chopped.af · the meal prep system

Calories in, calories out — handled.

Learn the basics in 90 seconds, build a plan around what you actually eat, and poke through a complete working month below.

The basics
Build your plan
The sample plan
The sample plan · a complete month

One kitchen, two plans

A complete month built for two real people sharing one kitchen — Person 1 at 2,000 cal / 150g protein, Person 2 at 1,500 / 100g. Every plan the builder makes will look like this, tuned to you.

LunchPerson 1 ~730 · Person 2 ~510 · prepped
Dinnercooked once · plated two ways
ShakePerson 1’s: ~120 cal · 24g · afternoon
Sundayribeye night, always
The weeks
The month at a glance
The supply line
sauce colors mean the same thing every week: green is fresh · orange is creamy · red closes the week
Week 01 · Lunches · Mon–Fri

Chicken Thigh Bowls, three sauces

735 / 510cal — Person 1 / Person 2
67 / 45gprotein — Person 1 / Person 2
10 bowlshis & hers · one session
~60 minmostly oven time

Grocery list

Everything for 10 lunch bowls — Person 1’s five + Person 2’s five. Tap items off as you shop.

0 of 0

Meat

the whole week's protein
Chicken thighs, boneless skinless~6 lb · 10 bowls

Produce

veg + sauce herbs
Green beans — Mon/Tue veg1½ lb
Cherry tomatoes — Mon/Tue veg1½ pints
Red bell peppers — Wed veg3
Broccoli crowns — Thu/Fri veg3 large
Red onion — splits across Wed–Fri2 large
Parsley + cilantro — chimichurri1 big bunch ea.
Limes — yogurt sauce + gochujang3
Lemon — chimichurri2
Garlic1 head

Dairy

one sauce base
Nonfat Greek yogurt — Wed saucesmall tub

Pantry

check what you already have
Jasmine rice — lunch batch + rolls into dinners4½ cups dry
Gochujang (Korean chili paste)1 tub
Chipotles in adobosmall can
Soy saucestaple
Rice vinegar + red wine vinegarstaples
Olive oil — measured, not free-pouredstaple
Honey1 tsp used
Spices — garlic powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepperstaples
Gochujang and chipotles are the only likely new buys — both keep for months and come back in later weeks.

Sunday session

~60 minutes, one oven, one rice cooker. Check steps off as you go; timers are tappable.

0 of 0

The oven, on one rail

425°F
0:00all pans in 15:00beans + tomatoes out 20:00pepper / broccoli / onion out 25:00thighs out
rice cooker runs in parallel · sauces get made in the gaps
First · ~5 min active
Start the rice cooker
4½ cups dry jasmine — covers all ten lunch bowls plus early-week dinners for two.
▾
  1. Measure 4½ cups dry jasmine — use the cooker’s own cup if it came with one, and use the same cup all month.
  2. Rinse right in the pot: cover with water, swish with your hand, pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 2–3 times until it runs mostly clear.
  3. Add water to the matching line on the pot (no lines: 1¼ cups water per cup of rice), lid on, press cook.
  4. Walk away. It beeps when done and holds on keep-warm until assembly.
While oven preheats to 425°F
Season the thighs — keep them neutral
Salt, pepper, garlic powder only — one roast, three sauces.
▾
  1. Set the oven to 425°F now — it preheats while you work.
  2. Line two sheet pans with foil — 6 lb of thighs needs the space. Trim any big fat flaps off the thighs — kitchen shears are the fastest tool.
  3. Pat every thigh dry with paper towels. Dry surface = browning; wet = steaming.
  4. Season both sides: about ½ tsp salt per pound, plus pepper and garlic powder. Nothing else — the sauces carry the flavor.
  5. Lay them flat with space between each. Touching thighs steam each other.
Veg pans · two zones
Prep the veg pans
Beans + tomatoes one side; pepper, broccoli, onion the other.
▾
  1. Snap or cut the stem ends off the green beans. Tomatoes stay whole.
  2. Cut peppers into 1-inch chunks, broccoli into big florets, onion into thick wedges — big pieces roast, small pieces burn.
  3. Zone it — at 10-bowl volume this is usually two veg pans: beans + tomatoes on one, pepper + broccoli + onion on the other.
  4. Drizzle 1 tbsp oil total over the whole pan, salt, and toss each zone with your hands until everything glistens.
Oven · both pans in together
Roast — staggered pulls
Tap the timer the moment the pans go in.
▾
  1. All the pans in — thigh pans up top, veg below. Start the timer up on the rail — tap it again anytime to pause.
  2. When the timer shows 10:00: pull the beans + tomatoes (tongs onto a plate).
  3. When it shows 5:00: pull the pepper, broccoli, and onion.
  4. At Done: pull the thighs. Check one — juices run clear, no pink, or 175°F on a thermometer.
  5. Leave everything on the counter to cool — hot food doesn’t go straight into containers.
While the oven runs · ~10 min
Make all three sauces
Each panel below is a full walkthrough — measurements, steps, and which cup it fills.
▾
ChimichurriParsley + cilantro, garlic, lemon, vinegar. Bright and herby.
Step-by-step
You need
  • ¾ cup parsley leaves, packed
  • ¾ cup cilantro leaves, packed
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Juice of 1 small lemon
  • 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Heaped ¼ tsp red pepper flakes + heaped ¼ tsp salt
Do this
  1. Chop the herbs as fine as you can — keep going past where you'd normally stop.
  2. Grate or mince the garlic to a paste.
  3. Stir everything together in a small bowl.
  4. Taste on a spoon: it should be sharp and salty. Flat? More salt. Harsh? A few drops more oil.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two MON, two TUE (a P1 and an P2 cup each day). Fridge.
Chipotle-lime yogurtSmoky, creamy, +5g protein. One-bowl stir.
Step-by-step
You need
  • ¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 chipotles from the can (3 if you like heat), minced
  • 1½ tsp of the adobo sauce from the can
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • Big pinch of cumin + big pinch of salt
Do this
  1. Mince the chipotle until it's nearly a paste — big chunks mean one bite of fire.
  2. Stir everything together until the color is even, no white streaks.
  3. Taste: smoky and tangy. Too spicy? Stir in another spoon of yogurt.
→ 2 cups — P1 WED + P2 WED. Fridge. (Freeze the leftover chipotles flat in a bag — week 4 uses them.)
Gochujang glazeSweet-spicy-savory. Built to peak on Friday.
Step-by-step
You need
  • 3 tbsp gochujang
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1½ tsp honey
  • 1½ tsp rice vinegar
Do this
  1. Put the gochujang in the bowl first, add the soy, and whisk hard until zero lumps — it fights back for the first 20 seconds, keep going.
  2. Whisk in everything else.
  3. Check the texture: it should drizzle off a spoon in a ribbon. Too thick? ½ tsp water at a time.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two THU, two FRI (P1 + P2 each day). Fridge — never the freezer, even though those bowls freeze.
  1. Open each sauce panel above and follow it top to bottom — every panel ends with its cup count and label.
  2. Wipe the cutting board between sauces so flavors don’t wander from one cup to the next.
  3. Finished when: 10 labeled cups are in the fridge — a P1 and an P2 cup for every day.
Assembly
Portion 10 bowls — his & hers
Rice, then protein, then the veg map.
▾
  1. Line up 10 containers — 5 big for Person 1, 5 smaller for Person 2 (two sizes or two lid colors makes the week foolproof). Rice: 1 cup in Person 1’s, ⅔ cup in Person 2’s.
  2. Thighs: ~10 oz in Person 1’s, ~6–7 oz in Person 2’s. A scale makes it fast; no scale — Person 2’s portion is two-thirds of Person 1’s, eyeball it.
  3. Veg by the map: beans/tomatoes → MON + TUE · pepper/onion → WED · broccoli/onion → THU + FRI.
  4. Label every lid with day + name — P1 MON, P2 MON… Tape and a marker; 6am-you should never guess.
Storage — the 5-day rule
Fridge Mon–Wed · freeze Thu + Fri
Cool fast, label, set two reminders.
▾
  1. Leave lids cracked until the steam stops (~15 min), then seal. Rice needs to cool and hit the fridge within the hour.
  2. Both MON–WED sets → fridge. All four THU + FRI bowls → freezer.
  3. All 10 sauce cups → fridge. Sauce never goes in the freezer.
  4. Set two phone reminders now: Wed night — move both THU bowls freezer → fridge. Thu night — move both FRI bowls.

The week, by sauce

One roast, three flavor profiles — sequenced by how each sauce ages.

Mon · Tue
Chimichurri
Roasted green beans + blistered cherry tomatoes. Fresh herbs peak on days 1–2 — that's why this goes first.
Person 1 ~735 · 67g  ·  Person 2 ~510 · 45g
From fridge
Wed
Chipotle-lime yogurt
Sweet roasted pepper + red onion against smoky-creamy — deconstructed fajitas over rice. Midweek pattern-breaker.
Person 1 ~745 · 72g  ·  Person 2 ~515 · 48g
From fridge · pull both Thu bowls tonight
Thu · Fri
Gochujang-lime
Charred broccoli + onion. Fermented gochujang deepens with days in the fridge — it's built to finish the week.
Person 1 ~725 · 67g  ·  Person 2 ~505 · 45g
From freezer · thawed overnight
Reheat ritual: splash of water over the rice, cover, ~90 seconds. Then sauce. The water steams the rice back to life; saucing after keeps textures right. Person 1’s day (dinner + his shake) lands ~2,000 / 150g+; Person 2’s two meals leave ~350–450 cal for her breakfast to close out 1,500 / 100g.
Week 02 · Lunches · Mon–Fri

Flank Steak Bowls, against the grain

730 / 500cal — Person 1 / Person 2
68 / 45gprotein — Person 1 / Person 2
10 bowlshis & hers · one session
~60 minoven + stovetop in parallel

Grocery list

Everything for 10 flank bowls (his & hers). Tap items off as you shop.

0 of 0

Meat

usually two steaks
Flank steak — yields 10 bowls (Person 1 8 oz / Person 2 5–6 oz)~5½ lb raw · 10 bowls

Produce

veg + sauce aromatics
Green cabbage — Mon/Tue veg, cut in wedges1 medium head
Snap peas — Mon/Tue veg1 lb+
Carrots — Wed veg, cut in batons2 lb
Broccoli crowns — Thu/Fri veg3 large
Red onion — splits across Wed–Fri2 large
Cilantro — crying tiger1 bunch
Limes — crying tiger4
Lemon — horseradish yogurt1
Fresh ginger — soy-sesame saucesmall knob
Garlic1 head

Dairy & chilled

Wed sauce
Nonfat Greek yogurtsmall tub
Prepared horseradish — refrigerated section, not the creamy saucesmall jar

Pantry

check what you already have
Jasmine rice4½ cups dry
Fish sauce — the crying tiger backbone1 bottle
Soy saucestaple
Rice vinegarstaple
Toasted sesame oil — 1 tsp = 40 cal, measure itsmall bottle
Dijon mustardstaple
Honey + sugarstaples
Olive oil + high-heat oil for the sear (avocado/canola)staples
Spices — chili flakes, salt, pepperstaples
Fish sauce and sesame oil are the likely new buys — both are month-one investments that keep coming back.

Sunday session

Oven and stovetop run in parallel — veg roasts while the flank sears. Still ~60 minutes.

