Meal Plans

This week may be one of our busiest this month. My plant-based meal plan will be filled with simple recipes because my kids have 7 appointments, including Steven’s chemo, and we are packing our house since we are moving soon, oh and you know, our normal work schedules.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

I probably have a couple of weeks before I pack up my whole kitchen but I am limiting my cooking. Mostly, I don’t want a big mess. I did some meal prep today and cooked my One Pot Broccoli and Rice Casserole for lunches this week. My husband loves it and it makes 4-6 meals. Last week, our youngest ended up eating most of it.

I’m also craving salads so I’ll be enjoying those as well. I think it’s the heat but hummus, veggies and salad are calling my name. We just bought a bunch of fresh produce but I’m still working on eating the foods in my freezer and pantry so I have less to move.

Plant-Based Breakfast

We will continue on our cereal trend this week. I’ll also have a few overnight oats ready to go. The Peanut Butter Overnight Oats is a favorite and get’s a lot of pins on Pinterest. We also have fresh strawberries and blueberries so I’ll probably make my standard Overnight Oat recipe too!

Plant-Based Lunch

Lunches will be leftovers, Broccoli Rice Casserole, Big Salads or sandwiches. I have hummus and I’m thinking about making my Red Pepper Dip which is one of my favorites.

Plant-Based Dinner Meal Plan

Monday: Plant-Based Mediterranean Bowl is so easy. The only thing that needs to be cooked is the quinoa and the leftovers are fantastic!

Tuesday: Texas Style Chili and oven baked fries will be a nice treat after a long day at the doctor. This is Steven’s chemo day and it starts really early in the morning and we won’t get home until after lunch.

Wednesday: Black Bean Mango Salad is perfect this time of year! Canned beans make this salad hearty and the mango makes it sweet and refreshing! I may make my Mango Salsa and use that instead. Either way, it’s going to be good.

Thursday: Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice is just too easy. It’s a huge recipe so I may reduce it by half. It isn’t very spicy, which means your kids will eat it. We spice up our individual bowls. I love cilantro and lime, or just a bunch of salsa.

Friday: Plant-Based Nachos! I can’t help it, Friday night is a good night for nachos! I love chips and salsa and add refried beans and you have a meal!

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What are you working on this week? I’d love to hear what you are cooking!

Every week I share my Plant-Based Meal Plan. Last week I only shared our dinners and it went so well I thought I’d do it again and share our Week Night Plant-Based Dinners Meal Plan. I’ll give you some breakfast and lunch suggestions also.

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Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast: I’ve been moving away from oatmeal and hot breakfasts over the last week or so. Two mornings a week we have early morning appointments and I try to start working by 8:00 the other mornings.

I still offer oatmeal but my kids have been requesting toast with fruit, bagels or cereal, most mornings. This summer, we are encouraging them to be more independent so some mornings they make their own breakfast. Peanut Butter Overnight Oats is a great option to have in the fridge for those mornings we need a little extra.

Lunch: Most days lunch will be leftover dinner or sandwiches. On Sunday I cooked Enchilada Soup in my Instant Pot and cooked my One Pot Broccoli and Rice Casserole so we have those ready for lunch all week. Typically I’ll eat the soup, my husband and youngest son will eat the casserole and my other son will have sandwiches.

Week Night Plant-Based Dinners

Monday: Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry is a super easy, oil-free stir fry that is easy to adapt, based on what you have and what you like. You can even use frozen veggies if you don’t have any fresh. I’m working on clearing out my freezer and pantry so I’ll probably use frozen this time.

Tuesday: One Pot Pizza Pasta is as simple as it sounds. I like having pasta at least once a week for an easy meal. I add extra sauce to mine once it’s in the bowl and my boys add olives to theirs. Just like pizza, we all have completely different preferences, we use the basics in the pasta then load up our favorite toppings on the side. This is perfect with a side salad with Creamy Italian or Sweet and Tangy Salad Dressing.

Wednesday: Instant Pot Mexican Casserole is one of my oldest and most loved recipes! It’s worthy of a permanent spot on the meal plan. The leftovers are perfect for lunches too.

Thursday: Southwest Tofu Scramble is another easy recipe. This time I’m making it as an excuse to make my Mango Salsa! I really want the Mango Salsa and I think this scramble will be the perfect pairing!

Friday: Nacho Night! I’ll use my Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe, Kathy Hester’s Instant Pot Queso from the Ultimate Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, and all our favorite toppings!

I also have a few bananas that are getting ripe and almost perfect for Banana Bread. I usually make Blueberry Muffins while I’m at it. I’ve got a new Pampered Chef Brownie Pan that I really want to use for the muffins!

What are your favorite week night plant-based dinners? 

One thing about this Plant-Based Meal Plan that you should know is that it’s not a completely accurate picture of our meals. Sure, I make a plan but we don’t always, scratch that, we never follow it with 100% accuracy. Also, it doesn’t take into account the gazillion snacks my kids eat each day.

I don’t know if you can relate but my kids are always hungry. One kid would happily snack on fruit all day while the other isn’t interested in fruit at all. That reminds me, I bought the juiciest, sweetest, most perfect nectarines this week.

