Today is the 1st Day of September. When I was growing up, it meant that going back to school was right after the Labor Day weekend. Now, kids go back to school around mid-August.

It also means we are 2/3 of the way through the year. We are in our 4th quarter. We have made it through 9 months of the year – as long as a woman is pregnant for. We have labored through the year for nine months…(Hey! Is that why Labor Day is in September? Think about it)

I love the first of September. It’s that time of year when my thoughts turn to the Holidays that will be fast approaching, the weather changes, and the leaves turning into the vibrant plums, oranges, reds, golds, and browns, giving way to the barren trees that have shed their leaves, the brisk, cool weather and the stark whiteness of the snow. I like the cold. Just not the bitter cold. I like the snow, but not so much snow – that I have to get out and shovel it. Then my thoughts start turning to – how much I love Spring… Ahhhh April.

All the seasons are good. Each one has it’s purpose.

But Fall – Why is there something about Fall?

The weather is starting to cool down. I opened my sliding glass door to let the Great Dane out this morning and was hit by the coolness of the morning. The spiders are starting to move indoors and the pesky flies and mosquitos are starting to die off. (I hate flies and mosquitos). Im starting to pull out my hoodies in the morning. I have used my crockpot more in the past week than I have my grill.

I am trying my hand at food prepping. I pick two or three recipes to batch cook and then put the food into containers to store in the fridge or freezer to give me enough meals, lunch and dinner, to last me all week. This week, my meals that I chose are: chunky chili, turkey, sweet potato and broccoli hash, and chicken strips with quinoa and greenbeans. I batch cooked chili today in my slow cooker – made the house smell so warm and cozy. The sky was a bit cloudy all day and this evening, while I write this, the storm clouds are moving in.

Here is my recipe for Chunky Chili:

1 pound of grass fed ground beef or bison. Half a big bag of baby carrots – cut up into smaller pieces, 1 red bell pepper chopped up, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of pinto beans – and the juices. 1 – 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, (I use Muir Glen) and 1 box of Poma tomato sauce. Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and a teeny bit of cumin. You can add onion and minced garlic cloves to it – I don’t – cuz onion and garlic don’t like me. I brown the meat and then dump everything into my crock pot and cook it on low for 3 – 4 hours. EZ Peazy… I double the recipe if I’m making it for the whole family. 

This recipe is allowed on my DTox program.

So….

Maybe – Fall is the time of season – where we tend to slow down a bit, enjoy the coziness and comforts of the home, after the rush of the summer season. Maybe? What are your thoughts? Do you like Fall?