Fresh plants that we’ve bought from all of our local stores do not keep, even in the fridge. Anything fresh we have found needs to be eaten within 2-3 days before it starts turning. I’m not about to go to multiple stores 2-3 times a week to get what I need, only to waste money if I don’t have the time or energy to make a fresh meal every day of the week.
Anything plant based that’s pre-prepared and/or frozen tends to be anywhere from $6-12 per “meal”. I’m over 6’2" and 215lbs and the “meals” are more like half a meal for me.
Unless you are ONLY eating beans or rice. Yes, from what I’ve seen, eating plant based diets is very expensive.
I am interested in the one comment mentioning replacing chicken with tofu though. Some of the pre-made tofu meals I’ve had were pretty good. I’ve never cooked with it though. My family hasn’t really eaten beef or pork in years since all of the studies came out linking red meat to cancer. I also have a liver condition that docs recommend avoiding red meat entirely as well.