A Guide for Vegan Meal Prep Ideas – Jarastyle

- Advertisement -

[ad_1]

Overlay text about vegan meal prep with a collage of a variety of meals like soup, pasta, sandwiches and burritos.Overlay text in front of a collage of six photos of dinners with soup, bowls, pasta and sandwiches.

Vegan meal prep ideas to help you stay organized for healthy meals all week long! All you need to know for adding more plants into your diet is right here.

Eating vegan meals doesn’t have to be stressful. Follow along and learn how to meal prep for easy nutritious meals for your whole family!

A collage of six recipes including a burger, burrito, soup, falafel, pasta and a sandwich.

Click here to subscribe

This post was originally published on December 29, 2018.

We can all agree that more plants in your diet is never a bad idea. But change can be stressful! I am giving you all the tips, tricks and support you need to make eating more plant-based meals easier.

Click here to subscribe

Vegan Meal Plans

The following a list of all my sample vegan menus (see the bottom of the post for my vegan holiday menus!), filled with meal prep recipes to make your life easy. It’s important to create meal plans that offer a balance of high protein, lots of fruit and veggies for nutrients, whole grains for fiber, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Each meal prep menu link has every detail written down for you, including instructions and a printable shopping list, and I am always here for questions!

Easy 7 Day Vegan Meal Plan

A fully comprehensive but easy meal guide that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner

collage of 7 day weekly meal plan breakfast, dinner and dessert.

Vegan Meal for Beginners

This menu is focused on a full week of easy dinners that result in minimal waste and less effort.

A collage of taquitos, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, burritos and stuffed mushrooms.

Weekly Vegan Meal Plan 

Another weekly dinner plan comprised of a variety of cuisines to keep things exciting.

A photo collage of a grain bowl, soup, tacos, falafel, burger and pasta.

Fall Weekday Breakfast Menu

5 easy ideas for weekday breakfasts that will start your day off right.

A collection of fall weekday breakfast on a wooden surface.

Easy Vegan Lunchbox Recipes 

5 days of lunches with a variety of ingredients, nothing boring here.

A variety of school lunch items like fruit kebabs, pizza, hummus, veggies and pretzels.

5 Day Raw Food Reset

I love cooked food, but once in a while it feels good to clean the system. I’ve made it easy!

Collage of raw vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack foods.

Easy Trader Joe’s Meals

This collection of recipes uses Trader Joe’s vegan food to create easy and delicious, perfect for busy weeknights!

A fork in a white bowl with green and white gnocchi mixed with red sauce and spinach and topped with Parmesan.

How to Meal Prep Vegetables

Meal prepping vegetables is one of the best things you can do to make your week easier! Getting prepped and organized makes meals faster and simpler.

Black containers filled with chopped veggies on a wooden surface.

Click here to subscribe

Why Meal Prep

Diet change is an area that can easily be chipped away at slowly. One simple step at a time can lead to a future of big changes. You always need to start with the reason why you want to make the change.

That is something you will come back to and focus on as you journey toward your ultimate goal. I talk all about this in my podcast episode on our why and how we focus on it when making decisions.

Whether you’re just trying to add more plant-based meals to your life, or making a bigger change, there are a lot of labels out there. It’s hard to know what all these terms mean, so many rules to learn (but remember you do not have to follow rules to live a healthy lifestyle)! I’m here to help, ask any questions you want because I am the last person that will judge you.

  • Vegetarian: There are many types of vegetarians, some eat eggs, some eat fish, and some don’t eat any of those and simply just dairy.
  • Vegan: This means you consume no animal products. In fact, true vegans don’t even eat honey. Many are even careful about sugar and wine that has been processed with animal products. Some sugars use bone char in the processing system, and wines can use fining agents such as milk protein, egg whites and fish bladder.
  • Pescatarian: Another plant-based diet that is very similar to being vegetarian. However, pescatarians eat fish and shellfish.

Once you decide to make a change, you need to have a plan. This is why meal prepping can help. Being prepared when making a change leads to more success.

Tips for How to Vegan Meal Prep

First off, when making changes to your lifestyle it’s important to be kind to yourself and take it easy. You don’t want to get overwhelmed!

  • Start slow. When one change becomes easy, start with two. Then keep going and pushing yourself until you reach your ultimate goal.
  •  It is not a crash diet, it is an overall lifestyle change that will bring you your healthiest self. Don’t expect to change all at once.
  • You can’t build a house without the foundation or frame, it would fall. You can’t make a lifestyle change without setting yourself up for success. And the best way to gain success, is seeking support from those that know the way.
  • Healthy vegetarian recipes are a good stepping stone.
  • Organize your fridge to avoid food waste after prepping.

