When I first converted to a more plant forward eating regimen, I had a hard time finding meal alternatives. I think I ate salad every day. I literally ate oatmeal, salad and sautéed veggies everyday. My sautéed veggies were even boring. I ate onions, bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash. If I was feeling really frisky I would add some spinach. I know what you’re thinking. “Chile, there are more vegetables out there than just bell pepper, onions, squash and zucchini.” I couldn’t figure out anything else to eat in the way I was used to cooking.

Before I converted to plant based eating, I would pretty much make the same things every week. You know how it is with kids. They are picky. Very picky, LOL! Monday’s would usually be chicken and 2 veggies. 3 veggies if salad was one. Tuesday’s are always for tacos. Wednesday’s are for leftovers. Thursdays are for a meat and 2 veggie day or spaghetti. Friday’s and Saturday’s during football season was typically junk food from the concession stand and pizza. Sunday’s we would have Summa meals. Do you know what Summa meals are? I coined the term…LOL! You look in the refrigerator to see what you could find and everyone would eat summa this or summa that. LOL!

When I was a carnivore, even though I didn’t go through all of the steps of planning and creating a grocery list, I ultimately had a rhythm. Once I took away meat I felt lost. After a good bit of trial and error I found my way. Converting to plant based eating, I had to realize I was picky in my own way. I have dietary limitations and I don’t like eating many things from a can. Not eating from a can requires pre-planning and much prep time. For the record I don’t like eating from a can doesn’t mean I won’t. I choose to eat freshly prepared foods so that I can control my sodium intake. Canned and frozen foods often have a good amount of preservatives and sodium. I can control what I eat and how much of the sodium I get if I make it fresh.

Once I figured out my needs, I made some meal plans. Below are a few tips I learned from meal planning while plant based or vegan. Please note you don’t have to converting to plant based eating to use this advice. It’s good for all of us herbivores and carnivores alike.

What is meal planning?

Meal planning is simply planning your meals in advance by writing them down and gathering recipes. Planning is so helpful. It saves time, money and effort. Planning your meal also can help you make sure you are eating well rounded meals that are full of color, vitamins and nutrients. If you are slowly moving to plant based eating, planning your meals will help you stay consistent with being more plant forward for each meal.

Create a shopping list.

After writing down and gathering your recipes, you will compile a grocery list of items. Check your refrigerator and cabinets for your ingredients and whatever you don’t have or need more of, add it to your shopping list. If you’re plant based, typically eat a lot of veggies, or simply like fresh veggies, it may be better to meal plan and shop weekly to avoid food waste. Fresher foods don’t have a long shelf life. Don’t get me wrong you may be able to get a couple weeks out of your veggies but somethings may not last past that.

Food Prep.

Last quick tip. After you complete your grocery shopping, make time to prep your food. Any chopping, soaking, or separating that needs to be done should be done on this day. I prefer my food to be cooked fresh so I don’t cook my full meals on prep day but I do chop my veggies and soak my beans on shopping/prep day. I usually grocery shop and then prep my veggies by chopping and soaking things when I get home. This saves time and cuts your cooking time down trememdously.

Meal planning wasn’t easy in the beginning for me. It was hard to teach this gal new tricks but I adapted and you can too. Be kind to yourself. Take things slow and always remember that leftovers are perfect for Summa meals. Remember to write out your complete meal plan and shopping list in advance. Check your cabinets, pantry and refrigerator for items or ingredients from your shopping list and mark them off the list. Once this step it’s complete, go shopping. Don’t forget after shopping to meal prep or cook full meals and store in the refrigerator. If this helped you, let me know in the comments below.

Happy Planning!

With love,