How to create a meal plan that makes eating plant-based feel easier than takeout

At this point in your life, you’ve probably been asked, “What’s for dinner?” approximately 2,342,956 times.

And if you’re like most people, you probably don’t start thinking about the answer until you’re bordering on hangry and are 15 seconds away from shoving anything you can find into your mouth.

Your energy is gone, the brain fog has taken over, and all you want to do is put on stretchy pants, flop onto the couch, and doom scroll in peace. 

Add to that the fact you’re not even sure how to plan a plant-based meal… and suddenly it’s “Hello, I’d like to order a pizza for delivery.” 🍕🤦‍♀️

Or maybe you have tried meal planning before. You pinned some gorgeous plant-based recipes on Pinterest, made a grocery list in the order of where to find it in the store (of course!)... maybe you actually even bought the ingredients. 

And then you realized that version of you must live in a parallel universe because this you can’t even find the pins, much less muster the energy to cook them.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. 

And it’s totally normal. 

Trying to switch to a more plant-based lifestyle can feel like a LOT at first – especially when you’re trying to juggle it with, you know, being a real human with a messy, unpredictable life.

Eating more plants feels like the answer to staying healthy as you get older, but it just feels so overwhelming… and you’re tired of starting over every Monday, or saying screw it and ordering takeout because you just can’t make one more decision today. 

But the good news? 

🌟 With the right kind of simple, flexible meal planning system, it really can get easier. 

Like… a lot easier.

✅ Dinner is decided before you even leave work because BOOM! Past you already figured it out.

✅ You’re saving money and wasting less food (and who doesn’t want to be doing that)!?

✅ You’re actually building plant-based habits that stick – and feeling more confident every time you make and follow through with your plan. You’ll be throwing plant-based meals together on the fly before you know it.

Can I get a hell yeah!? 🙌

Let’s dive into three smart strategies (plus a bonus tip!) to help you come up with a plant-based meal plan without losing your mind.

👩‍🍳 Strategy 1: Cook Once, Eat Twice (aka Plant-based Component Prep)

I know, I know… you don’t want to meal prep. I get it. 

But I am allllll about working smarter, not harder.

It takes the same amount of time and effort to cook two batches of quinoa as it does one, so why not make life easier for yourself later on?

Component prep can be a total game changer, and no – it does not mean you have to spend your weekend standing over a hot stove cooking all your meals for the week. (Unless you want to – that’s up to you.)

Instead, start thinking about staple ingredients you can "batch" cook in small but mighty ways… and then build meals around them.

🍚 Cook a double (or triple) batch of rice. 

🍠 Roast a big tray of diced sweet potatoes. 

🍅 Whip up a simple marinara sauce.

Those three ready-to-go components can then be used in multiple meals throughout the week.

• Rice gets used for a stir fry on Monday, and with some greens as a base for a plant-based bowl on Wednesday. (And if you made a triple batch, the leftovers get frozen for one of those nights you just CAN.NOT.)

• Combine the roasted sweet potatoes with some beans for tacos on Tuesday, and then toss them in your bowl on Wednesday.

• Heat up some marinara for spaghetti on Thursday, and spread some on a pita or store bought crust for pizza on Friday.

You’ll be amazed at how much easier dinner becomes when part of it is already done, and how much less likely you are to say ‘screw it’ and go out… because you don’t want to waste the delicious, healthy food that’s ready and waiting in your fridge. 🤩

This approach is gold when you’re still learning how to make plant-based eating work for you. 

It helps cut the overwhelm and gives you a head start without needing to “meal prep” in the traditional sense.

As part of my coaching programs, I help you figure out the best way to make component prep work for you, and exactly which staples make sense for your schedule, your taste buds, and your willingness to cook. I’ll help you plan how to mix, match, and stretch ingredients into multiple meals without it feeling like you’re eating leftovers for a week straight.

This is real-life, real-food meal prep for real plant-based living.

