--- title: Weekend Meal Prep Execution Plan created: 2026-05-02 updated: 2026-05-02 type: plan tags: [nutrition, meal-prep, weekend, execution] status: draft-awaiting-rocky-review related: - "[[Nutrition-Meal-System]]" drafted-by: cowork (curator) 2026-05-02 ~22:00 AEST --- # Weekend Meal Prep Execution Plan A tactical Saturday-Sunday schedule that turns the [[Nutrition-Meal-System]] master shopping list into a week of food. ~2.5 hours of work spread across the weekend, then no cooking thinking required Monday-Friday. > Built from Part 7 (Sunday Meal Prep System) + Part 8 (Slow Cooker Dump Bags) of [[Nutrition-Meal-System]]. Doesn't replace that doc — it's the operational checklist. --- ## What this plan produces (one weekend's output) By Sunday 11:00 AM you walk out of the kitchen with: - **5 lunch portions** of this week's lunch theme (Monster Mash / Mexican / Curry / Chilli — rotate per week) - **6 slow-cooker dump bags** in the freezer (covers ~2 weeks of dinners if 3-share, or ~6 dinners solo) - **3-4 overnight oats jars** for breakfasts - **12 boiled eggs** for snacks and breakfast add-ons - **Cut snacking veg** (capsicum, carrots, cucumber) - **Frozen banana chunks** topped up - **Pantry staples** verified What you cook fresh through the week: morning shake (5 min daily), tin of sardines (no cook), dinner (slow cooker = morning dump or air fryer = 15 min when home), pre-bed shake (2 min). --- ## Saturday — Shop + Admin (45 minutes) ### Saturday 9:30 AM — Plan check (10 min) - [ ] Open `[[Nutrition-Meal-System]]` Part 8 master shopping list. - [ ] Pick this week's lunch theme from the 4-week rotation (Part 3): Week 1 Monster Mash → Week 2 Mexican Beef → Week 3 Chicken Curry → Week 4 Chilli con Carne. Add lunch-theme ingredients on top of the dump-bag list. - [ ] Check pantry against Part 6 staples (creatine, vitamin D, magnesium, fish oil if needed) and Part 9 pantry-staples list (oats, rice, stocks, frozen berries, frozen spinach, etc.). Add anything below threshold to the list. - [ ] Cross off anything you already have. Keep it tight. ### Saturday 10:30 AM — Shop (30 min) Coles or Woolies Click & Collect ideal — saves an hour. If Cowork ordering layer is built (see Part 9 of master doc), let it drive. If physical shop: - [ ] Hit produce first (onions, garlic, capsicum, carrots, leeks, cabbage, mushrooms, ginger, fresh thyme/parsley, potatoes for Sunday onwards). - [ ] Meat counter (1kg chicken thigh fillets, 1kg chicken thighs bone-in, 1kg lamb neck/forequarter, 1kg Irish boiling bacon, 1kg beef chuck diced, 750g beef mince, 200g streaky bacon). - [ ] Tins/jars (tikka masala paste, coconut milk x2, diced tomatoes x3, kidney beans, black beans, tomato paste tube, Guinness, cheap shiraz $8). - [ ] Stocks/dairy (1L beef stock, 500ml chicken stock, milk, Greek yoghurt 1kg, eggs dozen). - [ ] Frozen (frozen berries, frozen spinach, frozen Asian veg if making stir-fry, frozen cauliflower/broccoli for dinners). - [ ] Bag of microwave rice 5-pack, bread rolls, bay leaves, dried thyme. - [ ] Glad large freezer bags (20 pack) — restock if running low. ### Saturday 6:00 PM — Defrost prep (5 min) - [ ] Move first dump bag from last fortnight's batch (if any left) from freezer to fridge for Monday's slow cooker. If none left, fridge is empty — Sunday's prep refills it. --- ## Sunday — Prep Block (1 hour 45 min, ~9:00 AM – 10:45 AM) Total elapsed: ~1h 45min. Active hands-on: ~75 min. Some passive (rice cooking, eggs boiling). ### 9:00 AM — Set up the kitchen (5 min) - [ ] Lay out 6 large freezer bags. Label each with marker: name, cook setting, day-of additions. - **Bag 1**: CHICKEN CURRY — LOW 6-8h — add 1 tin coconut milk - **Bag 2**: IRISH STEW — LOW 8h — add 6-8 spuds + 750ml water - **Bag 3**: BACON & CABBAGE — LOW 6-7h — add 6-8 spuds + ½ cabbage + water - **Bag 4**: COQ AU VIN — LOW 6-7h — add 1.5 cups red wine + 1 cup chicken stock - **Bag 5**: BEEF & GUINNESS — LOW 8h — add 1 