Do you get stuck in meal planning ruts? Find a meal the family likes, eat it more frequently, then tire of it and don’t have it for a while…and forget about it? Yup! Me too. That’s why I created these seasonal meal idea lists. One for Spring/Summer (cooler meals) and one for Fall/Winter (warmer meals). Each week when I sit down to meal plan I reference these lists for some on-the-spot inspiration of meals I know my family likes (or at least did in the past). Hope they help you as much as they help me!
Note: obviously there is no such thing as spring/summer or fall/winter, but I tend towards grilling/ cool meals/ salads in the hotter months and warm meals in the winter. So hence the differentiation. Bowls and Tacos tend to overlap for us.
Spring/Summer Meal ideas:
Bowl Style Meals:
- Vietnamese noodle bowls with tofu/ tempeh/ chicken
- Burrito bowls with turkey/ beef/ chicken/beans&corn
- Glory bowls
- Poke bowls with tofu and sriracha mayo
- Bowl Concept
- Deconstructed Fish Taco Bowl
- Roasted Roots Buddha Bowl
- Protein Power Bowl with Roasted Chickpeas
- Spicy Tofu Bowl with Maple Miso Dressing
- Thai Quinoa Salad Bowl
Burger based Meals:
- Frozen Burgers (beyond meat/ veggie/ beef/ chicken/ salmon/ fish) and root veggie fries (Thug Kitchen p 171) or salad
- Feta and Basil Turkey Burgers & Salad
- Apple Zucchini Turkey Burgers + Yam Fries
- Zucchini Feta Turkey Burgers
- Miso Turkey Burgers with Miso Dressing & Salad
- Salsa Turkey Burgers & Salad or New Potato Salad
- Curried Chickpea Burgers (V) & Salad or Root fries
- Hummus Burgers (V) & Salad or Root fries
Salad based Meals (solo or with grilled meat/ fish):
- Tex Mex quinoa salad
- Curried Quinoa Salad
- Beet Quinoa Salad
- Maple Tarragon Wild Rice Salad
- Vegan caesar with GF croutons
- Italian Chop Salad
- Pizza Pasta Salad (or rice in lieu of pasta)
- Broccoli Pasta Salad
- Curried Rice Salad
- Salad Bar
- Kale & apple salad with Chicken
- Kale & chickpea salad
- Quinoa Nicoise Salad
- Mango & Mint Salad
- Greek Quinoa Salad (or sub rice for pasta)
- Peach and Goat Cheese Salad
- Vietnamese Quinoa Salad
- Zucchini Fettucini Salad
- 3-Bean Salad
- Greek Salad
Tacos Style Meals:
- Beef with all the usual fixings (lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, guac, sour cream)
- Turkey Tacos
- Cheater fish tacos and slaw
- Veggie Tacos (beans)
- Shrimp Tacos with slaw
- Pulled Chicken Tacos
- Fish Tacos with Caraway Slaw
- Grilled chicken and red onion salad
Other (not sure how to categorize them) Meals:
- Instant Pot Pulled pork sandwiches/ wraps/ yam fries with Apple slaw
- Gazpacho soup & sandwiches
- Tortilla pizzas & salad
- Easy pad Thai
- Turkey lettuce wraps
- Salad rolls with chicken
- Cheese Quesadillas & Green salad or veg+dip
Fall/ Winter meals
Bowl Meals:
- Burrito Bowl
- Bad Manners (formerly Thug Kitchen) – Pad Thai Bowl
- Mexican Fried Rice Bowl
- Mexican Skillet Supper
- Cookie + Kate – Coconut and Kale Fried Rice
- Easy Pad Thai
- Tofu Stir Fry on Brown Rice
- Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
- Instant Pot Pulled Chicken and Peppers
Soups, Stews, Curries & Chilis:
- Turkey Chili (crockpot)
- Smokey Black Bean and Quinoa Chili
- Curried Lentil Soup
- Spicy Cabbage and Lentil Soup
- Quick Miso Soup
- Tex Mex Hamburger Soup with Quinoa
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Crock Pot Enchilada Soup
- Pantry & Freezer Ramen
- Italian Peasant Soup
- Butter Chicken
- Red Lentil and Chickpea Curry
- Ready-made curry in a bottle (with chicken/ tofu and veggies) on rice
Meat/ Fish & Potato/Rice Meals:
- Salsa Chicken (often with rice and some form of salad or roast/ steamed veg
- Chili Garlic Glazed Salmon
- Chicken with Olives and Capers
- Simple Greek Chicken
- Sausages, roast potatoes/yams/parsnips/turnips/ broccoli/ carrots
Pasta Meals:
- Awesomesauce
- Creamy Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
- Fajita Pasta
- Tuna Pesto Pasta
- Turkey and Veggie Lasagne
- Ground turkey in a jar of marinara on spaghetti (add grated zucchini or other veg if possible)