Lovely Meals Lately: September 2024

Happy almost autumn, friends! We're fully in fall mode over here and that means tons of new hearty soups and cozy baking recipes are coming your way soon. Creamy veggie soup sans cream, anyone? Yes, please!

I just love cooking this time of year. Drop a comment below and tell me the best thing you ate this week!

Lovely Meals

Gorgeous healthy apple cake with cinnamon walnut topping is THE dessert of the season.

Dreamy enchiladas I made when we had family over! I cooked a bunch of chicken in broth in the Instant Pot, shredded it, and combined it with a can of chiles and black beans. I put some enchilada sauce in each tortilla then filled with the chicken and cheese. Cover with more sauce and cheese, bake, devour!

I craved these yogurt bowls for an afternoon or morning snack all summer long--Siggi's cherry or Chobani lower sugar raspberry yogurt with a crumbled chocolate banana muffin, cacao nibs, and blueberries. Tastes like cake!

Random fridge salad with mixed greens, leftover coleslaw, couscous, sweet potatoes and chickpeas, grilled chicken, green onion, and my fave Toby's ranch.

Smash burgers! Honestly not nearly as good as takeout, LOL.

Max and I love baking these almond flour chocolate chip cookies together. He adds sprinkles, duh (love the Trader Joe's ones that don't have fake colors!).

This chocolate mint protein bar recipe is one I've been using for years and they taste so incredible out of the freezer. I've been using sprouted pumpkin seeds from Costco!

We always have Kevin's Thai-style coconut chicken on hand for quick meals (another Costco winner). Served with microwave basmati rice, leftover broccoli, potatoes, and a sweet and spicy Brussels recipe I'm testing.

Tuna noodle casserole...but make it healthier! Love this cozy version so much and the fact that it feeds us for two nights. So good with Frank's hot sauce.

Soaking up the last of summer with peach avocado toast slathered in tahini, honey and salt.

I went on an incredible trip to California for an immersive tomato and extra virgin olive harvest experience and learned so much about growing and producing them. One of my favorite bites from the trip was vanilla ice cream drizzled with olive oil and salt. I'm drooling just thinking about it!

Can you get over this fig fontina pizza with a blizzard of freshly grated parm? Pietro's Trattoria in Lodi, CA was so incredible.

I've been on a tuna kick. Lately I mix two cans of wild skipjack tuna with chopped celery, onion, and dill pickle, a good squirt of Dijon, a couple big spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, a dollop of mayo, salt, pepper, and dried dill. Yum!

Just call me Ina with this stunning roasted chicken! So cozy. I mostly used her recipe but no fennel, and added potatoes and carrots when there was an hour left.

I crave fried eggs (cooked in my new fave fresh extra virgin olive oil) and avocado toast every morning and it's honestly nice not to have to think about what I'm having for breakfast.

Things I'm Loving Lately

• LISTENING: We went to the Kygo concert and it was a blast! I've been jamming to "Me Before You" ever since.
• COOKING: My favorite new kitchen gadget is this clip on silicone strainer. It fits on ANY size pot and I love not having to wash a strainer.
• WEARING: I own these $30 ballet flats in black and the nude sparkly version and I'm obsessed (since 200 of you bought them when I shared on IG I assume you are too!). They're reeeeally comfy.
• I've been using this pretty eye shadow roll on forever now; it's also great for blending top eyeliner.
• More amazing Target clothes I bought last week and am loving: these wide leg pants are beyond adorable (I have in green and beige, size up at least one size as they're very tight in the waist), this cozy sweater vest, this cozy knit cardigan to wear with leggings, and this $8 ribbed tank that I wear under everything.
• READING: I love everything Elin Hildebrand writes so I was excited to dive into her latest book, Swan Song. It did not disappoint! (Sorry I don't offer summaries; thinking of two sentences to describe a book sounds impossible to me, LOL). I also just joined a book club which has been super fun. We just read None of This Is True, a true crime suspense novel that was quite the page-turner. Next up is Mexican Gothic. I've never read a horror book so we shall see!
• I have two of these magnetic calendars on the side of our fridge (one for the current month and one for the next) and I truly don't know how I ever lived without them!!
• This tissue box holder adds a little something something. Love the beige or camel for fall.

Have the best week, pals!