Vegan Meal Prep Lunches
If you haven't seen this blog before, which is highly likely because I haven't used it in awhile and it's still relatively new, so welcome! I wanted this blog to be a space where I share my latest endeavor because I like to think that I live my life by the motto with "never stop learning." I've decided to categorize and revamp my blog and try to rededicate my time to this blog. I've crafted a blog post that explains each of the categories and the heart behind each one. This post will be the first post after the revamp and I wanted to focus more on the recipes that I have been using for my meal preps.
As I have explained in my introductory blog post, I'm not an expert in cooking. I started as a true beginner by following recipes that I found online. After years of experimenting and self-teaching myself how to cook, I've learned a few tricks and in my adult years I've been trying out meal prep recipes. I've been excited to share so I've been posting pictures of my finished meals on Instagram and one of my friends suggested that I start sharing my cooking experiences. I didn't think that people would be interested in my cooking experience but if you're still reading this, then I guess I stand corrected. I hope that my unique adventure in the cooking world will help or inspire some people to try new things.
I've been adventurous in trying new things in the culinary road and one of these paths was toward veganism. My sister became a vegan a few years ago and every time she came to visit, she would cook these great recipes. I was surprise at how many options there were and how easy it was to make vegan recipes. Stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's had many readily available alternatives to meat, poultry, cheese and other dairy products. Even Target and Walmart had some great options. I'm going to be honest, there were some alternatives that did not taste very good and I've avoided them from the first and last time I've tried them. From that experimentation phase, I've learned to experiment and try to make things more from scratch. For myself, I eat some vegan dishes once in awhile because my body does not process dairy products and red meat very well. I try to eat all the food groups in moderation in the name of nutrition but also for the sake of my body. I've learned, always listen to your body because it knows best. That also goes for the taste when adjusting your dishes while cooking.
Pinterest is where I find a lot of inspiration for cooking. I found a blog that uses similar ingredients for five vegan recipes to save time and money when prepping. Since I'm only cooking for myself, it's not practical to create a new dish every night. Since I've been busy with school and work, I usually cook on Sunday afternoon. Usually it was just meal prepping lunch and then I usually eat whatever leftovers or make something really quick or packaged. I recently tried to meal prep dinner as well and found it working well, health-wise but also time-wise. So this past week, I decided to use two of the recipes to utilize some of the same ingredients. I find that one of the biggest challenges is using all the food that comes in the packaging so it doesn't spoil. Cooking for myself, even for five meals is hard for one person to finish everything. Being resourceful with all my food has been a challenge for myself but finding similar recipes and cooking them the same week has been something new that I've been trying and I'm finding it beneficial for saving money and using all the food needed for the recipes.
So I decided to try to make my first buddha bowl and "goddess" sandwich, recipes provided by this blog. I used it as a guideline but I modify it for my personal taste and trying to improve upon it. I find myself constantly adjusting or modifying recipes and one of the major reasons is because I don't have all the ingredients. It's important to know what parts are not necessary for your own taste preferences or to be frugal on what ingredients to buy. There's many spices that I don't use because I either don't like the taste or I don't want to use it just for one. I've tried to find recipes based on one ingredient that I need to use before it goes bad but it is impractical to constantly try to use the ingredients. I've found a few of these weekly meal preps that helps me with this by using all of the ingredients I buy as by creating multiple recipes based on the same main ingredients. I've crafted my own serendipitously on my own and I'll share that in my next blog.
So I followed the buddha bowl recipe to a tee the first time around because it was the first time that I've made or tasted before. I felt that it was not to my personal taste but I did like the idea of it so I decided to try and make it my own. That same week, I decided to rework some of the same ingredients and added some more of my favorites. Think of when you get to a salad bar. The amazing thing about salad bars is the possibilities. I personally like to stick to my favorites because I love enjoying each mouthful with all the different textures and taste coming together to make a beautiful medley of flavors. So I decided to take the same approach with my own buddha bowl. I started with my favorite green, spinach, as the base. Then I added chopped cucumbers for an added fresh crunch, chopped tomatoes, and purple onion for an added kick.
