Meal planning is one of those things that I’ve never been 100% successful at. I always start with the best intentions and somehow after a short while I fall back into old habits.
It’s always the same story:
We get all excited, plan out a week of meals and buy all the ingredients. For a whole week, we eat delicious pre-planned meals and there’s no eating out. (That means $$ saved!!) Then comes week two and then life happens and we forget to plan the meals for the week and then it’s over.
Who wants Chick Fil A?
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Save this Instant Pot Meal Plan for later!
I Finally Have a Plan
So this year, I’m making it a goal to meal plan. Once I make it a goal, it’s ON!! I’m going to try to be as intentional as possible to stick to a meal plan every month.
By putting these meal plans together every month, it will make it easier to know exactly what to cook each day and what ingredients to have on hand. I also really feel like the Instant Pot can help me keep up with a monthly meal plan.
Time to Conquer This Meal Planning Thing
Ok, so with 5 children and life, in general, I have to be realistic. Maybe I won’t be able to follow the plan perfectly. Maybe you won’t either. The beauty of it is, you can tweak it when you need to and you can move things around to suit your needs. The key is to try to be as consistent as possible and when you go off track, just try to get back on it as soon as possible. Let’s be as intentional as possible and we can conquer this meal planning thing together!!
October 2021 Instant Pot Meal Plan
The October Meal Plan is full of delicious fall recipes! The weather is finally settling down and that means it’s time for yummy soups, apple pork chops, and pumpkin everything! I hope you and your family enjoy all these recipes full of fall yumminess!
You can still get the September Meal Plan if you need it.
Right below the list of recipes, you can find the link to the printable/clickable menu calendar. You’ll also find links to all my previous monthly meal plans. Enjoy!
Main Dishes
October 1White Chicken Chili from One Happy Housewife
A super easy and crazy delicious dump and start creamy chicken chili loaded with hearty white beans, chicken, corn, tomatoes, and green peppers.
October 2Autumn Apple Pork Chops from Simply Happy Foodie
These pork chops are smothered in a delicious apple gravy with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg.
October 3Butternut Mac and Cheese from One Happy Housewife
Fall spices and a rich and creamy cheddar flavor are perfectly paired with sweet butternut squash in this comforting pasta dish.
October 4Beef & Vegetable Soup from The Halfway Homesteaders
This hearty and satisfying soup is packed full of delicious veggies and ground beef.
October 5Tuscan Chicken Pasta from One Happy Housewife
Creamy, delicious, and very easy to make, this pasta dish is sure to be a hit with your family!
October 6Broccoli Cheese Soup from One Happy Housewife
The combination of broccoli, carrots, cream, and cheddar make for a hearty soup that’s amazingly creamy and flavorful.
October 7Chicken Broccoli Alfredo from One Happy Housewife
A incredibly delicious pasta dish that features a homemade Alfredo sauce that’s unforgettably rich, creamy, and flavorful.
October 8Carnitas from One Happy Housewife
Authentic flavor, incredibly juicy pork, and crispy edges. Traditional pork carnitas made in a fraction of the time.
October 9Pumpkin Soup from One Happy Housewife
This quick and easy soup is thick, creamy and perfectly seasoned with fall spices. The ideal meal for brisk autumn weather.
October 10Whole Chicken from Recipes from a Pantry
Have a moist and flavorful rotisserie style chicken in less than 45 minutes with this simple recipe.
October 11Spicy Cajun Pasta from One Happy Housewife
A super easy weeknight dinner with a wonderful kick of cajun.
October 12Cauliflower Soup from Piping Pot Curry
This healthy, creamy cauliflower soup is infused with the healing benefits of turmeric.
October 13Beef & Macaroni Casserole from One Happy Housewife
This deliciously creamy beef and pasta casserole is the perfect hearty and filling meal for those busy weeknights.
October 14Butter Chicken from Spice Cravings
Enjoy this authentic Indian dish made with delicious pieces of grilled chicken in a creamy tomato sauce that’s seasoned with Indian spices.
October 15Spaghetti & Meatballs from One Happy Housewife
This super easy Spaghetti & Meatballs recipe requires no prep and is ready in minutes.
October 16Chipotle Shrimp Soup from Paint the Kitchen Red
This quick and easy soup is so creamy and loaded with potatoes, corn, bacon, and shrimp. This one has a spicy kick to it too!
October 17French Dip from One Happy Housewife
An unbelievably flavorful and juicy meat, covered in melted cheese and served on toasted, crispy, buttered bread.
October 18Cheeseburger Mac from One Happy Housewife
A super hearty and flavorful, from scratch pasta casserole made fast.
October 19Tomato Soup from One Happy Housewife
This wonderfully delicious and creamy tomato soup is infused with basil and lightly sweetened with honey.
