Plan your menu: 9 meal ideas for a busy week

Some weeks, planning your meals can be a real headache. To simplify things, try these five days of gourmet recipes by Metro. They’re balanced and easy to prepare—and they only require three sources of protein.
As a bonus, use our full grocery list to save time and money!
5 day of recipes and side dishes
MONDAY


TUESDAY


LUNCH
Magic Chicken Fingers
(use 2 chicken breasts)
Side dish: crispy vegetables, sliced apples and honey dip for the chicken fingers
DINNER
Side dish: salad with corn, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and chili powder
WEDNESDAY


LUNCH
Salmon Broccoli Quiche
(use 1 piece of salmon)
Side dish: lettuce drizzled with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice
THURSDAY


LUNCH
Speedy Salmon Tacos
(use 1 piece of salmon)
Side dish: small cauliflower salad sprinkled with a bit of lime juice and olive oil
DINNER
No side dish. The dish alone provides a full range of colours, flavours and nutrients!
FRIDAY

LUNCH
Maple Chicken Salad Pita Pocket
(use 4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs)
Side dish: carrot and celery sticks
DINNER
Clean-out-the-fridge meal.
Be creative!
PROTEINS
To cook these nine meals, you’ll only need three sources of protein, which you can use in multiple recipes. That means no wasted food!
Here’s what to choose and how to prepare it.

1CHICKEN
Amount: 2 whole chickens
Number of meals: 3
Preparation:
• Remove the breasts. Using a good knife, make a slit right between the two breasts and cut along the bones to detach as much meat as possible. Place the chicken breasts in pairs in zipper bags.
• Cut off the thighs and place them in a zipper bag.
Tip: Short on time? Use the backbone to make delicious chicken broth. Place it in a large pot with a bit of onion, a stalk or two of celery, a carrot and some herbs. Cover with water and simmer around 90 minutes. Remove any remaining cooked meat and strain the liquid. Store in the fridge or freezer.

2SALMON
Amount: 1 whole salmon fillet
Number of meals: 3
Preparation:
• Choose salmonwith nice pink flesh.
• Cut the salmon into three equal pieces and wrap each individually in plastic wrap.

3GROUND BEEF
Amount: 2.5 lb.
Number of meals: 3
Preparation:
• None! The perk of using ground beef is that it requires very little work.