This summer, we set out to share one practical, budget-friendly, and non-boring plant-based meal plan per season. Here is our meal plan for the Fall of 2017! We are really excited about the recipes in this one. It all starts out with cooking a pot of lentils and a pot of rice, roasting some winter squash, and prepping some kale. Those foundations then make their way into breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes that will take you through a whole week of nourishing and cozy fall meals.
As usual, we are splitting this meal plan into two parts. This first part will focus on weekend prep, as well as breakfast and lunch recipes. Part 2 is here, and it’s all about dinner and dessert recipes. Here we go!
Menu
(see Part 2 for dinner and dessert recipes)
Breakfast
Turmeric Millet Porridge with Roasted Squash
Date-Sweetened Apple and Squash Muffins
Lunch
Grain Bowl with Marinated Delicata Squash, Coconut Kale, and Lentil Hummus
Simple Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup
Dinner
Brown Rice, Lentil, Kale and Squash Veggie Burgers w/ Any Fixings of Choice
Brussels Sprout Tomato Stew
Dessert
Rosemary-Roasted Plums with a Cardamom Sprinkle
*all recipes are vegan and gluten-free and will make enough for a workweek (5 days), for 2-3 people
Shopping List
(print)
Bring this list with you when you go food shopping, it’s got all the ingredients you’ll need for the recipes in this meal plan. All the items are separated by category, to make the shopping easier and more efficient. Take the time to look over this list beforehand and cross out any items you already have. The hope here is that you own some of the pantry staples, spices, and maybe even some of the produce required, which will help minimize the list.
Produce
- 1 large and 1 medium butternut squashes
- 2 medium delicata squashes
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts
- 2 bunches kale (or 1 very large bunch)
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1 lb crimini mushrooms
- 2 medium carrots
- 3 large yellow onions
- 2 heads of garlic
Herbs Saturday Night (Night Before Main Prep Day): These are just quick tasks that need to be done the day before your main prep day. Soaking grains and lentils helps rid them of phytic acid, which makes them easier to digest. It also kickstarts the germination process, making the grains and lentils more nutritious. Sunday (Main Prep Day): This is your main prep day, which you can also split into multiple days, depending on your schedule. You will find all the recipes for this prep day in this post, which includes two breakfast options and two lunch options for the whole week, as well as some simple prep for the dinners for the coming week. Monday Night: Make the Veggie Burgers to have for dinner on Monday, Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday nights. This will be fairly quick, since you’ve already cooked the squash, rice, kale and lentils that are called for in the recipe during prep day. Roast the plums for dessert on Monday or Tuesday night, it’s quick and you will have enough for dessert for the rest of the week. The recipes for the Veggie Burgers, Brussels Sprout Stew and the Roasted Plums are in Part 2. Wednesday/Thursday night: Once you’ve finished eating the Veggie Burgers, prepare the Brussels Sprouts Stew for dinner starting Wednesday or Thursday night and until the end of the week. The recipe for the stew is in Part 2. Winter squash is a beautifully versatile vegetable that can be used in millions of ways in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s always a great idea to roast a bunch of squash on the weekend, to use in all kinds of dishes throughout the week. In this meal plan, we use Butternut and Delicata Squashes in the Turmeric Millet Porridge with Roasted Squash, Apple and Squash Muffins, Lentil and Squash Hummus, Simple Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup, Veggie Burgers, and Grain Bowl. See what I mean? It really is a super-vegetable.
Day by Day Prep List
Prep
1.
2.
A pot of lentils, cooked on the weekend, can easily take you through a week of meals. They are nourishing, affordable, and can work as a base for so many meals. In this meal plan, we use French lentils in the Lentil and Squash Hummus, Veggie Burgers, and the Brussels Sprout Tomato Stew.
- 2¼ cups dried French lentils - soaked overnight in purified water with a splash of apple cider vinegar
- sea salt
- Drain and rinse the lentils. Place them into a medium-large pot, cover with purified water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until soft, but still intact. Add salt at the last 5 minutes. Drain and use in recipes right away or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
3.
Similarly to lentils, a pot of rice or any other grains, prepared on the weekend, can help you pave the way to quicker and better meals throughout the week. In this meal plan, we use brown rice in the Veggie Burgers and the Grain Bowl (if that’s the grain you chose for your bowl). Serve any leftover rice with the Brussels Sprout Tomato Stew. If you chose a different grain for your grain bowl, cook it now as well.
