Choose one dependable meal.
Pick a breakfast or lunch you could make on a busy day. You are looking for repeatable, not impressive. A sandwich with a protein food and salad, or beans with rice and vegetables, can be a perfectly sensible starting point.
Write down one meal you already like, its ingredients and the quickest version of it. Plan to use it on three ordinary days.
Make the meal work a little harder.
When you can, include a protein food, vegetables or fruit, a satisfying starch and a source of fat. Familiar foods belong here. Think eggs on toast with fruit, lentils with rice and vegetables, or yoghurt with oats, fruit and nuts.
Protein-containing foods, fibre-rich plants and calcium-rich choices are useful topics to consider through midlife. Your own needs may differ, especially if you follow a therapeutic diet or have a medical condition.
Choose one easy addition to a meal you already eat. Keep it affordable and comfortable enough to repeat.
Give difficult days a plan B.
Your most useful meal plan probably has an easy version. Keep a few options you can assemble quickly from foods you enjoy and can actually buy. Frozen vegetables, tinned beans, eggs and leftovers often earn their place here.
Pick two simple breakfasts, two lunches, three easy dinners and one emergency meal. You do not need to make all eight this week; this is a short menu of options.