👩‍🍳 Strategy 2: The Pick & Plug Plan

Let’s take some pressure off with a strategy that’s both simple and seriously effective: setting up a Pick & Plug Plan.

Here’s how it works.

Instead of reinventing the dinner wheel every week, you give each night a loose structure like tacos, stir fries, pasta, or build-your-own bowls. That’s your framework. Then each week, you simply pick a recipe for each category and plug it into your plan.

That’s it.

❌ No overthinking.

❌ No decision spirals.

❌ No scrolling Pinterest until your eyeballs go numb.

For example, your Pick & Plug Plan might look like:

• Monday: Mexican-inspired

• Tuesday: Bowls

• Wednesday: One-Pot Meals

• Thursday: Soup, salad, or sandwich

• Friday: Pizza & Pasta

So, when you know it's One Pot Wednesday, just pick a yummy looking soup recipe you've been wanting to try and plug it in for Wednesday's meal. You can pull recipes from a folder, your saved IG posts, Pinterest, your go-to cookbook, or your own mental list of faves.

Pro Tip: Once you've determined your Pick & Plug meal categories, organize as many of your saved recipes as you can in the same way. No more wading through all 876 "dinner" recipes you've accumulated looking for that pasta recipe that sounded good. It will be right there, front and center, in your "Pasta" folder.

And the best part? You're not starting from zero every single week. You’ve already decided the categories – you’re just dropping in meals that fit.

Boom. Done.

Not a fan of saving recipes? No problem. Try a meal formula instead of a recipe within the Pick & Plug Plan. (I talk more about what a meal formula is in another blog post, and my free Bowl Builder guide is a great place to start.)

💪 The Pick & Plug Plan gives you just enough structure to stay consistent with your plant-based goals without meal planning feeling like a second job.

Because you don’t need perfect plant-based meals. You just need a flexible, repeatable system that works for you.

That’s the whole point of meal planning.

Inside my coaching programs, we’ll figure out what your personal Pick & Plug Plan should look like – tailored specifically to your schedule, your tastes, and your people. Whether you’re dealing with picky eaters, dietary needs, or just end-of-day brain fog, this strategy makes plant-based planning way easier to stick with.

👩‍🍳 Strategy 3: Back Pocket Plant-Based Meals

Real talk reality check: Even with the best plan in the world and a few staples ready to go in the fridge… 💩 happens.

🤒 Someone gets sick.

😿 A stray kitten shows up in your yard (RIP Toothless).

📧 Someone schedules a 5:00PM meeting that definitely could have been an email. 

This is when you need to pull a no-brainer, no/low prep meal out of your back pocket. 

These are the meals that don't necessarily need a recipe. They’re quick, comforting, and don’t require a trip to the store. 

These are meals that save the day 🦸‍♀️! 

And anything that requires minimal prep and even less thought counts. 

There are probably things you already make regularly that could easily be tweaked to make them plant-based, or here are a couple of my ‘back pocket’ meals:

🍔 Frozen bean burgers with a side of steam-in-the-bag veggies (or asparagus “fries”)

🍝 Jarred pasta sauce (stir in a can of drained lentils or white beans for extra protein) over whole grain noodles with a side salad (prewashed in a bag/box) and garlic toast (made with regular old sandwich bread)

🧅 Whole wheat pita with store-bought hummus, whatever chopped veggies you have and a drizzle of hot sauce 

But my favorite, go-to “nothing sounds good and I don’t want to cook” meal? 

💚 Mac & cheese. 

I always have ingredients on hand to make a plant-based cheesy sauce, which I can whip together while the pasta’s cooking. Then I toss in a can of beans (Pro Tip: No need to heat them up. Just drain and rinse them in a strainer, then drain the cooked pasta right over top of them.), mix in some chopped greens (whatever I have on hand) and VOILÀ!  

In 30 minutes I have a delicious, healthy, plant-based dinner that even the picky college kid will eat.