- 1½ cups brown rice (2 cups if using rice for your grain bowl) - soaked overnight in purified water with a splash of apple cider vinegar
- 2½ cups filtered water (3½ cups if cooking 2 cups of rice)
- sea salt
- Drain and rinse the rice. Combine it with the water and plenty of sea salt in a medium pot, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 25-40 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Use in recipes right away or store refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
4.
Blanching kale is one of my favorite, low maintenance ways of prepping a whole bunch of it for the week. In this meal plan, it will be used for the Coconut Kale and the Veggie Burgers. I also like to use the leftover kale cooking water for soups, stews, etc. In this meal plan, you can use the leftover kale broth for the Coconut Kale, the Brussels Sprout Tomato Stew and even the Simple Squash and Apple Soup.
Half of this blanched kale gets stored away for later use in the Veggie Burgers, while the other half becomes the Coconut Kale for our grain bowl lunch. You’re going to love the coconut kale – it’s velvety, creamy, and keeps well throughout the week.
- 2 bunches (or 1 very large bunch) kale of choice
- sea salt
- 1 can unsweetened Thai coconut milk
- Separate the kale leaves from the stems. Wash and tear the leaves into roughly bite-sized pieces. Reserve the stems to use in homemade vegetable broth in the future, if desired.
- Place the torn kale leaves in a large pot and cover with purified water. Add salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain the kale, reserving the cooking liquid for the Coconut Kale and the Brussels Sprouts Tomato Stew. Return half of the kale to the same pot. Squeeze the other half of the kale dry and store it away in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator, to use later in the veggie burgers.
- Add ½ cup of the reserved kale cooking liquid and 1 can of coconut milk to the pot. Bring to a strong simmer and cook for 10-20 minutes, until creamy. Add more of the kale cooking liquid throughout the cooking time, if needed. Taste for salt and adjust, if needed. Eat right away or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
5.
The good news is, you already have all the important ingredients prepared for this hummus – you’ve cooked the lentils and roasted the squash, which you’re going to puree with autumn herbs, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Though for efficiency’s sake, we use lentils instead of the traditional chickpeas here, the spread still very much tastes like hummus. And not just any hummus – it’s fresh, savory, earthy hummus that’s better than anything you can get at the store. Use it throughout the week in the Grain Bowl, on top of the Veggie Burgers, or as a quick snack with some crackers.
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil - divided
- 4-5 cloves of garlic - peeled and sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped herbs, such as rosemary, sage and thyme
- 1 cup roasted mashed butternut squash (from the large butternut squash from above)
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups cooked green lentils (from above)
- juice from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup sesame tahini
- 3-4 tablespoons cold water
- toasted pumpkin seeds - for garnish (optional)
- Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and herbs and sauté for about a minute, until garlic is fragrant and cooked, but not burnt. Add the squash, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Stir around for a minute or so for the flavors to mix. Add the mixture to a food processor or a high-speed blender like a Vitamix.
- Add the lentils to the food processor/blender, followed by the lemon juice, sesame tahini, and more salt, to taste. Process until smooth, scraping the walls if needed. With the motor still running, pour in ¼ cup of the olive oil through the funnel, followed by the cold water. Pour in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until you achieve a desired, creamy consistency. Sprinkle the hummus with the toasted pumpkin seeds when serving, if using. Store the hummus in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
6.
Marinating vegetables is one of my favorite preparations, especially if I’m cooking ahead. It’s as easy as mixing up a marinade, and the veggies will only get more flavorful with each passing day. This miso-marinated delicata squash has got it all – it’s a little sweet, a little savory, and a bit spicy. It’s the perfect, powerful component to a memorable grain bowl, which is how it’s utilized in this meal plan.
If you are planning on eating this squash at work/social settings, you might need to be cautious with the garlic – the squash is still really good without it!
- 2 sliced and roasted delicata squashes (from above)
- 2 tablespoons white sweet miso paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey (not vegan)
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce, such as sriracha
- 4 tablespoons brown rice vinegar or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove - minced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion (optional)
- Place the sliced and roasted delicata squash in a shallow dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the miso with the maple syrup and sriracha, and mix until smooth. Add the rice vinegar/lime juice, tamari, and sesame oil, and mix until smooth. Mix in the sesame seeds, garlic and green onion, if using.
