Watch video above to see how I did this meal prep and scroll down for the recipe!

When I used to work at an office, meal prepping was a regular routine of mine. Since I didn’t (and still don’t) like to spend too much time in the kitchen preparing food all the time, I needed a more efficient way to make lots of food in a smaller amount of time so I can eat it throughout the week.

Some people might think meal prepping is for body builders or people that are super into fitness but that’s definitely not true. There are so many benefits of meal prepping just for the regular person.

It was a regular routine – probably usually on Sundays, I would meal prep meals for at least the next few days of the week. The options are endless as to how to meal prep so today I’m just showing you one potential option! 

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Here are some benefits of meal prepping:

1. You save money – think of how much money you’d save if you made your food with the groceries that you have every single day, instead of buying lunch. 
2. You save time – ever heard of economies of scale? It’s a term in economics that translates into the cost saved per unit when you increase the volume of production. Think of that but with time when it comes to meal prep. It really doesn’t take much more time to prepare 5 meals instead of preparing 1. So you’ll save time overall. 
3. Helps you reach your fitness goals – whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle, or whatever your fitness goals are, if you prepare in advance, you are less likely to screw up! I always say- fail to prepare, prepare to fail. If you already have 4 meals in your fridge ready for you to eat, you are much less likely to order a pizza. You see what I’m saying? 
4. Helps you stay vegan – This is specifically for the vegans and new vegans out there. If you are new to a plant-based journey and you want to know one way to keep you on track of being plant-based, meal prepping is a great way. Not all of us live in LA or New York or London where vegan options are everywhere. It’s hard for a lot of people to eat out vegan. So one way to avoid the possible “temptation” of going back to your old habits is to prepare in advance.

This bowl is something I absolutely love eating. Call it a Buddha Bowl or a Goddess Bowl or whatever you want, it is so delicious and healthy. 

Not only is it vegan, you can also make it gluten-free very easily! 

So definitely try this out and the great part about these bowls is that you can make it your own by changing up the grain, the protein, the veggies, etc. I highly recommend trying the tahini dressing though – it will change your life! 

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Buddha Bowl Meal Prep Recipe (Vegan & Gluten Free Option)

Ingredients You’ll Need (4 servings): 

• 2 cups uncooked brown rice (I used short grain) – see Note below
• 5-6 cups baby bok choy or whatever vegetable of your choice
• 4 cups of mushrooms (I used a mix of white & king oyster)
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 package of marinated tempeh (16 pieces, 198g) or other protein of your choice 
• Tahini Dressing:
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce or substitute 
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder  
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 
  • 1-3 tbsp water (I added 2 but depends on how thin/thick you want your sauce)
• Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds & chopped green onion

Note – If there’s some extra brown rice once cooked, either freeze it or refrigerate it for another time! I always like to make extra. 

Instructions:

1. Cook rice according to instructions – I use my rice cooker.
2. Prepare vegetables by cutting them up to your liking. 
3. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan on medium high heat and add the chopped mushrooms. I like to cook them for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. 
4. Meanwhile in another pan or wok, cook the baby bokchoy until tender by using either small amount of oil or water.
5. Once mushrooms are done, set them aside and in the same pan, add pumpkin seeds. Toss them for a couple of minutes until slightly browned. You could also bake these in the oven to roast them if you prefer. 
6. Cook up the tempeh according to instructions – I like to pan fry mine for a few minutes on each side until nicely browned. 
7. To make the dressing, add all dressing ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. 
8. Once your rice is finished cooking, start portioning into your separate containers. I used 1 cup of cooked brown rice into each container and then just portioned everything else evenly. Keeping the sauce on the side until you are ready to eat is recommended (just pour on top of everything when you are ready)
9. I like to top my bowls with some toasted sesame seeds & chopped green onions. 
10. This should keep in the fridge for about 4 days so I would eat one a day for the next 4 days. Microwave whenever you are ready to eat !