October Meal Plan

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With this meal plan, I’m including five to six gluten-free recipes for four weeks. You will see repetition in these lists because I find that reusing a few different things (specifically sides), also makes meal planning and cooking in general easier. I discover recipes that my family likes, and that are relatively simple to get on the table, and I add those into the rotation. The more I make them, the faster and more efficient they get, and then I can try new recipes.

A few notes… I’m including links to the recipes that are available online (or my adapted version which also has the link to the original recipe), otherwise, I’ll include links to the resource where I got the recipe. Also, these recipes are meant to be easy for weeknights, but they do still take time. I usually start about an hour to an hour-and-a-half before I want us to eat, though a lot of that time may be something roasting in the oven or cooking on the stove and doesn’t require active work on my part. Obviously, if it’s a recipe I haven’t made before, it will take more time so I try to plan accordingly.

Now on to the plan! Meals with an * beside them indicate those that can be doubled, then the extra batch frozen for a quick meal later on. Those with a ☙ beside them are made by the kids (usually with some supervision).

Supper

Week 1

  1. lazy stuffed cabbage rolls; cucumber yogurt salad
  2. smoky roasted sausage and vegetables; salad
  3. chicken stew*; crackers; salad
  4. garlic butter baked cod; garlic roasted cherry tomatoes; roasted vegetables
  5. spaghetti pie; salad
  6. broccoli cheddar soup; crackers; salad

Week 2

  1. Salisbury steak; roasted butternut squash with raisins and shallots; salad
  2. sausage, peppers, and onions; salad
  3. Indian chicken curry* with soaked basmati rice; curry-roasted cauliflower (I use butter instead of olive oil)
  4. poached salmon with melted butter; carrots vichy; cucumber-dill salad
  5. roast chicken; mashed potatoes; oven-roasted frozen broccoli
  6. beef and kale soup; crackers; salad

Week 3

  1. paprika chicken and rice with soaked basmati rice; cucumber yogurt salad
  2. bratwurst; sweet potato wedges; kale chips
  3. potato gnocchi beef stew (with Capello’s grain-free gnocchi and using arrowroot in place of the flour); salad
  4. twice-laid; sauteed spinach and carmelized onions
  5. tacos (on grain-free tortillas or taco shells or sprouted corn tortillas) with shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream; salad with red peppers, olives, tomatoes, and Mexican dressing
  6. chicken and wild rice soup with mushrooms*; crackers; salad

Week 4

  1. skillet stuffed peppers with soaked basmati rice; salad
  2. sausage and potato casserole; green beans; salad
  3. sheet pan chicken and mushrooms; roasted acorn squash with maple butter sauce; salad
  4. sheet pan honey mustard crusted salmon with fries and vegetables; salad
  5. pizza* (with homemade sauce, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, etc.); salad
  6. tomato, beef, and cabbage soup; crackers; salad

Salads

I like to make salads to accompany most of our meals. This usually is just mixed greens with whatever toppings are handy – sometimes halved cherry tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and carrot shreds. Our favorite salad dressings are the herb and Mexican dressings from Nourishing Traditions, the honey mustard dressing from Nourishing Meals, and homemade buttermilk ranch (I get buttermilk powder from Azure Standard).

Desserts

We usually have some kind of fruit for dessert during the week and then a sweeter treat on the weekends. These include: walnut brownies, secret ingredient chocolate pudding, nutty chocolate chunk cookies, homemade ice cream or not homemade ice cream (sometimes with chocolate chips), and pumpkin pie.

Breakfast

Weekday Breakfasts: eggs, chicken breakfast sausage, bacon, soaked oatmeal, homemade yogurt with honey, homemade kefir, overnight cinnamon oatmeal muffins, bananas

Weekend Breakfasts: blender oatmeal pancakes (I soak the oats overnight with kefir) or blueberry muffins or cottage potatoes, bacon, scrambled eggs, orange juice

Lunch

We’re pretty relaxed about lunch and often rely on leftovers. Otherwise, we keep staples in the house to throw something together fast.

Lunch Main: charcuterie board (usually with summer sausage and raw cheese); butternut squash soup; turkey wraps (grain-free tortillas, cream cheese, sprouts, turkey breast); tuna salad; chicken salad; sardines; turkey and cheese roll ups; ham and cheese melts on grain-free tortillas; something from this cookbook 🙂

Lunch Sides: cherry tomatoes; Bubbies pickles; red pepper slices; sliced carrots; olives; sauerkraut; fermented yams; fresh fruit

Snacks

We’re not huge snackers either, but the kids do usually get something in the afternoon if they’re hungry. These can include things like hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit, homemade Larabars, carmelized coconut chips, “bowls” (this is the super creative name we came up with for crispy walnuts mixed with coconut chips, raisins, and chocolate chips), smoothies (for me, especially the cocoa mole smoothie from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook – I use maple syrup and leave out the chili powder), gummies, or crispy nuts with raisins.

Resources

Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

You can see my master list of recipes that are currently in rotation here, a list of places where I buy my food here (including all of our regular bulk purchases from Azure Standard), and a guide for buying kitchen equipment here. I also use Plan to Eat to collect recipes, make my meal plan, and generate grocery lists. It’s a fantastic little tool and I think meal planning would be a LOT more work without it. If you’re not sure about paying for something like that, they offer a 45-day free trial (normally only 14 days) plus 20% off your first year with my link which is the perfect amount of time to give it a try!