Let’s talk about food, as it is one of my favorite things. Henry happens to agree:

If he is this excited about oatmeal cereal and the occasional bite of smashed avocado- just wait until he discovers cake.

The other night I made a particularly tasty dinner and James announced that fall food is where my cooking really shines.* This might just be because fall usually inspires me to take a delicious hiatus from clean eating, whereas winter demands some rounds of the Whole30 (gearing up for one in Jan already!). But I think it is universally true that fall food is awesome. You have such a bountiful and beautiful selection of produce, there is a chill in the air that makes food taste extra good, and it just seems like the right time to gather those you love around the table for a feast.

I wanted to share some of the fall recipes from around the web that I return to, partially so you can enjoy them, and partially so that I have them all saved in one place. Some are mine, some I actually haven’t tried yet but want to, all are warm and hearty and make you want to tuck in for a bit.

Blackbean pumpkin soup– I leave out the ham and tomatoes.

Kale, raisin, walnut salad.

I have my eye on making this gratin this weekend.

Butternut squash toasts. In case you couldn’t tell- there’s a Smitten Kitchen devotion in our home. And a toast devotion. And a butternut devotion, in constant conflict with my loathing of peeling and slicing the things. My SIL made these recently and I have been craving them since!

Kale and sweet potato salad.

Ok, really just kale everything – like chicken and with pomegranates too. (Ever since the Whole30, I’ve been making the kale chicken with less cheese and almond meal instead of crumbs, and I genuinely think it’s an improvement!)

Grilled sandwiches with brie, bacon, Honeycrisp apple, and jam. Or cold ones on crusty baguettes with brie, turkey, apple, and Dijon.

Any Trader Joe’s seasonal item, with a special love for their soups (carrot ginger!), gingerbread, and pumpkin items.  We are also devoted converts to their fire-roasted frozen veggies, adding them to pretty much anything and everything.

Pumpkin gooey cake

2-ingredient pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkin ravioli (we love the TJ brand!), tossed with peas, bacon, Parmesan, and browned butter.

I have always been too intimidated to make chicken and dumplins, but Neena has me thinking I might even try it.

Crockpot fajitas. (Not super fall-ish, other than being easy and hot and from the Crockpot.)

What are some of your favorite foods for fall? Bonus points if it is inexpensive, and can be assembled quickly or in advance or prepared by my personal chef, aka the Crockjpot

*Before you get any lofty notions that I just prepare delectable feasts every night for James to gush over, just know that we are staunch supporters of the Trader Joe’s frozen food section, lovers of canned green beans, and we totally had to throw away the lunch I made on Sunday because it was repulsive.