Every week we make a meal plan for the week ahead. The plan accounts for 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches (plus fruit), 4 snacks, and 5 dinners each for the two of us. Lunches are typically a double batch of whatever the recipe calls for. We make the lunches and do other prep work on Sunday. Nearly all items are purchased from either our local farmers market or Whole Foods. We live in Cincinnati, OH.

February 22- February 28
I spent the last week in a frozen tundra, or at least that’s what it felt like. Cincinnati got a ton of snow and ice over the week, and Josh was gone the whole time, to Florida, no less. It’s like a slap in the face.
To properly deal with the frozen wasteland around me, I stayed bundled up in layers and curled up under a blanket on the sofa for pretty much the entire time. The salad I had planned on eating? Discarded after 2 days because the thought of eating cold things while surrounded by cold things was less than appealing. Instead, I just kept reheating variations of leftovers to keep me warm and well fed.
Sometimes, even the best meal plan is no match for the weather.
Better luck this week!
Total cost: Roughly $132
Average cost per meal per person, with snacks tucked into the mix: $4.71
Breakfast
- Vegan bananas foster baked oatmeal with coconut milk
- Eggs and sautéed kale
Lunch
- Roasted cauliflower, beet, and farro winter salad– can be eaten hot or cold (learning valuable eating for the weather lessons)
Snack
Dinner
- Poached eggs over greens & toasted couscous
- Lamb and roasted fennel, carrots, and potatoes
- Vodka Sauce and pasta
- 3 bean chili
- Spicy pork and mustard green soup– with leftover beet greens