WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Meal Plan 6, Quick and Cheap All 21 recipes, one portion each (the Thursday filling, the Saturday soup and stew, and the Sunday chicken make extra portions). Tick off what you already have at home. MEAT AND FISH [ ] Lean beef mince (5% fat): 1 pack, 500 g (325 g needed) (Mon 125 g (rice), Thu 200 g (burrito filling). About 175 g spare: freeze it on buying) [ ] Braising or stewing beef (such as shin or chuck): 300 g (Sat (stew, 2 portions)) [ ] Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: 2 thighs, about 200 g (Tue (stew)) [ ] Whole chicken: 1, about 1.5 kg (Sun (roast, 4 portions of chicken plus stock)) [ ] White fish fillet (coley, pollock or cod), skinless: 1 fillet, about 150 g, fresh or frozen (Fri (oat-crusted bake)) FRUIT AND VEGETABLES [ ] Onions: 5 (Mon 1, Tue 1, Thu 1, Sat 1, Sun 1) [ ] Garlic: 1 head (8 cloves) (Mon 1, Tue 1, Wed 1, Thu 1, Sat 2, Sun 2) [ ] Carrots: 7 (Mon 1, Tue 1, Thu 1, Sat 2, Sun 2) [ ] Potatoes: 1 bag, 1.5 kg (950 g needed) (Wed 150 g, Fri 250 g, Sat 300 g, Sun 250 g) [ ] Cauliflower: 1 medium (Wed half (tray bake), Sat half (soup)) [ ] Leeks: 2 medium (Sat (soup, 2 portions)) [ ] Tomatoes: 3 (Mon 1 small, Wed 2 (1 small, 1 medium)) [ ] Cucumber: 1 small (you need 5 cm) (Wed (pitta)) [ ] Baby spinach: 1 bag, at least 105 g (Mon 15 g, Tue 20 g, Wed 20 g, Fri 20 g, Sat 30 g) [ ] Eating apples: 2 (Mon (overnight oats), Fri (toast)) [ ] Bananas: 2 (Thu (sandwich), Sun (pancakes)) DAIRY AND EGGS [ ] Eggs: 1 box of 6 (or 10) (6 needed: Mon 2, Wed 1, Sat 2, Sun 1) [ ] Plain Greek-style yoghurt: 1 tub, 500 g (360 g needed) (Mon 70 g, Tue 30 g, Wed 60 g, Thu 150 g, Fri 50 g. About 140 g spare) [ ] Semi-skimmed milk: 1 pint (568 ml, 300 ml needed) (Mon 100 ml, Tue 200 ml) [ ] Mature Cheddar cheese: 1 small block, about 200 g (70 g needed) (Wed 30 g, Fri 20 g, Sat 20 g. About 130 g spare) BREAD AND BAKERY [ ] Wholemeal bread: 1 small loaf (10 slices: Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun, 2 each) [ ] Wholemeal pitta bread: 1 pack (Tue 1, Wed 1. Freeze the rest) [ ] Wholemeal tortilla wraps: 1 pack (Mon 1, Fri 1. Freeze the rest) FROZEN [ ] Peas: 1 bag, at least 160 g (Mon 60 g, Fri 100 g) [ ] Sweetcorn: 1 bag, at least 180 g (Tue 60 g (pitta), Thu 120 g (filling)) [ ] Mixed berries: 1 small bag, at least 80 g (Thu (breakfast)) TINS, JARS AND BOTTLES [ ] Chopped tomatoes (400 g tin): 1 tin (Tue half (stew), Thu half (filling)) [ ] Chickpeas (400 g tin): 1 tin (Tue half (stew), Wed half (tray bake)) [ ] Kidney beans (400 g tin): 1 tin (Thu (filling, 2 portions)) [ ] Tuna in spring water (about 145 g tin): 1 small tin (Tue (pitta)) [ ] Peanut butter, 100% peanuts: 1 small jar (Thu 1 tbsp, Fri 1 tbsp) DRY GOODS [ ] Porridge oats: 1 bag (About 170 g: Mon 40 g, Tue 40 g, Thu 30 g, Fri 20 g (fish crust), Sun 40 g) [ ] Long-grain white rice: 1 small bag (120 g: Mon 60 g, Thu 60 g) [ ] Couscous: 1 small pack (Tue 60 g) [ ] Pearl barley: 1 small bag (Sat 60 g) [ ] Raisins: 1 small bag (Mon 15 g, Tue 15 g) [ ] Reduced-salt vegetable stock cubes: 1 small box (3 cubes needed) (Mon 1/2, Tue 1/2, Sat 1 (soup) + 1 (stew)) CUPBOARD CHECK (probably at home) [ ] Olive oil: about 16 tsp (5 tbsp, 80 ml) over the week [ ] Salt and black pepper: used in most recipes [ ] Smoked paprika: 5 tsp (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun) [ ] Ground cumin: 3 1/2 tsp (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu) [ ] Dried thyme: 2 tsp (Sat, Sun) [ ] Ground cinnamon: 3/4 tsp (Mon, Tue, Sun) EQUIPMENT [ ] Foil, a roll (Wed, Sun) and baking paper (Wed, Fri) [ ] A large baking tray (Wed, Fri) and a roasting tin (Sun) [ ] A flameproof casserole dish with a lid, or a large pan and a lidded baking dish (Sat) [ ] A wide saucepan with a lid (Mon, Tue, Thu) [ ] A microwave-safe bowl and a plate (Wed, Fri) [ ] A stick blender (Sat, optional, a masher works) [ ] Covered containers for prepping ahead, a freezer-safe container with a lid (Sat), and containers for the cold chicken and stock (Sun) PREP-AHEAD SCHEDULE (weekday dinners) Mon: prep ahead: Chop the onion, grate the carrot, chop the garlic (10 minutes). At dinner: Brown the mince, add rice and stock, simmer 15 minutes Tue: prep ahead: Season the chicken, chop the onion and carrot, measure the half tins (10 minutes). At dinner: Brown, add tomatoes and chickpeas, simmer 12 minutes, soak the couscous Wed: prep ahead: Soften the cauliflower and potatoes, toss with chickpeas and spices on the tray (10 minutes). At dinner: Oven on 220 C, roast 15 minutes, stir the dip Thu: prep ahead: Chop the onion and garlic, drain the beans (10 minutes). At dinner: Rice on, brown the mince, add everything, simmer 12 minutes Fri: prep ahead: Microwave and season the wedges, mix the oat crust, cover the fish (10 minutes). At dinner: Oven on 220 C, wedges 5 minutes, add the coated fish for 15 minutes IF YOU SHOP ONCE: freeze raw meat and fish on the day you buy it, and defrost it in the fridge overnight. Beef mince, Monday's 125 g (freeze on buying): needed Mon, take out of the freezer on Sun evening Chicken thighs: needed Tue, take out of the freezer on Mon evening Beef mince, Thursday's 200 g (freeze on buying): 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 Whole chicken (24 hours or more): needed Sun, take out of the freezer on Fri evening or Sat morning Never refreeze raw meat or fish that has defrosted. Cook it the same day it is defrosted. SAVING MONEY ON THE SHOP - Choose the supermarket's own brand for tins, oats, rice, pasta, barley and frozen veg. The contents are the same. - Compare the price per kilo or per 100 g on the shelf label, not the price of the pack. - A whole chicken, braising beef and frozen white fish cost much less per portion than breasts, steak and fresh fish. - Look in the reduced section for bread, bananas, apples and chicken, and freeze what you will not cook within a day. - Cook double when you can: Thursday's filling, Saturday's soup and stew, and Sunday's chicken each give a second meal. - Check the cupboard section first. Spices and oil are used again from week to week. LEFTOVERS TO USE UP - Beef and barley stew (Saturday): one portion is in the freezer for your next busy week. Use within 3 months, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat with a splash of water until steaming hot. - Three portions of cooked roast chicken (Sunday): eat within 2 days in wraps or salads, or freeze them in separate bags. The stock keeps for 2 days in the fridge, or freeze it. - About 175 g of beef mince (if you bought a 500 g pack): freeze it on the day you buy it. - Yoghurt (about 140 g) and Cheddar (about 130 g): use by the dates on the packs. Grated cheese freezes well. - Spare eggs (if you bought a box of 10), pitta, wraps and bread: freeze the bread, pitta and wraps in a bag and take out what you need.