One Month Meal Plan for Families

Got picky eaters? No more struggling to come up with healthy meals for your family. This meal plan for families is the easy button with a whole month’s worth of delicious recipes. All recipes are gluten free and made with real food ingredients.

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Ditch the processed food and pre-packaged meals for good, and make home-cooked meals with healthy ingredients that encourage good eating habits and make meal prep a breeze for you.

Meal planning for a busy family can be easy. I know because I’ve been there myself as a mom of three busy kids running to kids activities, work, school, and doctor appointments.

I’ve got a one month meal plan for families that will save you time, money (no more last-minute eating out), and make sure your family is getting a balanced diet complete with whole foods like fresh vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, different proteins (like chicken breasts, ground beef, beans, etc.) with easy recipes that will take 30 minutes or less. Best of all, most recipes will be cooked in an Instant Pot, Crock Pot (or slow cooker), oven or air fryer to save you more time and effort. 

Tips for Meal Planning

• There are 5 dinner ideas each week but you can also use these recipes for lunch or weekend meals.
• To save time the following day, make extras of each recipe so you can enjoy leftovers.
• If you make salads, you can enjoy leftover protein from each recipe, again to speed up meal times.
• Enjoy weekends for eating out, eating leftovers, or come up with a meal spontaneously (I find that when I have some wiggle room in my meal plan, I can satisfy cravings and I’m more likely to stick to it.) 
• Each week features kid-friendly meals that can be modified for different family members. Add spinach and artichokes to the homemade mac and cheese for adults or omit it for picky eaters.
• Go over the weekly menu with the family to figure out what recipes need to be modified for your family’s needs. I find my family loves knowing what’s on the menu for the week so they can chime in with their favorite sides and it’s so much less stress for me. 

Where to Buy Ingredients

• Buying fresh produce from farmer’s markets helps to find organic ingredients at a reasonable price. It’s also better for the planet with most farmers markets offering packaging free produce. Search online for one nearby or consider joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) co-op where you can buy produce boxes from local farmers.
• For pantry and fridge staples I recommend Thrive Market. After comparing the prices of Thrive Market vs. my local grocery and health food stores, I found Thrive Market always wins. Whether it’s raw honey, gluten-free flour, avocado oil, gluten-free snacks, spices, and even meat and frozen foods, Thrive Market has the best deals. Use this link to get 25% off your first order + a free gift.
• Butcher Box – sources meat from the best farms around the world. They offer gift cards starting at $50 or you can gift subscription boxes of beef, beef and chicken, mixed box, or mixed box with seafood. If you want to mix and match exactly what you want, Butcher Box is the best option and the only one I found that offered this service. A subscription box of 8-11 lbs of mixed beef and chicken is about $137. Check out their latest deal here.
• Your local grocery stores will always be most convenient but aim for organic produce, grass-fed meat, pasture-raised chicken, wild-caught seafood, etc. as much as possible.

Meal Plan for Families

Use this easy meal plan for a whole month’s worth of meals for your family, or customize it to create your own 7-day meal plan and mix and match the recipes that will be a good fit for your family. For years, these have been our favorite meals, and I know your family will love them too. 

Many of the main dish recipes listed below can be made in an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. It’s easy to cook homemade meals in the Instant Pot, especially for busy families with a lot of evening activities. You can just set and forget, instead of babysitting meals over the stove. However, if you want to use a Crock Pot, slow cooker, or cook on the stove top, there are options to do that. Just click the recipe link, and you’ll see alternative cooking methods. 

Tip: Make double batches and save as freezer meals for the next week. 