- Pour the marinade over the delicata squash and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for 1-3 hours. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Recipes
1.
These gluten-free muffins make for a great breakfast or snack. They are very subtly sweet – sweetened only with dates – and get their soft, crumbly texture from the roasted squash that’s hiding in the batter. There are pockets of cubed apple throughout, and the pumpkin seeds on top add a nice bit of crunch.
- 1½ tablespoons neutral coconut oil, plus more for oiling the pan
- ¾ cup brown rice flour or other gluten-free flour
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 5-7 soft Medjool dates - pitted and soaked in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes
- ½ cup roasted mashed butternut squash (from the large butternut squash from above)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 Granny Smith apples - peeled and finely cubed (optionally slice some of the apple to decorate the tops of muffins)
- 2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves (optional)
- pumpkin seeds - for sprinkling
- Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C). Prepare a muffin pan by thoroughly oiling the holes or lining it with paper muffin liners.
- Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Put the dates in an upright blender, together with their soaking water. Add the squash and blend until smooth. Add the coconut oil and vinegar and pulse to combine.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and quickly stir to mix. Fold in cubed apples and sage, if using.
- Fill the muffin holes with the batter until each hole is about ⅔ full. Sprinkle each muffin with pumpkin seeds and decorate with apple slices, if using.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a little, then remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy right away or store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
2.
This millet porridge is warming, cozy, satisfying, and overall perfect for chilly fall mornings. Millet is a humble and affordable gluten-free grain, but it has the potential to be quite creamy and luxurious when cooked in plant milk with turmeric and squash. The porridge is pictured here topped with some of the roasted plums from Part 2 of this meal plan, which makes it even more special.
- ¾ cup millet - soaked overnight in purified water with a splash of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee (not vegan)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- a few grinds of black pepper (to activate the turmeric)
- 1½ tablespoons coconut sugar
- pinch of sea salt
- 4 cups almond milk or other plant milk (or 3 cups milk and 1 cup water) - divided
- 1 cup roasted butternut squash (from the large butternut squash from above)
- toasted pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes - for serving (optional)
- Drain and rinse the millet. Warm the oil/ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the turmeric and black pepper, and stir around for about a minute.
- Add the millet, coconut sugar, salt and 3 cups of plant milk (or 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of water). Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir periodically to prevent the porridge from sticking to the bottom.
- In the meantime, blend the squash and the remaining 1 cup of plant milk in a high-speed blender. Mix the blended mixture into the porridge after the 20 minutes of cooking and stir to combine. Simmer everything for another couple of minutes. (Alternatively, skip blending the squash and the remaining plant milk in a blender and add both the squash and the rest of the milk to the porridge, stirring to warm everything through. This will result in a less smooth porridge with some pockets of squash, which I like as a nice change from a smooth porridge).
- Serve the porridge topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes, if desired. Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. Reheat gently over medium low heat with more ghee/coconut oil and a splash of plant milk or water.
3.
This grain bowl will come together very quickly during a weekday lunch, since you’ve already gotten all the components ready during prep day. As an alternative to the bowl, you can spread the hummus on some sourdough bread and top that with the squash for an open-faced sandwich, with the coconut kale on the side.
- cooked brown rice or another grain of choice (from above)
- coconut kale (from above)
- miso-marinated delicata squash (from above)
- lentil and squash hummus (from above)
- toasted pumpkin seeds
- Heat up the rice and coconut kale in a pan or saucepan with a bit of oil or water. You can also gently heat the miso-marinated squash, but be careful not to heat it too much because of the miso.
- Serve all the components together in a bowl, sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds.
4.
Our second lunch option is a very lovely and very simple pureed fall soup, with flavors of butternut squash, green apple, and autumn herbs.
- 1 tablespoon neutral coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion - chopped
- 1 green apple - peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves - sliced
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds - preferably freshly ground
- about 1 tablespoon chopped sage and rosemary
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- flesh from 1 medium roasted butternut squash (from above)
- Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, apple, garlic, coriander and herbs, if using, and sauté everything for 10 minutes.
- Scoop the flesh out of the roasted squash and add it to the saucepan, followed by the sea salt, pepper and 3 cups of purified water.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until all the flavors are combined well. Carefully blend everything in an upright blender until smooth. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. Serve right away or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Jessica Moss says
love this! the sunmer plan was great and i was waiting for the fall one. for the muffins i was wondering about substitutions since i don’t have brown rice flour. would either oat or almond flour work? or spelt or rye (i don’t have a gluten issue)?
thanks so much!
