Good day, associates and fellow residence cooks!
That is my weekly e-newsletter with a meal plan, which incorporates 7 weeknight meals + 3 wholesome salads (for the week of September 30 – October 06, 2024)! On the backside, I’ve included some beautiful images from my hikes this week, showcasing the gorgeous fall foliage right here in Colorado! I dwell at about 9,000 toes, and I’ve observed the leaves turned golden no less than per week (possibly even two!) sooner than standard this yr. Nature’s forward of schedule, and it’s breathtaking!
7 weeknight meals + 3 wholesome salads
DAY 1: Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Shells Filled with Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes (it’s also possible to use pumpkin purée as a substitute)
DAY 2: Hen and Wild Rice with Roasted Candy Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Garlic Butter Sauce (it’s also possible to use cubed butternut squash as a substitute of candy potatoes)
DAY 3: Greek Shrimp Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes, Solar-Dried Tomatoes, Feta, Inexperienced and Kalamata Olives, Lemon Juice, and Recent Basil (make it GLUTEN-FREE utilizing GF orzo or long-grain rice)
DAY 4: Thai-inspired Coconut Curry Salmon (30 Minutes, ONE-PAN)
DAY 5: Cranberry Pecan Hen Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing is the proper recipe for leftover rooster or rotisserie rooster. Serve it as is, with a croissant, as a wrap, or as a sandwich.
DAY 6: Black Bean and Beef Enchilada Casserole (with pinto beans, black beans, inexperienced chili peppers, cheese, and inexperienced onions) is gluten-free as it’s made with corn tortillas and gluten-free enchilada sauce.
DAY 7: Pork Tenderloin with Candy Balsamic Plum Sauce-Glaze
SALAD 1: Apple Spinach Salad with Pistachios, Feta Cheese, and Honey-Mustard Lemon Dressing
SALAD 2: Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Dried Cranberries (it’s also possible to use candy potatoes as a substitute of butternut squash)
SALAD 3: Corn, Tomato, and Spinach Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing
Prime feedback of final week!
I’m maintaining with my new custom of highlighting a few of the greatest feedback I’ve acquired over the previous week!
From Rena on the weblog:
“Simply discovered your weblog by way of a crusing pal that docks subsequent to us right here in Ohio. Once I was rising up we lived in Golden, CO and in Lander, WY, so I take pleasure in you sharing your life journey (meals and hikes) in footage!! And seeing moose in particular person is superb! I’ll undoubtedly be making an attempt a few of your 1pan dinners. They give the impression of being completely tantalizing! Once I’m sitting, I am often knitting and I handle a knitting group that meets as soon as per week.
Okay, so lengthy story, brief……Thanks for the weblog and I am excited to be right here. 🙂”
From Ashely on the weblog:
“Simply needed to let you realize I actually love your weblog. I learn it each week and have a tendency to buy and make a number of issues from it. Thanks for serving to me preserve issues FRESH!!”
From Wanda on the weblog:
“I completely love each recipe I’ve ever tried of yours! The dishes look so vibrant! They style so good! Thanks Julia for doing what you do!”
From Lisa on my Fb web page:
“I really like SO MANY of the recipes you publish! I actually suppose yours is my favourite web page for recipes. Thanks 
“
From Wendy on my Fb web page:
“Love your recipes!! The images makes me wish to make all the pieces.”
From Stephanie on my Fb web page:
“I respect the effort and time you place into this web page as now we have loved a lot of your recipes.”
(observe from me: I do put quite a lot of effort into my website as I nonetheless do just about all the pieces: develop the recipes, model them {photograph} them, write them, create these newsletters, handle my social media. Thanks for appreciating my efforts!!)
From Gail on my Fb web page:
“OMG. I’ve been saving and having fun with your recipes for about 6 months and for some motive I believed you had been outdated! Possibly as a result of you’ve so many scrumptious recipes, I simply assumed it could take you a very long time to create them. Effectively finished you and thanks. You rock!!”
(disclaimer: I’m not that younger!!! You would be stunned if I advised you my age, lol)
A giant heartfelt THANK YOU to everybody who takes the time to interact with my content material! Leaving a remark or perhaps a fast evaluation is among the greatest methods to help slightly meals weblog like mine. Plus, it retains me motivated and helps me really feel like I’m not simply speaking to myself on a regular basis—although I do this too, lol!
Fall Foliage in Colorado, September 2024
At increased elevations, the leaves have a tendency to show yellow a bit earlier. Residing at 9,000 toes, we often get essentially the most gorgeous fall foliage within the first two weeks of October. However this yr, the leaves determined to placed on their present early—no less than per week or two forward of schedule! September isn’t even over but, and many of the aspens have already burst into their golden glory. I completely find it irresistible and couldn’t be extra excited to soak all of it in throughout my hikes!
With the leaves altering colours so rapidly and unexpectedly, my husband and I—okay, largely me—have bumped climbing to the highest of our precedence listing to take pleasure in all this magnificence earlier than it vanishes! The autumn colours are short-lived, often lasting nearly two weeks at their peak. So, yesterday, we set out on an unimaginable hike, and I’m excited to share these images from yesterday’s journey!
I feel most girls can relate—husbands and boyfriends have a particular knack for taking essentially the most unflattering footage of us! I gained’t share the actually unhealthy ones my husband took of me, however let’s simply say images like this are an everyday factor round right here!
The one under is best. My husband generously offers me about 30 seconds—sure, 30 entire seconds—to strike a pose for a photograph. After that, he is finished, and I’ve to someway pull off trying first rate inside that tiny timeframe! It’s a race towards the clock each time!
I used to be so stunned to come back throughout these wildflowers on our hike yesterday! I imply, it’s the top of September, however they’re nonetheless thriving. It’s most likely due to all of the rain we’ve had this summer time. The river is noticeably low now since all of the summer time snowmelt has come to an finish.
My poor husband damage his ankle fairly badly, so our climbing adventures haven’t been fairly what they was this previous month. You may see him struggling to make it up the hill—he’s even utilizing a stick for some further stability!
There’s actually nothing extra to say than how really lovely this time of yr is. No sum of money can ever purchase or replicate the wonders of nature!
Please do not be shy and say “Good day” within the feedback! Have the leaves turned yellow but the place you reside? Or higher but, inform me in case you’ve tried any of my recipes (or are planning to)!
