Next Week’s Meal Plan: 5 Family-Friendly Fall Favorites

The official first day of fall is just around the corner, and temperatures are starting to drop around here, finally giving me permission to cook the cozy cold-weather fare I’ve been craving since August. This week’s meal plan is all about welcoming fall with some of our favorite foods. They’re always easy to make and devoured by adults and kids alike.

Planning my weekly meals is a habit I enjoy. Since I’m frequently asked by friends and family what I’m cooking for dinner each week, I thought it’d be useful to share my weekly meal plan here. Whether you’re just learning to meal plan and looking for a real-life example of how this works or you’re an old pro on the hunt for inspiration, here’s a peek at how I’m feeding my family this week.

• The Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning: What to Know, How to Succeed, and What to Skip
• The Best Way to Use a Weekend for Meal Planning Success
• Ask Yourself These 5 Questions Before You Start Meal Planning
• 5 Strategies for Picking Recipes for a Week of Meal Planning

My husband requested baked potatoes this week and we are finishing up a batch of chili that made enough leftovers to freeze and enjoy later this month. If the weather is still warm where you are, don’t forget you can cook whole russet potatoes in the slow cooker for baked potatoes without heating up the whole house.

My family loves this chicken soup. It’s a tasty twist on Taco Tuesday that requires only one pot and makes the most of chicken breast, canned beans (and tomatoes!), and frozen corn. We serve this with lots of tortilla chips for dipping and the kids call it “dip soup.”

Okay, so this recipe was originally designed for roasted spring asparagus, but if you use the same seasoning and roast some fall vegetables like squash, carrots, or even apples and toss them with soba noodles, the result is just as swoon-worthy.

I am not at all questioning that my daughter requested this lunch recipe for dinner. Nope, I’m just serving these up with a green salad for adults and apple and carrot slices for the kiddos.

This will be my first Pizza Friday getting back into my dough-making routine in a while. To celebrate, I’m making a riff on this sweet potato and arugula pie for myself. The kids will still get their favorite cheese and red sauce pizza and we will all enjoy the return of our favorite family tradition.