Hi there!
I remember feeling annoyed as a child whenever my Mum would ask me what I wanted for dinner. I never had the answer and she would always reply ‘wait till you have to cook every night and see how difficult it is to come up with ideas!’ Flash forward to a fully-fledged adult and I can finally see what she was talking about!
When Francis and I first met, we were going out to eat most nights. It was fun discovering lots of new vegan restaurants but it wasn’t overly healthy. Nowadays, we eat out once a week. I love to cook and have found it the most rewarding, nourishing option. I get to regulate the amount of salt, oil and fat that goes into our dishes and at the same time create like I’ve never created before!
We recently came up with a 7 day dinner meal plan (with one night off) that we stick to so we never have to stress about what to cook after a long day at work. Plus it allows us to shop in bulk. The meal plan has been tried, tested and 100% approved! Obviously we can mix it up but every single meal is filled with whole, nutritious foods and not one contains added salt or oil.
I wanted to share our weekly meal plan to provide others with healthy, easy options for dinner. Feel free to replicate the entire plan, use parts of it or send me vegan meal plans of your own!
MONDAY – VEGAN BURRITO BOWLS
I already wrote a blog post on these yummy, healthy bowls so please click here for the recipe!
TUESDAY – STUFFED PLANT-BASED PEPPERS
Yum! Red, Green, Yellow, Orange who cares?! Purchase 4 big Capsicums, hollow them out and set on a baking tray. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C and begin cooking the filling. I steam some Corn Cous Cous and then cook it with Mint Peas & Olives. I also like to add in paprika, cumin and some cracked pepper to give it flavour. Once the mixture is ready, fill your capsicums and pop in the oven with the ‘lids’ on top. Cook for about 25-30 mins (this can depend on the oven) and serve! Eat the whole thing, not just the filling! There is so much nutrition in the flesh of the capsicum as well as plenty of water! Tasty & simple!
WEDNESDAY– COCONUT TOFU CURRY
I love this meal! It’s probably my favourite from the list of weekly dinners. Prepare your fresh vegetables, cube some firm, organic tofu and cook all together in a pan with some curry powder & low fat, organic coconut milk. Steam some Basmati rice and pour your curry on top. It’s ridiculously tasty & healthy!
THURSDAY – BAKED POTATO LETTUCE CUPS
Baked Potatoes are incredibly nutritious, full of carbohydrates & the optimal dinner for those doing Raw Till 4. I found this absolute winner of a recipe on my RT4 app. Purchase a large sweet potato & a bag of Dutch Cream potatoes. Cut the sweet potato in half, pierce holes all over both halves and wrap them in foil. Bake in the oven for an hour on 200C. In the meantime, wash & scrub your Dutch Cream’s but keep the skins on (there is so much nutrition in the outer layer so no peeling). Chop your potatoes into wedges or strips and bring a pot of water to boil. Once it starts bubbling, put all of your potatoes in and let them cook for 5 mins. Drain and put the potatoes back in the pot. Add a tablespoon of All Purpose Flour & Cracked Pepper, cover the pot and shake it so all of the potatoes are covered evenly. Spread them on a couple of trays and pop in the oven for 25 mins. Take out all of your potatoes and add them to your bowls with fresh lettuce cups & chopped baby cucumber. The chips should be super crispy without oil/salt. Serve! You can use a low sodium sweet chilli sauce or lemon juice.
FRIDAY – WHOLEMEAL PASTA w LOW SODIUM SAUCE
Who doesn’t love pasta? I can’t get enough! I usually use wholemeal pasta but in this picture I’ve used Spinach Fettuccine that we picked up at World Vegan Day! Cook your pasta without any salt. In a separate pan, use water to cook your chopped onions, broccolini & olives (I sometimes mix it up with baby corn, baby spinach & asparagus). Add a low sodium sauce & top with fresh basil. Drain your pasta & combine it with the sauce. Serve!
SATURDAY – FREE NIGHT OFF!
Saturday is our night off where we can enjoy all the vegan options in our area. It is much harder to regulate salt & oil when visiting a restaurant but don’t be afraid to ask. If you want some good advice – go for steamed veggie dumplings. They are super healthy, filling and salt/oil free! I get these from Dumpling King just down the road from our apartment.
SUNDAY – VEGAN CHILLI
The week would not be complete without some hearty, warming chilli! In a pan, empty a can of organic tomatoes and cook with a can of mixed beans (the Ceres Organic Brand has no added salt). Add corn kernels, diced pumpkin & carrot. Use a teaspoon of chilli powder, paprika, pepper & a squeeze of lime juice. I like to top my bowl with spiralised zoodles. It’s so filling but if any males reading this feel that’s not enough, you can add wraps like Francis does.
Finally, I just want to add a Nice Cream recipe that I recently discovered! All you need is 3-4 frozen bananas, baby spinach, frozen mango & frozen pineapple chunks. Blend all together with a little bit of water and serve! I am a little bit obsessed with Raw Till 4 You-Tubers at the moment so ‘LivingVeg’ gave me the recipe idea and ‘DatesWithLove‘ taught me how to make Nice Cream Towers (hence my overflowing mason jar!) It is beyond delicious! I highly recommend you try it.
So there you have it! 7 Vegan Dinner options for your week! I tried to make them all simple with plenty of variety. Feel free to offer any suggestions on how to improve these meals. If you eat plant-based, whole foods like these, you can remain lean & healthy long term. I hope you enjoyed and I welcome all comments & feedback.
Peace & Love xoxo
So many delicious dinners! I want to try them all 😀 You must be a good vegan cook, or at least gaining a lot of confidence in cooking. The dish that stood out to me is the burrito bowls! Dark green leafy veggies are my favourite kind of veggies; I like eating the leaves, but my mum says the stems are better as that is where the nutrients are stored. But I always thought the nutrients go up to the leaves…. :/ Love that you included mushrooms in your dishes! I love them! Here’s to healthy eating!
Thank you Mabel! I’m glad you found them yummy! There is a lot of nutrients in the stems & leaves! Mushrooms are one of my faves! Yes healthy eating for the win!
Love those heart shaped bowls! The recipes look great. I will be trying them. And, it is! It is hard to think of what to eat and keep it healthy. In Asian cooking, it can get really unhealthy with all the pan frying we do.
All looks lovely, loving the bowls might have to get me some!
I am loving those dumplings Asian cuisine is my favorite right now and sometimes it is hard to find a place that doesn’t use fish oil.
I’m so glad! When you get steamed dumplings you can be assured no fish oil will be used 🙂 thank you for stopping by!