Fall Meals – Menu Planning

Fall Meals don’t have to be time consuming.  Take a few minutes to plan your meals and prep ingredients ahead of time for delicious easy dinners all week long!

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Planning Fall Meals

The kids are back in school, the Farmer’s Markets are bursting with yummy veggies, and after school activities are in full swing.  If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, take a minute and step back.  Planning your meals will save you so much time (and money!)  I’ve got two weeks of Fall meals for you, a some free printables and loads of great tips!

PRO TIP: Prep Ahead of Time

Prepping ingredients doesn’t have to take forever.  Set aside an hour on Sunday to wash and chop produce that stores well in the fridge like carrots, peppers, and onions.  Hold off on foods that brown like potatoes unless you’re going to boil them to use later.  Cucumbers and tomatoes are usually better cut on the day you’re going to use them also.

Prepping ingredients on the weekend saves so much time!

I use these containers to store chopped veggies in the fridge.  I just write the contents and date with a Sharpie, which comes off with a few swipes of a magic eraser.  It’s so simple, but wait until you see how much time is saves you during the week!  You can also cook up chicken for salads or boil pasta and store it in these containers or resealable bags.

Sample Dinner Menu Plan for Fall Meals

Fall Meals – Week One

• Sunday –  Break out the slow cooker and make a batch of our classic Pulled Pork.  Save half of it for Tuesday night.  Serve with Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
• Monday – Keep it simple with Instant Pot Meatloaf.  Serve with oven roasted potatoes and your favorite vegetables.  I love these Honey Glazed Tarragon Carrots.  Prep extra uncooked carrots for later in the week.
• Tuesday – Use the leftover pulled pork from Sunday to make Pulled Pork Sliders and whip up a batch of Asian Slaw to go with it.
• Wednesday – Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner with seasonal veggies is just one pan.  Prep veggies on the weekend to save time.
• Thursday – Make a batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup in no time and serve it with a side salad.
• Friday – Kick back and relax with a cutting board loaded up with nibbles that everyone will enjoy including Pesto with crust bread, pepperoni, apple slices, cheese, carrot sticks, Hummus and Cowboy Caviar.  Serve with crackers and tortilla chips.  The Pesto and Hummus can be made ahead on the weekend and will keep in the fridge for several days.
• Saturday – Turkey Breast Sheet Pan Dinner is a great way to enjoy a nice meal together without slaving over the stove all day.

Fall Meals – Week Two

• Sunday – Make my Mom’s Chicken Pot Pie – cook 3 extra pieces of chicken and store them in the fridge until Tuesday.  Peel and chop extra carrots for later in the week.  Peel, chop and boil extra potatoes for Thursday.
• Monday – Sheet Pan Chorizo Sausage Dinner is simple to make and easy to clean up since they’re just one pan.  Leftovers can be saved to make an easy frittata, too.
• Tuesday – Save time making this Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad by using the extra chicken cooked on Sunday.  Extra salad is perfect for lunch on Wednesday.
• Wednesday –  Another great easy recipe that kids love is our quick Cheesey Taco Skillet.  Serve with a side salad or Cheese Bombs sprinkled with taco seasoning instead of garlic and herbs.
• Thursday – Chicken and Dumplings is a hearty meal that’s perfect for Fall.  Use the carrots and potatoes prepped on Sunday.
• Friday – Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli is like take out but even better! Prep extra broccoli to use on Saturday.
• Saturday – Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin Dinner with Oven Roasted Broccoli makes a great Saturday night dinner.

More ways to save time this Fall

I can’t recommend online grocery shopping highly enough! It’s so simple and easy.  I often use Hannaford-to-Go and also Walmart Grocery Pick Up. Online shopping means you don’t have to drag your kids through the store!  Just pull up to the designated area at the store and your groceries are loaded right into your car for you.  Amazing, right?

Order through this link and receive $10 off your first Walmart Grocery Pick Up Order!