We humans are wired to follow the path of least resistance, which is especially apparent when it comes to feeding ourselves: We want it now and we want it easy.
While eating the standard American diet has been a breeze for most of us (because that’s all we’ve known, and because we have been advertised to relentlessly), many who have taken the leap into plant-based eating have reported feeling like they’ve leapt into a bouncy house of confusion and struggle.
Even when people have read the books and articles, and seen the videos and lectures advocating a plant-based diet, it’s not uncommon to hear, “Okay, I get it, but how do I do it?” “How” is the question that many of us working in the plant-based community strive to answer on a daily basis and in countless ways.
Toward helping provide answers to the “how” questions and creating a more enjoyable existence in plant-land, here are 8 tips for making your meal preparations easier.
1. Eat fewer foods at a meal: There is no rule that says you need to eat a certain number of different foods or dishes at a meal. While variety is just fine within a meal, you can also just eat one, two or three foods. For example, a breakfast of 10 tangerines or 3 bananas (a “mono meal”); a lunch of salad greens, beans and carrots; or for dinner, a plate of baked yams and Yukon potatoes with a little mustard or hummus (or even a big bowl of oatmeal or brown rice with cinnamon and almond milk). Try not to get too locked into what your plate used to look like or what it’s supposed to look like. As long as you’re eating an overall varied diet of wholesome plant foods, your plate can be arranged any way you like.
2. Repeat what you eat: There is also no rule that says you can’t eat the same types of dishes repeatedly. I have a short list of meals that I make over and over, and I vary their ingredients a little each time to keep things interesting. Whether I’m eating salads, soups, pasta, or baked potatoes, I might use black beans instead of pinto; grated zucchini instead of grated carrots; thinly sliced cabbage instead of lettuce; or Brussels sprouts instead of broccoli. Find 5-10 dishes that you love, and mix up the ingredients a little each time. For many of us, this happens somewhat naturally, as the seasons present their various fruits and vegetables to the farmers markets, and we adjust our shopping so that we are eating the very best that is available at the time.
3. Prepare ahead: This is one of those tips that many of us have heard but don’t seem to get around to doing. But if you can find some time on the weekend to do a little preparation for the week ahead, when presumably things will be busier, this will make your meals a lot easier. It’s such a dream to open the refrigerator to find that your next meal is nearly ready. You can do lots of things ahead of time, like cut up veggies, make pasta sauce, cook double batches of rice or beans, make a dozen whole-grain muffins to eat at breakfasts, or blend up some hummus or salsa to use as dressing, dip or sandwich spread throughout the week. One idea I saw lately is to make up a few complete salads, each in a mason jar with vegetables layered and the dressing at the bottom. When it’s time to eat, you just shake it up and pour it into a salad bowl. Clever!
4. Create and follow a plan: Plan? Hmpf. If the thought of creating an eating plan or menu doesn’t excite you, know that transitioning to a plant-based diet can be made much easier by doing so. One of my favorite nutrition books, The Pleasure Trap, states the importance of planning very well: “Hunger causes urgency, and urgency demands short-term solutions that compromise long-term values. Plan for success and you will succeed more often.” Basically, you don’t want to be caught not knowing what you’ll be eating at your next meal. Try keeping a notebook in your kitchen with ideas for your favorite meals and recipes, or create a couple weeks’ worth of menus that you can rotate. You can even eat the same thing on the same day each week to make it really easy. Look through your favorite veg cookbooks and blogs for new meal ideas.
5. Stock your favorite staples: I always keep things like canned beans and tomatoes, non-dairy milk, whole grains, pasta, and frozen foods on hand to reach for when time is tight. For example, when it’s late and I don’t want to do a lot of preparation, I might just heat up a can of cooked lentils or beans with some onion and garlic and any veggies I have on hand. When my favorite staples are on sale, I stock up, and always try to find the no-salt, no-sugar, no-oil options.
6. Make one-pot or one-dish meals: Preparing everything in just one bowl, pot or skillet makes life so much easier, whether it’s a soup, salad, stew or stir-fry. Jeff Novick, RD, has created some very quick, easy and inexpensive plant-based one-pot meals; check out his recipes here . I have a favorite one-skillet meal using just mushrooms, kale, yams and a sprig of rosemary here. I put everything in the pan and 15 minutes later it’s ready. Using slow-cookers to cook beans, grains and stews is also a great one-pot route. For more ideas, Google “vegan one-pot meals” and you will have a plethora of ideas in front of you.
