Check the calendar, then the fridge
Pick your cooking nights. Late meeting? Keep that dinner easy. Free evening? That’s a better home for something new.
Count the whole job: chopping, cooking and getting food on plates. “Ten minutes in the oven” doesn’t include wrestling a squash.
Give each dinner a job
Start with a favourite, an easy option and something you’re curious about. Repeating a meal is allowed. Nobody is grading the menu.
Here’s a three-night starting point. Leave the other nights open until you know what you need.
| Night | What fits |
|---|---|
| Monday | A familiar pasta dinner |
| Tuesday | Something quick after work |
| Thursday | A recipe you want to try |
Shop for the plan you made
Read the recipes and add matching ingredient amounts. Two dinners using 200 g and 300 g of the same rice need 500 g altogether. Check what’s already at home before buying more.
Leave some breathing room. If Thursday changes, move that dinner and check what happens to its ingredients. You don’t need to rewrite the whole week.
Reviewed by WeekPlated editorial. Our editorial approach
