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

DH had a decent curry to reheat in the fridge for Friday, I cleaned the BBQ to do steak, french beans with garlic, and potato wedges on Saturday.
yesterday I did garlic and rosemary marinated lamb chops, roasted Mediterranean veggies (peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, garlic - no courgette as DH and DD don’t like it), and roasted lemon pepper potato cubes.

I also did a chicken curry (4 batches for DH and a good few blended for DD) and mushroom soup (3 for DD and 1 for DH) and blended up leftover med veg to add to tomato sauce for them over the next few weeks. (DD major swallowing issues currently but really wants real food again after just getting home from 18 weeks in hospital).

Today, it’s hot hot hot…so I am thinking some late on crackers.
Tuesday pan fried salmon (possibly cooled to eat) and wilted spinach.

Wednesday I have an event so possibly a HM pizza if the nibbles are tiny.

Thursday roasted Med veg couscous and cold chicken, crumbled feta, salad plate.

Friday it might cool down so possibly spag Bol.

Although if I get to a supermarket earlier than Saturday, it might also include chicken or bacon Caesar salad one evening instead.

Taking a slightly different approach this week due to the heat. This evening I'll be making big bowls of my favourite salads - mixed bean and feta and Asian-style cabbage salad. Over the next four evenings, we'll have these with (variously) quiche, spanish omelette and cold roast chicken. We've also got a decent crop of lettuce and cucumber in the garden so I can add in some green salad and possible also a tomato salad if we start to run out of side dishes. I'll then finish up the week on Friday with a Greek salad pasta.

I brought back a tub of Cacio et Pepi sauce from home so had that 2 nights with fresh pasta, salmon with wilted spinach on Tuesday, confit duck and oven chips after an event Thursday, pasta with pesto rossa and bacon last night. So quite dull but needs must between long hours, heat and pretty empty fridge.

I have chicken thighs for tonight, probably with feta and thyme, and I have diced up some potatoes which are marinating in lemon pepper, rosemary and garlic. Possibly a baked courgette as veg.

Tomorrow a steak and the rest of my diced potatoes.
Monday either Caesar salad (if it stays hot) or spag Bol (if it actually chills a bit).
Tuesday Mediterranean veggies and meatballs in pasta.
Wednesday salmon and baby potatoes
Thursday pasta bake

Tonight is gazpacho (did an AMAZING one this week so having it again)
Sunday: DH is making spag bol
Monday: burrata and grilled nectarine salad with chickpeas and hot honey
Tuesday: I’m out, DH sorting
Wednesday: aubergine bake
Thursday & Friday DH sorting

Tonight, steak, chips and asparagus
Sun: marry me chicken, roasties, broccoli
Mon: soup and ham and cheese toasties, butternut squash for him if he makes it in time, chicken for me.
Tues: out
Weds: spaghetti with sundried tomato and spinach sauce
Thurs: freezer surprise pie for him, garlic chilli prawns for me, chips, salad.

Tonight: Roast chicken, jersey royals and salad.
Tomorrow: Trying spaghetti al'assassina for the first time.
Monday: I'll be home alone alone so salmon and tenderstem broccoli.
Tuesday: Roast cabbage wedges with couscous and feta
Wednesday: Fasolakia

Not quite sure after this.

Been absent for a while as life was busy but got my butt into gear.

Today: Caesar salad with crispy chicken
Monday: Out (everyone is fending for themselves)
Tuesday: Marry Me butter beans with salmon and some green veg of some sort
Wednesday: Niçoise salad
Thursday: Beef and broccoli with rice
Friday: Chilli paneer tacos
Saturday: Charred sweetcorn & chorizo salad, with garlic and paprika prawns, green salad and bread
Sunday: Tandoori chicken flatbreads with salad and raita

Tonight: freezer special
Tomorrow: lentil sloppy joes (current hyperfixation!)
Tuesday: ratatouille
Wednesday: chickpea and courgette stirfry
Thursday: Mexican rice

ALL of this sounds amazing. Do you have the gazpacho recipe? I haven't managed to do this well ever.

Burrata and grilled nectarines sounds amazing too.... any tips?

I'm playing things a bit by ear for the next few days as we have multiple year end events at school (DD is in year 6....), plus visitors have been coming and going from SA. So I've purposely bought ingredients that are forgiving and flexible and long lasting

Possible options include:

Cod with potatoes/greens/salad - (frozen fillets)
Chorizo/tomato/aubergine/chilli pasta (or the chorizo can be used for fajitas or similar, depending on who is here, when)
Chicken breasts which, most likely, will be used for burrito bowls. But can also be turned into half a dozen other options from burgers to a curry.
Spaghetti and meatballs - works as a cook once, feed-people-at-random-intervals for 3 days kind of meal.

@SpaceOP I think YOUR week sounds amazing!

the burrata salad grill the nectarines and toast the pumpkin seeds with enough time for them to cool. I then layer so lettuce then chickpeas and spring onion then nectarine slices, make a hole in the middle to put half the burrata (I split one between 2 people) drizzle over the chilli-infused honey and pumpkin seeds

The gazpacho is a HFW recipe from his 30 plants book, photo attached. Def make sure to get British tomatoes, for our second one DH got Dutch ones and it wasn’t nearly as good

@Citygirlrurallife Thanks. I will try that Gazpacho at some point. I definitely need to do grilled nectarine salad with burrata. I might skip the chickpeas because only DH likes them in salads but perhaps something like some quinoa or lentils could be nice to add that fiber/solidness?

