Plant Based Meal Prep

rawroy
rawroy Posts: 106 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I never thought I'd be doing meal prep because I didn't see the need for it on a Plant Based Lifestyle. I'm sure there are benefits but for me, it always looked like my carnivorous friends were spending more time and money doing portion control and that wasn't appealing to me. I've been Plant Based for 3 years now and I was overweight before that. I've been just eating Low Fat Plant Based whenever and whatever I wanted and stayed lean! Well, I was wrong about having a need for Plant Based Meal Prep because I am a Prepper too and started buying food in bulk to save money and it just made sense to start preparing our meals ahead of time and so far I'm loving it! It also helps me stay motivated to find delicious and easier recipes to make to help others transition from meat and dairy to mostly or completely Plant Based!

If anyone is interested, my Diary is open!
https://goo.gl/photos/Nw2MamnNSLXK5uP19
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Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Wow! That's so cool!
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    Awww you are making me hungry! That looks so good!
  • veronicav0502
    veronicav0502 Posts: 112 Member
    Wow that's awesome! I really need to do that. Can you freeze some of that or do you keep everything in the fridge?
  • mom2colbyj
    mom2colbyj Posts: 119 Member
    Your meals look delicious. I've just started adding back plant based meat substitutes back into the mix so I'm excited to do a taco salad with crumbles.
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    veronicav0502 wrote: »
    Wow that's awesome! I really need to do that. Can you freeze some of that or do you keep everything in the fridge?

    I haven't tried freezing anything yet. That might be a great solution for making them last more than a week! I'll try freezing one of these meals after and microwaving it after a week and see how one turns out! I only thought of making these last in the fridge for a week and I know using thawed out freezed vegetables turn soggy left in the fridge. This is still trial and error for me :)
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    mom2colbyj wrote: »
    Your meals look delicious. I've just started adding back plant based meat substitutes back into the mix so I'm excited to do a taco salad with crumbles.

    The vegan meat crumbles we used are the Lightlife brand with zero fat! Make sure you add Cumin and you won't know the difference! Post your Plant Based Meal pics :) Looking forward to seeing and hearing how it turned out!
  • veronicav0502
    veronicav0502 Posts: 112 Member
    I haven't tried freezing anything yet. That might be a great solution for making them last more than a week! I'll try freezing one of these meals after and microwaving it after a week and see how one turns out! I only thought of making these last in the fridge for a week and I know using thawed out freezed vegetables turn soggy left in the fridge. This is still trial and error for me :)[/quote]

    Please let me know how that goes. I would love to hear from you. I'm about to start planning, but I have limited space in my fridge.

    ps- sending you a friend request
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    I need more ideas :) I am planning the same base meal with different flavors.
    So far, I have Pasta Week, Rice Week, Salad Week!
    What would you like to see next?
  • veronicav0502
    veronicav0502 Posts: 112 Member
    what about grilled meals?
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    veronicav0502 wrote: »
    what about grilled meals?

    I'm grilling the vegan meat subs for the added protein. I love grilled veggies too but that would add more time to meal prep. So far, the tofu and rice was the easiest to prep having a rice cooker and just popping the tofu in the oven for 30 minutes. The salads took the longest because I had to hand wash, chop up and measure all that lettuce. It was easier just to make a salad on the fly but I have a new solution for Salads coming up!
  • ami4kids
    ami4kids Posts: 6 Member
    How many calories are those running you? I enjoy having a salad for lunches, but being vegetarian with an Omni family, is tough. I rarely have time to eat with them since I cook our food at different times.
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    WOW I am intrigued... Looks great!
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    rawroy wrote: »
    Just some of the Low Fat Plant Based Meals I'm making.
    45cb41eqmnkw.jpg
    dz4kdaw752a6.jpg
    1mh7ga0w0tyy.jpg
    73k2w3bfahhd.jpg
    nmx5qnldhvgk.jpg
    lc7mpscvv6v2.jpg
    y5xxxtle2le1.jpg
    7uz4jifmq092.jpg


    Is that chicken or tofu? I'm newly vegan but everything looks fantastic! Where do you get your recipes?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    nm212 wrote: »
    rawroy wrote: »
    Just some of the Low Fat Plant Based Meals I'm making.
    45cb41eqmnkw.jpg
    dz4kdaw752a6.jpg
    1mh7ga0w0tyy.jpg
    73k2w3bfahhd.jpg
    nmx5qnldhvgk.jpg
    lc7mpscvv6v2.jpg
    y5xxxtle2le1.jpg
    7uz4jifmq092.jpg


    Is that chicken or tofu? I'm newly vegan but everything looks fantastic! Where do you get your recipes?

    It looks like Beyond Meat (to me).
  • veronicav0502
    veronicav0502 Posts: 112 Member
    rawroy wrote: »
    veronicav0502 wrote: »
    what about grilled meals?

