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

Definitely had a meal planning breakdown this week 😂

Monday: Something with the leftover lamb - probably in a pitta with salad. ❎❓ - Sort of stuck to this but made a lamb and spinach curry.
Tuesday: Tortellini with pesto and salad ❎Had the chicken fennel and butterbean stew originally planned for tonight (note, I was the only one who enjoyed this so probably won't make again 🙁)
Wednesday: Out for a friend's birthday. DH home alone and will fend for himself. ✅
Thursday: Veggie chilli ✅
Friday: Chicken, fennel and butterbean stew ❎Now planning sausage ragu with gnocchi instead.
Saturday: Hoisin chicken and rice one-pot ✅Still on track
Sunday: Sausage and rosemary risotto ❎ Now planning mac and cheese with broccoli.

After that, the plan (which I will stick to!) will be:

Monday - Baked potatoes with leftover veggie chilli
Tuesday - stir fried greens with noodles and fried egg
Wednesday - quiche and salad
Thursday - tortellini with pesto and salad
Friday - I've recently discovered an excellent Asian-style cabbage salad via instagram so I want to make this, with some kind of protein (tbc) marinated in the leftover hoisin sauce,

Saturday - Peinirli with salad

It's quite salad heavy - but that's no bad thing as we move into Spring.

For my own amusement just reviewing what we actually had last week:

Monday: Turkey fajita casserole (plus one for freezer) and sweet potatoes ✅
Tuesday: Lamb curry, vegetable rice (had sausage casserole)
Wednesday: Sausages and something (maybe toad in the hole) (pizza from the freezer, neither of us felt like cooking after a busy day in the garden)
Thursday: Scallops in sundried tomato, mushroom, and creme fraiche sauce (finally had the lamb curry, vegetable rice)
Friday: Roast lamb dinner (takeaway curry, we were obviously in a curry groove!)
Saturday: Leftovers from Friday takeaway ✅
Sunday: Freezer meal, possibly the fajita casserole so it doesn’t lurk in there for months! (Roast lamb dinner)
All above with various frozen veg as freezer is jam packed.

So a messy week but we were well fed😋

This week:

Monday: Leftover roast lamb dinner ✅
Tuesday: Frozen pizza ✅
Wednesday: Scallops in sundried tomato, mushroom, and creme fraiche sauce
Thursday: Full breakfast (we don’t mind having this for dinner and wanted to play with the air fryer!) ✅
Friday: Fish curry ✅(DH cooking and fish is out of the freezer)
Saturday: Steak pie from freezer or spag bol (depends how busy we are)
Sunday: Turkey chilli (so much turkey mince in the freezer, will make a few batches of this).
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a23676026/turkey-chilli/

Really trying to work through the freezer so stuff doesn’t get too old. This means I must do better on planning!

I'm trying to get back to healthier eating and also have relatives coming to visit. Plan so far is:

1.cauliflower and chick pea curry
2.sausage bake
3.confit duck, bean and spring veg stew
4.turky escalopes with ratatouille
5.Salmon with lentil and beetroot salad and green beans
6.sea bream with new potatoes and asparagus
7.Pizza

Back to work on Monday and determined to get back to a proper routine and meal planning, I've been so rubbish. Order to be decided and out both Sunday and Thursday:

• crispy butter beans with romesco
• baked cod with ginger and chilli and green stir fry
• risotto with courgette, leek and broad beans
• ramen with gyoza

Meal plan train is finally leaving the station 🚂
Sunday - roast dinner
Monday - halloumi traybake
tuesday - tacos
wednesday - chickpea and potato curry
Thursday - chicken fried rice
Friday - chicken thighs and mash

Yesterday we had a vegetable strata, courtesy of DD/tiktok/insta/wherever she came across it. It’s a savoury bread pudding for anyone who (like me) never heard of it and it was bloody lovely! Cheesy, eggy, herby, bready deliciousness.

Having a lazy day today so from the freezer: cauliflower & chickpea curry with naan and a box of mini Indian party bites.

