Sundays are the perfect day to meal prep. It ensures you always have fresh, nutritious and delicious meals at your fingertips no matter what the week throws at you. Whether it is a busy work day that runs over time or a morning on-the-go, you will be ready.
There are lots of different approaches to meal prep, so it’s important you find the right method for you. One idea is to cook large batches of your recipes. Though this loads you up with lots of sauce, dressing, soup or whatever you create, the one downfall is you can get tired of the same old, same old. Just as simple is to make a variety of easy, staple recipes that can be used as a foundation or topping for lots of different types of meals. After all, variety is the spice of life!
In the end, it’s up to you! Ultimately, through meal prep, you will save tons of time, have fun, be creative and eat well.
For inspiration, here are three plant-based recipes that can all be made in under 30 minutes. With the addition of cooking a few servings of rice, pasta and/or pre-chopped salad, in under an hour you will have meals for the whole week!
"Creamy" Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Sauce
Meal Prep Tip: More than just a sauce, also great as a spread for sandwiches, dip for pita and veggies, pizza sauce or to drizzle on grain bowls.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup raw almonds or cashews
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Directions:
Add all ingredients into the Vitamix container. Blend on variable speed 10 until smooth (about 45 seconds). If needed, add a splash of water and blend for another 10 seconds on variable speed 10 to thin it out. Once smooth, pour into your favourite re-sealable container and store in the fridge. Use within 5 days.
Garlic Sunflower Seed Dressing
Meal Prep Tip: Great for salads, as a sandwich spread (mayo alternative), dip for buffalo wings, cauliflower bites and veggies or white sauce for pizza.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup water
- 1 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
Directions
Add all ingredients into the Vitamix container (or use the Vitamix blending cups to easily blend and store!) Blend on variable speed 10 until smooth (about 40 seconds). Once smooth, store in a glass jar in the fridge and use within 5 days.
Sneaky Greens Juice
Meal Prep Tip: Go beyond just drinking this as juice and use it as a base for smoothies or even freeze in popsicle molds as a summer treat.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blueberries
- 3 large kale leaves
- ½ large orange, peeled
- ½ lime, peeled
- 1 ½ cups water
Directions
Add all ingredients into the Vitamix container. Blend on variable speed 10 until smooth (about 30 seconds). Once smooth, strain through a nut milk bag to remove the pulp. Pour into a resealable jar and store in the fridge. Drink within 3 days for freshest taste.
Related Articles
5 Creative Ideas for Food Prep with Your Kids
Children love to help, especially in the kitchen, and a child who helps you prepare a dish is much more likely to try it. Make an adventure out of trying new foods, and enjoy these ideas that will take your young chef from breakfast to bedtime.
Tips on Incorporating Plant-Based Protein in Your Diet
Discover the importance of plant-based proteins and how to add more to your diet.
How to Boost Your Plant-Based Protein Intake
Learn how much plant-based protein you should be getting per day