Weekly Meal Plan

Practical 7-day plan that builds on existing structure. Breakfast is set (see breakfast.md). Dinner is contextual (see dinner.md). This file is the lunch backbone + Sunday prep + fallback strategy.

Core principle: one Sunday batch feeds 4-5 weekday lunches. Tuesday + Wednesday come from a single cook. Tier-stacked fallbacks handle the days when life happens.

Week at a Glance

Total cooking sessions per week: 2 (Sunday prep + Tuesday tuna pasta). Everything else is assembly or fallback.

Daily Detail

Monday — Bowl from Sunday batch

• 120g grilled chicken (sliced cold or quick microwave reheat)
• 100g cooked quinoa (room temp or warm)
• 150g roasted vegetables (paprika, tikvica, šargarepa, brokoli)
• Salad greens + cherry tomatoes
• Drizzle: 1 tbsp olive oil + lemon + himalajska so + black pepper

Macros: ~430 kcal, 32g protein, 6g fiber. 3 minutes.

Tuesday — Tuna pasta (cook fresh, batch for Wednesday)

Cook double batch:

• 140g dry integralna testenina (Barilla / Divella Integrale)
• 2 standard cans tunjevina u vodi (160g net each = ~232g drained total), drained hard
• 200g cherry paradajz or canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp maslinovo ulje
• 4 cloves bele luk, smashed
• Optional: kapari, masline, chili flakes, lemon zest, peršun

Cook al dente, sauté garlic + tomatoes, combine. Eat half hot today. Refrigerate other half + add cucumber + red onion + basil to it.

Macros (today’s half): ~535 kcal, 44g protein, 8g fiber. 12 minutes.

Wednesday — Cold tuna pasta salad

Pull from fridge. Add fresh basil if you have it. Eat cold. Better than Tuesday because flavors have melded.

Macros: ~535 kcal, 44g protein, 8g fiber. 0 minutes prep.

Thursday — Quinoa wrap (1/4 ready pack + protein layer)

• 1 whole grain wrap (Mission Carb Balance if available, otherwise integralna tortilja with fiber ≥ 5g)
• 1/4 of Delhaize Friends & Plants quinoa ready pack (75g)
• 60g grilled chicken (from Sunday batch) or 1 hard-boiled egg sliced
• 1/4 avocado mashed
• Lettuce + tomato + cucumber + lemon

Macros: ~430 kcal, 28g protein, 10g fiber. 5 minutes.

Note: open the quinoa pack on Thursday only if you plan to use it Thursday + Friday. The pack has a 48-hour open window.

Friday — Lentil bowl with feta

• 200g cooked lentils (from Sunday batch)
• 50g feta or beli sir crumbled
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• ½ cucumber chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil + lemon + himalajska so + oregano

Macros: ~400 kcal, 22g protein, 14g fiber. 3 minutes (cold) or 5 min (warmed).

Saturday — Fallback or social

Home option: Gaston Mexico + 2 slices Mestemacher (the no-cook staple, see lunch.md). ~520 kcal, 23g protein, 17g fiber, ~1,230mg sodium, 2 minutes.

Restaurant option: grilled chicken or fish + large salad. Avoid: pohovano, prženo, kremasti sosevi, fries.

Sunday — Family lunch (5pm)

• 1-2pm: bridge snack (tuna + cucumber, or yogurt + nuts) — see snacks.md
• 5pm: family lunch — apply family lunch tactics (plate order, eat slowly, one drink only, half-portion dessert)
• After lunch: 15-20 min walk — non-negotiable
• Evening: minimal or skip — see dinner.md

Sunday Prep (~90 minutes, mostly hands-off)

Do this Sunday afternoon or evening. The whole week depends on it.

