WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Meal Plan 8, Autumn and Winter Comfort All 21 recipes, one portion each (Saturday's broth and pot roast make 2 portions each, and Sunday's pork makes 4). Tick off what you already have at home. MEAT AND FISH [ ] Lean beef mince (5% fat): 1 pack, 250 g (Mon 125 g (hotpot), Thu 125 g (goulash)) [ ] Chicken breast: 1 fillet, about 150 g (Tue (filo pie)) [ ] Beef brisket or silverside joint: 450 g (Sat (pot roast, 2 portions)) [ ] Boneless pork shoulder joint: 1 kg (Sun (slow roast, 4 portions)) [ ] White fish fillet (coley, pollock or cod), skinless: 1 fillet, about 150 g, fresh or frozen (Fri (fish pie)) FRUIT AND VEGETABLES [ ] Small onions: 7 (Mon 1 (½ lunch, ½ dinner), Wed 1 (½ lunch, ½ dinner), Thu 1, Fri 1, Sat 2 (broth, pot roast), Sun 1) [ ] Garlic: 1 head (3 cloves needed) (Wed 2 (soup, risotto), Thu 1) [ ] Carrots: 8 (Mon 3 (soup 2, hotpot 1), Sat 4 (broth 2, pot roast 2), Sun 1) [ ] Swede: 1 small (325 g needed) (Mon 75 g, Sat 100 g (broth) and 150 g (pot roast)) [ ] Parsnips: 3 (about 300 g) (Fri 2 (soup), Sun 1 (roast)) [ ] Potatoes: 1 bag, 1.5 kg (930 g needed) (Mon 200 g, Wed 80 g, Thu 150 g, Sat 300 g, Sun 200 g) [ ] Sweet potatoes: 2 (about 450 g) (Tue 1 (250 g, lunch), Fri 200 g (fish pie)) [ ] Leeks: 3 small (Tue 1 (pie), Fri 1 (fish pie), Sat 1 (broth)) [ ] Diced butternut squash: 1 pack, 300 g (Wed 150 g (risotto), Sat 150 g (broth)) [ ] Mushrooms: 2 packs of 250 g (380 g needed) (Tue 80 g, Wed 240 g (scramble 60, soup 100, risotto 80), Sat 60 g) [ ] Baby spinach: 1 bag, at least 80 g (Tue 40 g (lunch), Wed 40 g (risotto)) [ ] Green beans: 100 g (Tue (with the pie)) [ ] Red pepper: 1 (Thu (goulash)) [ ] Tomatoes: 2 (Thu 1 (tuna melt), Sat 1 (breakfast)) [ ] Eating apples: 5 (Tue 1 (breakfast), Fri 2 (porridge, soup), Sun 2 (crumble pot, roast)) [ ] Pear: 1 ripe (Mon (porridge)) [ ] Banana: 1 ripe (Thu (porridge)) [ ] Fresh root ginger: 1 small piece (about 3 cm), or use ground ginger (Mon lunch (1 tsp, grated)) DAIRY AND EGGS [ ] Eggs: 1 box of 6 (3 needed) (Wed 2 (scramble), Sat 1 (breakfast). 3 spare) [ ] Plain Greek-style yoghurt: 1 tub, 500 g (330 g needed) (Tue 150 g, Thu 30 g, Sun 150 g. About 170 g spare) [ ] Semi-skimmed milk: 1 litre (800 ml needed) (Mon 200 ml, Tue 50 ml, Thu 200 ml, Fri 350 ml (porridge 200, fish pie 150)) [ ] Strong Cheddar cheese: 1 small block, about 200 g (60 g needed) (Wed 15 g, Thu 30 g, Fri 15 g. About 140 g spare) [ ] Houmous: 1 small tub (40 g needed) (Tue (lunch)) BREAD AND BAKERY [ ] Wholemeal bread: 1 loaf (11 slices needed) (Mon 1, Wed 3, Thu 2, Fri 1, Sat 3, Sun 1) [ ] Filo pastry, chilled: 1 packet (2 sheets needed) (Tue (pie). Freeze the rest) FROZEN [ ] Peas: 1 bag, at least 60 g (Fri (fish pie)) [ ] Blackberries: 1 small bag, at least 100 g (Sun (crumble pot)) TINS, JARS AND BOTTLES [ ] Tuna in spring water (about 145 g tin): 1 small tin (Thu (tuna melt)) [ ] Baked beans, reduced sugar and salt: 1 small tin, 200 g (Sat (breakfast)) DRY GOODS [ ] Porridge oats: 1 bag (175 g needed) (Mon 40 g, Tue 25 g, Thu 40 g, Fri 40 g, Sun 30 g) [ ] Pearl barley: 1 small bag (100 g needed) (Wed 60 g (risotto), Sat 40 g (broth)) [ ] Red lentils: 1 small bag (40 g needed) (Mon (soup)) [ ] Raisins: 1 small bag (15 g needed) (Fri (porridge)) [ ] Walnut pieces: 1 small bag (10 g needed) (Thu (porridge)) [ ] Reduced-salt vegetable stock cubes: 1 small box (3 cubes needed) (Mon ½, Wed 