While I was chopping the vegetables, I roasted some chickpeas and chopped red cabbage into the oven. Before placing the chickpeas and the red cabbage onto the same cookie sheet, I seasoned it generously with my favorite seasoning, paprika. I love any dish that has an extra kick to it. I also added some salt and pepper for some good measure. While that was roasting in the oven at 400 degrees, I also defrosted some frozen corn by boiling it on the stovetop at the same time. All in all, it didn't take more than 30 minutes to put everything together. The key is multitasking and making sure that you're cooking things simultaneously to save time. By the end of my chopping, the roasting was almost done and the corn was already off the stove top, ready to go.
I assembled the rest of the ingredients after they were all done on top of everything. I then drizzled on top of it a combination of lemon juice, olive oil, and some red wine vinegar. To save time and dishes, you can simply pour out your own dressing the moment you're about to enjoy your buddha bowl. If you were planning on using it for a meal prep, just store your homemade dressing into a small container for the rest of the week. I loved each bite of my own personalized buddha bowl and it was a great dish to meal prep too. I just stored the ingredients together in the same container to save space and just poured a little of each into an individual container the morning of. This is also another great dish to store into a mason jar as well to pour into your own plate.
Then in the same week, I decided to give a try to the green goddess sandwich. I liked how easy it was to make and prep for the rest of the week. It reminded me of a vegan version of a chicken salad sandwich. I omitted a lot of things from the original recipe because I didn't like most of the ingredients. I like jalapenos in moderation but freshly cut into a sandwich? No thanks. I already had the red onion, spinach, and chickpeas from the buddha bowls. I'll take any opportunity in using the same materials in multiple recipes. This recipe also called for my favorite fruit/veggie, avocados! The avocado and chickpeas blended together to make an almost potato salad texture. I just added in chickpeas and red onions in, mixed it all together with just some simple salt and pepper.
I paired it with some whole wheat bread, and just added some spinach on top and voila! I had a sandwich prep ready to go for the rest of the week. I liked the texture and the taste but I think it was because I kept it simple and only used the ingredients I liked. I suggest just adding whatever seasoning, spices, and ingredients for you to enjoy it fully too. I guess the sandwich reminded me so much of potato salad, I also decided to make some roasted potatoes (can also be roasted at the same time as the buddha bowl ingredients to save time and energy). It was a healthier and more original alternative than your basic chips.
I always have fun trying new things and making vegan dishes have provided a new twist to old dishes. it works well with my new years' resolution too because one of them is to be more adventurous. I like to think that it can apply into my cooking as well and I can't wait to see what new dishes 2019 will bring.
As I have explained in my introductory blog post, I'm not an expert in cooking. I started as a true beginner by following recipes that I found online. After years of experimenting and self-teaching myself how to cook, I've learned a few tricks and in my adult years I've been trying out meal prep recipes. I've been excited to share so I've been posting pictures of my finished meals on Instagram and one of my friends suggested that I start sharing my cooking experiences. I didn't think that people would be interested in my cooking experience but if you're still reading this, then I guess I stand corrected. I hope that my unique adventure in the cooking world will help or inspire some people to try new things.
I've been adventurous in trying new things in the culinary road and one of these paths was toward veganism. My sister became a vegan a few years ago and every time she came to visit, she would cook these great recipes. I was surprise at how many options there were and how easy it was to make vegan recipes. Stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's had many readily available alternatives to meat, poultry, cheese and other dairy products. Even Target and Walmart had some great options. I'm going to be honest, there were some alternatives that did not taste very good and I've avoided them from the first and last time I've tried them. From that experimentation phase, I've learned to experiment and try to make things more from scratch. For myself, I eat some vegan dishes once in awhile because my body does not process dairy products and red meat very well. I try to eat all the food groups in moderation in the name of nutrition but also for the sake of my body. I've learned, always listen to your body because it knows best. That also goes for the taste when adjusting your dishes while cooking.
Pinterest is where I find a lot of inspiration for cooking. I found a blog that uses similar ingredients for five vegan recipes to save time and money when prepping. Since I'm only cooking for myself, it's not practical to create a new dish every night. Since I've been busy with school and work, I usually cook on Sunday afternoon. Usually it was just meal prepping lunch and then I usually eat whatever leftovers or make something really quick or packaged. I recently tried to meal prep dinner as well and found it working well, health-wise but also time-wise. So this past week, I decided to use two of the recipes to utilize some of the same ingredients. I find that one of the biggest challenges is using all the food that comes in the packaging so it doesn't spoil. Cooking for myself, even for five meals is hard for one person to finish everything. Being resourceful with all my food has been a challenge for myself but finding similar recipes and cooking them the same week has been something new that I've been trying and I'm finding it beneficial for saving money and using all the food needed for the recipes.
