Kira Mei is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach helping UK adults over 40 get fit, eat well, and build sustainable habits.
Aldi's own-brand range delivers the same macros as premium meal kit services at roughly one-fifth of the price, and the UK food industry doesn't want you to notice. A full week of high-protein meals in the UK — built entirely from Aldi products, with real named items and actual shelf prices — costs under £28. That works out to £4 per day. People pay £60–£80 per week for meal prep boxes that contain chicken thighs, oats, and Greek yoghurt with nicer packaging. The Aldi aisle contains the same foods. This post gives you the complete 7-day Aldi high-protein weekly meal plan for the UK: every product named, every price listed, and the macro totals to prove it works.
An Aldi high protein weekly meal plan UK built on Ashfield Farms chicken thigh fillets, own-brand eggs, Brooklea Greek yoghurt, Everyday oats, tinned tuna, and frozen veg delivers 130g+ of protein daily for 7 days at a total shop cost of approximately £27–£30. No protein powder, no supplements, no premium cuts. Named products, real Aldi shelf prices, full macro breakdown.
The Full Aldi Shopping List for the Week
A single Aldi shop covering 7 days of high-protein meals costs approximately £27–£30 when built around own-brand chicken, eggs, dairy, oats, and tinned fish — all available at every Aldi store in the UK.
Protein staples
| Product | Size | Approx Aldi price |
|---|---|---|
| Ashfield Farms chicken thigh fillets | 1.5kg | £4.35 |
| Ashfield Farms chicken breast mini fillets | 500g | £3.49 |
| Own-brand tuna in brine (4-pack) | 4 × 185g | £1.85 |
| Own-brand mackerel in brine | 125g × 2 | £1.58 |
| Free-range eggs | 12 | £3.10 |
| Brooklea low-fat cottage cheese | 300g | £1.39 |
| Brooklea Greek-style yoghurt | 1kg | £2.38 |
Protein subtotal: approximately £18.14. These seven items form the protein backbone of the entire week. The British Nutrition Foundation's protein guidance confirms chicken, eggs, fish, and dairy are all complete protein sources covering all essential amino acids — no single-source dependency in this plan.
Carbohydrates and staples
| Product | Size | Approx Aldi price |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday Essentials oats | 1kg | £0.89 |
| Long-grain rice | 1kg | £0.89 |
| Everyday Essentials pasta | 500g | £0.69 |
| Wholemeal bread | 800g | £0.89 |
| Everyday Essentials red lentils | 500g | £0.69 |
Carb subtotal: approximately £4.05.
Vegetables and extras
| Product | Size | Approx Aldi price |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen mixed vegetables | 1kg | £1.25 |
| Frozen broccoli | 1kg | £1.09 |
| Salad bag (mixed leaves) | 100g | £0.79 |
| Bananas | 5-pack | £0.59 |
| Tinned tomatoes (4-pack) | 4 × 400g | £1.09 |
| Own-brand olive oil | 500ml | £2.49 |
Veg and extras subtotal: approximately £7.30.
Total shop: approximately £29.49. For two people, double quantities and the total stays under £55 — still under £4 per person per day.
Day-by-Day Meal Plan: Monday to Wednesday
The first half of the week front-loads chicken thighs and eggs as the primary protein sources, establishing the daily macro pattern before introducing tinned fish variety mid-week.
Monday
- Breakfast: 40g oats + 200g Brooklea Greek yoghurt + 1 banana. Protein: ~18g. Cost: ~55p.
- Lunch: 1 tin tuna in brine (drained) + 150g cooked rice + half a salad bag + olive oil drizzle. Protein: ~42g. Cost: ~88p.
- Dinner: 200g chicken thigh, baked with paprika + 200g frozen mixed veg + 150g boiled rice. Protein: ~52g. Cost: ~£1.10.
- Snack: 2 boiled eggs + 150g cottage cheese. Protein: ~26g. Cost: ~72p.
- Monday total: ~138g protein, ~£3.25 food cost.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: 3-egg scramble + 2 slices wholemeal toast. Protein: ~22g. Cost: ~67p.
- Lunch: 200g chicken thigh (batch cold, sliced) + salad bag + wholemeal bread. Protein: ~52g. Cost: ~£1.00.
- Dinner: Lentil soup (100g dry red lentils, tinned tomatoes, frozen veg, garlic) — makes 2 portions. Protein per portion: ~22g. Cost per portion: ~55p. Add 2 eggs on top: +13g protein, +26p.
- Snack: 200g Greek yoghurt. Protein: ~20g. Cost: ~48p.
