Vegan Meal Prep Lunch Concepts

Whether or not you earn a living from home, convey lunch to the workplace, or carry your lunch in a backpack all morning, these vegan meal prep lunch concepts will enable you to to remain fueled all through the day. I’m sharing a few of my favourite, handy noon meals, plus ideas for transportation and storage.

On the top of the pandemic, one of many issues that I heard most frequently from my diet shoppers was that lunch had turn out to be a problem.

For some motive, the noon meal was proving to be trickier than another.

That is most likely as a result of everybody’s daytime routine had been profoundly upended. Many of us had been effectively accustomed to dinner and breakfast at dwelling, however consuming lunch at dwelling every day was new.

As well as, many had been struggling to feed youngsters who had been dwelling from college, creating a good larger noon meal prep burden.

In principle, lockdown lunches ought to have been straightforward for me, since I already had a longtime WFH routine. But I discovered myself getting awfully repetitive with lunch. After I tried to consider new choices, I might draw a clean.

Even now, with the world extra open, lunch might be my most uninspired meal. The rationale that I’m capable of preserve it fascinating is my meal prep routine.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the enjoyment of consuming home made meals day by day with the hearty and healthful recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether or not you have got three, two, and even only one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will present you methods to batch cook dinner various, colourful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Thanks to meal prep, I’m able to consistently incorporate variety into lunchtime. I alternate between leftovers and an array of simple, convenient meal prep lunch ideas that deliver on taste and nutrition.

When I do have a good lunch, I’m consistently more energized (and in a better mood) through the afternoon.

I think a lot of people feel the same. A subpar or inadequate lunch is a recipe for late afternoon energy crashes. A good one restores us and refuels us.

Before I share my favorite vegan meal prep lunch ideas, I’ll say a little bit about how I construct my lunches.

My vegan meal prep lunch formula

My nutrition formula for a satisfying vegan lunch will come as a shock to no one who reads this blog regularly. And it’s simple:

Protein + Carb + Healthful fat

This is the meal planning principle that I wrote about in my cookbook, Power Plates.

We’d like all three of those macronutrients. Every one in all them contributes positively to our vitality and our satiety after meals.

Healthful fat play a job in vitamin absorption, in sustaining physique temperature, and in hormone regulation.

Protein is related to immune perform and upkeep of muscle mass.

Carbs present us with vitality, they usually gas our brains for the cognitive challenges of labor, college, and day by day life.

Listed below are the sources of those macronutrients that I most frequently depend on:

Fat

• Olive and avocado oils
• Nuts and seeds
• Nut and seed butters
• Avocado

Advanced carbs

• Entire grains (rice, quinoa, farro, and so forth.)
• Grain merchandise: pasta, bread, crackers
• Corn and corn merchandise (tortillas)
• Potatoes (white and sweet potatoes)
• Legumes (beans and lentils)

Proteins

• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Seitan
• Vegan meats
• Legumes
• Greater protein grain merchandise (comparable to sprouted wheat breads)
• Peanut butter
• Dietary yeast

After I pack up a lunch, I attempt to see to it {that a} supply of every macronutrient is included.

Am I at all times constant about this? In fact not!

Typically I’ve a carby lunch that’s not very heavy on protein, or a salad with loads of healthful fat however not a variety of complicated carbs. Getting all macronutrients is a tenet, not a rule.

Don’t neglect the veggies

I concentrate on macronutrients at the beginning, however I additionally attempt to get greens and fruits into my vegan meal prep lunches (and lunch packing containers).

After I’m very busy, this may look so simple as child carrots and cucumber slices, bell pepper strips or a reduce apple.

When I’ve extra time and bandwidth, it might be a facet salad. It may additionally be leftover steamed broccoli from dinner the night time earlier than.

However I attempt to embody a serving or two of fruits or greens, in order that my lunch delivers on phytonutrients, nutritional vitamins, and minerals, in addition to macronutrients.

Portability & comfort

Portability and comfort had been enormous elements for me after I packed up meal prep lunches throughout my medical internship.

A lot as I like massive, ample vegan lunch bowls, they weren’t the simplest choice when it comes to transportation. And I usually had lengthy commutes to consider.

Sandwiches, wraps, leftovers, and soups with accompaniments had been usually simpler choices. I did prep salads and bowls typically, however after I did, I attempted to make them compact and easy.