Anya says
Hi Jessica,
So glad you’re liking the meal plans!
I think that either a mixture of oat and almond flours or spelt and rye flours would work in the muffin recipe. Hope you enjoy them!
claudia says
Es Espectacular el plan de comida .thanks,thanks,thanks!
Anya says
Gracias :)
Zita says
Oh My God, Anya! This is a stunning post. You put so much effort cooking, photographing all these meals and writing a post about them! I appreciate your hard work. Your recipes are amazing! Thank you! :)
Anya says
Thank you so much Zita! Means the world.
marie says
I love the recipes and the idea fo a week plan. I tested it and loved the plan !
But my family of 2 must be eating a lot since your portions were not enough for us. I only had for 4 lunches.
Anya says
Hi Marie,
Thank you so much for the feedback! It’s very helpful. We got the same comment about the portions on the summer meal plan and tried to increase them, but I guess we didn’t increase them enough. Will definitely take this into account for the winter meal plan :)
Anya says
Hi Marie,
Forgot to ask a couple of questions:
– For lunch, did you eat the soup and grain bowls at the same time or did you have grain bowls first and then the soup?
– Did you make the breakfast and dinner recipes as well? Did those make enough?
Thanks again!
marie says
Hi,
Here is a more precise comment.
First I have to say that I thought the plan was for 7 days and not 5 which make a huge difference in the portion size. So I am sorry for my mistake in my first comment !
So based on a 5 days plan, I will say the portions were good for us. I added some salad on the side or bread (I am French….) and often a fruit at the end for lunch.
I did cook every items and did the plan very “religiously”.
So on a 5 days basis in my home ( you will see we eat a lot !!!.) :
– the porridge and the muffins were good for 4 portions each (2 mornings for 2) so good for us for 4 mornings. It was not a problem since I always have some coconut yogurt and granola at home for breakfast. I also add a fresh apple in my porridge every morning.
– for the lunches : I ate the bowl and then the soup. the grain bowl was good for 3 lunches for 2. The soup was good for 2 lunches for 2. So perfect portions for 5 days. BUT as I told you I liked adding bread and a salad with the soup + fruit.
– for the diners : same ideas : burgers good for 3 diners for 2 but with adding a big salad, avocado, bread (+ cheese for my husband and vegan cheese for me). The stew was good for 2 diners for 2. So good portions for the 5 days !
Maybe I was the only one thinking it was a 7 days plan…. But reading the post It was not mentioned it was a 5 days plan.
I loved every recipe and find your plan very economic ( usually I spend much more money). I love the fact that I was able to eat more legumes on a daily basis ( sometimes I skip them because of the cooking time….).
Hope this help !
Can’t wait your winter plan .
Anya says
Hi Marie,
WOW, thank you so much for this feedback. It’s incredibly helpful. Love to hear about your customizations too. We will take all of this into account for the winter plan :)
Lucie says
love every single recipe! thank you for such generous post full of great ideas and advice, so helpful and appreciated!
Anya says
Thank you Lucie! So glad you’re finding it useful.
Deb Lazer says
Hi,
I’m about to make your Turmeric Millet Porridge.
Stupid question, please.
After soaking the millet overnight, I’m assuming I should strain it from its soaking water prior to adding it to the coconut sugar, etc?
Thanks.
Anya says
Hi Deb,
Yes! Strain the millet and rinse it thoroughly. Sorry that wasn’t clear. Will add that instruction to the recipe asap. Hope you enjoy it :)
Bruno says
Sorry if you have already answered this question in the post but I am not sure about the following : Is it a 5 days week plan or do you count the weekend in your plan and so the food should last for 7 days ?
Anya says
Hi Bruno,
It’s for a workweek, so 5 days, but depending on your meals, you might have some stuff left over for the weekend, especially the stew.
Kendall says
Hi Anya- I’m using a homegrown squash for the soup, and was wondering about how much volume to use. I’m guessing 1.5-2 cups? Thanks for your wonderful work?
Anya says
Hi Kendall,
Yes, I think you’re right with your assumption, about 1 1/2-2 cups. I’d start with 1 1/2 and add more if needed to make the soup thicker. Hope you enjoy it :)