can Guinness + 250ml beef stock - **Bag 6**: BEEF CHILLI — LOW 6-8h — (mince already browned, no day-of additions) - [ ] Get out: large pan, slow-cooker prep board, knife, big mixing bowl, scale. - [ ] Eggs in cold water on stove, hit medium heat. Boil 10 min from boil → ice bath. ### 9:05 AM — Brown the mince for chilli (12 min) - [ ] 750g beef mince in pan with oil. Break up, brown thoroughly. No pink. - [ ] Tip into mixing bowl, spread thin. Set aside to cool fully (must be cold before bagging — food safety). ### 9:15 AM — Chop everything in one pass (25 min) Knife discipline = batch by ingredient, not by recipe. Less board-washing. - [ ] **Onions**: dice 9 brown onions. Different bowls for: dumped raw (Bags 1, 4, 5, 6 — small dice), sliced (Bags 2, 4 — half-moons), quartered (Bag 3 — chunks). - [ ] **Garlic**: mince 3 heads' worth (Bags 1, 2, 4, 5, 6). Pile in one bowl. - [ ] **Ginger**: thumb-sized, grated for Bag 1 only. - [ ] **Carrots**: 6 carrots, chunked (Bags 2, 5). - [ ] **Capsicum**: 1 red, diced (Bag 6). - [ ] **Mushrooms**: 250g halved (Bag 4 + Bag 5 split). - [ ] **Leek**: 1 leek sliced (Bag 2). - [ ] **Cabbage**: ½ shredded, separate small ziplock for Bag 3 day-of (don't bag with the bacon). ### 9:40 AM — Pack the dump bags (15 min) Per Part 8 of master doc. Each bag: meat + raw aromatics + spices/dry. **No liquids.** Squeeze air out (straw helps), zip flat. - [ ] **Bag 1** (Chicken Curry): 1kg diced chicken thigh + 1 sliced onion + 3 tsp minced garlic + grated ginger + jar Patak's tikka masala + 1 tsp salt. - [ ] **Bag 2** (Irish Stew): 1kg lamb chops + 3 sliced onions + 4 chunked carrots + 1 sliced leek + 2 sprigs thyme + 2 bay leaves + 1.5 tsp salt + 1 tsp pepper. - [ ] **Bag 3** (Bacon & Cabbage): 1kg Irish boiling bacon + 1 quartered onion + 1 bay leaf + 6-8 peppercorns. (Cabbage in separate small bag.) - [ ] **Bag 4** (Coq au Vin): 1kg bone-in chicken thighs + 200g chopped streaky bacon + 2 sliced onions + 125g halved mushrooms + 4 cloves minced garlic + 2 tbsp tomato paste + 2 sprigs thyme + 2 bay leaves + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp pepper. - [ ] **Bag 5** (Beef & Guinness): 1kg diced beef chuck tossed in 2 tbsp flour + 2 sliced onions + 3 chunked carrots + 125g halved mushrooms + 3 cloves minced garlic + 2 tbsp tomato paste + 1 tbsp Worcestershire + 2 sprigs thyme + 1 bay leaf + 1.5 tsp salt + 1 tsp pepper. - [ ] **Bag 6** (Beef Chilli): 750g cooled browned mince + 1 diced onion + 1 diced capsicum + 3 cloves minced garlic + 2 tins diced tomatoes + 1 tin kidney beans drained + 1 tin black beans drained + 2 tbsp tomato paste + 1 tbsp chilli powder + 1 tbsp cumin + 1 tsp smoked paprika + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp brown sugar. - [ ] All 6 bags lay flat on a tray, into freezer. ### 9:55 AM — Lunch theme cook starts (parallel, 30 min active + 15 min passive) Cooking THIS WEEK's lunch theme. Pick from rotation: - [ ] Heat oil in big pan. Onions in. Fry 5-8 min. - [ ] Add aromatics for the theme (garlic + capsicum for Monster Mash; cumin + chilli for Mexican; curry paste + ginger for Curry; tomatoes + chilli for Chilli con Carne). - [ ] Add mince/chicken, brown. - [ ] Add liquids/tins per recipe. - [ ] Cook rice in chicken stock in rice cooker (passive — set and forget). - [ ] Combine, simmer 15-20 min. ### 10:25 AM — Overnight oats (10 min) 3-4 jars Sunday night for the week's breakfasts (when not doing the morning shake). - [ ] Per jar: ½ cup oats + 1 cup milk + 100g Greek yoghurt + 1 tbsp chia/flax + 1 tbsp honey. Optional scoop of whey. - [ ] Lid on, fridge. ### 10:35 AM — Portion lunches + clean up (10 min) - [ ] Lunch theme into 5 containers (cook + cool + container). - [ ] Eggs by now: peel under cold water, container in fridge. - [ ] Cut snacking veg (capsicum, carrots, cucumber): sticks, snap-lock containers, fridge. - [ ] Banana check: peel and chunk any browning bananas, ziplock, freezer. - [ ] Pantry