Monthly Gluten-Free Meal Plan: September 2015
Meal planning is one of those topics I can’t know enough about—for me, it feels like the holy grail of organization. I am a busy mom, trying to balance a hectic and unpredictable schedule, so I have learned to rely on meal planning to keep us well-nourished and on budget.
I have touched on meal planning in past posts, like when I reviewed how to balance time/effort, money, and nutrition and described gluten-free planning in the real world (includes sample weekly GF meal plans and tips for surviving rougher weeks!)—but I am someone who enjoys looking at real-life meal plans for inspiration, and I thought it might be helpful for other meal planners to see gluten-free options that are (relatively) simple and nutrient-dense.
Included below are our family’s actual (dinner) meal plans for the previous four weeks. I have included pictures and recipe links (as available)—some of the recipes are only in my head, but I would be happy to share them if you email me or comment below. Please excuse the amateur smartphone photos 🙂
As you will see, some weeks I was more together than others (*cough* Week 2 *cough*), but this is my real-life gluten-free meal plan from a month where we were adjusting to new routines after a wonderful (but crazy) summer.
I am always looking for new recipes, so please share links to your favorites in the comments below!
Week 1
Snack: Raisin nut bites
Dessert: Berry yogurt cups
Sunday
- White chicken chili (slow-cooker)
- Jasmine rice
- Baked sweet potatoes
Monday
- Coconut flour waffles
- Greek yogurt
- Homemade chia jam
Tuesday
- Chana Masala (slow-cooker)
- Wilted spinach
- Brown rice
Wednesday
- OUT (my parents’ house)
Thursday
- Scrambled eggs
- Sweet potato (leftovers)
- Wilted spinach
Friday
- Pizza (Udi’s crust with sweet potato and kale)
Saturday
- OUT (ShopHouse)
Week 2
Sunday
- OUT (BBQ at my parents’ house)
Monday
- BBQ (leftovers from my parent’s house)
Tuesday
- Saag (slow cooker) – I omitted the paneer
- Roasted chickpeas (inspired by this recipe)
- “Naan” (made with Positively Free™ Pizza Crust)
Wednesday
- Pizza (Udi’s crust with feta and spinach)
Thursday
- Scrambled eggs
- Baked sweet potato
Friday
- Apple BBQ pulled chicken (slow-cooker) – I used chicken thighs instead of turkey
- Sweet potatoes (leftovers)
Saturday
- Apple BBQ pulled chicken (leftovers)
Week 3
Dessert: Raw vanilla macaroon bites (inspired by this recipe)
Sunday
- Zoodles with marinara sauce
Monday
- Pizza (with Positively Free™ Pizza Crust, feta, and kale)
Tuesday
- Simple slow-cooker pork
- Positively Free™ cornbread
- Wilted spinach
Wednesday
- Slow-cooker quinoa-summer squash casserole
- Positively Free™ cornbread (leftovers)
Thursday
- Slow-cooker quinoa-summer squash casserole (leftovers)
Friday
- Salmon cakes (a new staple in our house – I always double the recipe!) – NOTE: SUBSTITUTE 1/4 cup crushed GF crackers or breadcrumbs in place of whole-wheat breadcrumbs (Thanks, Nora!!)
- Roasted potatoes and onion
- Roasted broccoli
Saturday
- Slow-cooker quinoa-summer squash casserole (leftovers)
Week 4
Sunday
- OUT (crab feast at my parents’ house)
Monday
- One pan shrimp and asparagus (inspired by this recipe)
- Roasted potatoes and onion
- (NOTE: we made African curry for lunches/leftovers)
Tuesday
- African curry (leftovers)
Wednesday
- African curry (leftovers)
Thursday
- Red lentil, curry, and carrot stew (slow-cooker)
Friday
- Positively Free™ cornbread stuffed peppers
- Wilted spinach
- Red lentil, curry, and carrot stew (leftovers)
Saturday
- African curry (leftovers)
Tips:
- I have learned to use my slow-cooker as much as possible. Ideally, I make something in the slow-cooker 3x a week (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday), which is enough food to last all week with a few quick meals thrown in here and there.
- To save money and time, I have started making more vegetarian meals (usually slow-cooker soups and stews) and almost always use leftovers for lunches.
- I try to grocery shop on Friday to allow for meal prep on Saturday or Sunday. Meal prep usually involves chopping up veggies for slow-cooker meals and snacks and making a snack and/or dessert for the week.
Let me know if you enjoyed this post and/or if you’d like these monthly meal plans to become a regular series. For more sneak peeks of my gluten-free meals, follow me on Instagram or Twitter.
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A lot of the pictures you supposedly posted did not come through! Disappointing!
That is frustrating! Are you looking on a mobile device or pc?
Your recipe for Salmon Cakes calls for whole wheat breadcrumbs – not exactly gluten-free!
You’re totally right, Nora! I forgot the original recipe called for breadcrumbs — I use a printed sheet with lots of my own GF substitutions written all over it! I will make a note of how I make them GF! Thank you!!
So many great ideas! Thank you!
Thanks, Sarah! 🙂