Week 1 Dinner Meal Plan

• Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Strips – serve with a salad or gluten free buns to make a fried chicken sandwich
• Instant Pot Salsa Verde Beef Tacos -or substitute ground turkey to make Turkey Tacos)
• Instant Pot Baked Potatoes – serve with a fixings bar with cheese, sour cream, bacon, chili, salsa, etc.
• Gluten-Free Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – this is a big hit with families
• Low-Carb Instant Pot Creamy Cauliflower Soup – try it with mushrooms instead of bacon for a delicious vegetarian option

Week 2 Dinner Meal Plan

• Instant Pot Spaghetti – serve up with zucchini noodles as a grain-free option
• Instant Pot Beef Chili – ready in 30 minutes
• Instant Pot Pork Carnitas – serve with rice, beans and/or corn tortillas with a fixings bar with onions, cilantro, salsa and cheese
• Instant Pot Cacio e Pepe – simple pasta with Parmesan and black pepper that’s full of flavor, serve up with roast chicken leftovers or your favorite protein
• Gluten-Free BBQ Chicken Pizza – a great option for entertaining for a crowd

Week 3 Dinner Meal Plan

• Instant Pot Roast Chicken – served with Steamed Artichokes
• Instant Pot Risotto – served- with leftover roast chicken
• Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl – serve with white or brown rice
• Chicken Tortilla Soup -serve with tortillas chips, avocados, and shredded cheese (for kids who don’t like soup – serve up the shredded chicken with tortilla chips, cheese and fresh-cut vegetables)
• Quesadillas with shredded cheddar cheese and Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas – serve a salad or fresh-cut vegetables 

Week 4 Dinner Meal Plan

• Gluten-Free Fried Rice (use gluten-free soy sauce or this soy sauce substitute)
• Gluten-Free Chinese Dumplings
• Instant Pot Three Bean Chili 
• Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken
• Instant Pot Taco Soup

Quick Breakfast Recipes

All of these breakfast recipes are easy to make for busy mornings and can even be eaten on the go. My goal with these breakfast plans was something you can prepare in advance or put in an Instant Pot or oven to cook while you and the kids get ready.

• Breakfast Tacos & Burritos (use these delicious Homemade Tortillas)
• Mini Quiche Muffins
• Crustless Quiche
• Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes
• Onion Bagels
• Instant Pot Oatmeal
• Carrot Apple Muffins
• Easy Bacon in the Oven or Air Fryer
• Easy Egg Bites with Bacon and Cheese
• Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (sneaky way to serve zucchini for breakfast)
• French Toast

Tip: To save even more time, I recommend batch cooking these breakfast recipes then reheating on busy mornings. I prefer to put them in a toaster oven to heat up. Check out 9 Ways to Reheat Food Without a Microwave. 

Healthy Snack Recipes

Whether the kids eat a variety of fruit and vegetables or not, it’s important to keep offering them in your weekly meals. I like to serve a fresh veggie and fruit tray after school with fresh-cut apples, carrots, cucumbers and whatever dip I have on hand (like this Onion Dip) as healthier options. I find that even if my kids don’t eat their cooked veggies during dinner, they’ll get a healthy serving during snack time. 

• Sprouted Hummus with fresh-cut vegetables
• Chocolate and Peanut Butter Puffed Rice Bars
• Peanut Butter Protein Granola Bars
• Chocolate Avocado Pudding
• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Almond Butter and Banana Smoothie

Easy Lunch Ideas

Keep lunches simple for school and work with these healthy lunch ideas. Use different proteins and repurpose leftovers to serve alongside these easy lunches. 

• Grilled Cheese with Homemade Gluten-Free Bread
• Quesadilla with Homemade Tortillas and leftover chicken
• Homemade Lunchables with fresh fruit, fresh veggies, healthy dips (like this Onion Dip), hard-boiled eggs, cheese, salami or lunch meat, and gluten-free crackers
• Hummus and cucumbers with with Homemade Gluten-Free Bread
• Instant Pot Egg Salad serve it up in lettuce cups or with this Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
• Leftovers

Healthier Dessert Ideas

These dessert and sweet treat recipes are so delicious it’s hard to believe they are all gluten-free and made using real food ingredients. 

• Mix Berry Popsicles
• Gluten-Free S’Mores Brownies
• Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies
• Instant Pot Cheesecake

Cooking + Kitchen Tutorials

• How to Make Crispy Bacon in the Air Fryer
• How to Start Your Family on a Gluten-Free Diet

More Meal Planning Ideas

• Meal Plan for Two with Grocery List
• One-Month Budget Family Meal Plan
• Vacation Meal Planing Tips for Families
• Minimalist Meal Planning for Busy Moms (with free printable)
• 20 Instant Pot Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

Did you try this meal plan for families? Don’t forget to comment below to let me know how it went. You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.