Week 1 — Meal Plan

Aeden & Kim Pillai · 4 bases · Sunday batch cook · USDA-sourced macros

Meal bases
4
Meals covered
18
Sunday cook
~3h
Weekly cost
~$108
Monday
LunchAThai basil chicken
DinnerBHerb lemon chicken
Tuesday
LunchBHerb lemon chicken
DinnerCMiso-glazed salmon
Wednesday
LunchAThai basil chicken
DinnerDGochujang chicken ★
Thursday
LunchDGochujang chicken
DinnerCMiso-glazed salmon
Friday
LunchAThai basil chicken
DinnerEating out
Saturday
LunchEating out
DinnerEating out
Sunday
Batch cook day — eat A for dinner while everything cools
DayLunchDinner
MondayA Thai basil chicken bowlB Herb lemon chicken bowl
TuesdayB Herb lemon chicken bowlC Miso-glazed salmon
WednesdayA Thai basil chicken bowlD Gochujang chicken bowl ★
ThursdayD Gochujang chicken bowlC Miso-glazed salmon
FridayA Thai basil chicken bowlEating out
SaturdayEating outEating out
SundayBatch cook day — eat A Thai basil chicken for Sunday dinner while everything cools and gets packed

Weekly rhythm — order/cook/eat/review

Tue
Place RedMart orderBook Saturday delivery slot — they fill fast.
Fri PM
Submit weekly feedbackBoth fill the feedback form on this site. Informs next week's plan.
Sat AM
Receive RedMart delivery + Cold Storage runSalmon from Cold Storage for freshness. Everything home, fridge stocked.
Sat PM
Next week's plan dropsClaude builds Week 2 from Friday's feedback + Saturday confirmations.
Sun AM
Batch cook~3 hours. Eat Base A for Sunday dinner. Mon–Fri lunch+dinner all packed.
Mon–Fri
Eat batch mealsReheat only. Aeden tiffin to office/client sites.

Aeden's Monbento packing guide

Monbento MB Original — 2 tiers, 1L total

185 × 94 × 100mm. Flat in any work bag. Fully leakproof. Elastic band keeps both tiers together. Microwave-safe (lids off).

Top tier — 500ml
Vegetables + garnishes (spring onions, sesame, pickled cucumber)
Bottom tier — 500ml
Brown rice (~130g cooked) + protein layered on top + sauce drizzle

Reheat: remove both lids. Bottom tier microwave 90 sec, top tier 45 sec separately. Base C (salmon): keep in separate sealed glass container, reheat at 60% power 60–75 sec.

Home dinners — both

800ml–1L glass meal prep containers, microwave-safe. One per person per meal. Assemble bowl-style — rice base, protein on top, veg alongside. Salmon always in its own sealed glass container.

Per serving target — lean gains

Protein 160–180g cooked · Brown rice ~130g cooked · Veg 150–200g · Sauce max 2 tbsp

Future kitchen buys — not urgent

Large stockpot 5–6L — for boiling all 36 eggs in one go rather than 3 saucepan batches. IKEA ÄTRAN or Shopee, ~$18–25. Buy when convenient.

Macros per serving, per person. Sourced from USDA FoodData Central. Accounts for ~25% cooking weight loss on chicken and salmon.

Base A
Thai basil minced chicken
Krapow-style · Spicy · Bold
8 servings — Mon/Wed/Fri lunch, Sun dinner
Protein: 1,200g minced chicken breast (raw), 2 batches in Tefal pan
Base: Brown rice + 1 hard-boiled egg per bowl
Sauce: Fish sauce · oyster sauce · soy · garlic · chilli · sugar
Cal
460
Protein
44g
Carbs
43g
Fat
11g
Base B
Herb lemon chicken bowl
Omnivore-style · Fresh · Pan-seared
4 servings — Mon dinner, Tue lunch
Protein: 720g chicken breast (raw), sliced after cooking
Base: Brown rice · romaine · hard-boiled egg
Veg: Roasted eggplant + capsicum (oven)
Dressing: Lemon vinaigrette or chilli oil
Cal
580
Protein
52g
Carbs
41g
Fat
22g
Higher fat from olive oil dressing — all healthy fats.
Base C
Miso-glazed salmon
Japanese-style · Umami · Clean
4 servings — Tue dinner, Thu dinner
Protein: 4 × 175g salmon fillets (raw), small crepe pan or oven
Sides: Roasted sweet potato + steamed broccolini
Glaze: White miso · mirin · soy · sesame oil · honey · ginger
Cal
510
Protein
36g
Carbs
43g
Fat
22g
Fat is all omega-3 — intentional, beneficial.
Base D · ★ New
Gochujang chicken bowl
Korean-inspired · Spicy-sweet · Punchy
4 servings — Wed dinner, Thu lunch
Protein: 720g chicken breast (raw), marinated, Tefal pan
Base: Brown rice + quick-pickled cucumber
Sauce: Gochujang · soy · sesame oil · honey · garlic · ginger
Cal
450
Protein
46g
Carbs
40g
Fat
11g
Leanest bowl. Carbs from rice + a little honey.

