Meal planning is such a dinner saver! I love going into the evening knowing in advance what I’m going to be cooking. I made my month even easier by having a monthly meal plan! Check out the October meal plan for dinner ideas and grab the printable monthly meal plan!
I am so proud of the fact that I went into October wanting to have all the meals planned out and I GOT IT DONE! If you listened to episode 44 of Fit Mama Real Food Radio, which was all about my monthly meal plan, you know simplification is what I’m looking for. By having all my dinners planned out for the entire month I no longer have to spend the extra time each weekend (or the day before I go grocery shopping) figuring out what we are going to eat. I just write the grocery list based on what I’ve already planned out.
I feel like I need to put this out there. I love meal planning. I love cooking. I love everything about creating fun meals and sharing new flavors with my family. But in this season of 4 little kids 6 and under, this mama just needed to take something off her plate!
I value feeding all of us with thoughtful nutritious food, so simplifying while letting my values slide wasn’t a deal I could make with myself. Bringing in easier meals with less complexity to them while still focused on real food – yup I can get behind that!
Maybe you’re looking for new meals to try out. Maybe you’re looking for a full meal plan to straight up use. However this meal plan can help you, I am excited to share it!
Meal plan details
These dinner meals are planned for 2 adults and 3 kids along with hopeful leftovers. I am always okay with leftovers because it keeps lunches easy in our house. However, sometimes there are not leftover but each meal serves at least 6 people!
I built themes into each day to make meal planning a little easier. While I go in with a plan for each day, I know that I can swap the days around as we go through out week cooking a Tuesday meal on a Wednesday and vice versa. Here’s how I broke down the week.
Monday – soup or skillet meal
Tuesday – taco night
Wednesday – ingredient meal (a protein, a carb and a vegetable – maybe a sauce!)
Thursday – crockpot
Friday – burger night
Saturday and Sunday – something fun, a casserole or out/away
I also planned to cook almost every night of the month. I would say on the average week I cook 6-7 dinners at home. We may go out once a month or have dinner with friends, but I typically plan on cooking or at least having a dinner plan lined up for each night.
Here is the breakdown by week for October!
Monthly Meal Plan for October 2018
Oct 1-6
Monday – cheesy cauliflower and potato soup with crispy ham bits (sub canned coconut milk for evaporated milk)
Tuesday – taco tortilla pie with salad and side of fruit
Wednesday – shrimp salad roll bowls with jasmine rice and peanut dressing
Thursday – creamy crockpot chicken, vegetable and potato soup (the one I make is similiar to the one linked but no noodles and I add potatoes plus a can of coconut milk at the end)
Friday – we turned burger night into at home date night with what we deem “the standard” – brie, cheddar and gouda cheese, spicy sausage and sourdough bread plus a caesar salad
Saturday – dinner away at birthday party
October 7-13
Sunday – tuna casserole and kale chips
Monday – butternut squash soup paired with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches
Tuesday – taco salad (taco seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomato, avocado, shredded cheese, tortilla chips and kefir ranch mixed with salsa)
Wednesday – sheet pan teriyaki salmon and veggies with rice
Thursday – crockpot pork ragu over mashed potatoes with steamed broccoli
Friday – umami mushroom beef burgers over salad with crispy potato bites and kefir ranch
Saturday – date night out
October 14-20
Sunday – cheesy curry chicken and rice casserole with salad
Monday – cheese burger skillet with fruit
Tuesday – honey soy salmon tacos
Wednesday – sweet and salty chicken thighs, jasmine rice and sauted green beans
Thursday – crockpot tomatillo salsa beef (sub in store bought salsa for simplicity) with feta, rice and a tomato/avocado salad
Friday – buffalo turkey burgers over salad with old bay potato wedges and kefir ranch
Saturday – savory broccoli and ham tart and roasted brussel sprouts
October 21-27
Sunday – chipotle feta meatballs, mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli
Monday – italian sausage zucchini hashbrown skillet (use the flavors of this recipe but saute the zucchini with the meat and add hashbrowns to it)
Tuesday – chicken tinga tacos with side salad
Wednesday – lemon pepper salmon, roasted sweet potatoes and steamed green beans
Thursday – crockpot green curry basil chicken with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice
Friday – pineapple beef burgers with spicy sriracha mayo and a side salad
Saturday – cheddar stuffed sweet potato bbq turkey meatloaf with roasted broccoli, carrots and mushrooms
October 28-31
Sunday – pizza chicken casserole with salad
Monday – spaghetti with meat sauce (add sauted ground beef to favorite jarred sauce) and kale chips
Tuesday – pork cartinas tacos with cabbage slaw, avocado and salsa
Wednesday – Halloween! buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips and veggies for dipping
I have also included an easy to print meal plan calendar!
Grab the free printable meal plan for October here!
Print it off and use the meal plan calendar however it works for you. Come grab the recipes links in this post and happy cooking my friends!
Do you meal plan? Is it a weekly thing or monthly? I’d love to hear how you tackle your dinner meals or any favorite dinners you’ve had lately!
Heather
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