Whether you’re trying out a new eating routine, making an effort to make the school week less stressful, or simply moving towards cleaner eating, meal prepping is a phenomenal solution for you! That said, meal prepping can absolutely be daunting, especially if you are new to preparing food.
If you’re feeling a little bit stressed about embarking on the meal prepping journey, never fear! This week, we are bringing you our Guide to Vegan Meal Prepping – this includes the perfect vegan snack, as well as vegan meal prep ideas for lunch and dinner.
Take a look to learn more about why it’s good for you, how you can do so effectively, and some recipes to boost your inspiration.
Why Meal Prep?
Meal prepping is a great way to set yourself up for success at the start of every week. When you’re having a busy day, it can be so easy to pass up a meal, or just downright forget to eat at all – meal prepping is a solution to this issue, as it provides your days with a small amount of structure that’ll keep your mind and body working hard.
If you’re looking to save money, in addition to saving time and stress, you should also consider looking at meal prepping. When you prepare your meals in advance, you are able to buy your food in bulk quantities, which is less expensive than buying smaller amounts at the store. Additionally, when you prepare everything at once, you can more easily streamline your portion sizes, so that you have a sense of consistency in what you consume.
You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy these delicious meal prep ideas. Everything from lunch bowls, to sheet pan dinners to vegan snacks – we’ve got you covered. Check it out!
3 Quick + Easy Meal Prep Ideas
You can’t go wrong with starting with the basics. These three recipes are unrivaled when it comes to maintaining your focus and efficiency levels high while working or in school; chock full of protein and a variety of sweet to savory flavors, these meal prep ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are sure to keep you working at your full potential.
- Super Food Instant Pot Oatmeal in a Jar by Cotter Crunch: This appetizing and portable snack is a wonderful way to start your day, or to keep yourself motivated with a yummy treat in the middle of your day. The best part? It only takes 10 minutes to prepare.
- Vegan Teriyaki Stir Fry by Sweet Peas + Saffron: Get your greens in with this tangy and bright vegan stir fry! It’ll take you about 30 minutes to whip it all up, and you can add in additional protein options such as tofu or additional veggies. Get creative!
- Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos by The Fitchen: Breakfast is so important, but so easy to pass up when you’re running out the door, or even when you’re running late to the Zoom meeting! Make new, healthier morning habits by trying out this lovely breakfast burrito. It’ll take you about 20 minutes to prepare.
3 High Protein Vegan Meal Prep Recipes
If you or your family are extremely active throughout the day, you definitely need to make sure that you’re all consuming enough greens and proteins to maintain strength and energy. These three vegan meal prep ideas are unmatched for the athlete and health nut – try them out and debunk the myth that vegan meals don’t provide enough protein.
- Chickpea Salad by eatwell101: Take the hard-boiled eggs out of the equation, and this hardy, protein-packed salad is the ultimate pick-me-up vegan lunch. The best part is that it shouldn’t take you longer than 30 minutes to toss it all together.
- No Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Balls by Make it Dairy Free: This peanut butter snack is an unparalleled option for the family that is on the go. You can put these tasty treats together in less than 15 minutes, and rest easy knowing that you’ll have a healthy and filling snack waiting for you.
- Moroccan Chickpea, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Lunch Bowl by Occasionally Eggs: Vegan lunch bowls are all the rage – this lovely recipe is simple, colorful, and an excellent contender for large batch cooking. This meal prep bowl takes about 10 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to cook, and it’ll feed two people.
4 Vegan Meal Prep Recipes for Weight Loss
When it comes to making lifestyle changes, especially regarding eating habits, slow and sustainable is what we like to promote. In order to eat healthier, you truly do not need to change all that much about what you consume – just add more greenery, and take away some of the unnecessary items, such as processed foods and sugary beverages. Take a look at these four fantastically flavorful meal prep ideas that will keep you coming back for more (the next day!).
- Vegan Mason Jar Bowl by She Likes Food: This black bean burrito bowl is ideal for both lunch and dinner. It’ll take about 40 minutes to add this recipe to your weekly meal plan – after that, it’s super easy to store and take with you on the go.
- Fresh & Easy Green Lentil Salad by Salt & Lavender: This salad is loaded with protein, greens, and zesty flavors. Spice it up by adding fresh mint from your very own Gardenuity Merry Mint Tabletop container garden.
- Crockpot Vegan Curried Lentils by Family Freezer: If you’re looking for a cost-effective, scrumptious meal to make in your slow cooker, this lentil recipe is just right for you. Enjoy savory, spicy flavors without the high levels of sugar or calories. This recipe will take you about 10 minutes to prepare, and 8 hours to cook nice and slow.
- Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Meal Prep Bowls by She Likes Food: Three words – Sheet. Pan. Dinners. They will make your life so much easier, without sacrificing the quality of your meals. Preparing your lunch or dinner on a sheet pan makes your prep a one and done type of situation, which is wonderful if you’re starting a meal plan in order to save time. This inviting and healthy dinner will take you about 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
Homegrown Vegan Recipe
When we think about the idea of something being homegrown, we think about knowing its roots, and we think about comfort. What could be more comforting than a warm, hardy pizza made from ingredients picked right out of your own backyard? Nothing comes to mind!
Take a look at this Green Goddess Pizza recipe, brought to you by Heather Christo. This pizza is so green, so succulent, and so easy to make with ingredients from your Vegetable and Herb container gardens! Make your own pesto at home, and use the kale, arugula, broccoli, and garlic from your winter container gardens to whip up this homegrown pizza pie.
Reimagine your idea of what it means to make comfort food by taking home a Homegrown Garden Kit – you won’t regret it.
Be Kind to Yourself
Remember, when making large shifts in daily and weekly habits, be kind to yourself – what you are doing is not an easy task! We encourage you to look within, and reflect on why it is that you wish to make changes in your life; when your desires come from a place of maintaining wellness, they will be so very fulfilling for you. Get out in your garden, pick some greens, and get your meals ready for the week – you got this!