- Tuesday total: ~129g protein, ~£2.96 food cost.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: 40g oats + 200g Greek yoghurt + 1 banana. Protein: ~18g. Cost: ~55p.
- Lunch: 1 tin mackerel in brine + 200g cooked pasta + frozen broccoli (steamed). Protein: ~35g. Cost: ~£1.00.
- Dinner: 200g chicken breast mini fillet (baked) + 200g frozen mixed veg + 150g rice. Protein: ~48g. Cost: ~£1.50.
- Snack: 2 boiled eggs + 150g cottage cheese. Protein: ~26g. Cost: ~72p.
- Wednesday total: ~127g protein, ~£3.77 food cost. (The NHS Eatwell Guide recommends at least 2 portions of fish per week, including one oily — mackerel today and mackerel later in the week satisfies this.)
Day-by-Day Meal Plan: Thursday to Sunday
The second half of the week rotates protein sources and introduces the second fish day, maintaining protein targets while using the remaining weekly shop without waste.
Thursday
- Breakfast: 3-egg omelette + 1 slice wholemeal toast. Protein: ~22g. Cost: ~54p.
- Lunch: 1 tin tuna in brine + 200g rice + half salad bag. Protein: ~42g. Cost: ~88p.
- Dinner: 200g chicken thigh (last of the fresh batch) + frozen broccoli + boiled potatoes (if any remain) or rice. Protein: ~52g. Cost: ~£1.05.
- Snack: 200g Greek yoghurt + 30g oats dry mixed in. Protein: ~23g. Cost: ~55p.
- Thursday total: ~139g protein, ~£3.02 food cost.
Friday
- Breakfast: 40g oats + 200g Greek yoghurt + banana. Protein: ~18g. Cost: ~55p.
- Lunch: Remaining lentil soup (second portion from Tuesday cook) + 2 eggs. Protein: ~35g. Cost: ~81p.
- Dinner: 200g chicken breast mini fillet + pasta + tinned tomato sauce + frozen mixed veg. Protein: ~48g. Cost: ~£1.30.
- Snack: 150g cottage cheese + 1 tin tuna. Protein: ~40g. Cost: ~£1.04.
- Friday total: ~141g protein, ~£3.70 food cost.
Saturday
Saturday is the flexible day — use any remaining items. A common structure: 3-egg omelette for brunch (39p), tinned mackerel with salad and wholemeal bread for lunch (£1.00), and a larger dinner of pasta with the remaining chicken, tinned tomatoes, and frozen veg (~£1.40). Approximate total: 130g protein, £3.50 food cost.
Sunday
Batch cook day. Use Sunday to prep for the following week. While prepping: breakfast is overnight oats made Saturday evening (oats + yoghurt in a jar, 50p); lunch is eggs scrambled with any remaining bread; dinner is the start of the new week's batch — a roasting tray of chicken thighs that doubles as Sunday dinner and the Monday lunch portion. Approximate food cost: £3.00 from items already in the shop.
Macros, Costs, and the Weekly Summary
The Aldi high-protein weekly meal plan delivers an average of 133g protein per day at an average food cost of £3.25 per day — total weekly spend approximately £22.75 in daily food, against the one-off shop cost of £29.49 for the full ingredient set.
Weekly macro overview
| Day | Protein (g) | Food cost (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 138 | £3.25 |
| Tuesday | 129 | £2.96 |
| Wednesday | 127 | £3.77 |
| Thursday | 139 | £3.02 |
| Friday | 141 | £3.70 |
| Saturday | 130 | £3.50 |
| Sunday | ~120 | £3.00 |
| Weekly total | 924g | ~£23.20 |
| Daily average | 132g | £3.31 |
The weekly shop cost (£29.49) is slightly above the daily food cost total because some items (oil, spices, lentil bag) carry into the following week. By week two, the repeat shop costs approximately £24–£25 as staples are already stocked.
How this compares to alternatives
A basic weekly shop at Tesco buying similar (but mostly branded) equivalents would cost approximately £38–£45 for the same food categories. A meal prep delivery box covering 5 working days of lunches and dinners only costs approximately £50–£70 from most UK providers. The Aldi plan covers 7 full days of all meals for under £30. Money Saving Expert's analysis of meal planning vs convenience food consistently shows that own-brand batch cooking is the highest-return food cost intervention available to UK adults.
Who this works for
This plan is designed for a single UK adult eating at home for at least 5 days per week. It works for gym goers, people in calorie deficit, and those simply trying to reduce food spend. The macro targets (~130g protein, ~2,200 kcal) suit an adult weighing 70–85kg who is moderately active. For higher body weight, increase the chicken portion to 250g and add an extra egg at one meal.