Breakfast adds 2 hard-boiled eggs each daily: +156 cal · +12.6g protein · +10.6g fat. Source: USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov).

Total ~3 hours. 6 phases — tap any to expand. Rice cooker runs itself. All proteins cook on the large Tefal pan in sequence — wipe between each.

Phase 1 Set up — rice, eggs, prep
0:00–0:15 ▾
1aStart rice cooker
~700g dry brown rice + water to the rice cooker's line. Press start, walk away. Covers all 4 bases. Done in ~45 min — it'll beep.
rice cooker
1bEgg batch 1 of 3 (12 eggs)
Saucepan, cold water, 12 eggs. Bring to boil, simmer 10 min, ice bath. Refill, repeat. 3 batches × ~15 min covers 36 eggs total.
stainless saucepanice bath bowlslotted spoon
Set a timer for each batch — easy to forget while other things happen.
1cKnife prep all veg at once
Mince 8 garlic cloves + grate 2 tbsp ginger. Cube 2 eggplants + 2 sweet potatoes (2cm). Slice 3 capsicums into strips. Slice 1 cucumber thin. Slice 6–8 chillies. Slice spring onions. Sort into bowls by recipe.
chef's knifebamboo board3 bowls
Phase 2 Oven on + Base D marinade
0:15–0:40 ▾
2aEgg batches 2 + 3
Continue rotating eggs through the saucepan in the background while you start the oven work.
saucepanice bath
2bRoast veg + sweet potato BC
Preheat oven 200°C. Tray 1 (upper rack): eggplant + capsicum, olive oil + salt. Tray 2 (lower rack): sweet potato cubes, olive oil + salt. Both in together, 25–30 min. Swap racks at 15 min if oven has hot spots.
oven 200°C2 baking traysbaking paper
2cMarinate gochujang chicken D
Mix in a bowl: 3 tbsp gochujang, 2 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp honey, 3 garlic cloves minced, 1 tsp ginger. Score and coat 720g chicken breast. Leave to sit ≥20 min.
mixing bowl
Phase 3 Thai basil chicken A
0:40–1:05 ▾
3aCook minced chicken — batch 1 of 2
Large Tefal pan on the big burner, HIGH heat, 1 tsp neutral oil. Add 600g minced chicken — spread out, don't stir for 2 min. Let it sear, then break up and cook through (4–5 min). Remove to a bowl.
large Tefal panwooden spoon
No wok — so two batches is the move. Don't crowd, you need sear not steam.
3bBatch 2 + add sauce + basil
Same pan, 1 tsp oil. Cook remaining 600g the same way. Return batch 1 to pan. Add 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp soy, 1 tsp sugar. Stir through. Add whole Thai basil leaves, toss 1 min. Done. Cool before boxing.
large Tefal pan
Makes 8 servings — Mon/Wed/Fri lunch + Sun dinner.
Phase 4 Chicken breasts BD
1:05–1:50 ▾
4aRemove roasted veg from oven
Check at 30 min — should be golden and tender. Sweet potato → Base C containers. Eggplant + capsicum → Base B containers. Let cool on the trays.
oven gloves
4bCook herb lemon chicken B
Wipe Tefal pan. Butterfly or pound 720g chicken breast to even ~2cm. Rub with olive oil, lemon zest, 2 garlic cloves minced, dried oregano, thyme, salt, pepper. Medium-high heat, 3–4 min per side until golden (72°C internal). Rest 5 min, slice.
Tefal pantongs
Makes 4 servings — Mon dinner, Tue lunch.
4cCook gochujang chicken D
Wipe pan. Medium-high heat, thin film of oil. Cook marinated chicken 4–5 min per side, basting with leftover marinade in the last minute. Rest, slice thin against the grain.
Tefal pantongs
Makes 4 servings — Wed dinner, Thu lunch.
4dQuick-pickle cucumber D
Toss sliced cucumber with 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, pinch salt. Store in small jar. Ready in 30 min, better overnight.
small jar
Phase 5 Salmon + sides C
1:50–2:15 ▾
5aSteam broccolini
Small amount of water in the saucepan, bring to boil. Steam broccolini 3–4 min until bright green and tender-crisp. Salt lightly. Cool.
saucepan + lid
5bCook miso salmon
Glaze: 2 tbsp white miso, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp soy, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp grated ginger. Brush fillets generously. Small crepe pan, medium heat — sear skin-side up 3 min, flip, 4 min. Or oven 200°C, 12–14 min on baking tray. Cool fully before sealing in glass.
small crepe panbasting brush
Makes 4 servings — Tue + Thu dinner. The crepe pan is ideal here — flat contact, easy to watch.
5cMake lemon vinaigrette B
Whisk: juice of 1 lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 garlic clove minced, salt + pepper. Store in small jar.
small bowl/jarfork or whisk
Phase 6 Pack + label
2:15–2:45 ▾
6aPortion the bases
Work meal by meal. Glass containers for dinners. Monbento for Aeden's lunches. Each meal: rice base, protein on top, veg alongside. Aim for serving targets: 160–180g protein, ~130g rice, 150–200g veg.
all containersMonbento × 1
6bSalmon + pickle + dressing separate
Base C salmon in its own sealed glass containers (don't mix with chicken — smell transfer). Pickled cucumber in small jar. Lemon vinaigrette in small jar. All to fridge.
glass containerssmall jars
6cPeel + store remaining eggs
Peel all hard-boiled eggs once cool. Store in a sealed container covered with cold water. Use throughout the week for breakfast (2 each daily) + bowl toppings.
sealed container
6dLabel everything
Tape + marker on each container. Format: day + base letter (e.g. "Mon-L-A" = Monday lunch Base A). Saves you opening containers Monday morning when you're rushing.
tapemarker