7. Invest in a few good kitchen tools: Using the right tools, in any effort, can make all the difference in the final product as well as your enjoyment in creating it. My three most-used kitchen tools are: my 8-inch chef’s knife, my stainless steel soup pot, and my little high-speed blender. These items don’t need to be costly, but they should be of good quality. I use these three things on a daily basis. Three smaller tools that I’ve found to be very useful are: a good can opener—an old can opener that is difficult to turn is the worst! $10 will get you a dreamy, easy-to-use opener. I also love my small rubber garlic peeler that takes the garlic’s papery outside off with a simple roll. And last, my “Y” vegetable peeler, which works wonders on potatoes as well as butternut squash. Find all of my most commonly used kitchen tools here.
8. Have your favorite dried herbs and spices handy: A simple soup of potatoes and cabbage becomes a lot more interesting with the addition of a little curry powder. Salt-free herb blends (such as an Italian blend of oregano, basil, thyme, etc.) are great to add to soups, salads and veggie burgers. And I always have plenty of my basics on hand, like garlic powder, toasted onion powder, and cumin. If you’ve never visited a spice shop before, treat yourself; you can smell everything before you buy it—big fun! Or at the least, pick up a new blend at your grocery store and give it a test drive. If you love it, keep it in permanent rotation; if you don’t, try something new next time.
I hope a couple of these ideas have resonated with you, and will help make your time in the kitchen even more enjoyable. Please share one of your own favorite “easy” meal preparation tips below.
I couldn't believe it when I read this! It is exactly how my plant based lifestyle unfolded and had anyone told me I would be eating in this manner a year ago, I'd have said they were crazy. When I started this way of eating, a vegan friend told me she often made up meals and I had always planned every meal when I was eating dairy and meat and couldn't even begin to understand how she could do that. NOW, I freeze leftovers and by keeping my frig and pantry full of "safe" foods, I've become very creative and it's all so fun. Thank you for a great website and wonderful recipes!
Hi Deb, thanks for your comment! 🙂 Funny how we think we can't do something, like change how we eat, and then we start putting one foot in front of the other and soon it becomes second nature. Yay for you!
Thank you for these great tips! for me, when all else fails, make sure you stock your kitchen/pantry/fridge/freezer with food that you will never feel guilty about. If I end up panicking at trying to come up with something last minute, I know that whatever I choose to make will be healthy and something I will feel good about 🙂
Great tip!
Cathy, thanks for making vegan meal easy to understand. I have started and stopped several times but maybe this time I will give up animal products. Seeing what you eat was a big help.
You're so welcome. The animals thank you 😉
I do love this web site! I will be visiting often.. one week down as a vegan!!
Thanks! And Yaaaay for you! 😉
You rock! Thanks, great ideas 🙂
I made this tonight...it was awesome!!! The only thing I tweaked on it was I added more spices.
My best kitchen tool is my electric pressure cooker. It is a one pot meal machine. I can cook dried beans (after soaking overnight) in 8 minutes and no sodium and the the taste can't be beat. When they are done, I add some veggies (sweet potatoes, something green maybe some tomatoes and the spices) return to pressure for about 2 minutes and voila the meal is done!
Nice summation! I'd also add a great crockpot as one of the most useful tools in a plant-based kitchen (especially during the cooler seasons).
Also, I'd recommend keeping a regular non-electric can opener around, anyway... for emergencies (if you live in an area subject to power outages from natural events!).
I just started on my plant based lifestyle about a week ago and your no-tuna salad was amazing. I'm still a little overwhelmed by figuring out what works but these recipes certainly will help! Now I just need a go to salad dressing - I would love suggestions!
Hi Maggie, my go-to dressing is Dijon mustard with a little brown rice vinegar. Sometimes I'll use lime juice or grapefruit juice with the mustard. Blended salsa is good, as well as creamy dressings with avocado. Anything that blends up can be made into a dressing: fruits, soft veggies, nuts/seeds, avocado, tofu, vinegar. 🙂
Great ideas and btw, tahini mixed with water and a little lemon juice makes a fantastic dressing!
Thank you Cathy...for all you do! I've come to this way of eating through a very long process...one meal at a time. I love finding recipes (traditionally called "side dishes" for veggies, and making that my MAIN dish. Simply done, tasty and satisfying. I can always find them HERE! 🙂 You rock!!
