Turmeric & Carrot Soup from The Weeknight Cookbook by Justine Schofield

I got my ugg boots out of the cupboard this week and I've been wearing socks to bed. Autumn is finally here and I can't get enough of it. Cool nights, snuggles under the doona, kitty cuddles, the smell of a neighbours wood fire and best of all... the food. The chunky soups, the blended soups, the noodle soups, the stews, the curries, the slow cooker and alllll the pasta bakes. Self saucing baked chocolate puddings, vanilla rice pudding, jam topped college puddings and fruit crumbles. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin. The cooler months are all about the food and I'm feeling it. (I do realise I have probably jinxed this and it's hot while you are now reading it).

To kick off my week, I prepped lunch for the week and cooked lentils to utter smoosh, proper smoosh to the point I could probably have made mashed lentils, is mashed lentils a thing? I didn't chuck them, I froze them to add to a soup or hide in bolognese or to be chucked out when I do a freezer clean out. I ended up cooking another batch and didn't turn the later into smoosh. Lunch prep for the week done. Tick. Now on to dinner...

Monday night's are a bit of a non-event evening. You survived the first day of the week at work, you started head-strong by heading to F45 (or you thought about it at least, thats sometimes enough), it occasionally includes some lunch prep if Sunday disappeared on you, and you are just happy to be at home back in pyjamas again. Ah *sigh* we survived Monday. Oh and dinner needs to be tummy-filling satisfying, easy and somewhat healthy. You know, starting the week off on the right foot and all.

Pasta alla Norma from Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

Last week I was stuck indoors with a virus that after going to the doctor I was told, had to run it's course and just to rest. I feel like I went slightly mad being stuck inside all day, waiting to feel better. Waiting to snap out of it.

Cooking dinner for myself helped. On Monday I felt so rotten I couldn't get off the couch so ordered Thai take away for one. Tuesday I escaped the house for dinner and had Chicken Curry at Kate's (sooo good!), Wednesday I made a one-pot mac and cheese from Hetty McKinnon's cookbook Family. That was the easiest and probably the tastiest mac and cheese I've ever made. It had sweet potato smooshed in it and I didn't have 100 pans to wash up after! I'll have to share the recipe for that when I make it again next time and can snap a photo or two. Thursday my fruit and veg box arrived which had a lovely eggplant in it just waiting for me to douse it in olive oil and add it to a pasta. Which I did and it was insanely good. Friday I made a vegetable curry of sorts... it was strange but it was comforting which was all I wanted.