It’s Fall…but it’s hot. Real hot. My mind says chili, my body says ice chips. If tend to ignore my body come late September and just wear, eat and do what my mind says is right. Wear the sweater! Make the beef stew!  Pick the pumpkins! The weather will catch up eventually, right? Fall also means school and activities are in full swing so I make a maximum of four dinners a week. We eat leftovers the other days and O and I usually go out for dinner on Fridays. Here is what our dinners will look like this week as we leave September and head into October.

Monday: Stuffed Peppers. Who doesn’t like starting the week off with Mexican food? I don’t eat these peppers because I don’t eat beans or rice but I always follow this recipe with the addition of vegan beef crumbles in the filling for O and our favorite Sriracha style sauce drizzled on top. I serve this with sheet-pan roasted broccoli and cauliflower because, to be honest, it’s quick and easy. After a more indulgent weekend, I love starting the week off with something lighter and fresh rather than heavy and dense. (image via here)

Tuesday: Zucchini noodle pasta with Beyond Meat Crumbles for O and Beef for us with a kale salad. The kids go away to school Tuesday and Thursday and I want to spend that time working rather than doing any intense cooking or prep work. This meal is simple, clean and filling and it’s a crowd pleaser every time. (image via here)

Wednesday: Leftover Night + Fresh Roasted Vegetables. This looks like quesadillas made with leftover stuffed pepper filling, extra sauce from the pasta on roasted garlic bread sprinkled with vegan parmesan or literal leftovers reheated. Wednesdays are late for us since we have a standing chiropractor appointment 45 minutes away. The main goal of dinner is to be quick and simple so we can come home, eat and put the kids to bed all within an hour. (image via here)

Thursday:  Vegan Pot Pie. This is so simple too and hits the spot every time. Again, I don’t eat corn so I don’t add it to the mixture and if you’re not gluten free, the biscuit recipe linked in the pot-pie recipe was my absolute favorite before giving up grains. I now either use gluten-free pie crust from the freezer section or I make Sweet Laurel grain-free biscuits from the cookbook. (image via the link)

Friday: This is the night O and I go out to eat (True Food is our favorite spot) and the kids will have grilled cheese and tomato soup. Easy as can be.

I’m a firm believer in a meal plan and we’re still on our strict ‘no more than two grocery shops a week’ rule which means there’s little room for me to not know what we’re having for dinner at 2pm anymore. It’s been a wonderful experiment. I hope you enjoy some of these meals! (opening image via Bon Appetit)