As always, my husband and I do our best in the name of elusive family togetherness.

Thus far, 2019 has been a rough year in the Burke house (and it’s only February!). Sometimes the hits just keep on coming and it can be difficult to find your feet again. This is where I find myself at present. It’s hard, then, to do things like plan a week of healthy meals and get everyone to the table. As always, though, my husband and I do our best in the name of elusive family togetherness. I have also been unable to make it to the Farmer’s Market for a few Saturdays now, but I maintain the hope that tomorrow will be the day. So on to the week!

We had a full house on Saturday as we offered to feed our neighbors’ kids while they worked on an important home project. With six kids around the table, Travis grilled hamburgers (he is a hamburger master), served with broccoli and noodles. I would share his special hamburger spice blend, but he won’t even share it with me, alas.

Sunday was another big group dinner. In cleaning out our freezer we discovered a giant pack of steak that was an all or nothing defrosting endeavor. We invited our friends to join us for sweet potato fries, green beans, and grilled steak. Travis put on his chef hat once more and handled it all. We went the easy route with fries we also discovered in the freezer, but when I’m feeling ambitious I slice up sweet potatoes into eight sections each, coat with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chipotle chili powder if we’re feeling spicy. Roast at 425 for 20-30 minutes, until the outsides are crisp and the insides are soft.

I returned to an old staple on Monday with a chicken stir fry and rice. Tuesday I threw together pork chops, egg noodles, and corn as it was just me and the kids. My older children eat dinner at church on Wednesday nights before choir, so Travis, the toddler, and I took out leftovers that night.

Thursday night was pasta night, and tonight I’m thinking I’ll change my plans to something hearty and warm to stave off this ridiculous weather. Chili or a stew of some kind.

This weekend I’m going to try my hand at making a supply of freezer meals. My husband is headed off to Winston Salem for work, leaving me to manage our circus alone for awhile. I’m hoping an ounce of preparation (and the help of the world’s best friends) will help me maintain just a tiny bit of sanity. Tune in next week to find out!