I love September. Back to school and the return to soccer went well, and the cooler temps are much appreciated. We celebrated our 11th anniversary. I like September for still summer produce but a good time for almost-fall foods.
I made this lemon garlic pasta for any season, but the lemon kept it light. This is a great sauce to mix up and store a few days for a dinner. It would pair nicely with anything grilled too.
Quesadillas (or grilled cheese) are ideal lunches when I’m working from home and can make something but still need to keep getting stuff done so I whipped up corn quesadillas in cilantro butter (pssst! it has other butters if cilantro isn’t your jam).
Do not snooze on burger beans! We love (and repeat often) pizza beans for a quick/inside dinner and burger beans are a twist on that. The bean base makes it cook so fast and reheat well too. They are quick and ingredients we tend to have around all the time. I used a veggie burger but any would do!
Lastly, I did a round-up of speedy weeknight dinners. There are some for make-ahead, some for prep-ahead, and some of the fastest cooking ideas around. If you learn nothing else, make a brain-dump list of ideas and keep adding to it all the time. When you’re planning, that’ll come in handy and not require any recollection of what works but you haven’t had in awhile.
Oct will have a rice bowl, maybe a fall-ish cocktail, and I’m not sure what else. It is time for all the pumpkin and apple things. Maybe I’ll give baked oatmeal a go? I repeated these loaded savory waffles with sausages, egg, and cheese for one-handed weekday breakfasts.
The Little Girl:
She’s still either singing Frozen songs or in Elsa costume elements. She had an ear infection and did not complain at all (which delayed us even knowing that’s what was happening). She’s packs a backpack of treasures for when she goes to soccer games. We just decorated inside for Halloween and she loved seeing it all again.
The Big Guy:
The start of school has gone well! He was definitely more confident knowing the school, routine, the bus, and other kids this year. I think he’s writing with a little more care this year (so far!). He loves aftercare and he’s in a good routine. Soccer is 2nd & 3rd grade so he’s rising to the challenge this year. He’s obsessed with How to Train your Dragon movies and the show.
Goals:
Year of nail polish! I got color changing ones!
More international food inspiration: ehh not really.
More soups/salads:
More apps: Not really
More fun drinks: I made some iced tea and we’re alllllmost into nightly hot tea time
Updating photos: nope
What I’m reading: I read I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet and do not recommend – it was a little spiritual which is ok, but not what I gravitate too, but mostly, it was so vague yet google-able. I reread The Gown for bookclub and we all liked it. I read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – loved it and think anyone would get something out of it. I read The Boys Club which was pretty good, and worth it for a non-murder suspense one though I’d recommend with lots of trigger warnings and might be more interested in others by that author.
What I’m watching: Amazing race is back!
What I’m listening to: I did another season of Land of the Giants