Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of September 19th

Beautiful fall weather has hit Pennsylvania this past week.  I took a peek at the 10-day forecast and see that we're going to have more low temps!  Mid to low 70s.  Soon it will be time to take the air conditioners out of the windows, stack firewood on the back porch and bring out the warm blankets for snuggling on the sofa while watching Sesame Street with Grace! 

All of that sounds good to me!  I can't wait! 

Have I mentioned that Autumn is my favorite season?  I really do enjoy the cool weather so much more than the hot, 90+ degree days that summer brings.  I don't handle the heat well (never have), so once the weather starts to feel more comfortable, we start to plan more outdoor activites. 

We took full advantage of the beautiful weather and took Grace and our nieces to the apple orchard to pick apples.  It was a first for all of us and we had a really great time!  I plan to share some photos from the day just as soon as I get a moment to edit them. 

After a day picking apples, we are really looking forward to taking Grace to the pumpkin patch this year!  She enjoyed herself so much that we took her 3 times! 

In addition to playing outdoors, I find that I enjoy cooking so much more during the cooler months.  This crisp, cool weather has put me in a soup kind of mood!  Soups, stews, casseroles....mmmmm!  Sure, I sneak a few of those meals in during the summer, but they are so much better when the outside temps are cooler!



Here's what's cookin' at our house this week: 

• Vegetarian Lentil Chili.  This sounds like a perfect pantry meal!  I always have lentils and pinto beans in the bean drawer in the pantry.  The fact that this is a crock pot recipe makes me love this recipe even more!  I cannot wait to make this one night this week! 

• Beef Cabbage Soup.  I've been wanting to try this recipe for a while now.  I used to make a casserole very similar to this, but I love the idea of it being a soup!  I had Joe pick up a big head of cabbage so I can finally make this recipe!  Mmmmm!  I could probably make this in the crock pot, too, but I think my dutch oven has been feeling a bit lonely this summer!  This recipe will put it to good use! 

• Zesty Crock Pot Chicken and Vegetables.  Zesty Italian Dressing is another staple in my pantry.  It's my favorite dressing to use when I make pasta salad.  I'm sure it will be super-tasty in this super-easy recipe! 

• Crock Pot Cranberry Pork served with mashed sweet potatoes.  After finding a pork loin in the freezer while taking inventory last week, I decided that it was time to make this recipe again.  I only made this once, but I remember it being really simple to throw together!  Gotta love easy! 

• Weight Watcher's Zero Point Soup.  Joe actually requested that I make this soup.  I used to make it all the time.  It's been a while since we've had it.  At least 2 years, since I haven't blogged about it.  It's a meatless soup, that I like to serve along with baked potatoes and/or a salad.  Sometimes Joe will cook some bulk sausage and add it to his portion. 

• Tuna Noodle Casserole.  This is one of those meals I keep adding to the menu plan, but never seem to get around to making it.  Silly, since I almost always have all of the ingredients on-hand for this easy, comfort-food recipe! 

Now that you know what we will be eating this week, how about letting us know what's on your menu for this week?  Share in the comments or follow me over to Menu Plan Monday for more recipes and menu planning inspiration! 


I'll also be linking up to Follow Us Monday Morning, since the question of the week asks: 

What do you love most about fall?