23 Vegetarian Meal Prep Ideas | Under 500 Calories

Meal prepping entails making meals ahead of time for you to have ready throughout the week. The easiest dishes for meal prepping are recipes like stir-fries, salads, and other grain-based meals. Usually, what you make is strategically placed in the bowl, so nothing gets soggy and is ready for you to eat when the day comes! If you like eating the same thing everyday meal, prepping is a MUST for your healthy living journey!

As you will see, most of the recipes below have a pattern of what’s included. First, there is usually a grain/ carb such as rice, couscous, or potato. Next, a protein is mostly chicken, beef or protein-based protein, which is the “main” part of the meal. Lastly, every dish is filled with different veggies to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need!

How to Meal Prep for Beginners

If you’re new to the meal prepping scene, there are a few things you should be doing to make sure you stick to it.

1. Plan Ahead: Make sure you know what you’re going to make before your meal prepping day comes along. I have a great meal prepping planner available on Etsy to help with this! Make sure you’re writing down what you’re going to have & all the ingredients you need.

2. Stick to Easier Recipes: if you’re starting, you don’t want to start meal prep with 25 ingredient recipes! Instead, aim to choose recipes with 10-15 ingredients. The most straightforward recipes are often breakfast ones, so meal prepping your breakfast is a good starting point.

3. Make Room & Get Storage Containers: If you’re making all this food, you need to make sure there’s room in your fridge! First, create space ahead of time, so you’re good to go. Secondly, get yourself a set of reusable food storage containers so you’re ready to put your food away once it’s cooked!

4. Cook What You Like, Not What You Think You Like: When it comes to weight loss, one of the biggest issues I see is people trying to trick themselves into eating foods they actually hate. Don’t do this. Find recipes you actually enjoy & want to eat over & over again!

The Best Vegetarian Meal Prep Recipes

When it comes to vegetarian meal prepping, meats are off-limits, making finding great recipes a little more challenging. When you’re looking for recipes to choose from, you want to find ones that still have a great source of protein.

Some vegetarian-friendly protein sources can be:

• chickpeas

• tofu

• eggs

• lentils

• beans

Secondly, you want to look for good sources of carbs. You want to avoid white or refined carb options for the healthiest options. Instead, look for quinoa, whole grain rice/pasta, or sweet potatoes.