A Simple Autumn Meal Plan to Reset and Glow

Bonjour and Bonne October! September completely flew by for me, so much so that I skipped my meal plan post, désolé! The first day of autumn officially arrived the 22nd of September, but I am just now starting to feel a shift in the air. This is my favorite time of year, time for change, to let go and to slow down. As the trees shed their leaves, it’s time to let go of toxins and nourish our bodies with healthy foods for the cold months ahead. October’s meal plan is a fall reset, an autumn detox if you will. Focusing on seasonal, cleansing recipes, this 5 day meal plan will have you feeling fresh for fall and glowing like the vibrant autumn leaves in no time. It’s easy too, so you won’t even feel like you’re detoxing (well maybe the first day). This is a 5 day meal plan, that isn’t too strict, with an added touch of French flair of course, and also a bonus Halloween menu. Welcome Fall! 🍂 It’s time for A Simple Autumn Meal Plan to Reset and Glow!

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

time to reset

Seasonal cleansing can restore balance to the body and mind. An autumn detox traditionally focuses on the intestines and lungs, and also supports the liver, kidneys and skin. Fall is a time of change and letting go, so it’s the perfect time for clearing out toxins and getting ready for a new season and a new start. This is an easy detox, mainly focusing on healthy seasonal whole foods. Remember, when detoxing it’s also important to keep moving. A brisk autumn walk 20- 30 minutes a day does wonders to improve circulation and elimination and also supports your lungs. I also recommend starting your day with yoga, particularly focusing on practices for digestion and detoxification to feel your best.

“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” – Unattributed

Eat seasonal

What’s in season in October? So much produce that supports detoxification, digestion and glowing skin, including:

• Apples – high in pectin, a fiber that binds to heavy metals and cholesterol.
• Autumn spices – cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and tumeric – aids digestion and circulation.
• Beets – contain antioxidents that support detoxification and betaine which prevents or reduces fatty deposits in the liver. Bring on the beets!
• Butternut Squash – high in fiber and glowy A, C and E vitamins.
• Carrots – have many nutrients that help cleanse the body, including beta-carotene and vitamin A which can help give skin a glow. They also contain fibers that detox endotoxins from the body.
• Cauliflower – a cruciferous vegetable which supports detoxification.
• Grapes – for snacking if you get hungry, they contain antioxidants, polyphenols and fiber.
• Radishes – contain compounds that help flush toxins from the liver and kidneys and detoxify the blood. Beets, carrots and radishes… I see assiette de crudités in our future!
• Sweet potatoes – see my post on all the benefits!
• Tomatoes – lycopene and vitamin A for healthy skin.

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” – Jim Bishop

An easy autumn detox meal plan

As usual, incorporate plenty of water and include green tea in your day. Start each day with warm water with a few squeezes of lemon, feel free to add ginger! I personally have a glass of water with psyllium husk in the morning too for an extra burst of cleansing fiber. And from now on, I’m going to make sure and include at least 30 different plants per week into my meal plans for optimum fiber and microbiome health. Not that I haven’t been so far, but I’m making sure to include 1 or 2 different plants each week that are new to me, or that I don’t usually use. I was inspired by this Sakara Life podcast Revolutionize Your Health with Fiber and Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, it’s a must listen! This meal plan is mostly vegan, except for a couple of servings of fish, so it’s perfect for cleansing your system, and for a glow, inside and out.

SUNDAY

Prep for the week ahead. Make the falafels. Make a double batch so you can freeze some for Halloween Falafels! Cut up vegetables to store in the refrigerator so they’re ready for juices and assiette de crudité.

MONDAY

We start our week off with a bang and a super cleanse day. This includes juices, teas and a detox soup to end the day. Allonz-y!

• Upon waking have a warm cup of water with lemon juice.
• Drink herbal teas throughout the day. Of course green tea is particularly good for detoxing, but also try ginger, peppermint, dandelion or fennel.
• Snack on grapes if hungry.
• 9 am: your favorite clean green juice or smoothie.
• 12 pm: Fresh carrot juice with ginger.
• 3 pm: Tomato juice – I wrote down a recipe years ago, I can’t remember where from (it was in French), but it is supposedly for a flat belly. 1 cup of tomato juice, 1 T. plain yogurt, juice of one lemon, splash of hot sauce and fresh thyme – just shake it all together in a jar and enjoy.
• 6 pm: Detox Broth from Elle France magazine: To 1 1/2 liters of water add 1 kg leeks, 500 g carrots, 500 g tomatoes, 2 stalks celery and thyme and cook for 20 min. Drink a cup of broth first, then add vinegar & olive oil, and mustard if desired to some of the cooked vegetables and enjoy.
• Sip your favorite herbal tea and go to bed early. A magnesium supplement is always a good idea too.

