Try this Fall Meal Prep Plan – these comforting meals make the most of fall produce and are super quick to make thanks to ingredient prep!
Fall Meals
The weather’s starting to get chillier, the leaves are starting to fall and Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back, which can only mean one thing – fall is here! Autumn is often a busy time with back to school in full swing, which means that meal prep is more important than ever.
To help you stay on track, I put together a free fall meal prep plan that’s full of delicious and seasonal fall recipes. These comforting meals feature plenty of fall produce like pumpkin, butternut squash and sweet potatoes so you can make the most of the season.
With some ingredient prep at the beginning of the week, you’ll be all set for the week ahead. I even included a handy grocery list that you can take with you to the store!
Looking for more meal plans? Check out my free winter meal prep plan, spring meal prep plan or summer meal prep plan!
The meal plan
Breakfast
5-Ingredient Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
Day 1
Chicken & Butternut Squash Harvest Bowls
Day 2
Healthy One Pot Pumpkin Alfredo
Day 3
Chicken, Spinach & Artichoke Spaghetti Squash
Day 4
Sweet Potato Poutine with Vegetarian Gravy
If you're enjoying this meal prep plan and want more, get a 4-week fall meal plan bundle here.
What containers you need
I recommend getting an assortment of containers of different sizes with lids like this Anchor Hocking set. You may want to purchase two sets, including one with smaller containers. You can also use plastic or silicone freezer bags, or mason jars of different sizes.
Wanna Learn How To Meal Prep?
My meal planning service, Dinner Prep Pro, removes the guesswork and helps you get dinner on the table in 15-20 minutes each night. My meal prep checklists only take 1 hour each week!
The meal prep plan
Follow this prep ahead plan on Sunday in the order in which everything is listed (eg the rice gets prepped first, then veggies, sauces, cheeses and proteins last). You will then pull your prepped ingredients out for each night's recipe and cook the recipe fresh. This will cut your nightly cooking time in half!
Note: If you'd like, you can start prep session by making your breakfast (Pumpkin Protein Pancakes) first before getting into ingredient prep.
Grains
- Cook rice for the Chicken & Butternut Squash Harvest Bowls by mixing together 1 cup brown rice, 2 cups water, 1 tsp butter, and a pinch of salt in a rice cooker or in a pot on the stove. Cook until the liquid is absorbed. Let cool for about an hour, then transfer to a container or add the rice cooker container right into the fridge.
Proteins
- Dice 4 chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces for the Chicken & Butternut Squash Harvest Bowls, Pumpkin Alfredo and Chicken, Spinach & Artichoke Spaghetti Squash.
Produce
- Dice 1 cup butternut squash, slice 1 cup Brussels sprouts in half, chop 1 red pepper, chop 1 red onion, and mince 4 cloves garlic. Store together for the Chicken & Butternut Squash Harvest Bowls.
- Cut 2 sweet potatoes into 1/2 thick fries for the Sweet Potato Poutine. Slice 2 cups mushrooms, dice 1 yellow onion and mince 2 cloves garlic, storing together in another container.
Dairy
- Grate 1/2 cup parmesan cheese for the Pumpkin Alfredo.
- Grate 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese for the Chicken, Spinach & Artichoke Spaghetti Squash.
Grocery list
Here is your grocery list. What I recommend you do is copy and paste this list into a Word doc and then erase the items you already have on hand. I know it looks like a long list but I've included everything except for salt and pepper.
If you have a well-stocked kitchen, then you will be able to strike most pantry staples off the list, such as the spices, oils, broth and condiments; possibly even butter, eggs, onions and milk as well!
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup butter
- 4 chicken breasts
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 8 cloves garlic
- 16 fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup butternut squash
- 1 cup brussels sprouts
- 1 red pepper
- 1 small red onion
- 2 spaghetti squash
- 3 cups spinach
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 2 cups mushrooms
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 green onions
- 1 (400mL) can artichoke hearts
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 cup brown rice (you can also use wild rice like the harvest bowls recipe initially calls for)
- 1/4 cup honey mustard
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp red wine (optional for added flavour for the sweet potato poutine)
- 2 cups vanilla protein powder
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 8 egg whites
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (plus more for serving the pumpkin alfredo)
- 1/3 cup goat cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Cheese curds
- 4 tbsp almond butter (optional for topping the pumpkin pancakes)
- 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds (optional for topping the pumpkin pancakes)
- 4 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans (optional for topping the pumpkin pancakes)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional for topping the pumpkin pancakes)
Get 4 weeks of Fall Meal Plans!
Liked this meal plan? You'll love my 4-Week Fall Meal Plan Bundle!
What you'll get:
- Instructions on how to use the meal plan
- 4 weeks of healthy fall meal plans with breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes
- A prep ahead checklist for each week
- Nutritional information
- Separate instructions for individuals, couples or larger households
It'll help you eliminate decision fatigue and simplify meal prep so you can enjoy delicious healthy meals all autumn long!
Share With Me!
Did you make this recipe or want to share your thoughts? Make sure to leave your review below and tag me on Instagram #thegirlonbloor so I can check it out!