So, yes, meal plans help you spend less in the supermarket, in theory, and eat better, because you have something in the fridge for tonight that you have planned to eat and fits with your diet goals. You don’t have to plan something fancy every night and you need to be mindful of how tired you will be any given night.

I have until recently been in a cycle of shopping on Sunday mornings after ringing, but supermarkets are crazy busy on Sundays, so this week I am trying to be organised far enough ahead

Last week’s and this week’s are both pretty multicultural, taking advantage of autumn to use the timer on the oven to have food ready for when I come home.

Monday 23rd Sep – Chicken chasseur -a chicken, bacon, mushroom and tomato stew – made with four chicken legs so there was two nights’ food.

Tuesday – Chicken chasseur

Wednesday – Greek salad

Thursday – Pan fried pork steaks with apples, onions, carrots and peppers, with a crème fraîche and wholegrain mustard sauce

Friday – Mr Brain’s frozen faggots

Saturday and Sunday – Stifado – a Greek beef and tomato stew spiced with cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves, but in our case, no garlic. Based a little on Jamie Oliver’s recipe, it’s in the oven right now, so I shall be interested to see how it comes out, given that he doesn’t give a stock cube as an ingredient.

My parameters for a week’s food are currently: low carb main meals every night. Next to no bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. I have recently fallen far short of my aspiration to have two meat free main meals each week, and only manage it by substituting fish next week, as you will see. Failing on the carbs, too.

Monday 30th September – tbc

Tuesday – lamb tagine. Trying to prove wrong the online comment I read that people who buy tagine dishes only ever use them once. This will be the second time. I shall be rather more circumspect with the ras el hanout this time.

Wednesday – pineapple rice

Thursday – salade niçoise

Friday – smoked mackerel potato salad – a version of a recipe where the smoked mackerel is crumbled with mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard, and spinach is cooked by lining a colander with it, and pouring over the boiling potato water. Except that I will probably be using frozen spinach and this blates won’t work with that.

Well, that at least is what is in my Google diary shared with P so we both know what is planned. Whether I shall crumble and phone for pizza again is another matter.