Zero Waste Vegan Meal Prep

This week is already insane. I knew it would be, so I decided to try my hand at meal prepping for the week - vegan style. It’s a first and it’s been a lifesaver.

I also want to include what I’ve prepped for my boyfriend who eats meat. This is an inter-dietary prep, which means it will be half vegan and half not. If you're prepping for two vegans, double the vegan portion. 

I was able to go to every store in about an hour and fifteen minutes on Saturday. I wanted to focus on food that was easy to transport. 

Prepping took around 2 hours total. I have three mason jar salads in the fridge; prepped meat and meatless balls; there’s marinara for the subs and soup frozen in the freezer.

 I fried two steaks for Justin, made a pot of rice, a batch of cookies, and several smoothies. I did not clean the blender in between each smoothie to save on time.

 I freeze them and put one in the fridge right before bed. It's the perfect consistency 8 hours later. 

We don’t like eating the same thing more than twice so I try to vary it. Justin’s sandwiches can be made quickly before leaving. We always freeze our bread to keep it fresh. It’s great knowing we will both be eating well while I’m at rehearsal. 

Groceries: 

$20 Farmers Market: Plums, Peaches, Strawberries, Cucumbers, 2 heads of Romaine, Carrots, Purple Onion, Tomatoes, Peppers, Grapes

$10 Butcher: .5lb Carne Asada, .5lb Ground Beef, .5lb of Deli Turkey, 1 link of Andouille Sausage. 

$10 Conventional: Mango, Pineapple, Banana, Apples, 2 Baguettes 

$1 Bulk: Garbanzo Beans

$5 Bakery: Croissants, Treats

Monday: 

            K - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                 Leftover Spaghetti, Greek Side Salad

                 Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

            J - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                 Turkey, Croissant Sandwich

                 Steak, Potatoes, Broccoli

Tuesday: 

            K - Kale, Strawberry, Apple, Cucumber Smoothie

                 Meatless Ball Sub

                 Soup & Baguette

            J - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                  Meatball Sub

                 Soup, Rice, Andouille Sausage

Wednesday:

            K - Kale, Strawberry, Apple, Cucumber Smoothie

                 Super Vegan Burrito from Food Truck

                 Super Vegan Burrito Leftovers

            J - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                 Burrito from Food Truck

                 Burrito Leftovers

Thursday: 

            K - Peach, Mango, & Cucumber Smoothie

                 Greek Salad

                 Veggie Fried Rice

            J - Peach, Mango, & Cucumber Smoothie

                Turkey, Croissant Sandwich

                Veggie Fried Rice

Friday:  

            K - Mango, Pineapple, Banana Smoothie

                 Asian Salad

                 Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

            J - Mango, Pineapple, Banana Smoothie

                Turkey Croissant Sandwich

                Steak, Potatoes, Broccoli

Snacks include: nuts, homemade granola, plums and cookies

If you have any tips on how to make it easier to read a meal prep post - let me know! Or if you have any recipes I'd love to read them. This was based entirely on things that are grab-and-go / easy to transport.

Follow

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Summer is my favorite time of year. I love sticky, hot days with salt in the air. Very ripe peaches, long hours of sunlight, ice cold beer, and sitting around with friends are some of the highlights.

 But tomatoes are pure summer gold. In fact my favorite and easiest vegan meal is sliced tomatoes with basil on bread. If you're feeling adventurous, you could add some vegan cheese. 

This is another fast meal. It's perfect if you're on the go. It's delicious both as a soup or gazpacho. 

1 Small Red Onion

3 Cloves of Garlic

12 Lunch Box Peppers or 2 Full Size Peppers

4 Medium Tomatoes

Quarter the onion. Peel the cloves and leave whole. Cut the stems off the peppers and in half. Halve the tomatoes. Toss all of the vegetables in oil.

Broil for 15 minutes.

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender with 2 cups of vegetable stock. 

It also makes a great dinner. I like to fry up some peppers, andouille sausage, and I'll make a big batch of herbed rice.

It's perfect if you're in an inter-dietary relationship. (That's where you can't eat the same thing whether by choice or allergies.) I'll eat some peppers, and Justin gets the sausage.

Dinner is on the table in 30 minutes and everyone is happy! Is anyone else in an inter-dietary relationship? What are some of your favorite meals?

Follow

Vegan & Allergy Free Pesto

This past weekend was wonderful! So full of friends, wine, and zero waste adventures. I love how supportive my friends are of my lifestyle.

Saturday morning I went to the farmers market with my friend Gillian. We got coffee from LEAF, traveled on foot, and sampled all sorts of goodies. 

I packed my market bag full of tomatoes, grapes, romaine, and basil. We chose a beautiful Japanese Eggplant for a lunch experiment. It was our first time trying it, and it was delicious.  

We met up with our friend Lindsay for a potluck. A typical get together consists of eating, drinking, chatting, and letting the dogs play all night long.

In addition, we swapped clothes from our closets! The table was full of fresh veggies, hummus, bread, crackers, cheese, fruit, and Gillian's amazing cowgirl cookies. 

The organic basil I plucked was begging me to create a delicious pesto. To be honest, I've never eaten pesto due to my dairy allergy. It's so exciting to finally be able to eat things I've never been able to taste! 

Even though it was a first, I had loud approval from everyone at the table. I have to say it was delicious! I even saved a little for myself. 

We spread it on toasted focaccia and topped it with garlic and herbed goat cheese. To keep it vegan you can layer on some herbed vegan cheese. And, of course it's amazing tossed with pasta.

Vegan & Allergy Free Pesto

            1 Bunch of Basil with Stems Removed 

            1/2 Cup of Olive Oil 

            3 Cloves of Garlic

            1 Teaspoon of Salt 

            1 Teaspoon of Pepper

            Juice of a Lemon

            1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast 

Pulse the basil until it's roughly chopped. Place the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth. 

Low key nights are my favorite. I love to stay in and share stories, food, wine, recipes, and even clothes! 

I have to say this pesto recipe is definitely one of my new summer staples! What are some of your favorite quick dishes to bring to parties? 

Follow