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How To Create A Vegan Diet Menu Plan
Creating a vegan diet menu plan seems to be one of the most challenging aspects of being vegan. It's easy to become confused or overwhelmed when trying to figure out how to build a vegan meal that provides the nutrition you need with the flavors that you love.
However, it's also easy to learn the basics of creating meals that are easy and nutritious, allowing your creativity to shine -- which makes preparing vegan food exciting and fun.
In an attempt to keep you from falling asleep right there in your chair, I've decided to stay away from spouting off nutritional facts and figures, which is sure-fire snooze material for most people...
Instead, I'd like to walk you through how I, personally, plan my meals which are based on my Top 10 Basics of Nutrition for a Vegan. If you haven't yet read these tips, please take the time to do so now. It will be important for you to gain a more thorough understanding of why I make the choices I do. Clicking on the link will open a new window on your computer, and I'll be waiting right here when you get back. ;O)
"Every body" is different, and a specific diet that what works for One may not work for the Other. So what I'd like to share with you are the basics of meal planning, which may have to be tweaked according to your personal circumstances.
Are you ready? Let's get started...
How To Create A Vegan Diet Menu Plan
VeganCoach.com is all about teaching you how to cook without recipes, whenever possible. Why? Because recipes tend to make life complicated for many people. And although it's added fun for some, it's sheer torture for others.
So my motto for planning my vegan meals is: KEEP IT BASIC.
What do I mean by KEEP IT BASIC?
This means that your main emphasis -- your everyday vegan meals -- are not fancy or time consuming. The emphasis is on creating fresh, fantastic-tasting dishes that can be on the table in minutes, while factoring in the overall nutritional aspects which each meal offers.
The easiest way I've found to accomplish this is to plan your vegan meals 3-4 days at a time.
Does this mean you're sitting down with a bunch of recipes trying to figure out which day to make what dish? Well, you certainly can do it that way -- I did it for years. But if you want to keep things basic and fast in the kitchen, you just have to keep 5 main rules in mind:
Vegan Diet Menu Plan - Rule #1:Vegetables should be served with every single meal you create. Because of this, you need the freshest and most beautiful veggies available. This means that every 3rd or 4th day you're at your local natural foods store or co-op picking up fresh produce, buying organics whenever possible. (Yes, organics can be more expensive, which is why there's a trick to it: Organics that are outrageously expensive are most likely out of season. You want to purchase organics with prices that are reasonable.)
One fantastic perk about shopping so often is you really get to know the employees who work in the produce section, which can be extremely helpful if you'd like to keep abreast of the freshest, in-season produce available that day. ;O)
Refer to the list of vegetables in the Vegan Cooking Guide to assist you in bringing that raw veggie to a cooked delight. Learn how to select and prep your vegetable, choose a cooking technique, and use the "Vegan Flavor Matches"to help guide you to cooking and flavoring that vegetable to perfection.
You can pre-wash your veggies, as some people do, so they're ready to go when you need them -- simply wash them all at once and store in air-tight containers or bags in the fridge. Others like to wash their veggies just before they use them. Do whatever makes you happiest.
Vegan Diet Menu Plan - Rule #2:Make a big batch of grains and a batch of beans that will last 3-4 days, for optimum freshness. You'll discover how much you need to make for your household; for the two of us (hubby and I) it's 2 cups dry grains, and 1 cup of dry beans, which when cooked makes enough to feed us for around 4 days. This can be absolutely any type of grain you'd like, from rice to millet, quinoa to barley. This can also be any type of bean you'd like, from black to pinto to garbanzo to kidney. Try different grains and beans every week, and don't be afraid to mix and match.
Refer to the Vegan Cooking Guide to discover how to make your beans and grains from scratch.
Vegan Diet Menu Plan - Rule #3:Always have lettuce and sprouts on hand to make a salad per day. You should pre-wash your organic greens and sprouts (or whatever else you use in your salad) so it's ready to go so you can toss a salad together in minutes. Create a simple dressing by mixing a fat (such as extra-virgin olive oil or flax oil), a foodie acid (such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar), your favorite herbs (I like oregano and basil in my dressing), salt & pepper.
Vegan Diet Menu Plan - Rule #4: I can't stress enough how important it is for you to include Essential Fatty Acids in your meal planning. This always used to sound so scary and complicated to me, but it's really quite simple. By using a mixture of seeds (see "Sassy's Seedalicious Topping" below) which can be ground in a coffee grinder (or blender or VitaMix), you will receive the EFA's your vegan body needs and craves in the perfect amount needed. (Read my 3-part article Vegan Fats of Life for more on fats.)
