Weekly meal planning, made a little simpler

Weekly meal planning does not have to account for every bite in advance. To start, a few meals you would enjoy making and a list of the ingredients may be enough.

Calendar first, recipes second

Look at which days you will be at home, when you will have time to cook and when you will eat elsewhere. A busy week calls for a different plan from a quieter one. If only two dinners are certain, start by planning those two.

Choose one familiar dish and one new idea. That way, you are not trying something unfamiliar every day.

Check what you already have

Open the fridge and look through your cupboards before writing your list. Find meal ideas for ingredients that are still suitable to use and need using first. Follow the storage instructions and use-by guidance on the products.

The MDOSZ shopping guide also recommends thinking through your planned meals, ingredients and the quantities needed before shopping. Read the full guide on the OKOSTÁNYÉR website (in Hungarian).

Make your list easy to use

Combine matching ingredients into one item. If two dishes need tomatoes, put the total quantity on your list. You can group items according to the shop layout, such as vegetables, chilled products and dry ingredients.

A simple note is enough:

When?	What are you making?	What do you need?
Monday evening	Chickpea and vegetable bowl	Courgette, lemon
Wednesday morning	Fruit porridge	Milk, apple
Friday lunchtime	Chicken bulgur salad	Chicken breast, pepper

This is an example of organising meals, not a complete weekly diet.

Leave room for everyday life

A change of plans or a craving for a different meal does not ruin your plan. At the end of the week, look at what was useful and what was too much. You can adjust your next list accordingly.