I’m back with another meal prep guide! You seemed to like my Adaptable Winter Meal Prep Guide, so I decided to create this vegetarian and gluten-free variation. If you haven’t checked out that first version, you should know that my meal prep guides are a little different than your average. Instead of prepping full meals at the beginning of the week and eating the EXACT SAME THING for every single meal (ugh), I’ve designed a system that allows for flexibility. This way you can customize your meals and week to fit your personal preferences, and you never get bored.
How does it work?
At the beginning of the week, you’ll do all of The Prep work for your main courses and also make your breakfast for the week. This means you’ll cut, roast, rinse, cook, sauté, and store all of the base ingredients for each of the four main course options. From there you can go ahead and prep all of your main courses, or you can assemble them as you go throughout the week. The goal of this structure is so you avoid food boredom and also to show you how to uniquely pair foods together in ways you might not have expected! I want to avoid as much food waste as possible, so the guide tries to use every ingredient in multiple ways. (Plus that makes it cheaper!)
how many people does this guide feed?
This is a guide for 1 for a week. However, it’s a very simple guide to multiply if need be.
what is the prep schedule like?
There are two ways to structure this guide…
- You do all of The Prep (see below) as well as make your Greek Yogurt Chia Pudding on Sunday, and then throw together your “main courses” just before eating or every morning before heading to work. This can allow for your food to be served hot, if cooking at home, and may allow for more flexibility in your meal planning. (No meal will take more than 5-10 minutes with this method.)
- You make all of “The Basics” on Sunday, and then turn those basics into your main course meals on the same day. With this method you can simply reheat in the microwave before serving or eat cold. This is a better grab-and-go plan, and more like a traditional meal prep schedule if you prefer that.
Shopping List
This shopping list is a complete list of everything you’ll need to buy for the week (minus a few pantry staples like olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, soy sauce, maple syrup, cumin and paprika.) I’ve included a pricing estimate next to each ingredient. These are based on my local Whole Foods prices, so they will vary by where you shop.
- 2 cups dry basmati rice – $2.19
- 2 spaghetti squash – $10.74
- 1 eggplant – $4.48
- 2 cups grape tomatoes – $6.00
- 2 yellow onions – $1.20
- 3 cans black beans – $2.37
- 2 limes – $1.00
- 1 purple cabbage – $5.51
- 2 avocados – $2.50
- 1 head butter lettuce – $2.50
- 32 oz full fat Greek yogurt – $5.99
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella – $3.99
- 1 bunch basil – $3.99
- 1 bunch scallions – $1.79
- 3/4 cup chia seeds – $7.99
- fruit (I used strawberries) – $2.69
- 48 oz non-dairy milk – $4.99
- 1 package rice cakes – $2.69
TOTAL: $72.61 / $3.63 per meal (including snacks)
Breakfast
For this meal prep guide, you’ll make my Greek Yogurt Chia Pudding for breakfast and top it with fruit. I used strawberries instead of the roasted grapefruit, that is stated in the original recipe. And, honestly, you can use any kind of fruit you want – bananas, blueberries, apples, pears, etc!
I suggest making a large batch on Sunday, and then dividing it into individual containers on Monday morning so that you are set all week!
The recipe is single serve, so you’ll want to multiply it by 5. Those measurements will look like this…
- 2 1/2 cups full fat greek yogurt
- 2 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup (sub honey)
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Shake that up in a very large jar, or mix it together in a very large bowl. Set and cover in the refrigerator overnight, stirring up once or twice within the first few hours of refrigeration to prevent clumps. When ready to eat spoon into a jar or bowl and top with fruit. EAT UP.
Snack
I’ve added rice cakes and avocado to the list for a healthy little bite to eat. I suggest mashing 1/4 avocado on to one rice cake, sprinkling it with salt and pepper and eating up! You could add fun toppings like herbs, hot sauce, or lemon juice. If you want a slightly bigger snack, add some of the fruit you bough for your breakfast to your snack plate.