0 of 0

Oven rail · sear runs alongside

425°F
0:00both pans in · skillet heating 12:00snap peas out 20:00broccoli + onion out 25:00cabbage + carrots out
stovetop: sear flanks during the roast · rest 10 min · slice last
First · ~5 min active
Start the rice cooker
4½ cups dry jasmine — covers all ten lunch bowls plus early-week dinners for two.
▾
  1. Measure 4½ cups dry jasmine — use the cooker’s own cup if it came with one, and use the same cup all month.
  2. Rinse right in the pot: cover with water, swish with your hand, pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 2–3 times until it runs mostly clear.
  3. Add water to the matching line on the pot (no lines: 1¼ cups water per cup of rice), lid on, press cook.
  4. Walk away. It beeps when done and holds on keep-warm until assembly.
While oven preheats · skillet staged
Prep flank + two veg pans
Dry steak, big veg, everything staged before the heat.
▾
  1. Oven to 425°F. Set your biggest skillet (cast iron if you have it) on the stove — don’t turn it on yet.
  2. Take the flank out of the fridge now — closer to room temp sears better.
  3. Pat the steaks (usually three at this weight) very dry with paper towels, then salt and pepper generously on both sides.
  4. Pan A: cabbage in 1-inch wedges cut through the core (the core holds them together) + carrot batons + half the onion.
  5. Pan B: big broccoli florets + snap peas + the rest of the onion. 1 tbsp oil total across both pans, salt, toss.
Oven · staggered pulls
Roast the veg
Tap the timer the moment the pans go in.
▾
  1. Both pans in. Start the timer up on the rail — tap it again anytime to pause.
  2. When it shows 13:00: pull the snap peas off pan B.
  3. When it shows 5:00: pull the broccoli + onion.
  4. At Done: pull the cabbage + carrots — they want the full ride for real char.
Stovetop · while the veg roasts
Sear the flanks — pull early on purpose
4 minutes a side, 125–130°F, no poking.
▾
  1. Turn the skillet to high and let it heat 3–4 minutes — a drop of water should skitter and vanish.
  2. Add 1 tsp high-heat oil (avocado or canola), then the first steak. Do not move it for 4 minutes.
  3. Flip once. 4 more minutes. Thermometer into the thickest part: pull at 125–130°F. It looks underdone — that’s correct; reheating finishes it.
  4. Sear the rest the same way — two rounds. All onto a cutting board, tented loosely with foil.
Rest · non-negotiable
Rest 10 minutes, make the sauces
The rest timer and the sauce panels run together.
▾
Crying tigerThe Thai steak sauce — funky, sour, a little sweet.
Step-by-step
You need
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • Juice of 3 limes
  • 1½ tsp sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced fine
  • ¾ tsp chili flakes
  • ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1½ tbsp water
Do this
  1. Stir fish sauce, lime, sugar, and water until the sugar fully dissolves — rub a drop between your fingers, no grit.
  2. Stir in garlic, chili flakes, cilantro.
  3. Taste: it should hit sour, then salty, then a little sweet. All salt? Another squeeze of lime.
  4. It smells strong from the bottle — trust it, on beef it turns savory, not fishy.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two MON, two TUE (a P1 and an P2 cup each day). Fridge.
Horseradish yogurtSteakhouse classic at 45 calories.
Step-by-step
You need
  • ¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1½–3 tbsp prepared horseradish, liquid pressed out with a spoon
  • 1½ tsp Dijon
  • Squeeze of lemon
  • Pinch of salt + black pepper
Do this
  1. Start with 1 tbsp horseradish. Stir everything together.
  2. Taste: it should sting your nose a little. Doesn't? Add the second tbsp.
  3. Note: it mellows in the fridge, so slightly-too-strong today is right on Wednesday.
→ 2 cups — P1 WED + P2 WED. Fridge.
Soy-sesame-gingerBulgogi-adjacent; holds its punch all week.
Step-by-step
You need
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1½ tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1½ tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1½ tsp toasted sesame oil — measure it, don't pour
  • 1½ tsp honey
Do this
  1. Grate the ginger and garlic on a microplane (or mince to a paste) — chunks of raw ginger are unpleasant.
  2. Whisk everything until the honey disappears.
  3. Taste: salty-tangy with a toasty finish. The sesame should be a background note — if it dominates, you free-poured.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two THU, two FRI (P1 + P2 each day). Fridge only.
  1. Start the 10:00 timer the moment the second steak hits the board. Cutting early dumps the juices you just paid for.
  2. Make the three sauces from the panels above while it rests — each ends with its cup count and label.
  3. Finished when: the timer’s done and 10 labeled cups are in the fridge.
The flank rule
Slice thin, against the grain
Perpendicular to the lines, ¼ inch, no exceptions.
▾
  1. Look at the steak: long parallel fibers run the length of it. That’s the grain.
  2. Cut perpendicular to those lines — across them, never along them. Against = tender; with = chewing rope.
  3. Slice thin, about ¼ inch. If the steak is long, halve it with the grain first so your slices are shorter.
  4. Store it sliced — slices reheat fast and even; a cold slab microwaves badly.
Assembly + storage
Portion 10 bowls · fridge Mon–Wed · freeze Thu + Fri
Rice, flank, the veg map, two reminders.
▾
  1. Rice: 1 cup in Person 1’s five, ⅔ cup in Person 2’s five. Flank: 8 oz Person 1 / 5–6 oz Person 2 — her pile is two-thirds of his.
  2. Veg map: cabbage/snap peas → MON + TUE · carrots/onion → WED · broccoli/onion → THU + FRI. Label every lid with day + name (P1 MON, P2 MON…).
  3. Cool with lids cracked ~15 min, then: both MON–WED sets to the fridge, all four THU + FRI bowls to the freezer. All 10 sauce cups fridge.
  4. Reminders: Wed night pull both THU bowls to the fridge; Thu night pull both FRI bowls.

The week, by sauce

Beef-built sauces this time — same arc: fresh, then creamy, then the one that keeps.

Mon · Tue
Crying tiger
Charred cabbage wedges + snap peas. Fish sauce + lime + cilantro over seared beef and rice — fresh lime peaks early, so it leads.
Person 1 ~720 · 67g  ·  Person 2 ~500 · 45g
From fridge
Wed
Horseradish yogurt
Sweet roasted carrots + red onion against horseradish bite — the steakhouse pairing rebuilt at 45 calories, +5g protein.
Person 1 ~735 · 72g  ·  Person 2 ~510 · 48g
From fridge · pull both Thu bowls tonight
Thu · Fri
Soy-sesame-ginger
Charred broccoli + onion — broccoli survives the freeze better than anything else. Freeze-reheat lands the steak nearer medium than Monday's pink; the sauce carries it.
Person 1 ~730 · 67g  ·  Person 2 ~505 · 45g
From freezer · thawed overnight
Reheat ritual: splash of water, cover, ~90 seconds — go gentle, sliced steak overcooks fast. Sauce after. Person 1’s day (dinner + his shake) lands ~2,000 / 150g+; Person 2’s two meals leave ~350–450 cal for her breakfast to close out 1,500 / 100g.
Week 03 · Lunches · Mon–Fri

Chicken Tenderloin Bowls, Mediterranean week

670 / 465cal — Person 1 / Person 2
72 / 48gprotein — Person 1 / Person 2
10 bowlshis & hers · one session
~55 minshortest cook of the month

Grocery list

Everything for 10 tenderloin bowls (his & hers). Tap items off as you shop.

0 of 0

Meat

the leanest week
Chicken tenderloins — yields 10 bowls (Person 1 8 oz / Person 2 5–6 oz)~5¼ lb · 10 bowls

Produce

veg + sauce herbs
Asparagus — Mon/Tue veg1½ lb
Cherry tomatoes — Mon/Tue veg1½ pints
Red bell peppers — Wed veg3
Cauliflower — Thu/Fri veg, the new freezer champ1 large head
Carrots — Thu/Fri veg1½ lb
Red onion — Wed2
Cucumber — tzatziki1 large
Parsley — salsa verde1 bunch
Fresh dill — tzatziki1 small bunch
Lemons — all three sauces + the flash brine4
Garlic1 head

Dairy

Wed sauce base
Nonfat Greek yogurtsmall tub

Pantry

two new buys, both keepers
Jasmine rice4½ cups dry
Harissa paste — jar or tubenew buy
Capers — salsa verdenew buy
Anchovy paste — optional, adds savory depth to salsa verdeoptional
Red wine vinegarstaple
Olive oil + honeystaples
Spices — oregano, salt, pepperstaples
Harissa and capers are the only new pantry items by week 3 — everything else carried over from weeks 1–2.

Sunday session

Shortest cook of the month — tenderloins take 13 minutes, and that's the point. Overcooking Sunday is sawdust Wednesday.

0 of 0

Oven rail · tenderloins ride the middle

425°F
0:00veg pans in 12:00asparagus + tomatoes out · tenderloins in 20:00peppers + onion out 25:00tenderloins + cauliflower/carrots out
tenderloins get exactly 13 minutes · pull at 160°F, carryover finishes at 165
First · ~5 min active
Start the rice cooker
4½ cups dry jasmine — covers all ten lunch bowls plus early-week dinners for two.
▾
  1. Measure 4½ cups dry jasmine — use the cooker’s own cup if it came with one, and use the same cup all month.
  2. Rinse right in the pot: cover with water, swish with your hand, pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 2–3 times until it runs mostly clear.
  3. Add water to the matching line on the pot (no lines: 1¼ cups water per cup of rice), lid on, press cook.
  4. Walk away. It beeps when done and holds on keep-warm until assembly.
While oven preheats · the moisture insurance
Flash-brine the tenderloins
Salt, lemon, oregano — 15 minutes on the counter.
▾
  1. Tenderloins into a bowl with 1 tsp salt, the juice of 1 lemon, and a pinch of oregano. Toss with your hands.
  2. Let them sit on the counter 15 minutes while you prep the veg — not much longer than 30.
  3. See a tough white strip in some? That’s the tendon — pinch the end and scrape the meat off it with a knife, or leave it; it’s minor.
  4. Oven to 425°F while they sit.
Two veg pans · two zones each
Prep the veg
Asparagus + tomatoes on A; peppers, cauliflower, carrots on B.
▾
  1. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus — bend a spear and it breaks where it should.
  2. Pan A: asparagus + cherry tomatoes. Pan B: pepper chunks + onion on one half, cauliflower florets + carrot batons on the other.
  3. 1 tbsp oil total across both pans, salt, toss with your hands.
Oven · the tenderloin swap
Roast — tenderloins go in when asparagus comes out
One oven-open moment at 13:00. Tap the timer when veg goes in.
▾
  1. Veg pans in. Start the timer up on the rail — tap it again anytime to pause. Tenderloins wait on their own pan, out of the oven.
  2. When it shows 13:00: pull asparagus + tomatoes out and slide the tenderloin pans in (5+ lb needs two) — one motion, oven open once.
  3. When it shows 5:00: pull the peppers + onion.
  4. At Done: pull tenderloins + cauliflower/carrots. Tenderloins: 160°F or just-no-pink in the thickest one — carryover finishes them at 165.
While the oven runs · ~10 min
Make all three sauces
Each panel below is a full walkthrough — measurements, steps, and which cup it fills.
▾
Salsa verdeItalian, not Mexican — briny, lemony, made for chicken.
Step-by-step
You need
  • 1½ cups parsley leaves, packed
  • 1½ tbsp capers, drained
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Optional: ¾ tsp anchovy paste (reads as depth, not fish)
  • Black pepper — go easy on salt, capers bring their own
Do this
  1. Chop the parsley very fine, then chop the capers into it on the same board.
  2. Grate the garlic in, add everything else, stir.
  3. Taste: briny and bright. If it tastes like lawn, more lemon and a pinch of salt.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two MON, two TUE (a P1 and an P2 cup each day). Fridge.
TzatzikiThe gyro sauce. The cucumber squeeze is the whole game.
Step-by-step
You need
  • ¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • Squeeze of lemon
  • 1½ tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • Pinch of salt
Do this
  1. Grate the cucumber on the big holes of a box grater.
  2. Pile it in a clean towel or paper towels and SQUEEZE over the sink until water stops coming — you'll get more than you expect. Skip this and Wednesday's cup is soup.
  3. Stir the dry cucumber into everything else.
  4. Taste: cool, garlicky, a little sour. Needs life? Salt, then lemon.
→ 2 cups — P1 WED + P2 WED. Fridge.
Harissa-honeyNorth African chili paste, sweetened just enough.
Step-by-step
You need
  • 2 heaping tbsp harissa paste
  • 1½ tsp honey
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2–3 tbsp water
Do this
  1. Stir harissa, honey, lemon, and garlic together.
  2. Add water ½ tbsp at a time until it drizzles like warm honey — harissa brands vary wildly in thickness.
  3. Taste a tiny amount: brands vary in heat too. Scorching? Another tsp of honey and a little more lemon.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two THU, two FRI (P1 + P2 each day). Fridge — it deepens by Friday, that's the plan.
  1. Open each panel above and follow it top to bottom — the tzatziki’s cucumber squeeze is the one step you cannot skip.
  2. Wipe the cutting board between sauces.
  3. Finished when: 10 labeled cups are in the fridge — a P1 and an P2 cup for every day.
Assembly + storage
Portion 10 bowls · fridge Mon–Wed · freeze Thu + Fri
Rice, tenderloins, the veg map, two reminders.
▾
  1. Rice: 1 cup Person 1 / ⅔ cup Person 2. Tenderloins: 8 oz Person 1 / 5–6 oz Person 2 per bowl.
  2. Veg map: asparagus/tomatoes → MON + TUE · peppers/onion → WED · cauliflower/carrots → THU + FRI. Label every lid with day + name (P1 MON, P2 MON…).
  3. Cool with lids cracked ~15 min, then: both MON–WED sets to the fridge, all four THU + FRI bowls to the freezer. All 10 sauce cups fridge.
  4. Reminders: Wed night pull both THU bowls to the fridge; Thu night pull both FRI bowls.

