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My family-friendly meal plan for November is here to help you serve up quick, easy, and healthy meals to everyone in the house. I hope you find lots of inspiration for fall recipes to make, especially as the holidays draw closer and life inevitably speeds up!
Fall Recipes
I chose these recipes with a seasonal perspective and tried to include lots of produce that you’ll be seeing at your stores. And since I know that not every family will like the same things, I tried to offer variety too.
With any of these meals, I recommend offering 1-2 simple sides such as fruit, fresh veggies, crackers, or cheese if you are at all worried that your kids won’t like the main dish.
That way, they have “safe” foods on the table and you don’t need to get up to make a different meal!
Easy Meal Rotation
I do my meal plans using the idea of a rotation where you use general categories every other week to reduce decision fatigue and also give the kids a chance to see foods regularly to help them learn to like the.
Above here is our rough meal plan for this month. Yes, really, THIS IS IT. I have two options for breakfast and dinner that we can choose from—I usually alternate each week—then a set rotation of lunch ideas.
I know this will be a busy/crazy/anxiety filled month with the election and Thanksgiving, so I’m streamlining to help save (some of) my sanity.
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This allows me to the number of decisions I need to make since I’m starting with narrow categories— but still have flexibility, variety, and spontaneity with all of the choices available within a category.
(Because there are a million pasta recipes we could have on pasta night, for example, which is great since my kids generally like pasta!)
TIP: Download a printable pdf of this meal rotation in my Free Resource Library.
November Week 1
Add fruit or an easy vegetable recipe as a side dish to any of these recipes. I usually use the homemade ideas for breakfast, lunch, and snack for more than one day each week (a full batch will likely make plenty) to reduce the overall amount of cooking.
Breakfast Ideas
You can double this recipe to make a larger batch to warm up and serve throughout the week.
These bars are tender when warm out of the oven, so do be sure to let them cool completely before slicing.
You can serve this as wedges, a thick mash, or a thinner puree to your baby or toddler. (Adults will love the wedges too!)
Lunch Ideas
You can vary the beans if you like in these simple burritos. Serve them with salsa and/or sour cream.
Choose one veggie to add from the flavor options below according to what you have on hand or what your family likes best.
You can also do this with full size spinach if that’s what you’re able to find. Just discard any stems before starting the recipe.
Snack Ideas
I like to grate the carrot on a box grater and cut the top of each broccoli floret off and finely dice with a knife. Avoid the stems since they won’t blend into the batter as well.
We like these apples warm or cold out of the fridge, so see what your kids like best!
Use ripe pears—they should give just a little to the touch and smell like a pear—for the best flavor in this puree. Some babies may want a few spoonful, some a bowlful. Follow baby’s cues to determine the right amount for them.
Dinner Ideas
These tender fish cakes make a quick and easy pantry meal when you haven’t planned ahead for dinner. Recipe updated slightly to ensure moistness in June 2021.
You can use frozen peas or broccoli in this recipe according to what you have or prefer. See the Notes for vegetarian options.
If you want to make these vegetarian, try using 2 cups rinsed and drained black beans or pinto beans instead of the ground beef.
I like our lentil soup with the veggies pretty blended in, which is why I chop them finely in a blender or food processor. You can also just chop them with a knife. (Recipe updated August 2020 to saute the veggies before simmering to ensure that there’s no raw onion flavor.)
Moist and nutritious, these healthy cornmeal muffins are an easy side, breakfast, or yummy snack.
Use your family’s favorite shape and type of pasta in this recipe. (We like elbows or mini shells!)
If you’re using Homemade Pizza Dough, make it at least an hour before you plan to assemble the pockets. If using store-bought, let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so it’s not super cold when you try to form the pockets.
November Week 2
Try an easy vegetable for lunch to add a simple side to the midday meal. And check out my favorite store bought snacks to round things out.
Breakfast Ideas
Plan to have your mashed sweet potato ready to go so these come together quickly. Serve with any pancake topping you prefer—applesauce, maple syrup, or nut or seed butter.
Use Sunbutter to make these nut-free. You can cut these into smaller bars if desired. If you want them a little softer, serve them at room temperature rather than chilled.
Lunch Ideas
These work well to make ahead and warm up for an easy lunch or dinner. These taste best served warm.
With quinoa, cauliflower, and cheese, these healthy little tots are a great finger food for kids. This recipe makes about 20 tots, which is 4-6 servings for toddlers—or 1-2 servings for adults.
The method on this recipe is streamlined to cut down on dish washing. Add the optional spices for more flavor if you like! Double it to make more.
Snack Ideas
These soft cookies are a perfect afternoon snack (pair them with milk!) or dessert. (Recipe updated September 2020 to reduce the flour slightly to ensure the batter isn’t too dry.) These cookies are soft baked and very tender!
If you want to make an all chocolate version, just omit the dried fruit and use additional chocolate chips!
Scale this up or down according to how many servings you’re planning to make. The directions here are for one small toddler-size serving. (It’s okay if your kiddo wants more or doesn’t eat a whole serving though!)
Dinner Ideas
Plan to cook your sweet potato ahead of time. See the Notes at the end of the recipe for options!
You can use precut butternut squash or sweet potato and shredded carrots to cut down on the prep time if desired. This isn’t super saucy, but you can increase the liquid if desired. See the Notes for details.
You can make as few or as many of these easy quesadillas as you like.
