Articles Reflecting a Vegan Lifestyle used with permission from All-Creatures.org


Dr. Laura Toussaint's 12 inspired and practical tips will help you take the stress out of planning and prepping realistic, wholesome meals that nourish your body.


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How to Meal Prep Without Losing Your Mind
From Laura Toussaint, Ph.D., MainStreetVegan.com
November 2024

meals in containers
Photo from Canva


People think meal prep is “a rigid planning system composed of chores to craft gourmet, homemade meals every night.” Of course, they put off meal prep like a colonoscopy! Like everything else in life, you decide how to nourish your body in a way that keeps your sanity. Think of meal prep as a system of enjoyable nourishing meals ready to go.

12 Ways to Support Sane Meal Prep


1. Keep Store-Bought Frozen Dinners on Hand

Or identify a few takeout meals you enjoy. I know it sounds counterintuitive to suggest having meals made by others on hand, but having a backup is priceless and it takes the pressure off to hit it out of the park every time.


2. Don’t Wait to Prep Meals an Hour Before Dinner

State of mind matters when preparing food for ourselves and loved ones. If stressed, rushed, or hangry when preparing and especially when eating, even the healthiest meals won’t provide the maximum nutritional benefits.

It is such a sweet feeling to open the refrigerator and see your meal ready to think, “Aww, who was the thoughtful person who prepared this lovely meal? Oh, it’s me! Thank you, past self!”


3. Turn Experiences, Such as Being Placed on Hold, into Meal-Prep Ninja Badassery

Use that time to chop vegetables, cook your grains, prep your proteins, re-order your favorite ingredients, etc.


4. When You Shop, Get Two of Everything That You Like and Use Often


5. Always Have Your Favorite Sauces and Condiments On Hand

These are recipe-saving heroes when your meals don’t turn out as planned or simply when you need a little more pizzaz.


6. Identify Your Leftover-Time-In-The-Fridge Threshold

Mine is 24 hours from time of cooking. So, when I batch cook, we eat a portion that night, then freeze the remainder. Stick to your threshold so you aren’t constantly worrying about how long to keep meals.


7. Decide What’s for Dinner the Day Before

Then remove it from the freezer so it has approximately 24 hours to thaw. It will cook faster, plus it’s comforting not to think about what to have for dinner after a long day.


8. Find Amazing Recipes Online for Sheet-Pan or One-Pot Main Dishes

Vegan Richa posts weekly meal plans on her Facebook page, “…so you don’t have to.” Gold!


9. If Mix and Match Is Your Jam, Prep Just Meal Components

Prep your protein (soy curls, lentils, tempeh, beans, edamame, tofu, TVP, etc.), grain (quinoa, bulgur, rice, yams, potatoes, noodles, etc.), and chopped veggies in containers ahead of time. Then add pre-chopped or frozen veggies and your favorite sauce/spices.

After prepping, eat within your use-by tolerance identified in #6, and freeze the rest for your next mix-and-match adventure.


10. Canned, Frozen, Freeze-Dried, and Pre-Made Proteins, Grains, and Veggies Are Time-Savers


11. Serve Highly Satiating Sides

This is wise, particularly if you are cooking for a large family. Examples include edamame, lentils, guacamole, nut butters, vegan nuggets, or vegan dairy products.

My favorite easy-to-make-ahead-of-time dairy substitutes:


12. Accept that Veggie Chopping Is Going to Take Time

You might feel like you are endlessly chopping vegetables. After all, this is one part of the meal you can’t just put in the freezer. But accepting it is a helpful way to approach it. After farmers’ market runs, I put on a podcast or music and think about how blessed I am to have these amazing veggies to prep.

Have veggies on the brink? Freeze them to use for soup or throw them in a food processor with your favorite seasonings and voilà, you have your own special sauce!

About veggie choppers: While they alleviate wrist strain and save time up front, they can take a lot of time to properly clean (you do not want to rush while cleaning sharp blades!). It pays to research what will work best for you in terms of safety, space, and cleaning.

Meal prep is showing up for your future self by doing the work now. It’s also about cultivating a present mindset where you can enjoy the journey and feel supported by the one who knows you best—you! Bottom line, give yourself grace and set yourself up with options.


By Laura Toussaint, trained and certified as a vegan lifestyle coach and educator by Main Street Vegan Academy, www.MainStreetVegan.com

Posted on All-Creatures: March 17, 2025
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