How to Plan a Weekly Menu and Shopping List

Opening the fridge at six in the evening and wondering "what shall I cook tonight?" is one of the most tiring moments in the kitchen. All too often it ends in a takeaway or vegetables going in the bin. A weekly menu plan breaks that cycle. In this lesson we cover planning, the shopping list, batch cooking and using up leftovers.

Why plan?

• You save time: When you know what you're cooking, preparation is much faster.
• You save money: Shopping with a list means fewer impulse buys.
• You waste less: Every ingredient you buy has a job.
• You eat better: Seeing the whole week makes it easier to balance vegetables, pulses, meat and grains.

1. Look at your week

Before planning, check your calendar. Which evenings will you be home late? Are guests coming? Will you eat out one day? Choose quick 20-30 minute meals or dishes made in advance for busy days, and save longer recipes for relaxed ones.

2. Use what you already have

Check the fridge, freezer and cupboard. Half a bag of lentils, chicken forgotten in the freezer, spinach about to wilt: build the first days of your plan around these.

3. Use a simple template

Instead of deciding from scratch every day, give each day a theme. For example:

• Monday: Pulses (lentil patties, chickpea stew)
• Tuesday: A vegetable dish with rice
• Wednesday: Pasta
• Thursday: Chicken
• Friday: A recipe from a world cuisine
• Saturday: A slow, leisurely dish
• Sunday: Leftovers

A template reduces decision fatigue without restricting you; you can change the recipes every week.

4. Share ingredients across meals

A smart plan uses one ingredient in several dishes. Half a bunch of parsley goes into tabbouleh, the rest into lentil patties. A whole chicken is roasted on Sunday, the leftover meat becomes Tuesday's salad and the bones become stock for soup. A tub of yoghurt turns into both cacık and çılbır.

5. Write the shopping list

Once the menu is written, copy each recipe's ingredients onto your list and cross off what you already have. Grouping the list into sections like the shop speeds things up:

1. Fruit, vegetables and fresh herbs
2. Meat and deli
3. Dairy and eggs
4. Dry goods: pulses, rice, pasta, flour
5. Tins, sauces and spices
6. Cleaning and other items

Stick to the list and, if possible, don't shop hungry; a hungry trip round the supermarket means extra snacks in the trolley. At the market, choose seasonal produce; it's tastier and cheaper.

6. Batch cooking

Setting aside an hour or two at the weekend lightens the whole week:

• Cook a big pot of pulses (chickpeas, white beans) and use them over several days.
• Make a large pot of tomato sauce as a base for pasta, eggs and stews.
• Cook rice or bulgur in advance and keep it in the fridge.
• Wash and chop vegetables and store them in containers.
• Make soups in double batches and freeze half.

Cool cooked food quickly, store it in sealed containers in the fridge and generally eat it within 3-4 days. Portion and freeze anything you want to keep longer, and label it with the date.

7. Make the most of leftovers

Leftovers aren't a problem; they're the start of another meal:

• Stale bread: bread pudding, croutons or toasted breadcrumbs.
• Leftover rice: fried rice or a filling for stuffed vegetables.
• Leftover cooked vegetables: omelettes, pastry fillings or soup.
• Leftover roast chicken: wraps or chicken salad.

A "fridge clear-out" on the last day of the week is the most enjoyable way to avoid waste.

More ways to save money

• Buy fruit and vegetables in season.
• Cook pulses more often; they're cheap, filling and nutritious.
• Sometimes use meat as a flavouring rather than the main event, as in a vegetable dish with a little minced meat.
• A whole chicken is often more economical than buying pieces.
• Before buying an expensive spice for one recipe, think about what else you could use it in.

Start small

You don't have to plan all seven days in your first week. Start by planning three dinners and leave the rest flexible. As the habit settles in, planning will become the most enjoyable fifteen minutes of your week.