The Prep
Creative Vegetarian Meal Prep Guide
This Creative Vegetarian Meal Prep Guide is a bordem-proof meal prep guide, with 4 mix-and-match veggie-filled main dishes to keep you satisfied!
Ingredients
Basmati Rice
- 2 cups dry basmati rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp butter
- sea salt, to taste
Spaghetti Squash
- 2 spaghetti squash, cut in half
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Roasted Tomatoes
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Eggplant
- 1 eggplant, cubed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Caramelized Onions
- 2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cabbage
- 1/2 purple cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400.
Spaghetti Squash
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On a baking sheet, place your four spaghetti squash halves cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 50 minutes.
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After 50 minutes, remove the squash from the oven, let cool slightly before using a fork to scrape out the insides into strings. Place your shredded spaghetti squash in a reusable container and refrigerate.
Roasted Tomatoes
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Place grape tomatoes on a small baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Bake in the oven on the top rack for 40 minutes, tossing occasionally.
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Let cool before transferring to a reusable container and refrigerating.
Caramelized Onion
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Add thinly sliced onion, olive oil, salt and pepper to a large pan or skillet over medium heat on the stove. Toss often for 30 minutes until the onions are slightly browned and very soft.
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Let cool before transferring to a reusable container and refrigerating.
Eggplant
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Add cubed eggplant, olive oil, salt and pepper to a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook for 25 minutes, tossing often.
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Let cool before transferring to a reusable container and refrigerating.
Basmati Rice
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In a large pot, bring rice water, salt, and butter to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove lid and fluff with a fork.
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Let cool before transferring to a reusable container and refrigerating.
Cabbage
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Heat cabbage, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Toss often for 20 minutes or until the cabbage has softened slightly.
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Let cool before transferring to a reusable container and refrigerating.
Mexican Fiesta Salad Bowl
Ingredients
- 5 leaves butter lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup basmati rice
- 1/3 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp caramelized onions
- 1/4 cup roasted grape tomatoes
- 2 tbsp full fat greek yogurt
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- lime juice, to taste
- 1/4 avocado, sliced
Instructions
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Combine black beans and rice in a bowl, season with cumin and paprika. Stir until combined. Microwave or heat on stove if desired.
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Add chopped butter lettuce to a bowl along with black beans and rice. Top with caramelized onions, tomatoes, cabbage, greek yogurt, lime juice and avocado.
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EAT UP.
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup spaghetti squash
- 1/4 cup caramelized onions
- 1/4 cup roasted tomato
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 lime, juiced
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
Top with
- 1 tbsp full fat Greek yogurt
- avocado slices
- black beans
- cilantro (optional)
Instructions
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Add all ingredients to a blender, blend on high until very smooth. Season with salt if needed.
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Transfer from blender to a small pot on the stove or a microwave safe bowl. Heat on medium-high heat for a few minutes until warm.
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Top with avocado slices, greek yogurt, black beans, and cilantro (optional).
Eggplant Caprese Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 cup spaghetti squash
- 1/4 cup roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup eggplant
- 1 tbsp caramelized onion
- 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
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Add all ingredients, minus basil, to a bowl. When ready to eat, heat over high heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes. Top with basil.
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EAT UP.
Asian Eggplant Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 3-4 butter lettuce leaves
- 1/2 cup eggplant
- 1/3 cup basmati rice
- 1/3 cup purple cabbage
- 1 tbsp caramelized onion
- 1/4 lime, juced
- 1 tbsp scallions, chopped
- 1 tbsp basil, chopped
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp maple syrup (sub honey)
Instructions
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Lay butter lettuce leaves on a plate and evenly divide eggplant, basmati rice, cabbage, onions, scallions, and basil between them.
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Squeeze lime juice over all of the lettuce cups.
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In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce and maple syrup. Drizzle over the wraps (or dip your wraps into the mixture.)
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EAT UP.
