Busy weeks

Plan before you shop

The HSE says planning your meals in advance helps you eat a variety of nutritious foods and save money, by having less convenience and processed food. Their food pyramid gives serving sizes for each shelf, so a plan can be written in portions rather than in vague amounts.

The British Dietetic Association's tips for smart supermarket shopping are short: plan your meals and make a list before you go, remember what you already have and what needs using up, stick to your list, and do not shop for food when you are hungry. They also note that supermarkets reduce prices on products close to their sell by date, that loose fruit and vegetables can be as little as half the price of pre-packaged items, and that frozen and dried products are often cheaper than fresh.

A list written before the week starts is also a list you can put on your phone. One list, grouped by aisle, scaled to the servings you need, with an estimated cost and an optional budget, is easier to act on than a mental list.

Cook twice, eat twice

The British Dietetic Association say that making larger quantities than you need and storing portions in the fridge or freezer saves time and money. Their detail is practical: make sure food is completely cold before freezing it, label it with its name and the date, and thaw it overnight in the fridge rather than at room temperature. They say most food can be frozen for up to three months, that bread and baked products freeze very well, and that grated cheese keeps for up to four months.

They also say to reheat food once only, until it is steaming hot, and that a full freezer is more economical to run. Freezing in single portions is the part that matters on a busy week, because one portion is what a bad Tuesday can manage.

In Nomeriu, the meal planner is a rolling seven day board. A guided wizard called Plan your week in 2 minutes takes five steps, meals and days, time and energy, food needs, budget and your week. You can drag a meal from one day to another, and send the week to the shopping list in one go.

When the week goes sideways

The British Dietetic Association's budget tips are mostly about stretching: bulk up stews, soups, chilli and curries with canned pulses, divide your usual portion of meat into two meals, add grated vegetables to mince, switch fresh fish for canned or frozen fish, add pasta or rice to soups so they go further, and separate bulk packs into portions and freeze the ones you will not use before the use by date.

They also suggest checking your cupboards and fridge before you shop, since there may be ingredients you could use up first. The HSE makes the same point from the other end: use leftovers in meals or snacks the next day to limit food waste.

On a busy week the plan is allowed to be simpler. Cook mode gives you one step at a time in large text, with a timer where a step needs one. Reminders can sit on your phone for water, a meal or a bedtime, at times you choose.

Let the list do the work

The shopping list in Nomeriu is built from the meal plan, combined across recipes, grouped by aisle and scaled to servings, with an estimated cost and an optional budget. It follows the aisle order of your usual shop, so you are not walking the shop twice to find the things you need.

There is also a section for using up what you already have: you log what is in the fridge and it suggests recipes that use it. On a busy week that is often the difference between cooking something and ordering something.

Everything stays on your device. Nomeriu is not medical advice, and it cannot tell you whether a busy week is something your body is coping with. If eating is part of what is going on for you, talk to your GP or another clinician about your own situation.

Open Plan