Instant Pot: Barley → Quinoa → Lentils → Eggs (in sequence)
~60 min total, mostly hands-off
- Barley (Wed): 1½ cups barley + 2¾ cups water. High pressure 20 min, natural release 10 min. Drain excess, spread to cool.
- Quinoa (Tue): 1½ cups quinoa + 2¼ cups water. High pressure 1 min, natural release 10 min. Fluff, spread to cool.
- Lentils (Fri): 1½ cups French green lentils + 2¼ cups water. High pressure 8 min, quick release. Salt after. Spread to cool.
- Eggs (Fri): 1 cup water, 4 eggs on trivet. High pressure 5 min, natural release 5 min, ice bath 5 min. Refrigerate unpeeled.
Run all four back to back — total active time is just loading/unloading.
Press tofu
15–20 min (do this first, hands-off)
- Wrap block of firm/hard tofu in a clean towel, set a heavy pan or cutting board on top
- Let it press while the IP runs — the drier the tofu, the crispier it gets
- After pressing: cut into ¾-inch cubes
Oven: tofu + chickpeas + shrimp
~35 min (preheat to 400°F)
- Tofu (Tue) + Chickpeas (Wed) — same oven run:
- Tofu: toss cubes with 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1 tbsp maple syrup · 1 tbsp rice vinegar · 1 tsp garlic powder · 1 tsp smoked paprika. Spread on one sheet pan.
- Chickpeas: drain + rinse 2 cans, pat very dry. Toss with 1½ tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp salt, pinch cayenne. Second sheet pan.
- Sweet potato (Tue): 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled + cubed into ¾-inch pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, pinch cinnamon. Third sheet pan (or batch with chickpeas).
- Zucchini + cherry tomatoes (Wed): slice 2 zucchini into half-moons, toss with olive oil + salt. Halve 2 cups cherry tomatoes. Can roast on same pan as sweet potato or after.
- All veg + chickpeas: 400°F for 22–25 min. Flip halfway.
- Shrimp (Thu): after pans come out. 2 lbs shrimp tossed with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt. 8–10 min — pull when just pink.
- Shrimp holds fine through Thursday (day 4 in fridge).
Store chickpeas loosely covered so they stay crisp. If soft by Wed, 5 min in a hot oven or air fryer brings them back.
Shred + chop (the stuff that holds all week)
10–12 min
- Purple cabbage (Thu): shred ½ head thin. Bag it — holds all week.
- Carrots (Thu + Fri): shred 4–5 carrots. Bag it — holds all week.
- Kale (Tue + Fri): remove stems, tear 2 large bunches, drizzle 1 tsp olive oil + pinch salt, massage 2–3 min until softened. Holds all week — gets better with time.
- Red onion (Mon): thin slices, soak in cold water 10 min to mellow. Drain, store in small container.
- Pickled red onion (Fri): thin-slice ½ red onion · pour over: ¼ cup red wine vinegar + ¼ cup water + 1 tsp sugar + ½ tsp salt · ready in 30 min, stores all week
- Apple (Tue): slice day-of to prevent browning — leave whole in fridge
- Edamame (Thu): thaw frozen shelled edamame in warm water 10 min, drain, pat dry. Bag it.
Make all 5 dressings
10 min · all hold all week in jars
- Mon — Lemon-Caper: 5 tbsp olive oil · 3 tbsp lemon juice · 2 tbsp capers (roughly chopped) · 1 tsp garlic powder · salt + pepper
- Tue — Apple Cider-Dijon: 5 tbsp olive oil · 3 tbsp ACV · 2 tsp Dijon · 2 tsp maple syrup · salt + pepper
- Wed — Lemon-Olive Oil: 5 tbsp olive oil · 3 tbsp lemon juice · 1 garlic clove grated · salt + pepper (za'atar goes directly on the bowl, not in the dressing)
- Thu — Peanut-Ginger: 4 tbsp peanut butter · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 2 tbsp rice vinegar · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 tbsp honey · 2 tsp fresh ginger grated · 2–4 tbsp warm water to loosen · squeeze lime
- Fri — Tahini-Lemon: 6 tbsp tahini · 5 tbsp lemon juice · 5 tbsp water · 2 garlic cloves grated · ¾ tsp salt. Whisk until smooth.
Slice cucumbers + tomatoes (Mon–Wed only)
3 min
- Slice 3 cucumbers (Mon + Wed portions for 2 people). Store in container.
- Halve 2 cups cherry tomatoes (Mon). Store in container.
- Leave Thu + Fri cucumbers/tomatoes whole — do those mid-week.
Monday — Mediterranean Tuna
- Grab: romaine · white beans · roasted cherry tomatoes · cucumber · olives · feta · lemon-caper dressing
- Open 2 cans tuna, drain well, flake on top
- Layer romaine → beans → tomatoes → cucumber → olives → tuna → feta → dressing
Tuesday — Harvest Kale & Tofu
- Grab: massaged kale · tofu · quinoa · roasted sweet potato · feta · pistachios · apple cider-Dijon dressing
- Slice apple fresh (prevents browning)
- Layer kale → quinoa → sweet potato → tofu → apple → feta → pistachios → dressing
- Can dress kale 10–15 min early if you like it softer
Wednesday — Chickpea & Barley
- Grab: mixed greens · barley · chickpeas · roasted zucchini · cherry tomatoes · hummus · lemon-olive oil dressing
- If chickpeas have gone soft: 5 min in air fryer or hot oven brings them back
- Layer greens → barley → zucchini → chickpeas → tomatoes → dollop hummus → pinch za'atar → dressing
Thursday — Peanut Shrimp Slaw
- Grab: shredded cabbage · shrimp · edamame · shredded carrots · sesame seeds · peanut-ginger dressing
- Layer cabbage → shrimp → edamame → carrots → sesame seeds → dressing
- Squeeze fresh lime over the top
Friday — Roasted Veggie & Lentil
- Wednesday night: roast broccoli + bell peppers (see mid-week section above)
- Grab: massaged kale · lentils · roasted broccoli + peppers · pickled red onion · feta · 4 eggs · tahini-lemon dressing
- Peel eggs right before eating — keeps better unpeeled in the fridge all week
- Layer kale → lentils → roasted veg → pickled onion → feta → egg halved → dressing