On your whole food plant-based (WFPB) journey, you are going to experience many traps and pitfalls.  Almost all of these will take place when you have a moment of weakness, when convenience trumps all else.

If you are like me, the day begins rushed.  The dogs need to be walked.  The kids need to be driven to school.  The workday starts early with the first crisis meeting me once I open my emails.  I need something quick and simple that doesn’t add to my morning stress.

Then, by the time dinner rolls around, I’m beat tired.  Still, everyone expects dinner to be ready.  If my family were to adopt my lifestyle, dinner would be so much easier.  But that isn’t the case.  My wife is on Keto and my step-kids never can agree on what they want for dinner.  I should have been a chef because I swear I cook as if people were ordering off a menu each night…but that’s for another blog post.

After I have cooked for everyone else, I can finally turn my attention to my meal.  Exhausted, it would be much easier for me to just eat what I’ve prepared for others.  But I am not giving in to what is easy.  I am committed to being disciplined in this lifestyle I’ve chosen for myself.  That requires preparation!

There are a few things I do at the beginning of the week to make my life easier.  It takes an hour or two of preparation, but it really helps in staying compliant to the WFPB lifestyle.

First, as much as I can, I will chop my veggies and store them in clear containers in the refrigerator.  I cut the veggies in the size I tend to use them.  I like having hummus with celery or cucumbers, so I make sure I have these sliced to the size I would use for scooping hummus.  I enjoy chopped salads, so I’ll have a variety of veggies chopped for that purpose.  Berries are washed and conveniently stored. 

I will also make about three cups of brown rice at the beginning of the week, as I will black beans or whatever other dried beans are on sale at the market.  Both are made in my Instant Pot (separately) while I am washing and chopping my vegetables and fruits.

Occasionally, I will make three or four small sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot and store those in a clear container as well, especially if I need a break from brown rice.

I truly believe that one of the keys to making this exercise effective is storing the items in clear containers at eye level!  When you open the fridge, all these colorful, clean, and healthy options are staring you right in your face.  At your finger tips are all the essentials for a salad, a soup (add some barley, vegetable broth, herbs, and heat until the barley is cooked), or a stir-fry with tofu. 

Quick, easy, healthy meal prep in minutes.  What could be easier?

For breakfast, overnight oats are perfect!  Takes less than five minutes to prepare, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then in the morning, you can eat them at home or conveniently take them with you.  Either way, the preparation at night sets you up for success in the morning.  Here is how I do it…

The ingredients are simple and you can substitute different fruits, nuts, and non-dairy milks.  That said, though I prefer eating steel cut oats, I have found they do not absorb the liquids overnight.  For that reason, I highly recommend not deviating from using rolled oats.

Recipe for Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

½ cup of rolled oats

1 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk (I prefer almond milk but rice, coconut, cashew, or soy works as well)

½ cup of blueberries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are great as well…fresh or frozen)

¼ cup of nuts, unsalted and chopped if desired (I used raw pecans, but walnuts or almonds work well too)

1 banana sliced

1 Tablespoon of chia seeds (or flax seeds)

1 Tablespoon of pure maple syrup

Instructions:

In a clear jar (Mason or Ball brands work great), layer the ingredients starting with the oats and finishing with the non-dairy milk.  Give the ingredients a quick shake after the lid has been sealed and then place in the refrigerator.  Let them sit overnight (or up to three days).  Add some additional non-dairy milk, if needed, before eating. 

I enjoy the overnight oats cold, but I see no reason that they can’t be heated (just make sure you place them in a microwave safe container before heating or heat them in a saucepan).

Simple tricks in preparation will make this lifestyle so much easier and increase your likelihood of success.

If you have any tips or suggestions, I would love your feedback.  Remember, we are in this together!

Wishing you the best of health…

Stephen