Meal Plan #11

The "Easy Does It" Meal Plan

Feb 16, 2026

∙ Paid

I’m going to say something negative.

February is my least favorite month of the year.

Even though the holidays end the first week of January, there’s still an exciting element of the new year, going back to school, and jumping back into routines in January.

But February is different. February has my Dad’s birthday (ILY, Dad!) and Valentine’s Day and it’s all downhill from there. The weather is still cold, the days are still short, and every year I feel like it’s my winter finish line.

We now have a newborn for the 4th time which brings an onslaught of contradicting emotions constantly: loving the newborn phase and longing for sleep, soaking up all the cuddles and needing desperately to get out of the house, enjoying every minute and daydreaming about what it will be like to have all older children.

For this reason alone (okay, and the fact that it’s February), I created this week’s meal plan, the “Easy Does It” meal plan—filled with super simple, not overly complicated meals that will taste substantially more elevated than Kraft Mac & Cheese but still simple enough that even a mom with a newborn can make them. I got you.

Tips & Tricks

Make the Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Pasta Salad at the beginning of the week so you can use it for a quick weeknight dinner (I’m looking at you, sports moms!), or an easy lunch on repeat. Make sure to use a cookie scoop to quickly form your Chicken Piccata Meatballs and bonus points for *doubling* the recipe so that you have enough for this week and another (be sure to store in the freezer). The Air Fryer Fish Tacos can be almost completely prepped ahead of time sans the 10 mins they need to cook in the air fryer or oven. The Shrimp Stir Fry is loaded with juicy shrimp and fresh veggies, but don’t be afraid to swap or use what you have in the fridge! And lastly, the Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich is practically made for February, which you can serve as is or with your favorite soup for the ultimate comfort meal. Our meal plans always come with a COTW (cookie of the week) recipe, and our Cast Iron Skillet Cookie is basically a lazy girl’s cookie recipe because why not have your cake and eat it too?

If February isn’t your jam either, take heart—there are only 12 days left.

The Cast Iron Skillet Cookie from this week’s meal plan (it’s a good one).

What You’ll Find Below

A weekly menu of 5 February-approved meals plus a cookie of the week recipe:
- Recipe 1: Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Pasta Salad (New! ⭐)
- Recipe 2: Chicken Piccata Meatballs
- Recipe 3: Air Fryer Fish Tacos
- Recipe 4: Shrimp Stir Fry
- Recipe 5: Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich
- COTW: Cast Iron Skillet Cookie
A consolidated grocery list, organized by grocery section
A PDF for every single recipe
A master PDF with everything in one place

But First, Thank You!

Thank you for being here. When you leave a comment, send a hello, or respond to a newsletter, it means the world to me! From one of our subscribers this month (on meal plan #9):