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Hello, friends! Happy rainy Sunday to you! I’m cozied up with a cup of coffee and checking in to share another roundup of Our Week in Meals. We had a lot of very wet weather this week, which meant more-than-usual indoor time and many easy, comfort food dinners. Here we go!
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 cool and rainy, so instead of my regular walk in the woods with my friend Mollie, I put on my yoga pants and sweatshirt and just stayed in the kitchen! I photographed a couple of recipes and made a batch of my Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins (a recipe that has been on the blog for almost 6 years!). They’re still gooooood and my boys devoured them all in about 2 days….
While Keith and the kids were glued to the TV watching football, I used the indoor time to decorate our house for fall. It’s THE BEST season of the year! From the food, to the weather, to the decor…I love it all.
We had a simple dinner that tasted delicious: grilled salmon, steamed broccoli, and a box of Zatarain’s Red Beans and Rice.
The damp, gray weather continued on Monday, so I spent the morning working at the computer until Spence came home from school. I sipped on a second mug of coffee mid-morning in this Maple Sleigh flavor. Would you judge me if you knew that I was already drinking Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll flavored coffees? ‘Tis the season (almost)?
We had the ultimate rainy day comfort food for dinner: lasagna! I prepared this Turkey Pesto lasagna in the slow cooker that afternoon before the kids came home from school, since I knew that we would be rushing out the door for soccer practice by 5:30 that evening. This is so delicious (and so easy), you guys!!
I dropped the boys off at school on Tuesday morning, and then made a quick stop at Yoder’s Country Market before returning home. I was happy to see that all of the fall-themed goodies (and the local apples) are now out on display!
All 3 kiddos had soccer practices on the schedule that night, so we were expected to be on 3 different fields between the hours of 5:30 and 7. I also had a PTO meeting at the kids’ school at 7:00 p.m., so let’s just say that it was a crazy-busy evening.
I knew that I needed to get everyone fed really early (before practices), or it wouldn’t happen at all, so I prepped a quick dump-and-bake recipe that I was testing. This was 5-Ingredient Beefaroni, and it turned out great! I’ll share it next month on the blog.
We had the pasta and beef casserole with side salads and corn at 4:30 p.m., and then we all darted out the door!
I worked on a recipe project for a client on Wednesday morning, and then Spence and I headed into Charlottesville after lunch. We made one stop to pick up a few extra items for our fall decorating, and then ran into Kroger to grab groceries for the next few days.
With Hurricane Florence threatening the southeast, the stores here were very picked over. I got two of the last cases of bottled water, one of the last loaves of bread, and a hard-to-find gallon of milk.
I also managed to get Spence to do some house cleaning for me, since he was excited to use our new cordless vacuum. You know that you’re a mom when this type of purchase excites you!
Keith worked at the office late that night, so the boys and I ate my One Dish Garlic and Herb Pork Tenderloin for dinner on our own. When Keith finally made it home later, I gave him some of the sliced pork on a sandwich, which made him quite happy (and it was EASY for me)!
Thursday was pretty uneventful — in a good way. The sun came out briefly, so I was finally able to meet my friend Mollie for a morning walk in the woods. Thanks to rainy weather and sick children, we hadn’t been able to get outside and exercise in almost 2 weeks! The fresh air felt great (even though it was SUPER humid)!
I did some cooking and recipe testing that afternoon, and then we were back out on the soccer fields for practices that night.
I prepped one of our old favorites — Chicken and Stuffing Casserole — in advance. I made a full recipe, but I split the ingredients between two 8-inch pans (instead of one large 9 x 13-inch pan). That way I could bake one casserole early in the evening for the boys to have before practice, and I could bake the second casserole later that night when Keith arrived home from work.
PS — I also have a slow cooker version of this casserole HERE, if you’d like to give that one a try!
I spent most of Friday working in the kitchen and photographing recipes, Spencer came home at lunchtime, and the older boys joined us from school a few hours later. It was a (yet another) rainy day, so we hardly left the house.
For dinner we had our favorite Stuffed Shells with garlic bread and steamed broccoli and cauliflower on the side.
While it’s very easy to prepare, this meal involves a few more steps than my usual dump-and-bake recipes, but it’s well worth the extra effort!
Saturday included more soccer coaching in the rain,
as well as a stop at Virginia Tractor so that Spencer could check out the equipment.
This place is WAY more fun for him than any playground or toy store could ever be!
I also ran into Tractor Supply up the road for some giant mums to put on our front porch. Again, a sign that fall is just about here!
Our dinner that night was another cozy recipe from the blog archives: Slow Cooker Roast Beef, which I served on sandwiches. Earlier in the week, Spencer asked me when we could have “beef for dinner.” Since I had a chuck roast in the freezer, this meal was quickly added to the menu. ????
So there you go — another week of meals in the books! I hope that you found a couple of new ideas to add to your menu for the days ahead. Thanks for stopping by!
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.
