🙌🏻 Your FREE Weekly Meal Plan: 10/16/25

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Hi Reader,

A couple weeks ago my family and I visited our favorite apple orchard where they had a massive corn maze made with not corn, actually, but 10-foot tall millet plants which were impossible to see over or through.

We figured 10 minutes, 15 tops, to get in and out. 40 minutes later my husband had to go on a solo expedition to find the exit then perform a one-man search and rescue operation to guide the rest of us out. Sheesh! But so fun. Bu also, wow! Well done, apple orchard! 😆👏🏻

Unlike our corn maze escapade, this week's meal plan is blissfully simple to navigate. We're taking help from common fridge and pantry staples to get dinner on the table quickly, and leaning into simple, seasonal side dishes.

All that said, here is your delicious, crowd-pleasing, gluten-free meal plan for the upcoming week.

PS: My kids have been loving these as an after-school snack!

Weekly Meal Plan

1️⃣ Cheesy Chicken Burrito Skillet

2️⃣ Pink Sauce Pasta

3️⃣ Pastina Soup

4️⃣ Easy Fried Rice

5️⃣ Italian Sub Salad

📆 Let's Break it Down

#1 Cheesy Chicken Burrito Skillet

I describe this simple 1-pan meal as all the warm and cheesy guts of a Chicken Burrito — minus the tortilla. All you need are a handful of fridge and pantry staples to get it on the table. Bonus: leftovers reheat super well for lunch.

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#2 Pink Sauce Pasta

This is a great recipe for kiddos to make themselves, or with light supervision, because (spoiler alert) all you're doing is mixing cooked pasta with equal parts marinara sauce and alfredo sauce. I cannot overemphasize how delicious this meal is — it tastes like cheese ravioli with nearly zero effort. 🙌🏻 Serve with Cucumber Tomato Salad, Garlic-Butter Mushrooms, or fresh green grapes (cannot get enough these days)!

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#3 Pastina Soup

My family loves this recipe and I love that it's packed with veggies. Super, super comforting and the broth is make-ahead too. Cook the pastina fresh while warming the broth in a pot on the stove and dinner will be ready in 10 minutes or so. Serve with focaccia and sliced pears, which are so delicious right now.

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#4 Easy Fried Rice

This recipe is technically for chicken fried rice, but you can use any protein you like — cubed tofu, diced shrimp, leftover pork or even kielbasa (try adding a little kimchi into the wok - YUM!) I almost always add frozen riced cauliflower too.

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#5 Italian Sub Salad

If you're gluten free, and anything like me, you're almost always craving an Italian Sub. Even if you aren't, this salad hits the spot. Add any/all cured Italian meats, and also feel free to swap the roasted chickpeas in the recipe for Homemade Gluten Free Croutons for that real sub flavor and experience. This salad is a hit with both kids and adults!

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👩🏻‍🍳 More Recipes to Try

Bake: Gluten Free Banana Bread
Soup: Spicy Shrimp Soup
Fun: Gluten Free Pizza Breadsticks
Easy: Perfect Baked Potatoes
Brunch: Billionaire Bacon

⭐️ NEW! On Iowa Girl Eats

Super-Moist Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

Your search for the perfect Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffin ends here. Soft, fluffy, and packed with fall flavor - these muffins are perfection!!

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