Everyone has these pockets, where time seems to speed up and we can’t catch the rhythm of the normal, smooth-running routines we’re used to. September seems to be a magnet for this kind of chaos, as last minute summer vacations are squeezed in and the school year is beginning. The seasons are changing and I’m hoarding the last of the tomatoes and cherries and peaches, while simultaneously getting weirdly excited for potatoes.

The last few weeks have been jam packed around here. We went to San Diego. Sean went to Boston. We went camping in the Sierras. I ran a race (!). This coming weekend I’m taking a sewing class, and we’re going to the Eat Real Fest here in Oakland. Then I’m having my wisdom teeth out. September: I tell you it is crazy. What that often means is that meals are squeezed in around the edges. Usually I like to cook two or three meals a week that are new and different, and may require a little more in the way of planning and cooking time. But when fall chaos sets in, those kinds of projects become difficult to imagine.

So what do we eat when we don’t have time for cooking? Busy weeks are when I rely on the tried and true, and on convenient short cuts. Here are a few of the highlights from the past few weeks.

We got a bag of tiny, grass green padron peppers from the farm, and I imagined all kinds of things I might do with them. But in the end, they were consumed in the simplest way possible: skillet roasted and sprinkled with salt. Most of these little peppers aren’t spicy, although every now and then you’ll get one with some heat. Cooking them is easy: Just heat some olive oil in a skillet, and add the peppers, stems still attached. Cook them at medium high heat for about five minutes, giving the pan a good shake every now and then. When they’re beginning to blister and brown, they are ready. Just sprinkle with some salt and eat with your fingers. I served them with some tomatoes, cheese, and bread. Who says that’s not dinner?

I’ve become a fan of the rotisserie chicken in busy times, but if you can find a few hours to roast a chicken on a Sunday night, even better. You can do a lot of things with a whole chicken over the course of the week. I’ve become a big fan of chicken salad sandwiches for dinner, and I have two special versions I love. One is made with a simple Romesco sauce. The other is made with harissa mayonnaise. Another thing I like to do with roast chicken is throw it into a skillet dinner.

A skillet dinner is what I call it when I saute some veggies, and stir in cooked rice or pasta at the end. Last Sunday I made this skillet dinner:

I know it’s not winning any beauty contents, but it was a quick and tasty dinner. I just cooked some barley, then sautéed zucchini and roasted red pepper with some olive oil. I chopped up some cooked chicken, and added that to the skillet, and seasoned the whole thing with paprika, salt, and pepper. Finally, I added the cooked barley and a small splash of hot water and mixed it all together. Dinner is served, and maybe you’ll even have time to relax on the couch with a book for a few minutes before bed.

Skillet dinners can be a total savior. I’ve made several different versions this summer, including one with tomatoes, peppers, grilled sausage, and pearl pasta, and one with mushrooms, eggplant, and wheat berries. The formula is simple, and you can generally do it with anything you have on hand: cook some type of grain or pasta. Saute whatever veggies you have in the crisper, then mix it all together with some type of seasoning that appeals to you. Add beans or cooked meat for extra protein. This is how we eat in the real world.

My other busy times discovery? There is no shame in a pre-made pizza crust. This can make dinner happen like that. Sean found these flaky, buttery cornmeal pizza crusts at Whole Foods this summer and I love them. Top them with whatever you have in the cupboards or the refrigerator and you’ve got dinner in 20 minutes. My favorite version this summer involved tapenade, roasted tomatoes, and smoked mozzarella. For reals. It was good. I also made some with leftover barbecue pulled pork and cheddar cheese. There is everything right with that, my friends.

My final favorite easy dinner? The crunchy chopped salad. Vegetables, toasted nuts, grains, beans, whatever you’ve got going on can go in the bowl. Add a simple vinaigrette, or even better, a rich tahini dressing, and you’ve got a dinner you can feel really good about. Tonight I made the glorious bowl from everybody loves sandwiches. And it truly was glorious. I have a feeling a lot of glorious, glorious bowls are going to be part of my future.

So even when life gets out of control, and anything that resembles down time or normal routines seems to have disappeared, you can still make time for dinner. In fact, in the midst of the fall chaos, these simple home cooked meals are the one thing that can make me feel grounded.

As fall gets into full swing, I have a lot of projects on my plate, projects like giving the whole apartment a deep clean, and clearing out my closet of clothing I will never, honestly, wear, and jettisoning some books that I really don’t need to hang on to anymore. I’m thinking about paring down, clearing out, and opening up space for the new. I suppose most people do that in spring, but me? I’ve always been a fall kind of girl. Even if it is a time of chaos.