Happy September, friends! First, can we even believe it’s September?? I cannot. Call me a cliche, but I’m firmly in the this-summer-flew-by camp. I feel like I still need a few good days of dipping myself in the lake, eating drippy ice cream cones and toasting marshmallows for s’mores over a bonfire before I can say bon voyage to this sunny season.

That being said, I also do love me some autumn. Chunky sweaters, cozy scarves, colored leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, crisp air… oh man, it’s so good. But I can wait at least another month or so before fully embracing that situation.

That’s partially why I’m bringing to you today my Mom’s zucchini bread — because to me, this bread is the perfect bridge between summer and fall. It utilizes one of summer’s most prolific crops, but it’s baked into a soft, moist, dense, spice-laden loaf that goes perfectly well with cooler temperatures and warm drinks. It’s one of the most quintessential recipes of my childhood, and I’m amazed it’s taken me this long to bring it to your face.

Friends, welcome to the next best taco night recipe of your life: Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw.

Lots of words, not a lot of effort. Lots of flavor, not a lot of work. Lots of yums, not a lot of stress. This is a winner of a dinner all around, IMHO.

What are your go-to dinners on the weekly rotation? Since we are meal planners (a.k.a., I decide what we are going to eat and make a grocery list accordingly so we buy exactly what we need for meals), we tend to pick the same foods every week. This isn’t all bad — I mean, tacos are a weekly occurrence, and since I love tacos, I’m not mad about this at all. What does bug me, though, is when the tacos are the same formula every time: Ground beef + taco seasoning + cheese + veg + sour cream. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a classic taco now and then, but sometimes I need to branch out of my taco shell, so to speak.

Welcome to the second installment of this super-fun miniseries of no-bake recipes! I’m enjoying not baking in the heat of the oven while also still enjoying delicious treats, aren’t you? I mean, let’s not forget the no-bake French silk Oreo pie we just devoured. That was fairly epic and very enjoyable.

But anyway, hi. How are you? Before we discuss these crazy-easy and crazy-good no-bake blueberry peanut butter granola bars, I feel like we should catch up.

As I type this, my family and I are in North Dakota. We just finished a week-long stint at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and to say the experience was transformative is an understatement. We saw wild bison, horses, prairie dogs and weasels; we climbed around 60-million-year-old tree stumps; we forded a river in our bare feet to take a trail (and that makes me feel like official hiker, now that I’ve FORDED something); we ate steak that was skewered to a pitchfork by a cowboy and then dipped in hot oil like meat fondue (guys, I’m not even making this up). We lived life to the fullest here, and I am sunburned and sore and happy and exhausted.

These granola bars were literal lifesavers to us out on the trails. I would give each of the kids half a bar before we headed out, then saved a few more for later. When the hangry-ness set in (which it always did, and not just for the kiddos, ahem), we had these tasty bars on hand. And I loved it, because not only are they good for you and homemade, but they’re extremely satisfying and easy to make in bulk (which I plan to do from now on, because we chowed down on these bars in less than two days).

Oh hi. It’s been a few weeks, no? How are you. I hope you’re well. I’ve brought a no-bake French silk Oreo pie for us to share, so let’s each grab a slice (or two, no judgement) and catch up.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, we officially now live on the road full-time as of June 29. It’s been a whirlwind of change and adjustments and new experiences, the highest highs and the lowest lows. I’m trying to give myself grace in the sense that not everything is going to just go super-smooth right out of the gate.

And yet, it’s also been so very awesome. We’ve had adventures we’ve never been able to have before because of work schedules/timing/etc., like cross the headwaters of the Mississippi River and visit the Split Rock Lighthouse and see Judy Garland’s childhood home and throw rocks from the shores of Lake Superior and see how wild rice actually grows, and this is just the beginning of our trip. We hope to do this for at least a year, but maybe longer. Who knows? Either way, each day is an experience we’ve never had before.

With all of these adjustments, however, it’s also been nice to just stay put and make a pie. Especially when that pie includes a thick Oreo crust, creamy chocolate filling, a mound of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of even more Oreos and chocolate (because WHY NOT). And the best part is — it’s entirely no-bake, meaning you don’t have to suffer through the heat of the oven at the height of summertime. SO MUCH WIN.

Well, you guys and gals — in less than two weeks my little family and I are moving into our home on wheels. Cue ALL. THE. FEELS.

To be honest, most of the feelings right now resemble a little bit of panic, anxiety, stress and grumpiness all mixed together because there are literally eleventy billion things left to do. Downsizing everything, moving out of a house, moving into an RV, getting an RV ready for full-time living and doing it all while raising two kids and working? Yeah, it’s a lot. But I am confident that once we hit the road come next weekend, we will be as ready as we’ll ever be for this adventure of a lifetime.

If you’re interested in following along, we have an Instagram page! It’s called @outofboundaries and we’ll be posting stuff about RV life, sure, but mostly about alternative living and what this experience is teaching us about our family, our values, our faith, etc.

But I digress! Because while today is about packing and purging and cleaning and all those SUPER FUN things, it’s more importantly about this turkey bacon bravo sandwich recipe that I’ve been wanting to share with you for a while (sorry, I’ve been a little busy!). If you’re anything like me, you have a serious, deep love for Panera’s Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich. If you and I are on the same wavelength here, then rejoice! Because I just made a homemade version (with from-scratch bread and everything!) that will blow your mind and tastebuds.

For all the questions in life, the answer is almost always this: One giant soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie.

What would make me feel awesome today? One giant soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie.

What could create world peace? One giant soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie.

What is delicious and chocolatey and more exciting than a regular chocolate chip cookie but also isn’t anything too crazy? One giant soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie.

What is something I should drop everything I’m doing right now to do instead? Make this one giant soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie.

Just saying.