Now, working from dwelling, it’s a bit of simpler to get pleasure from meal prep bowls. I’ve included some favourite choices under.

The fitting containers for the job

I additionally wanted containers that had been gentle sufficient to slot in a backpack with books, notepads, and—on many days—a meal prep breakfast and snacks, too.

Listed below are among the containers that I usually used—and nonetheless use—for my vegan meal prep lunches.

After I say “nonetheless use,” it’s as a result of I nonetheless discover it extremely useful to meal prep my lunches.

There are such a lot of causes for this, however the principle one is that meal prep spares me having to rummage by means of the fridge in the course of a busy work day, determining what to eat.

Meal prep lunches encourage me to deliberately concentrate on the number of my meals. They assist me to be extra inventive than I might be if I needed to make choices on the fly. And so they save me a variety of time.

Vegan meal prep lunch concepts

With all of that stated, listed here are among the concepts and templates that I depend on most frequently.

Pasta salad

Pasta salad is a noon meal favourite of mine. It’s nice in summertime, however actually, it hits the spot at any time of yr.

The above was a spontaneous pasta salad creation: frozen veggies, cooked pasta, and the goji curry dressing from Energy Plates. (I had a variety of it leftover.)

Actually, any mixture of pasta + veggies + sauce (with a protein, or use a legume-based pasta for protein) can flip into pasta salad.

However in the event you’re in search of a recipe, some choices:

Leftovers

Leftovers, after all!

In case you have them, get pleasure from them. There’s nothing higher than when yesterday’s dinner can turn out to be right this moment’s nourishing, scrumptious meal.

Most of my favourite principal dishes—casseroles, pasta dishes, shepherd’s pie, grain and bean skillets, soups, enchiladas—make fantastic leftovers.

Sandwiches (+ one thing)

I am going loopy for a sandwich.

Sandwiches are the lunches that I eat greater than another. There are such a lot of sandwich choices to select from, from the classics (good day, PB&J!) to extra inventive combos. Listed below are my favorites:

Nearly at all times, I pack up a sandwich with some veggies and/or fruit, together with a bit of one thing candy: energy balls, a cookie, and so forth..

A grain salad

Grain salads usually preserve extra sturdily than do salads which can be largely leafy greens. They’re filled with fiber, tremendous satisfying, they usually lend themselves to a lot creativity.

Listed below are a couple of of the grain salads which have lengthy been lunchtime companions of mine:

A bowl-to-go

What’s the precise distinction between a salad and a bowl? I’m undecided, besides that I believe bowls have extra of the grain (or one other starch) and fewer of the greens.

Anyway, they’re shut. And any grain bowl is usually a pretty, hearty, healthful vegan meal prep lunch.

I like packing up the next colourful vegan bowls:

Tempeh salad

This 15-minute tempeh salad could be served on toast, and that’s what I often do.

However I can attest to the truth that it’s an excellent recipe to meal prep not solely as a result of it’s fast, but additionally as a result of it’s versatile.

The salad is superb with cooked rice or farro and a heap of a meal-prepped kale salad. A favourite bento-box lunchbox in my house is a portion of the tempeh salad plus a portion of my carrot raisin kale salad.

They work so properly, facet by facet!

A frozen, time-saving vegan meal

Hooray for frozen vegan choices.

I can’t let you know how usually I nudge shoppers to maintain extra frozen vegan meals stocked at dwelling.

Sure, all of us love the thought of constructing our meals from scratch, however the actuality is that we are able to’t try this on a regular basis. When life is absolutely busy, and vegan meal prep just isn’t a chance, nutritious frozen choices is usually a main boon.

I like frozen vegan meals. They’ve come to my rescue by means of so many hectic instances. Listed below are among the ones I like most:

A few of these choices beg for an accompaniment. I at all times have the frozen pizza or burrito with a bit of salad or one thing else.

If I make a burger, I’ll have it on a bun with some form of veggie.

Vegan wraps

Simply as I like a sandwich, I certain do love a wrap.

Wrap one up at night time, then take it to work (with no matter else you want) tomorrow. Wraps are versatile, enjoyable, and transportable. A few of my favorites:

Soup with crackers or bread

There’s nothing like a hearty soup or stew because the climate will get colder. The place I’m, that is exactly the purpose of yr that we’ve arrived at.

I like reheating soup for lunch. And I at all times have it with one thing for dunking or crunching alongside: might be a slice of bread, any kind, or some crackers.

