a really simple meal plan v.26
a cozy lineup to take one thing off your plate this month!
October cooking feels like a big, cozy exhale. The markets are piled high with apples, squash, and hearty greens, and the crisp evenings practically beg for something warm and simmering on the stove or fresh out of the oven.
We had to slip a chili into the mix this month! It’s become a tradition in both of our houses to make a big pot on Halloween, so we couldn’t imagine an October meal plan without it. If you’re starting this lineup toward the end of the month, time it so that chili night lands on the 31st — it’s the perfect pre-trick-or-treat dinner.
And because food is about more than just feeding people, we’d love to know: does your family have any food-related traditions this time of year? Is it a pot of chili on Halloween, an apple-picking weekend, or something else that makes this month feel special?
As always, we’ve pulled together a grocery list organized by aisle to make shopping as easy as possible. An update we’re excited to share: the grocery list is now color-coded! You will see that each recipe has its own color, so if you want to skip or swap a dinner, you’ll instantly know which ingredients to cut.
Recipes are written to feed three to six people (each recipe will say its specific yield), so scale up or down depending on your household — halve a recipe if you’re cooking for one or two, or double it if you’re feeding a crowd. Copy and paste the grocery list into a new Google doc, if you need to tweak things.
We try to keep the shopping list as tight as possible by overlapping ingredients — for example, you’ll see we use macadamia nuts a couple ways on day one. Optional add-ins like chili crisp or pesto aren’t included on the official grocery list, but if you have them in the fridge, they’re a great way to jazz things up.
This meal plan is designed to be cooked in order, starting with the freshest ingredients (halibut) and saving sturdier pantry staples for later in the week. But, of course, feel free to shuffle things around as you see fit!
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LUNCH PREP: autumn chop
We’ve gotta go with our newest, most autumnal good-all-week salad for lunches! With roasted butternut squash, red onion, chicken, kale, apples, and more, it’s a seasonal delight, and holds up beautifully in the fridge. Prep it once and enjoy it for 3 to 4 lunches.
ONE TWEAK: Don’t add the nuts, apple, or cheese when prepping — wait until you’re serving the salad each day to add those so they stay fresh. If you’re packing the salad up for an office lunch, you can add them in the morning, they’ll be fine.
OPTION TO PREP ALL YOUR KALE FOR THE WEEK TODAY! Since you’ll already have the salad spinner out, you can go ahead and de-rib, chop, wash, and spin-dry all 3 bunches of kale to minimize work later this week. Here’s what to do with each:
Keep 1 bunch of prepped curly kale out for this salad.
Store 1 bunch of prepped curly kale in an airtight container to use in your chili later this week.
Store the prepped lacinato in an airtight container for dinner tonight.
SMART SWAP: This recipe calls for candied pecans or roasted pistachios, but use macadamia nuts instead since you’ll have them in the pantry for tonight’s dinner. You can include them raw, or toast them in a skillet over medium heat. (If you’d rather have more nutrient diversity, buy a second nut at the store!)
MAKE IT A SCHOOL LUNCH: Pack it deconstructed — apple slices, cheese, roasted butternut squash, and plain chicken. Crackers or pita chips can help round things out!
DINNER DAY #1: sheet-pan macadamia-crusted halibut
A restaurant-level dinner that comes together on one sheet pan. Fresh halibut (we’re cooking this on day one so your fish is extra fresh) gets a crunchy macadamia nut topping and bakes alongside kale and bell pepper for a light, satisfying meal.
YOU’VE PREPPED FOR THIS! Remember that lacinato kale you washed and chopped when making the autumn chop? Use it here!
BULK IT UP: If you’re extra hungry, cook some brown rice, quinoa, or farro to serve with dinner. If you have grains leftover, add them to your autumn chop.
DINNER DAY #2: creamy white turkey chili
With a creamy base, deliciously seasoned ground turkey, beans, corn, and a huge handful of kale that melts right in, this chili will be your new fave.
MAKE AHEAD: Chili only gets better as it sits, so feel free to cook this earlier in the day or even a few days in advance. It also freezes beautifully — portion into freezer bags and freeze flat for easy future meals.
YOU’VE PREPPED FOR THIS! Thanks to the extra curly kale you prepped yesterday, it’s ready to toss right in.
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS: Add any leftover chili to your lunch lineup for the week. Soup and salad, yum.
SLOW COOKER OPTION: Need a hands-off dinner tonight? Here’s how to make this in a slow cooker! Brown the turkey, onion, and garlic on the stovetop first, then transfer everything except the cream cheese, kale, and lime juice to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, then stir in the cream cheese, kale, and lime just before serving. (For more slow-cooker meal ideas, see 10+ meals to cook in your slow cooker.)
DINNER DAY #3: sheet-pan gnocchi with sausage, brussels, mushrooms, and burrata
This is fall in a bowl: crisp-tender roasted gnocchi, caramelized Brussels sprouts, juicy little sausage “meatballs,” and creamy burrata on top. It looks restaurant-y, but the whole thing bakes together on one sheet pan in under 40 minutes.
PREP AHEAD: If you want to do some of the prep work ahead of time, you can either 1) slice your Brussels and mushrooms and store them in an airtight container, or 2) go all in and prep the whole sheet pan (minus the gnocchi, if using frozen — add those right before roasting). Wrap the sheet pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
FEEDING PICKY EATERS: Scoop out gnocchi and sausage plain — serve with ketchup, marinara, or just a sprinkle of Parm.
I’M FEELING EXTRA: Add a drizzle of pesto or chili crisp for extra sauciness, or serve with some toasty bread to scoop up the cheesy roasted bits.
DINNER DAY #4: fried egg pasta with garlicky crunchies
Here’s our vegetarian dinner of the week, and it couldn’t be easier. Pantry-staple pasta at its finest — spaghetti tossed with golden garlic, runny fried eggs that melt into a silky sauce, and a snowfall of Parm.
FEEDING PICKY EATERS: Scoop out some buttered noodles before adding the eggs and garlic.
LEVEL IT UP: Stir chili crisp into the pan instead of red pepper flakes, or make chili-crisp garlicky crunchies for a spicier, extra-crunchy topping.
LEFTOVER TWIST: If you have leftover pasta, reheat it with a splash of soy sauce and chili crisp for a fresh take.
a really simple meal plan v.24
Just here to say I am obsessed with the addition of the color coding — thank you, thank you!
BLESS YOU for the color coding addition! Also really appreciate the work and school lunch prep notes - SO helpful!