Plant-based diets consist of foods rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes to provide nutrients necessary for living a healthier life. The goal is to eat foods that both satisfy hunger and provide essential vitamins and minerals necessary for good health.
Meal prep can be an excellent way to save time and make life simpler during the week. These simple recipes use ingredients found in healthy diets – like vegetables, beans, and grains – and turn them into delectable meals!
Chickpea and Vegetable Stir-Fry
Food preparation doesn’t need to be hard! With plant-based meal prep recipes, it is easy to create delicious and nutritious plant-based meals ahead of time and store them safely. Meal prepping gives you an opportunity to experiment with new food combinations while getting a taste of what a delicious and nutritious plant-based diet offers!
This Chickpea and Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe is an effortless meal solution, ideal for using up leftover vegetables or canned chickpeas in just 15 minutes! Packed with flavor from its delicious peanut sauce and full of veggies for maximum nutritional intake! It makes an easy plant-based dinner or meal prep recipe!
These vegan recipes are an ideal introduction to plant-based eating for beginners. By taking advantage of basic building blocks like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes for healthy yet hearty dishes such as crispy baked falafel, homemade hummus, three-bean salad, or chickpea stew, you’re set! Great lunch or dinner ideas alike.
Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
This quinoa and black bean salad provides plenty of plant-based protein, healthy fats from olive oil, and an assortment of fresh vegetables – perfect for enjoying as a warming or chilled lunch! Plus, it stores well in your refrigerator!
It’s also quick and simple to put together, taking less than 15 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for vegetarians looking to increase their protein intake or just those wanting an easy vegetarian lunch option – switch out black beans for pinto, kidney, or cannellini beans to switch it up, add chicken or tofu for extra heartiness, or just go with black!
These plant-based meal prep ideas are ideal for beginners looking to transition into vegetarianism, being quick and easy to make while keeping in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If meal prepping interests you, check out my ebook, A Month of Healthy Meals For The Busy Girl, which includes 4 weeks of weekly menu plans, workouts, grocery lists, and 20+ recipes; this offer is exclusive for Camille Styles readers!
Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry
This flavorful curry is packed with plant-based goodness. With warming earthy spices like turmeric, ginger, and coriander complemented by sweet potato and cinnamon notes for sweetness, plus protein from chickpeas and lentils providing additional nourishment! Plus, if made ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer, it makes quick meals easy to come by!
Meal prep can be an excellent way to both get your food on track and save money. By planning and prepping all of your meals at once, meal prepping provides nutritious food throughout the week – something especially helpful if you find it challenging to find time for cooking each day.
This meal prep idea is ideal for fall dinners with family or friends. To add an extra satisfying twist, stuff portobello mushrooms with salad ingredients before placing them on buns for serving.
Roasted Vegetable and Hummus Wrap
An indulgent combination of roasted vegetables and fresh spinach complemented with creamy goat cheese and crunchy pumpkin seeds combined with an easy preparation and delectable flavor is the ideal healthy lunch choice. Enjoy it warm or cold!
To prepare this meal, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place all of the ingredients on a baking sheet. Drizzle some oil over the top, season with salt and pepper, and roast for approximately 15 minutes or until softened.
Once the vegetables have cooled, combine them with the rest of the ingredients and roll into a tortilla. Serve alongside fruit or nuts for a satisfying plant-based snack!
This recipe offers great flexibility:
- Vegetables can be adjusted based on what’s available seasonally.
- Goat cheese can be replaced by feta.
- You may use another type of dip/spread instead of the hummus if desired.
Plus, it’s quick, simple, and perfect for anyone new to plant-based eating!
Tofu and Vegetable Skewers
This plant-based dinner recipe makes an enjoyable summer barbecue side dish, naturally vegetarian and vegan, low in carbohydrates, and gluten-free. Skewers are super simple to put together and taste fantastic with any grain or vegetable side dishes!
Make it more flavorful by trying different marinades or switching up the vegetables to reflect your favorite tastes, then thread tofu and vegetables onto skewers for grilling until slightly charred and tender. Or you could bake skewers at 390F for 25 minutes, flipping every so often.
Grilled tofu and vegetables offer plenty of flavor and texture while being an easy, healthy snack for lunches or on-the-go eating! This meal prep recipe can easily fit into a busy family’s lifestyle!
Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles and Pesto
Plant-based meal prep doesn’t need to be difficult or time-consuming – all it requires is some advanced planning and cooking multiple times each week in order to always have healthy food on hand. If this way of eating is new to you, start simple, such as making a large batch of beans to use in salads and soups or roasting veggies to add to grain bowls or sandwiches.
Store up on plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds, as well as whole grains to satisfy your protein needs. Be wary of overly processed vegetarian proteins such as soy hot dogs and imitation meats, which contain too much sodium.
This delicious zucchini pasta dish combines zoodles (zucchini noodles) with homemade pesto made with fresh basil, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, and garlic to make an exquisite summertime dish! Vegan and gluten-free friendly. Zoodles can be created using spiralizers, julienne peelers, or box graters and contain fewer carbs than traditional spaghetti, making them the ideal solution for weight loss.
Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
Start small when it comes to cooking by starting with simple yet straightforward recipes, like this black bean and corn quesadilla recipe from my home! Cheesy, spicy, filling…you could even add chicken or veggies for more substance if desired!
When shopping for meal prep ingredients, aim to select beans, lentils, nuts, and whole grains – they all provide high levels of protein and fiber, which help ensure a satiating meal prep experience.
As someone just beginning a plant-based diet, meal prep can be daunting. To find a plan that works for both you and your schedule, begin prepping a few meals each week at first and gradually ramp it up over time. Furthermore, investing in tools that save both time and effort, such as spiralizers for vegetable noodles or an Instant Pot for cooking dried beans and grains, is recommended; also, using food processors can speed up this process of chopping vegetables faster.
Conclusion
Meal prep can be an ideal way to kick-start your plant-based eating journey. Begin with planning and batch cooking, then incorporate small meal preparation tasks like chopping vegetables or washing fruit into your weekly routine – it will help create healthy eating habits that feel manageable! For beginners, start small: prepare breakfast and lunches ahead of time before slowly expanding on these tasks as you progress! As time progresses, add in dinner prep or snacks.
