Weekly Shopping
Meal Plan 5: Quick Around the World
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 Sunday's chicken tray, which makes two portions of chicken. 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.
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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 (curry), Thu 150 g (gyudon) |
| Sirloin steak, about 2 cm thick | 1, about 175 g | Sat (steak and chips) |
| Skinless chicken breast fillets | 3 fillets, about 450 g | Tue 1 (orzo pot), Sun 2 (chicken tray, 2 portions) |
| White fish fillet (cod, haddock or pollock), skinless | 1 fillet, about 150 g | Fri (piri-piri baked fish) |
Fruit and vegetables
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Onions | 7 (1 bag) | Mon 1, Tue 1, Wed 1, Thu 1 large, Sat 2 large, Sun 1 |
| Spring onions | 1 bunch (3 needed) | Thu 2 (omelette, gyudon), Fri 1 (chickpea salad) |
| Garlic | 1 head (9 cloves) | Mon 1, Tue 1, Wed 1, Thu 1, Fri 1, Sat 1, Sun 3 |
| Carrot | 1 | Mon (noodle salad) |
| Red pepper | 1 | Sun (chicken tray) |
| Cucumber | 1 large, about 300 g | 5 cm (50 g) each on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat and Sun |
| Tomatoes | 4 medium | Tue 1 (pitta), Fri 2 (breakfast, lunch), Sun 1 (salad) |
| Cherry tomatoes | 1 small punnet, 100 g | Tue (orzo pot) |
| Baby spinach | 1 bag, at least 90 g | Tue 30 g, Sat 30 g, Sun 30 g |
| Green beans | 100 g | Mon (curry) |
| Sweet potato | 1 small, about 200 g | Wed (stew) |
| Potatoes (waxy, such as baby or new) | 1 bag, about 750 g (450 g needed) | Fri 200 g (fish), Sat 250 g (chips) |
| Lemons | 4 | Tue 1, Wed 1, Fri 1/2, Sun 1/2, and juice by the teaspoon on Thu, Fri and Sun |
| Lime | 1 | Mon (half in lunch, half in dinner) |
| Banana | 1 | Sat (crepes) |
| Frozen pineapple chunks | 1 small bag, 100 g or more | Mon (breakfast) |
Dairy and eggs
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 1 box of 6 | 5 needed: Thu 2, Fri 1, Sat 1, Sun 1 |
| Plain Greek-style yoghurt | 1 kg tub, or two 500 g pots (540 g needed) | Mon 150 g, Tue 200 g, Sat 60 g, Sun 130 g |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 1 pint (568 ml) | Wed 200 ml, Sat 100 ml |
| Feta cheese | 1 small block, about 100 g | Tue 40 g (pitta), 20 g (orzo pot). About 40 g spare |
| Mature Cheddar cheese | 1 small block | Sat 20 g (onion soup toast) |
Bread and bakery
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal bread | 1 small loaf | 10 slices: Thu 2, Fri 4, Sat 2, Sun 2 |
| Wholemeal pitta bread | 1 pack | Tue 1, Sun 1. Freeze the rest |
Frozen
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Shelled edamame beans | 1 small bag, 60 g or more | Thu (noodle salad) |
| Peas | 1 small bag, 100 g or more | Fri (fish) |
Tins, jars and bottles
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Chopped tomatoes (400 g tin) | 1 tin | Wed half (stew) and Fri half (fish) |
| Chickpeas (400 g tin) | 1 tin | Wed 120 g (salad), Fri 120 g (toast) |
| Cannellini beans (400 g tin) | 1 tin | Sun 120 g (breakfast) and 120 g (lunch) |
| Reduced-fat coconut milk | 1 small carton, 200 ml | Mon (curry) |
| Thai red curry paste | 1 small jar | Mon 1 tbsp |
| Piri-piri (peri-peri) sauce | 1 small bottle | Fri 1 tsp (or use chilli flakes) |
| Dijon mustard | 1 small jar | Sat 1 tsp and a dab |
| Peanut butter, 100% peanuts | 1 small jar | Mon 1 tbsp |
| Reduced-salt soy sauce | 1 small bottle | Mon 1 tbsp, Thu about 3 tbsp in all |
| Honey | 1 small jar | Mon 1 tsp, Tue 1 tsp, Thu 2 1/2 tsp |
| Sesame seeds | 1 small jar | Thu 1 tsp |
Dry goods and quick-cook
