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

Getting a head start on snacks for the week. Love this recipe from @inspiredrd! #glutenfreeanddelicious #canthavejustone

A photo posted by Beth Hall (@bpositivelyfree) on Jun 27, 2015 at 1:12pm PDT

Dessert: Berry yogurt cups

Sunday

• White chicken chili (slow-cooker)
• Jasmine rice
• Baked sweet potatoes

Monday

• Coconut flour waffles
• Greek yogurt
• Homemade chia jam
  

  Celebrating #NationalWaffleDay with my favorite #glutenfree waffles, Greek yogurt, and #homemade chia jam #yum

  A photo posted by Beth Hall (@bpositivelyfree) on Aug 24, 2015 at 2:27pm PDT

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)
  

  Did you know you could make kale chips ON your @udisglutenfree pizza by just drizzling olive oil and a dash of s&p? #glutenfree #celiac #kalechips #fridaynightpizzanight #tgif

  A photo posted by Beth Hall (@bpositivelyfree) on Aug 28, 2015 at 3:23pm PDT

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)
  

  Got a little overzealous at the #farmersmarket for tonight's #glutenfree dinner! #slowcooker #eatlocal

  A photo posted by Beth Hall (@bpositivelyfree) on Sep 2, 2015 at 9:31am PDT

Thursday

• Slow-cooker quinoa-summer squash casserole (leftovers)
  

  Another great use for day-old #glutenfree #PositivelyFree cornbread! Eat it with fresh and spicy #farmersmarket summer squash stew! #eatlocal #glutenfreeanddelicious

  A photo posted by Beth Hall (@bpositivelyfree) on Sep 3, 2015 at 6:21am PDT

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
  

  @clean_and_delicious Loved the one pan roasted shrimp! Subbed some asparagus for green beans and added roasted purple potatoes to make it a filling #glutenfree dinner even my 2.5 y/o loved! #toddlerapproved #shrimp #easyanddelicious #makingitagainnextweek

  A photo posted by Beth Hall (@bpositivelyfree) on Sep 22, 2015 at 6:27am PDT

• (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.