October 20Chicken and Dumplings from One Happy Housewife
Tender, tasty chicken, sweet veggies, and dumplings. This is the epitome of comfort food.
October 21Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta from One Happy Housewife
Infused with delicious sun-dried tomato and basil, you’ll love the comforting creaminess of this pasta dish.
October 22Salsa Chicken from One Happy Housewife
A very popular recipe that’s fast, easy, and so versatile. The perfect busy weeknight meal!
October 23Butternut Squash Soup from One Happy Housewife
With a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors, this soup is the perfect comfort meal for cooler weather.
October 24Buffalo Chicken Chili from Ministry of Curry
A hearty chili made with chicken, beans, veggies and cooked in a spicy buffalo sauce.
October 25Hawaiian Sloppy Joes from One Happy Housewife
Pineapple, red and yellow peppers, and sweet onion give the traditional Sloppy Joe a Hawaiian twist.
October 26Chicken Soup from One Happy Housewife
This hearty, healthy, homemade chicken soup is so tasty and loaded with nourishing vegetables and spices.
October 27Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork from One Happy Housewife
Made with only 4 ingredients, this fall apart delicious pulled pork is so tasty and versatile.
October 28Chicken Tetrazzini from One Happy Housewife
With tender bite-sized chicken served over spaghetti and topped with a creamy sauce, this Chicken Tetrazzini will be a family favorite.
October 29Taco Soup from One Happy Housewife
A wonderful dump-and-go meal that’s loaded with taco flavor, requires very little prep, and uses easy to find ingredients.
October 30Chicken Couscous from One Happy Housewife
A very simple and flavorful chicken and couscous recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner.
October 31Corn Chowder from Simply Vegetarian 777
A wonderful comfort meal made with fresh corn that’s creamy and full of flavor.
Side Dishes
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Cajun Dirty Rice from One Happy Housewife
Chock full of the Cajun flavor, this comforting dish is outstanding!
Mashed Potatoes from One Happy Housewife
Cooked and seasoned to perfection, these mashed potatoes are so fast and easy to make.
Lemon Butter Broccoli from One Happy Housewife
An incredibly delicious and healthy side dish that can be served fast using the help of the Instant Pot.
Green Beans from One Happy Housewife
The buttery garlic flavor make these tender green beans a favorite side dish.
Mac & Cheese with Cream of Mushroom from One Happy Housewife
A super creamy and delicious dump-and-start mac and cheese.
Desserts
Coconut Flan from One Happy Housewife
A delicious custard-like dessert filled with with coconut flavor and shredded coconut in every bite.
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake from Living Sweet Moments
This moist, creamy, and decadent cheesecake is a pure slice of heaven.
Bread Pudding from Simply Happy Foodie
This creamy, rich, and delicious bread pudding is the perfect holiday dessert.
Turtle Lava Cakes from One Happy Housewife
These deliciously decadent mini cakes are overflowing with a molten chocolate center, caramel and pecans.
Arroz con Leche from One Happy Housewife
This traditional Hispanic dessert is so creamy, rich and delicious. Simple ingredients and so quick and easy to make.
Get the Printable Instant Pot Meal Plan
I’ve put together a handy printable calendar so you can get a full monthly view of the plan. The PDF has clickable links as well so you can download it and keep it on your computer to visit all the recipes. The printable/PDF is available to my subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber yet, sign up below so you can have access to my entire collection of printables.
Instant Pot Accessories!
There are so many accessories available for the Instant Pot. So many, that it is hard to know what to get and what is unnecessary. To make things easier for you, I have put together a list of my most recommended accessories. I also explain how to best use each accessory and where to purchase them, click here to check it out.
More Instant Pot Meal Plans
I’ve been creating my Instant Pot Meal Plans for quite some time and have accumulated over a year’s worth of meal plans. I’m making all of my previously published meal plans available to you via the list of links below. You can access each month of the year by simply clicking on the one you want to look at, the link will then take you to the recipes for that particular month.
Since I carefully select each recipe for each month, every month has a unique list of recipes. Browse through each month to see all the different recipes and get ideas for creating your very own meal plans. Feel free to peruse each of the months!
- January Instant Pot Meal Plan
- February Instant Pot Meal Plan
- March Instant Pot Meal Plan
- April Instant Pot Meal Plan
- May Instant Pot Meal Plan
- June Instant Pot Meal Plan
- July Instant Pot Meal Plan
- August Instant Pot Meal Plan
- September Instant Pot Meal Plan
- October Instant Pot Meal Plan
- November Instant Pot Meal Plan
- December Instant Pot Meal Plan
Don’t forget to check back at the end of each month for the updated Meal Plan!
