September dinners live in a funny little culinary no-man's-land.

It's technically becoming fall, but Colorado might give us an 88-degree Tuesday immediately followed by a night requiring sweatshirts.

So we're easing into cozy food rather than cannonballing directly into six straight months of soup. 🍂😂

🍲 Crockpot Nights

1. Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Chicken breasts or thighs + salsa + taco seasoning. Shred and serve with tortillas and toppings.

2. Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Stew
Beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and broth. Throw it together in the morning and let dinner handle itself.

3. Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Chicken, white beans, corn, green chiles, broth and seasonings. Top with cheese or avocado.

4. BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Slow-cooked chicken + BBQ sauce. Serve on buns with fruit or slaw.

5. Crockpot Loaded Potato Soup
Potatoes, broth, onion and seasonings finished with milk/cream and cheese. Let everyone add their own toppings.

🍗 Sheet-Pan Nights

6. Sausage, Apples & Sweet Potatoes 🍎
Slice everything, season and roast together. Very September.

7. Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajitas
Chicken strips + peppers + onions + seasoning. Roast and stuff into tortillas.

8. Honey-Garlic Chicken & Broccoli
Serve over rice and dinner is handled.

9. Sheet-Pan Kielbasa, Potatoes & Green Beans
Affordable, filling and almost no cleanup.

10. Parmesan Chicken & Fall Veggies
Chicken + carrots + squash + potatoes with Parmesan and seasoning.

⏰ 30-Minute Dinners

11. Creamy Sausage Pasta
Italian sausage, pasta, spinach and a quick creamy sauce.

12. Taco Rice Bowls
Rice + seasoned meat or beans + corn + cheese + salsa + whatever toppings everyone likes.

13. Chicken Pesto Pasta
Pasta, pesto, chicken and tomatoes. Rotisserie chicken makes it even faster.

14. Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
Serve over rice or noodles and use frozen broccoli when time is tight.

15. Ravioli with Brown Butter & Apples 🍎
Cheese ravioli + browned butter + thinly sliced apples + Parmesan. Fall without requiring three hours in the kitchen.

👧 Kid-Friendly & Budget Nights

16. Build-Your-Own Mini Pizzas 🍕
Use naan, English muffins, tortillas or French bread. Everyone chooses their toppings.

17. Loaded Baked Potato Bar 🥔
Potatoes are inexpensive and toppings can use leftovers already in the fridge.

18. Breakfast for Dinner 🍳
Pancakes, scrambled eggs and fruit. Bonus points for apple-cinnamon pancakes.

19. Homemade Mac & Cheese + Broccoli 🧀
Comfort food with a vegetable thrown in because we're responsible-ish adults.

20. Leftover Remix Night ♻️
Put all the week's leftovers on the counter.

Everyone chooses.

No new cooking.

Chef has left the building. 😂

🐝 Buzzy Dinner Hack

When you cook something freezer-friendly, make 1½ or 2 batches instead of one.

Freeze the extra before serving dinner so it doesn't accidentally become seconds.

One cooking session = two dinners.

That's the kind of math I enjoy.