With plant-based protein, veggies, and cheese, this soup is a wonderful way to serve up healthy comfort food to the whole family. (Adapted from FamilyFun magazine.)
This simple pan-fried tofu is a perfect match for sauteed veggies and rice, or pasta, or even potatoes and roasted veggies!
November Week 3
You can make a double batch of the meatballs and save them for future easy dinners or lunches—they are so great as leftovers!.
Breakfast Ideas
You can make this in about 15 minutes on any morning, or make the whole recipe ahead and simply warm right before serving. See the Notes for variations to make it with other types of oats.
Make the simple base recipe or try one of the variations with a veggie and more nutrient-dense add-ins. All are delicious! Freeze the banana ahead of time.
These store well in the fridge so you can make them a day or two ahead if you prefer—or bake and serve warm from the oven. These taste like a cross between baked oatmeal and a traditional pumpkin muffin (they don’t have any flour, so they’re a little denser than a traditional muffin, but still super moist!).
Lunch Ideas
Use yellow or white cheese according to your child’s color expectations!
Be sure to grease your pan well and roll the dough up fairly tightly around the fillings for best results. (But it’s okay if they don’t look perfect when they go into the pan!)
Plan to prepare the sweet potatoes at least an hour—and up to 3 days ahead—before you start making the muffins so it has time to cool. See the Notes for options for the sweet potato. These are very lightly sweet. Add ¼ cup brown sugar if desired to make them sweeter.
Serve these quesadillas with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole as desired. You can leave them as simple vegetarian quesadillas or add in a protein like chicken or beans.
Snack Ideas
I like to frost these soon before serving. You can make the frosting ahead, transfer it to a zip top bag, and store in the fridge until ready to add to the cupcakes.
The amount of puree you wind up with will vary according to the size of the pumpkin you start with.
You can use any puree that you like the flavor of in this recipe—it works best with purees that are the consistency of mashed banana or mashed sweet potato. See the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for flavor ideas.
Dinner Ideas
If you can’t find garam masala, you can leave it out, though it adds authentic flavor that you’d expect if you’ve eaten Chana Masala in a restaurant. This will likely make enough for two meals—I like to freeze the second half for a future week.
Before you start, roll a tortilla and make sure it will fit with your baking dish. I call for small ones, but the size can vary a lot depending on whether you use flour or corn and the brand. This recipe was updated and streamlined in October 2020.
Adding beans and extra veggies helps make this easy baby pasta satisfying, nutritious, and yummy. Serve it more or less saucy as you like. (You can even freeze the sauce for easy future meals.)
This will make at least two dinners worth of meatballs, depending on how many people are in your family. I like to freeze half of the batch to use in a future meal.
These chicken nuggets have simple ingredients and a pleasantly crispy exterior. Aim to cut the chicken into similarly sized pieces so they bake evenly.
Serve this as a simple side to go with dinner. Or make them ahead and warm them throughout the week to go with lunches.
These easy quesadillas can be made with pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree, or butternut squash puree. You can also skip it and just go with beans and cheese! I make these as half moon shapes since it helps contain the mess a little when feeding these to kids.
November Week 4
This is Thanksgiving week, so take all of the shortcuts you need to make the holiday as low stress as possible. So if you don’t want to cook anything else that week, embrace it and ignore these other ideas—do whatever works.
Breakfast Ideas
I like adding the thyme in these for extra flavor, but it’s optional! Be sure to grease your muffin tin well.
You can roast the sweet potato up to 3 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake these. Or use canned or jarred puree. (Recipe updated Sept 2021.)
Lunch Ideas
You can do a big family-style platter or individual ones for the kids depending on your preference. Add anything else that sounds appealing and know that the nutrition info will vary according to what you use.
You can make one sandwich at a time, or make a batch of a few to stash in the freezer. Adjust this as needed for your preference.
With just 4 ingredients, including a veggie that blends right in, this Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a yummy kids lunch to share. It packs extra nutrition in the filling, yet only takes a few minutes to make. Such a great easy meal!
Snack Ideas
This smoothie makes two toddler-size servings, or a smoothie to share for a parent and toddler. You can freeze any leftovers into a freezer pop!
You can use any type of apple you have or like, though generally tart cooking apples (like Granny Smith or Pink Lady) soften nicely without falling apart too quickly.
These moist muffins are great on their own or topped with butter, honey, or apple butter. Try them for breakfast, snack, or as a side for dinner.
This quick bread works really well to bake ahead and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve it. We love it topped with cream cheese, but butter and honey also work.
Dinner Ideas
Here are some easy ideas, though embrace takeout and leftovers this week! My fav Thanksgiving recipes are here.
For delicious homemade pizza without the work and in a lot less time, Flatbread Pizza to the rescue. Adjust this for allergies as you need.
I prefer to use Yukon Gold potatoes in this recipe. They are usually very widely available at grocery stores.
The honey helps these sprouts be free from bitterness, so offer a small serving to a child to introduce them to the dish.
You can do a big family-style platter or individual ones for the kids depending on your preference. Add anything else that sounds appealing and know that the nutrition info will vary according to what you use.
Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
Try my Easy Thanksgiving Recipes including Cranberry Sauce, Butternut Squash Pie, Cornbread Muffins, Sweet Potato Cake, and Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes.
I’d love to hear your feedback on this family meal plan so I can continue improving my content for you and your family, so please comment below to share!
This post was first published November 2020.
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