For lunch, I gravitate towards heartier soups and stews which have loads of protein—often from lentils, beans, or break up peas—and fiber. However typically a easy vegetable purée is sweet, too.

Listed below are some favorites:

A stuffed pita pocket

Bored with sandwiches? Bought a bunch of beans or roasted veggies or strips of seitan or items of tofu within the fridge?

Stuff them right into a pita pocket, pack it up, and make it a meal prep lunch.

Stuffed pita pockets are tasty and straightforward to make. They’re so versatile, too, as a result of they could be a car for just about something. Some fillings are too cumbersome for sandwiches, however they’ll match very properly right into a pita pocket.

A hearty salad

Hearty, meals-sized salads make make actually good packed lunches.

I believe the leafy inexperienced that stands up greatest to storage and meal prep is kale. Thankfully, I like kale salad, so I don’t lack for choices.

Nonetheless, child kale, child spinach, arugula, and chopped romaine can all maintain their very own within the fridge for a couple of days, even when they’re dressed.

The important thing to a salad with sufficient endurance for lunch is, after all, protein, carbs, and fat.

Listed below are among the salads that I take into account to be energy plates—and good contenders for vegan meal prep lunches:

Chili + cornbread

I just lately made a black bean quinoa chili that I posted a couple of years in the past for the primary time shortly.

I’d forgotten how straightforward, hearty, and flavorful it’s.

And I’d additionally forgotten what an excellent lunch some chili is: as straightforward to pack up as soup, however with a bit of extra stick-to-your-ribs issue.

A few of my favourite chili recipes:

In my thoughts, chili isn’t full and not using a slice of vegan cornbread.

Or moderately, it’s very good to eat together with rice or one other grain, even a toasted burger bun, however cornbread is a bit of cozier.

So, I wish to meal prep cornbread together with chili if I make it for my weekly lunches. I like a easy, whole grain vegan cornbread or a batch of pumpkin cornbread (which can also be gluten-free).

Smashed chickpea salad (or white bean salad)

Smashed chickpeas are a favourite of mine for sandwiches or tartines. However they can be an excellent meal prep choice.

I wish to make a simplified version of the deli salad from Power Plates and pack it up with some salad and pita wedges.

You may also pack smashed chickpea salad with crackers, pita chips, bread, or an entire grain.

Apart from that deli salad, I like my smashed kimchi chickpea salad and curried chickpea tahini salad.

Chickpeas aren’t the one beans that I wish to smash, both. My garlic tahini smashed white bean salad is an previous, but fixed, go-to in my dwelling.

Beans + BBQ Sauce (+ burger bun)

Talking of beans, you possibly can immediately flip a can of beans right into a meal prep element in the event you simmer it with some barbecue sauce.

When you try this—thereby creating almonst-instant BBQ beans—you possibly can pack it up with burger buns or bread and a few veggies for a straightforward lunch.

I additionally wish to pack BBQ chickpeas, white beans, or pinto beans with cooked rice, veggies, after which prime it with a beneficiant drizzle of my cashew queso sauce.

A multitasking protein

After I was writing The Vegan Week, I noticed the worth of easy proteins that may be added to bowls, salads, bready issues, and extra.

Simply as I’ve at all times stated {that a} killer sauce can flip any humble plate of substances into an excellent meal, I’m now satisfied that one hardworking plant protein is presumably essentially the most environment friendly meal prep element there’s.

In the event you don’t have time to do the rest in your vegan meal prep lunches, take into account a protein that you should use in some ways because the week goes by.

A few of my favorites:

Freezing and storage

When you’ve ready your meal prep lunches, you’ll have to pack them and retailer them.

I discover the next fridge storage instances to be typically true for my favourite vegan lunch elements. There are at all times exceptions, after all:

• Grain salads: 3-4 days
• Inexperienced salads: 2-3 days
• Soups: 5-7 days
• Pasta salad: 3-4 days
• Baked tofu or tempeh: 5 days
• Cooked beans: 4 days
• Ready sandwiches or wraps: 2 days

Soups, cooked beans, and cooked complete grains name all be frozen for 6-8 weeks.

Pressured WFH life could also be over, however fixing the dilemma of a nutrient-dense, tasty, non-laborious noon meal isn’t.

I hope that these vegan meal prep lunch concepts will breathe some new life into your routine!

xo