A Fall Capsule Menu

fallcapsule-menu

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 (coming next week!)

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)

broccoli/squash/carrots (roasted – see recipe here)
spinach (tossed with a simple vinaigrette recipe – see mine here; also steamed – see Barefoot Contessa’s recipe here)
carrots (for snacking and dinner in the lentils paired with salmon recipe)
brussel sprouts

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.