Weekly Shopping
Meal Plan 4: Quick Weeknights
Chapter 8 · Weekly shopping list
How to use this list. It merges the shopping lists of all 21 recipes from Monday to Sunday, so you can shop once. Amounts are totals for the week, and the last column says where each item is used. Check the cupboard section before you go, because oil, salt and spices are probably already at home. Every recipe is for one portion except Saturday's stew and Sunday's roast chicken, which make two. Monday to Friday dinners are designed to be prepared a few hours ahead, and the prep schedule below shows when. Each recipe page still has its own list.
Download
A plain-text copy of this whole list is here: Weekly shopping list (text file)
Meat and fish
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Lean beef steak (sirloin or rump), or stir-fry strips | 300 g (2 x 150 g) | Mon 150 g (tray bake), Thu 150 g (noodle pot) |
| Braising or stewing beef (such as chuck) | 300 g | Sat (stew, 2 portions) |
| Skinless chicken breast fillet | 1 fillet, about 150 g | Tue (parcel) |
| Cooked sliced chicken breast | 1 small pack, 60 g needed | Tue (wrap) |
| Bone-in chicken thighs | 4, about 600 g | Sun (roast, 2 portions) |
| White fish fillet (cod, haddock or pollock), skinless | 1 fillet, about 150 g | Fri (baked with tomatoes and olives) |
Fruit and vegetables
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 1 head (about 300 g) | Mon half (tray bake), Tue half (parcel) |
| Carrots | 6 | Mon 1, Tue 1, Thu 1, Sat 2, Sun 1 |
| Red pepper | 1 | Wed half (shakshuka), Thu half (noodle pot) |
| Onions | 2 | Wed half (shakshuka), Sat 1 (stew) |
| Garlic | 1 large head (10 cloves needed), or 2 small | Mon 1, Tue 1, Wed 2, Thu 2, Fri 1, Sat 2, Sun 1 |
| Potatoes | 1 bag, about 1 kg (400 g needed) | Sat 150 g (soup), Sun 250 g (roast) |
| Large baking potato | 1, about 250 g | Sun (jacket potato). Can come from the bag |
| Leek | 1 medium | Sat (soup) |
| Cherry tomatoes | 1 punnet, about 250 g (230 g needed) | Fri 80 g (salad), 150 g (fish) |
| Tomato | 1 small | Wed (toastie) |
| Baby spinach | 1 bag, 200 g (170 g needed) | Mon 20 g, Tue 20 g, Wed 20 g, Thu 50 g, Fri 40 g, Sat 20 g |
| Mushrooms (button or chestnut) | 1 small punnet, 60 g or more | Sat (omelette) |
| Cucumber | 1 small | Mon 50 g (wrap) |
| Avocado | 1 small, ripe | Tue (wrap). Buy it a few days ahead if it is hard |
| Ripe banana | 1 | Thu (smoothie) |
| Eating apple | 1 | Sun (pancakes) |
| Lemon | 1 | Tue (parcel) |
| Green beans | 100 g | Sun (roast chicken) |
Dairy and eggs
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 1 box of 10 | 9 needed: Wed 2, Thu 2, Fri 2, Sat 2, Sun 1. One spare |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 1 litre (about 545 ml needed) | Tue 200 ml, Thu 250 ml, Fri 15 ml, Sun 80 ml |
| Mature Cheddar cheese | 1 block, 200 g (80 g needed) | Wed 30 g, Sat 20 g, Sun 30 g. About 120 g spare |
| Plain Greek-style yoghurt | 1 pot, 250 g (200 g needed) | Mon 150 g, Sun 30 g and 20 g. About 50 g spare |
| Houmous | 1 small tub, 60 g needed | Mon (wrap). Use the rest within the date on the tub |
Bread and bakery
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal bread | 1 small loaf | 10 slices: Wed 6 (toastie, soup, shakshuka), Fri 2, Sat 2 |
| Wholemeal tortilla wraps | 1 pack | Mon 1, Tue 1. Freeze the rest |
Frozen
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed berries | 1 small bag, at least 140 g | Mon 80 g, Tue 60 g |
| Sweetcorn | 1 small bag, at least 80 g | Thu (fried rice) |
Tins, jars and bottles
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Chopped tomatoes (400 g tin) | 2 tins | Wed 1 (half in soup, half in shakshuka), Sat 1 (stew) |
| Cannellini beans (400 g tin) | 2 tins | Wed half + Fri half (one tin), Sat half + half (one tin) |
| Tuna in spring water (about 145 g tin) | 1 small tin | Fri (salad) |
| Pitted black olives | 1 small jar or pack, 30 g needed | Fri (fish). Use the rest within the date |
| Peanut butter, 100% peanuts | 1 small jar | Thu 1 tbsp (smoothie) |
| Wholegrain mustard | 1 small jar | Sun 1 tbsp |
| Reduced-salt soy sauce | 1 small bottle | Mon 1 tbsp, Thu 1 tbsp (lunch) and 2 tbsp (dinner) |
| Honey | 1 small jar | Mon 2 tsp (one optional), Thu 1 tsp, Sun 1 tsp |
Dry goods and quick-cook
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Long-grain white rice (basmati) | 1 small bag | Mon 60 g |
| Ready-cooked microwave rice pouch (250 g) | 1 pouch | Thu lunch (whole pouch) |
| Couscous | 1 small pack | Tue 60 g, Fri 60 g |
| Dried egg noodles | 1 nest (a pack has several) | Thu (noodle pot) |
| Porridge oats | 1 bag | About 100 g: Mon 30 g, Tue 40 g, Thu 30 g |
| Wholemeal self-raising flour | 1 small bag | Sun 50 g (pancakes) |
| Reduced-salt vegetable stock cubes | 1 small box (3 cubes needed) | Tue 1/2, Wed 1/2, Fri 1/2, Sat 1/2 + 1 |
Cupboard check
You probably have these already. Check the amounts, then add to the trolley whatever has run out.