So I decided to try to make my first buddha bowl and "goddess" sandwich, recipes provided by this blog. I used it as a guideline but I modify it for my personal taste and trying to improve upon it. I find myself constantly adjusting or modifying recipes and one of the major reasons is because I don't have all the ingredients. It's important to know what parts are not necessary for your own taste preferences or to be frugal on what ingredients to buy. There's many spices that I don't use because I either don't like the taste or I don't want to use it just for one. I've tried to find recipes based on one ingredient that I need to use before it goes bad but it is impractical to constantly try to use the ingredients. I've found a few of these weekly meal preps that helps me with this by using all of the ingredients I buy as by creating multiple recipes based on the same main ingredients. I've crafted my own serendipitously on my own and I'll share that in my next blog.
So I followed the buddha bowl recipe to a tee the first time around because it was the first time that I've made or tasted before. I felt that it was not to my personal taste but I did like the idea of it so I decided to try and make it my own. That same week, I decided to rework some of the same ingredients and added some more of my favorites. Think of when you get to a salad bar. The amazing thing about salad bars is the possibilities. I personally like to stick to my favorites because I love enjoying each mouthful with all the different textures and taste coming together to make a beautiful medley of flavors. So I decided to take the same approach with my own buddha bowl. I started with my favorite green, spinach, as the base. Then I added chopped cucumbers for an added fresh crunch, chopped tomatoes, and purple onion for an added kick.While I was chopping the vegetables, I roasted some chickpeas and chopped red cabbage into the oven. Before placing the chickpeas and the red cabbage onto the same cookie sheet, I seasoned it generously with my favorite seasoning, paprika. I love any dish that has an extra kick to it. I also added some salt and pepper for some good measure. While that was roasting in the oven at 400 degrees, I also defrosted some frozen corn by boiling it on the stovetop at the same time. All in all, it didn't take more than 30 minutes to put everything together. The key is multitasking and making sure that you're cooking things simultaneously to save time. By the end of my chopping, the roasting was almost done and the corn was already off the stove top, ready to go.
I assembled the rest of the ingredients after they were all done on top of everything. I then drizzled on top of it a combination of lemon juice, olive oil, and some red wine vinegar. To save time and dishes, you can simply pour out your own dressing the moment you're about to enjoy your buddha bowl. If you were planning on using it for a meal prep, just store your homemade dressing into a small container for the rest of the week. I loved each bite of my own personalized buddha bowl and it was a great dish to meal prep too. I just stored the ingredients together in the same container to save space and just poured a little of each into an individual container the morning of. This is also another great dish to store into a mason jar as well to pour into your own plate.Then in the same week, I decided to give a try to the green goddess sandwich. I liked how easy it was to make and prep for the rest of the week. It reminded me of a vegan version of a chicken salad sandwich. I omitted a lot of things from the original recipe because I didn't like most of the ingredients. I like jalapenos in moderation but freshly cut into a sandwich? No thanks. I already had the red onion, spinach, and chickpeas from the buddha bowls. I'll take any opportunity in using the same materials in multiple recipes. This recipe also called for my favorite fruit/veggie, avocados! The avocado and chickpeas blended together to make an almost potato salad texture. I just added in chickpeas and red onions in, mixed it all together with just some simple salt and pepper.
I paired it with some whole wheat bread, and just added some spinach on top and voila! I had a sandwich prep ready to go for the rest of the week. I liked the texture and the taste but I think it was because I kept it simple and only used the ingredients I liked. I suggest just adding whatever seasoning, spices, and ingredients for you to enjoy it fully too. I guess the sandwich reminded me so much of potato salad, I also decided to make some roasted potatoes (can also be roasted at the same time as the buddha bowl ingredients to save time and energy). It was a healthier and more original alternative than your basic chips.
I always have fun trying new things and making vegan dishes have provided a new twist to old dishes. it works well with my new years' resolution too because one of them is to be more adventurous. I like to think that it can apply into my cooking as well and I can't wait to see what new dishes 2019 will bring.
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