Meal Plan 12: Cook Once, Eat Twice
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, honey, mustard and dried herbs are probably already at home. Every dinner makes 2 portions (Sunday's pork makes 3), and the extra portion becomes the next day's lunch. The planner below shows which dinner feeds which lunch, and each leftover recipe has its own shopping list. Everything else is for one portion. Each recipe page still has its own list.
The cook once, eat twice planner
Each dinner makes an extra portion that you put in the fridge and turn into the next day's lunch. Cool the extra portion within 1 to 2 hours, keep it covered, and eat it the next day. There is no freezer step in this plan.
| Day | Dinner (cooked once) | Eaten again as |
|---|
| Mon | Beef and orzo pot (2 portions) | Tue lunch: cold beef and orzo salad pot |
| Tue | Lemon-garlic chicken tray (2 portions) | Wed lunch: lemon chicken, potato and green bean soup |
| Wed | Roast vegetable and butter bean tray (2 portions) | Thu lunch: roast vegetable and butter bean soup |
| Thu | Beef sloppy joes (2 portions) | Fri lunch: sloppy joe quesadilla |
| Fri | Salmon and sweet potato tray (2 portions) | Sat lunch: salmon and sweet potato fishcakes |
| Sat | Slow-cooked beef ragu (2 portions) | Sun lunch: ragu baked potato |
| Sun | Roast pork loin (3 portions) | Mon and Tue lunches next week: cold pork wrap and pork and apple sandwich |
Meat and fish
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|
| Lean beef mince (5% fat) | 2 packs of 250 g (500 g needed) | Mon 250 g (orzo pot), Thu 250 g (sloppy joes) |
| Boneless, skinless chicken thighs | 4 thighs, about 400 g | Tue (tray bake) |
| Salmon fillets | 2 fillets, about 130 g each, fresh or frozen | Fri (tray, 2 portions) |
| Braising or stewing beef (chuck or shin) | 300 g | Sat (ragu, 2 portions) |
| Boneless pork loin joint | 600 g | Sun (roast, 3 portions) |
Fruit and vegetables
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|
| Bananas | 2 | Tue (toast), Sun (French toast) |
| Lemons | 2 | Tue 1 (zest and juice) plus 1 tsp, Wed 1 tsp, Thu 2 tsp (soup 1, slaw 1), Fri 1 tbsp, Sat 1 tsp |
| Onions | 4 | Mon 1, Wed 1 (small), Thu 1, Sat 1 |
| Garlic | 1 head (8 cloves needed) | Mon 2, Tue 2, Thu 2, Sat 2 |
| Carrots | 3 | Thu 1 (slaw), Sat 1, Sun 1 |
| Parsnip | 1 | Sun (roast) |
| Baby new potatoes | 1 pack, 400 g or more | Tue (tray bake, 2 portions) |
| Potatoes | 1 baking potato (250 g) and 1 medium (150 g) | Sun lunch 250 g, Sun dinner 150 g |
| Sweet potatoes | 2 medium (400 g) | Fri (tray, 2 portions) |
| Courgettes | 2 (one large, one medium) | Mon 1 (large, 200 g), Wed 1 |
| Red peppers | 2 | Wed 1, Thu 1 |
| Green beans | 1 bag, 400 g | Tue 200 g, Fri 200 g |
| Cherry tomatoes | 1 pack, 200 g | Wed (tray) |
| Medium tomatoes | 4 | Mon 2 (breakfast, lunch), Thu 1, Sat 1 |
| Cucumber | 1 small (100 g needed) | Mon 50 g, Tue 50 g |
| Mushrooms | 1 small pack, at least 60 g | Sat (omelette) |
| Baby spinach | 1 bag, at least 120 g | Mon 20 g, Tue 20 g, Fri 20 g, Sat 40 g, Sun 20 g |
Dairy and eggs
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|
| Eggs | 1 box of 10 (9 needed) | Mon 2, Thu 2, Sat 3 (omelette 2, fishcakes 1), Sun 2 |
| Plain Greek-style yoghurt | 1 tub, 500 g (165 g needed) | Wed 150 g, Thu 15 g (slaw). About 335 g spare |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 1 pint (568 ml, 250 ml needed) | Fri 200 ml, Sun 50 ml |
| Strong Cheddar cheese | 1 small block, about 200 g (100 g needed) | Mon 30 g, Fri 30 g, Sat 20 g, Sun 20 g |
| Feta cheese | 1 pack (90 g needed) | Mon 60 g (30 g dinner, 30 g Tuesday lunch), Wed 30 g |
Bread and bakery
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|
| Wholemeal bread | 1 loaf (10 slices needed) | Tue 2, Wed 3 (lunch 1, dinner 2), Thu 3 (breakfast 2, lunch 1), Sun 2 |
| Wholemeal tortilla wraps | 2 (from a pack) | Mon 1 (breakfast), Fri 1 (quesadilla) |
| Wholemeal pitta bread | 1 (from a pack) | Mon (lunch) |
| Wholemeal bread roll | 1 | Thu (sloppy joe) |
Frozen
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|
| Mixed berries | 1 small bag, at least 160 g | Wed 80 g, Fri 80 g |
| Peas | 1 small bag, at least 80 g | Sun (roast pork) |
Tins, jars and bottles