I'm impressed the dressing is JUST hot honey. I think that's what's put me off this sort of salad before - the dressing felt like I needed a michelin star to prepare! :)

I’m sure other recipes will call for more dressing but I just made it up and it was delicious - though I think I also drizzled a bit of decent EVOO over it too. The chickpeas I added for extra fibre and protein because I had them - this week we’ll probably have with butter beans just because that’s what I’ve got in.

Actually hauling my motivation out of retirement

Tomorrow: lemony white bean stew and avo on toast (a very millenial breakfast for dinner!)
Saturday: pasta with creamy mushrooms
Sunday: tofu and chickpea curry
Monday: Chickpea and broccoli miso sotrfry
Tuesday: soup & sourdough
Wednesday: Dahl and naan
Thursday: mushroom stroganoff

Nothing very exciting here:

Saturday - out
Sunday - I’m going to try and do some sort of pasta primavera
Monday - dp has requested veggie hotdogs and corn on the cob
Tuesday - just me = tzatziki, spiced feta dip and pitta
weds - just me = avocado on toast
Thurs = assemble your own pizza - artichoke and black olive for me/ anchovy and olive for dp

Yeah, this week’s plans were a washout. I know there were bacon lardons and pasta 1 night, a supermarket lasagna (with salad!) and the chicken thighs I defrosted on Tuesday I finally baked with thyme and feta in the middle with potato croquettes last night at 10pm…

Tonight I was relatively sensible and had a spag Bol from freezer. Pre-planned and easy.

I’ve taken chicken shwarma from freezer for tomorrow.

Possibly salmon and wilted spinach and baby potatoes on Sunday.

I will likely try to remember to defrost ahead of time for the rest of the week - as our lifts are out again so I have to schlep my groceries up at least 3 flights of stairs (possibly 14 - which I faced on last Sunday night..), and I won’t have time to shop during the week. And work is mad, mad, mad….

Today: Cheesy veg & lentil bake (fridge clearer!)
Sun: Salmon, Asian style rice salad
Mon: Marry me chickpeas, orzo & veg
Tues: Falafel, hummus, Greek salad, flatbreads
Wed: Fish cakes, greens
Thurs: Cauliflower, pea & paneer curry

Haven’t planned massively far

Today: veg box massive mumsnet salad
Tomorrow: trout with grilled hispi cabbage
Tuesday: steak/fake with new potatoes and sautéed leeks and fennel
Wednesday: mushroom stoup

gazpacho def back on the menu for lunch

Today DP is doing something with pork ribs, I know not what.
M: lasagne and salad
T: out
W: thai pork patties, sweet potato wedges, cucumber ribbon and radish salad
T: roast chicken thighs, potato salad other salad

I didnt post so we are already on day 2....

Sun: roast lamb served room temp with salads. Leftovers frozen for future date.

Today - @Citygirlrurallife I did the nectarine, burrata salad. Served it with an m&s chicken and ham pie (tiny portion for me - big portions for the boys!) So just did salad leaves, nectarine, almond flakes with the hot honey i cut with lemon. AMAZING. I was so smug about it, I took a picture and attached it.... i have to take a salad to a bbq this weekend and I am now toying with doing this but with individual mozzarella balls.

Tomorrow : steak tacos with pineapple salsa

Wed: out for dinner with family

Thursday- i am out (again) so spaghetti and meatballs for rest of them

I cant remember plan for Friday but its written down somewhere! 🤣🤣🤣

That salad looks amazing @SpaceOP, definitely stealing that one! Do you grill the nectarines?

@SpaceOP yay so glad you liked it - it’s amazing isn’t it!

I did it last week and had it with cottage cheese as I didn’t have burrata while not quite the same in terms of luxury feel it was still pretty good

Yes. Used the basic sort of core suggestion @Citygirlrurallife suggested earlier but used the almonds instead of chickpeas or the quinoa I had planned as was doing it as a more side salad.

Tonight: roasted veg salad
Tomorrow: Cajun pasta
Sunday: stirfry with a spicy peanut sauce
Monday: Curry from the freezer
Tuesday: Chipotle tofu burrito bowl
Wednesday: veggie meatball sub
Thursday: Thai red veggie curry

Had this last night with halloumi - delicious!

Will try to get back to planning next week, the last few weeks have been a bit hectic.

I have another bonkers week ahead…long and stressful work days, a couple of evening events, and heat. (And a lack of grocery shopping as I am home this weekend and won’t be back at my work apartment until after shops close tomorrow - and lifts were not working in the building so I wasn’t carrying groceries up 13 flights of stairs).

DH has got a steak for tonight and says there’s some brocolli to have with it.
Tomorrow I will try to get to the local deli here and get a nice cacci et pepi sauce I got last time I was home, as I have fresh pasta in the apartment - or else see if the small shop near my apartment has some eggs and cream and lardons for carbonara (fair chance they would).
Monday I may end up having dinner out (but prefer not to)…if not, probably salmon and salad
Tuesday I plan chicken and mushrooms in white wine sauce (from freezer) on rice
Wednesday butter chicken (from freezer) with rice and puppodums - or maybe a rosemary sausage and courgette pasta thing.
Thursday we have a work event so I need a proper dinner at lunch (I’ll have time between meetings)
Friday, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are after-work drinks so it could be chips from the square at midnight
Next Saturday, I will do a proper shop as I have another 2.5 weeks before coming home for summer “holidays” (2 weeks) and I need more vegetables and healthy stuff. (And I want that to be my final grocery shop so need to get some nice beers and local specialities to bring home to DH, as I’ll be driving).