FAST High-Protein Vegan Meal Prep (1 Hour Per Week!)

Summary

This video details how to meal prep a week's worth of nutritious, high-protein vegan meals in just one hour. It focuses on making dishes that are quick to prepare but still meet daily nutritional needs, including 120g of plant protein. The meals incorporate nutrient-dense whole foods like beans, lentils, tempeh, nutritional yeast, seeds, and produce. Detailed recipes are provided for overnight oats, a lentil pasta salad, slow cooker chili, and cantaloupe and popcorn snacks. The video also analyzes the nutrient breakdown, showing how these meals deliver adequate intake of nutrients that vegans sometimes lack like calcium, iron, and B12.

Takeaways

• 😊 The meal prep focuses on being done quickly (in 1 hour), having high protein (120g per day), using no supplements, and hitting all nutritional needs
• 👍 The breakfast is berry and cream overnight oats made with oats, yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, frozen berries, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and soy milk
• 🥗 The lunch is a Greek lentil pasta salad made with chickpea pasta, baby kale, veggies, lentils, olives, sunflower seeds, salt and pepper
• 🌶 The dinner is a slow cooker tempeh chili made with tempeh, onions, bell pepper, carrots, garlic, beans, diced tomatoes and seasonings
• 🍈 The snacks are cantaloupe and nutritional yeast flavored popcorn
• 📊 The full day hits 120g protein and all amino acid, vitamin and mineral targets without supplements
• 💪 Good vegan sources of protein in the meals include tempeh, chickpeas, lentils, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast
• 🥗 Good vegan sources of iron in the meals include chickpea pasta, lentils, kidney beans, black beans and tempeh
• 🌞 The only vitamin not covered is Vitamin D which requires sun exposure or supplements
• 👍 Customize meal calories and portions based on your own nutrition needs using the calculator

Q & A

What are the key things the meal prep focuses on?

The meal prep focuses on getting it done quickly in under an hour, getting 120g of plant protein per day, using no supplements, and hitting all nutritional needs while targeting 2000 calories per day.

What are some benefits of using frozen fruit?

Benefits of frozen fruit include: it doesn't go bad quickly since it's picked at peak freshness, it's less expensive than fresh berries, and it's packed with nutrition.

How can you help keep the meal prep food fresh?

Tips to keep the food fresh include: storing the kale separately to add before eating, adding paper towels in the containers to absorb moisture, and making fewer meals at a time.

What are some high calcium vegan food sources used?

High calcium vegan foods used include: soy milk, tempeh, and kale.

What are good plant-based sources of iron in the meals?

Good plant-based iron sources include: chickpea pasta, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, and tempeh.

How is the B12 need met?

The B12 need is met using fortified nutritional yeast and fortified soy milk.

How can you meet vitamin D needs on a vegan diet?

Vitamin D can be obtained from supplements, fortified foods, or 15-30 minutes of sunlight exposure daily.

How can you calculate your specific calorie and nutrient needs?

You can use the vegan nutrition calculator on the Veganjim.com website to calculate your specific needs.

What appliances are used to save time in the meal prep?

A large pot to boil pasta water, an Instant Pot or slow cooker for the chili, and a salad spinner to reduce moisture in the produce are appliances used to save time.

What are the vegan protein sources used in the meals?

The vegan protein sources used include: oats, kite hill yogurt, hemp seeds, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, and tempeh.