All chicken + salmon: safe refrigerated 3–4 days. All Mon–Fri meals covered. Rice + veg: 4–5 days. Peeled eggs in cold water: 5 days.

Week 1 includes full pantry setup — sauces and oils last 2–3 months. Ongoing weekly cost once stocked: ~SGD 100–115/week.

0 of 0
Week 1 total — full pantry setup~SGD 168–180
Ongoing weekly cost — pantry stocked~SGD 100–115
Base D · ★ New recipe this week

Gochujang chicken bowl

Korean-inspired spicy-sweet chicken over brown rice with quick-pickled cucumber and sesame. Fermented gochujang depth means real flavour without excess oil. Pickle keeps it light — punchy for Aeden, fresh for Kim.

Serves
4
Marinate
20m+
Cook
15m

Marinade

3 tbsp gochujang paste
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated

The bowl

720g chicken breast
240g dry brown rice (cooked)
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 tbsp rice vinegar + 1 tsp sesame oil + pinch sugar
2 spring onions, sliced
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

01
Mix all marinade ingredients. Score chicken breasts lightly on both sides and coat well. Marinate 20+ min at room temp, or overnight in the fridge for deeper flavour.
02
While chicken marinates: toss cucumber slices with rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, pinch salt. Set aside — softens as it sits, only gets better overnight.
03
Large Tefal pan, medium-high heat, thin film of oil. Cook chicken 4–5 min per side, basting with leftover marinade in the last minute. 72°C internal. Rest 5 min, slice thin against the grain.
04
Assemble: rice base → chicken → pickled cucumber → spring onions → sesame seeds. Monbento: rice + chicken in bottom tier, cucumber + spring onions + sesame in top tier.

Chicken keeps 4 days. Pickle keeps 3 days and improves overnight — the acid brightens the whole bowl.

Friday afternoon ritual. Both of you fill this out independently. Takes ~2 min. Submissions are saved to the private repo and inform next week's plan.
A Thai basil chicken
B Herb lemon chicken
C Miso-glazed salmon
D Gochujang chicken