The week, by sauce

Mediterranean end to end — and the gentlest reheats of the month, because lean cuts demand it.

Mon · Tue
Salsa verde
Roasted asparagus + blistered cherry tomatoes. Bright and briny — capers and lemon lead while the herbs are freshest.
Person 1 ~670 · 72g  ·  Person 2 ~465 · 48g
From fridge
Wed
Tzatziki
Roasted red pepper + onion. Chicken, tzatziki, rice — a gyro bowl in everything but the pita. +5g protein from the yogurt.
Person 1 ~680 · 77g  ·  Person 2 ~475 · 51g
From fridge · pull both Thu bowls tonight
Thu · Fri
Harissa-honey
Roasted cauliflower + carrots — cauliflower takes freezer duty this week and handles it as well as broccoli did. Classic North African pairing with harissa.
Person 1 ~670 · 72g  ·  Person 2 ~465 · 48g
From freezer · thawed overnight
Reheat ritual: the gentlest of the month — shorter microwave bursts, always the water splash, sauce the moment it's out. Lean cuts punish long reheats. This week runs ~60 cal lighter than the others; that's deliberate slack for heavier sauce pours or a bigger dinner. Person 1’s day (dinner + his shake) still lands ~2,000 / 150g+; Person 2’s two meals leave ~350–450 cal for her breakfast to close out 1,500 / 100g.
Week 04 · Lunches · Mon–Fri

Ground Turkey Taco Bowls, or wraps

715 / 495cal — Person 1 / Person 2
60 / 40gprotein — Person 1 / Person 2
10 bowlshis & hers · one session
Wrap modeoptional · +10 cal

Grocery list

Everything for 10 taco bowls (his & hers) — lettuce is still the one optional line.

0 of 0

Meat

the one ground week
Ground turkey 93/7 — 10 oz Person 1 / 6 oz Person 2 per bowl~5¼ lb

Produce

veg + sauces + wraps
Bell peppers — Mon/Tue fajita veg4
Yellow onion — fajita veg + salsa roja3
Poblano pepper — Wed veg with the corn2–3
Cauliflower — Thu/Fri veg, cumin-roasted, freezer-proof1 large head
Roma tomatoes — salsa fresca5
Jalapeño — salsa fresca + crema3
Avocado — Wed crema1 small
Cilantro — fresca + crema1 bunch
Limes — all three sauces6
Garlic1 head
Butter lettuce or romaine hearts — wrap mode, optional. Romaine keeps the full week; butter lettuce cups are prettier but fade by Thuoptional · 1–2 heads

Dairy & frozen

crema base + Wed corn
Nonfat Greek yogurt — crema basesmall tub
Frozen fire-roasted corn — Wed veg1 bag

Pantry

mostly owned by now
Jasmine rice4½ cups dry
Canned fire-roasted tomatoes — salsa roja1 can
Chipotles in adobo — back from week 1owned
Taco spices — chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic + onion powderstaples
Olive oilstaple
By week 4 the pantry is fully stocked from earlier weeks — salsa roja runs on the same chipotle can you opened for week 1.

Sunday session

Skillet week — the turkey browns on the stovetop while the veg roasts. The salsa roja simmers in the same pan after.

0 of 0

Oven rail · skillet runs alongside

425°F
0:00both pans in · skillet on 15:00corn + poblano out 20:00fajita peppers + onion out 25:00cauliflower out
stovetop: brown turkey ~10 min · then salsa roja simmers in the same skillet
First · ~5 min active
Start the rice cooker
4½ cups dry jasmine — covers all ten lunch bowls plus early-week dinners for two.
▾
  1. Measure 4½ cups dry jasmine — use the cooker’s own cup if it came with one, and use the same cup all month.
  2. Rinse right in the pot: cover with water, swish with your hand, pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 2–3 times until it runs mostly clear.
  3. Add water to the matching line on the pot (no lines: 1¼ cups water per cup of rice), lid on, press cook.
  4. Walk away. It beeps when done and holds on keep-warm until assembly.
While oven preheats
Mix the taco seasoning + prep veg pans
One spice bowl, two pans, everything staged.
▾
  1. Mix in a small bowl: 1½ tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1½ tsp smoked paprika, 1½ tsp oregano, 1½ tsp garlic powder, 1½ tsp onion powder, ¾ tsp salt.
  2. Pan A: corn (straight from frozen is fine) + poblano strips on one half; pepper strips + onion on the other.
  3. Pan B: cauliflower florets tossed with 1 tsp of the seasoning mix.
  4. 1 tbsp oil total across both pans. Oven to 425°F.
Oven · staggered pulls
Roast the veg
Tap the timer the moment the pans go in.
▾
  1. Both pans in. Start the timer up on the rail — tap it again anytime to pause.
  2. When it shows 10:00: pull the corn + poblano.
  3. When it shows 5:00: pull the fajita peppers + onion.
  4. At Done: pull the cauliflower.
Stovetop · while the veg roasts
Brown the turkey
Press it flat, leave it alone, season at the end.
▾
  1. Big skillet, medium-high, 1 tsp oil. Brown the turkey in two batches — 5 lb in one pan steams instead of browns.
  2. Press it flat like one giant patty and leave it alone 3–4 minutes — browning is the flavor, stirring prevents it.
  3. Break it up and cook until no pink remains, ~5 more minutes.
  4. Add the seasoning + ¼ cup water for the last 2 minutes; stir until every crumble is coated and glossy.
  5. Turkey into a bowl. Leave the browned bits in the skillet — the salsa roja is built on them.
Sauces · the roja uses the turkey skillet
Make all three sauces
Each panel below is a full walkthrough — measurements, steps, and which cup it fills.
▾
Salsa frescaRaw, chunky, the brightest thing in the month.
Step-by-step
You need
  • 5 roma tomatoes
  • 1 jalapeño (seeds out for mild, in for hot)
  • 3 tbsp minced onion (steal it from the fajita onion before it's roasted)
  • ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Heaped ¼ tsp salt
Do this
  1. Halve the tomatoes, scoop the wet seedy centers out with your thumb, dice the rest small.
  2. Mince the jalapeño fine — nobody wants a surprise chunk.
  3. Stir everything together and let it sit 10 minutes; the salt pulls the flavors together.
  4. Taste: it should be bright and snappy. Watery-bland means it needed more salt, not more lime.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two MON, two TUE (a P1 and an P2 cup each day). Fridge. Eat these first — raw salsa doesn't wait.
Avocado-lime cremaBlitzed smooth — taqueria green sauce energy.
Step-by-step
You need
  • ¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 small ripe avocado
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Handful cilantro
  • ½ jalapeño
  • Pinch of salt
Do this
  1. Blitz everything in a blender or with a stick blender until completely smooth — 30 seconds longer than you think.
  2. No blender? Mash the avocado to paste with a fork first, then whip everything in.
  3. Taste: creamy, tangy, gentle heat. Flat? Salt first, then lime.
  4. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before the lid — air is what turns it brown.
→ 2 cups — P1 WED + P2 WED. Fridge. The generous lime is also the preservative — don't skimp it.
Salsa rojaThe only cooked sauce of the month — simmered on the turkey fond.
Step-by-step
You need
  • 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, most of the liquid drained
  • 2–3 chipotles in adobo (the ones frozen from week 1 work)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • The empty turkey skillet, browned bits and all
Do this
  1. Blitz tomatoes, chipotles, and garlic until mostly smooth.
  2. Pour into the empty turkey skillet over medium heat and scrape the browned bits off the bottom into the sauce — that's free flavor.
  3. Simmer ~10 minutes until it darkens and thickens to a spoon-coating consistency. Salt, taste.
  4. Cool it before it goes into cups — hot sauce into a cold fridge steams everything around it.
→ Split evenly into 4 cups — two THU, two FRI (P1 + P2 each day). Fridge — it's better on Friday than it was on Sunday.
  1. Open each panel above — the salsa roja panel sends you back to this skillet on purpose.
  2. Fresca and crema never freeze; every cup lives in the fridge, labeled.
  3. Finished when: 10 labeled cups are in the fridge and the skillet’s been deglazed into the roja.
Wrap mode prep · optional, 2 minutes
Bag the lettuce — whole leaves, bone dry
Dry leaves keep a week; wet ones wilt by Tuesday.
▾
  1. Separate the leaves whole, wash, and dry them completely — salad spinner or pat down with towels. Water is what wilts them.
  2. Into a zip bag with a dry paper towel, air pressed out. Fridge.
  3. Never pre-assemble a wrap, never freeze lettuce, never microwave it. Wraps get built at lunch, not on Sunday.
Assembly + storage
Portion 10 bowls · fridge Mon–Wed · freeze Thu + Fri
Turkey, rice, the veg map, two reminders.
▾
  1. Turkey: ~10 oz Person 1 / ~6 oz Person 2 per bowl. Rice: 1 cup Person 1 / ⅔ cup Person 2.
  2. Veg map: fajita peppers/onion → MON + TUE · corn/poblano → WED · cauliflower → THU + FRI. Label every lid with day + name (P1 MON, P2 MON…).
  3. Cool with lids cracked ~15 min, then: both MON–WED sets to the fridge, all four THU + FRI bowls to the freezer. All 10 sauce cups + the lettuce bag fridge.
  4. Reminders: Wed night pull both THU bowls to the fridge; Thu night pull both FRI bowls.

The week, by sauce

Taco bowls straight, or heat the bowl and spoon it into cold lettuce — same food, two formats.

