Struggling to figure out what meals to make for your family? Check out the January real food Meal plan with 20+ gluten-free meals your whole family will love. You’ll get meal planning, recipes, snack ideas, and even cooking tutorials to make life easier. For January, we’ll be focusing on getting back to real food, gluten-free and healthy recipes that are full of flavor.

We’re kicking off January with something exciting over here at Don’t Mess with Mama! I’m going to show you how easy it is to cook real food, gluten-free meals that your whole family will love, even picky kids because I’ll show healthy swaps for their favorite meals. These recipes are easy to make with most of them taking less than 45 minutes from start to finish. You can make extras to enjoy as leftovers too.

Be sure to check out my free Real Food Guide and my free Instant Pot Recipe Guide, and you’ll get my weekly email newsletter too.

For January, we’ll be focusing on comfort food that satiates when it’s cold outside, like soups, stews, chili, and hearty meals.

Meal Planning Tips

• All recipes are gluten free with real food ingredients and should feed a family of 4-5
• Meals should take 30-60 minutes from start to finish, with most meals less than 45 minutes so they’re perfect for busy families
• Make any meal low carb by substituting cauliflower rice for regular rice, lettuce cups for taco shells, tortillas, and hamburger buns, or even enjoying a meal over a bowl of mixed salad greens
• There are 5 dinner ideas each day but you can enjoy them for lunch and have leftovers for dinner or vice versa
• Make extras for leftovers to enjoy for lunches or weekend meals
• Enjoy weekends for eating out, eating leftovers, or come up with a meal spontaneously. I personally find that when I have some wiggle room in my meal plan to eat according to my cravings then I’m more likely to stick with it
• Get more recipe ideas for the month that are healthy, gluten-free, and low carb with these Whole30 Recipes

Where to Buy Ingredients

• Buy fresh produce from local farmer’s markets. Find one near you or consider joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) co-op where you can buy produce boxes from local farmers. I’m a big fan of Farm Fresh to You and Imperfect Foods.
• Buy pantry and fridge staples at Thrive Market. I’ve done the price comparison of Thrive Market vs. my local grocery and health food stores and Thrive Market always wins out. Whether it’s raw honey, gluten-free flour, avocado oil, gluten-free snacks, spices, and even meat and frozen foods, Thrive Market has the best deals. Use this link to get 25% off your first order + a free gift.
• You can shop at your local grocery stores too, but opt for organic produce, grass-fed meat, pasture-raised chicken, wild-caught seafood, etc. as much as possible.

Where to Buy Meat

• Good Ranchers – sourced only in the USA from local ranches and farms in the heartland of America. All meat is hand-trimmed and cut, individually wrapped, vacuum sealed, and flash frozen. A subscription box of 10-11 lbs of mixed beef and chicken is about $154. Get 10% off + free shipping on orders over $100 here. 
• Crowd Cow – sourced all over the world from independent family farms and co-ops, and they have specialty meats like Japanese wagyu beef and wild Maine lobster. All beef is dry-aged for a minimum of 14 days so it’ll be restaurant quality. They also offer meat and seafood individually, and pre-made side dishes and desserts, so you could order a complete meal as a gift. A subscription box of 5-6 lbs of mixed beef, chicken and pork is about $129. Get $100 of free meat + free shipping here. 
• Butcher Box – sourced globally only from farms with the highest standards. They offer gift cards starting at $50 or you can gift subscription boxes of beef, beef and chicken, mixed box, or mixed box with seafood. Butcher Box is the only one that has a custom box where you can mix and match exactly what you want. A subscription box of 8-11 lbs of mixed beef and chicken is about $137. Check out their newest deal here.
• Porter Road – sourced from family farms in the USA. Meat is not frozen and beef is dry aged so it has restaurant-like quality. You can order a box of meat or individual meat with specialty cuts like Korean short ribs, pork brisket, and even holiday items like a half ham. A subscription box of 8-10 lbs of mixed beef and chicken is about $127. Get 10% off here.

Week 1

• Instant Pot Pesto Chicken
• Instant Pot 3 Bean Chili
• Low-Carb Creamy Cauliflower Soup – tastes like a baked potato soup without the guilt
• Low-Carb Fish Tacos – enjoy them with lettuce cups or these Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas
• Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

Week 2

• Instant Pot Tomato Soup with Gluten-Free Cheddar Biscuits
• Instant Pot Roast Chicken
• Gluten-Free Fried Rice
• Instant Pot Beef Taco Meat – serve with gluten-free corn or flour tortillas, rice, or even with lettuce like a taco bowl
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Week 3

• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
• Gluten-Free Garlic Lemon Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
• Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
• Instant Pot Taco Soup
• Gluten-Free Chicken Strips – delicious with a gluten-free bun and pickles ala Chick Fil-A style

Week 4

• Gluten-Free BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Instant Pot Clam Chowder
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Bean Burritos made with Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas and Instant Pot Refried Beans – just add shredded cheese and fresh salsa
• Gluten-Free Pasta with Homemade Pesto – grab your favorite gluten-free pasta at the store or opt for this spaghetti squash recipe instead

Breakfast Ideas

Feel free to serve these up multiple times a week or over the course of the month. I like to make extra batch so it’s easy to reheat for busy mornings getting the kids to school.

• Bacon and Gruyere Egg Bites
• Almond Butter Protein Smoothie
• Low-Carb Onion Bagels
• Low-Carb French Toast

Snack Ideas

• Homemade Guacamole with fresh vegetables
• Air Fryer Apple Chips
• Peanut Butter Protein Bites – you can sub in any nut butter for the peanut butter

Lunch Ideas

Eat leftovers or keep it simple – like a charcuterie tray of fresh fruit, raw vegetables, healthy dips (like this onion dip), raw or organic cheese, nitrate-free salami or lunch meat, and gluten-free crackers.

Dessert Ideas

• Low-Carb Coconut Macarons
• Low-Carb Pumpkin Cookies

Cooking + Kitchen Tutorials

• How to Make Homemade Bone Broth
• 15 Easy Gluten-free Swaps for Your Favorite Foods

More Instant Pot Tips & Recipes

• How to Clean Your Instant Pot
• 20 Gluten-Free Instant Pot Meals in 30 Minutes or Less
• 50+ Instant Pot Soup and Stew Recipes

Did you try this instant pot loaded baked potato salad? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below to let me know how it went. You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.