It would be great to have a grocery list for each week of the month.
Hi Margie! This is something that is on our to-do list with my husband who works with me on the blog, but our to-do list is big! Hopefully soon!
when you plan a month of meals, are you trying to purchase the least amount of ingredients and then use those in multiple meals?
Hi Kathy! Not all of the time. For now, I try to include easy recipes for busy moms and dads, once in a while, I will put certain recipes back to back so that leftovers can be used. For example, I’ll put my beans recipe one day, and my bean soup the next which uses the broth from making the beans. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Do your cook times take in account for the time it takes the pot to heat up to pressure and seal?
Hi Brian! Great question. No, my cook times do not include the coming to pressure time. There are too many variables involved. The amount of time it takes for the pot to come to pressure will depend on things like how full your pot is, the size of your pot, the model, your altitude, and so on. It would be like adding the preheating time of an oven, there’s just no way to tell. I do, however, include the natural release time in my recipes to give you a better total estimate of cooking and release. Hope this helps!
Ever since I got my pot I’ve had a constant burn notice problem. Every recipe I try it happens. I follow the directions exactly and it still happens. What am I doing wrong? I have even added extra broth or water and still. I bought the non-stick pot and still.
Hi Brenda! If you are having trouble with every single recipe, you probably need to contact Instant Pot. I have heard of quite a few people with faulty sensors in their pots which cause the burn message every time. Good luck! Keep me posted on what they say.
How long can I keep the jars in the refrigerator?
Hi Gary! Not sure what jars you are asking about. Let me know.
I bought my pot a few months ago but never have tried to use it. But I am now! Several of your recipes intrigue me. Thank You!
Hi! I’m happy to hear you will finally start using your new pot! Thanks for stopping by the blog. Happy cooking!
Hi Valerie, I’m finally going to start using my pot. Been kinda afraid of it, but your tomato soup recipe looks absolutely yummy. Wish me luck! Karen M.
Hi Karen! You got this! The tomato soup is easy and delicious! Have you watched my how-to video yet? If you haven’t, you should start there! Here’s the link just in case: https://www.onehappyhousewife.com/how-to-use-the-instant-pot/
Love this! Just wish the foods were diabetic friendly ðŸ™
Hi Kristie! I hope you can at least find some recipes that work for you. Thanks for stopping by!
This is a fabulous collection of recipes for folks to make their life easy. Thank you so much for including my Quinoa Salad, Valerie! 💕
Thank you Sonal!! Your salad looks delicious!! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
So helpful, thanks!
Glad to hear it was helpful Lizzy! Thanks for stopping by!
I have loved the monthly meal plans. Did we lose the ability to go back to a prior month’s meal plan? I was trying to go back to November’s meal plan but only the December calendar shows up. I thought all the prior month’s plans appeared before.
Hi Krista! The actual recipes for previous meal plans are still available in list form with clickable links, right here on this page. After the last recipe for this month, you’ll find the buttons for the previous months, they’re hot pink buttons. We did remove the actual pdf calendars to make it easier for people to print just this month’s. If you feel like you can still use the actual calendar for previous months then let me know and we will upload them again after Christmas. Thanks for stopping by!
I would like to still have access to the previous months calendars. Thank you for all your work on this site.
I just found this page last week. I have already made a few recipes from it! So far all of them have been a hit. When will you post Octobers menu?
So happy you found the blog! The October Meal Plan is ready! Enjoy!
Happy to subscribe to your recipes. I LOVE my Instant Pot, but sometimes my imagination limits me.
Hi Ann! Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope this meal plan makes it easier for you to plan more meals! Have a great day!
Vegetable steamer would be awesome!
Yes, Linda! So useful!!
Love the giveaway of all of the instant pot accessories, especially the silicone egg bite maker.
Lots of great accessories!!! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Looking forward to the giveaway results!
Can’t wait to see who wins! Lots of goodies! Thanks for stopping by Meeta!
This looks neat! Just got one for Christmas and eager to try it out.
You will love it once you start using it!
I’m new to the site. Just wanted to thank you for all the time and effort you put into it. I still consider myself a newbie and learn alot from sites such as this. My only wish is that the giveaway included us Canadians. Maybe in the future?
Hi Sue Marie! You are so welcome and I’m glad you find the blog helpful! I’m sorry Canada isn’t included in this giveaway, we love our Canadian friends! Hopefully, we’ll be able to include you in a giveaway soon!
Pretty darn cool…i only cook one or two meals in the instant pot for the week, but this is easy enough to pick and choose! Thank you!
Glad you like it! Yes, definitely use it to suit your needs. It’ll make it easy to pick several meals for each week! Happy cooking!
Love this.
Thanks Pam! Glad to hear it!