Mollie for a walk in the woods bright and early, before returning home to scoop up Keith and the kids.

We headed back out for a family walk here in Madison, because it was just too nice to stay home.

The spring colors were magical, and the boys eventually got annoyed by all of my stops to take photos!

We then made our way up to Culpeper for a lunch outing. The kids voted for Chili’s, so we had our fill of chips and salsa!

Plus Southwestern Chicken Soup and a house salad.

I went grocery shopping in town after lunch, and then came back to the house to take care of a little bit of meal prep before the weekend got away from us.

I cooked taco meat in a skillet to use for Monday night’s dinner, and tested a new recipe for Summer Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot. YUM. You’ll be seeing it on the blog in the coming months, but I also want to spend some time playing with the same recipe on the stovetop and in the slow cooker to give you all options!

For dinner that evening, Keith grilled a beautiful piece of wild Alaskan salmon from our latest Moink Box. I took the recipe straight from this week’s Simply Mailed meal plan and served Grilled Salmon Caesar Salads with fresh bread on the side. A great supper for a sunny day!

While the boys were at school on Monday morning, I met Mollie for a quick walk at the park in town before returning home to snap photos of the Summer Vegetable Soup that I prepared on Sunday.

I had to feed the kids at 4:30 that afternoon in order to get them out to the soccer fields for multiple practices, so I used the taco meat that I had cooked on Sunday afternoon and quickly assembled these 5-Ingredient Taco Biscuit Cups. I also served corn on the cob, since Spencer is obsessed with it at the moment!

This was an easy meal to reheat for Keith when he arrived home later that evening.

Spence and I took care of chores around the house on Tuesday morning, including sorting through summer clothes and watering the flowers.

I also prepped dinner in advance so that I could quickly pull together our meal before soccer that evening. While I was chopping vegetables for our kabobs, Spence “chopped” a cucumber and snacked on hummus.

We were both ready for an outing after lunch, so we made a quick stop at Yoder’s to see the animals and to feed the baby goats. OMG…SO cute!

While we were in the market picking up a few items, Spencer threw a tantrum because I wouldn’t buy him a toy. That’s when I knew it was time to head home for some rest…

Keith was gone that evening, so the boys and I had an early supper at 5:00 before Spencer’s 6:00 soccer game. On the menu: Hawaiian Kielbasa Kabobs, which I cooked on my cast iron grill pan because it was easier than firing up the outdoor grill. These were a hit (because the kids think that kielbasa is the same thing as a hot dog), so I’ll share the recipe soon!

I made it out for a quick run in town after dropping everyone off at school on Wednesday morning. It was another sunny day, so of course I captured plenty of photos to make me happy! This is a great way to really focus on slowing down and appreciating the nature around us. Once you open up your eyes for a nice shot, the options are everywhere. Try it!

Virginia’s state tree — the Dogwood!

He has been waiting all year for an excuse to water the garden…

We had another soccer practice that evening, so I pulled together a 5-ingredient dinner that I originally created for my Simply Mailed subscribers. I served this Italian Baked Chicken (which was wrapped in prosciutto with pesto and tomatoes) alongside pasta for an easy meal before we headed out to the fields.

I also shared a video of me preparing this dish live on Instagram Stories that day. Did you catch it? You can follow me here if that interests you, and find the cooking instructions in my “highlights”!

Thursday was a fun one! After dropping a birthday gift off at Mollie’s farm in the morning, I met my mom and my aunt at the high school to watch Casey and the rest of the second graders in their spring performance.

Cutest bug in town!

We were also celebrating my mom’s birthday that day, so my aunt, Spencer, and I headed up the road to The Market at Grelen for lunch.

That wisteria!

We shopped for flowers, played in the sandbox, and eventually sat down to enjoy our meal.

I had the Power Salad with Jerk Chicken on top (farro, lettuce, tarragon pesto, edamame, pepitas, pimientos, and jerk chicken). I need to recreate this at home!

Spence enjoyed the homemade chocolate brownie ice cream on a 90-degree day!

We picked up a bunch of organic asparagus and a fresh loaf of bread from my neighbor’s farm that afternoon. YUM! I will be using that asparagus in a salad today…

Casey had another performance that evening, so we ate a quick stir-fry supper before he had to be back at school. This was a Simply Mailed recipe for Teriyaki Shrimp and Vegetables served over rice (and cauliflower rice). I also heated up spring rolls on the side.

I had my favorite 6-year-old join me for an early morning run on Friday before school. This kid is seriously the Energizer Bunny!

My mother-in-law arrived later that morning so that she could spend time with Spencer while I jumped in the car for a mini road trip. My mission? Pick up my “little” brother, who was joining us as a surprise guest for my mom’s birthday dinner that evening.

Many thanks to my sister-in-law, Jackie, for holding down the fort in Florida and handling all 4 of their little kids at home for the weekend so that my brother could join us for the celebration!

Once Hannah arrived to babysit, Keith, my brother, and I met my parents and my aunt and uncle at the Ivy Inn in Charlottesville for a special evening in honor of my mom’s big day. What a fun surprise when she saw that my brother had come all the way from Orlando!

It was a lovely 3-hour meal, and every single dish was excellent. The restaurant specializes in local, seasonal Virginia foods, so we had a very spring-y dinner!

I started with the arugula and strawberry salad with pickled onions, feta, almonds, and Sherry vinaigrette (similar to this Strawberry Spinach Salad).

My entree was one of the house specialties: Grilled Rag Mountain Trout with asparagus, morel mushrooms, ramps, Carolina rice, and ramp butter.

And for dessert: a warm Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with a brown sugar pecan crumb topping and vanilla ice cream.

We left happy, satisfied, and grateful!

Derby Day is often a pretty big deal in our family, but that event took a backseat this year to sports and a carnival instead!

Between the 3 boys, we had 4 different soccer games on Saturday, so Keith and I had to divide and conquer.

I stayed in Madison to watch Spencer and Casey, while Keith took Gibbs over the mountain to Harrisonburg for both of Gibbs’s games.

I picked up a grocery order in the afternoon, spent some time in the kitchen testing new recipes, and then quickly threw together Pita Pizzas for dinner.

We were anxious to get out the door for the last night of the spring carnival here in Madison. The boys are the perfect age right now to enjoy the rides, so while Keith stayed home to watch the horses run, I took the kids out for some fun before bed! No Mint Juleps here, but I’m not complaining…

Phew! That’s our week in a nutshell! I hope that you found plenty of easy inspiration for your busy days ahead. Have a great Sunday!

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!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

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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Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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  1. I love your weekly reviews, Blair! Do you realize how much ammo you are accumulating by documenting your kids lives (Spencer’s meltdown for example)when they reach the ‘difficult’ years LOL! Or start dating? I am kidding of course, but I can still remember how my little brother would try to embarrass me when I started dating. That was long before social media, of course, and it was just stories, mostly without accompanying photo proof, LOL.

    1. Hah! I think about that ALL of the time! I have years worth of blackmail saved up for them. 🙂