A balanced menu for the week: a free template and a method

Building a balanced weekly menu is not about ambitious recipes — it is about a repeatable structure. A well-composed week respects four principles: variety in protein sources, vegetables at every meal, mostly whole starches, and a rhythm that holds past Sunday night. Here is the template.

Before anything else: your calorie target. For a moderately active adult woman, maintenance sits around 2000–2200 kcal/day. For a man in the same conditions, 2400–2600. Adjust down by 300–500 kcal for moderate loss, up by 300–400 for muscle gain. To calibrate precisely, a TDEE calculator takes three minutes.

Monday — day 1 / 2050 kcal. Breakfast: protein porridge with berries (380 kcal, 24 g protein). Lunch: quinoa-chicken-roasted vegetables-tahini bowl (650 kcal, 38 g protein). Dinner: grilled salmon, roasted sweet potato, steamed broccoli (550 kcal, 35 g protein). Snack: Greek yogurt, almonds (210 kcal, 18 g protein). Total protein: 115 g.

Tuesday — 2030 kcal. Breakfast: scrambled eggs, avocado, whole-grain bread (450 kcal, 22 g protein). Lunch: leftovers from last night’s dinner as a bowl (550 kcal). Dinner: whole-grain pasta, homemade tomato sauce, marinated tofu, green salad (620 kcal, 32 g protein). Snack: apple + 30 g almonds (240 kcal). Total protein: 100 g.

Wednesday — 2010 kcal. Breakfast: skyr with fruit and almonds (280 kcal, 22 g protein). Lunch: hummus-chicken-raw vegetable wrap prepared the day before (520 kcal, 30 g protein). Dinner: white fish in parchment, brown rice, zucchini (480 kcal, 32 g protein). Snack: carrots and hummus (180 kcal). Total protein: 100 g.

Thursday — 2070 kcal. Breakfast: oat pancakes + banana (380 kcal, 18 g protein). Lunch: complete Niçoise salad (490 kcal, 28 g protein). Dinner: chickpea curry, basmati rice, whole-grain naan (640 kcal, 26 g protein). Snack: fromage blanc + honey (220 kcal, 18 g protein). Total protein: 90 g.

Friday — 2090 kcal (a more permissive day). Breakfast: cocoa-banana porridge (400 kcal, 18 g protein). Lunch: salmon-rice-edamame poke bowl (620 kcal, 35 g protein). Dinner: homemade pizza with whole-grain dough, vegetables, mozzarella (660 kcal, 28 g protein) — a more relaxed meal, built into the plan. Snack: squares of dark chocolate (130 kcal). Total: 90 g.

Saturday — 2080 kcal. Late brunch: protein French toast + eggs (650 kcal, 30 g protein). Afternoon snack: fromage blanc with fruit (250 kcal). Dinner: mushroom risotto, chicken, parmesan (740 kcal, 38 g protein). Total: 85 g protein. A conscious weekend variation.

Sunday — 2000 kcal (batch-cooking day). Breakfast: green vegetable omelet (320 kcal, 24 g protein). Lunch: prep-base bowl + a new protein (580 kcal, 35 g protein). Dinner: chickpea-spinach meal soup (440 kcal, 22 g protein). Snack: yogurt + granola (290 kcal). Prepare 4–5 bases for the following week.

Five principles this template illustrates. One, vary protein sources (chicken, salmon, white fish, eggs, tofu, chickpeas, yogurts) — each source brings a different micronutrient profile. Two, do not fear whole starches — they are the energy base and they bring fiber. Three, vegetables at every meal, including at least one meal with a generous portion. Four, keep a more permissive day inside the plan rather than outside it. Five, one batch-cooking day to support the week.

How to adapt it to your goal. For moderate weight loss, remove about 400 kcal/day mainly by lightening starches and added fats, while keeping protein. For muscle gain, add about 400 kcal/day by doubling the starch bowl at one meal and adding an extra protein snack. For a vegetarian diet, replace fish/chicken with tofu, legumes, seitan, or tempeh.

Link with Daizu: the app generates a nutrition program of this kind adapted to your exact profile (goal, allergies, cooking level, available time, budget) in a few seconds. The grocery list is aggregated and sorted by aisle. The template above is a generic starting point; Daizu personalizes it and renews it every week to avoid boredom.