I was pretty excited with this week’s grocery haul. Finding dairy-free yogurt in non-plastic containers at a conventional grocery store like Big Y is a huge win! I was also able to find all my produce plastic-free which was another huge win. I was pretty impressed!

For inspiration this week, I fell down a YouTube hole of vegan What I Eat In A Day videos, specifically Fivesec Health. When you meal prep each week, sometimes you just need some fresh inspiration, whether that’s a new cook book or a youtube channel!

With that said, here’s my weekly menu:

Breakfast: These are essentially an overnight version of the Protein Oats I eat all the time but I liked the addition of the seeds. I’m terrible at remembering to work seeds into my meals, despite their nutritional value. Also, this has non-dairy yogurt, which as I mentioned above, I was very excited to find in cute little glass containers. I found the recipe on a Youtube video so I’ve included it below with the link to watch the whole video if you are interested:

Fivesechealth Overnight Oats (youtube video)- makes 4 hearty servings.

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds (i left these out because I thought I had some and apparently, I didn’t!)
• 1/4 cup of hemp seeds
• 1/2 cup of chai seeds
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk yogurt. I used Oui by Yoplait, which is dairy-free and comes in a glass jar, which I found in a regular grocery store, nothing fancy!
• 2 TBSP of maple syrup (I omitted this because my yogurt is sweetened. Add based on your preference and your yogurt.)
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 4 cups of non-dairy milk.

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Divide into 4 separate containers and put in the fridge to set. Top with whatever you like! I like nut butters, fruit and/or homemade jam. If you like variety, you could vary your toppings throughout the week to make this more interesting.

Can’t find non-dairy yogurt in sustainable packaging or you just don’t like it? This is my go to recipe, which uses banana to make the oats thicker.

Lunch: Fivesecondhealth Gado Inspired Bowl (the ingredients were posted on her IG and I added the measurements; 4 servings)

• 1.5 c. of grains (I used farro because that is what I had. Brown rice or quinoa would also work)
• 1 block of extra firm tofu (the original recipe called for tempeh but they were out at my store. Check out fivesechealth’s IG for how the tempeh was prepared if you opt for that)
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 1 Bell pepper
• 1 cucumber
• about 2 c. of Red Cabbage

Dressing (makes 2 servings):

• 3 tbsp peanut butter, unsweetened
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

For tofu, I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika and baked it at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cook your grain according to the package. Once your tofu and grain are cooked and cooled, add all your ingredients to your containers. Combine the dressing ingredients. Add water as needed to thin for your desired texture. I found it helpful to add warm water to help loosen up the peanut butter. Store the dressing in a separate container to keep the veggies from getting soggy.

Dinner: Vegan Tortilla Soup. In full disclosure, this recipe needed some tweaking so this is more for your inspiration and not a recipe I recommend. I followed the recipe and found it really bland. I added an additional 1 TBSP of chili powder, 1 tsp of smoked paprika and another 1/2 tsp of cumin. Serve with your choice of toppings like avocado, salsa, vegan cheese or tortilla chips.

Snacks: It’s SUMO SEASON! I’m so pumped. I love winter citruses and am well stocked on Sumo Oranges and Cara Cara oranges, which are my favorites. I also made a batch of Jessica Eats Real Food’s No Bake Brownie bites, which are a favorite. They are so easy to make and so tasty.

How many days a week do you go meatless?