I looove watching food/meal prep videos. Anyone else? It’s interesting to see what people tend to gravitate towards in their kitchen. Endless possibilities, especially in a vegan kitchen.
I like to say “food prep” more than meal prep because not all these are meals exactly, but just items that I like to have ready to go for endless opportunities during the week (like cut up veggies, grains, etc.)
To be honest, the formula for my food/meal prep usually stays the same for the most part but I cycle in and out of recipes that I am hooked on. I have shared past meal prep routines HERE and HERE – you’ll notice some similarities, but definitely a variety if you are looking for even more inspiration.
So currently, this is what my food prep routine looks like.
— Crock pot beans. I almost always have beans prepped in the crock pot because it is easy, budget-friendly, and gives us a lot of options for dinners during the week – quesadilla filling, tacos, burritos, as is, whatever. My go-to recipe is HERE.
— Grain. Usually rice or quinoa. Nothing fancy, but good to have and whips up quickly.
— Greens. Currently, this is broccoli rabe for me. I have been loooving it above all other greens. I like to toss with some pasta or eat as is, but it is always stashed away in my fridge.
— Chia pudding. To be honest, I can’t stand chia pudding. I wish I did, but I can’t get down with the texture. Willow on the other hand loves it. I’ve been making a jar of it for the week, whether for her breakfast or snack.
— Roasted potatoes/fries. I alternate between sweet potato and white potatoes, fries or cubes, sometimes baked, and always seasoned up a bit differently. But you can’t go wrong with prepped potatoes. Ever.
— Raw veggie slices. Easier to have these all cut up and stored nicely in a pinch rather than cut as you go. I will eat more veggies when they are already prepped, trust me. I bet the same goes for you, too. And with veggies, I like…
— Cashew herb dip. Again, lots of fresh herbs from our pots lately so I’ll whip up a quick cashew cream with lots of basil and dill. I love this with my veggie sticks and Willow really loves on crackers for a healthy-fat snack.
— Cut up fruit. Whatever is in season, I’ll cut up and have ready. Lately it has been mostly melon.
— Tofu quiche. We have been big on tofu lately… sometimes I prefer tempeh, but Willow prefers tofu so I have focused on that more. She is crazy in love with these quiches. It is not my recipe, but man I am glad I found it. They come out so delicious and freeze well. Willow can easily eat 3 of them in a sitting. I load them up with mushrooms, onion, zucchini, and/or spinach. This is great if you want a savory breakfast prepped for the week.
— Italian gravy or pesto. One or the other, but I like to have something ready for a quick pasta dinner. I tend to like to make a huge pot of gravy more because I can use it for pizza sauce, pasta (Willow loves for lunch), and freeze some for later. BUT we have had lots of fresh basil growing in our herb pot and I’ve enjoyed making pesto as well. It’s good to switch things up.
— Frozen bananas. This will always be on my food prep list because I ALWAYS buy an extra bushel of bananas to freeze for smoothies and banana ice cream.
— Yogurt melts. Really simple stuff – just dollop some plant-based yogurt on a lined tray and freeze. My girl loves these for snack.
So that’s about it. Nothing too crazy or fancy, but things that I know won’t go to waste during the week. What are some of your meal/food prep items? xx bianca
