Operation: Zero Meals Out update

Soba noodle lunch

The first half of the month has been great to us. We are really taking the opportunity, with this new program, to be more creative in the kitchen. We've wasted very little—missed two pieces of stone fruit, but otherwise all has been eaten. We're trying to repurpose foods (leftovers, scraps) as much as possible, but have also taken time to test a couple of new recipes. This week, we even skipped the bread aisle and made our own. After all, we have plenty of water, flour, yeast and time.

Highlights this round included the soba noodle lunch you see here (soba noodles, tofu, carrots and zucchini, lightly dressed with rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, miso and sriracha); salmon cakes with herb potatoes and homemade tartar sauce (mayo, mustard, chopped dill pickles and some lemon zest) and more of Lee's yummy potato soup.

The doc complimented me yesterday on keeping my pregnancy weight gain in check and we have saved lots of money (which we can now gleefully turn around and spend on cute baby clothes).

Truthfully: I feel a little foolish that two people who love cooking (and cooking together) as much as Lee and me had such inconsistent cooking and eating habits. This experiment—even just a couple weeks in—has been eye-opening for us both. We're planning to stick closer to home for meals, even after the month is through.