Meal Prep like a Private Chef: Four Menus for Weeknight Dinners

What do private chefs actually cook for families during the week… and what can home cooks learn from it?

In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on real client menus — from busy families with teenagers to households balancing different dietary needs. These are the kinds of meals designed to work in real life: flexible, flavorful, make-ahead friendly, and built to stretch into multiple lunches and dinners throughout the week.

But this episode isn’t just about cooking for clients. We’re sharing the strategies we rely on in our own kitchens, too: prepping components, building meals around adaptable proteins and sauces, and making food that can evolve throughout the week instead of feeling repetitive by day two.

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:

1. How to build “mix-and-match” weekly meal plans that don’t feel boring
2. Strategies for prepping proteins, sauces, and vegetables once and using them throughout the week
3. Four unique menus that feature some of our go-to meals like customizable taco nights, a make-ahead panini, and our favorite mac n’ cheese (that has a secret serving of veggies)

Tune in now to cook like a private chef in your kitchen!

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Links:

SONYA's -- Menu #1

For: 2 meat eaters /2 vegetarians/ 1 meal fresh + other meals prepped in advance

Dinner for that night (plus extra):

Taco bowls with ground beef, crispy tofu (add your favorite seasonings), cabbage slaw with jalapeno, cilantro, and lime dressing, spicy crema, avocado, and salsa verde + tortilla chips

Additional meals for mix and match throughout the week:

Creamy Lentil tomato soup by Carolina Gelen for NYT Cooking

Roasted shawarma chicken thighs, also added onion wedges and placed on a sheet pan

Turmeric black pepper tofu (I use potato starch or cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder)

Roasted cauliflower and red onion, spiced with turmeric, cumin and corainder, with currants

Herby tuna salad (recipe can be found in Braids)

Mixed lettuces and cucumber

Green goddess dressing (I use yogurt or sour cream in lieu of half of the mayo – you can skip anchovies for vegetarians)

KARI - Menu #1

2 parents/2 teenage boys on Wednesdays

Fish tacos with peach + mint + chive salsa by Martha Tinkler for Food Network Kitchen, plus tip for grilling fish: coat it in a thin layer of mayonnaise before putting on a very hot grill and don’t move it until it looks almost cooked through! It won’t taste like mayo and it won’t stick.

Spicy skirt steak tacos with red cabbage - similar to Kari’s approach

Roasted corn

Grilled zucchini

Kari’s Granola recipe is published in Sonya’s cookbook, Braids

Chicken cheddar sandwich paninis for the fridge similar to what Kari makes

SONYA - Menu #2

Family of 2, 1 low carb, 1 teenager

Monday:

Burger night – cooked in a cast iron pan, one served on a bun (for the teen), the other wrapped with iceberg (for the adult), topped with tomato, onion, avocado, cheese, and bacon. Served with roasted potato wedges (for the teen) and parsnip fries (adult), and a simple salad

Tuesday:

Turkey Kheema (similar to this, but with turkey instead of chicken and no peppers), cauliflower and peas (Gobi Matar), with raita, cauliflower rice, and steamed rice

Wednesday:

Sheetpan sausage with peppers and tomatoes with arugula salad

Thursday:

Vietnamese bowls lemongrass marinated grilled pork, served with rice vermicelli noodles, shredded carrot and cucumber, bed of shredded romaine, almond butter dipping sauce

KARI - Menu #2

2 dads/2 little kids on Thursdays

Sweet potato mac and cheese similar to Kari’s: use full-fat dairy and can sub canned pumpkin for the sweet potato

Chicken cheddar sandwichpaninis for the fridge similar to what Kari makes