How to Eat Healthy this January

Meal prep. The very words conjure dreary images of a week’s worth of tupperware containers filled with identical, flavorless meals. While this might work for a small number of people, it doesn’t work for most of us because it gets dull and repetitive to eat the same exact food every. single. day. 

And if you’re preparing dull and repetitive meals, it takes massive amounts of self control to eat healthy all week.

But what if there’s another way?

Why you’ll love this mix-and-match vegan meal prep for winter

I take a different approach to meal prep.

Rather than cook five portions of the same dish, I believe that you should caringly prepare a handful of different whole food ingredients (think grains, legumes, and veggies) and then mix-and-match them throughout the week.

I’ve found this method is successful for a few different reasons: 

• The dishes are flavorful. If you’ve made any other Rainbow Plant Life dishes, you know how much I care about creating flavorful dishes. And that focus carries over to this meal prep.   
• It’s not boring. Rather than eating one boring meal day in and day out, you’ll get to eat a variety of different dishes. Plus, each ingredient can be used in at least two different ways.
• You’ll save time. After spending two hours doing this meal prep on a Sunday, you can then quickly and easily mix and match these items throughout the week for diverse, interesting meals that take 0-10 minutes to make. Plus, the meal prep requires little “hands on” cooking and allows you to efficiently multitask.
• It can even save you money. In a standard meal prep, you might prep a chili that makes 8 portions. But after the third portion, you get tired of it. You toss it or stuff it in the back of the freezer and forget about it, only to order takeout. With variety in your diet, you’re so much more likely to cook what you make and waste less food.
• It’s easy to stay on track with your health goals. When you’re able to prepare flavorful, diverse meals made with plant-based whole foods in only a few minutes, you make it easy for yourself to stay on track with your healthy eating goals.

What’s included with this meal prep plan?

If you follow the instructions and prep the 8 ingredients, you’ll be able to enjoy a diverse set of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. How does this sound for a day’s worth of meals?

• Breakfast: make a bowl of creamy oatmeal and top it with cinnamon maple stewed apples and 2-minute homemade almond butter. 
• Lunch: try a pita pocket stuffed with white bean hummus, cannellini beans, massaged kale, and tahini. 
• Dinner: a wild rice salad with fresh herbs, topped with crispy baked tofu, butternut squash winter mash, and toasted nuts. 

Not bad, right? 

How can I find the instructions for this meal prep?

To make things easy for you, I prepared a free printable PDF guide that includes a grocery list + recommended pantry staples, instructions for how to prep the ingredients, and ideas for how you can mix-and-match to eat flavorful, diverse meals all week long. To download it, just sign up using this form.

I also have a YouTube video that I highly recommend you watch to see the order of operations and tips for preparing the different ingredients.

VEGAN MEAL PREP FOR WINTER | 8 ingredients for healthy meals

Have you tried making this Vegan Meal Prep for Winter? Let me know in the comments below!