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|
| Chopped tomatoes (400 g tin) | 2 tins | Mon (orzo pot), Sat (ragu) |
| Butter beans (400 g tin) | 1 tin | Wed (tray, 2 portions) |
| Peanut butter, 100% peanuts | 1 small jar (15 g needed) | Tue (toast) |
Dry goods
| Item | Buy | Used in |
|---|
| Orzo pasta | 1 small pack (150 g needed) | Mon (orzo pot, 2 portions) |
| Dried wholewheat tagliatelle | 1 small pack (75 g needed) | Sat (ragu) |
| Porridge oats | 1 bag (90 g needed) | Wed 30 g, Fri 40 g, Sat 20 g (fishcakes) |
| Reduced-salt beef stock cubes | 1 small box (1½ cubes needed) | Mon 1, Sat ½ |
| Reduced-salt chicken stock cubes | 1 small box (½ cube needed) | Wed (soup) |
| Reduced-salt vegetable stock cubes | 1 small box (½ cube needed) | Thu (soup) |
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
- Tomato purée: 4 tbsp (Mon, Thu, Sat)
- Honey: 3 tsp (Wed optional, Thu, Sun)
- Mustard: 3 tsp (Mon, Thu, Sun)
- Salt and black pepper: used in most recipes
- Dried oregano: 3 tsp (Mon, Tue, Sat)
- Smoked paprika: 3 tsp (Wed, Thu, Fri)
- Dried thyme: 1 tsp (Sun)
- Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp and a pinch (Tue, Sun)
Equipment
- A large baking tray (Tue, Wed, Fri) and a roasting tin (Sun)
- A large, deep frying pan or wide saucepan with a lid (Mon) and a large, heavy pot with a lid (Sat)
- A non-stick frying pan, about 20 cm (most breakfasts, Thu, Fri, Sat)
- A medium saucepan (Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun)
- A microwave and a microwave-safe plate (Sun)
- A stick blender (Thu soup, optional)
- A meat thermometer (optional but useful for the pork)
- Containers with lids for the leftovers: 1 for each of the 7 dinners (2 for Sunday's pork). Label them with the day.
Prep-ahead schedule
Each weekday dinner can be partly prepared in 5 to 10 minutes any time that day, which leaves about 10 minutes of work at dinner time, and the oven or the simmering pan does the rest. Saturday is a slow ragu and Sunday is a pork roast, both with lots of waiting time.
| Day | Prep ahead (any time that day) | At dinner time |
|---|
| Mon | Chop the onion, garlic and courgette (5 minutes) | Brown the mince, add the vegetables, tomatoes and stock, cook the orzo in it for 10 to 12 minutes |
| Tue | Marinate the chicken (bottom shelf), chop the potatoes and beans (10 minutes) | Oven on 220°C, roast the chicken and potatoes, add the beans for the last 10 to 12 minutes |
| Wed | Chop the vegetables, drain the beans (10 minutes) | Oven on 220°C, roast everything on one tray for 25 to 30 minutes |
| Thu | Chop the onion, pepper and garlic (5 minutes) | Brown the mince, add the vegetables and sauce, simmer 8 to 10 minutes, make the slaw |
| Fri | Chop the sweet potato and beans, salmon on the bottom shelf (10 minutes) | Oven on 220°C, roast the sweet potato 15 minutes, add the salmon and beans for 10 to 12 minutes |
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 mince for Monday (freeze on buying) | Mon | Sun evening |
| Chicken thighs | Tue | Mon evening |
| Beef mince for Thursday (freeze on buying) | Thu | Wed evening |
| Salmon fillets | Fri | Thu evening |
| Braising beef | Sat | Fri evening |
| Pork loin joint (18 hours or more) | Sun | Fri evening |
Prepping raw meat and fish ahead
Marinated chicken, mince, salmon and braising beef 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. Chill any batch portions within 1 to 2 hours of cooking, reheat them once until steaming hot all the way through, and never refreeze food that has been defrosted.
Leftovers: using it all up
- Sunday's pork: 2 portions in the fridge for cold lunches on Monday and Tuesday at the start of next week (a pork wrap and a pork and apple sandwich). Throw away any left on Wednesday.
- Spare yoghurt (about 335 g): on porridge or fruit, or in a dressing. Spare Cheddar (about 100 g): on toast or a jacket potato. Spare feta: in a salad within 5 days.
- Spare eggs (1): a boiled egg for lunch. Spare spinach, green beans and mushrooms: use them in an omelette or soup within 2 days, or freeze them.
- Spare orzo, tagliatelle and oats: keep them in the cupboard for next time. Spare bread and wraps: freeze the rest of the loaf in slices, and freeze the wraps in a freezer bag.