Free Balanced 7-Day Meal Plan: Sept 14–20

A free, flexible 7-day weight loss meal plan with breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas plus a complete shopping list. Each recipe includes macros and Weight Watchers points to help you track progress.

Free 7 Day Healthy Meal Plan (Sept 14-20)

Autumn is approaching, and apple season is nearly here—perfect for visiting a local orchard and bringing home a basket of fresh apples. Early-season varieties like Gala and Lodi arrive in late July and August, while September is usually peak time for favorites like Honeycrisp, McIntosh, and Jonathan. Harvest timing can vary by location and weather, so check your local orchard before heading out.

Apple picking makes a wonderful fall outing with family and friends. If you end up with more apples than you can eat fresh, try recipes such as Apple Butter, Apple Bread, Baked Apples or Crock Pot Applesauce—great ways to preserve and enjoy your harvest.

If you’re new here, I regularly publish these free 7-day flexible healthy meal plans as a guide. They’re designed with plenty of wiggle room so you can add drinks, snacks, fruit, dessert, wine or swap any recipe for something you prefer. You can search for recipes by course in the recipe index. As a general guideline, aim for at least 1,500 calories per day depending on your individual goals, age and activity level—there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation.

The meal plans include an organized grocery list to make shopping quicker and less stressful. Meal planning saves time and money, helps reduce food waste and makes it easier to stick with healthy choices throughout the week.

If you use Facebook, consider joining the Skinnytaste Facebook Community where members share photos and tips from recipes they’ve made. You can also subscribe by email so you don’t miss future meal plans.

Where to buy the Skinnytaste meal planner

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Indie Bound

Meal Plan

Breakfasts and lunches from Monday through Friday are portioned for one person, while dinners and weekend meals are sized for a family of four. Some recipes yield leftovers suitable for the following day. The shopping list covers everything needed for the full week.

MONDAY (9/14)
B: Mushroom-Spinach Scrambled Eggs with one thin slice of whole-grain bread
L: Chicken Waldorf Salad
D: Late Summer Vegetable Enchilada Casserole with 1 oz avocado and Cilantro Lime Rice (double the rice recipe)

Total Calories: 1,053*

TUESDAY (9/15)
B: Mushroom-Spinach Scrambled Eggs with one thin slice of whole-grain bread
L: Chicken Waldorf Salad
D: Leftover Late Summer Vegetable Enchilada Casserole with 1 oz avocado and Cilantro Lime Rice

Total Calories: 1,053*

WEDNESDAY (9/16)
B: Peanut Butter Breakfast Oatmeal
L: Chicken Waldorf Salad
D: Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans, served with Caprese Salad

Total Calories: 1,057*

THURSDAY (9/17)
B: Tropical Chia Pudding Breakfast Bowl
L: Leftover Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans
D: Beef and Broccoli with 3/4 cup brown rice

Total Calories: 1,116*

FRIDAY (9/18)
B: Tropical Chia Pudding Breakfast Bowl
L: Leftover Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans
D: Shrimp Saganaki with 3/4 cup brown rice

Total Calories: 1,100*

SATURDAY (9/19)
B: Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and 1 cup grapes
L: California Roll Cucumber Salad (double the recipe)
D: Dinner out

Total Calories: 666*

SUNDAY (9/20)
B: Leftover Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and a plum
L: Green Goddess Chicken Chickpea Salad
D: Crock Pot Pork Roast with String Beans tossed with garlic and oil

Total Calories: 1,061*

*This plan is a guide. Women may aim for roughly 1,500 calories per day depending on personal needs. I’ve left room to add beverages, fruit, snacks, dessert or wine. **Make an extra 4 cups of brown rice for Friday dinner and Saturday lunch.

Shopping list (organized by category)

Produce

• 1 medium banana
• 1 medium kiwi
• 1 small mango
• 4 medium plums
• 1 medium apple (such as Granny Smith)
• 1 (6 oz) container fresh raspberries
• 1 (6 oz) container fresh blueberries
• 2 lbs seedless red grapes
• 2 medium lemons
• 2 medium limes
• 2 small (5 oz) plus 1 medium (6 oz) Hass avocados
• 2 large heads garlic
• 1 small shallot
• 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger
• 2 medium jalapeños
• 1 lb sliced mushrooms
• 2 large English cucumbers
• 1 lb zucchini
• 2 medium ears of corn
• 1 small bunch celery
• 1 lb string beans
• 1 large head broccoli
• 3 large bunches scallions (about 25)
• 1 small bunch/container fresh dill
• 1 small bunch/container fresh basil
• 1 small bunch fresh Italian parsley
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 medium head escarole
• 1 (1-lb) clamshell baby spinach
• 1 (5 oz) clamshell mixed baby greens
• 1 package tri-color slaw mix
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 large vine-ripened tomato
• 1 small red onion
• 3 medium yellow onions

Meat, Poultry and Fish

• 3/4 lb turkey breakfast sausage (e.g., Jennie-O)
• 3/4 lb Italian chicken sausage
• 1 (7 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 rotisserie chicken (or 1 lb raw chicken breast, to cook later in the week)
• 1 package kani imitation crab
• 1 1/4 lb peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
• 1 lb flank steak
• 2 lbs lean boneless pork sirloin roast

Condiments and Spices

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Canola oil
• Cooking spray
• Olive oil spray
• Kosher salt
• Pepper grinder or fresh peppercorns
• Light mayonnaise
• Chili crisp
• Soy sauce (regular or reduced sodium)
• Rice vinegar
• Furikake or sesame seeds
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Red wine vinegar
• Cumin
• Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Balsamic vinegar
• Ground white pepper
• Sesame oil
• Honey
• Anchovy paste

Dairy & Refrigerated

• 1 18-pack large eggs
• 1 pint liquid egg whites
• 1 (8 oz) block feta cheese
• 1 (8 oz) fresh mozzarella
• 1 (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1 (16 oz) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
• 1 pint whole or reduced-fat milk
• 1 (8 oz) carton unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 (16 oz) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 (5.3 oz) container whole milk Greek yogurt
• 1 small wedge fresh Parmesan cheese

Grains

• 1 package dry stone-ground polenta
• 1 small loaf thin-sliced whole-grain bread (e.g., Dave’s Killer Bread)
• 1 small package corn tortillas
• 1 small package quick or rolled oats
• 1 small bag dry brown rice (or 7 cups pre-cooked)
• 1 small package dry extra-long grain rice
• 1 package short pasta such as penne or ziti

Canned and Jarred

• 1 small jar kalamata olives
• 1 small jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans
• 1 (15 oz) can black or pinto beans
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
• 1 (32 oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 small jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes

Misc. Dry Goods

• 1 small package almonds (or sub 1 tbsp pecans/walnuts in oatmeal bowl)
• 1 small package shelled sunflower seeds (about 1/4 cup if from bulk bin)
• 1 small package pecans or walnuts (about 2 tbsp if from bulk bin)
• 1 small package dried unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 small package chia seeds
• 1 small package brown sugar
• Monk fruit sweetener (or honey for chia pudding)
• Cornstarch (optional for Beef and Broccoli)
• 1 small package dried ancho chilies

*You can substitute gluten-free options where needed.

This shopping list covers all meals in the plan and is designed to streamline your grocery run so you can focus on cooking and enjoying healthy, seasonal food all week long.