Meal planning for two doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when all it requires is a little bit of planning and organization. From batch-cooking to off-the-cuff dining, the following meal plans will appeal to all tastes and time allowances.
The meal plans listed below don’t include specific snack ideas. For satisfying snacks, we recommend any of the following items (either alone or in combination):
- low fat or fat-free Greek yogurt
- turkey or beef jerky
- your favourite ZeroPoint fruits and vegetables
- hummus
- mini muffins or breakfast cookies
- low fat cottage cheese
- nice cream
Batch-Cooking Meal Plan for Two
Whether you’re intrigued by or are already a fan of batch cooking, this meal plan for two will simplify an entire week’s worth of meals. This plan includes make-ahead classics such as turkey chili, meatballs, and veggie egg cups as well as a versatile two-ingredient pizza dough (not to mention chewy cherry oatmeal cookies and a rich black bean fudge.) Almost all the recipes on this plan can be made in a single afternoon, portioned out, stored in the fridge or in the freezer and enjoyed over the course of a week.
Batch-Cooking Tips:
- Recipes for soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, and salads can, for the most part, be doubled or even tripled without changing the flavour or texture.
- Exercise caution when attempting to double baked goods, especially recipes where a specific pan size is called for. Not all leaveners, spices, and flours need to be increased when doubling cookie, bread, cake, and muffin recipes.
- If you want to freeze all or part of a finished recipe, let the food come to room temperature (or chill completely) before freezing. If hot food is placed in the freezer the surrounding food runs the risk of partially thawing and then freezing again.
- Batch-cooking is more fun and far less work when two people are doing the prep. Get the job done together while listening to music or a podcast while sipping on a favourite beverage.
Coast Through the Week With This Batch-Cooked 5-Day Meal Plan:
Monday
Breakfast: Veggie Egg Cups
Lunch: Italian Meatballs + low sugar jarred tomato sauce + brown rice
Dinner: Turkey Chili by Chef Eric Greenspan + small green salad
Dessert: Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Tuesday
Breakfast: Homemade Granola + fruit + low fat Greek yogurt
Lunch: Veggie Egg Cups + Gazpacho Salad
Dinner: Two-Ingredient Dough + ZeroPoint toppings + low fat cheese
Dessert: Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Wednesday
Breakfast: Gazpacho Salad + Soft-Boiled and Hard-Boiled Eggs
Lunch: Italian Meatballs + cut up veggies + 1 ounce low fat cheese
Dinner: Turkey Chili by Chef Eric Greenspan + baked sweet potato
Dessert: Rich Black Bean Fudge
Thursday
Breakfast: Veggie Egg Cups
Lunch: Turkey Chili by Chef Eric Greenspan
Dinner: Clean-out-the-fridge stir fry using up leftover produce from the week + cauliflower rice
Dessert: Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Friday
Breakfast: Homemade Granola + fruit + low fat Greek yogurt
Lunch: Take-out/order-in
Dinner: Two-Ingredient Dough + ZeroPoint toppings + low fat cheese
Dessert: Rich Black Bean Fudge
5-Day Vegetarian Meal Plan for Couples
This vegetarian meal plan takes advantage of keep-in-the-fridge salads, roasted vegetables, and make-ahead breakfast staples such as yogurt parfaits and baked oats. When it comes to the type of recipe best-suited for halving, salads are at the top of the list. For example, the double-chickpea pasta salad we’ve listed below makes eight servings but reducing the listed ingredients by half will create a manageable number of servings for two people. Feel free to substitute any other type of salad that will hold up, particularly those made with whole grain, pasta, or beans.
Stay Fuelled All Week Long With this Vegetarian Meal Plan
Monday
Breakfast: Red berry baked oats
Lunch: Garden Vegetable Soup + Roasted Vegetable Wraps
Dinner: Chopped Greek Salad + cottage cheese
Dessert: Quick berry crisp
Tuesday
Breakfast: Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits
Lunch: Double-Chickpea Pasta Salad
Dinner: Roasted Vegetable Wraps + Chopped Greek Salad
Dessert: Red berry baked oats + scoop of low fat vanilla frozen yogurt
Wednesday
Breakfast: Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits
Lunch: Garden Vegetable Soup + Double-Chickpea Pasta Salad
Dinner: Cold sesame noodles with tofu
Dessert: Greek Yogurt with Warm Blueberry Sauce
Thursday
Breakfast: Red berry baked oats
Lunch: Cold sesame noodles with tofu
Dinner: So-Easy Veggie Fried Rice
Dessert: Greek Yogurt with Warm Blueberry Sauce
Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits
Lunch: Cold sesame noodles with tofu
Dinnert: Take-out or dine-in
Dessert: fresh fruit
Flexible 3-Day Meal Plan for 2
If you’re someone who likes to follow meal plans but appreciates flexibility, you’ll love this plan. The recipes included in this 3-day plan were all selected because they only yield one or two servings. The only recipe we recommend doubling is for air-fried chicken breasts as the extra meat can be used to stuff a tortilla wrap (see the suggestion below), added to a salad, shredded into soup, or rolled into a whole wheat pita bread. The fruit, cheese, and nut plate is informal and endlessly adaptable, and is a delicious way to use up leftover cheese and seasonal fruit.
Try This 3-Day Meal Plan That Won’t Leave You With Leftovers
Day 1
Breakfast: Smashed Avocado & Egg Toast
Lunch: Lemon Pepper Tuna Sandwich
Dinner: Easy Air-Fried Chicken Breasts + green salad
Dessert: Fruit, cheese and nut plate
Day 2
Breakfast: Savoury Italian Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl
Lunch: Easy Air-Fried Chicken Breasts + small tortilla wrap + shredded veggies + salsa
Dinner: Butternut Squash Noodles with Turkey, Apples & Thyme
Dessert: 2-Ingredient Banana “Ice Cream”
Day 3
Breakfast: Fruit, cheese and nut plate
Lunch: Italian Sub Sandwiches
Dinner: Egg and prosciutto breakfast bowls with tender greens
Dessert: 2-Ingredient Banana “Ice Cream”