THE OCTOBER SPREAD (A MEAL PLAN FOR THE MONTH)

We are currently in the thick of fall sports season juggling 6 different team schedules for 4 kids, so dinnertime around here is pretty haphazard and discombobulated. It’s kids filling up on snacks despite the taco fixings they just walked by in the kitchen because there’s a lot of divide and conquer happening and not a lot structure. It’s a test in time management, grittiness, and daily intentions. It goes mostly unnoticed (unless of course it’s missing) and takes an unfair amount of time to clean up. While I’ve complained to more than one person this past week about all of the above, I’ve been in this big kid stage of mothering long enough to know that come winter (when our schedule calms down) there will be a new struggle. I’ll have a little more time to catch my breath and make a yummy dinner and will probably complain about how hard it is to get the kids off of screens and playing outside.

Until then, here’s a month of dinner recipes to try with built-in leftover and pizza nights. Make what looks good and works for your schedule and then stock up on chicken nuggets, Costco dinners, and grilled cheese fixings for the rest. And if you’re really in need of a reset (pics above), grab whatever kids are available and a deck of cards and go out to dinner while the others are at practice. Just be sure to order enough to share when you get home!

WEEK ONE

Monday: Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken & Rice
Tuesday: Black Beans & Rice Burrito (but adding seasoned chicken or ground beef! My mom made something similar growing up and it was my favorite thing to eat after games and practices!)
Wednesday: LEFTOVERS
Thursday: Chickpea Lamb Shawarma Soup
Friday: Pizza and Salad
Saturday: Muffin Tin Meat Loaf
Sunday: Spicy Mint Beef over Rice

WEEK TWO

Monday: One Pot Chili Mac & Cheese
Tuesday: Mexi Burger Tater Tot Casserole
Wednesday: LEFTOVERS
Thursday: Quick Asian Beef Ramen Noodles
Friday: Pizza and Salad
Saturday: Oven Baked Chicken Breast with Roasted Veggies & Buttered Noodles
Sunday: Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad with Protein of choice (and don’t skip the crispy cheese!)

WEEK THREE

Monday: Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Beef (Stuffed Sweet or Russet Potatoes)
Tuesday: Taco Soup
Wednesday: LEFTOVERS
Thursday: Rotisserie Chicken Panini
Friday: Pizza and Salad
Saturday: Sweet & Sour Pork
Sunday: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs (sorry for the repeat, but it’s a monthly request by my kids… double the recipe if you have a lot of meat eaters :)