2026 meal planners

[Lastqueenofscotland2]

Looking forward to seeing some old and new planners.
After two beens of cheese and cake I’m looking forward to some normal food!

Friday: lemon asparagus risotto
Saturday: mushroom & goat cheese tart
Sunday: Tofu Rogan Josh
Monday: Pesto beans on sourdough
Tuesday: peanut noodles
Wednesday: harissa tofu
Thursday: pasta e fagioli

Sunday: sausages & mash
Monday: salmon with green veg in creme fraiche
Tuesday: Italian wedding soup
Wednesday: gnocchi with spring greens pesto
Thursday: garlic and spring onion tofu
Friday: pizza
Saturday: jacket potatoes with Everything Salad

Tonight: pork and leek sausages from the butchers, mash, broccoli, gravy
S: DP hasn't decided....
M: pie for him, tuna steak for me, chips, veg tbc
T: out
W: pork belly, chorizo and bean stew, garlic bread
T: lasagna and salad
F: chicken of some sort, probably marry me or alfredo.

As a busy full time working mama of three I really struggle with the whole balancing act. How do I work a full time job as a mortgage broker and raise three kids ranging from 15 years to 7 years old, keep the house clean the laundry done, meals cooked and look after my health and fitness!! something has to give! How do you manage?

Does anyone have any meal planner recommendations? What do you like about them?

I just look through the cupboards and the list on the freezer and try to keep it varied, sorry. Sometimes I'll shove a list of ingredients into chatgpt, that can be quite helpful to try things you might not have thought of. You could ask it for a 7 day menu from a list of ingredients, for example.

Meant to post this earlier. Have done my menu, but haven't been shopping so it may change. Tonight was a dish I could make from our veg box and what was in the store cupboard (and some sage from the garden, though it was looking a bit sad), which pleased me!

Saturday: Braised squash and borlotti beans with tomatoes and sage

Sunday: Cottage pie, hoping to sneak some swede into it with the carrot, peas and broccoli on the side

Monday: Paprika Chicken & Creme Fraiche Penne

Tuesday: Orecchiette with broccoli, anchovy and cumin (or just broccoli and anchovy pasta, see how I feel)

Wednesday: Quick Leek & Butter Bean Stew with Sticky Sausages for my husband to cook for him and my son while I'm out, freezer tea for me

Thursday: Beef & black bean stir fry

Friday: Mustardy salmon with beetroot & lentils

I start with the veg that comes in my veg box and plan around that. I aim to have fish at least once a week and at least one meal with beans or pulses. I use an app called Umami to save all my recipes, then search for ones which use the vegetables I've got and plan around that. I can save my meal plan in the app and then generate a shopping list.

Once you have a repertoire of meals, if gets easier. I find Riverford has some great recipes, or maybe try a meal delivery service to get some ideas? The hardest thing for me is being realistic about how long I will actually want to spend cooking after work.

I've got my godson staying at the moment for work purposes, Sunday - Thursday. Been a long time since I cooked for a big eater, so have had to up my portion sizes somewhat.

This week will be:
Ramen with gyoza on the side
Tofu fried rice
Marry me mushroom/canelinni beans with pasta
Jacket potato and salad
Lemon orzo and yoghurt (or something) - Anna Jones recipe

This week we’re having prawn pasta, curry, chilli, chicken fried rice (to use up the chicken I’m roasting this afternoon) and salmon in a spinach cream sauce. Not sure about the weekend yet but no more rice!

Dp has decreed that today is duck breast, dauphinoise and asparagus. Im not complaining.

So I ended up doing a steak with proper parameter potatoes (experiment which worked!) and portobello mushrooms roasted with Gorgonzola yesterday, and I have feta chicken with naby roasties and my lemon/parmesan roasted courgette tonight.

Tomorrow is my last portion of spag Bol.
Tuesday I will do the cod with pumpkin puree.
Wednesday is mushroom risotto.
Thursday a proper carbonara.
And I’ll think about Friday later.

Or actually, probably penne a la Gorgonzola rather than carbonara, either way the rest of that pack.