Mon · Tue
Salsa fresca
Fajita peppers + onion. Raw salsa is the most perishable sauce of the month — it leads while the tomatoes still snap.
Person 1 ~710 · 60g  ·  Person 2 ~495 · 40g
From fridge
Wed
Avocado-lime crema
Fire-roasted corn + poblano. Street-corn energy against the creamy sauce; the yogurt adds +5g protein.
Person 1 ~740 · 65g  ·  Person 2 ~515 · 43g
From fridge · pull both Thu bowls tonight
Thu · Fri
Salsa roja
Cumin-roasted cauliflower. The cooked, smoky salsa is the week's keeper — simmered on the turkey fond, better by Friday.
Person 1 ~715 · 60g  ·  Person 2 ~500 · 40g
From freezer · thawed overnight
Wrap mode: reheat the bowl as usual, then spoon hot turkey, rice, and veg into cold, dry leaves — hot filling, cold crunch is the point. Adds ~10 cal, changes nothing else. Protein note: this is the lowest-protein lunch of the month at ~60g, so the afternoon whey shake matters most this week — with it and dinner, Person 1’s day still lands ~2,000 / 150g; Person 2 closes out 1,500 / 100g with breakfast.
Week 01

Week 1

Week 01 · Dinners · Sun–Thu

Five nights, cooked fresh

2 steaknights max · ribeye Sunday
Boost rulePerson 1 only — fish nights: milk shake + 2 cups rice
Thursdayalways the 15-min night

The nights

Thigh lunch week — so no chicken at dinner. Tap a night for the full walkthrough.

SUN
Ribeye + charred asparagus & parm
Person 1 ~1,160 · 89g  ·  Person 2 ~640 · 48gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice No lunch today · the big plate
▾
You need
  • 18–19 oz ribeye — one big steak, or a 12 oz + a 6 oz
  • Salt, pepper, 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • 1 tbsp butter, 2 garlic cloves (smashed), sprig of thyme if you have it
  • Rice from today’s batch — 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
  • 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off
  • Grated parmesan
Do this
  1. If you can, salt the steak 40 minutes ahead and leave it on the counter. Forgot? Salt it now — still works.
  2. Cast iron on high, 4 minutes empty — it should just barely start to smoke. Pat the steak dry one more time.
  3. 1 tsp oil, steak in. Do not touch it for 3–4 minutes — peek at the edge; when it’s deep brown, flip.
  4. 3 minutes on side two. Thermometer: pull at 130°F for medium-rare.
  5. Heat to low. Butter + garlic + thyme into the pan, tilt it, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for 60–90 seconds.
  6. Steak to a board. Rest 8 minutes — the side cooks in this exact window:
  7. Same pan, medium-high: asparagus in the steak fat, 3–4 minutes, rolling occasionally, salt.
  8. Off the heat, shower with parmesan — it melts on contact.
  9. Slice against the grain, flaky salt. Plate it — Person 1: ~12 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6–7 oz over ¾ cup. Pour the board juices over both.
  10. Lunch check before the steak: today is also prep day — all 10 lunch bowls (Lunch tab — Person 1’s 5 + Person 2’s 5) should already be built and put away: both MON–WED sets in the fridge, all four THU/FRI bowls in the freezer. If not, prep first, ribeye second.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: one 12 oz ribeye, same method, full butter baste (1 tbsp), 1 cup rice, water shake. Scale the side down by eye.
  • Person 2 solo: one 6–7 oz cut, sear 3 minutes per side (a smaller steak cooks faster — still pull at 130°F), ½ tbsp butter for the baste, ¾ cup rice.
The side of the week cooks in the steak’s resting window, in the steak’s own pan. Different side every Sunday this month.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,280 · 113g — light by design
P2
640 + her own day · 48g
Free calories: P1 +720 (no lunch today — real room for breakfast + snacks) · P2 +860 (her whole daytime)
No prepped lunch on Sundays — Person 1 runs intentionally light; Person 2’s day is her own until dinner.
MON
NY strip, shallot-mushroom pan sauce
Person 1 ~950 · 81g  ·  Person 2 ~600 · 50gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice
▾
You need
  • 16–17 oz NY strip — one big, or a 10 oz + a 6 oz
  • 2 shallots, sliced · 10 mushrooms, halved
  • 1½ tsp butter, 1½ tsp soy sauce, black pepper
  • ⅓ cup water or broth
  • Rice: 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Salt the steak as early as you remember. Skillet on high, 3–4 minutes empty.
  2. Sear 3–4 minutes per side, flip once. Pull at 125–130°F, rest on a board.
  3. Same pan to medium: shallot + mushrooms, ~5 minutes until browned, stirring now and then.
  4. Splash in the ¼ cup water and scrape the browned bits off the bottom — that’s the sauce base.
  5. Butter + soy + a lot of black pepper, swirl 30 seconds until glossy. Off the heat.
  6. Slice against the grain and split it — Person 1: ~10 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6 oz over ¾ cup — then pour the pan over both plates.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz strip, 1 shallot + 6 mushrooms, 1 tsp butter + 1 tsp soy, ¼ cup water, 1 cup rice, water shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz strip (sear ~3 min/side), 1 shallot + 5 mushrooms, ½ tsp butter + ½ tsp soy, 3 tbsp water, ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,805 / 2,000 · 172g
P2
1,110 + bf · 95g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +195 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +390 — her breakfast + snack budget
TUE
Hot honey-soy salmon + garlic shrimp
Person 1 ~1,000 boosted · 76g  ·  Person 2 ~590 · 49gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice
▾
You need
  • 10 oz salmon (a 6 oz + a 4 oz fillet) + 10 oz shrimp (peeled, thawed)
  • Glaze: 1½ tbsp soy, 1 tbsp honey, 1½ tsp sriracha
  • 2 garlic cloves sliced, ½ lemon, 1 tsp oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Stir the glaze in a small bowl. Brush it all over the salmon.
  2. Air fryer 400°F, 10–12 minutes — the glaze should caramelize dark at the edges. (No air fryer: 425°F oven, ~12 min top rack.)
  3. Last 5 minutes: hot pan, 1 tsp oil, garlic 30 seconds, shrimp in a single layer.
  4. 2 minutes, flip, 1 minute — shrimp are done the moment they curl into loose C’s. Tight O’s = overdone.
  5. Kill the heat, big lemon squeeze over the shrimp.
  6. Over rice — Person 1: the 6 oz fillet + 6 oz of shrimp · Person 2: the 4 oz fillet + 4 oz of shrimp — and let the glaze drip in. That’s the dish.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 6 oz salmon + 6 oz shrimp; glaze: 1 tbsp soy + 2 tsp honey + 1 tsp sriracha. 2 cups rice + milk shake (his boost rules travel with him).
  • Person 2 solo: 4 oz salmon + 4 oz shrimp; glaze: 2 tsp soy + 1 tsp honey + ½ tsp sriracha. ¾ cup rice. Same air fryer time — thickness, not weight, sets it.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
2,005 / 2,000 · 179g
P2
1,100 + bf · 94g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 0 — day is full (running 5 over is noise, not a problem) · P2 +400 — her breakfast + snack budget
WED
Korean turkey rice bowl
Person 1 ~1,000 boosted · 60g  ·  Person 2 ~560 · 37g (+egg each)Person 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice
▾
You need
  • 16 oz (1 lb) ground turkey (93/7)
  • Sauce: 1½ tbsp gochujang, 1½ tbsp soy, 1½ tsp honey, 2 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 cucumber sliced thin + 3 tbsp rice vinegar + big pinch sugar
  • Optional: a fried egg each (+70 cal, +6g apiece — worth it)
  • 1 tsp oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. First: cucumber + vinegar + sugar + salt in a bowl. It pickles while you cook.
  2. Stir the sauce in a cup.
  3. Hot pan, 1 tsp oil, turkey in — press flat, leave 3 minutes so it actually browns, then break up and cook through.
  4. Sauce in, 1 minute of tossing until every crumble is glossy.
  5. Over rice — Person 1: ~10 oz over 2 cups · Person 2: ~6 oz over ¾ cup — pickled cucumber piled on one side (cold + hot in the same bowl is the point).
  6. Optional but correct: fried egg on top, runny yolk.
  7. Rice batch #2: before you start cooking, rinse 3 cups jasmine and set the cooker going — it covers tomorrow’s dinner for two and all four Thu/Fri lunch bowls.
  8. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both THU bowls (Person 1’s + Person 2’s) from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz turkey; sauce: 1 tbsp gochujang + 1 tbsp soy + 1 tsp honey + 1 garlic; ½ cucumber pickled. 2 cups rice + milk shake, egg on top.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz turkey; sauce: 2 tsp gochujang + 2 tsp soy + ½ tsp honey + 1 small garlic; ½ cucumber pickled. ¾ cup rice, egg still worth it.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
2,015 / 2,000 · 168g
P2
1,075 + bf · 85g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 0 — day is full (running 15 over is noise, not a problem) · P2 +425 — her breakfast + snack budget
THU
Shrimp stir fry
Person 1 ~950 boosted · 61g  ·  Person 2 ~560 · 40gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice 15-min night
▾
You need
  • 16 oz (1 lb) shrimp — frozen is fine; thaw 10 min under cold water
  • 1½ bags frozen stir-fry veg
  • Slurry: 3 tbsp soy, 1½ tbsp rice vinegar, 2 grated garlic cloves, ¾ tsp ginger, 1½ tsp honey, 1½ tsp cornstarch stirred into 3 tbsp cold water
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Mix the slurry first — cornstarch into the cold water, then everything else. Stir again right before it hits the pan.
  2. Biggest pan you own, high heat, half the oil. Shrimp in one layer, 2 minutes, flip, out to a plate.
  3. Rest of the oil, frozen veg straight in. Don’t crowd-stir — let it sit 2 minutes, toss, 2 more.
  4. Shrimp back in. Stir the slurry once more and pour it around the edge of the pan.
  5. 30 seconds of tossing — it turns glossy and clings to everything. That cling is the whole trick.
  6. Over rice immediately — Person 1: the bigger share over 2 cups · Person 2: over ¾ cup. Total: ~15 minutes.
  7. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both FRI bowls from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
  8. Tomorrow (Friday) night — the weekly thaw: next week’s lunch-protein bag + Sunday’s ribeye move freezer → fridge. The one habit the whole Costco system runs on.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz shrimp, 1 bag veg; slurry: 2 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 garlic, ½ tsp ginger, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water. 2 cups rice + milk shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz shrimp, ½ bag veg; slurry: 1½ tbsp soy, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 garlic, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp cornstarch in 1½ tbsp cold water. ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,945 / 2,000 · 164g
P2
1,065 + bf · 85g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +55 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +435 — her breakfast + snack budget
The boost rule is Person 1’s only: on lean nights (fish, shrimp, turkey) his one shake is made with milk and he takes 2 cups rice; steak and chicken nights, water shake and 1 cup. Every chip above says which. Person 2’s plate never boosts: ¾ cup rice every night, no shake needed — her lunch + dinner run ~1,050–1,150 cal / ~85–95g, and breakfast closes out 1,500 / 100g. Person 1 lands ~1,850–2,050 / 150g+ daily.
Week 02

Week 2

Week 02 · Dinners · Sun–Thu

Five nights, cooked fresh

2 steaknights max · ribeye Sunday
Boost rulePerson 1 only — fish nights: milk shake + 2 cups rice
Thursdayalways the 15-min night

The nights

Flank lunch week — the one week steak-on-steak is allowed; still capped at two steak nights. Tap a night for the full walkthrough.

