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✦ Week 7 · One-Pot & Beans

Chana Masala, Khichdi & Matar Paneer

Three dishes, cooked once. Every lunch and dinner lists its plate weight (g) and estimated calories.

3 dishes 7 days ~1850 kcal/day (L+D)

Grocery list

One shop for the whole week — three dishes, no leftovers. Tap to check off — saved on this phone.

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Produce

Dairy & protein

Legumes & grains

Snacks & pantry

This week's three dishes

Every batch below is sized to exactly what the menu eats, plus one spare portion. Scale with a kitchen scale when you can.

Chana Masala

Chana Masala

6 plates this week · ~1.52 kg batch
~300 kcal / serving ~250 g on the plate

Chickpeas

  • 450 g dry kabuli chana, soaked 8 hrs (or 3 × 400 g cans, drained)
  • 1 tsp salt (for cooking)
  • 1 tea bag or ½ tsp baking soda optional for softer chana

Masala base

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped (~400 g)
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 3 medium tomatoes, chopped or puréed (~400 g)
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1–2 tsp chana masala powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp amchur or chaat masala (optional)
  • 1–1½ tsp salt
  • 250 ml water (1 cup)

Method

  1. Pressure-cook soaked chana with salt until soft but not mushy. Drain; keep 1 cup liquid.
  2. Same masala as rajma: golden onions → ginger-garlic → tomato → spice powders.
  3. Add chana + ½–1 cup liquid. Simmer 15–20 min. Lightly crush a few chana for thickness.
  4. Finish with garam masala + amchur. Portion ~250 g.

Uses ~450 g dry kabuli chana. Same onion-tomato base volume as rajma. Batch ~1.52 kg — that is 6 plates of 250 g plus about 75 g spare.

High-Protein Khichdi

High-Protein Khichdi

6 plates this week · ~2.15 kg batch
~420 kcal / serving ~350 g on the plate

Cook together (pot / Instant Pot)

  • 300 g mixed dal — moong + masoor (about 1 cup)
  • 175 g quinoa or rice (about ⅔ cup)
  • 1.52 L water (about 4¼ cups) — add 180 ml more if you like it looser
  • 1½ tsp turmeric
  • 2¼ tsp salt

Temper

  • 3 tbsp ghee or oil
  • 1½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 medium onion, chopped (~225 g)
  • 2 medium tomato, chopped (~225 g)
  • 1½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1–2 green chilies, slit

Finish

  • 150–225 g spinach, chopped
  • — serve each bowl with 150–300 g Greek yogurt

Method

  1. Rinse dal + grain. Pressure-cook with water, turmeric, salt until soft and porridge-like (about 3–4 whistles / 10–12 min high pressure). Rest 5 min, then open and stir.
  2. In a small pan: heat ghee, cumin, then onion 4 min → ginger-garlic + chili 1 min → tomato 3 min.
  3. Fold temper into khichdi. Stir in spinach until wilted. Adjust salt/water.
  4. Portion ~350 g. Top with yogurt at serving (not in the batch if storing).

Dry mix: 300 g dal + 175 g grain. Yogurt on top is extra kcal (~130 per 225 g). Batch ~2.15 kg — that is 6 plates of 350 g plus about 125 g spare.

Matar Paneer

Matar Paneer

5 plates this week · ~1.48 kg batch
~360 kcal / serving ~300 g on the plate

Gravy

  • 2½ tbsp oil
  • 2 large onions, chopped (~325 g)
  • ¾ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 medium tomatoes (~325 g) or 325 g purée
  • ⅞ tsp turmeric
  • 1¼ tsp cumin powder
  • 1⅝ tsp coriander powder
  • ⅞ tsp garam masala
  • ⅞–1¼ tsp salt
  • 300 ml water (1½ cups)

Add-ins

  • 250 g paneer, 2 cm cubes
  • 250 g green peas (fresh or frozen — no need to thaw fully)
  • ⅞ tsp kasuri methi, crushed (optional)

Method

  1. Heat oil. Onions 8 min golden → ginger-garlic 1 min → tomato + turmeric/cumin/coriander 6–8 min until oil shows.
  2. Add 300 ml water; bring to a simmer. Add peas; cook 5–6 min until tender.
  3. Add paneer + salt + garam masala (+ kasuri methi). Simmer gently 5–7 min — don’t vigorously boil paneer.
  4. Portion ~300 g (gravy + peas + ~50 g paneer).

~40 g paneer + peas per serving. Frozen peas are fine and faster. Batch ~1.48 kg — that is 5 plates of 300 g plus about 75 g spare.

