A September lunch round-up: staycation time!

My daughters have a couple of weeks off before uni classes begin. We had hoped to go someplace, but as it turns out, we do have a lot of commitments in the next 2 weeks, so it just didn't work out.

We are, however, making the most of lazy mornings and sunny afternoons, with local excursions to get that "vacation feel".

So, lunches are perhaps a bit more interesting and fun, this week. Here's what we're doing for lunch:

• homemade "pepperoni" pizza (thin-sliced beef hot links in place of pepperoni)
• vegetarian garden lasagna (I use seasoned tofu in place of ricotta, and lots of chopped kale)
• applesauce (using apples that I pick up under the trees every morning -- thanks to the pesky squirrels)
• apple Brown Betty (I just like the name. Sounds fun, doesn't it?)
• fresh plums, apples and tomatoes 

We are stuffing ourselves with garden produce. Sometimes I look at our plates and think, "that came from the garden, that came from the garden, that came from the garden. . .". Just fun to see how much we've grown that fills our plates.

What's on your lunch menu this week? What do you make for "fun" lunches, special occasions, birthdays, etc?

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What I like about the cooler weather of September

The weather is turning in our area. While the weekend high temperatures were right around 80 degrees, the days are shorter, so the nights have a longer period to cool off. Mornings and evenings can be quite chilly. But I love this changing period of the year.

• soup makes a delicious, warming and frugal dinner
• oatmeal warms the tummy, is easy to prepare, and doesn't bust the budget
• potatoes, again! after a summer of rice, bread and pasta, potatoes make a welcome, and frugal, backbone to many cool-weather meals. Leftover potatoes with an egg for breakfast. "Cream" of potato soup for lunch (I blend in silken tofu in place of cream, for protein without the dairy). Potato and any leftover meat and veggies for a tasty hash at dinner.
• I sleep so much better when the nights are cool, but it's not so cool that we need the furnace yet
• cooking and baking doesn't overheat the kitchen (and cooking/baking from scratch saves us mucho $$$)
• because I sleep better this time of year, I have more energy during the day!
• no more need to water outdoor plants, any vegetable rinse water that's clean enough just goes into the washing machine now (not saving it for watering the garden)
• the vegetables that I will be buying in autumn, like winter squash and carrots, are so much cheaper than spring items like asparagus
• the air smells fresh, the garbage doesn't stink up the garage and the sky is incredibly blue on a clear day
• I'm almost done with garden and will soon have more free time
• we make some favorite foods: caramel popcorn, candy apples, pumpkin everything (lattes, soup, pudding, bread, pie)
• fresh, crisp russet apples -- best flavored apples IMO!

What are some of the things you love about this time of year?

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