Our Week in Meals #80

Hey, friends! Happy Memorial Day weekend. It is officially summer around here! It’s also Sunday, which means that it’s time for another 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…

After almost a week of rain, the sun (and warm temps) came out again on Sunday. I met Mollie for a walk, picked up a grocery order, and then came back home to feed the family lunch.

I also prepped our dinner in advance — with the help of my sous chef! We shared live video of us preparing the meal on Instagram Stories, so be sure to follow me there if you enjoy that type of thing!

Our meal that evening was a quintessential summer supper — starting with the sides. I served my Corn Salad,

as well as a simple Bruschetta. That Bruschetta recipe is an oldie-but-goodie recipe on the blog, which originally came from my mom’s best friend, Joyce. You’ll never need another summer appetizer or side dish!

Keith also grilled my favorite “No Work” Marinated Chicken. Always hits the spot!

In keeping with the summer theme, there was a massive water gun fight to end the evening!

Monday started bright and early with a beautiful jog while I watched the sunrise.

Spence and I then headed over to the school to see Casey run in a race, before returning home to test a few recipes in the kitchen.

Casey had soccer practice that evening, so we needed an early dinner before we had to be on the field at 5:30. I just reheated some Stuffed Zucchini that I had prepared earlier in the day, which I served with pasta for my carb-loving boys.

I also tested a vegetarian version of this recipe, so I will be sure to share them both next month. They turned out great!

I finished reading another book this week, which I really enjoyed. A big change from my last book, Comfort Me with Apples is a memoir with recipes by Ruth Reichl. I haven’t read the prequel, Tender at the Bone (yet!), but it’s definitely on my list. Such a beautifully written story — and the meals that she shares sound tasty, too!

Spence and I ran errands on a rainy Tuesday morning, including a stop at the garden center for hanging flower pots and potted flowers for the front porch.

We had to run into Walmart to get some gift wrap for the teachers’ gifts, so this guy convinced me that he needed a donut from the bakery as well…

When the rain stopped mid-day, we took our playtime outside. He has found an alternate use for the new basketball court in our yard!

He told me that he was “racing in tight loops at 100 miles per hour.” Dare devil.????

I enjoyed a paper plate full of leftovers for lunch at the picnic table while supervising sandbox play.

And look at this beautiful Oriole that is building a nest in the tree outside our bedroom window! They return to this same spot each year, and Keith finally managed to capture a photo.

I got the night off from the kitchen that evening! Spence had an end-of-the-season soccer team party at the local McDonald’s, so the boys were treated to hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and French fries. I opted for a plate of leftover stuffed zucchini when we got home later.????

Scenes from my Wednesday morning walk…

We watched the tractor bale this freshly-cut hay later that day. Tis the season!

I delivered Spencer to the preschool in his bathing suit for Water Fun Day, and then joined Gibbs and his friends for the second grade class picnic and hike.

I pulled dinner out of our freezer that night — leftover Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes. I just reheated the meat in a saucepan until it was warmed through, piled it on sandwich buns, and served chips and a salad on the side.

Thursday was the last day of school for all 3 of my boys.

Casey finished 1st grade, Gibbs finished 2nd grade, and Spencer finished preschool (he will do a morning Pre-K program at the elementary school next year). Summer has officially arrived in our house!

Since it was a half day of school, both of the grandmothers came for a visit midday to help celebrate. The boys requested a lunch date at Subway, so that’s what we did!

The older boys had soccer practice that evening, so I heated up a casserole that I had prepared earlier in the week for a quick and easy dinner before we left. This was Dump-and-Bake Stuffed Bell Peppers Casserole — YUM! Best of all, you don’t have to pre-cook the rice, the meat, or the veggies. Such a simple one pot meal! I’ll share the recipe on the blog next month, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, you might like a similar recipe for my Dump-and-Bake Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Casserole.

Friday felt like the weekend!

With the kids off from school and Keith home from work (for a long holiday weekend), I kept thinking it was Saturday all day long.

We started the morning slowly with waffles and a frittata for breakfast (I shared the frittata on Instagram Stories), and then I spent some time meal planning and preparing a grocery list for the week ahead.

Keith and the boys were enjoying the beautiful weather — and mowing the grass.

Around lunchtime, I headed south to Charlottesville for a solo (!!) trip to Costco while Keith and the boys went out to lunch. I get most of my meat and produce at Costco, so my cart was colorful!

I also picked up an online grocery order at Walmart, since I find it’s the easiest way to stock up on our weekly pantry staples. The kind lady who brought my bags to the car also sent me home with three of these free cupcakes (in red, white and blue) for the boys. Memorial Day treat!

Casey had a soccer game that evening, so I fed everyone another early dinner. I will include Maria’s Ranch Chicken Kabobs in an upcoming Simply Mailed meal plan, so I wanted to take some updated photos that afternoon.

We had the chicken kabobs with a salad and crescent rolls for an easy meal before heading out to the fields.

We were back at it again on Saturday morning.

I packed a cooler full of food and water, and we headed to the soccer fields for the older boys’ 4 v. 4 tournament. After 3 games in the heat, these boys were tired!

Keith and I had a date night that evening!

I made spaghetti for the boys, and then Mary Kate came over to babysit so that we could go to dinner at Grill 309 in Culpeper.

We loved our meals!

I had the House Salad,

and the Chicken Souvlaki Pita Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, feta, and tzatziki sauce. Delicious!

And that finishes off another week’s worth of meals! I hope that you’ve found some new inspiration for your own dinners in the week ahead. I’ve made a mental note to try to recreate that chicken souvlaki at home soon!

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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