Monthly Musings: Fall Dinners

It's been awhile since I've linked up with Holly at Pink Lady (find her here) and Patty at Good, Better, Best (find her here) for their Monthly Musings but I need a good dose of fall right now. I've been back at work this week and it's been exhausting and frustrating as I deal with multiple challenges beyond my control. I cried three times before 10am yesterday morning so I'm more than ready for mid-September when the weather will be cooler, we'll all be back into our fall routines, and my work challenges will be... less, or at least different :) And I can indulge in some excellent fall comfort food!

1) Easiest dinner you make? Will you share the recipe?

Probably the easiest dinner I make in the fall is Tuna Noodle Casserole. I got this recipe years ago from my cousin and it's a great comfort food dinner. For years and years and years it was Sam's favourite meal ever but in the past year he hasn't enjoyed it as much. I still make it (or better yet, get the kids to make it because it's so easy) a few times a month though.

You can find the recipe (such as it is) here.

2) Crockpot? Instapot? Both?

I actually don't have either of these. And I'm not really interested in acquiring them. One of the main reasons I don't want a crock pot is because I'm vegetarian and most crock pot recipes I've seen require meat.

Fall veggies ready to be roasted in the oven

3) Are you a member of a wholesale club? Which one and favourite items there?

We are long-time Costco members. Our favourite items to buy from there are gas for our car, maple syrup, Kleenex, toilet paper, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. We're very exciting :) I should probably take time to actually walk around Costco and discover new and exciting items to buy but I usually try to get in and out as fast as I can.

4) Do you meal prep or menu plan? Do you follow any set themes?

I've meal planned a month at a time for about twelve years. Our meals get switched around as our moods change, but we do have a set plan to follow and shop according to that plan. I don't really follow a theme but I used to plan Mexican Monday, pasta one day, and soup one day. I would probably have an easier time meal planning if I went back to the theme nights.

Apple nachos are a really yummy fall snack!

You can find the "recipe" here. I like mine with caramel topping, chocolate chips, and cinnamon. Rachel highly recommends adding marshmallows to yours. 

5) Best dinner tips for busy nights?

Get Dave to cook! Hahaha!!! We either do a quick and easy meal (which tends to be the meals Dave cooks -- grilled cheese and tomato soup, eggs on toast, meatball subs, etc) or we plan to grab fast food. But really, if you've got a meal plan, it's easier to cook on those nights.

6) Do you use certain ingredients more in the fall?

Yes, we have a CSA (community shared agriculture) so we tend to get the root vegetables in the fall -- carrots, beets, squash, cabbage, etc. Therefore I cook meals which use those items. Also, I rarely cook soups or pasta (except for pasta salad) or casseroles in the summer, so we start adding those in more in the fall.

Fall CSA produce -- two kinds of squash, celeriac, and pumpkin

7) Any back to school dinner traditions?

Not really. We usually have tacos on the first day of school but that's because our first day is almost always a Tuesday so it's Taco Tuesday and a quick, fast meal everyone enjoys.

8) Do you own an air fryer?

Nope. I own no helpful cooking appliances :)

9) Favourite grab and go items? Homemade or store bought?

If you've read around here for any length of time you probably remember my obsession with back to school muffin baking. They are my favourite grab and go item and I have a whole Pinterest board of recipes dedicated to muffins! They are a great breakfast item, easy to pack for lunch, or easy to eat as an after school snack.

Pumpkin muffins (left), banana muffins (right)

10) How many nights a week do you cook?

Between Dave and I, we cook about 6-7 nights a week, most weeks. This week is my first week back at work (and it's been a doozy) and Rachel has a dance open house so we're grabbing fast food twice this week, but normally we cook almost every night. Dave BBQs and does the easier meals but I tend to do the majority of the cooking. It's not that Dave can't cook, I just get off work earlier and usually have more time.

I'm looking forward to reading your responses about cooking and hopefully getting inspired with some great back to school and fall meals! I didn't participate in July's Monthly Musings about back to school because we were on vacation, but I'm going to try and answer those questions next week as we start gearing up for back to school around here.

Happy (almost) fall everyone!!!