Week 3 {vegan} Meal Prep

This weeks meal prep is a little different than the past preps i've posted (if you want to check out my previous meal prep's, click here!) because this week is mostly vegan (minus some chicken sausage in a soup)!

Vegan isn't for everyone (including ME!), but cutting out meat for short periods of time can be so beneficial to your digestive system and to get you to explore new foods!

This weeks menu consists of: 

• Kale, Quinoa, & Tomato Soup
• Lentil Soup Topped Sweet Potato
• Creamy Eggplant & Tomato Soup
• Vegan Shepard's Pie (recipe below)
• Mason Jar Salad & Homemade Dressings

Creamy Eggplant & Tomato Soup

For starters, all of this made 50ish meals in one prep! Completely budget friendly, vegan friendly, gluten free, dairy free, and will fit perfectly into your nutrition plan!

If you are NOT vegan, I did make a few modifications for the days we did want to incorporate meat. For example, I added Chicken Sausage to the Kale, Quinoa, & Tomato Soup. The lentil soup with a sweet potato I just added extra veggies. I added Venison to the Creamy Eggplant & Tomato Soup (would also be great with chicken!), and then Vegan Shepard's pie would be yummy with ground turkey (though I didn't use it).

I knew I wanted to make a shepard's pie and had seen a few recipes, but none were exactly what I was looking for. So here's the "made over" version I put together & let me tell you, it turned out amazing!

Vegan Shepard's Pie

What You Will Need

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown or green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 10-ounce bag frozen mixed veggies: peas, carrots, green beans and corn
• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes (or about 5 medium sized potatoes)

Instructions

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and fill with water until they’re just covered. Bring to a low boil on medium high heat, then cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until you can pierce them easily with a fork.
2. Once cooked, drain, add back to the pot to evaporate any remaining water, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Use a masher or large fork to mash until smooth. 
3. While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees F and lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish (or comparable sized dish, such as 9x13 pan. An 8x8 won’t fit it all but close!).
4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil until lightly browned and caramelized - about 5 minutes.
5. Add a pinch each salt and pepper. Then add lentils, stock, thyme and stir. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking until lentils are tender (30 minutes).
6. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the frozen veggies, stir, and cover to meld the flavors together.
7. Transfer to your prepared oven-safe baking dish and carefully top with mashed sweet potatoes. Smooth down with a spoon or fork and season with another crack of pepper and a little sea salt.
8. Place on a baking sheet to catch overflow and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, or until the mashers are lightly browned on top.
9. Let cool briefly before serving. The longer it sits, the more it will thicken. Let cool completely before covering, and then store in the fridge for up to a few days. Reheats well in the microwave. You can also freeze and thaw out the night before eating.

For more recipes & tips, head HERE!

If you try any of these recipes or have a recipe you make each week for meal prep, share it below! I'm always up for trying new things!

Happy Meal Prepping!

With Love,

Brianna