Batch cooking meal planner: cook once, eat three times
A batch cooking meal planner decides which meals you cook in bulk and which later meals those portions cover. Cook a Batch on your freest night, plan its Leftovers onto the nights you can't cook, and keep fresh meals for the evenings you have time. Cauli plans this for your whole week, portioned to your calorie and protein target, with one grocery list.
Key takeaways
- Plan around your week, not around recipes. Busy nights decide where the Leftovers go.
- A Batch should always say what it feeds: "makes 4: tonight, Tue lunch, Wed dinner".
- Spread a Batch across different meals and days so the week doesn't feel repetitive.
- Portion for your target, not by eye. Every day should land on your numbers, not just the week.
An example week
Someone who trains four days a week, has late nights on Tuesday and Thursday, and has time to cook on Sunday and Wednesday. Each meal is a Cook, a Batch or a Leftover.
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Cook: turkey and egg breakfast burrito bowl | Batch: beef and black bean chili. Makes 4: tonight, Mon lunch, Tue dinner, Thu lunch |
| Mon | Leftover: chili | Cook: salmon, rice and green beans (20 min) |
| Tue | Cook: chicken and hummus wrap (10 min) | Leftover: chili (late night) |
| Wed | Cook: Greek yogurt chicken salad | Batch: chicken tikka with rice. Makes 3: tonight, Thu dinner, Fri lunch |
| Thu | Leftover: chili | Leftover: chicken tikka (late night) |
| Fri | Leftover: chicken tikka | Cook: steak, potatoes and salad |
| Sat | Cook: tuna pasta salad | Cook: turkey burgers with sweet potato |
An illustration of the pattern, not a plan for you. Cauli builds yours from your goal, your busy nights and what you like, and portions every meal to your target.
Two Batches cover seven of the fourteen meals. Both late nights are already solved, and the grocery list is shorter because the Batches share onions, peppers, rice and spices.
How to plan batch cooking by hand
- Mark your busy nights first. Those are where the Leftovers go. Everything else follows from them.
- Put a Batch on your freest evening before the first busy night. Choose something that reheats well: chilis, curries, stews, grain bowls, roasted meat with rice.
- Write down what each Batch feeds before you shop. If it makes four portions, name the four meals.
- Spread the portions. Lunch one day, dinner two days later. Eating the same dish five days in a row is how meal prep gets abandoned.
- Fill the rest with quick Cooks. Ten to twenty minutes on the nights you have a little time.
- Share ingredients. Pick Batches and Cooks that use the same fresh produce, so packs get used up and the list stays short.
- Portion to your numbers. Weigh the cooked Batch, divide by portions, and check each day adds up to your calories and protein.
- Store it safely. Cool and refrigerate portions promptly and freeze the ones for later in the week. Follow USDA's leftovers guidance.
What Cauli does for you
- Chooses the strategy for every meal from the shape of your week: a Cook when you have time, a Batch before busy nights, a Leftover when you don't.
- Labels every Batch and Leftover. A Batch says "Makes 4: tonight, Tue lunch, Wed dinner"; a Leftover says where it came from.
- Portions to your target. Every day lands within 5% of your calories with protein close behind, computed from USDA data.
- Writes the portioning steps. How many portions, which meals they're for and how to store them.
- Keeps one grocery list by store and aisle, with dishes chosen to share ingredients.
- Re-plans when the week changes. Tell Cauli "Wednesday's off now" and it proposes moving the Batch, for you to confirm.
Cauli is on the App Store for iPhone, in the US, for people 16 and over. It doesn't order groceries and isn't built for medical diets.
Questions people ask
What is a batch cooking meal planner?
A planner that decides which meals you cook in bulk and which later meals those portions cover, instead of treating every meal as a separate recipe. Cauli plans each meal as a Cook, a Batch or a Leftover around the nights you can't cook.
How many batches should I cook a week?
Most people do well with one or two. One big Batch on your freest evening covers two or three later meals; a second, smaller one midweek keeps the food fresh and the week from feeling repetitive.
Won't I get bored eating the same thing?
That's the most common complaint about meal prep. Spread a Batch's portions across different meals and days (Sunday dinner, Tuesday lunch, Wednesday dinner) instead of eating it five days straight, and keep fresh Cooks on the nights you have time.
Does Cauli tell me how to store the portions?
Yes. A Batch's last steps cover portioning: how many portions, which meals each one is for, and how to store them. For safe storage times, follow USDA's leftovers guidance.
Can I batch cook for two?
Yes. With Cooking for 2 or more, Cauli scales every cooked meal and its Leftovers, and keeps your own portion called out so your numbers stay right.