SUN
Ribeye + blistered green beans & garlic
Person 1 ~1,160 · 89g  ·  Person 2 ~640 · 48gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice No lunch today · the big plate
▾
You need
  • 18–19 oz ribeye — one big steak, or a 12 oz + a 6 oz
  • Salt, pepper, 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • 1 tbsp butter, 2 garlic cloves (smashed), sprig of thyme if you have it
  • Rice from today’s batch — 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
  • ¾ lb green beans, ends trimmed
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
Do this
  1. If you can, salt the steak 40 minutes ahead and leave it on the counter. Forgot? Salt it now — still works.
  2. Cast iron on high, 4 minutes empty — it should just barely start to smoke. Pat the steak dry one more time.
  3. 1 tsp oil, steak in. Do not touch it for 3–4 minutes — peek at the edge; when it’s deep brown, flip.
  4. 3 minutes on side two. Thermometer: pull at 130°F for medium-rare.
  5. Heat to low. Butter + garlic + thyme into the pan, tilt it, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for 60–90 seconds.
  6. Steak to a board. Rest 8 minutes — the side cooks in this exact window:
  7. Same pan, medium-high: beans in, 4–5 minutes until blistered in spots.
  8. Sliced garlic in for the last minute so it toasts, not burns. Salt.
  9. Slice against the grain, flaky salt. Plate it — Person 1: ~12 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6–7 oz over ¾ cup. Pour the board juices over both.
  10. Lunch check before the steak: today is also prep day — all 10 lunch bowls (Lunch tab — Person 1’s 5 + Person 2’s 5) should already be built and put away: both MON–WED sets in the fridge, all four THU/FRI bowls in the freezer. If not, prep first, ribeye second.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: one 12 oz ribeye, same method, full butter baste (1 tbsp), 1 cup rice, water shake. Scale the side down by eye.
  • Person 2 solo: one 6–7 oz cut, sear 3 minutes per side (a smaller steak cooks faster — still pull at 130°F), ½ tbsp butter for the baste, ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,280 · 113g — light by design
P2
640 + her own day · 48g
Free calories: P1 +720 (no lunch today — real room for breakfast + snacks) · P2 +860 (her whole daytime)
No prepped lunch on Sundays — Person 1 runs intentionally light; Person 2’s day is her own until dinner.
MON
Crispy chicken thighs, chipotle-lime
Person 1 ~950 · 75g  ·  Person 2 ~620 · 50gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice
▾
You need
  • 5 skin-ON chicken thighs (~19 oz) — 3 for Person 1, 2 for Person 2; the skin is the dinner upgrade over lunch
  • Salt, pepper
  • Chipotle-lime yogurt: ⅓ cup Greek yogurt + 1 minced chipotle + lime + pinch cumin
  • Rice: 1 cup Person 1 / ¾ cup Person 2 + whatever green veg is in the fridge
Do this
  1. Pat the skin very dry, salt both sides.
  2. All 5 thighs skin-down in a COLD, big pan (two pans if they don’t lie flat), then turn to medium. Cold start renders the fat instead of scorching it.
  3. 20 minutes. Don’t touch them. Seriously — the skin releases itself when it’s crisp; if it sticks, it’s not ready.
  4. Flip, 3 minutes, done (175°F at the bone side).
  5. Rest skin-UP 5 minutes — skin-down resting steams away everything you just built.
  6. Sauce goes on the plate, not the skin — chipotle-lime yogurt (same build as the week 1 lunch panel, half batch). Drag each bite through it. Person 1: 3 thighs · Person 2: 2.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 3 thighs, same cold-pan method (timing doesn’t change); sauce: ¼ cup yogurt + ½ minced chipotle + lime + pinch cumin. 1 cup rice, water shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 2 thighs, same method and timing; sauce: 3 tbsp yogurt + a little chipotle + lime. ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,790 / 2,000 · 166g
P2
1,120 + bf · 95g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +210 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +380 — her breakfast + snack budget
TUE
Blackened salmon, lemon-yogurt drizzle
Person 1 ~1,000 boosted · 78g  ·  Person 2 ~560 · 42gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice
▾
You need
  • 14 oz salmon — an 8 oz + a 6 oz fillet
  • Rub: 1½ tsp paprika, ¾ tsp garlic powder, ¾ tsp oregano, ¾ tsp thyme, heaped ¼ tsp cayenne, salt, pepper
  • Drizzle: ¼ cup Greek yogurt + lemon juice + pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Mix the rub on a plate. Pat the salmon dry and press it into the rub on all sides.
  2. Skillet on medium-high with the oil until it shimmers.
  3. Salmon in, 3 minutes without moving — the crust should go deep mahogany, not black-black.
  4. Flip, 3 more minutes. It’s done when it flakes at the thickest part with gentle fork pressure.
  5. Stir the drizzle. Plate over rice — Person 1: the 8 oz + 2 cups · Person 2: the 6 oz + ¾ cup — and drizzle over both.
  6. Fair warning: this smokes a little. Fan on, window cracked, worth it.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 8 oz fillet; rub: 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp each garlic powder/oregano/thyme, ¼ tsp cayenne; drizzle: 3 tbsp yogurt + lemon. 2 cups rice + milk shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz fillet, same rub amounts minus a pinch; drizzle: 2 tbsp yogurt + lemon. ¾ cup rice. Same 3 + 3 minutes.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,990 / 2,000 · 181g
P2
1,060 + bf · 87g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +10 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +440 — her breakfast + snack budget
WED
Gochujang-butter sirloin + charred bok choy
Person 1 ~875 · 81g  ·  Person 2 ~575 · 50gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice
▾
You need
  • 16–17 oz top sirloin
  • 1½ tbsp gochujang, 1½ tsp butter, 3 tbsp water, 2 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • Rice: 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
  • 3 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
  • Few drops soy sauce
Do this
  1. Salt the steak early if you can. Skillet on high until nearly smoking.
  2. Sear 3–4 minutes per side, pull at 125–130°F, rest 8 minutes.
  3. While it rests: bok choy cut-side down in the hot pan, 2 minutes until charred; splash of water, lid on 1 minute; drops of soy.
  4. Slice the steak thin against the grain.
  5. Pan to low: gochujang + water + butter + garlic, swirl until it’s a glossy sauce (~30 seconds).
  6. Toss the slices in the sauce right in the pan, then plate — Person 1: ~10 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6 oz over ¾ cup.
  7. Rice batch #2: before you start cooking, rinse 3 cups jasmine and set the cooker going — it covers tomorrow’s dinner for two and all four Thu/Fri lunch bowls.
  8. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both THU bowls (Person 1’s + Person 2’s) from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz sirloin; sauce: 1 tbsp gochujang + 1 tsp butter + 2 tbsp water + 1 garlic clove. 1 cup rice, water shake. Half the side veg.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz sirloin (~3 min/side); sauce: 2 tsp gochujang + ½ tsp butter + 1½ tbsp water + 1 small garlic clove. ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,730 / 2,000 · 177g
P2
1,085 + bf · 98g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +270 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +415 — her breakfast + snack budget
THU
Garlic butter shrimp scampi
Person 1 ~1,050 boosted · 71g  ·  Person 2 ~620 · 44gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice 15-min night
▾
You need
  • 18 oz shrimp, peeled (frozen is fine)
  • 2 tbsp butter — measured, it’s the dish
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced thin · big pinch chili flakes
  • ½ lemon, handful chopped parsley
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Pat the shrimp dry — wet shrimp won’t sear, they’ll poach.
  2. Butter into a pan on medium. When it foams, garlic + chili flakes, 1 minute — fragrant and barely golden, never brown.
  3. Shrimp in a single layer. 2 minutes, flip, 1–2 more — done at loose C-shape.
  4. Off the heat: big lemon squeeze + parsley, toss.
  5. Everything — especially the garlic butter — over the rice: Person 1: ~11 oz shrimp over 2 cups · Person 2: ~7 oz over ¾ cup. Leave no butter in the pan.
  6. Total: ~15 minutes. This is a Thursday for a reason.
  7. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both FRI bowls from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
  8. Tomorrow (Friday) night — the weekly thaw: next week’s lunch-protein bag + Sunday’s ribeye move freezer → fridge. The one habit the whole Costco system runs on.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 11–12 oz shrimp, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp butter, 4 garlic cloves, half a lemon. 2 cups rice + milk shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 7 oz shrimp, 2 tsp butter, 3 garlic cloves, big lemon squeeze. ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
2,050 / 2,000 · 174g
P2
1,125 + bf · 89g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 0 — day is full (running 50 over is noise, not a problem) · P2 +375 — her breakfast + snack budget
The boost rule is Person 1’s only: on lean nights (fish, shrimp, turkey) his one shake is made with milk and he takes 2 cups rice; steak and chicken nights, water shake and 1 cup. Every chip above says which. Person 2’s plate never boosts: ¾ cup rice every night, no shake needed — her lunch + dinner run ~1,050–1,150 cal / ~85–95g, and breakfast closes out 1,500 / 100g. Person 1 lands ~1,850–2,050 / 150g+ daily.
Week 03

Week 3

Week 03 · Dinners · Sun–Thu

Five nights, cooked fresh

2 steaknights max · ribeye Sunday
Boost rulePerson 1 only — fish nights: milk shake + 2 cups rice
Thursdayalways the 15-min night

The nights

Tenderloin lunch week — so no chicken at dinner. Tap a night for the full walkthrough.