    I'm grilling the vegan meat subs for the added protein. I love grilled veggies too but that would add more time to meal prep. So far, the tofu and rice was the easiest to prep having a rice cooker and just popping the tofu in the oven for 30 minutes. The salads took the longest because I had to hand wash, chop up and measure all that lettuce. It was easier just to make a salad on the fly but I have a new solution for Salads coming up!

    What about couscous or oven roasted veggies? Couscous seasons fairly easy so you can add lemon juice and cilantro after it's done cooking.
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    ami4kids wrote: »
    How many calories are those running you? I enjoy having a salad for lunches, but being vegetarian with an Omni family, is tough. I rarely have time to eat with them since I cook our food at different times.

    Check out my food diary. I added them all there for the week. It's varies between 350-450 calories each. Since they are very low fat, I'm eating more quantity but when I get home I eat about 1,000 calories to get at least 2k per day. My breakfast and lunch is always going to be consistent.
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    nm212 wrote: »
    rawroy wrote: »
    Just some of the Low Fat Plant Based Meals I'm making.
    45cb41eqmnkw.jpg
    dz4kdaw752a6.jpg
    1mh7ga0w0tyy.jpg
    73k2w3bfahhd.jpg
    nmx5qnldhvgk.jpg
    lc7mpscvv6v2.jpg
    y5xxxtle2le1.jpg
    7uz4jifmq092.jpg


    Is that chicken or tofu? I'm newly vegan but everything looks fantastic! Where do you get your recipes?

    The first pic is Tofu and the 5th pic is vegan gardein chicken strips! They look and taste like the real thing but I remember when I ate meat it was tougher. I actually prefer these plant based meat alternatives so much more! I don't have to worry about choking on a piece of meat. It was sooo scary when my son got bacon stuck in his throat once. Plant Based Meat is much more tender and easier to chew. If I tried a piece of meat now, my jaw would probably be sore for a week LOL
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    veronicav0502 wrote: »
    rawroy wrote: »
    veronicav0502 wrote: »
    what about grilled meals?

    I'm grilling the vegan meat subs for the added protein. I love grilled veggies too but that would add more time to meal prep. So far, the tofu and rice was the easiest to prep having a rice cooker and just popping the tofu in the oven for 30 minutes. The salads took the longest because I had to hand wash, chop up and measure all that lettuce. It was easier just to make a salad on the fly but I have a new solution for Salads coming up!

    What about couscous or oven roasted veggies? Couscous seasons fairly easy so you can add lemon juice and cilantro after it's done cooking.

    Grilled and Roasted sound good! Maybe if I whip up a large batch at once I can still save time! For steamed, I just put them in the meal prep container and nuke them.
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    [/quote]
    Is that chicken or tofu? I'm newly vegan but everything looks fantastic! Where do you get your recipes?
    [/quote]

    Sorry forgot to answer your last question. I just lookup recipes online but modify and simplify them. Even if they are not vegan or low fat, I just substitute the ingredients. These recipes are very simple with few ingredients. For example, the first week, all I did was cook brown rice in my rice cooker, put tofu in the oven for 30 minutes, then just create different sauces for each day. Throw in some veggies and seasoning and that's all. Now if you look online, you'll see so many recipes that say squeeze the tofu, let it sit for a while, refrigerate or freeze it to make it firmer...no way! I did that at first...doesn't even matter! I just take it out, stack a few together, slice it up like cheese, sprinkle it with different spices and stick it in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Then you just add whatever sauces you want on it ;)
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    i tried to look through your diary but it seems to be incomplete for the most part.

    with these prepped meals, about how many calories a day are you getting? how many total grams of protein/carbs/fats?

    I also eat 99% plant based and i'm always looking for new ideas. But i'm bulking and need about 2,200 calories a day and 90-110 g of protein. It would be cool if i could take some of your meal ideas for inspiration! :)

    are you making the sauces on your own? if so, do you have recipes? or are you buying sauces and if so what brands are they?

    what type of containers for meal prep and sauces are you using?

    <3
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    edited March 2017
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    i tried to look through your diary but it seems to be incomplete for the most part.

    with these prepped meals, about how many calories a day are you getting? how many total grams of protein/carbs/fats?

    I also eat 99% plant based and i'm always looking for new ideas. But i'm bulking and need about 2,200 calories a day and 90-110 g of protein. It would be cool if i could take some of your meal ideas for inspiration! :)

    are you making the sauces on your own? if so, do you have recipes? or are you buying sauces and if so what brands are they?

    what type of containers for meal prep and sauces are you using?