Phase 1 — Start everything (5 min)

1. Put 8 eggs in cold water → bring to boil → simmer 10 min → cold water shock → fridge
2. Preheat oven to 200°C
3. Rinse 250g quinoa in cold water
4. Rinse 250g lentils (sočivo) in cold water

Phase 2 — Oven prep (10 min)

5. Pat dry 500g chicken breast → salt + olive oil + lemon + garlic + biljni začini → arrange in baking dish
6. Chop 1kg mixed vegetables: 2 paprike, 2 tikvice, 3 šargarepe, ½ brokoli (or karfiol) → toss on sheet pan with olive oil + salt + pepper
7. Both in oven at 200°C: chicken 20-25 min, vegetables 25-30 min

Phase 3 — Stovetop (parallel, ~30 min)

8. Quinoa: 500ml water + pinch salt → boil → reduce, lid on, simmer 12-15 min → off heat, sit 5 min → fluff
9. Lentils: 700ml water + bay leaf + ½ onion → boil → reduce, simmer 25-30 min → drain

Phase 4 — Greens & cold prep (10 min)

10. Wash and spin-dry salad greens → store in container lined with paper towel (lasts a week)
11. Slice cucumber + cherry tomatoes → separate containers (3-4 days)

Phase 5 — Portion & store (15 min, as things cool)

12. Slice chicken into ~120g portions when cool → 3 portions in fridge containers + 2 portions in freezer ziplocs
13. Portion quinoa: 3 × 100g in fridge, 2 × 100g flat-pack ziploc in freezer
14. Portion lentils: 3 × 200g in fridge, 2 × 200g in freezer
15. Roasted vegetables: 3 × 150g in fridge, 1 × 300g in freezer

Total active time: ~60 minutes. Total elapsed: ~90 minutes.

Optional add-ons (if you have time):

• Make hummus (1 can leblebije + 2 tbsp tahini + lemon + garlic + olive oil + cumin) — blends in 3 minutes, fridge 5 days
• Batch homemade dressing (olive oil + apple cider vinegar + senf + lemon) — fridge 1 week

Fallback Hierarchy

When prep didn’t happen, or you’re at the office, or it’s 1pm and lunch is a disaster — pull from this list in order.

Tier 1 — Pantry only, 2 minutes (always works)

• Gaston Mexico + 2 slices Mestemacher → ~520 kcal, 23g protein, 17g fiber (~1,230mg sodium — rotate, don’t stack daily)
• Open can, eat. The single most reliable fallback in your kitchen.

Tier 2 — Fridge basics, 5 minutes

• Plain tunjevina u vodi (1 can) + ½ avocado mashed + 2 slices Mestemacher + tomato slices → ~520 kcal, 30g protein, 14g fiber
• 2 boiled eggs + 2 slices Mestemacher + tomato + cucumber → ~420 kcal, 22g protein, 14g fiber
• 150g cottage cheese + 2 slices Mestemacher + tomato + cucumber → ~420 kcal, 28g protein, 14g fiber

Tier 3 — Freezer to plate, 10 minutes

• Frozen pre-cooked chicken (200g) + Frikom 4 Godišnja Doba (200g) → sauté frozen veg 5-7 min in pan with garlic + olive oil + lemon, microwave chicken → ~350 kcal, 50g protein
• Frozen quinoa portion (100g) + Frikom 4 Godišnja Doba (150g) + drained tuna can → ~400 kcal, 30g protein
• Frozen lentil portion (200g) + 1 slice Mestemacher + tomato → ~325 kcal, 20g protein, 12g fiber

Cooking tip for Frikom mixed veg: don’t boil — texture goes mushy and water-soluble vitamins leach out. Sauté in pan 5-7 min with garlic + 1 tsp olive oil, or microwave with splash of water for 4 min, finish with olive oil + lemon. Pairs well with anything protein-forward.

Tier 4 — Restaurant safety net

When at a restaurant, order:

• Grilled chicken / turkey / fish + large salad (dressing on side)
• Soup (čorba) + grilled protein side
• Sufficiently big salad with grilled protein on top

Avoid: pekara, pljeskavica with fries, kremasti sosevi, anything pohovano or prženo, pasta with cream/cheese sauces, white pizza dough, sweet drinks.

Stocked Pantry (refresh monthly)

These should always be in your kitchen so Tier 1-3 fallbacks never fail:

Cans:

• Gaston Mexico tuna salad — 3-4 cans
• Tunjevina u vodi (plain) — 4-5 cans
• Leblebije (chickpeas) — 2 cans
• Beli/crveni pasulj — 2 cans

Dry:

• Quinoa 500g
• Sočivo (lentils) 500g
• Integralna testenina — 2 bags
• Brown rice 500g

Refrigerated:

• Eggs (always 6+ in the fridge)
• Beli sir / feta — small block
• Greek yogurt — 1 container
• Olives, kapari, senf
• Ribella Hummus Semenke Bundeve (200g tub) — pumpkin seed hummus, see lunch.md for full notes. 30g portion = ~76 kcal, 2.2g protein. Tub lasts ~1 week opened.

