WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST: Meal Plan 9, Spring and Summer Fresh All 21 recipes, one portion each (Saturday's lentil salad makes 2 portions, and Sunday's lamb makes 4). Tick off what you already have at home. MEAT AND FISH [ ] Lean beef mince (5% fat): 1 pack, 125 g or a 250 g pack (Mon (lettuce wraps)) [ ] Chicken breast: 1 fillet, about 150 g (Tue (pesto pasta)) [ ] Lean rump or sirloin steak: 2 steaks, about 150 g each (275 g needed) (Thu 125 g (noodle salad), Sat 150 g (chimichurri)) [ ] Boneless lamb leg joint, rolled: 800 g (Sun (roast, 4 portions)) [ ] Hot-smoked salmon fillet (ready to eat): 1 fillet, about 100 g (Fri (potato salad)) [ ] Cooked, peeled cold-water prawns: 1 pack, 100 g (Thu (lunch wrap)) FRUIT AND VEGETABLES [ ] Strawberries: 1 punnet, 250 g (200 g needed) (Mon 100 g (oats), Tue 100 g (smoothie)) [ ] Blueberries: 1 small punnet, 100 g (80 g needed) (Thu (yoghurt pot)) [ ] Banana: 1 ripe (Tue (smoothie)) [ ] Avocado: 1 small ripe (Thu (wrap)) [ ] Lemons: 3 (Mon 1 (½ lunch, ½ dinner), plus about 5 tsp of juice Tue to Fri, 1 tbsp Sat dinner, 2 tbsp Sat lunch, Sun. Thu breakfast uses ¼ for the zest) [ ] Lime: 1 (Thu (dressing)) [ ] Asparagus: 1 bunch, about 200 g (Wed 100 g (breakfast), 100 g (frittata)) [ ] Courgettes: 3 (one small, one medium, one small) (Wed 1 small, Fri 1, Sat 1 small) [ ] Cucumber: 1 large, about 400 g (340 g needed) (Mon 50 g, Tue 30 g, Wed 30 g, Thu 80 g (30 g lunch, 50 g dinner), Fri 50 g, Sat 100 g) [ ] Carrots: 2 (Mon 1, Thu 1) [ ] Spring onions: 1 bunch (6 needed) (Mon 2, Wed 1, Fri 3 (2 soup, 1 salad)) [ ] Little gem lettuces: 3 (Mon 1 (wraps), Thu 1 (salad) and 2 leaves (wrap)) [ ] Baby spinach: 1 bag, 100 g (Mon 20 g, Fri 40 g, Sun 40 g (20 g breakfast, 20 g lunch)) [ ] Medium tomatoes: 6 (Tue 1, Wed 3 (lunch 2, dinner 1), Sat 2) [ ] Cherry tomatoes: 1 pack, 350 to 400 g (350 g needed) (Tue 100 g, Fri 50 g, Sat 100 g, Sun 100 g) [ ] Baby new potatoes: 1 bag, 500 g (400 g needed) (Fri 200 g, Sun 200 g) [ ] Corn on the cob: 1 (Sat (dinner)) [ ] Garlic: 1 head (5 cloves needed) (Mon 1, Thu 1, Sat 1, Sun 2) [ ] Fresh mint: 2 small packs or 1 large pot (about 40 leaves) (Mon 12, Thu 6, Fri 12, Sat 10, Sun 6) [ ] Fresh basil: 1 small pot or pack (10 leaves) (Wed 6, Fri 4) [ ] Fresh parsley: 1 small pack (15 g needed) (Sat (chimichurri)) DAIRY AND EGGS [ ] Eggs: 1 box of 15, or 2 boxes of 6 plus 1 spare (13 needed) (Tue 2, Wed 5 (breakfast 2, frittata 3), Fri 2, Sat 2, Sun 2) [ ] Plain Greek-style yoghurt: 1 tub, 500 g (365 g needed) (Mon 95 g, Tue 15 g, Thu 165 g, Fri 45 g, Sun 45 g) [ ] Semi-skimmed milk: 1 pint (568 ml, 300 ml needed) (Mon 100 ml, Tue 200 ml) [ ] Feta cheese: 1 pack, 200 g (150 g needed) (Mon 30 g, Wed 30 g, Sat 30 g (fritters) and 60 g (lentil salad). About 50 g spare) [ ] Light mozzarella: 1 ball, 125 g (Wed 60 g (lunch), Fri 60 g (breakfast)) BREAD AND BAKERY [ ] Wholemeal bread: 1 loaf (12 slices needed) (Tue 2, Wed 4, Fri 3, Sun 3) [ ] Wholemeal tortilla wraps: 1 pack (2 needed) (Mon 1, Thu 1) FROZEN [ ] Peas: 1 bag, 500 g (440 g needed) (Mon 80 g, Tue 80 g, Wed 60 g, Fri 140 g (soup 80, salad 60), Sun 80 g) TINS, JARS AND BOTTLES [ ] Green or brown lentils in water (400 g tin): 1 tin (Sat (lunch, 2 portions)) [ ] Green