It’s now September (where did the summer go?!) and this means that many of you might be going back to school… Or if you’re not in school, you may be coming out of the summer daze… I feel like I’m much less productive in the summer because I’m out socializing, travelling or doing other stuff like enjoying the sun and hot weather… but now that it’s September, I think it’s time to get my head back into reality!

Most of the time, we know what we need to do to save money, save time for the future, eat healthy, reach our fitness goals…. there really is very little mystery to it! And yet, because we are too lazy in the MOMENT, we don’t do things that will benefit our FUTURE SELVES…!

Meal prepping is such good practice for both your wallet and for your health/fitness. Also, for anyone that’s new to veganism and doesn’t know what to eat, meal prepping is a great way to have a bunch of awesome vegan meals/snacks prepared in advance so that you don’t have to always think about what you should be eating.

Here is one example of a full week meal prep that you could do easily in just a couple of hours or so (maybe even faster…). I’m using mostly affordable ingredients that you could find in most places around the world. I’m also not using “vegan substitutes” like fake meats, fake cheeses and things like that. Just simple, mostly whole foods plant-based. Oh and these are also quite full of protein.

Vegan Meal Prep for School or Work:

Protein Packed Smoothies (Raspberry or Peanut Butter)

Ingredients (per 1 serving):

• 1 ripe or frozen banana
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 scoop vegan protein powder
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• Choose between:
  • 1/2 – 1 cup raspberries OR/AND
  • 2 scoops powdered peanut butter (PB2) or you can use regular peanut butter but don’t freeze that part

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients for one smoothie into a ziplock bag and seal.
2. Store in freezer until ready to prepare/drink.
3. When ready to drink, place all contents of the smoothie bag into a blender and add about 1 cup of non-dairy milk and/or water. If the mixture is too thick or the blender has a tough time blending, add more liquid.
4. Enjoy this super quick and easy breakfast!

Creamy Red Curry Pasta with Chickpeas (around 5 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups chickpeas, cooked
• 375g dry whole wheat pasta
• 1 package soft tofu
• 1/2 cup – 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or any other non-dairy milk
• 2-3 tbsp vegan Thai red curry paste
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos or light soy sauce
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to instructions.
2. While pasta is cooking, place the tofu, milk, red curry paste, coconut aminos/soy sauce, salt and garlic powder into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. If the liquid/sauce is too thick, then add about a handful of chickpeas into the sauce and blend again to thicken.
4. Once the pasta is done, drain.
5. Add into a big mixing bowl along with chickpeas and sauce. Mix well.
6. Distribute amongst your meal prep containers. Serve with a side salad or veggies for added nutrition!!
7. This dish is freezable and can be eaten hot or cold (although I prefer hot).

Lentil and Tomato Curry (around 7-9 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes (796ml)
• 2 cups red split lentils (dry)
• 1 cup cooked or canned brown/green lentils (optional – you can just use red split lentils; I just had lentils I had to use up!)
• Frozen mixed veggies or other veggies of choice (optional)
• 1+ cups water (Add as necessary as you go)
• Recommended/optional spices:
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 0.5 paprika
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Dice onions and mince garlic (I used a food processor to do the job cause I am lazy!)
2. In a large pot/wok, cook onions and garlic with water or oil until slightly browned.
3. Add canned tomatoes, all the lentils, any veggies of choice, and about 1 cup of water and mix well.
4. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water if it gets too thick.
5. Add spices of choices, salt, flax seeds and brown sugar and mix well.
6. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the red split lentils have cooked.
7. Serve hot with rice.
8. This also freezes very well, so feel free to keep some in the fridge and freeze some for later to heat up.