Creating a 7-day vegan meal plan can be difficult, especially if you’ve decided to go vegan only as of recently and you’re still not aware of all the options available to you. You may find yourself repeating certain foods several times a week, denying yourself a satisfying experience of veganism. With our meal plan, you can easily fix this problem in one fell swoop and learn to be as creative with your vegan diet as you want.
When it comes to food, meals tend to be sporadic for most people who don’t see the need to do any planning. They just eat whatever they want and at any time of day or night. It sounds like a perfect life, but there are downsides associated with such a lifestyle. Without planning your meals, you won’t know the number of calories you are eating vis-à-vis your daily energy needs. Even worse, you may end up not paying attention to whether the foods you are consuming are nutritious or not, and that is potentially putting your health on the line.
How To Start A Vegan Diet?
Curious about how to prepare for going vegan? Several things have to be considered if your vegan diet is to stick in the long run. As indicated above, planning for a vegan 7-day meal plan is essential and will determine the diet’s success. Some of the things that must be considered include:
Managing Your Expectations
Most people fail to shift to a 7-day vegan meal plan to lose weight because they expect that they will still be eating the same meals as before but vegan. The reality on the ground is that the vegan meals may taste nothing like the non-vegan versions you are used to, which can be disappointing. If you were looking for a familiar taste, you might quit due to your expectations. Even as vegan foods may not taste the same as their non-vegan versions, one cannot say that they are not tasty (12).
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Have An Open Mind
With vegan fitness, a 7-day meal plan comes with a large variety of ingredients that you probably never heard of before. The only way you will be successful is by being curious about trying out new things, new textures, and new tastes. If you have an open mind, it will not be long before realizing that there are endless tasty vegan food choices (18).
Assuming that you have just started the journey to become a vegan, you may not have the skills to cook the many different types of vegetables. The first few days should be your window for trial and error. You may have to cook certain meals several times before establishing the correct flavors and even textures according to your taste, but if you want to eat a clean 7-day vegan meal plan, you must be patient.
Typically, you should start with the simplest recipes before moving to more complex ones. To make things easier for yourself, you can go for those fruits and vegetables that you already like and then delve into the ones you are not used to. The choice of ingredients is also crucial because it will determine the flavor of your meal. Start with the ingredients you are familiar with as you continue experimenting with new ones (7).
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Why Vegan Meal Planning Is Important?
Starting a plant-based diet is exciting, but at the same time, it can be frustrating. This is because you may struggle with time to prep for the meal and end up returning to your go-to non-vegan recipes that are simple and quick. For that reason, you have to know how a vegan meal plan works.
Many vegan recipes are somewhat unusual and may require unfamiliar ingredients. You would know the amount of time you need to prepare those ingredients, let alone the meal. Some meals may even require overnight prep steps like soaking that you may easily forget (15).
A good approach, therefore, would be to plan every meal. Even when it comes to improvising, you will still need some experience to maintain the vegan diet. How many meals per day should I have? That depends on your schedule and what you prefer. Can vegans drink milk? Animal milks are not allowed but many will go for alternatives like soy or nut milks.
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Easy 7-Day Vegan Breakfast Meal Plan Ideas
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and as such, it should contain nutrient-rich foods that will energize you for the better part of the day. The vegan breakfast ideas below are not only healthy but also simple, even for beginners (13).
Day 1: Mixed Fruit Smoothie
Put all the ingredients below into a blender and blend until smooth. The breakfast ingredients are:
If you fancy having a dessert for breakfast, then the overnight oats are something you will enjoy. Prepare them the night before for a quick breakfast. Put all ingredients in a jar and shake well, then refrigerate overnight. Shake them well again in the morning before consuming. The ingredients are:
½ cup of gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup of almond milk
¼ cup of raw shelled hemp seeds
2 tablespoons of date paste/ any sweetener of choice
½ cup of fresh/thawed frozen berries chopped/mashed
Cut avocado into thin slices and place them on bread. Drizzle with some tomato paste and each of the ingredients listed below before toasting in the oven:
The preparation for this one also starts the night before for a quick breakfast. This protein-rich breakfast recipe features fresh bananas with a side of berries that are topped with walnuts and chocolate chips, among other things. Put all ingredients in a mason jar and shake well, then store until the next morning. The full list of ingredients includes:
When it comes to vegan lunch recipes, the spices and seasonings to use can be adaptable based on your tastes and preferences. The vegan lunch ideas feature light meals to sustain you until dinner time.
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Day 1: Hummus Wrap
With this simple meal, you put everything into a tortilla, roll it, and it is ready for eating. The ingredients are:
½ cup of hummus (any type)
Sliced cucumbers
1 lettuce leaf (large)
A drizzle of hot sauce (not a must)
Tortilla/ wrapping
1 tablespoon of chopped dill
Day 2: Easy Portobello Tacos
Sauté Portobello slices with onions and fill tortillas, after which you top with arugula.
Slice 1 Portobello mushroom and Sauté with broth/oil and salt until it is soft.
