Start with the week you already have
Put the fixed points in first: late workdays, sport, visitors, and the evenings when leftovers are the right answer. Then choose only as many meals as you realistically want to cook. A plan with gaps is more useful than one that becomes a source of guilt by Wednesday.
Make repeat meals a feature
Keep a short set of meals that everyone can agree on and repeat them deliberately. This creates room for trying a new recipe without requiring a fresh decision for every night of the week.
Let the plan produce the list
Once the recipes and meals are in one place, the shopping list should start from that plan. Add the few staples that are running low, check what is already at home, and let the list guide the shop.
Share the current plan, not a stream of messages
A shared household plan gives everyone the same current view of recipes, meals, and shopping. Meals uses iCloud household sharing for that shared context; it is helpful to agree who is planning and who is shopping rather than treating the app as a substitute for every conversation.