SUN
Ribeye + broccolini, lemon & chili
Person 1 ~1,160 · 89g  ·  Person 2 ~640 · 48gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice No lunch today · the big plate
▾
You need
  • 18–19 oz ribeye — one big steak, or a 12 oz + a 6 oz
  • Salt, pepper, 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • 1 tbsp butter, 2 garlic cloves (smashed), sprig of thyme if you have it
  • Rice from today’s batch — 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
  • 1 bunch broccolini
  • ½ lemon, chili flakes
Do this
  1. If you can, salt the steak 40 minutes ahead and leave it on the counter. Forgot? Salt it now — still works.
  2. Cast iron on high, 4 minutes empty — it should just barely start to smoke. Pat the steak dry one more time.
  3. 1 tsp oil, steak in. Do not touch it for 3–4 minutes — peek at the edge; when it’s deep brown, flip.
  4. 3 minutes on side two. Thermometer: pull at 130°F for medium-rare.
  5. Heat to low. Butter + garlic + thyme into the pan, tilt it, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for 60–90 seconds.
  6. Steak to a board. Rest 8 minutes — the side cooks in this exact window:
  7. Same pan, medium-high: broccolini 3–4 minutes until charred in spots.
  8. Splash of water, lid on 1 minute to steam tender. Lemon squeeze + chili flakes off the heat.
  9. Slice against the grain, flaky salt. Plate it — Person 1: ~12 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6–7 oz over ¾ cup. Pour the board juices over both.
  10. Lunch check before the steak: today is also prep day — all 10 lunch bowls (Lunch tab — Person 1’s 5 + Person 2’s 5) should already be built and put away: both MON–WED sets in the fridge, all four THU/FRI bowls in the freezer. If not, prep first, ribeye second.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: one 12 oz ribeye, same method, full butter baste (1 tbsp), 1 cup rice, water shake. Scale the side down by eye.
  • Person 2 solo: one 6–7 oz cut, sear 3 minutes per side (a smaller steak cooks faster — still pull at 130°F), ½ tbsp butter for the baste, ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,280 · 113g — light by design
P2
640 + her own day · 48g
Free calories: P1 +720 (no lunch today — real room for breakfast + snacks) · P2 +860 (her whole daytime)
No prepped lunch on Sundays — Person 1 runs intentionally light; Person 2’s day is her own until dinner.
MON
Korean turkey rice bowl
Person 1 ~1,000 boosted · 60g  ·  Person 2 ~560 · 37g (+egg each)Person 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice
▾
You need
  • 16 oz (1 lb) ground turkey (93/7)
  • Sauce: 1½ tbsp gochujang, 1½ tbsp soy, 1½ tsp honey, 2 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 cucumber sliced thin + 3 tbsp rice vinegar + big pinch sugar
  • Optional: a fried egg each (+70 cal, +6g apiece — worth it)
  • 1 tsp oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. First: cucumber + vinegar + sugar + salt in a bowl. It pickles while you cook.
  2. Stir the sauce in a cup.
  3. Hot pan, 1 tsp oil, turkey in — press flat, leave 3 minutes so it actually browns, then break up and cook through.
  4. Sauce in, 1 minute of tossing until every crumble is glossy.
  5. Over rice — Person 1: ~10 oz over 2 cups · Person 2: ~6 oz over ¾ cup — pickled cucumber piled on one side (cold + hot in the same bowl is the point).
  6. Optional but correct: fried egg on top, runny yolk.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz turkey; sauce: 1 tbsp gochujang + 1 tbsp soy + 1 tsp honey + 1 garlic; ½ cucumber pickled. 2 cups rice + milk shake, egg on top.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz turkey; sauce: 2 tsp gochujang + 2 tsp soy + ½ tsp honey + 1 small garlic; ½ cucumber pickled. ¾ cup rice, egg still worth it.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,940 / 2,000 · 168g
P2
1,025 + bf · 85g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +60 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +475 — her breakfast + snack budget
TUE
Sesame-crusted seared tuna + avocado
Person 1 ~1,050 boosted · 90g  ·  Person 2 ~600 · 56gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice
▾
You need
  • 13 oz ahi — an 8 oz + a 5 oz steak (frozen-then-thawed is the right buy for rare)
  • ⅓ cup sesame seeds on a plate
  • Dip: 3 tbsp soy, 1½ tbsp rice vinegar, ¾ tsp grated ginger
  • 1 avocado, sliced — half each
  • 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Pat the tuna very dry. Press every side into the sesame seeds until coated.
  2. Skillet on high until it just smokes — hotter than feels reasonable. Add the oil.
  3. 45 seconds per side. That’s it. Set a timer if you don’t trust yourself — the center stays rare on purpose; cooked-through ahi is cardboard.
  4. Rest 2 minutes, then slice into thick ½-inch slabs with your sharpest knife.
  5. Fan over rice — Person 1: the 8 oz + 2 cups + half the avocado · Person 2: the 5 oz + ¾ cup + the other half. Dip on the side.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 8 oz steak, ¼ cup sesame; dip: 2 tbsp soy + 1 tbsp rice vinegar + ½ tsp ginger; ½ avocado, 2 cups rice + milk shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 5 oz steak — still 45 seconds per side, the sear time doesn’t shrink with the steak; dip: 1 tbsp soy + 2 tsp vinegar + pinch of ginger; ½ avocado, ¾ cup rice.
Deepest calorie hole of the month, hence the avocado. Buy the tuna frozen — for rare searing it’s the correct product, not the compromise.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,990 / 2,000 · 198g
P2
1,065 + bf · 104g ✓
Free calories: P1 +10 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +435 — her breakfast + snack budget
WED
NY strip, shallot-mushroom pan sauce
Person 1 ~950 · 81g  ·  Person 2 ~600 · 50gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice
▾
You need
  • 16–17 oz NY strip — one big, or a 10 oz + a 6 oz
  • 2 shallots, sliced · 10 mushrooms, halved
  • 1½ tsp butter, 1½ tsp soy sauce, black pepper
  • ⅓ cup water or broth
  • Rice: 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Salt the steak as early as you remember. Skillet on high, 3–4 minutes empty.
  2. Sear 3–4 minutes per side, flip once. Pull at 125–130°F, rest on a board.
  3. Same pan to medium: shallot + mushrooms, ~5 minutes until browned, stirring now and then.
  4. Splash in the ¼ cup water and scrape the browned bits off the bottom — that’s the sauce base.
  5. Butter + soy + a lot of black pepper, swirl 30 seconds until glossy. Off the heat.
  6. Slice against the grain and split it — Person 1: ~10 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6 oz over ¾ cup — then pour the pan over both plates.
  7. Rice batch #2: before you start cooking, rinse 3 cups jasmine and set the cooker going — it covers tomorrow’s dinner for two and all four Thu/Fri lunch bowls.
  8. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both THU bowls (Person 1’s + Person 2’s) from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz strip, 1 shallot + 6 mushrooms, 1 tsp butter + 1 tsp soy, ¼ cup water, 1 cup rice, water shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz strip (sear ~3 min/side), 1 shallot + 5 mushrooms, ½ tsp butter + ½ tsp soy, 3 tbsp water, ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,750 / 2,000 · 182g
P2
1,075 + bf · 101g ✓
Free calories: P1 +250 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +425 — her breakfast + snack budget
THU
Shrimp stir fry
Person 1 ~950 boosted · 61g  ·  Person 2 ~560 · 40gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice 15-min night
▾
You need
  • 16 oz (1 lb) shrimp — frozen is fine; thaw 10 min under cold water
  • 1½ bags frozen stir-fry veg
  • Slurry: 3 tbsp soy, 1½ tbsp rice vinegar, 2 grated garlic cloves, ¾ tsp ginger, 1½ tsp honey, 1½ tsp cornstarch stirred into 3 tbsp cold water
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Mix the slurry first — cornstarch into the cold water, then everything else. Stir again right before it hits the pan.
  2. Biggest pan you own, high heat, half the oil. Shrimp in one layer, 2 minutes, flip, out to a plate.
  3. Rest of the oil, frozen veg straight in. Don’t crowd-stir — let it sit 2 minutes, toss, 2 more.
  4. Shrimp back in. Stir the slurry once more and pour it around the edge of the pan.
  5. 30 seconds of tossing — it turns glossy and clings to everything. That cling is the whole trick.
  6. Over rice immediately — Person 1: the bigger share over 2 cups · Person 2: over ¾ cup. Total: ~15 minutes.
  7. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both FRI bowls from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
  8. Tomorrow (Friday) night — the weekly thaw: next week’s lunch-protein bag + Sunday’s ribeye move freezer → fridge. The one habit the whole Costco system runs on.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz shrimp, 1 bag veg; slurry: 2 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 garlic, ½ tsp ginger, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water. 2 cups rice + milk shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz shrimp, ½ bag veg; slurry: 1½ tbsp soy, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 garlic, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp cornstarch in 1½ tbsp cold water. ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,890 / 2,000 · 169g
P2
1,025 + bf · 88g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +110 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +475 — her breakfast + snack budget
The boost rule is Person 1’s only: on lean nights (fish, shrimp, turkey) his one shake is made with milk and he takes 2 cups rice; steak and chicken nights, water shake and 1 cup. Every chip above says which. Person 2’s plate never boosts: ¾ cup rice every night, no shake needed — her lunch + dinner run ~1,050–1,150 cal / ~85–95g, and breakfast closes out 1,500 / 100g. Person 1 lands ~1,850–2,050 / 150g+ daily.
Week 04

Week 4

Week 04 · Dinners · Sun–Thu

Five nights, cooked fresh

2 steaknights max · ribeye Sunday
Boost rulePerson 1 only — fish nights: milk shake + 2 cups rice
Thursdayalways the 15-min night

The nights

Turkey lunch week — so no turkey at dinner. Tap a night for the full walkthrough.