Vegan Diet Menu Plan - Rule #5:Include nutritional yeast for added flavor and a nutrition boost. Red Star Nutritional Yeast is recommended since it contains the all-important Vitamin B12 that we Vegans need. Are there other ways to get your B12? Sure, such as those cute little B12 pills you pop under your tongue (highly recommended!). But since I'm coaching you on how to put together a healthy meal, nutritional yeast and its B12-enriched self should become a natural and necessary part your meal planning.
Now you're armed with the 5 rules of basic vegan meals, and your fridge is stocked with fresh veggies, and pre-cooked beans and grains. Yay!
But I can almost hear you now "Sassy, those beans and grains are going to take some time to make. Isn't there a quicker and easier way to do this?" And my answer is a resounding YES, if you're using pre-packaged, pre-canned foods, you can always have dinner on the table in mere minutes without any pre-cooking going on behind the scenes.
But your goal is to get a HEALTHY meal on the table. If you want to eat a vegan diet that gives you the best benefits for the least amount of work, then you'll want to learn how to intertwine these basic rules into your life.
It will only take you 2-3 minutes before you go to bed to get your grains and beans pre-soaking to be cooked the next day. And when that next day (or evening) comes, it will take you approximately 1 hour (at the most) to do this pre-cooking -- which basically just goes on in the background while you do other things. I know it may seem overwhelming to you, but I'm asking you to trust me that this one hour of time spent pre-cooking will save you many hours during the week. ;O)
Okay, it's time for dinner. How will you put the 5 rules to work for you to get a HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS dinner on the table in minutes?
Each and every meal you create will include a vegetable, in one form or another. Sometimes I include 2 veggies, depending on my mood, what needs to be used up before it starts spoiling, and which other foods I have to play with.
Take a peek at the page I've devoted to vegetables. Click on any vegetable to discover cooking techniques that work best for that vegetable. This will range from baked to grilled to sauteed to steamed and everything in between. Deciding which cooking technique is best for you will depend on just about anything, including the weather, the time of day you're eating, the time you have to get your meal on the table, what (if any) ideas for this meal you have in mind, what your taste buds are calling out for, even what mood you're in!
Here are some ideas you might come up with for your meal:
Choose a vegetable to be in the spotlight, the focus of the meal. Serve with a side of rice and beans, and mix in some RAW sprouts.
Create a simple bean soup with veggie broth, and use the "Vegan Flavor Matches" on the Beans main page to be your guide as you flavor your soup to perfection. Serve with a large, crisp RAW green salad. Top the salad with Sassy's Seedalicious Topping* (EFA's).
Whip up a delectable chili using veggies and beans. Serve over grains with RAW sprouts mixed in.
Make a huge RAW salad topped with Sassy's Seedalicious Topping* (EFA's) as the focus of your meal, with a side of grains or beans.
Make a vegetable stir-fry and serve over grains.
Got dark leafies? You should add them to your shopping list each time you go -- mucho importante!!! Saute dark leafy greens with beans, and serve with a side of grains. Serve a RAW half avocado on the side. (Refer to the Greens main page for "Vegan Flavor Matches")
Let your grains be the focus of the meal. Mix in some veggies (pre-cooked, depending on the veggie). Serve with a small RAW salad topped with cold beans and Sassy's Seedalicious Topping* (EFAs).
Finally, add B-12 fortified nutritional yeast to every meal, whether sprinkled on your salads/veggies/beans/grains, added to soups, used to flavor a sauce, etc.
I hope How To Create A Vegan Diet Menu Plan has been helpful to you and has started the wheels turning. The most important thing I hope you'll take away from reading this is: There is no right way or wrong way to do this. Follow the basic rules set forth both here, and in my Top 10 Basics of Nutrition For A Vegan. Be sure to check out the Vegan Food Pyramid for more in-depth information on vegan nutrition. Beyond that, let your intuition and creativity be your guide.
Happy cooking!
* Sassy's Seedalicious Topping
Mix 2 parts flax seeds with one part each sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds. (Mix up a bunch of this seed mixture at once and store in your fridge or freezer).
Then, grind 1-2 Tbsp. of the topping in a coffee grinder (or VitaMix or similar) with a little salt.
Depending on the dish, I also like to mix an equal amount of nutritional yeast into this topping for added flavor and a nutrition boost.
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Patty "Sassy" Knutson, unless otherwise noted. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or nutritionist and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Patty "Sassy" Knutson, who encourages you to make your own health care and nutrition decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
What do I mean by KEEP IT BASIC?
Each and every meal you create will include a vegetable, in one form or another. Sometimes I include 2 veggies, depending on my mood, what needs to be used up before it starts spoiling, and which other foods I have to play with.
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