inventory: any pantry staple under 30%? Note for next shop. - [ ] Clean kitchen. ### 10:45 AM — Done Walk away. Rest of Sunday is yours. --- ## Through-the-Week — what's cook-fresh vs reheat ### Daily (no cook unless flagged) | Meal | Action | Time | |---|---|---| | 04:30 train | n/a | — | | 05:30 morning shake | **Cook fresh** — 5 min in NutriBullet | 5 min | | 06:50 sardines | Open tin | 30s | | 11:00 lunch | **Reheat from container** | 3 min microwave | | Mid-afternoon (optional) | Yoghurt / fruit / nuts / 2nd sardines | n/a | | Evening dinner | **Slow cooker dump bag** OR **air fryer fresh** (see below) | 5 min morning + 0 min evening; OR 15 min fresh | | Pre-bed shake | **Cook fresh** — 2 min | 2 min | ### Slow-cooker days (alternate days OR every day) **Night before:** move tomorrow's bag from freezer to fridge. Phone reminder at 21:00. **Morning (5 min, ~6:00 AM before site):** - Dump bag contents into slow cooker. - Add day-of items (liquids, spuds if needed). - LOW for the right number of hours. - Press START. Walk out. **Evening (5-10 min when home):** - Walk in to hot dinner. - Finish any sauces (parsley sauce for Irish Stew or Bacon & Cabbage — see Part 8 master doc). - Microwave rice if needed. - Eat. ### Air-fryer fresh nights When you don't fancy the slow cooker output OR you've eaten the same dump-bag meal twice in a row. **15 min total when home:** - Protein in air fryer: salmon (180°C, 8-10 min), steak (200°C, 6-8 min flip), chicken thigh (200°C, 18 min), pork chop (200°C, 12 min). - Carb: sweet potato cubed (200°C 20 min) OR microwave rice (3 min) OR boil potatoes (15 min). - Veg: bag of frozen veg straight in air fryer alongside protein. - Salt, pepper, done. --- ## Cost (3-share, 1 weekend's prep) Per the master doc Part 8: ~$130-150 for 6 dump bags split three ways = ~$45-50 each per fortnight = ~$6 per dinner per person. Plus ~$25-35 for the lunch theme (1kg meat + grain + tin/jar + veg) — solo, not split. Plus ~$15-20 for breakfast supplies (oats, milk, yoghurt, berries). **Solo total per week: ~$50-65.** **3-share total per week: ~$80-100.** --- ## Failure modes to watch - **Forgot to defrost the bag.** Fix per master doc: cold tap water for 10-15 min on sealed bag. Some still-frozen is OK; rock-solid is not. - **Lunch theme fatigue by Wednesday.** Switch to a fresh air-fryer dinner that night, eat lunch theme cold over salad instead of microwaved. - **Out of time on Sunday.** Skip the dump bags this week, just do the lunch theme and overnight oats (45 min). Restart full prep next weekend. - **Housemate moochers.** See master doc Part 8 "Set the Rules Day One." - **Sardine-only week scheduled.** Skip the lunch theme cook, but still pack dump bags for the following week's dinners. --- ## Quick start (this Sunday) If you're reading this fresh and want the absolute minimum to start: 1. Saturday: shop the master list (ignore the lunch theme variations, just pick Monster Mash for week 1). 2. Sunday 9 AM: just the 6 dump bags. Skip the lunch theme. ~75 min. 3. Air-fryer dinners through the week from leftovers + fresh. 4. Add the lunch-theme cook + overnight oats next weekend. Builds slowly. Same logic as the rest of the system — small system that runs on rails, not a different meal every day. --- ## Notes for Rocky's review - This plan assumes the 3-share house is a go. If solo, scale dump bags to 3-4 (cooking for 1 person × ~2 weeks). - Saturday shop time can shift — Sunday morning works too if shops are open and no risk of stock-out. - Lunch theme rotation in the master doc is 4-week. This plan picks "Monster Mash" as default — swap per the rotation week. - If you want to wire this up via Hermes (per master doc Part 9 Phase 2), the recipes need to be split into individual `Recipes/*.md` files first. That's a separate weekend project. - "Cook fresh vs slow cooker vs reheat" pattern can scale to non-meal stuff later (laundry, packing site bag, etc.) — same logic.