Mon: Quiche, baby potatoes, salad
Tuesday: Sticky veggie sausage tray bake
Wed: Prawn & vegetable fried rice
Thurs: Leek & mushroom pasta
Fri: Soup, tuna melts

I continue to be bored of thinking of food. I think the weight loss injections don't help. I still enjoy eating, and I'm happy to do the cooking, I just don't enjoy the thinking and planning and I'm not feeling inspired to try new things. But then I've also got a new job which is turning out to be hugely stressful and I think I'm probably just in a bit of a bad place generally.

I also realised that I've gone completely off curries. We don't eat a lot of them usually, but we usually have some sort of Indian or thai style curry a couple of times a month in winter and I suddenly realised I've not done one in AGES and I'm not feeling it now either. And when I went out with a friend for a thai meal recently I had pad thai instead of my usual curry! Weird thing to go off because of injections!

I think I messed up shopping and planning so I currently only have three things planned. we are out for dinner with in laws tonight so at least this gets me to midweek.
sausage/tomato pasta (a sort of cheat's spaghetti and meatballs).
Pork mince stir fry with noodles / rice
Cod fillets with whatever veg I can scrounge up from the bottom of the drawer!

We had a bacon and spinach penne thing on Saturday and Greek lemon chicken last night.
DH is eating at the hospital tonight (visiting DD) and I will grab something on my way home from work drinks (as I will just have a short hospital visit between all day conference and the drinks).

I go back to my posting tomorrow so will pull a meal from freezer when I land midmorning, and another for Wednesday. Possibly my last serving of chicken vadagam curry (with rice) and a chicken and mushrooms in creamy wine sauce (with rice or pasta).

Thursday I am away with work and have an official dinner, and only home late on Friday so will grab something in between flights (no direct flights available).

Saturday I am doing a full restock food shop. So I will menu plan properly after that.

Monday: Turkey chilli was a hit and we had leftovers ✅
Tuesday: Steak pie and peas
Wednesday: Spicy meatballs and rice
Thursday: Salmon and broccoli
Friday: Roast chicken etc.
Saturday: Fajita casserole from freezer
Sunday: Full English

Pork mince stir fry sounds good SpaceOP, will have that next week I think, and as there is still a fair amount of fish in the freezer a kedgeree is on the cards and maybe a Thai fish curry.

First time I have read through this thread. Some fabulous ideas.
A little late but

M- Dan Dan noodles
T- chicken wraps and fries
W- roast gammon joint, sprouts, carrots mash and gravy for half of the family. Parsley sauce for the other half.
T- the curry guy chilli and garlic curry ( the base sauce is so worth making a huge batch of) rice, poppadoms and naan.
F- probably jacket potatoes with various fillings as a busy day
S- full English for dinner. So excited for this
S- steak pie roast pots and veg (m&s cheat pie)

I ended up with a bacon sandwich on Monday, sausage rolls on Tuesday, and out with a colleague (cheap but good local Italian so cacio et Pepi pasta). Tonight will be an official dinner out, tomorrow something in an airport.

I am currently officially bored of travelling as I’ve done a lot in the past 6 weeks ….in yet another stupid o’clock journey to the airport for a 2 flight journey, get home about midnight tomorrow from this one. And then, in theory, I have 4 weeks before the next trip home (but I ought to try and get home next weekend, 25th)…it’s been a mix of work and going home travel, and the work ones have mostly been long.

