The Fall Menu

It's possible that I am certifiably insane. After all, while Labor Day has passed and the calendar says September, the reality is that it was 98° Monday and will probably hit 100° by the time this posts. September can be our hottest month of the year.

But it's September ... and time to plan the new basic menu for the season (a guideline rather than a hard and fast plan). September means fall, and fall means soup, right? Soup even though it will be 98°. Soup because I love soup; it's cheap and easy to make and provides leftovers for another meal.

I also wanted to tweak things a bit; I really want to dedicate one day of the weekend to rest and leisure rather than working through both days, because the reality is that there is always something that needs to be cleaned, organized, weeded, painted, washed, etc. I realized that we only have a couple of months before mountain biking once again dominates our weekends and that I want to make the most of those months.

When the boys were younger we had what we called Family Nature Day; one day on the weekend that we dedicated to family time and being in nature. We would go on picnics, small hikes, beach trips, and more. Fall and winter are the perfect months for us to be outside, so I want to reinstate this tradition. Well, it didn't really go away, it just changed into a mountain biking thing and I was left out. But no more - family nature day means the whole family, including me!

This means I need easy meals for both weekend days, so that is where I am going to put our soup meal.

And so, here is the new basic plan, based on the season, the riding schedule, and our expected commitments for the next three months.

Sundays
Pinto Beans, Brown Rice, Vegetable

Mondays

Vegetable, Bean, and Rice Tacos

Tuesdays

Pizza or Pasta

Wednesdays

Something Different

Thursdays

Beans, Cornbread, Vegetable

Fridays

Casserole, Vegetable

Saturdays

Soup and Fresh Bread