Simple Sautéed Spinach

Simple Sautéed Spinach

Side · 4 servings · ~450 g batch
~55 kcal / serving ~100 g cooked

In the pan

  • 450 g spinach leaves (about 2 bunches after tough stems removed)
  • 4½ tsp oil (1 tsp per serving)
  • 1⅛ tsp cumin seeds
  • 3–4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 green chili, slit (optional)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp salt (or to taste)

Method

  1. Heat oil. Add cumin 15 sec, then garlic (+ chili) until just golden — don’t burn.
  2. Add spinach in handfuls with turmeric and salt. Toss 2–3 min until wilted and most water evaporates.
  3. Portion ~100 g. Best made mid-week fresh, or reheat quickly in a dry pan.

Low-cal volume side. 1 tsp oil per serving keeps it near ~55 kcal.

Grab-and-go breakfasts

Pick one every morning. Weights are as prepared in the jar/bowl.

Overnight oats with banana, berries, and nuts
Night before · best option

Overnight Oats

~450 kcal ~420 g jar
  • 40 g (½ cup) rolled oats
  • 175 g Greek yogurt
  • 120 ml milk or water
  • ~100 g fruit + optional 10 g nuts

Night: mix oats + yogurt + liquid. Morning: fruit + toppings.

~450 kcal with banana; berries leaner (~400).

Greek yogurt jar with apple, blueberries, and roasted chickpeas
1–2 minutes

Greek Yogurt Jar

~320 kcal ~350 g jar
  • 225 g Greek yogurt
  • 100 g fruit, chopped
  • Optional: 20 g roasted chana (~80 kcal extra)

Layer the night before or morning of. Ready in under 2 minutes.

Base jar ~320 kcal; + roasted chana ≈ 400 kcal.

Hot oatmeal with Greek yogurt, banana, and strawberries
Under 5 minutes

Quick Hot Oatmeal

~420 kcal ~400 g bowl
  • 40 g rolled oats + ~200 ml water/milk
  • Microwave 2–3 min
  • 125 g Greek yogurt + ~80 g fruit

Stovetop or microwave. Finish with yogurt for protein.

With water base ~420 kcal; whole milk adds ~60–80.

Sunday prep

About 60–75 minutes active for three dishes. Do the Saturday-night soaks so Sunday is mostly cook and portion.

Saturday night

~5 min
  1. Soak 450 g kabuli chana, 8 hrs.
  2. Optional: wash the salad veg and store it dry.

Phase 1 — Start the long cooks (in parallel)

~10 min to start · 30–45 min unattended
  1. Kabuli chana — pressure-cook until soft but not mushy.
  2. Khichdi — pressure-cook dal + grain together, 10–12 min.
  3. Put 850 g dry quinoa or rice on (≈ 2.6 kg cooked). The week needs about 285 g cooked grain per plate.
  4. While the pots run → Phase 2. Don't stand around.

Phase 2 — One chop, one base

~15–20 min
  1. Chop once for all three dishes: 5 onions, 7 tomatoes, ginger-garlic, chilies, cilantro.
  2. Prep the paneer: 250 g for the matar paneer. Keep it chilled.
  3. With only three dishes you can build one onion-tomato base and split it — it saves a pan and 15 minutes.

Phase 3 — Finish the three dishes

~25–35 min
  1. Chana: masala base + chana masala powder + beans, simmer 15 min. ~1.52 kg batch · 250 g portions.
  2. Khichdi: fold the temper in, wilt the spinach, loosen with water. ~2.15 kg batch · 350 g portions.
  3. Matar paneer: onion-tomato gravy → peas → paneer, gentle 5 min simmer. ~1.48 kg batch · 300 g portions.

Phase 4 — Portion & store

~15 min
  1. Cool everything uncovered 10–15 min — trapped steam makes watery fridge food.
  2. Box by meal: 250–350 g curry + ~285 g grain + ~200–250 g yogurt. Label the boxes.
  3. Fourteen plates come off three batches (1.52 kg + 2.15 kg + 1.48 kg), so nothing sits in the fridge past Sunday.
  4. Chop salad veg for 2–3 days only; do the rest mid-week. Portion fruit for breakfasts.

Efficiency rule: never cook one pot at a time. The long cooks and the grain should all be running before you start the masala. Three dishes means one chopping board, one base, and one wash-up.

Daily tips

Reheat Splash of water on the curries. Weigh after reheating if you are tracking tightly.
Protein rule Legume or paneer dish + yogurt on every plate. 100 g Greek yogurt ≈ 10 g protein.
Plate template 250–350 g curry + ~230 g grain + ~220 g yogurt. That is the whole plan.
Still hungry? Add salad and yogurt volume before you add grain — it costs the fewest calories.