In this blog post, I want to show you a list of my 7 favorite plant-based ingredients for healthy meal prep. I have them almost every week in some form or another!
Meal prepping has been a part of my eating and cooking routine for a really long time now. I remember when I was in university I used to prepare a jar with overnight oats each night to take to class on the next day. Took me quite a while to figure out I could just make a batch at the beginning of the week to save me lots of time.. but hey, gotta start small!
7 plant-based ingredients for healthy meal prep
1. Chia Seeds
Chia pudding is my go-to breakfast lately because it is so easy to make and so easy to customize. Just make a batch of chia pudding (chia seeds + your choice of plant based milk + optionally a mashed banana for sweetness) and add a different fruit for each day. And you can totally enjoy it as a snack or for dessert, as well!
2. Oats
Oats are one of the most versatile ingredients. Of course, you can make the obvious – oatmeal/porridge/overnight oats. But you can also make a simple 3-ingredient pancake recipe, granola bars, oat cookies, or add it to veggie patties as a binding ingredient.
Pro-tip: Prepare some overnight oats the night before. If you’re in a rush, you can take it to school/work. And if you have enough time, you can even pop it in the microwave (in a bowl) and enjoy some warm porridge instead.
3. Potatoes, especially Sweet Potatoes
I love roasted potatoes! Especially sweet potatoes, because they don’t take as long in the oven and I think they taste better on the next day than regular potatoes. Pre-bake a few sweet potatoes on Sunday and then you can add them to your buddha bowl, salad, curry, soup or porridge during the week.
4. Bananas
Bananas are really the best fruit to buy on a weekend and enjoy throughout the week. Even if they have a lot of brown spots and are almost too ripe, you can still use them for smoothies, chia puddings and overnight oats as a sweetener.
5. Quinoa
I like to cook a few servings of quinoa for my week ahead. You can use quinoa to make quinoa porridge in the morning, add it to your lunch salad for some added protein and serve it with curry in the evening.
6. Beans and Chickpeas
I used to always have a few cans of black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas or white beans on hand. When you’re short on time during a week night, these are a quick and delicious source of protein. Now (since the plastic free July challenge earlier this year) I am a bit more conscious about the waste I create. So I like to cook a batch of chickpeas or beans on Sunday for my week ahead.
7. Roasted veggies
You can never go wrong with roasted veggies. Simply wash them, chop them (if necessary), add spices and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. I like to do zucchini, eggplant, red/orange bell pepper, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and pumpkin. Then you can add them to salads, buddha bowls, curries, pasta salads or on top of some sourdough bread with some hummus.
So, there’s my list of favorite plant-based ingredients for healthy meal prep. I’d love to know – What are yours?
