Chickpeas. We usually have them toasted with veggies and couscous at least once a week, and if I need a quick lunch I’ll mash a can’s worth to make something similar to tuna salad and toss that on some toast.

A go to lunch for me is overnight oats. The night before I throw half a cup of oats and water into a container, add a spoon full of peanut butter, a tbsp of chia seeds, and handful of frozen blueberries

Hi! Here are my meal prep or time-efficient go-tos that I could think of, some of which have already-prepared parts to them (highlighted):

• Pesto (storebought and I grate in some extra garlic in) pasta with white navy beans (pecans or walnuts too)
• Chili (storebought; tofu and/or bean based) with rice
• Mujadara - Lebanese/Middle Eastern rice and lentil with fried onions dish
• Veggie burger (storebought)
• Vegetables and tofu stir-fry with rice (or fried rice)
• Soup (storebought, pea or lentil based usually)
• Indian curry (lentil or chickpea) with rice

I like rice and pasta, but I prefer more rice in my meal prep diet. I’ve found a simple 1-switch rice cooker to be a great investment (as someone with a very modest amount kitchen equipment). It’s pretty foolproof, which is great for me :). The only time I cook rice outside of it is in the case of mujadara.

I often have a side, like a salad (I store pre-washed and -chopped lettuce in the fridge), oven-roasted veggies, potatoes (baked, roasted, or storebought oven fries), or steamed corn or other veggies.

Last night I made a jacket potato with baked beans (storebought) and caramelized onions. It was good comfort food. But 1 was great and 2 was too much sweet in what I fancy for supper.

I gotta learn how to make soup next! Happy exploring to you!

Burrito - Refried beans, rice (I prefer brown), your choice of pico de gallo or guacamole. I’ve also done sauted sweet bell pepper, it tasted great.

Summer Veggie Sandwich - GOOD bread (I like a nice sourdough), hummus for spread, lettuce, tomato, cucumber or squash, salt, pepper, and italian seasonings.

Five Ingredient Chili - Beans (any of black, kidney, pinto, etc), diced tomatoes (canned or fresh), onion, garlic, chili powder. Chop and saute the onion + garlic, then add in everything else and stew for at least 20-30min. Longer is better. Ratio is roughly 2 cans beans, 1 can tomatoes, 1 tbsp chili powder but obviously change as you like. Can also add corn and/or bell pepper (saute first). If you can find a sealed cast iron pot, you can make it all in one pot.

Actually Good Lentil Soup - I’ve had little success with lentils - they usually turn out ‘ok’. This one is actually good. Chop+saute onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Add 8oz of tomato paste and 150ml of wine (old wine is fine, it’s going to be boiled away). Mix well and stir frequently until no liquid is remaining at the bottom of the pot. Add a carton of vegetable broth, 1 cup lentils, and 1 tsp of italian herbs. Bring to boil and simmer ~45min or until lentils are tender.

Here’s a Mac & Cheese adapted from https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-mac-and-cheese-recipe/

I use the cheese sauce for this meal or as a substitute for béchamel when making lasagna.

The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese

Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Servings: Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews

• 200 ml oat-based cooking cream

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 12 ounces elbow pasta

Optional breadcrumb topping

• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespoons vegan butter/margarine, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Directions: Preheat oven and prep – If planning on baking it with the breadcrumb topping, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a casserole dish (I used a 9×13 inch dish). Skip this step for stovetop mac and cheese. Soak the cashews – Soften your cashews by covering them in boiling water for 5 minutes. I do this by heating up water in my tea kettle, and then pouring the boiling water over the cashews in a large glass measuring cup. Cook pasta – Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but do not overcook. Drain and set aside. Blend cheese sauce – Drain the soaked cashews and discard the soaking water. Add the cashews, fresh water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, garlic powder, salt and bag of shredded cheese (if using) to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth.

Stovetop version Simply return the pasta to the pot and pour in the cheese sauce. Stir until the sauce thickens and serve immediately.

Baked version (the best!) Make the breadcrumb topping by mixing the breadcrumbs, melted vegan butter and smoked paprika in a small bowl until crumbly and moist. Add the drained pasta to the prepared casserole dish, and pour in the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the noodles. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on the pasta and bake, uncovered for 15 minutes. I also broiled it for a few minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!

I’m extremely lazy when it comes to cooking, I eat plenny shake for most of my meals 😅 but I like it a lot, so if you hate cooking and don’t mind it it could be a pretty affordable option

The main protein sources I cycle through are: beans (various), chickpeas, lentils (yellow for dal, brown for burgers), soy (tofu, tempeh), and wheat gluten sausages, or other store bought veggie dogs if I don’t feel like cooking.

Then I’ll just make whatever recipe that features those, which is basically infinite.

Having a weekly list helps a lot, even if I don’t always follow it. So I can just glance at the list and know I should put, for example, some beans on soak for tomorrow.

My go-to breakfast is mashing up a banana, some peanut butter, and a little plant-based milk to make a kind of breakfast mush. I then add frozen berries, nuts, granola, or the like. It takes like five minutes to make and lasts me until lunch.