Weekly family meal plan and shopping list
Updated
A weekly plan takes away the daily "what's for dinner?", saves money and cuts shopping down to one or two trips. Here's a simple way to plan seven days of meals without turning it into a second job.
Why plan
- Fewer decisions. You think about food once a week instead of every evening.
- Less waste. You buy for specific meals, and leftovers go into the next dinner.
- One shopping list. Everything in one trip, with fresh food in a second trip midweek.
How to plan the week in 15 minutes
- Look at the week. Which nights everyone eats at home, late practice, guests. On busy days, plan 20-minute meals.
- Check what you already have. Start the week with food that needs using up — the plan saves money from day one.
- Choose 3–4 main ingredients. For example chicken, mince, fish and one meat-free meal. Each can be cooked in different ways.
- Cook once, eat twice. A double batch of chilli or soup covers a second night, and a roast chicken becomes a salad or a wrap filling.
- Keep a leftovers night. One evening for leftovers and the fridge empties itself before the weekend.
- Write the shopping list by aisle. Fruit and veg, meat and fish, dairy, cupboard, frozen. Cross off what's already at home.
A sample week
| Monday | Roast chicken with potatoes and carrots |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Chicken salad wraps with leftover chicken, tomato soup |
| Wednesday | Meatballs in tomato sauce with spaghetti (double batch) |
| Thursday | Meatball subs with yesterday's meatballs and a salad |
| Friday | Baked fish with rice and vegetables |
| Saturday | Homemade pizza with the kids |
| Sunday | Leftovers night, a big pot of soup for the week ahead |
Breakfasts and lunches don't need detailed planning: keep the basics at home — oats, eggs, yoghurt, bread, fruit.
A shopping list that works
Write quantities for the meals, not "some": "whole chicken — 1, mince — 800 g". Split the list into two trips: the first for long-life food and the start of the week, the second for fresh fish, herbs and dairy for the end of the week. If two people do the shopping, a shared list you both see saves you from two packs of butter and no salt.
Weekly plans in Panilo — coming soon
We're building a weekly plan in Panilo. On Sunday morning the app will prepare a draft 7-day menu for the whole family, based on when you eat at home and how much time you have on weekdays, and put together one shopping list without what you already have. You can swap or move meals and the shopping list updates, while allergies and dislikes are checked just like in today's suggestions. Until then, Panilo already helps you decide what to cook today and keeps a shared shopping list.
Questions
How many meals do I need for a week?
Usually 4–5 different dinners are enough: some are cooked as a double batch for two nights, and one evening is for leftovers.
What if the plan falls apart?
Just shift the meals: a plan is a guide, not a timetable. Cook what will spoil first and move the rest to later in the week.