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Long-grain white rice (basmati) | 1 small bag | 180 g: Mon, Thu and Sun, 60 g each |
| Couscous | 1 small pack | Wed 120 g (60 g salad, 60 g stew) |
| Dried orzo | 1 small pack | Tue 60 g |
| Dried egg noodles | 2 nests (a pack has several) | Mon 1, Thu 1 |
| Porridge oats | 1 bag | About 70 g: Mon 30 g, Wed 40 g |
| Plain flour (wholemeal or white) | 1 small bag | Sat 40 g (crepes) |
| Red split lentils | 1 small bag | Wed 50 g |
| Dates (soft, such as Medjool) | 1 small pack | Wed 2 |
| Dried apricots | 1 small pack | Wed 3 |
| Flaked or chopped almonds | 1 small bag | Wed 10 g |
| Walnut pieces | 1 small bag | Tue 15 g |
| Reduced-salt vegetable stock cubes | 1 small box (2 cubes needed) | Tue 1/2, Wed 1/2, Sat 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: 3.5 tsp (Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun)
- Ground cumin: 3 tsp (Wed, Sun)
- Dried oregano: 1 tsp (Tue)
- Dried thyme: 1/2 tsp (Sat)
- Dried mint: 1 1/4 tsp (Wed, Sun). May be new
- Ground cinnamon: 1 tsp (Tue, Wed)
Equipment
- Foil (Fri, Sun) and baking paper (Sat, Sun)
- A large baking tray (Sat, Sun) and a small ovenproof dish (Fri)
- A wide saucepan with a lid (Mon, Tue, Thu) and a small frying pan (Thu, Sat)
- A microwave-safe bowl and a plate (Wed, Fri)
- A coarse grater and a sharp knife
- Covered containers for marinating and prepping ahead (Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun)
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 in curry paste, cut the onion, garlic and beans (10 minutes) | Rice on, brown the beef, add coconut milk and beans, simmer 8 minutes |
| Tue | Marinate the chicken cubes, chop the onion and tomatoes (10 minutes) | Brown, add orzo and stock, simmer 10 to 12 minutes |
| Wed | Soften the sweet potato, chop the onion and garlic, rinse the lentils (10 minutes) | Soften onion, add everything, simmer 12 to 15 minutes, soak the couscous |
| Thu | Slice the beef, put the onion and sauce in the pan (10 minutes) | Rice on, simmer onion 5 minutes, add beef 2 to 3 minutes |
| Fri | Microwave the potatoes, assemble the fish dish and cover it with foil (10 minutes) | Cold oven, 200 C for 25 minutes, boil the peas |
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 |
| Sirloin steak | Sat | Fri evening |
| Chicken breast fillets (2) | 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. Onions, peppers and cucumber keep well for a day in a covered container.
- Set a phone timer for every bake and simmer, so you can leave the kitchen without worrying.
- Keep foil, baking paper, couscous and rice in the cupboard so a busy week never leaves you short.
- Check the cupboard section first. Spices such as cumin, paprika and mint are used again from week to week.
- A few new sauces (curry paste, piri-piri, mustard) keep for weeks in the fridge, so they carry into other plans.
Using up leftovers
- Cold roast chicken and vegetables (Sunday): eat within 2 days in a wrap or salad.
- Spare yoghurt (about 460 g if you buy a 1 kg tub), feta (about 40 g), Cheddar and the opened jars of curry paste, piri-piri sauce and mustard: keep in the fridge and use by the dates on the packs.
- One egg (if you bought a box of 6), the dates, apricots, almonds and walnuts: use them in porridge or yoghurt.
- Spare pitta, noodles and couscous: keep dry goods in the cupboard, and freeze the pitta in a bag.
That completes Meal Plan 5
Seven cuisines, five weekday dinners that you prepare ahead and then leave to cook, 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.