SUN
Ribeye + mushrooms & onions in the fond
Person 1 ~1,160 · 89g  ·  Person 2 ~640 · 48gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice No lunch today · the big plate
▾
You need
  • 18–19 oz ribeye — one big steak, or a 12 oz + a 6 oz
  • Salt, pepper, 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • 1 tbsp butter, 2 garlic cloves (smashed), sprig of thyme if you have it
  • Rice from today’s batch — 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
  • 8 oz mushrooms, halved
  • ½ onion, sliced
Do this
  1. If you can, salt the steak 40 minutes ahead and leave it on the counter. Forgot? Salt it now — still works.
  2. Cast iron on high, 4 minutes empty — it should just barely start to smoke. Pat the steak dry one more time.
  3. 1 tsp oil, steak in. Do not touch it for 3–4 minutes — peek at the edge; when it’s deep brown, flip.
  4. 3 minutes on side two. Thermometer: pull at 130°F for medium-rare.
  5. Heat to low. Butter + garlic + thyme into the pan, tilt it, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for 60–90 seconds.
  6. Steak to a board. Rest 8 minutes — the side cooks in this exact window:
  7. Same pan, medium-high: mushrooms + onion in the fond, 6–8 minutes until deep brown.
  8. Salt at the end, not the start — early salt makes mushrooms sweat instead of brown.
  9. Slice against the grain, flaky salt. Plate it — Person 1: ~12 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6–7 oz over ¾ cup. Pour the board juices over both.
  10. Lunch check before the steak: today is also prep day — all 10 lunch bowls (Lunch tab — Person 1’s 5 + Person 2’s 5) should already be built and put away: both MON–WED sets in the fridge, all four THU/FRI bowls in the freezer. If not, prep first, ribeye second.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: one 12 oz ribeye, same method, full butter baste (1 tbsp), 1 cup rice, water shake. Scale the side down by eye.
  • Person 2 solo: one 6–7 oz cut, sear 3 minutes per side (a smaller steak cooks faster — still pull at 130°F), ½ tbsp butter for the baste, ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,280 · 113g — light by design
P2
640 + her own day · 48g
Free calories: P1 +720 (no lunch today — real room for breakfast + snacks) · P2 +860 (her whole daytime)
No prepped lunch on Sundays — Person 1 runs intentionally light; Person 2’s day is her own until dinner.
MON
Crispy chicken thighs, soy-garlic
Person 1 ~950 · 75g  ·  Person 2 ~620 · 50gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice
▾
You need
  • 5 skin-ON chicken thighs (~19 oz) — 3 for Person 1, 2 for Person 2; the skin is the dinner upgrade over lunch
  • Salt, pepper
  • Soy-garlic sauce: 3 tbsp soy, 1½ tsp honey, 2 garlic cloves grated, splash rice vinegar
  • Rice: 1 cup Person 1 / ¾ cup Person 2 + whatever green veg is in the fridge
Do this
  1. Pat the skin very dry, salt both sides.
  2. All 5 thighs skin-down in a COLD, big pan (two pans if they don’t lie flat), then turn to medium. Cold start renders the fat instead of scorching it.
  3. 20 minutes. Don’t touch them. Seriously — the skin releases itself when it’s crisp; if it sticks, it’s not ready.
  4. Flip, 3 minutes, done (175°F at the bone side).
  5. Rest skin-UP 5 minutes — skin-down resting steams away everything you just built.
  6. Sauce goes on the plate, not the skin — soy-garlic (2 tbsp soy, 1 tsp honey, 1 grated garlic clove, splash rice vinegar). Drag each bite through it. Person 1: 3 thighs · Person 2: 2.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 3 thighs, same cold-pan method; sauce: 2 tbsp soy + 1 tsp honey + 1 garlic + splash rice vinegar. 1 cup rice, water shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 2 thighs, same method and timing; sauce: 1 tbsp soy + ½ tsp honey + 1 small garlic. ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,780 / 2,000 · 159g
P2
1,115 + bf · 90g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +220 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +385 — her breakfast + snack budget
TUE
Hot honey-soy salmon + garlic shrimp
Person 1 ~1,000 boosted · 76g  ·  Person 2 ~590 · 49gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice
▾
You need
  • 10 oz salmon (a 6 oz + a 4 oz fillet) + 10 oz shrimp (peeled, thawed)
  • Glaze: 1½ tbsp soy, 1 tbsp honey, 1½ tsp sriracha
  • 2 garlic cloves sliced, ½ lemon, 1 tsp oil
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Stir the glaze in a small bowl. Brush it all over the salmon.
  2. Air fryer 400°F, 10–12 minutes — the glaze should caramelize dark at the edges. (No air fryer: 425°F oven, ~12 min top rack.)
  3. Last 5 minutes: hot pan, 1 tsp oil, garlic 30 seconds, shrimp in a single layer.
  4. 2 minutes, flip, 1 minute — shrimp are done the moment they curl into loose C’s. Tight O’s = overdone.
  5. Kill the heat, big lemon squeeze over the shrimp.
  6. Over rice — Person 1: the 6 oz fillet + 6 oz of shrimp · Person 2: the 4 oz fillet + 4 oz of shrimp — and let the glaze drip in. That’s the dish.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 6 oz salmon + 6 oz shrimp; glaze: 1 tbsp soy + 2 tsp honey + 1 tsp sriracha. 2 cups rice + milk shake (his boost rules travel with him).
  • Person 2 solo: 4 oz salmon + 4 oz shrimp; glaze: 2 tsp soy + 1 tsp honey + ½ tsp sriracha. ¾ cup rice. Same air fryer time — thickness, not weight, sets it.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,980 / 2,000 · 172g
P2
1,085 + bf · 89g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +20 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +415 — her breakfast + snack budget
WED
Gochujang-butter sirloin + pickled cucumber
Person 1 ~875 · 81g  ·  Person 2 ~575 · 50gPerson 1: water shake · 1 cup rice
▾
You need
  • 16–17 oz top sirloin
  • 1½ tbsp gochujang, 1½ tsp butter, 3 tbsp water, 2 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 tsp high-heat oil
  • Rice: 1 cup for Person 1, ¾ cup for Person 2
  • 1 large cucumber (or 2 small), sliced thin
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar, pinch of sugar, pinch of salt
Do this
  1. Salt the steak early if you can. Skillet on high until nearly smoking.
  2. Sear 3–4 minutes per side, pull at 125–130°F, rest 8 minutes.
  3. Before the steak even hits the pan: toss cucumber + vinegar + sugar + salt in a bowl. It pickles itself while you cook. Cold crunch against hot steak is the point.
  4. Slice the steak thin against the grain.
  5. Pan to low: gochujang + water + butter + garlic, swirl until it’s a glossy sauce (~30 seconds).
  6. Toss the slices in the sauce right in the pan, then plate — Person 1: ~10 oz over 1 cup rice · Person 2: ~6 oz over ¾ cup.
  7. Rice batch #2: before you start cooking, rinse 3 cups jasmine and set the cooker going — it covers tomorrow’s dinner for two and all four Thu/Fri lunch bowls.
  8. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both THU bowls (Person 1’s + Person 2’s) from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 10 oz sirloin; sauce: 1 tbsp gochujang + 1 tsp butter + 2 tbsp water + 1 garlic clove. 1 cup rice, water shake. Half the side veg.
  • Person 2 solo: 6 oz sirloin (~3 min/side); sauce: 2 tsp gochujang + ½ tsp butter + 1½ tbsp water + 1 small garlic clove. ¾ cup rice.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
1,735 / 2,000 · 170g
P2
1,090 + bf · 91g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 +265 — a snack, fruit, or extra sauce, guilt-free · P2 +410 — her breakfast + snack budget
THU
Garlic butter shrimp scampi
Person 1 ~1,050 boosted · 71g  ·  Person 2 ~620 · 44gPerson 1: milk shake · 2 cups rice 15-min night
▾
You need
  • 18 oz shrimp, peeled (frozen is fine)
  • 2 tbsp butter — measured, it’s the dish
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced thin · big pinch chili flakes
  • ½ lemon, handful chopped parsley
  • Rice: 2 cups for Person 1 (his boost night), ¾ cup for Person 2
Do this
  1. Pat the shrimp dry — wet shrimp won’t sear, they’ll poach.
  2. Butter into a pan on medium. When it foams, garlic + chili flakes, 1 minute — fragrant and barely golden, never brown.
  3. Shrimp in a single layer. 2 minutes, flip, 1–2 more — done at loose C-shape.
  4. Off the heat: big lemon squeeze + parsley, toss.
  5. Everything — especially the garlic butter — over the rice: Person 1: ~11 oz shrimp over 2 cups · Person 2: ~7 oz over ¾ cup. Leave no butter in the pan.
  6. Total: ~15 minutes. This is a Thursday for a reason.
  7. Before bed — tomorrow’s lunch: move both FRI bowls from the freezer to the fridge so they thaw overnight.
  8. Tomorrow (Friday) night — the weekly thaw: next week’s lunch-protein bag + Sunday’s ribeye move freezer → fridge. The one habit the whole Costco system runs on.
If you’re cooking apart
  • Person 1 solo: 11–12 oz shrimp, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp butter, 4 garlic cloves, half a lemon. 2 cups rice + milk shake.
  • Person 2 solo: 7 oz shrimp, 2 tsp butter, 3 garlic cloves, big lemon squeeze. ¾ cup rice.
Person 1’s share runs ~11–12 oz of the shrimp — that’s the protein patch for turkey-lunch week.
Day total — lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake
P1
2,035 / 2,000 · 167g
P2
1,120 + bf · 84g (+bf)
Free calories: P1 0 — day is full (running 35 over is noise, not a problem) · P2 +380 — her breakfast + snack budget
The boost rule is Person 1’s only: on lean nights (fish, shrimp, turkey) his one shake is made with milk and he takes 2 cups rice; steak and chicken nights, water shake and 1 cup. Every chip above says which. Person 2’s plate never boosts: ¾ cup rice every night, no shake needed — her lunch + dinner run ~1,050–1,150 cal / ~85–95g, and breakfast closes out 1,500 / 100g. Person 1 lands ~1,850–2,050 / 150g+ daily.
Your plan · the first question

Who’s this plan for?

Pick one — everything downstream is sized to it
Your plan · step 1 of the build

Tell us what you eat

2 minthat’s the whole intake
Savedon your device, editable anytime
Freelike everything here
The goal
Everything downstream keys off this one choice.
Meals to cover
Pick every meal you want the plan to handle. Anything unpicked stays yours.
Foods you eat
Tap everything you’d happily eat every week.
Foods you don’t eat
Hard nos, allergies, religious or taste exclusions — these always win over the list above.
Your DEXA scan · optional, powerful
A DEXA turns this from a generic plan into your plan — real resting burn, real lean mass, real targets. No scan? Skip it; the calculator (coming next) will estimate.
No file attached — automatic reading is on the roadmap; the four numbers below do the work today.
All four are on page one of every DEXA report — look for “Total mass,” “Fat %,” “Lean mass,” and “Resting metabolic.”
Your plan · step 2 — the host’s call

Which meals do you share?

Quick picks
Shared meals are cooked once and plated two ways — one to your targets, one to theirs. Anything unshared is portioned for one.
The month · day by day

Every day, on one page

P1 2,000 · P2 1,500daily targets
Free= snack budget after planned meals
Fri PM + Satoff plan, on purpose
Week 01 · chicken thigh lunches
SUN
DRibeye + charred asparagus-parm
P1 1,280 · 113g · P2 640 · 48g
free P1 +720 · P2 +860
MON
LThigh bowl · chimichurri
DNY strip, pan sauce
P1 1,805 · 172g · P2 1,110 · 95g
free P1 +195 · P2 +390
TUE
LThigh bowl · chimichurri
DHoney-soy salmon + shrimp
P1 2,005 · 179g · P2 1,100 · 94g
free P1 0 · P2 +400
WED
LThigh bowl · chipotle-lime
DKorean turkey bowl
P1 2,015 · 168g · P2 1,075 · 85g
free P1 0 · P2 +425
THU
LThigh bowl · gochujang
DShrimp stir fry
P1 1,945 · 164g · P2 1,065 · 85g
free P1 +55 · P2 +435
FRI
LThigh bowl · gochujang
DDinner: off-plan — yours
P1 845 planned · 91g · P2 505 · 45g
free P1 +1,155 · P2 +995
SAT
Off plan · HEB basket 2 (shops Week 2) · Friday-night thaw already done
Week 02 · flank steak lunches
SUN
DRibeye + blistered green beans
P1 1,280 · 113g · P2 640 · 48g
free P1 +720 · P2 +860
MON
LFlank bowl · crying tiger
DCrispy thighs, chipotle-lime
P1 1,790 · 166g · P2 1,120 · 95g
free P1 +210 · P2 +380
TUE
LFlank bowl · crying tiger
DBlackened salmon
P1 1,990 · 181g · P2 1,060 · 87g
free P1 +10 · P2 +440
WED
LFlank bowl · horseradish yogurt
DGochujang sirloin + bok choy
P1 1,730 · 177g · P2 1,085 · 98g
free P1 +270 · P2 +415
THU
LFlank bowl · soy-sesame
DShrimp scampi
P1 2,050 · 174g · P2 1,125 · 89g
free P1 0 · P2 +375
FRI
LFlank bowl · soy-sesame
DDinner: off-plan — yours
P1 850 planned · 91g · P2 505 · 45g
free P1 +1,150 · P2 +995
SAT
Off plan · HEB basket 3 (shops Week 3)
Week 03 · chicken tenderloin lunches
SUN
DRibeye + broccolini, lemon-chili
P1 1,280 · 113g · P2 640 · 48g
free P1 +720 · P2 +860
MON
LTenderloin bowl · salsa verde
DKorean turkey bowl
P1 1,940 · 168g · P2 1,025 · 85g
free P1 +60 · P2 +475
TUE
LTenderloin bowl · salsa verde
DSesame tuna + avocado
P1 1,990 · 198g · P2 1,065 · 104g
free P1 +10 · P2 +435
WED
LTenderloin bowl · tzatziki
DNY strip, pan sauce
P1 1,750 · 182g · P2 1,075 · 101g
free P1 +250 · P2 +425
THU
LTenderloin bowl · harissa-honey
DShrimp stir fry
P1 1,890 · 169g · P2 1,025 · 88g
free P1 +110 · P2 +475
FRI
LTenderloin bowl · harissa-honey
DDinner: off-plan — yours
P1 790 planned · 96g · P2 465 · 48g
free P1 +1,210 · P2 +1,035
SAT
Off plan · HEB basket 4 — the tiny one
Week 04 · ground turkey taco lunches
SUN
DRibeye + mushrooms & onions
P1 1,280 · 113g · P2 640 · 48g
free P1 +720 · P2 +860
MON
LTaco bowl · salsa fresca
DCrispy thighs, soy-garlic
P1 1,780 · 159g · P2 1,115 · 90g
free P1 +220 · P2 +385
TUE
LTaco bowl · salsa fresca
DHoney-soy salmon + shrimp
P1 1,980 · 172g · P2 1,085 · 89g
free P1 +20 · P2 +415
WED
LTaco bowl · avocado crema
DGochujang sirloin + pickled cuke
P1 1,735 · 170g · P2 1,090 · 91g
free P1 +265 · P2 +410
THU
LTaco bowl · salsa roja
DShrimp scampi
P1 2,035 · 167g · P2 1,120 · 84g
free P1 0 · P2 +380
FRI
LTaco bowl · salsa roja
DDinner: off-plan — yours
P1 835 planned · 84g · P2 500 · 40g
free P1 +1,165 · P2 +1,000
SAT
Month complete · Costco restock day for the next cycle
Reading a day: totals count that day’s lunch + dinner + Person 1’s shake (Person 2’s totals are her two plated meals). Free is what’s left to the target — Person 1’s snack room, Person 2’s breakfast + snack budget. Friday dinners and Saturdays are deliberately off-plan; the huge Friday numbers are real freedom, not a typo.
The science · 90 seconds

Choose your goal — see the math

Choose your goal
3,500 cal= one pound of body fat
~1,550 / ~1,300Person 1 / Person 2 resting burn
Slowis the cheat code

The big idea: weight is one subtraction — calories burned − calories eaten. Everything else is commentary.

