WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Meal Plan 4, Quick Weeknights All 21 recipes, one portion each (the Saturday stew and the Sunday roast chicken make 2). Tick off what you already have at home. MEAT AND FISH [ ] 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 [ ] 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 [ ] 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 [ ] 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 [ ] 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 [ ] 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 [ ] 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 (probably at home) [ ] 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 (weekday dinners) Mon: prep ahead: Slice and marinate the beef, cut the broccoli (10 minutes). At dinner: Oven on 220 C, roast 10 minutes, boil the rice Tue: prep ahead: Slice the chicken, assemble and seal the foil parcel (10 minutes). At dinner: Cold oven, 200 C for 25 minutes, soak the couscous Wed: prep ahead: Make and cool the shakshuka sauce (15 minutes). At dinner: Reheat, add the eggs, 6 minutes Thu: prep ahead: Slice and marinate the beef, cut the pepper and carrot (10 minutes). At dinner: Brown, add water and noodles, simmer 5 minutes Fri: prep ahead: Assemble the fish dish and cover it with foil (10 minutes). At dinner: Cold oven, 200 C for 20 minutes, soak the couscous IF YOU SHOP ONCE: freeze raw meat and fish on the day you buy it, and defrost it in the fridge overnight. Beef steak (Monday's 150 g): needed Mon, take out of the freezer on Sun evening Chicken breast fillet: needed Tue, take out of the freezer on Mon evening Beef steak (Thursday's 150 g): needed Thu, take out of the freezer on Wed evening White fish fillet: needed Fri, take out of the freezer on Thu evening Braising beef: needed Sat, take out of the freezer on Fri evening Chicken thighs: needed Sun, take out of the freezer on Sat evening Never refreeze raw meat or fish that has defrosted. Cook it the same day it is defrosted. 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. LEFTOVERS TO USE UP - 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.