I’ve been all in on this idea of meal prepping since we’ve had our little one. It’s so easy to slip into bad habits of eating out when you don’t have something convenient at your fingertips. I try to keep at least one meal prepped in the fridge at any given time to ensure we always have something prepared. That’s why I decided to get back into these meal plans. This is the vegetarian meal prep guide for December 2019.

I’m going to walk you through a week’s meal plan, a grocery list, pantry staples, and link you to recipes for the meals. I personally like to have at least one meal, if not two full meals prepped in the fridge. It gives us options and then the excuse for eating out can’t be ‘we don’t have any food.

For this vegetarian meal prep guide, I’m going to include a few recipes for each meal. You’ll need to adjust for the number of people in your family, so for this purpose I have groceries for two people. You can always make more or less for kids and other family members. These meals all keep in the fridge for between 5-7 days, so if you do end up with more left overs than planned, you can always eat them tomorrow.

Meals for Vegetarian Meal Prep Guide

Breakfast:

Blueberry Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal – makes 6 generous servings or 9 smaller servings. 

Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal – this is a single serving but can easily be made in larger quantities. 

Lunch and Dinner

Aloo Mutter Indian curried potatoes and peas – this dish makes 4 servings but can easily be doubled. Serve alongside homemade roti or rice.

Quinoa Black Bean Taco Filling – recipe makes between 4-8 servings depending on how you prepare it. Quesadillas and nachos use less than if you make up burritos or tacos. Load up your dish with all the vegetables (bell pepper, onion, lettuce, jalapeno, etc), guacamole, salsas, and shredded cheese to fill you up.

Vegan Thai Salad with Peanut Sauce – this dish makes enough for 4 smaller salads. Prep the veggies and mix them in a large bowl ahead of time and right before dishing up add the chow mein noodles and peanut sauce. To make this more filling, feel free to add more chickpeas.

Chana Masala with Sauteed Greens – makes enough to serve 4 but can easily be doubled. It’s delicious with a basmati rice.

Snacks

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Bombs – these healthy snacks are more of a dessert. Don’t overdo it on these as they’re filling but also are pretty dense in nutrients. They’re indulgent, but packed with healthy fiber, protein, and fat.

Mixed Berry Smoothie Bowl – a great snack for a night you’re at home. Whip up a double batch and share with the kids. Make it a fun activity to put toppings on. 

Fresh fruit and vegetables. Don’t forget to snack on your favorite fresh produce. Apples, berries, carrots, cut up peppers and hummus. 

Dessert

Easiest 5 Minute Chocolate Bark – because it’s Christmas time, don’t forget an occasional sweet. This delicious chocolate bark is customizable, the batch size is easily multiplied, and it’s SO easy.

Grocery List for Vegetarian Meal Prep Guide December 2019

Produce

• 5 yellow potatoes
• 3 red onions
• 2 red bell pepper
• greens of your choice – for the sauteed greens in the chana masala (usually we use spinach)
• 1 bag baby carrots
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 bag shredded green cabbage
• 2 tomatoes
• bananas
• blueberries
• 1 jalapeno
• cilantro

Canned/Dry Goods

• 3 cans chickpeas
• 1 can black beans
• Tomato Paste
• Crunchy chow mein noodles
• Sriracha
• Coconut Water
• Chopped Pecans
• Tortillas or Tortilla Chips for Taco Filling

Refrigerated/Frozen Goods

• Bag of frozen peas
• Milk of choice
• Mixed Berries

Pantry Staples (Get these if you don’t have them)

• Peanut Butter
• Minced Garlic
• Ginger Paste (we get the squeezable kind for ease, but feel free to use the fresh ginger root).
• Quinoa
• Oatmeal
• Soy Sauce
• Lime Juice
• Maple Syrup
• Olive Oil
• Turmeric
• Coriander Cumin powder
• Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper (if you like some heat)
• Garam masala powder (or curry powder)
• Cumin seeds
• Bay leaves
• Mustard Seeds
• Coconut Oil
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Baking Soda
• Chia Seeds
• Chocolate Chips
• Whole Wheat Flour

Don’t let this list daunt you, a lot of these items are found in the common pantry. If you want to skip any recipes, feel free to cross items off the list, but confirm that they’re not needed for another dish. Some of them are in multiple (onions, bell pepper, chickpeas, chocolate chips, etc.). I would also recommend a good blender if you want to make smoothie bowls being it’s really thick. We use a vitamix, but there are many other good options out there for less money. 

Let me know if you tried out this vegetarian meal prep guide and what you thought in the comments below!

-Cassie