1 (½ soup, ½ risotto), Fri ½, Sat 1) [ ] Reduced-salt beef stock cubes: 1 small box (2 cubes needed) (Mon ½, Thu ½, Sat 1) [ ] Reduced-salt chicken stock cubes: 1 small box (1 cube needed) (Tue ½, Sun ½) CUPBOARD CHECK (probably at home) [ ] Olive oil: about 18 tsp (6 tbsp, 90 ml) over the week [ ] Plain flour: 2 tbsp (Tue, Fri) [ ] Tomato purée: 3 tbsp (Mon, Thu, Sat) [ ] Salt and black pepper: used in most recipes [ ] Ground cinnamon: about 1½ tsp and a pinch (Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun) [ ] Ground ginger: 1 tsp (Mon, Fri) [ ] Dried thyme: 2¾ tsp (Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat) [ ] Dried sage: 1 tsp (Wed, Sun) [ ] Smoked paprika: 1½ tsp (Thu) [ ] Honey: 2 tsp, optional (Mon, Sun) EQUIPMENT [ ] A small ovenproof dish, about 18 cm wide and 6 cm deep (Mon, Tue, Fri) [ ] A flameproof casserole dish with a lid, or a large frying pan and a lidded baking dish (Sat) [ ] A roasting tin and foil (Sun) [ ] A medium saucepan with a lid (Mon to Fri) and a large saucepan (Sat) [ ] A stick blender (Mon, Wed, Fri, optional: a potato masher works) [ ] A grill and a baking tray (Thu, Sat) [ ] A microwave-safe plate (Tue) [ ] Covered containers for prepping ahead, and lidded freezer containers: 1 for Saturday's pot roast and 3 for Sunday's pork PREP-AHEAD SCHEDULE (weekday dinners) Mon: prep ahead: Cube the carrot and swede, slice the potato (in cold water), chop the onion (10 minutes). At dinner: Oven on 200°C, brown the mince, add vegetables and stock, assemble, bake 30 to 35 minutes Tue: prep ahead: Cube the chicken (bottom shelf), slice the leek and mushrooms (10 minutes). At dinner: Oven on 200°C, cook the filling, top with filo, bake 15 to 18 minutes, boil the beans Wed: prep ahead: Chop the onion, garlic and mushrooms (8 minutes). At dinner: Cook the vegetables, add barley and stock, simmer 30 minutes, stir in spinach and cheese Thu: prep ahead: Chop the onion, pepper and garlic, cube the potato (in cold water) (10 minutes). At dinner: Brown the mince, add everything, simmer 20 to 25 minutes Fri: prep ahead: Cube the sweet potato, slice the leek, cut the fish (bottom shelf) (10 minutes). At dinner: Oven on 200°C, boil and mash the sweet potato, make the sauce, add fish, top and bake 15 to 18 minutes IF YOU SHOP ONCE: freeze raw meat and fish on the day you buy it, and defrost it in the fridge the evening before. Mon: Beef mince, Monday's 125 g (freeze on buying): take out Sun evening Tue: Chicken breast: take out Mon evening Thu: Beef mince, Thursday's 125 g (freeze on buying): take out Wed evening Fri: White fish fillet: take out Thu evening Sat: Beef brisket joint: take out Fri evening Sun: Pork shoulder joint (24 hours or more): take out Fri evening LEFTOVERS - Saturday's pot roast: 1 portion in the freezer. It is a ready dinner for a busy day: defrost it in the fridge overnight and reheat it once until steaming hot. - Sunday's pork: 1 portion in the fridge for a pulled-pork sandwich within 2 days, and 2 portions in the freezer. - Filo pastry: wrap the rest tightly and freeze it. - Spare yoghurt, cheese and eggs: yoghurt on porridge or with fruit, cheese on a jacket potato, and the 3 spare eggs in an omelette or scrambled on toast. - Spare baked beans, mushrooms or spinach: use them within 2 to 3 days (an omelette or a wrap), or freeze the spinach. - Bread: freeze the rest of the loaf in slices, if you do not use it within 2 days.