Meal Plan: March 22-March 28

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.

My new office mate is kind of awkward

March 22-March 28

Happy first full week of spring! Let’s ignore that fact that we might get a sprinkle of snow here on Friday, because that’s not what spring is about. It’s about dreaming of fresh produce that will hopefully arrive so soon, and the thought of being able to wear shorts again and sit outside without getting chilled.

The good life.

Total cost: Roughly $141

Average cost per meal per person, with snacks tucked into the mix: $5.03

Breakfast

• Homemade granola– with yogurt and frozen berries/bananas- double batch
• Avocado toast

Lunch

• Curried chicken salad with lettuce cups- recipe to come

Snack

• Sunflower seed brittle

Dinner

• Eggs in spicy tomato sauce
• Lamb and Roasted tandoori cauliflower with mint chutney
• Creamy polenta & mushrooms
• Black bean soup with toasted cumin seed crema
• Sriracha fried rice

Meal Plan: March 15-March 21

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.

Spring means tulips

March 15-March 21

It’s starting to warm up here in Cincinnati, and little flowers have started to appear. There are hardly words to describe how happy this makes me.

Sometimes this time of the year is tricky, because I’m ready for spring and summer meals, but the weather can be fickle and we’re still waiting on the good produce. Patience comes into play, but all the sunshine really helps.

This Friday is the first day of spring! We’re almost there.

Total cost: Roughly $121

Average cost per meal per person, with snacks tucked into the mix: $4.32

Breakfast

• Huevos rancheros- with these beans
• Oatmeal

Lunch

• Asian noodle salad– heavy on the vegetables, light on the noodles

Snack

• Banana bread– add a handful of chocolate chips

Dinner

• BBQ chicken pizza- chicken, BBQ sauce, tomatoes, pickled red onions, bacon, mozzarella, with leftover frozen dough and leftover shredded chicken
• Red lentil dal
• Bok Choy with Shiitakes and Oyster Sauce
• Whole baked cauliflower with tomato and olive sauce
• Rice bowl with pork belly, kimchi, and broccoli

Oven Poached Eggs

  Happy Friday! This week has been busy and mildly exhausting, so I’m more than looking forward to the weekend. I just wanted to write this suuuuuper quick post because it’s possibly the ultimate brunch discovery. See the above egg? It was “poached” in its shell, in the oven. What?! Even crazier, I cooked a few extras, stuck them in the fridge overnight, and then warmed them up in a bowl of warm water the next night and they were still perfect. Just think of what amazing brunches you could make if you could have perfectly poached eggs cooked days before?! I’m nearly giddy (which I recognize is a little odd to be about an egg, but whatever). This might even beat out 6 minute eggs as my favorite egg. For the full instructions, go over to Lady and Pups.

Have a great weekend!

Meal Plan: March 8-March 14

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.

Mushroom ramen with roasted pork belly! SO GOOD

March 8-March 14

I believe that spring MIGHT be on its way now. This week we have highs in the 50’s and 60’s, which makes me so excited I could… do something dramatic. Not sure what, at the moment.

We had a fun weekend celebrating Bockfest, a huge beer festival here. We kept things pretty low-key, but it was a great chance to hang out with friends and learn a little about our new city. Cincinnati is a city that really loves its beer, and is extremely proud of its beer-centric heritage. Also, there’s a goat and a Sausage Queen involved. It’s a whole thing. Who knew?!

Total cost: Roughly $113

Average cost per meal per person, with snacks tucked into the mix: $4.04

Breakfast

• Sprouted sesame toast with bananas and halva chocolate spread (recipe to come)
• Huevos rancheros- with these beans

Lunch

• Semi Greek Salad

Snack

• 3 layer nut free dream cups (recipe to come)

Dinner

• Crock Pot Tex-Mex
• Mushroom ramen with 6 minute eggs
• Coconut curried fried rice
• Maple & balsamic roasted brussels sprouts and broccolini

Roi Choi’s Furikake Kettle Corn

Hey, look! I cooked! And photographed it! Baby steps, right?!

Last weekend, we got invited to a baby shower for some new friends, which was awesome. Not so awesome? I didn’t know there was an email chain regarding food to bring until late Saturday night. The shower was Sunday at 1.

Blergh.

Josh and I were brainstorming Sunday morning, and while his offer to make his amazing guacamole was tempting, I was really afraid that we wouldn’t be able to find enough good avocados, since all the ones I find lately need a few days to ripen, and we had… 3 hours. I started scrolling through a few of my favorite websites and then I saw this, and remembered that I’ve been wanting to make it ever since Joy introduced it.

Furikake Kettle Corn.

I took this to the shower and made a bunch of strangers love me, which is really the point of bringing food to an event where you hardly know anyone. Sweet, salty, crunchy, just enough chew… this might be my new favorite party snack of all time. Homemade kettle corn, Corn Pops cereal, dried pineapple, crumbled bacon, spices, furikake, brown butter, and chives. It’s a good thing that it’s only delicious the day you make it, otherwise I’d be making it in bulk.

Head over to Joy’s blog for the recipe.

Meal Plan: March 1-March 7

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.

Pretending it’s spring

March 1-March 7

Happy March! Even though we’re still getting snow, March is confirmation that spring is, in fact, on its way. Thank goodness. Over it.

I started a new job last week, hence the severe lack of recent posting. The mental exhaustion that comes with a new job takes me by surprise every time. Hopefully soon I’ll be in the swing of it and will have more time and energy to try out new recipes. For now, we’re a little bit more survival focused.

Total cost: Roughly $111

Average cost per meal per person, with snacks tucked into the mix: $3.96

Breakfast

• Chile and sausage oven frittata– no cheese
• Homemade granola with homemade coconut milk and frozen berries/bananas

Lunch

• Roasted winter vegetables with miso-lime dressing with farro

Snack

• Cocoa coconut bits

Dinner

• Sticky chicken wings (make broth with bones) with Veggie okonomiyaki
• Black bean avocado enchiladas
• Cream of spinach soup– with coconut milk and croutons
• One-pot french onion pasta
• Sriracha fried rice