Frozen (rotate, refresh as used):

• 2-3 portions cooked chicken (Sunday batch surplus)
• 2 portions cooked quinoa
• 2 portions cooked lentils
• 1-2 bags Frikom 4 Godišnja Doba (400g) — frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans, cauliflower). Check label: plain version, no added salt/oil. ~220-280 kcal per bag, 6-8g fiber. The single most reliable freezer veg staple for Serbian shelves.
• 1 bag frozen spinach (Frikom or store brand)
• Optional: 1 bag frozen broccoli or karfiol for lower-carb veg side

Breads:

• VitAS Exclusive — 1 loaf (sliced, freeze half if you won’t finish in 4 days)
• Mestemacher Fitnessbread — 1 loaf (lasts longer due to dense format)

Weekly Shopping List

Buy on Sunday morning before prep:

Proteins:

• Pileće belo meso — 600g (for Sunday batch)
• Eggs — 12-pack
• Feta or beli sir — 100g

Grains (if running low):

• Quinoa 250g
• Sočivo 250g
• Integralna testenina (Barilla / Divella Integrale)

Vegetables for roasting (Sun batch):

• 2 paprike (red/yellow)
• 2 tikvice
• 3-4 šargarepe
• 1 small brokoli or karfiol
• 1 head salad greens (rukola, mix, or iceberg)

Fresh produce:

• Cherry paradajz 500g
• 2-3 medium paradajz
• 2 cucumbers
• 1 avocado (for Thursday + fallback)
• 2-3 lemons
• 1 onion, 1 garlic head

Pantry refresh as needed:

• Maslinovo ulje (extra virgin)
• Jabukovo sirće
• Kisela voda
• 75% dark chocolate (Stark NŽ) — 2-3 bars

Delhaize specific:

• “Friends & Plants” quinoa ready pack — 1 pack
• Whole grain wraps (4-pack) — check fiber ≥ 5g per wrap

Substitution Rules

When ingredients are missing or you want variety:

1. Chicken can be swapped with: turkey breast, baked fish, hard-boiled eggs (2-3), or tofu (200g) for variety
2. Quinoa can be swapped with: brown rice, bulgur, or pearl barley
3. Lentils can be swapped with: beli pasulj, leblebije, or crveni sočivo (cooks in 15 min)
4. Roasted vegetables can rotate: any combination of paprika, tikvica, patlidžan, brokoli, karfiol, šargarepa, beetroot, prokelj
5. Feta can be swapped with: beli sir, ricotta salata, or omitted (drop protein to ~18g, still works)
6. Mestemacher can be swapped with: any whole grain bread with fiber ≥ 6g per 100g
7. Tuna can be swapped with: salmon (canned in water), sardines (drained), or pre-cooked chicken

Things That Make This Fail (Avoid)

1. Skipping the Sunday batch. Without it, 4 of 7 weekday lunches collapse and you end up at the pekara. The 90 minutes on Sunday is the single most important investment.
2. Not stocking the pantry fallbacks. If Tier 1-3 ingredients aren’t there when you need them, the whole system breaks. Refresh monthly, like clockwork.
3. Trying to cook fresh every day. This is what previously failed — life isn’t going to consistently give you 30 min mid-day. Batch + reheat is the only sustainable model for a sedentary developer.
4. Skipping the post-lunch walk. See snacks.md → Post-Meal Dip. Especially after Friday’s lentil bowl (high volume) and Sunday’s family lunch.
5. Eating breakfast or dinner that breaks the pattern. Lunch is calibrated assuming ~350 kcal breakfast and ~400-500 kcal dinner. If breakfast was 600 kcal or dinner was 800 kcal, the math drifts.

See Also

• breakfast.md — already adopted, the foundation of the day
• snacks.md — bridge snack for Sunday + post-meal walk protocol
• lunch.md — full detail on each featured lunch
• dinner.md — minimal-or-skip after family lunch, 400-500 kcal on normal days
• overview.md — shopping list, bread details, kisela voda, rules