Tomorrow: fasolada with flatbread
Saturday: French onion pasta
Sunday: veggie Penang curry
Monday: Marry me white beans on sourdough
Tuesday: mushroom stroganoff
Wednesday: chilli and wedges
Thursday: tofu katsu

We are out tomorrow evening, and then the plan is:

Saturday: Peinirli filled with cheese, roasted peppers and tomato, with a green salad
Sunday: Braised chicken legs on green lentil stew
Monday: Sticky hoisin aubergine with rice and cabbage slaw
Tuesday: Pesto chicken (maybe with jacket potato, maybe rice)
Wednesday: Minestrone
Thursday: Gnocchi roast veg cheesy bake

Saturday - tempeh, mixed veg, rice
Sunday - spinach and chickpea curry
Monday - shepherd’s pie
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - carrot courgette tofu stir fry
Thursday - veggie sausages and roast veg
Friday - Guacaroni

I need to order my groceries, but have no idea what I want to eat this week, so I'm doing my planning on this thread.
Sun Italian meatball soup
Mon: stuffed peppers
Tues: salmon, asparagus, green beans
Wed: birthday takeaway; cake
Thurs: bibimbap
Fri: DH makes pizza
Sat: jambalaya

Tonight was steak, chips and salad.
Tomorrow: roast chicken, roast potatoes, asparagus
Monday: chicken soup, cheese and ham toasties, we have some ham off the bone from the butcher, and I'll make the soup.
Tuesday: out
Wednesday: filled pasta and sauce to eb decided
Thursday: spam and eggs for him (Northern, innit), tuna steak and salad for me, chips.

Back to proper planning after Easter:
Mon - chilli
Tues - sausage casserole
Wed - pasta with prawns, courgette and leek
Thurs - curry
Fri - salmon and asparagus
Sat - tapas
Sun - fajitas

I’m at a complete mental block with meal planning and cooking. I don’t even know what I want to eat. Honestly feels like I’m completely burnt out. I have also started a busy new job which is taking it out of me.

I have four kids who tend to be fussy, too.

Not a single one of these lovely sounding meals is appealing to me right now 😭

help!?

I don’t even fancy any of my staples, which the sake of the thread are:

• bolognese
• nandos chicken, halloumi, salad and rice
• Chicken fajitas
• beef tacos
• tomato pasta bake
• Sausages with jacket potatoes, cheese and beans
• roast chicken or beef and trimmings
• sausage and mash

I have hundreds of cook books and am inspired by nothing.

Today: Fish pie, veg
M: Crispy tofu & veg fried rice
T: Butter bean & spring greens pot pie
W: Halloumi, veg & lentil traybake, salad
T: Brazilian fish stew, toasted sourdough
F: Dh and I are out, Dc fending for themselves

@Zippidydoodah when I get a week like that I just go for the easiest, low effort stuff I know the family will eat. As long as they’re fed a lack of inspired recipes won’t do them any harm . If I don’t fancy it myself I have simple things like soup, something on toast, scrambled eggs & smoked salmon etc. Basically anything that can be heated or put together in around 5 minutes.

Friday: a tapas platter on the plane and final mini pork pie when I got home
Yesterday: steak, baby roasties, cauliflower cheese
Today: Greek lemon garlic chicken, baby roasties, roasted Mediterranean veg
Tomorrow: salmon and pea pie
Tuesday: chicken fajitas
Wednesday: penne Gorgonzola with bacon (and mushrooms?)
Thursday: sweet’n’sour prawns with rice
Friday: chicken vadagam curry with rice and puppodums
Saturday: chicken shwarma with flatbreads and loads of salad bits

I might just copy and paste your plan this week!

Thank you @SharpLemonShark

I did my order eventually this morning, due to be delivered shortly. One day we’re having ready meals!! 🤦🏻‍♀️🙄😳

Hopefully a break will help. Thanks again for your post 😊

Monday- chicken tacos (see what I did there?! 🤣)
Tuesday- pasta bake
wednesday- ready meals (to be fair to myself, Wednesdays are super busy and a complete ball ache).
Thursday- chicken tikka masala
friday-pizzas

I fell off the planning wagon--but here's my effort for this week (and for next week I'll review this thread for inspiration!):
Monday: Cajun salmon with potatoes and green beans
Tuesday: Sweet potato and black bean tacos
Wednesday: Pasta with cime di rapa, pancetta and pine nuts
Thursday: Itsu chicken dumplings and komatsuna stir fry
Friday: Use-it-up lentil soup