Hi Donna, thank you so much! 😉
You should definitely put these tips into your cookbook. Many people want to do a plant-based diet, but just don't know where to start. Thanks!
Your blog is a gold mine. I'm just beginning also and finding it extremely challenging to find recipes our kids will eat. Could you suggest a few? What two cookbooks would you recommend? Thank you! Candy
Thank you for these tips. They are spot on. 🙂
Thank You Cathy, for your work. I tend to get board fast with recipes so I'm very grateful to have found this site!
Great article! Although I'd add about fruit monomeals that people will need to eat more than 3 bananas to feel satisfied! That's only about 300 calories. I usually eat between 10-15 bananas for breakfast.
Love the simplicity of your tips and recipes. Always a pleasure to stop by your site.
😉
Thank you so much for this article! I too feel confused about how to make my interest in edible plants a continuous kitchen reality. Just like you described! I'll be browsing your page with delight. 🙂
Yay! Thanks for the comment, Lex! 😉
Trina says:
Thanks so much, Cathy, for the wonderful recipes and suggestions! I have been a vegetarian/vegan for 10 years but now would like to delete the S,O, & S and keep on going!
Blessings on you for all you do to help so many!
Thank you 😉
Cathy, do you have a potato cabbage soup recipe?
Hi Jeannie, no I don't, but that sounds good! 🙂
Awesome. I like to keep it simple too and just change things up a bit, especially for my kids and husband. Makes it easier and has helped me in losing almost 100 pounds over the past two years.
Awesome to you! 🙂
Love your mind and generosity with sharing your knowledge of yum and health???
Thanks Missy! 😉
Hi Cathy,
Would you consider an article on how long various foods keep in the fridge and freezer? I think that would be enormously helpful!
Sharon
Hi Sharon, that's a great idea. In the meantime, here are my thoughts...
Fresh foods do not have preservatives like many packaged foods do, so they will not stay fresh in the refrigerator as long. It depends on the food, but things such as homemade salad dressings, prepared salads (like potato salad), and beans will not stay fresh as long (2-3 days). Smelling food will usually let us know if it’s too old. Certain foods do not require refrigeration, including whole onions, bananas, avocados (until they are very ripe), garlic, winter squashes, tomatoes, and potatoes (keep in a dark cupboard). Special bags are made to keep produce fresher longer; just search “green produce bags” online.
Generally, the foods that freeze best are leftover or batch-cooked dishes like soups or stews because they won’t dry out when reheated. Baked cakes, muffins, and waffles freeze well (frost cakes after thawing). Legumes, nuts, and seeds also freeze well. I try to eat my frozen foods within six months of freezing for the best flavor (writing the date of freezing on each container).
Foods you may want to avoid freezing are high-moisture raw fruits and vegetables like apples, oranges, cucumbers, and lettuce. After thawing, these raw foods will not taste as good since the texture will have changed. (However, fresh berries and cut-up bananas freeze well). I also tend to avoid freezing creamy foods, cooked pasta and rice, and raw herbs (unless they are chopped and immersed in water as ice cubes first). If you’re not sure how something will freeze, give a small amount a try and see how it goes or search the question online.
Thank you so much, Cathy!
Sounds so intriguing but I have no clue how to start (and sell it to my wife). Do you have a suggested week of recipes and maybe a shopping list to go with it? That would be a great help. Thanks
Hi Willy, it sounds like you're new to this way of eating, in which case a copy of my book is just the ticket. It's what I call a "foundation" cookbook, since it's really geared toward newbies, and is full of recipes that are easy to make and call for everyday ingredients. There is a section on menu planning toward the back that you might find helpful, as well as grocery shopping tips. (If this is an expense that is too much, message me and we'll work something out.) I can also let you know which recipes might be good firsts to make your wife happy. 🙂 Thanks!
I LOVE this page!
Came to it because I was looking for a stir-fry recipe, found gold instead. Thanks Cathy!
May I ask, could flour, spices, and nuts be kept in the freezer? Would they last longer? Or is this a really bad idea?
(made your Pumpkin Walnut Cornbread today - just waiting for it to cool down to slice it, I made it as a loaf in one of those parchment loaf pans Whole Foods sells)
Hi Carolina, nuts for sure are good in the freezer. I've never frozen flour, and heard you shouldn't keep it in the fridge due to moisture getting into it. I did just do a google search and it shows that all are fine in the freezer. Who knew! 🙂 Welcome and thanks for loving the site!