Another thing about this meal plan is that if we have leftovers, we usually eat them for the next day lunch and sometimes dinner. I will skip whatever meal I have planned if we have something else to eat. There is also those nights where we are all too tired to cook and the kids fend for themselves and have oatmeal, sandwiches or cereal.

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Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast: Banana Nut Oatmeal

Lunch: Veggie Sandwich

Dinner: Spaghetti with side salad and Oil-Free Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

Tuesday

Breakfast: Strawberry Chia Pudding

Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti

Dinner: Instant Pot Refried Beans and Mexican Rice

Wednesday

Breakfast: Cereal or smoothies

Lunch: Burritos using leftover Beans and Rice

Dinner: Chickpea and Quinoa Stir Fry

Thursday

Breakfast: Instant Pot Oatmeal with Blueberries

Lunch: Salad with leftover stir fry

Dinner: Instant Pot Mexican Casserole

Friday

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: One Pot Broccoli and Rice

I’ve been making a lot of Banana Bread the last few months too! If you are looking for an amazing Banana Bread recipe you’ll want to try mine.

Most of my Instant Pot recipes also have stove top versions. I’m still working to convert some of them. If you’ve been thinking of getting an Instant Pot I highly recommend it. Now that it’s heating up in our area, my Instant Pot will be used even more so I can avoid heating up my kitchen.

This week our Plant-Based Meal Plan has a lot of our family favorites. I’m planning to use leftovers to cut down on cooking. Of course, I’ll use my Instant Pot so I can make easy meals while I’m busy.

Now that the kids are out of school for summer break, they are having all three meals at home. I will be sharing lots of lunch ideas for kids and have already started a blog post about it. You can check out this pin for a quick and easy lunch box reference. I’m working on them being more independent so we are keeping it simple.

When they first get up they will usually make themselves something like toast, cereal or fruit. Then mid morning, I’ll make all of us a smoothie. We typically eat an early lunch or leftovers or easy meals like beans or oatmeal. Mid afternoon they are hungry again and will start looking for snacks. Sometimes it’s fruit, granola, popsicles, etc.

My husband takes his lunch and snacks to work. This week I once again made his favorite, One Pot Broccoli Rice Casserole. There are 3-4 servings in the fridge ready for him. He also takes a lot of fresh fruits and veggies to snack on.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

Lunch: Plant-Based Mediterranean Bowl

Dinner: Busy Night Pasta

Tuesday

Breakfast: Banana Bread and Smoothies

Lunch: Plant-Based Mediterranean Bowl

Dinner: Lentil and Rice Salad

Wednesday

Breakfast: Instant Pot Breakfast Rice

Lunch: Veggie Filled Pita with Hummus

Dinner: Easy Mexican Casserole (Instant Pot Version)

Thursday

Breakfast: Leftover Instant Pot Breakfast Rice

Lunch: Leftover Mexican Casserole

Dinner: Southwest Tofu Scramble

Friday

Breakfast: Leftover Tofu Scramble

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Enchilada Casserole

We have a few treats planned as well. Last week I made my No Bake Chocolate Bites, they are kinda like a peanut butter and chocolate oat ball. They were a big hit with my 10 year old and he isn’t very adventurous with food. I also made my Banana Bread and a new Double Chocolate Banana Bread recipe that I’ll be sharing soon.

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In other news, my husband and I celebrated our 14th anniversary last weekend. A lot of our friend’s kids were graduating over the last couple weeks. It reminded me that my own high school graduation was 20 years ago. Then an old friend from high school found me on social media and we’ve been catching up. So fun!

I don’t know about you, but for us, May is always a busy month. There are always too many things scheduled. Throw in some sickness and it can be tough to eat well. Thankfully, our Plant-Based Meal Plan makes it easy to plan ahead.

You may notice that we plan simple meals. One Pot Broccoli and Rice, Spaghetti, Chickpea Noodle Soup…that’s because I’m setting my self up for success. I don’t plan complex recipes when life is busy. I plan simple recipes and make enough for leftovers. If I’m lucky, we will stretch our leftovers out longer and I’ll be able to skip cooking a  meal or two.

Also, these breakfast ideas are just suggestions. We may choose overnight oats or chia pudding or we may have smoothies and toast. We keep it easy. In my plant-based tips email I send out every Saturday, I shared a bunch of breakfast ideas!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast: Strawberry Chia Pudding

Lunch: Veggie Sandwich

Dinner: Broccoli Rice Casserole

Tuesday

Breakfast: Breakfast Cookies and Smoothies

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Instant Pot Refried Beans and Mexican Rice

Wednesday

Breakfast: Baked Sweet Potatoes

Lunch: Chickpea Noodle Soup

Dinner: Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs (A request from my 10 year old), salad and this salad dressing.

Thursday

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Minestrone Soup and salad

Friday

Breakfast: Toast with peanut butter and fruit

Lunch: Leftover Soup and salad

Dinner: Breakfast for dinner! Tofu Scramble, Strawberry Banana Muffins and fruit salad.

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If you’re looking for recipe inspiration, Pinterest is a great way to collect recipes! You can even create a board for recipes you want to try!

Are you looking for new recipes? I’d love to help! Leave a comment with what you’re looking for. I’m working on my summer recipe list right now! I’ve got some popsicles in mind, skillet meals and of course, more Instant Pot ideas!