If you’re coming from a place of meat all day every day, perhaps jumping into all vegan recipes is a stretch. Many people find success by starting with healthy vegetarian recipes. Here are some ways to take any meal and make it vegetarian:

  • Meat based meals: swap out the meat for another protein. Beans are a great option for a lot of recipes. Chickpeas are super versatile so when in doubt, use those.
  • Vegan meals: use the dairy counterparts for the vegan based cream ingredients. Like these Black Bean Pumpkin Enchiladas for instance, use sour cream for the cream portion to make this an easy transition food.
  • Creating your own: pick a grain, a sauce, some veggies and a non meat protein like beans, quinoa, tofu or a vegetarian sausage. Combining those in a bowl type meal is an easy way to start.

Pantry Staples

When you’re meal planning, having the right staples on hand helps with the weekly grocery shopping. These are suggestions for food to always have around:

Pasta, beans, grains:

  • Dried pasta of choice, gluten-free if needed
  • Black beans
  • Pinto Beans
  • Chickpeas
  • Brown Rice
  • Quinoa
  • Oats

Nuts and seeds:

  • Cashews
  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Flax seeds
  • Hemp seeds
  • Chia seeds
  • Peanut butter
  • Other nut or seed butters

(Non) Dairy:

  • Non-dairy milk- Silk Cashew Milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc.
  • Plain dairy-free yogurt
  • Coconut cream

Spices and baking essentials:

  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Chili powder
  • Cumin
  • Basil
  • Oregano
  • Ginger
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt & pepper
  • Vanilla extract
  • Vegetable broth
  • Brown rice flour
  • Maple syrup

Produce:

  • Potatoes – russet, red, or white potatoes are excellent for making pretty much anything due to their neutral taste. Sweet potatoes can also be used in a variety of ways.
  • Onions – sweet or brown onions are good all around, but white and red onions pack more flavor.
  • Greens – spinach, lettuce, kale, or cabbage, etc.
  • Bell peppers
  • Mushrooms
  • Avocados
  • Tomatoes
  • Zucchini – in so many recipes, and can also be made into zucchini noodles.
  • Peas

Vegan holiday meal plans

The holidays can put a lot of pressure on any home cook. Having a variety of eaters can make it even more challenging. These guides will help you plan the perfect stress free meals:

Vegan Valentine’s Meals

Build the perfect romantic meal at home, from breakfast to dessert.

A collage of recipes you would make for Valentine's Day from appetizers to desserts.

20 Vegan Cinco de Mayo Recipes

These vegan Cinco de Mayo recipes will not disappoint. They are so flavorful and amazing you absolutely won’t miss the meat or dairy!

Collage of Mexican recipes for every course.

Step by Step Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner

Make your Thanksgiving meal easy and follow my guide.

Collage of photos of food for Thanksgiving.

Vegan Thanksgiving Meal Plan: 

Another option for a Thanksgiving meal, switch it up each year!

A collage of different recipes you can make for Thanksgiving.

Vegan Greek Christmas Recipes

This list of recipes will ensure you have the most delicious Vegan feast that everyone will love.

Collage of different Greek recipes for Christmas.

Vegan and Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

While not a meal plan per se, having the right treats around the holidays is crucial.

Collage of different kinds of Christmas cookies.

Click here to subscribe

Common Questions

How do vegans meal prep for a week?

First, you want to create a menu, ideally one that uses many of the same ingredients to keep it easy. (See the post for a variety of options.) Then, create your shopping list. Once you have all your ingredients, many of the foods can be prepared in advance. Some meals can even be made completely and reheated when ready to eat.

What do vegans meal prep?

Everything! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. These meals consist of plant-based foods. See the post above for a list of meal plans that are full of vegan meal prep recipes.

Is it safe to meal prep for 5 days?

In general, cooked food is good for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Your best bet is to prepare the individual ingredients to make cooking easier if it’s going to be longer than a few days. See the above guides for more details on how to do this.

More Vegan Resources

Here are some more helpful links to keep you going on your journey of eating more plant based meals:

Click here to subscribe

A photo of a signature saying Sophia with a blueberry as the letter O

[ad_2]

Source link
Jarastyle – #Guide #Vegan #Meal #Prep #Ideas
Courtesy : https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/ultimate-guide-to-vegan-meal-prep-with-grocery-lists/

Share