    <3

    Sorry, I haven't been tracking Evenings or Weekends. I started tracking Breakfast and Lunch because I'm entering those meals in advance so I don't forget. I'll try to start tracking all meals so it helps. I always enter my meal preps first to get the calories and percentages of each. Here is what I entered before breakfast so you can get an idea. I'm getting between 800-1,000 for breakfast and lunch and then I go home and have 1-2 helpings of dinner and make banana smoothies or nIce cream for a late evening dessert with peanut butter powder. I save my biggest meals for dinner because it really helps me wind down and sleep :)

    Yes, I make my own sauces.
    Alfredo Sauce (Blender)
    50 g, Lemons
    2 cup, Cauliflower - Raw (Boiled to Softness)
    2 clove, Garlic
    2.00 Tbsp, Hemp Seeds
    2 tablespoon, Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
    0.25 tsp, Salt
    0.25 cup, Water
    1 tsp, ground, Pepper
    1 tsp(s), Spices, garlic powder

    Pesto Sauce (Blender)
    2 Tbsp, Hemp Seeds
    1 tbsp(s), Lemon juice, raw
    0.25 tsp, Sea Salt
    0.50 avocado, Avocado Medium 1/2
    0.25 teaspoon, Spices, garlic powder
    1 tbsp, leaves, Spices, basil, dried
    2 tbsp(s), Almond Milk

    Cheese Sauce (Blender)
    8.00 g, Potato (boiled to softness)
    2 medium, Carrots, raw (boiled to softness)
    6 tablespoon, Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
    0.75 tsp, Sea Salt
    0.25 tsp, ground, Spices, pepper, white
    0.50 tsp(s), Spices, onion powder
    0.50 teaspoon, Spices, garlic powder
    1 tbsp(s), Lemon juice, raw
    1 tsp(s), Chives, freeze-dried
    1 tsp(s), Spices, basil, dried
    0.50 cup, Water

    Italian Sauce (Just Shake all of these together)
    5 tbsp(s), Apple Juice
    0.25 cup, Vinegar, cider
    0.25 cup, Lemon juice, raw
    0.50 tsp(s), Spices, onion powder
    0.50 tsp, Spices, paprika
    0.50 tsp, Spices, mustard seed, ground
    0.50 tsp(s), Spices, oregano, dried
    0.25 tsp(s), Spices, basil, dried
    0.12 tsp, Spices, thyme, dried
    0.12 tsp(s), Spices, rosemary, dried
    1 tsp(s), Spices, garlic powder

    PastaWeek.gif
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    i tried to look through your diary but it seems to be incomplete for the most part.

    with these prepped meals, about how many calories a day are you getting? how many total grams of protein/carbs/fats?

    I also eat 99% plant based and i'm always looking for new ideas. But i'm bulking and need about 2,200 calories a day and 90-110 g of protein. It would be cool if i could take some of your meal ideas for inspiration! :)

    are you making the sauces on your own? if so, do you have recipes? or are you buying sauces and if so what brands are they?

    what type of containers for meal prep and sauces are you using?

    <3

    I purchased the largest Meal Prep Containers I could find on Amazon, but for salads, I had to go to the Dollar Store and found some larger containers for just a few bucks that are still BPA, Microwave, Freezer and Dishwasher safe!
    Here's the link for the containers on Amazon. You can choose the 1,2 and 3 Compartment. I got an order of each just in case.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K7OGHAA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    My daughter has been wanting to do this but her fresh veggies and fruits always seem a bit ick after about 4 days or so, never seem to last the whole 7. What do you do to make them go the distance for the whole week?
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    shaumom wrote: »
    My daughter has been wanting to do this but her fresh veggies and fruits always seem a bit ick after about 4 days or so, never seem to last the whole 7. What do you do to make them go the distance for the whole week?

    I spray lemon or lime juice on them and put them in my sealed containera In the fridge. Fresh veggies always last by themselves in a fridge but you can also try buying lemon and lime juice that already has preservatives to spray on them! I don't cook or steam them until I'm ready to eat them. Maybe put in a separate container too. I have some with separate compartments. So far, I've been doing it this way for 3 weeks and haven't had a problem yet.
  • lotusthrone
    lotusthrone Posts: 87 Member
    I made vegan jerk 'chicken' stuff peppers last week and they turned out really well! You make a tempeh mushroom stuffing for the peppers and then make the jerk sauce to put on before baking.
    With a lime vegan mayo corn salad on the side it was a filling meal.
  • rawroy
    rawroy Posts: 106 Member
    edited March 2017
    For those that are interested! This Meal Prep is super easy if you have a Rice Cooker and Oven ;)
    Just put the rice in and slice up the Tofu and put in Oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees and they are done at the same time! Cut up some Veggies and just add a cup of your favorite sauces to change the flavors! I went with Low Sodium Braggs Liquid Aminos, BBQ Sauce, Teryaki, and Sweet n Sour Chili!!! Some with white rice, some with brown rice! Homemade Salsa with corn, tomato, cilantro, onion and garlic spices to top it! Sooooo good and cost less than $5 per meal!

    MealPrepRice.jpg
    RiceWeek.gif
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