We’re on Week 3 of Vegan Meal Prep January and this week features a bunch of childhood favourites! From PB & J to mac ‘n cheese, the menu will evoke a bit of nostalgia without all the funky ingredients.

January is flying by and we’re already more than half way through the month! School is picking up and making me anxious but having a fridge full of meals puts me at ease; that’s one less thing to worry about. So here is the third menu of the Vegan Meal Prep series to keep you happy and fueled for the upcoming week. 

If you’ve just hopped on the meal prep train today, welcome aboard! There’s always a spot for you 😉 Start from Week 1, or 2, or right here because it can be eaten in any order.

Like all the weeks before, this is a 4 day meal prep. Food should be fresh, or as fresh as possible, and we think four days is the ideal time frame to finish the food and give your taste buds a break. We know not everyone is used to eating the exact same meals days on end, but hey, it’s a trade off for having food waiting for you and not the other way around.

Okie dokie, enough introductory blabbering, let’s get preppin’!

Breakfast: PB&J Smoothie Bowl

Make mornings easier by freezing bags of pre-measured fruit. All that’s left to do is log roll out from under your blanket, empty the bag into a blender, add some non-dairy milk, and press the ‘on’ button!

Bag it up: Multiply this SMOOTHIE RECIPE by 4 and put 1 serving in each bag. Grab 4 small freezer-proof containers or ziploc bags and portion out the berries and sliced banana. Store them in the freezer until ready to blend with non-dairy milk and peanut butter. Feel free to add a scoop of protein powder too. Then top with 1/2 cup granola or cereal, more fruit and peanut butter.

Lunch: Toona Sandwich

Maybe you hated tuna sandwiches as a kid, maybe you loved them. Whatever the case was, we’re pretty sure you’ll love our vegan toona. It’s another one of Chew’s not-a-secret-anymore concoctions (her miso tahini sauce was in Week 2). It’s mind blowing how 4 plant ingredients end up tasting like fish; try it and let us know what you think in the comments!

You’ll need: 1 batch of toona from this RECIPE, your favourite sandwich bread, and some veggies to make one thicccc sammie. Or two tall open-faced sandwiches.

Snack: Hummus Snack Box

Do ya’ll remember those Lunchables from grade school? Well this is kinda like that, but healthier, tastier, and actually filling. Sometimes my classmates would be willing to trade one pizza for some part of my lunch since our mamas never let us buy these. With this hummus snack box, we feel as if we’ve never missed out!

Save some money: Making your own hummus from scratch will help you cut back on costs, plus it’s super duper easy. Pick one HUMMUS RECIPE from our archives. We’ve got ones that are chickpea- or red lentil-based, flavoured with beets, roasted carrots, sweet potato, and even kabocha! Then fill your box with crackers (which I forgot to photograph… but homemade crackers are easier than you think!), and cut up cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, or whatever raw veggies you like best.

Dinner: Mac ‘n Cheeze

No joke, this is one of our all time favourite vegan meals (flatbread is probably tied). Every time I make this dish, I just want to face-plant into the whole pot. Resist the urge though because it’s supposed to last 4 days! There’s just something so comforting about a warm bowl of creamy pasta. Nooch makes an appearance again and if you had any leftover from Week 1, now is the perfect time to use it up! It’s a vegan pantry staple that is so versatile; we always have some on hand.

Get creative: Our MAC ‘N CHEEZE RECIPE includes 3 ways to jazz up your bowl of mac ‘n cheeze but you’re welcome to rear off the railroad tracks and get creative. Throw in different herbs, spices, veggies, mushrooms, and beans for a different bowl each day of the week! The recipe is for 3 servings but there’s enough sauce for 4 servings of pasta so just cook 5 cups dry pasta and follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Vegan Meal Prep Week 3 Shopping List

• 4 cups berries (fresh or frozen, any type)
• 4 bananas (2 for the smoothies, 2 for topping)
• 1 russet potato
• 1 carrot
• 1 shallot
• 1 stick celery (some supermarkets will sell celery in bulk)
• 1 red bell pepper
• Vegetables for sandwich (ex. 1 small head lettuce, 2 tomatoes. Alfalfa sprouts and avocado would pair well too!)
• Vegetables for snacking (ex. 1 cucumber, 2 carrots, and 1 bell pepper, any colour)
• Vegetables for dinner (ex. 1 head broccoli and 1 cups peas)
• 2 cups non-dairy milk
• 2 cups hummus
• 2 cups granola
• 8 slices sandwich bread
• 1 package of crackers or about 40 crackers
• 5 cups dry short pasta
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 cup walnuts