Plant-forward
Vegetables, legumes and whole grains lead the plate, with other ingredients playing a supporting role.
Menu themes & templates
Sample meal structures to adapt your own way
These are illustrative, general examples — not prescriptions. Use them as a starting frame and swap ingredients to match your taste, budget and schedule.
Five loose themes
Pick a theme, then make it yours
Themes give a week some shape without locking you into specific recipes. Mix and match across days as it suits you.
Hearty & warm
Comforting bakes, stews and one-pot dishes for evenings when you want something filling and simple.
Quick weeknights
Short ingredient lists and minimal steps, aimed at the busiest evenings of the week.
Make-ahead
Dishes that keep well, so a single cooking session can cover lunches across several days.
Light & fresh
Salads, grain bowls and seasonal sides for lighter meals when that feels right for you.
Mix the week
Most weeks blend several themes. A common pattern is a few quick nights, one make-ahead session and a relaxed weekend dish.
Adapt freely — there is no single correct combination.
A sample seven-day frame
One example of how a week might be laid out
This frame is for illustration. It shows how themes can be spread across a week so no single day feels overloaded.
Mon · Quick weeknight
A short-list dish to ease into the week.
Tue · Plant-forward
Vegetables and legumes at the centre of the plate.
Wed · Make-ahead
Cook once, set portions aside for later lunches.
Thu · Light & fresh
A grain bowl or salad-led meal.
Fri – Sun · Flexible
Hearty dishes, leftovers or a relaxed weekend cook.
Easy swaps to keep meals interesting
Variety often comes from small changes. Here are general examples of swaps that keep a familiar dish feeling new.
Grains
Rotate between rice, couscous, barley, pasta or potatoes depending on what you have.
Vegetables
Follow what is in season locally to add colour and keep costs sensible.
Proteins
Alternate between beans, lentils, eggs, fish or other choices across the week.
Flavours
A change of herbs, spices or dressing can transform the same base ingredients.
Please note
These examples are general information
Nothing on this page is tailored to an individual. Choices about ingredients and portions are personal, and any specific needs are best discussed with a suitably qualified professional.
See how we think about balance