Students are busy people, and cooking meals every day takes a lot of time and effort. Over the years, I’ve gotten into the habit of making packed lunches for the week on Sundays, as well as making two larger patches of a soup/stew/sauce that I can freeze and eat on alternate days throughout the week (or two weeks, depending on how long these last). The packed lunch prepping DOES take time, so make sure to set aside an hour or two for this. It’s definitely worth it, though – you end up saving money not buying meal deals every single day. Some food-cupboard staples I have are various lentils, chickpeas, beans, canned tomatoes, grains (couscous, rice, bulgur), as well as sweet potato, courgette, carrots, peppers, and cherry tomatoes – most of the recipes I’ve listed here call for these ingredients, so you can get a pretty varied menu from just a few items if you know how to use your spices! I’ve listed some of my favourite completely plant-based food prep meals (lunches and dinners) here.
This is my go-to packed lunch meal prep. It’s super healthy and completely vegan! The recipe will keep for four days.
Ingredients:
200g bulgur wheat
1 large sweet potato (around 400-500g)
2 courgettes
200g broccoli (frozen or fresh)
2 large red peppers
300g cherry tomatoes
Balsamic glaze.
1 bag of rocket
6g pumpkin seeds
Turmeric
Cumin (ground)
Coriander (ground)
Smoked paprika
Chilli flakes
Salt and pepper (for seasoning)
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Boil the bulgur wheat with the turmeric, salt, cumin, and coriander, according to the instructions on the packet.
Chop the sweet potato into bite-sized chunks, and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. On a baking tray, toss in olive oil, or spray with an oil-spray.
Chop the red pepper and cherry tomatoes.
Glaze the cherry tomatoes in balsamic and put them on a baking tray with the red pepper. Make sure both are oiled!
Bake the sweet potato, red pepper, and tomatoes for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
On a frying pan, cook the courgettes and broccoli.
If you’re using fresh broccoli, boil or steam it. If you’re using frozen, defrost it slightly before frying it.
Once everything is cooked, split evenly between four containers, adding a handful of rocket to each.
Before serving (I usually do this in the mornings), toast some pumpkin seeds and add them to the salad. Top with olive oil, lemon juice, and chilli flakes.
This is slightly fancier (and more expensive) than the bulgur bowl, but it’s a great packed lunch meal prep and lasts for roughly four days.
Ingredients:
200g brown rice
1 block of tofu (Tofoo would work)
Red cabbage
Green beans (frozen or fresh)
Broccoli (frozen or fresh)
Red pepper
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Chilli flakes
For the marinade:
4 tbsp. soy sauce (light)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. honey or sugar
3 tbsp. lemon juice/mirin/etc. (anything acidic will work)
2 garlic cloves, minced
A thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced.
Chilli flakes
Dressing:
15g peanut butter
2 tsp. maple syrup
Soy sauce (to taste)
Lemon juice
Water
Directions:
Make the marinade and leave the chopped tofu in it for at least an hour (overnight is best). Adjust the recipe as needed for taste and so that most of the tofu is covered.
Boil the rice.
Cook the tofu in sesame oil until crispy
Chop the vegetables
Steam/blanche/fry/boil the broccoli and the green beans.
Divide into four containers
Top with chilli flakes and sesame seeds
Make the dressing (add water as needed). Add in the mornings/take with you in a separate container.
You can definitely adjust this recipe to your taste. I usually substitute the carrots and celery with mushrooms. Serve it with nutritional yeast instead of the Parmesan to make sure it’s vegetarian/vegan! This freezes really well, too. Food prep meals that can be frozen for the week? Yes, please!
Again: healthy, cheap, vegan, and lasts for four days as packed lunches.
Ingredients:
200g brown rice
1 can of black beans
200g quorn chicken pieces
Red pepper
Red onion
200g carrots (grated or spiralised)
Spinach
Lemon juice
Fresh coriander
Bay leaves
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Smoked paprika
Maple syrup
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Boil the rice with a few bay leaves. When this is done, stir in lemon juice and fresh coriander.
Chop the onions and the pepper, giving the onions a maple syrup glaze before putting them into the oven.
Cook the quorn on a frying pan, adding ground cumin and smoked paprika at the very last minute (the spices tend to burn if you add them too soon).
Cook the beans in their water on a large frying pan, mixing in salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, and coriander.
Grate the carrots and chop the spinach.
Divide everything between four containers, adding some lemon juice before serving.
You can also add avocado if you like. Corn and kidney beans would work well with this recipe, too.
This makes for a great packed lunch! I like to add butternut squash or sweet potato to make this a bit more filling, and you can definitely switch up the rest of the vegetables, too! This recipe makes four servings. Food prep meals make your week much less stressful.
This is amazing during winter and freezes really well. I like to add about 300g of red lentils, too, to make a really thick, hearty soup. The recipe calls for a cup of coconut milk, so a can of it will do! The recipe, here, has yellow curry paste, but I like to make my own spice base. This includes:
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
3-4 cloves
3-4 cardamom pods
Lightly toast these on a dry, hot pan before grinding them down in a pestle and mortar. I also add a few pieces of cinnamon bark and bay leaf when the soup is cooking (ideally you let it cook for about an hour).
So quick, super easy, and really nutritious (not to mention cheap and vegan). This kidney bean soup has seen me through the entirety of university. As the recipe has American measurements, use 2 cans of kidney beans and 2 cans of tomatoes and 600ml of vegetable stock. A spoonful of proper cocoa/cacao powder (or a few squares of 100% dark chocolate) adds a wonderful rich depth to the soup, too. There are tons of healthy food prep meals to choose from!
This recipe makes six burgers that are amazing in wraps and as a dinner with sweet potato chips! I add a lot of ground paprika, cumin, and coriander to these, too. Replace the egg with flax seeds to make this vegan! Freeze them before cooking.
I love soup/stews like this – they’re super warming and comforting, as well as really healthy! Make this without the egg/flour mixture for a vegan meal (I’ve made this without the mixture and it tastes fine). I’ve seen variations with brown rice added too, which works really well! I like to add a spoonful of butter right at the end, too, to give the broth a lovely richness. This freezes really well, too. Serve with pitta bread or crusty bread! You can make tons of food prep meals from these few ingredients!
Hearty, healthy, pasta-filled, and plant-based: what more could you ask for? Just leave out the Parmesan to make this completely plant-based.
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