One of the best ways to eat better is to meal prep for the week. These meal prep ideas are mainly plant-based and packed with nutritious fruit and vegetables. The healthy and easy meal prep recipes are delicious, naturally low in calories and saturated fats, free from added sugar, and low in salt.
When I first started prepping meals it was a revelation. I used to arrive home from work tired and hungry and the last thing I wanted to do was start cooking from scratch. With meal prepping, there’s a healthy meal waiting for you in the fridge. It’s just what you need when you have a family clamoring to be fed!
If you’ve never tried vegan recipes before, you’re in for a treat. Your taste buds will love them and you’ll be amazed how good you feel by the end of a week eating plant-based food. Mix and match these plant-based recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to create a scrumptious 7-Day menu.
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Meal Prep For The Week
Meal prep is about preparing meals ahead of time and adding the finishing touches at the last minute just before you eat. It makes cooking from scratch so much easier.
Most of us want to eat healthy meals but resolve crumbles when the fridge is empty or you’re ready to collapse on the sofa after your exercise session. Suddenly you find yourself ordering pizza!
So if I know I’m going to be busy, I will meal prep on a Sunday night, ready for the week ahead. It normally takes me 2-3 hours plus shopping time for ingredients but it’s time well spent and saves me so much time during the week.
How To Meal Prep
I’ll normally plan my meals and buy just about everything I need for a full 7 days. The only extra food shopping I’ll do during the week is for bagged salad or anything else with a short shelf life.
Then I’ll cook up as many meals as I can. My view is most meals can be kept for 3 days in the fridge. Some people think 5 days is okay, especially for veggie meals, but I like my food to be fresh. So I’ll either freeze a few meals for the end of the week or I’ll have a second meal prep night mid-week.
How much meal prep you can do depends on the recipe. Sometimes it’s whizzing up a breakfast smoothie from the fresh fruit you’ve cut up and stored in the fridge in a zip-lock bag the night before.
Other times you can make the whole meal 3 days ahead. You can reheat your pre-cooked vegan meatballs and pasta in a microwave.
Meal Prep For The Week Plan
There are different approaches to meal prep. You can keep meal prep simple by eating the same menu daily or try out new recipes and go for lots of variety. When I first tried meal prep for the week I’d go for lots of exciting new recipes and it took me hours to meal prep on a Sunday. Now I keep my meal prep easy.
I like to eat the same breakfast daily, my favorite overnight oats, and opt for a buddha bowl or soup for lunch. For dinner, I’ll cook enough for 2 to 3 meals from each recipe.
How much repetition you have in your meal plan is totally up to you. The more variety you have, the longer it takes to meal prep. But before you start batch cooking – test the recipe. Last week I made a big pot of a new recipe only to find I hated the taste!
Here’s a suggested 7-day meal prep plan:
Healthy Meal Prep Ideas
Use these plant-based and vegan meal prep recipes to create your 7-Day plan. I’ve chosen vegan meals that are easy to prepare and suitable for weight loss. Occasionally I’ve added a few tips to adjust the recipe to avoid high-calorie ingredients.
These meal prep recipes are suitable for everyone. You don’t need to be vegan to try plant-based meals. The recipes concentrate on eating healthy food rather than restrictive diets and calorie counting. Full of whole grains, vegetables, and legumes packed with protein, these recipes are both filling and low in calories.
Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes
Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast tend to be healthier. I certainly feel terrible when I miss it. Breakfast gives me the energy to exercise and helps me concentrate when I’m working.
These meal prep breakfast ideas will give your mornings a lift!
1. Healthy Overnight Oats By Love Life Be Fit
I love the way you can batch enough overnight oats to last the week and vary each breakfast by adding different toppings.
Choose your favorite vegan milk to make these oats. Be aware that some types of plant-based milk are high in calories.
I like to use soy milk. It’s high in protein and its calorie content is about the same as low-fat cow’s milk. Pea milk is another great option. If I’ve been overindulging, I just add water.
2. Fresh Fruit Bowls
Colorful bowls of fresh fruit make a wonderful start to your day. You can even mix these bowls at work and eat them at your desk. Keep fresh overnight with a squeeze of lime juice and seal in a zip-lock bag.
3. Quinoa Breakfast Porridge With Strawberries By The Spruce Eats
This gluten-free porridge is just right for cold winter mornings. I batch cook at the start of the week and reheat it in a pan or microwave before serving.
4. Vegan Breakfast Tacos By Love Life Be Fit
For a savory breakfast idea, start the day with tacos!
Simply warm the tortillas in a microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel. Top the tortillas with your favorite ingredients.
I like to mix pre-cooked sweet potatoes, black beans, avocados, tomatoes, and sprouts. Sprinkle with a few nuts and seeds and add a little salsa.
5. The Perfect Green Smoothie By 100 days Of Real Food
Simple and packed full of goodness. Smoothies are a perfect start to the day. Meal prep the ingredients the night before and whisk up in seconds for breakfast.
6. Tofu Scramble By Sweet Peas And Saffron
I like to make tofu scramble with red peppers, red onions, and kale but you can really use any leftover vegetables. Meal prep in advance and just reheat when needed. It keeps an amazing 4 days!
Find more breakfast meal prep recipes and quick and easy breakfast ideas!
Lunch Meal Prep Recipes
7. Fresh English Muffins With Avocado By Love Life Be Fit
Mashed avocado can be made in advance and will last 2-3 days when made with lemon juice. Find out more about storing avocado here.
