I hope your Wednesday is going well so far! 🙂 I’m loving the start to fall and the leaves starting to change… I always enjoy this time of year!

One annoying thing lately is that we have this insane construction project going on right outside our townhouse, and it is now officially impossible for me to cross the road and get to my favorite everyday running/walking path. UGGHHH. (It also adds ten mins to ANYWHERE we go with having to go around it all). I’m so bummed to miss out on the fall colors and scenery on my usual path while we *eagerly await* the construction to wrap up! (They seem in no hurry…). So, I’ve had to adjust my route and make do for the time being. It is not very scenic and not nearly as exciting but that is okay. I will appreciate my old route all the more when I can get back to it!

Diving right in with some end-of-summer / beginning-of-fall recent eats! What is the best thing you’ve eaten lately??

I loved this tasty fall salad! Mixed greens w/ black rice, roasted sweet potatoes, feta, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and green onion. Based off of this salad recipe from Cookie & Kate. I did make the ginger dressing she includes in the recipe, but didn’t love it with this salad combination, so I ended up using my usual balsamic vinaigrette when I ate it the next few times throughout the week. However, a lot of people in the recipe comments say they love it with the ginger dressing!

Leftover black rice + quinoa used in my favorite peanut broccoli bowls. Roasted broccoli + carrots + chickpeas with the best peanut sauce! This was a perfect Friday night where I chilled / read / ate dinner on the couch.

Scrambled eggs for dinner — lots of kale and a blend of feta + parmesan, plus salad, and baked potatoes w/ plenty of butter + salt + pepper. Very simple, yet nutritious, and worked for a cheaper, minimal prep, clean-out-the-fridge type meal!

I do egg dishes for dinner maybe once a week, and often try to use up whatever cheeses and veggies I already have on hand.

If not scrambled, typically a frittata. This one was roasted broccoli with (I think) fresh parmesan + cheddar. I like to roast or sauté the veggies before I bake them in the frittata. You can read more about how to make a frittata in the oven here!

My yoga teacher brings in homemade popsicles when it is over 85 degrees out. I think those days are mostly behind us for a while now! I don’t consider myself a huge “lime person,” but these lime-flavored popsicles were absolutely amazing!!

Mini lunch / snack plate of cheese and crackers, veggies, grapes, and trail mix. For cheeses to snack on, I love (from Trader Joe’s) the organic cheddar, organic pepper jack, and block of parmesan! One of my go-to DIY trail mixes is almonds, pistachios, chocolate chips, and either dried cherries or chopped dates. So much tastier (and less expensive) than store-bought!

Super moist and delicious pumpkin muffins that I made towards the end of last week! I added additional spice (extra nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves) and baked for only 20 mins. I’m so happy we are in pumpkin season!

On Monday when I got home from grocery shopping / running errands, I was really hungry for an early lunch. So before putting anything away I made a beeline for the fridge and made a mini pumpkin bowl — leftover pumpkin w/ cinnamon + nutmeg, spoonful of mixed nut butter, and homemade granola. I was dreaming of this when I was driving home! Followed by a pumpkin muffin and a carrot. Give me all the beta-carotene!!

Delicious chicken and rice soup w/ almond flour rolls (w/ honey) and side salads… I’ve been doing a tradition of soup/bread for the first day of fall! It was a rainy evening after many days of sun to round out summer.

I have been into hazelnuts lately and recently made some homemade hazelnut milk from the Run Fast Eat Slow cookbook. In addition to hazelnuts, the milk recipe includes vanilla, dates, and cinnamon. I blend it all up with water in my Vitamix and then strain it through a nut milk bag.

The leftover “pulp” after you strain the mixture is the hazelnut meal. I used it to make lemon hazelnut cookies, recipe also from RFES!

Post-yoga later-dinner Greek salad from Juicy (w/ extra beets + tempeh!). I *just* started reading The Secret Book of Flora Lea which I am liking so far! Other recent reads include First Lie Wins  (I found this one interesting enough, but only okay), and Hillbilly Elegy (a re-read for me — we also watched the movie version recently which was excellent!).

Shakshuka w/ roasted potatoes for a Saturday dinner. This was after we went to the Michigan-Texas game, which was disappointing, but at least we had this to help lift our spirits! Every time I make this meal Alec says we should have it once a week. But then I worry we would get sick of it!

Topped w/ extra cilantro and eaten alongside our usual side salads.

Mango-based salads of frozen (thawed) mango, salted cashews, and chopped carrot + cucumber + bell pepper. All drizzled in this turmeric mango vinaigrette. I used to buy a loft of fresh mango, but I am finding that letting frozen mango thaw in my fridge is just as tasty (if not better, since it is consistent), and a lot easier! I love the frozen organic mango from Costco.

I talk a lot about frozen fruits/veggies with clients (many of whom are college-aged), as they are generally cheaper / don’t go bad quickly, and are generally just as nutritious since they are frozen at peak freshness!

Lately I’ve been keeping frozen mango, blueberries, and raspberries on hand. I either use them frozen in smoothies, or I let them thaw in the fridge for topping breakfast bowls, salads, eating the mango as a side or snack, in dressings, etc.

Probably my favorite dinner of the past few weeks! I had made this chicken stir fry (in my wok, not Instant Pot), and doubled the stir fry sauce since usually we want more for drizzling. I ended up having more than expected and so planned on this dish for the next week — salmon (seasoned w/ garam masala + ginger), sautéed bok choy, and white rice, all drizzled in the stir fry sauce and topped w/ a bit of green onion. This was so good!! In the future, I will plan on back-to-back stir fry and then Asian salmon dinners. 🙂

Everyday Enjoyment: 

Darker evenings //

Is it just me, or are other people NOT fans of when it is light out until 9pm??? I like when it gets darker around 7pm, and like how this “makes it easier” for me to stay inside and read/unwind right after dinner if I have nothing going on (unlike when it is light/sunny out and I feel this constant urge to be outside, even though I really want to be inside reading/relaxing with it dark out — confusing? Yes!). What I DON’T like is that it is darker longer in the morning… give me all the sunlight at 5/6am!! **Can’t win**

Fall plans & activities //

I love all things fall, and would say September and October are two of my favorite months of the year. (And, TBH, I also like November, so that makes all of fall.) I particularly enjoy college football, the colors, crisper temps, and fall cooking/baking. We also tend to have some fun plans on the radar each year as we head into the holidays. This year we have a fall trip planned for Mackinac Island (at peak colors), a family trip to Florida for my mom’s 60th birthday, weekend visits w/ each of Alec’s parents, and other things that occupy a good amount of our time such as watching & thoroughly dissecting the Michigan game each weekend!!!

Fall baking & desserts // 

You all know you can count on me when it comes to some tasty dessert ideas! Some of my next-up ideas that I want to try when I get a chance include Alexis’ apple cake, pumpkin pie parfaits, apple cranberry crisp, and flourless chocolate pear cake. Chocolate and pear is one of my absolute favorite combos (but that I basically never make — such a shame!). I’d love to give this (or another similar recipe) a try as a holiday dessert.

How do you feel about darker evenings? 

What are you looking forward to this fall??

Have a wonderful rest of your week!