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The fall season welcomes a bounty of fruits and vegetables that we all have been patiently waiting to enjoy. From the subtle, flavorful fig, to the tart apples to mix with a touch of cinnamon for applesauce, apple pie or a taste tarte aux pommes, and don’t forget the broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onions and the grape. Saveur magazine, one of my favorite food magazines, offers a list of fall produce to look for when we stop by our farmers’ markets, as well as many recipes to incorporate them into our weekly or special occasion meals. But which ones and how many should incorporate for your weekly capsule menu?
As promised in August when the concept of a Capsule Menu was shared here on the blog, I have pulled together a seasonal capsule menu for the fall season. The original sample menu to use for all seasons was shared on this post where the approach to creating a capsule menu was shared in detail, and you can you can access it and print your own copy for free here. But now that it’s fall, readers have been requesting that I share my fall capsule menu as a change in what we eat, no matter how simple and budget-friendly is a welcome idea and a fun, absolutely doable challenge.
So here we go.
Recipes:
~Buttery Steel Cut Oats
~Chicken Marsala
~Chicken Picatta
~Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
~Brown Sugar & Spice Salmon
~Roasted Vegetables
~Penne with Beef & Arugula
~Clafoutis aux Poires
~Pumpkin Chip Cookies
~Fig w/Proscuitto & Goat Cheese Appetizer
~Pumpkin Brioche
Below is the weekly shopping list for the menu that is at the end of the post (free and printable). Remember, the below items do not include the items you have stocked in your épicerie (view that list here). Be sure to view Instagram to see how to organize it on TSLL Capsule Menu notepad pages for the fall capsule menu:
- 2-3 versatile proteins or legumes
- 2 salmon fillets (wild caught):
- chicken breasts or chicken tenders (organic, no hormones added)
- eggs (for breakfast – see below)
- pancetta
- prosciutto
- 3-4 vegetables (2/3 – low starch and 1/3 high starch)
- whole grains
- forbidden rice (black rice)
- snacks (that combine fiber and protein)
- almonds (mixed with raisins for snacking in the afternoon)
- raisins
- grapes
- cheese (afternoon snack paired with slices of apple and almonds, add a cup of tea)
- 2 apple or pear
- 4-6 figs
- 1-2 breakfast options
- eggs (farm fresh)
- steel oats (don’t need to purchase every week) see my recipe here
- lemon water (always have lemons on hand as a staple)
- ingredients for 1 dessert
- 1 pear
- canned pumpkin
- chocolate chips
- ingredients for 1 comfort meal
- penne pasta
- strip steak
- arugula
- heavy cream
- miscellaneous
- goat cheese
- lemons
~Below is the free printable PDF Fall Capsule Menu. Click here to download.
~Discover everything about TSLL Capsule Menu and How to Create Your Own
~Shop TSLL Capsule Menus in digital and notepad format (English & French versions available!)
~Seasonal weekly menus will be released in coming months (see below). All will be shared directly with newsletter subscribers and be added to this post.
I absolutely love this idea and shared it with my readers today. Autumn is my favorite time to cook because in summer it’s just too hot to turn on the oven to roast chickens and vegetables or bake!
Thank you very much for sharing! Fall conjures us back into the kitchen to create the cozy meals and revel in all of the flavor without worrying about increasing the temperature in the house (as we do in summer ;))
Thanks so much for sharing this, Shannon!! I’ve been trying out your previous menu ideas! More, please!!! Love them!! I appreciate that you have the shopping list and recipes included, too!! Thanks so much!!
Hi Shannon,
As a new mom who loves to cook but doesn’t have time to plan and cook like I used to, I especially appreciate this concept. I do have a question for you, however. Do you eat the same capsule menu throughout the season, mixing things up with a special weekend treats, or do you create a different menu each week? I’d love to know. Having a standing menu and shopping list would make my life so much easier, but I wonder if would get monotonous. I suppose the key would be picking recipes that you love and can play with, yes? 🙂
Maureen, I certainly stick to some main meals or side dishes that I can rely on and that I love. For example, my spinach salad goes to work with me for lunch almost everyday. However, depending on the season and what looks best at the market, I will pick up different vegetables and fruit as well as protein. If I see Dover Sole in the fish market or fresh halibut, I will pick up a serving or two. So yes, the foundational items are pretty regular, but I do mix it up based on what I see and what is calling my tastebuds. 😉
I love your menu capsules! They are simple but intentional and easy to put together. Thanks!
You are welcome. 🙂 Working on a summer and winter one for the new book.