Avocado is a healthy fat full of goodness but the average-sized avocado is 250 to 320 calories. Serving size should be just one-third of an avocado when the aim is weight loss.
8. Fresh Spring Rolls With Peanut Sauce By Cookie & Kate
These Vietnamese-inspired fresh spring rolls are wrapped in rice paper. You can prep the peanut sauce and veggies in advance but assemble the ingredients just before serving.
9. Easy Vegetarian Quinoa Burrito Bowls By Tori Avey
A perfect meal prep lunch for flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans. You can also make this recipe with brown rice but using quinoa provides extra protein and nutrients.
10. Detox Buddha Bowl By Love Life Be Fit
Buddha bowls are my go-to recipe. I simply pile everything I love into a bowl. Crispy no-oil roasted chickpeas, seasonal vegetables, fresh fruit and if I’m very hungry I’ll add brown rice and hummus. I sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, sprouts, nuts, and seeds.
Prep the chickpeas and store them in an airtight container, (not in the fridge)! Brown rice can be cooked in bulk and will last 4 days in the fridge. For more summer inspiration, take a look at these easy bean salad recipes.
Dinner Meal Prep Recipes
11. The Best Vegan Meatballs By The Minimalist Baker
Everyone loves meatballs and even committed carnivores will eat this black bean version. Ideal for meal prep, they keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
12. Aloo Gobi With Bell Peppers By Cooking Curries
Curries provide endless opportunities for food prep. This recipe used green peppers but I think red bell peppers add color and flavor. I also like to add some chickpeas at the last minute for extra protein.
13. Black Bean Enchiladas By Cookie & Kate
Enchiladas fans will love this recipe. The recipe uses cheese but vegans can swap it for vegan cheese.
14. Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry By The Flavors Of Kitchen
If you haven’t got an instant pot yet why not? I find mine is a huge help for meal prep, especially if you’re making curry.
This recipe uses coconut milk which is high in calories when you’re watching your weight. I used just one cup for a drier curry but you could also swap the milk for water.
15. Easy Vegan Falafel Burger By Vegan Richa
These delicious vegan falafel burgers will definitely wow your friends. The burgers can be meal prepped in advance and reheated. Assemble before eating.
16. Delicious Three Bean Chili By The Simple Veganista
I can never completely stick to a recipe when I’m making bean chili! I’ve added sweet corn, chickpeas, red pepper, and kale to mine! Keep in the fridge for 5-6 days or even freeze for 2 to 3 months.
17. Red Lentil Dhal With Tomatoes By Merlin Jobst
Good dhal has the consistency of porridge. I like to make mine with tomatoes. Keeps in the fridge for 5-6 days. Lentils make great meal prep recipes. Get more inspiration from this list of vegan lentil recipes.
18. Udon Noodle Stir Fry with Tofu By Planted & Picked
I like to make enough for 2 or 3 meals and reheat during the week. For meal prep, it tastes better if you use fresh udon noodles and boil them quickly when you need them. They only take 3 minutes. Then just mix with the other prepped and reheated ingredients.
19. Vegan Soup Ideas
Soup is always an easy option for vegan meal prep. It’s easy to make in bulk, pack, and go! Just pop in the microwave to reheat.
I often just make up my own recipes from any leftover vegetables with peas or beans to boost the protein content, but here are some of my favorite soup recipes:
Beetroot Soup by Veggie Desserts
This has an earthy-sweet flavor and it’s made from roasted beets.
Instant Pot Cream of Broccoli Soup by Cozy Peach Kitchen
Delicious and so easy to make in an instant pot. (This is the best instant pot I’ve found).
Vegan Carrot and Coriander Soup by Delicious Everyday
This classic recipe is always a winner. A favorite for winter lunches!
Get more ideas from this list of bean soup recipes.
😍 These soup mugs are the best design I’ve found for meal prep. There’s a useful vent to release steam so your soup doesn’t end up splattered all over the microwave!
Meal Prep Desert Ideas
For a weight loss plan, it’s best to know your weaknesses. For some people eating deserts is the downward slope to craving sweet food and blowing all those good intentions. If this is you, a piece of fruit or herbal tea will be enough to complete your meal.
For others, indulging in their sweet tooth, as an occasional treat, is enough to keep them on a healthy diet for the rest of the week. For these people, I’ve included a few indulgent dessert ideas.
When I say indulgent, they’re still packed full of healthy ingredients…
For vegans, if you want to adapt your favorite baking recipes, these easy-to-use egg substitutes will make creating a vegan version quick and easy.
20. Easy Vegan Black Bean Brownies by Erin Lives Whole
As treats go these Black Bean Brownies won’t completely derail your weight loss plans as long as you stick to just one!
21. Vegan Banana Bread by The Simple Veganista
Moist, healthy, and easy to make with an oil-free option!
22. Blueberry Smoothie Chia Pudding by Hungry By Nature
Billed as a breakfast treat, these puddings are wonderful at any time of the day!
Vegan Snacks Ideas
Having some vegan snacks to hand will help you keep to your weight loss plans when you’re having a busy day. Avoid temptation with healthy on-the-go snack ideas!
23. No-Bake Protein Balls by Kim Wadsworth
These protein balls are easy to make and good to go. I use them for hiking or when I’m heading for a busy day with little time to eat.
24. More Vegan Snack Recipes
15 extra snack ideas you can take to the office…
Time to start meal planning!
I find planning my meals ahead of time makes it so much easier to stick to a healthy eating plan. On a tight budget? You may find these cheap recipes for meal prep helpful!