There is just something about a good, savory supper’s aroma wafting in the air when you walk in the door from a long day that screams “Fall is here!” Bear in mind, if you work full time and you are the sole cook of your household, the aroma will not be present to greet you from a long day of work for these recipes. But these recipes are guaranteed to leave your house smelling delicious in the hours to come! Here are a few recipes that just feel like fall to me.

First, who doesn’t love a good, hearty meatloaf? My favorite recipe comes from atasteofmadness.com, and the ONLY minor adjustments I made are that I add one small green bell pepper diced and I add about a half a cup of shredded carrots. My toddler is a tad picky (what toddler isn’t?) and my husband isn’t a huge vegetable eater, so I like to sneak in extras anytime I get the chance. While this is baking, I like to whip up this tasty recipe for mashed potatoes from Delicious as it Looks, and I’ll usually throw a can of lima beans on for a second side. This combination of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and lima beans give me all the fall feelings.

Next up is a cheap and easy – Rice and beans recipe inspired by our debt free journey and Dave Ramsey. I don’t have an actual written recipe, but I’ll give you a few tips on what I do. You’ll need about a cup of uncooked white rice, chicken broth, about 1 pound of kielbasa – sliced, either 1 small onion or half of a large onion – diced, small green pepper – diced, salt, pepper, steak seasoning (also called Montreal Steak seasoning, and one bag of frozen broccoli florets. First, I bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the rice cooking per bag instructions. While this is working on a boil / boiling, I saute the onion and green pepper for a couple of minutes. Then, I add the kielbasa to the onion and pepper and microwave the frozen broccoli per bag instructions. Once I’ve cooked and strained the broccoli and rice, I add everything together and sprinkle my seasonings on top while mixing everything. Cheap, easy, and hearty! This is a go to when I’m in a meal rut.

This one is a recent discovery, but man is packed with flavor and FILLING! I saw it on Pinterest via a facebook post, here. We’ve experimented a little here, but I’ve found that my favorite queso sauces to use are the Kroger brand Monterey Jack queso with the orange lid or the Gordo’s Cheese Dip with the blue lid. Of course, any queso will do but these two are the best in our opinion. We sometimes serve this up with a side of rice or salads.

Again, I don’t exactly have a recipe for this, but I call it Sheet pan chicken, potatoes, and carrots. You’ll need 1 package of either chicken tenderloins or breasts, 1 small bag of baby potatoes (we like the baby yukon gold best), 1 pound of baby carrots, and 1 package of your preferred seasoning pack. I’ve used Ranch and several by the Grill Mates brand. I LOVE Mojito Lime on this combination. I put everything, excluding seasoning, on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Then in a measuring cup I mix the seasoning with the recommended oil, water, and vinegar, and pour over chicken, potatoes and carrots. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes (tenders) or an hour (breasts). – When working full-time, this was a GO-TO. I would sub kielbasa or pork chops for the chicken, sweet potatoes for the potatoes, and etc. If you think of any fun plays on this recipe, be sure to let me know!

I don’t recall exactly how I stumbled onto See Mindy Mom on youtube, but if you’re unfamiliar but love grocery / meal prep tips on a budget, CHECK HER OUT. This video is my all time FAVORITE of hers. Though it was shared a while ago and prices may be different with today’s inflation, it is a great way to make three different meals using a whole chicken. She does a chicken casserole, chicken noodle soup, AND a chicken stroganoff. Man, I followed along on these yesterday, probably my fourth or fifth time doing so. I started the chicken in the morning before we ran an errand so it would have time to cool before we picked it, and MAN, when my family walked in the door the smell of that broth was slap your mama good! I love buying a whole chicken so that I can make my own broth. Depending on the size of the chicken, I end up with at least 3 quarts of broth!