pesto: 1 small jar (Tue (pasta). Keeps 4 weeks in the fridge) DRY GOODS [ ] Porridge oats: 1 bag (95 g needed) (Mon 40 g, Tue 25 g, Thu 30 g) [ ] Basmati rice: 1 small bag (60 g needed) (Mon (lettuce wraps)) [ ] Dried wholewheat penne or fusilli: 1 small pack (75 g needed) (Tue (pesto pasta)) [ ] Rice vermicelli noodles: 1 small pack (50 g needed) (Thu (noodle salad)) [ ] Flaked almonds: 1 small bag (10 g needed) (Mon (oats)) [ ] Reduced-salt vegetable stock cubes: 1 small box (½ cube needed) (Fri (soup)) CUPBOARD CHECK (probably at home) [ ] Olive oil: about 16 tsp (5 tbsp, 80 ml) over the week [ ] Plain flour: 2 tbsp (Sat) [ ] Reduced-salt soy sauce: 2 tbsp (Mon, Thu) [ ] Honey: up to 3 tsp, optional (Mon, Thu) [ ] Salt and black pepper: used in most recipes [ ] Ground ginger: ½ tsp (Mon) [ ] Dried thyme: 1 tsp (Sun) EQUIPMENT [ ] A frying pan with a metal or ovenproof handle, about 20 cm, for the frittata (Wed) [ ] A grill and a baking tray (Wed, Sat, Sun) [ ] A medium saucepan with a lid (Mon to Sun) and a small pan for poaching (Wed, Sat, Sun) [ ] A blender or a stick blender (Tue smoothie, Fri soup) [ ] A roasting tin, foil and ideally a meat thermometer (Sun) [ ] A jar or lidded container for the overnight oats (Mon) and for packed lunches [ ] Three lidded freezer containers for the lamb (Sun) PREP-AHEAD SCHEDULE (weekday dinners) Mon: prep ahead: Chop the garlic, spring onions and vegetables, mix the soy mixture (8 minutes). At dinner: Cook the rice, brown the mince, add the sauce, fill the lettuce leaves Tue: prep ahead: Slice the chicken (bottom shelf), halve the tomatoes (5 minutes). At dinner: Boil the pasta, fry the chicken and tomatoes, toss with peas and pesto Wed: prep ahead: Cut the asparagus and courgette, slice the spring onion (5 minutes). At dinner: Cook the vegetables, add the eggs, set under the grill, make the tomato salad Thu: prep ahead: Slice and marinate the steak (bottom shelf), chop the vegetables, mix the dressing (10 minutes). At dinner: Soak the noodles, fry the steak 2 to 3 minutes, toss everything together Fri: prep ahead: Optional: boil and cool the potatoes, mix the dressing (5 minutes). At dinner: Boil the potatoes and peas, assemble the salad, flake the salmon on top 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 pack (freeze on buying): take out Sun evening Tue: Chicken breast: take out Mon evening Thu: Prawns: take out Wed evening Thu: Steak for Thursday: take out Wed evening Sat: Steak for Saturday (freeze on buying): take out Fri evening Sun: Lamb leg joint (24 hours or more): take out Fri evening LEFTOVERS - Sunday's lamb: 1 portion in the fridge for a lamb flatbread within 2 days, and 2 portions in the freezer. - Saturday's lentil salad: the second portion is Sunday's lunch, so there is no waste. - Spare feta (about 50 g) and yoghurt (about 135 g): feta in an omelette or on a salad, and yoghurt on porridge or fruit. - Spare eggs (2) and pesto: an omelette or egg sandwich, and pesto on toast or stirred into soup or pasta. - Spare mint, basil and parsley: chop and freeze in a little water in an ice-cube tray, or add to salads and omelettes. - Spare peas, spinach and bread: peas keep frozen. Use the spinach within 2 days or freeze it, and freeze the rest of the loaf in slices.