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Good morning, and happy Sunday! We’re wrapping up another full week complete with travel, summer fun, a birthday celebration, and lots of good eats. All of the highlights, along with each of our dinners, are included in today’s roundup ofOur Week in Meals!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsem*nt, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
For those of you who are new to the blog,Our Week in Mealsis 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 morning started with a batch of blueberry streusel muffins,
followed by an early walk at Mollie’s farm.
We spent the afternoon at the pool, and then came home to a delicious steak dinner. Keith grilled New York strips,
which we paired with baked potato wedges,
plus a Caesar salad and a tomato salad. Have to take advantage of those good summer tomatoes while they’re available! I used the basil and chives from my garden in lieu of red onion this time.
Monday was a busy one! I met my friend Barbara for an early walk that morning, took Casey to the orthodontist, and then headed south to Nelson County to visit my parents.
We had lunch, took a quick spin with my dad through my favorite antique shop near their house, and went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. We don’t have paved paths anywhere in Madison County, so it was worth the effort to haul their bikes down there for the afternoon!
Keith was gone that night, so I kept our dinner really simple and kid-friendly: mac and cheese and tomato sandwiches when we returned home.
Mollie stopped by for a visit on Tuesday morning after dropping her kids off at camp, but it was otherwise a quiet day at the house. My goal was to pack our suitcases and get our house organized for our next out-of-town adventure.
The hostas are blooming in the yard, which always makes me happy! A true sign of summer around here…
Dinner was a blog favorite — “egg roll in a bowl” — which I serve with a side of rice, since it’s a lighter dish that otherwise wouldn’t fill up my crew!
Wednesday was a full day of travel, as we flew from Richmond to Orlando for a visit with my brother’s family.
We stayed at the Sapphire Falls resort (where Keith had spent the previous two days for a work conference), so my brother, sister-in-law, and their 4 kids came over for a swim that afternoon…
…and joined us for a poolside dinner. Fish tacos with slaw hit the spot!
We spent Thursday morning at Andretti’s riding go-karts and playing laser tag (a huge hit with the boys!),
took the water taxi to the City Walk for lunch at Margaritaville, and then eventually made it to my brother’s house for an afternoon of swimming.
He grilled salmon, burgers, and hot dogs, and Jackie set out a delicious spread of pasta salads, Caesar salad, and fruit.
Followed by key lime pie for dessert — the perfect Floridian summer treat!
A stack of blueberry pancakes and plenty of coffee from IHOP on Friday morning…
…and later, Casey and I found a new favorite doughnut shop!
We met the cousins for a round at Topgolf, went back to their house for lunch, and then the older kids went to see the new Minions movie.
Meanwhile, Spence entertained himself with scooter-riding through their neighborhood and swimming in their pool…
We had a big family birthday dinner for my niece that evening, which included pizza, salad, and this triple-layer chocolate cake that was specifically requested by the 5-year-old!
None of us were happy about a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call on Saturday morning to catch an early flight back to Virginia; however, the boys’ day was made when the kind JetBlue pilots gave them an extensive tour of the co*ckpit. Honestly, I didn’t even know this was “allowed” anymore, but it was a welcome surprise!
We made it home shortly after lunch, so we had time to get settled, unpack, start laundry, and eat an easy supper before crashing for an early bedtime. I had made a batch of meatballs last week to stash in the freezer, so I just reheated those and paired them with spaghetti,
as well as garlic bread (also prepped earlier and stored in the freezer) and steamed broccoli.
And that’s it for now, friends! After two weeks full of travel (North Carolina, then Florida), we’re home for most of July, and looking forward to a quieter summer schedule. Thank you for being here, and have a great 4th of July!🎇
