a really simple meal plan v.15
an efficient and delicious week of autumnal eating!
Welcome to October’s weeklong meal plan! Here you’ll find 5 seasonal dinners picked to provide a wide variety of nutrients, main proteins, and flavors throughout your week, as well as lunch ideas that are both very easy and very delicious. We’re going to double certain ingredients when cooking some dinners to have ample leftovers for lunches — we’ll also use ingredients smartly so that you’re not left with a bunch of half-used items that’ll go bad in your fridge and pantry. Read the notes listed throughout this plan thoroughly so you know what to double (and what to skip!).
These dinners feed between 4 and 6 people (read the recipes to see their exact yield), and, as written, lunches will feed 2. If you’re feeding more people or less people (everyone’s family’s size and appetites are so different), adjust your quantities as needed.
You can pick and choose meals from this menu or cook it all the way through — either way, we hope it makes your week ahead a little easier. Let us know what you cook!
xx
Caro and Molly
As always, we’ve created a shopping list for you organized by section of the store. Click the PDF or link below for that list. If you need to edit yours for any reason (to sub an ingredient, double a recipe, or cut some meals from the lineup), copy and paste it into a new Google doc or phone note and edit as needed.
link to printer version
DINNER DAY 1: Sheet-pan macadamia-crusted halibut
I always like to start the week with seafood while it’s still super fresh from the store.
You’ll see that rice is optional, but go ahead and make the rice (or any grain you’ve got like quinoa or farro) and DOUBLE IT so you’ll have leftover grains for lunches this week.
Store leftover rice in an airtight container in the fridge.
LUNCH DAY 2: Fancy fall salad kit
Buy a fall-y salad kit (like this one!). Now we’re going to dress it up. To feed 2 people, combine the following:
1 fall-y bagged salad kit
1/2 pound chopped-up turkey or ham slices OR 1 cup rinsed and drained white beans (I like chickpeas, cannellini, or navy beans)
1 cup warmed leftover rice/grain
Some shredded smoked Gouda (however much you want!)
If your kit didn’t come with a nut or seed, add some chopped macadamia nuts
If making lunch for 1 person, use the whole salad kit and halve the add-ins. If feeding more than 2 people, add a second bagged salad and double the add-ins!
DINNER DAY 2: Sheet-pan miso maple mustard chicken, sweet potato, and Brussels
Whip out another baking sheet and double the sweet potato and Brussels sprouts to have leftovers for lunches this week.
Also double the miso maple yogurt sauce.
If you have any chicken left over, go ahead and shred it so it’s easy to add to lunches this week.
Store your leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge.
LUNCH DAY 3: Harvest bowls
You’ve prepped everything, now you just need to throw it all together! In a big bowl, combine the following. No need to measure things out, just add however much you’d like based on how many people you’re feeding. This will be your lunch tomorrow too, so keep that in mind!
Warmed leftover rice
Warmed leftover roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts
Chopped-up deli meat or leftover shredded chicken or white beans
Chopped macadamia nuts
Shredded smoked Gouda
Optional add in: Kale (you will only need 2 cups of kale for tonight’s soup, so you could grab a leaf or 2 from that bunch, thinly slice it, and squeeze it in your hands about 10 times to make it softer and more delicious!)
Optional add in: diced apple, pomegranate seeds, or raisins for a sweet note!
Optional add in: Cilantro
Turn your leftover miso yogurt sauce into a dressing by adding water (just add a splash at a time until it’s perfectly drizzle-able). Drizzle your bowls with it and dig in.
DINNER DAY 3: Creamy white turkey chili
This makes a huge batch! You’ll probably have leftovers (we always do). If so, store them in the fridge for lunch later this week.
Leave a few ounces of salsa verde in the jar rather than pouring it all in. You won’t be able to taste the difference, and you can use that leftover salsa for your tacos on Friday without having to buy a second jar of salsa.
Top your chili bowls with cilantro, plain yogurt, and shredded Mexican or Cheddar cheese since you’ll have them in the fridge.
You’ll also have hard taco shells in the pantry for Friday night’s dinner. If you know you’d have shells left over after that dinner (my family rarely eats a whole pack at once because my kids don’t do hard shells), bake and crumble some of those on top of your chili too.
LUNCH DAY 4: Harvest bowls
See “LUNCH DAY 3” for the rundown. Mix up the add-ins or use a different store-bought dressing if you want some variety.
DINNER DAY 4: Cheesy pumpkin pasta
Tis the season! 🎃 Keep your leftover pumpkin purée stored in an airtight container in the fridge, we’ll use it for lunch tomorrow.
NOTE: DO YOU NEED AN EASIER DINNER TONIGHT? Depending on the week, this is usually the time when my motivation putters out. If that’s you this week, here’s an idea to keep in your back pocket for tonight or any other: Blend 1 cup of Rao’s marinara sauce with 1 cup of cottage cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook noodles and top them with that sauce and some (cooked) frozen meatballs (OR the pesto meatballs from the cookbook, page 122 — they’re super easy). I usually have all these ingredients in my pantry, fridge, and freezer as a back up for nights I *really* don’t feel like cooking.
LUNCH DAY 5: Pumpkin turkey chili
Add the leftover pumpkin purée from last night to any leftover turkey chili you have! It’ll thicken it up and make more of a stew situation. Very fall-y and delicious.
If you don’t have leftover chili, make another Harvest Bowl and keep reading for alternate ways to use your leftover pumpkin.
DINNER DAY 5: Crunchy refried bean tacos
This is a very easy, affordable, and tasty meal.
Skip making the green sauce and don’t use shredded lettuce — it’s the end of the week, let’s make dinner as simple as possible.
Simply top your tacos with leftover salsa verde, some chopped up cilantro, and shredded Mexican cheese.
If you have any lingering rice or roasted veggies in the fridge, throw them on your plates as a side.
OTHER WAYS TO USE UP LEFTOVER PUMPKIN PURÉE!
I hate leaving you with half-empty cans of things in your fridge, so here are a few more ideas for how to use leftover pumpkin purée, in case you don’t use it in your leftover chili:
Stir it into plain yogurt along with a little maple syrup and diced fresh fruit for a seasonal breakfast.
Make pumpkin pancakes! Use the lemon pancake recipe in the cookbook (p. 108) as your guide. Ditch the lemon and swap 1/2 cup of the cottage cheese out for 1/2 cup of puréed pumpkin. Or just add it to your go-to pancake recipe.
If you have any special requests for meal plans in the future (specific recipes to work in, lunch ideas you always turn to in your own kitchen or office, occasions you want covered like the vacation house meal plan we did this summer), let us know!
What about a ski weekend meal plan?
Or a winter break meal plan for that week between Christmas and new years where you don’t really feel like cooking?
Kate aka Naptime Kitchen has a great recipe on her instagram (maybe website too?) for making pumkin cold foam creamer using a few tbsp of pumpkin puree! great way to use the rest of a can.