Our Week in Meals #400

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This marks the 400th time I’ve sat down to chat with you about our weekly suppers on a Sunday morning. For those counting, that’s almost 8 years of home cooking! It blows my mind, and I’m so thankful that you’re here. As usual, you’ll find all of the highlights from the past few days, along with each of our dinners, in today’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…

The boys and I left Madison early that morning to drive a couple of hours north up to Dulles Airport. We had interviews scheduled for our Global Entry applications — a process that I’ve been putting off for awhile. Much to my surprise, it turned out to be surprisingly quick and easy. Thank goodness!

Before heading back home, we made a stop at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

Gibbs had visited last year, so he could act as our tour guide. They were fascinated by the space shuttle (of course), the Blackbird spy plane, the Enola Gay, the Blue Angels…

…and the astronaut food from the gift shop. Hah!

For supper that evening, Keith grilled a combination of both baby back ribs and a marinated London Broil. We didn’t have quite enough ribs for everyone, and the steak was stashed in my freezer and needed to be enjoyed, so this kept everyone happy.

I made an easy pasta salad with mayo, lemon, and basil to go with the meat, and steamed the extra broccoli that I had left after prepping the salad for some additional veggies on the side.

Let’s chat about books! This week I read a novel that came highly recommended from a blog reader: One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus. Based on an actual historical event but told through fictional diaries, this is the story of May Dodd — a remarkable woman who, in 1875, travels through the American West to marry the chief of the Cheyenne Nation. It’s a beautiful, moving, fascinating, and sobering tale. Definitely recommend this one!

Monday was another scorcher! Like many parts of the country, Virginia has seen a crazy heat wave over the past couple of weeks.

I got to work in the kitchen testing a couple of recipes that morning, and then took the boys to the pool in the afternoon. Not much else to do outside!

Before Keith and Gibbs went out to play a round of golf, I served a light and fresh supper. We had a big Greek shrimp salad and along with the leftover pasta salad from the night before, as well as pita bread and hummus. Maybe not the kids’ favorite meal, but Keith and I really enjoyed this one (and nobody left the table hungry)!

The dahlia tubers that Adria gave me are thriving in pots on my porch!

I got out for a short walk early on Tuesday morning,

and then Casey joined me at Adria’s farm to check out her gardens.

The rows and rows of shade-covered dahlias are really starting to pop!

Tomato sandwiches made an appearance again for lunches this week!

And that afternoon I baked my first batch of blackberry muffins of the summer…

I used my canned green beans to make tater tot casserole for supper that evening, which I paired with a fresh tomato salad.

While I got some work done on Wednesday morning, Keith took Gibbs to a golf clinic and played pickleball with the younger two boys.

Spencer’s friend joined us at the pool after lunch,

and we stopped for ice cream at the Tastee Freez on the way home.

Keith grilled bbq chicken breast for supper,

which I paired with corn on the cob, sauteed zucchini, a can of baked beans, and a pan of store-bought yeast rolls.

Gibbs had a high school orientation on Thursday, so I dropped him off in the morning and then met my friend Ashley for a walk.

The younger two boys rode bikes at the school that afternoon before we had to pick up their brother.

Supper that night was a kid-favorite: flatbread pizzas, plus green salads on the side.

We were all out and about early on Friday, in spite of the rain. Keith took the younger two boys to soccer training in Charlottesville, I joined Adria for Pilates class in Culpeper, and then I took Gibbs to a golf lesson in Ruckersville.

On our way home from golf, we picked up boxes of gas station fried chicken, rolls, and potato wedges for lunch. The best!

Keith grilled pork tenderloin for dinner that night,

while I baked a skillet of jalapeño cheddar cornbread. We also had rice and steamed green beans on the side.

A humid, foggy Saturday morning after the rain…

Our day was pretty low-key. I took Teddy back to the vet for a follow-up appointment, and restocked our kitchen with groceries for the week ahead.

Keith and I had a dinner date that evening at Jack’s Shop Kitchen in Ruckersville. I always love this restaurant, which is owned by a local Madison family and is focused on seasonal menus that highlight the best of Virginia foods, wine, and beer. I had the fried green tomatoes with chow chow and remoulade (so crispy and delicious),

plus the salad with chicken, apple, cranberry, pecans, butternut squash, quinoa, and apple cider dressing.

And a “Southern Blackberry Cobbler” ice cream cone for dessert!

So there you have it, friends — another week of dinner ideas! I hope that you’ve found something new to add to your own table in the days ahead. Have a wonderful Sunday!