SEPTEMBER MEAL PLAN IDEAS

Kelly Campbell
Aug 25
2 min read

Updated: Oct 20

Looking for simple and quick meals to make for a

back-to-everything month?

September has arrived, making it a perfect time to establish a good routine and rhythm for your family. For us, September is back to everything month.

Back to school

Back to sports

Back to rhythms and routines

Back to meal planning

Meal prepping can be time consuming but not having a plan in place takes up more time and energy.

How to get started with meal prepping:

1. Pick a Prep Day

Choose one or two days a week (like Sunday and Wednesday) to do your prepping. Having it on the calendar makes it easier to stay consistent.

For me, it alternates between Saturday and Sunday. One or two days ahead, I take out specific meats for meal prep to start thawing. Additionally, having meat in the fridge encourages you to use it to prevent it from going to waste.

2. Prep Ingredients, Not Always Full Meals

Wash and chop veggies, cook proteins (like chicken or ground beef), and make any homemade sauces you will have that week. Store them separately so you can mix and match during the week.

For instance, next week I might prepare tacos and meatballs. Therefore, I'll take out 8 lbs. of beef. (Yes, you read that correctly!) I'll prepare the taco meat and make meatballs for easy dinners. This process only takes a few minutes, unlike searching through the freezer at 6 p.m. when you're exhausted from the day.

Dishes like pasta and rice are simple and fast to prepare, so let some of your kids handle that.

3. Batch Cook for Efficiency

Cook double portions of things you know your family loves—like soups, casseroles, or roasted veggies—so you can save time later by reheating leftovers or freezing extras.

I do this almost all the time. If I am prepping Penne Pasta for the week, I will double it and freeze the other one. Freezer meals have become a staple in my home. Wednesday nights are our busiest nights. I need something fast to feed this crowd. Freezer meals have become my go to for those nights.

Interested in a little secret? For a whole month, the "Wednesday Meal" typically remains the same. I can freeze four dishes in bulk at once. Since the ingredients are the same, why not? The next month, there will be four different "Wednesday Meals."