- Olive oil: about 18 tsp (6 tbsp, 90 ml) over the week
- Salt and black pepper: used in most recipes
- Smoked paprika: 1.5 tsp (Wed, Sat)
- Ground cumin: 1/2 tsp (Wed)
- Dried oregano: 2 tsp (Tue, Wed, Fri)
- Dried thyme: 1 tsp (Sat)
- Ground cinnamon: 1/4 tsp (Sun)
Equipment
- Foil, a lot of it (Tue, Fri) and baking paper (Mon)
- A large baking tray (Mon, Sun) and a small ovenproof dish (Fri)
- A flameproof casserole dish with a lid, or a large pan and a lidded baking dish (Sat)
- A frying pan with a lid (Wed) and a wide pan with a lid (Thu)
- A stick blender or blender (Thu smoothie, Sat soup), or a masher and a whisk
- A coarse grater and a sharp knife
- Covered containers for marinating and prepping ahead (Mon, Wed, Thu), and a freezer-safe container with a lid (Sat)
Prep-ahead schedule
Every weekday dinner is prepared a few hours ahead, in about 10 minutes, and then needs only about 5 minutes of work at dinner time. Saturday and Sunday are unhurried.
| Day | Prep ahead (any time that day) | At dinner time |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Slice and marinate the beef, cut the broccoli (10 minutes) | Oven on 220 C, roast 10 minutes, boil the rice |
| Tue | Slice the chicken, assemble and seal the foil parcel (10 minutes) | Cold oven, 200 C for 25 minutes, soak the couscous |
| Wed | Make and cool the shakshuka sauce (15 minutes) | Reheat, add the eggs, 6 minutes |
| Thu | Slice and marinate the beef, cut the pepper and carrot (10 minutes) | Brown, add water and noodles, simmer 5 minutes |
| Fri | Assemble the fish dish and cover it with foil (10 minutes) | Cold oven, 200 C for 20 minutes, soak the couscous |
If you shop once: freeze and defrost
Raw meat and fish should not wait several days in the fridge, so buy them on your shopping day, freeze them at once, and take each one out the evening before you cook it. Defrost on a plate on the bottom shelf of the fridge, never on the worktop. Check the use-by date on the pack: if it falls before the day you need the item, freeze it. Do not refreeze raw meat that has defrosted.
| Item | Cook on | Take out of the freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Beef steak (Monday's 150 g) | Mon | Sun evening |
| Chicken breast fillet | Tue | Mon evening |
| Beef steak (Thursday's 150 g) | Thu | Wed evening |
| White fish fillet | Fri | Thu evening |
| Braising beef | Sat | Fri evening |
| Chicken thighs | Sun | Sat evening |
Prepping raw meat and fish ahead
Marinated beef, sliced chicken and the fish dish wait in the fridge on the bottom shelf, covered, away from other food. Cook meat the same day (within about 8 hours) and fish within about 6 hours. Never leave prepped raw food on the worktop. Keep any marinade that touched raw meat in the pan and boil it, and never serve it as a sauce unless it has cooked with the meat.
Time-savers
- Buy the beef as ready-sliced stir-fry strips if you can find them. It saves the slicing, though it costs a little more per kilo.
- Chop the vegetables for the next day while you are already at the board. Carrots, peppers and broccoli keep well for a day in a covered container.
- Set a phone timer for every bake, so you can leave the kitchen without worrying.
- Switch the oven on as you walk in only on Monday. On Tuesday and Friday the food goes into a cold oven.
- Keep foil, baking paper, couscous and rice pouches in the cupboard so a busy week never leaves you short.
- Look in the freezer before shopping, because the stew and any frozen chicken or fish may already cover a night.
Using up leftovers
- Beef and bean stew (Saturday): one portion is in the freezer for your next busy week. Use within 3 months, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot.
- Two cold roast chicken thighs (Sunday): eat within 2 days pulled off the bone into a wrap or salad.
- Cheddar (about 120 g), yoghurt (about 50 g), houmous and olives: use by the dates on the packs. Grated cheese freezes well.
- One spare egg, the rest of the spinach, and a few cherry tomatoes: add them to an omelette or a soup.
- Spare couscous, noodles, wraps and bread: keep the dry goods in the cupboard, and freeze the wraps and bread in a bag.
That completes Meal Plan 4
Five weekday dinners that you prepare ahead and then leave to cook, a stew in the freezer for your next busy week, three beef dinners (Monday, Thursday, Saturday), a fish dinner on Friday, a vegetarian dinner on Wednesday and a shopping list to match. Swap any recipe that does not suit you, and note what you would change before the next plan.