Most weeks get lost in the same question at seven in the evening: what do I cook? A simple plan removes that question and, along the way, reduces what gets thrown away.
Step 1: pick three base dishes
You don’t need a different menu for seven days. Choose three dishes you can make well and that can be repeated with small variations:
- A legume dish with vegetables.
- A chicken, egg or fish dish with a grain.
- A quick dish for days when time is short.
Step 2: build the list from the plan
Write down each dish and its ingredients. Then group the list by section (vegetables, protein, pantry) and compare it with what you already have at home. That way you only buy what you need.
Step 3: spread out the cooking
Cook in two sessions a week, one at the start and one midweek. The rest of the days you just reheat or put together a quick dish. That gives you food for the whole week without cooking every day.
A plan that fits on one sheet gets followed. One that takes four pages gets abandoned.
Remember the storage times for cooked food: three to four days in the fridge, according to the USDA. Freeze anything you won’t eat in time.
Step 4: set a budget
Divide what you want to spend by the week’s servings: people × meals × days. For two people with two meals a day over seven days, that’s 28 servings; with the budget calculator you can instantly see what you can spend per serving. To balance the week, the SENC table (2004) gives as a reference 2 to 4 servings of legumes, 3 to 4 of fish and 3 to 4 of lean meat and poultry (alternating with eggs) per week.
From the kitchen · 7 years on the jobWhat I see most is people who cook but don’t know how to keep going or how to come up with new ideas because there is no follow-up. A weekly plan is exactly that follow-up.
Sources and review
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA/FSIS): Leftovers and Food Safety
- Spanish Ministry of Health (SENC portion table, 2004): Portion weights by food group
Last reviewed: October 13, 2026. Weights and frequencies come from a 2004 reference table; they are indicative, not individual guidance. If you spot a mistake, write to us from the contact page.