Day 3: Low Fat Creamy Mashed Chickpea And Veggie Sandwich
A mix of mashed chickpeas, veggies, and a creamy base mimic a classic tuna salad but the vegan version with healthy fats. Served with sandwich bread, lettuce, sliced cucumber, and tomato. The ingredients include:
6 tablespoons of chickpea brine (liquid found in chickpeas cans)
Start with the white bean puree prepared by mixing cannellini beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Chill until it is ready to use.
Preheat the oven to about 200°C, then place a bread drizzled with some olive oil to bake for 10 minutes.
Peel/shave asparagus into ribbons and toss them into a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, lemon juice, and pepper.
Apply the white bean puree on the flatbreads and add a topping of asparagus ribbons, mint, cheese, lemon zest, pine nuts, salt, and red pepper flakes.
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Easy 7-Day Vegan Meal Plan Dinner Ideas
To make the 7-day vegan meal plan complete, you must include options for dinner.
Day 1: Spaghetti With Charred Tomatoes And Shishito Peppers
The shishito peppers in this recipe can be substituted with any other type of pepper/vegetable. Use simple, fresh ingredients to make this delicious dinner meal. The ingredients are:
Wash peppers, tomatoes, and basil, then preheat the oven to about 190°C.
Add garlic, pepper, broth, and salt to the contents you just washed, then mix well to coat.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
As the vegetable roast, cook spaghetti and make hemp almond parmesan.
When the vegetables are ready, mix them with spaghetti and use the hemp almond parmesan as the topping.
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Day 2: Pizza Burrito With Easy Pizza Sauce
The pizza burrito is a delicious vegan meal that is easy and quick to fix. It is also low fat making it a healthy dish. The pizza source is homemade and takes less than 60 seconds to be ready. The ingredients for this meal are:
For Pizza Sauce
Veggie broth, ½ a cup
Tomato paste, ½ a cup
Dried basil, 1 ½ teaspoon
Maple syrup, 1 teaspoon
Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon
Sea salt, 1 teaspoon
Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon
Dried thyme, 1 ½ teaspoon
Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon
For One Burrito
Chickpea vegan sausage crumbles, 1 tablespoon
Easy pizza sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon
Cream sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon
Crimini mushrooms, ¼ cup
Fresh spinach, ¼ cup
1 tortilla
Preparation
Put the pizza ingredients into a dish and stir well. Let it sit for the flavors to mesh together until the next day.
For the burritos, make sure the oven is heated to 175°C.
Prepare all sauces and chickpeas.
Warm the tortilla in the oven/microwave for 1 minute.
Add 1 ½ tablespoon of pizza sauce in the middle and spread towards the edges.
Place ¼ cup of spinach over pizza sauce.
Place 1 ½ tablespoonful of cream sauce over spinach.
Spread the chickpea crumbles over the cream sauce.
Put the mushrooms, ¼ cup on the top.
Bake on parchment cookie sheets.
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Day 3: Easy Black Bean Enchilada Burgers (Make 2 And Save 1 For Day 7)
The first 6 ingredients are mixed in a dish by hand; then, the beans are mashed in the process. They are then shaped into burger patties and grilled for a quarter an hour. The ingredients for this delicacy are:
¾ cup of cooked brown rice (save ¼ cup of the rice for day 6 recipe)
Half a cup of cooked black beans
Two tablespoons of cooked potato (reserve remaining raw potato for day 4 recipe)
To save time, all ingredients for this meal should be prepped in advance. Prep potatoes and place them in the oven. Cook beans on the stove. When ready, prep the toppings to use. The ingredients for the recipe are:
Purple potatoes, 2 medium-sized that are chopped into small pieces
Veggie broth, two tablespoons to roast potatoes
Sea salt
Frozen corn, 1 cup
Chopped lettuce, 4 cups
For The Refried Beans
Black beans, 15 ounces
Chili powder, 1 ½ tablespoon
Cumin, 1 tablespoon
Garlic powder, ½ teaspoon
Sea salt
Toppings
Red enchilada sauce
Sour cream, dairy-free
Fresh Mexican salsa
chopped avocado
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Day 5: Pizza With Veggies, Chickpea Sausage Crumbles, And Creamy Drizzle
Put the pizza together by spreading the pizza sauce over the crust. Add toppings using vegetables. Take the chickpea crumbles and drizzle with creamy sauce. Bake for about 15 minutes but check constantly. Depending on your preference, you may also want to bake or sauté the pizza veggies on the stove. Most of these ingredients are leftovers from previous meals, and they include:
a personal-sized frozen pizza crust
pizza sauce that you made for day 2 dinner
vegetables to use as toppings on the pizza
the chickpea sausage crumbles that remained on day 2
Start by warming the leftover beans and rice. Put the rice, beans, and sliced avocado into a burrito. Fold the burrito, then grill each side on a nonstick/oiled pan. Once they turn crispy, drizzle enchilada and creamy sauce over the top. The ingredients are:
Remaining beans made for day 4 dinner
Cooked rice preserved from day 3
Avocado, ½ sliced
Enchilada sauce from day 1 dinner
Creamy sauce from day 1
Tortilla
Day 7: Leftover Easy Black Bean Enchilada Burger
Most of the work for this meal was done during meal day 3. All you have to do is take out the preserved burger and heat it.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
Do you know that your body needs some exercise in addition to a proper diet? Check out this 20-min Full Body Workout at Home.