TUESDAY

• un café or green tea
• breakfast: a nice organic apple or pear
• lunch: assiette de crudités with 2 or 3 Easy Chickpea Falafel
• dinner: One-Pan Roasted Fish With Cherry Tomatoes from Lidey Heuck. This is such a delicious way to prepare fish. To make it vegan I’m sure it would be great with Tofu! Serve with seasonal green salad.

Assiette de crudité – An assiette de crudité is a traditional French plate of separately prepared raw salads. I’m simplifying my assiette by composing a pretty plate of raw and cooked vegetables, served with a simple vinaigrette on the side. To make it seasonal, add carrots (sliced or grated), cooked beets, baby tomatoes, spinach, radish and grapes. Make it your own! Cauliflower or broccoli (raw or steamed), zucchini, cucumber or steamed green beans would all make delicious additions.

WEDNESDAY

• coffee or green tea
• breakfast: plum or pear topped with mint and yogurt (dairy free) and/or a touch of honey
• lunch: detox broth (from Monday)
• dinner: lazy baked sweet potato – I add yogurt (dairy free), tahini, fresh herbs and cumin – you do you! Spinach or arugula on the side
• Rosemary Tisane – found in It’s All Easy, good for digestion and skin, simply combine 1 cup of water, a sprig of rosemary, 2 strips of lemon peel, honey and a dash of chili flakes, if desired, in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and then off heat and cover. Let sit 10 minutes then strain into your favorite mug. Delicious!

THURSDAY

• un café or matcha
• breakfast: Pear Smoothie – peel & slice a pear and blend together with a handful of spinach, 1 c. water & 1/2 t. cinnamon. Feel free to add your favorite vegan protein powder, chia seeds, ginger, hemp seeds, nut butter, cardamom… whatever healthy add-ons you have on hand!
• lunch: Pecan-Miso Butter and Jelly Sandwich from Bon Appétit. A perfect grown up version of PB&J with fresh nut butter and seasonal grapes. It calls for whole wheat bread, which is high in fiber and B vitamins which can help with digestion and cravings. I’m going to try substituting walnuts for the pecans, they contain omega-3’s and are also higher in protein. Carrot sticks on the side.
• dinner: Sunny Paris Salmon – sauté cauliflower rice, spinach and garlic together to serve on the side.

FRIDAY

• coffee or green tea
• breakfast: organic apple with walnut butter (leftover from Thursday’s sandwich)
• lunch: assiette de crudités & Easy Chickpea Falafel
• dinner: It wouldn’t be Friday without pizza! We started with a bang, so let’s end with one with Eggplant Pizza! We could go for a Grilled Eggplant and Ricotta Pizza, made with a sourdough crust which contains properties that improve gut health, or how about crust free Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas? Don’t forget your leafy green salad!

HALLOWEEN 🎃

• Pumpkin Spice flavored Coffee – I LOVE Grounds & Hounds!
• a nice organic apple or pear
• Butternut Squash Bisque, serve with a green salad and your favorite healthy bread.
• Easy Chickpea Falafel – make them special for Halloween by rolling them in black sesame seeds before baking. Make a Falafel Board – add black olives, purple and orange carrots, red grapes, orange bell peppers, dark colored cherry tomatoes, dried apricots, festive cheese, either something seasonal that looks spooky on your plate, or a French Goat Feta, tahini or hummus dip and pita chips.
• Butterscotch Rye Cookies to finish – mmmm 🕷️

Random note: I came across an ad from the French pharmacy brand Oenibol for a new product Boost Minceur. Its main ingredients are brown seaweed (wakame!) and pomegranate seed oil, this combo is also known as Xanthigen. Rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, it supports body wellness, healthy liver and weight management. Not available in the US, I found this from Swanson. Going to give it a try!

Click here for a printable PDF of Octobers meal plan. I hope you enjoy A Simple Autumn Meal Plan to Reset and Glow – à bientôt!

“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift.” – Dodinsky