Affordable Organic: Summer to Fall Meal Plan

September. In some parts of the country, it’s snowing. Here in the Mountain State, we’re still reaching a heat index in the triple digits mid-month. Your heart is saying, “It’s football season, bring on the chili!” Your head is saying, “Salad. Watermelon. Ice Cream.”

That’s why we’re easing into the fall meal plans with a transitional plan. We’re still using up summer produce, i.e. summer squash and zucchini, but also starting to incorporate some fall seasonal ingredients, like butternut squash and kale.

This shopping list is for Kroger, with regular priced-items. If you shop Kroger regularly, you know they have incredible sales and coupons. (Find out how to save even more at Kroger here) Additionally, if you can pick up some of the ingredients from your local farmer’s market, you’ll likely save money. Even better, you grab the ingredients from your summer garden.

If you need an updated list of what produce to buy organic, we’ll email you a free printable for the Clean 15/ Dirty Dozen. Get it HERE.

Before you shop

Here are a couple of quick, standard notes and disclaimers that will apply to most of our meal plans. While some plans may feature gluten-friendly or dairy-free or keto-type meals, these plans don’t typically follow any types of restrictions (except for Lindsey, whose household is gluten-free). Email us directly if you have any questions or refer to specific recipe creators where it applies.

Also, we mostly follow USDA recommendations when it comes to portion sizes for meat, etc. That means we stick to 3-4-ounce portions of chicken, beef, fish, etc. We try to stick with as much organic meat as possible, and that access can vary. If you can get your hands on organic turkey, pork, or other cuts of meat, feel free to sub in where desired. See FAQ for more.

Next, we try to keep our shopping list totals to about $150 or less, but that doesn’t include tax. In West Virginia and Ohio, we don’t have food sales tax, but Ali and Lindsey do in Tennessee, so keep that in mind when you’re budgeting.

Finally, we all do the best we can when it comes to eating mostly organic, but we aren’t going to find every ingredient every time that’s organic. If you find something on our shopping list that you can’t get organic, simply do the best you can with your options. Conversely, if you CAN find something that’s organic that we have listed as “conventional” on the list, feel free to grab that option.

Another disclaimer: Prices, product availability, and coupons will obviously vary from region to region.

Summer To Fall Transitional Plan

Corn, Zucchini, Potato Chowder (Life Made Simple)

BLT Chopped Salad (Well Plated)

Baked Beef and Black Bean Tacos (Budget Bytes)

Kielbasa Peppers, Onions, and Potatoes Skillet (Two Bite Club)

Autumn Glow Salad (Pinch Of Yum)

Tomato Spinach Chicken Spaghetti (Julia’s Album)

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Whole Chicken w/ Roasted Cauliflower and Butternut Squash

Spinach Mushroom Pasta

Beef and cabbage Stir Fry (Budget Bytes)

Cod Skillet (With Steamed Broccoli and Rice)

Maple Dijon Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (Life Made Simple)

Pepperoni Pizza Sliders

White Bean Chicken Chili (Buffalo-Style Option)