Making This Plan Work Week After Week
The Aldi weekly plan becomes automatic after two weeks — the shopping list doesn't change, only the protein rotation and seasoning vary.
Building Aldi's Special Buys into your nutrition
Aldi's weekly Special Buys include nutrition-relevant items periodically: own-brand protein powder (£12.99/500g when available), nut butters (peanut, almond, ~£1.99/340g), protein bars (£0.89 each), and Greek honey varieties. These are not necessary for the base plan but add variety when they appear. The base protein-food plan — chicken, eggs, tuna, dairy — is always in Aldi's permanent range and never subject to availability gaps.
Handling weeks when the plan slips
Some weeks the batch cook doesn't happen. In those weeks, the fallback is tinned tuna on rice (5 minutes, ~90p, 42g protein) and yoghurt with oats (5 minutes, ~55p, 18g protein) at breakfast. Two meals covering 60g of protein from the base Aldi items, no cooking required, under £1.50 — still aligned with the plan. Imperfect weeks don't undo the system; they just require the two reliable fallbacks.
The argument against switching to a different supermarket
Lidl is a comparable alternative and prices are similar across most categories. Tesco and Sainsbury's own-brand products are nutritionally equivalent but typically 15–40% more expensive per item. The Aldi own-brand range — Ashfield Farms for chicken, Brooklea for dairy, Everyday Essentials for dry goods — is the consistent budget standard in the UK. There is no nutritional reason to pay more for branded equivalents.
FAQ
Q: Is Aldi chicken as good quality as branded supermarket chicken for high-protein meal prep?
Aldi's Ashfield Farms chicken (fresh and frozen) is Red Tractor-assured, meaning it meets UK welfare standards. Nutritionally, chicken thigh fillets from Aldi and branded equivalents from Tesco or Sainsbury's deliver the same protein content — approximately 25g per 100g. The British Nutrition Foundation confirms that sourcing method does not materially affect the amino acid profile of chicken. At roughly £2.89/kg versus £5–£7/kg for branded equivalents, Aldi is the rational choice for a budget meal plan.
Q: How do I keep the Aldi meal plan interesting week after week?
Rotate the protein source every week within the same structure: week one is chicken thighs; week two is steak mince plus tinned fish; week three is Aldi's frozen basa fillets (~£3.49/kg) plus eggs; week four returns to chicken breast. The carbohydrate base (oats, rice, pasta) can rotate daily without affecting cost. Varying seasoning — paprika, cumin, soy sauce, lemon — adds flavour without adding cost or complexity. Money Saving Expert's batch cooking guides suggest rotating one new cheap ingredient per week to prevent boredom.
Q: Can I follow this Aldi meal plan in a calorie deficit to lose fat?
Yes. To lose fat while preserving muscle, keep protein at 1.6–2.0g/kg and reduce total calories by 300–500 kcal below maintenance. In practice, reduce the rice and pasta portion sizes while keeping all protein portions the same. The NHS Eatwell Guide supports higher protein intake during calorie restriction to reduce muscle loss. The Aldi plan as written sits at approximately 2,100–2,300 kcal; reducing carb portions by 30% brings it to approximately 1,750–1,900 kcal while maintaining 130g+ protein.
Q: Are Aldi's own-brand dairy products (yoghurt, cottage cheese) as high in protein as branded versions?
Aldi's Brooklea Greek-style yoghurt (£1.19/500g) typically delivers 9–10g of protein per 100g — the same as Fage 0% or Chobani plain, which cost £2.00–£3.00 for 500g. Aldi own-brand cottage cheese (~12g per 100g) is nutritionally equivalent to Longley Farm or Tesco Finest equivalents at roughly half the price. Always check the label: own-brand dairy in the UK typically matches branded specs within 1–2g per 100g of protein, with the difference well within measurement tolerance.
Q: How do I hit 150g+ protein on the Aldi plan if I'm over 90kg?
Add one extra tin of tuna at lunch (46p, +40g protein), increase the dinner chicken portion to 250g (+12g protein), and swap the afternoon snack from yoghurt alone to yoghurt plus cottage cheese (combined +12g protein). These three additions increase daily protein to approximately 155–165g for approximately 90p more per day — still under £4.20 total food spend. For gym-going adults over 90kg, this is the most cost-efficient protein escalation available from a single UK supermarket.
Kira Mei's Nutrition Blueprint gives you the macro framework, meal prep system, and UK supermarket strategy — one purchase, no subscription, no meal plan to follow forever. Get the Nutrition Blueprint at kiramei.co.uk for £49.99.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional, or professional fitness advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.