I always make sure I’ve got the staples for a few of these I-really-don't-feel-like-cooking, ready in 30 minutes or less Back Pocket meals stocked in the pantry or freezer. When chaos hits (because it always will), I’ve got a back-up plan.

Whether you join my 12-week coaching program or book a one-time Plant-Based Power Hour, we can build out a custom list of your “I can make this even when I’m soooo done” meals. That way, when you really don’t want to cook, you’ve still got an easy, plant-based plan B in your back pocket. 

🌟 One last Bonus Tip: Don’t even think about planning for every single meal

Seriously though. Trying to plan 21 different meals will break your brain.

Don’t do that to yourself. 

🥣 Have a couple of easy, go-to breakfasts and rotate them. 

📋 Plan for 4-5 dinners a week and make extra so you have leftovers for lunch. 

🥙 Keep the fixins for a couple of simple lunches on hand for the days there aren’t any leftovers (or your kid finished them off for second dinner after you went to bed 🙄).

Whatever your plant-based meal planning strategy looks like, you’ve gotta leave room for life to happen – because it will absolutely throw you curveballs. And having a loose but flexible plan helps you pivot without giving up. 

And if you end up eating peanut butter banana toast for dinner three nights in a row on occasion? 

🍌 That’s okay, too. 

Crafting a customized meal planning strategy that works for you is a crucial part of the Practicality and Sustainability pillars of my MAPS coaching framework – because if it isn’t practical and sustainable, you’re simply not going to stick with it. 

That’s the difference between meal planning as a tool to support your plant-based goals… and meal planning that becomes just another thing to feel bad about.

And if you want to learn more about any of these strategies or how I make them work for me, I host a free Plant-Based Meal Planning workshop a few times a year, complete with a sample meal plan and meal planning templates. Join my email list so you'll be the first to know when registration opens up for the next one.

You Might Be Thinking: “This Still Sounds Like a Lot…”

Totally fair. If you don’t love cooking, or you’re used to relying on convenience foods or takeout, this might feel like a big change.

And maybe it is… but here’s the truth bomb.💣

Eating plant-based without relying too much on processed convenience food does mean spending a little more time in the kitchen. 

It doesn’t, however, have to mean fancy recipes or gourmet meals or hours upon hours of prep. You can absolutely eat more plants in a way that’s simple, doable, and doesn’t make you want to tell me where to shove the lentils.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone. 

Together, we’ll find your shortcuts. Your “this always works” meals. Your go-to sauces and freezer staples. Your system. You’ll build confidence and consistency – without losing your mind in the process.

So let’s recap…

To create a plant-based meal planning strategy that won’t leave you crying in your kale:

1. Component prep - prep a few staple ingredients ahead of time so you can mix and match them all week long.

2. Use a Pick & Plug Plan to simplify planning and avoid decision fatigue.

3. Keep back pocket, no brainer meals on hand so when life gets life-y, you’re ready with a realistic plant-based Plan B.

4. Bonus: Don’t over plan. Because 1) It will make you crazy, and 2) Flexibility is the key to success.

   
   

Take the part(s) of each strategy that make the most sense to you and find your own rhythm. When you build a flexible meal planning system that works for you, it becomes easier to stay consistent, save money, and feel confident in your choices.

You’ll start to notice it gets easier and easier 😍 – and you’ll wonder how you ever managed dinner before. 

Ready to make “What’s for dinner?” the easiest question of your day?

You’ve already got enough on your plate (pun intended). Let’s take the guesswork out of eating more plants – and finally make planning plant-based meals feel like one less thing to stress about.

Whether you’re brand new to this or just trying to make it stick, I’ve got support options to meet you where you are.

✨ Apply for Empowered by Plants, my 12-week 1:1 coaching program, and we’ll build a realistic plan together that works for your life.

 ✨ Or request a Plant-Based Power Hour, a one-time strategy session to get clear, get confident, and get a plant-based dinner on the table this week.

Your future self (the one who already knows what’s for dinner!) will thank you.