Focus: Quick weeknight meals using freezer staples and February vegetables, featuring a craved-for black bean soup and warming comfort food.

This 3-day plan (skipping Thursday) focuses on using frozen proteins and vegetables alongside fresh winter produce. Ginger appears in both the miso noodle bowl and the bacon stew. Carrots get used in the soup and stew. The plan includes both light meals (noodle bowl, soup) and one hearty comfort dish.

Meal Plan Summary

• Uses from freezer: Bacon, edamame, peas, ginger
• Uses from fridge: Carrots, potatoes, kale, spring onions
• Uses from pantry: Black beans, miso, ramen noodles, stocks

Ingredients used across multiple meals: Carrots (2 meals), ginger (2 meals), spring onions (2 meals), garlic (2 meals)

Meals

Tuesday, 17 February

• Dinner: Miso Tofu Noodle Bowl
  • Prep: 10 min | Cook: 15 min | 420 kcal/serving
  • Quick and warming Asian noodle bowl with frozen edamame and peas
  • Prep for tomorrow: None needed

Wednesday, 18 February

• Dinner: Spicy Black Bean Soup
  • Prep: 10 min | Cook: 45 min | 220 kcal/serving
  • Cuban-spiced black bean soup - perfect for a craving!
  • Note: This is a lighter meal calorie-wise, great with bread or quesadillas on the side
  • Prep for Friday: None needed

Friday, 21 February

• Dinner: Creamy Hokkaido Bacon Stew
  • Prep: 15 min | Cook: 35 min | 520 kcal/serving
  • Rich Japanese-inspired stew with bacon, potatoes, and kale in miso-butter broth

Ingredients

Complete list of everything needed for all 3 meals.

Proteins

• Bacon strips, 150g (freezer)
• Soy marinated tofu, 1 block

Produce

• Carrots, 3 medium (2 for stew, 1 for soup)
• Potatoes, 400g
• Kale, 150g
• Onions, 2 medium (1 for soup, 1 for stew)
• Celery, 1 rib
• Garlic, 5 cloves
• Fresh ginger, 2 tbsp grated (freezer)
• Spring onions/green onions, 4
• Lime, 1 (for soup - can use sherry vinegar instead)
• Fresh cilantro optional garnish for soup

Frozen

• Frozen peas, 100g
• Frozen edamame, 100g
• Frozen corn, 100g optional for stew

Dairy

• Milk, 200ml
• Butter, 2 tbsp

Pantry & Sauces

• Ramen noodles, 2 portions
• Black beans, 1 can (400g)
• Vegetable broth/stock, 350ml
• Chicken stock, 400ml
• Miso paste, 4 tbsp total
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Olive oil
• Ground cumin, 1½ tsp
• Rice vinegar or sherry vinegar
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Chili flakes or togarashi
• Sesame seeds

Optional Garnishes

• Avocado (for black bean soup)
• Radishes (for black bean soup)
• Tortilla chips (for black bean soup)
• Greek yoghurt (for black bean soup)
• Crusty bread or steamed rice (for bacon stew)