Step 1 · your resting burn

Your body pays a rent just for being alive

Why it matters: before you take a single step, your body burns a fixed amount running your heart, brain, and lungs — the resting metabolic rate. Person 1’s is about 1,550 cal/day. Person 2’s is about 1,300. That’s the burn at zero effort.

Step 2 · the trick of this plan

We eat just above resting — and let movement do the cutting

The setup: the menus land only slightly above resting burn. So nobody’s starving — and the moment either of us actually moves (walks, lifts, exists upright), total burn passes intake. The gap gets paid in body fat.

P1 · eats 2,000
eats
2,000
burns
~2,450
gap ≈ 450 cal/day → ~1 lb of fat/week
P2 · eats 1,500
eats
1,500
burns
~1,850
gap ≈ 350 cal/day → ~¾ lb of fat/week
what you eatresting burn — the alive taxmovement, on top
Step 3 · the pound math

How fast does a pound come off?

One pound of body fat holds ~3,500 calories. Divide that by your daily gap and you get the countdown. Longer bar = slower pound:

−100 /day
35 days · ~1 lb/mo
−250 /day
14 days · ~2 lb/mo
−350 /day
10 days · ~3 lb/moPerson 2’s lane
−450 /day
~8 days · ~4 lb/moPerson 1’s lane
−500 /day
7 days · ~4½ lb/mo
−750 /day
~5 days · ~6½ lb/mo
−1,000 /day
3½ days · ~8½ lb/mo
Step 4 · the catch

Bigger gap ≠ better

The bottom line: chase the bottom rows and the body fights back — energy tanks, muscle goes with the fat, and the diet doesn’t survive the month. The lanes this plan sets are the sustainable ones, and the protein (150g / 100g) is the insurance that what comes off is fat, not muscle. Eat the plan, move a little, let the math run.

~0.5 lb/wkthe muscle-building speed limit
Surplusfunds it — lifting directs it
1g / lbprotein, non-negotiable

The big idea: muscle is built from a surplus — you eat more than you burn, on purpose, and lifting tells your body where to spend it.

Step 1 · flip the equation

Now you eat past your burn

Why it matters: your resting burn plus daily movement sets the bar. To build, intake has to clear it — but only barely. New muscle costs surprisingly few calories a day; everything past that gets stored as fat.

EXAMPLE · P1-sized person
eats
~2,750
burns
~2,450
surplus ≈ +300 cal/day → ~0.5 lb/week — spent on muscle if you lift
EXAMPLE · P2-sized person
eats
~2,150
burns
~1,850
same +300 rule — the surplus scales to the body, not the appetite
what you eatresting burnmovement + training
Step 2 · the surplus math

Bigger surplus ≠ more muscle

Muscle synthesis has a speed limit — roughly half a pound a week for most people. Calories past what that costs don’t buy faster muscle; they buy fat. Longer bar = more total gain, not better gain:

+150 /day
~1.3 lb/mo · nearly all musclethe lean lane
+300 /day
~2.6 lb/mo · strong mixsweet spot
+500 /day
~4.3 lb/mo · fat creeping in
+750 /day
~6.4 lb/mo · mostly fat
+1,000 /day
~8.6 lb/mo · dirty bulk
Step 3 · the catch

The gas pedal isn’t food — it’s the barbell

The bottom line: a surplus without progressive lifting is just a fat-gain plan with good intentions. Train hard, eat 1g of protein per pound, keep the surplus small, and accept the timeline — slow gain is the only gain that’s muscle.

Maintenancecalories — eat what you burn
The scale lieshere more than anywhere
Proteinis the entire engine

The big idea: lose fat and build muscle at the same time — eat at roughly maintenance, lift hard, keep protein sky-high. The scale barely moves. The mirror does.

Step 1 · the internal trade

Eat what you burn — the swap happens inside

How it works: at maintenance calories with high protein and real training, your body funds new muscle with energy pulled from fat stores. No external gap — an internal transfer. It works best for newer lifters, people coming back after a break, and higher body-fat starting points.

EXAMPLE · P1-sized person
eats
~2,400
burns
~2,450
gap ≈ 0 — fat shrinks, muscle grows, weight holds
what you eatresting burnmovement + training
Step 2 · where progress shows up

Track the right thing or you’ll quit a plan that’s working

Recomp’s trap: the scale is the worst possible scoreboard for it. A pound of fat out and a pound of muscle in reads as zero. Watch what actually moves:

The scale
barely · stop watching it
Waist & photos
steadilyyour real tracker
Gym numbers
loudest · strength climbs first
Step 3 · the catch

It’s the slowest lane — and the strictest about protein

The bottom line: recomp trades speed for doing both at once, and it forgives nothing on protein — ~1g per pound, daily, plus training that actually progresses. Already lean and well-trained? Pick a lane (cut or gain) instead; recomp’s magic fades as you advance.

Groceries · the whole month

Four store days, zero waste

1 Costcofeeds the month from the freezer
3 baskets10-minute HEB runs, Saturdays
Herbsthe only reason it isn’t fewer

Day 0 — Costco + HEB, one errand

The Saturday before Week 1. Anything that freezes or sits on a shelf comes home today; the freezer becomes the warehouse. Cilantro at 7 days old is the failure mode this plan is built to avoid — that’s why fresh herbs never ride along early.

0 of 0

Costco — meat & seafood

the whole month, frozen same day
Chicken thighs, boneless skinless — W1 lunch bag~6 lb
Chicken thighs, skin-ON — two dinner-night packs (W2 + W4 Mondays)~2½ lb
Chicken tenderloins — W3 bag~5¼ lb
Ground turkey 93/7 — W4 lunch bag + two 1-lb dinner packs~7¼ lb
Ribeyes — 4 × 18–19 oz; one to the fridge for tomorrow, three frozen~5 lb
NY strip ×2 + top sirloin ×2 — ~17 oz each, frozen individually~4¼ lb
Flank steak — W2 lunch bag~5½ lb
Frozen salmon fillets — covers every salmon night with spares3-lb bag
Frozen ahi tuna steaks — the correct product for searing rare~1 lb
Frozen shrimp, peeled & deveined — month needs ~5½ lb3 × 2-lb bags
15 minutes of Day-0 freezer discipline makes the month: portion into labeled weekly bags — W2 FLANK, W3 TENDERLOINS, W4 TURKEY, steaks bagged individually. A frozen 7-lb brick is not a plan.

Costco — fridge, pantry & freezer aisle

shelf-stable = warehouse territory
Nonfat Greek yogurt twin-pack — tub 2 stays sealed for weeks 3–42 tubs
Eggs2 dozen
Butter + parmesan wedge1 ea.
Milk — Person 1’s boost shakes; gallon 2 comes mid-month at HEB1 gallon
Jasmine rice — the month runs ~18 cups drybig bag
Soy sauce (large), olive oil, high-heat oil, honeystaple sizes
Rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, Dijon1 ea.
Spice lineup — cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chili powder, chili flakescheck the rack first
Frozen stir-fry veg ×3 + fire-roasted corn ×14 bags
ON whey — only if the tub’s lowcheck
Costco roulette — sometimes stocked, grab if seen, otherwise they’re on today’s HEB list: gochujang, fish sauce, capers.

HEB — same day, basket 1

Week 1 produce + the month’s bulletproof keepers
Green beans — W1 Mon/Tue veg1½ lb
Cherry tomatoes — W1 Mon/Tue veg1½ pints
Red bell peppers — W1 Wed veg3
Broccoli crowns — W1 Thu/Fri veg3
Red onions — W12
Parsley — chimichurri1 bunch
Cilantro — chimichurri1 big bunch
Limes3
Lemons2
Garlic2 heads
Asparagus — Sunday ribeye side1 bunch
Shallots — Monday strip pan sauce2
Mushrooms — Monday strip pan sauce~10
Cucumber — Wednesday turkey bowl1
Chipotles in adobosmall can
Sriracha1 bottle
Cornstarch1 box
Red wine vinegar1 bottle
Gochujang — skip if Costco had it1 tub
Fish sauce — skip if Costco had it1 bottle
Capers — skip if Costco had it1 jar
Green cabbage — W2 keeper, it outlasts the wait1 medium
Carrots — W2 + W3 keeper3½ lb
Fresh ginger — W2 keeper1 knob
Everything in this basket is either used within 7 days or proven to survive 2+ weeks. That split is the whole system.

Saturday 2

Week 2’s perishables + Week 3’s survivors. Meanwhile: pull the W2 FLANK bag Friday night.

0 of 0

Saturday 2 — Week 2 fragile + Week 3 keepers

a 10-minute basket
Cilantro — crying tiger; herbs are always bought week-of, never early1 big bunch
Snap peas1 lb+
Green beans — Sunday ribeye side¾ lb
Baby bok choy — Wednesday sirloin side3 heads
Broccoli crowns3
Red onions — 2 for W2 + 2 for W3 (they keep)4
Limes4
Prepared horseradish — refrigerated section, not the creamy saucesmall jar
Cauliflower — W3 keeper1 large
Red bell peppers — W3 keeper3
Cucumber — W3 keeper (tzatziki)1 large
Lemons — W3 keeper4

Saturday 3

Week 3’s perishables + Week 4’s survivors. Friday night: the W3 TENDERLOINS bag comes down to the fridge.

0 of 0

Saturday 3 — Week 3 fragile + Week 4 keepers

a 10-minute basket
Asparagus1½ lb
Cherry tomatoes1½ pints
Parsley — salsa verde1 bunch
Fresh dill — tzatziki1 small bunch
Broccolini — Sunday ribeye side1 bunch
Shallots — Wednesday strip pan sauce2
Mushrooms — Wednesday strip pan sauce~10
Avocado #1, ripe — Tuesday tuna night1
Avocado #2, rock-hard — ripens on the counter into next week’s crema1 small
Cauliflower — W4 keeper1 large
Bell peppers — W4 keeper4
Jalapeños — W4 keeper3
Poblano peppers — W4 keeper2–3
Yellow onions — W4 keeper3
Limes — W4 keeper6
Cucumber — W4 keeper (sirloin pickle)1 large

Saturday 4

The victory-lap basket. Friday night: W4 TURKEY bag down.

0 of 0

Saturday 4 — the tiny basket

herbs + the last perishables
Cilantro — fresca + crema1 big bunch
Roma tomatoes5
Romaine hearts — wrap mode1–2
Mushrooms — Sunday ribeye side~8
Onion — Sunday ribeye side1 small
Milk — gallon 2 for the back-half boost shakes1 gallon
Eggs — only if the Costco flat is lowcheck
Express lane territory. If a basket ever grows past ten items, something upstream got skipped.
The Friday thaw ritual, once: every Friday night, next week’s lunch-protein bag + Sunday’s ribeye move freezer → fridge (dinner fish thaws day-of under cold water in 10 minutes — no planning needed). It’s already written into every Thursday dinner card. The weekly Shop tabs still work per-week; this page is the same food reorganized by store trip.