Meal planning is less about recipes and more about decisions. Make them once on Sunday and the rest of the week runs on autopilot. This plan uses whole ingredients, repeats a few of them to cut waste and keeps every weeknight dinner under about 40 minutes.
The plan
| Day | Dinner | Prep tip |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Sheet-pan chicken thighs with potatoes and broccoli | Chop vegetables on Sunday |
| Tuesday | Shrimp and veggies over rice | Move shrimp to the fridge Monday night |
| Wednesday | Lentil and vegetable soup with crusty bread | Double the batch and freeze half |
| Thursday | Turkey tacos with black beans, salsa and slaw | Use the leftover cabbage from Sunday |
| Friday | Homemade flatbread pizzas | Everyone tops their own |
| Saturday | Early family dinner, then a grown-ups' grazing board | Make dips and sliders in the afternoon |
| Sunday | Slow-cooker pot roast with carrots | Leftovers become Monday lunches |
Sunday prep, one hour
- Wash and chop broccoli, carrots, peppers and cabbage.
- Cook a big pot of rice and a tray of roasted sweet potatoes.
- Mix a jar of vinaigrette and a jar of taco seasoning.
- Portion snacks into containers: fruit, cut vegetables, hummus.
Shopping list highlights
- Protein
- Chicken thighs, frozen shrimp, ground turkey, beef chuck roast, dried lentils, black beans
- Produce
- Potatoes, broccoli, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, peppers, lemons, fruit for snacks
- Pantry
- Rice, flatbreads, tortillas, canned tomatoes, stock, olive oil, spices
- Dairy
- Cheese for pizzas and tacos, plain yogurt
Saturday: a poker-night grazing board for the grown-ups
Once a month, our Saturday plan has a twist. Children eat early, bedtime happens on schedule, and the table is cleared for friends, a deck of cards and a box of chips. Real food and card games go well together if you choose snacks that can be eaten with one hand and do not leave greasy fingerprints on the cards.
- Mini beef or turkey sliders, cooked in the afternoon and kept warm in a low oven.
- Vegetable platter with the hummus and yogurt dip from the week's prep.
- Chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce, a nod to the famous Las Vegas casino bargain.
- Roasted spiced nuts and popcorn in small bowls at each seat.
- Fruit skewers and squares of dark chocolate for later in the evening.
For the rules, the chip set-up and a printable list of poker hand rankings, see our full guide to hosting a grown-ups' poker night at home. Playing for real money? Agree a small buy-in that fits your fun-money budget before the first hand is dealt.
Making the plan stick
Post the plan on the fridge, keep the shopping list on your phone and allow one swap night a week. A plan that bends survives far longer than one that breaks.