Things changed up a bit:

sunday: mac’n’cheese
Monday: pasta pesto for the kids, sandwiches on the train for DH and I
Tuesday: baked sweet potatoes and eggs
Wednesday: breakfast for dinner
Thursday: lasagne
Friday: katsu curry with Japanese rice and smashed cucumber salad
Saturday: I’m out with friends

I sort of meal planned then realised I am out almost every night this week!!!!!

So new plan that allows dh to sort himself and the kids, while.also.managing the craziness of evening activities (dh does not cook but is trying so we are kickstarting easy processes. Made worse by his complete inability to plan ahead - not learned incompetence but, I suspect, genuine ND that was never addressed. He's learnt to manage it up to a point, but, for example, has failed at every office based job be has ever attempted....)

Tonight: salmon, stir fry, rice. I will make the sauce for meatballs this evening too, for them to havr tomorrow!
Wed: pork tacos. I will stick pork in slow cooker while wfh and make the pineapple salsa. Dh can then fry off the pork, the tacos etc. This needs to be quick and easy as they all only get back at 745. And this gives me lunch for Thursday!

Thursday : burgers (dh's specialty).

Friday: maybe paella. Haven't had it for a while.

I forgot! Back from holiday and planned this week:
M: mediterranean baked trout with rice and cime di rapa
T: turkey tacos, padrons, simple slaw, guacamole, salsa
W: pasta with italian sausage, spicy peppers and rainbow chard
Th: Venison steak with oven chips and broccoli
F: tofu stir fry with rice (will try black pepper tofu recipe if my pepper grinder is up to it)
S: Possibly out...

a bit all over the shop for the next month or so but we can but try!!

Friday: lentil sloppy Joes
Saturday: ratatouille pasta
Sunday: Thai red curry stir fry
Monday: Puttasnesca white beans
Tuesday: mushroom Philly “cheesesteak”
Wednesday: freezer surprise
Thursday: Kung pao tofu

OH is still in charge of the cooking here. He’s making sweetcorn chowder tonight with tiger bread. Tomorrow will be baked tortellini with mozzarella and spinach.

After that, all I’ve thought of so far is a borlotti bean foule medames from Meera Sodha’s Dinner. And DP wants to make a veggie chilli. We’ve also got veggie shepherds pie in the freezer from when he made it a few weeks ago, so that will do for one night. Need to think of a couple more and get an order sorted.

I've started converting some of our family friendly recipes into really simple processes for ADHD DS and (suspected ADHD) DH. I'm now thinking seriously of pulling them together in due course and publishing them as "Recipes prepared for people with poor executive function and/or few cooking skills".

DH, bless him, is feeling quite proud of his Pork tacos last night! And he won high praise from DS who apparently said, "I know mum cooked the meat in the slow cooker originally, but you've done a really good job of making these like she does."

That’s so sweet @SpaceOP

DP has additionally chosen:
bibimpap
his ‘specialty’ cheese, leek and potato pie

Had a few weeks off as still trying to clear out the freezer and all been ill.

This week we have:
T dhal and rice
F piri piri chicken, rice & sweetcorn
S jacket potato & toppings
S birthday takeaway
M birthday tea (hot dogs)
T walnut pasta
W same

We are out tonight and tomorrow so picking up a plan from Sunday onwards.

Sunday: Chicken kebabs with halloumi, tzatziki, Greek salad and pitta bread
Monday: Veggie chilli
Tuesday: Quiche (not sure what variety yet - maybe tomato and broccoli) with salad.
Wednesday: Greek salad pasta
Thursday: Butter halloumi curry

I normally mean plan up to, and including Fridays, but drawing a blank at this. Need to use up more freezer bits. Will figure that out later.

Ooh, do you have a recipe for the halloumi curry please? Sounds delicious.

That's a brilliant idea re the recipe book. Dp finds the gousto cards useful as they are very step by baby step, so a collection of more regular things would be useful for a lot of people, I think.

Tonight - fish finger katsu
Tomorrow - eating out
Sunday - veggie cottage pie
M - enchiladas
T - burrito bowl
W - paneer tikka roti wraps
Th - lemony leek orzotto

It's this one

https://www.happyveggiekitchen.com/butter-halloumi-curry/

I tend to lighten it up by using yoghurt rather than cream, and I always add spinach too.