How to Plan a Week's Meals for a Vegetarian

Vegetarian meals can be simple and nutritious.

Eliminating meat from one week's meals requires a little pre-planning. Meat's primary nutritional value is protein. This means that you must find replacements for meat protein. Luckily, there are plenty of non-meat protein sources, including dairy, eggs, legumes and nuts. If you're not accustomed to non-meat meals, planning a week's vegetarian menu might take a little practice.

Things You'll Need

• Shopping List:
• One small can whole oats
• Muesli cereal
• Granola
• Cinnamon scones
• Blueberry muffins
• Wheat bread
• French bread
• Taco shells
• Eggs
• Assorted yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Cheddar cheese
• Fresh mozzarella
• Skim milk
• Sour cream
• Tofu
• Almond butter
• Cranberry jam
• Honey
• Balsamic vinaigrette
• Black beans
• Refried beans (without meat)
• Salsa
• Split pea soup
• Tomato basil soup
• Assorted nuts: walnuts, almonds and pine nuts
• Assorted fruits: apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple and grapefruit
• Vegetables: lettuce, assorted tomatoes, avocados, carrot sticks, red onion, basil, green onions, pearl onions, red potatoes, green pepper, broccoli, spinach and sliced portobello mushrooms

Instructions

1. Plan breakfasts. For each meal aim for a protein, whole grain and a fruit or vegetable. There are lots of alternatives to eggs for breakfast if you don't want to eat eggs. Below, find a seven suggested morning meals. Feel free to change it around a bit or replace some of the ingredients, taking care to ensure your ingredients do not contain meat or meat byproducts.

   Oatmeal with walnuts and apples

   Eggs with wheat toast and sliced tomatoes

   Yogurt with granola and strawberries

   Cinnamon scones with sliced fruit and honeyed milk

   Poached egg with toast and cantaloupe

   Cottage cheese with pineapple and blueberry muffins

   Muesli with Greek yogurt and grapefruit halves

2. Plan lunches. The midday meal should include plenty of protein to keep your energy levels up. The suggestions below can be packed for work. Again, change the ingredients according to your tastes:

   Tofu, lettuce and tomato sandwich. Tofu can be sautéed like bacon. Use a bit of vegetable oil to provide fat to sautée.

   Almond butter and cranberry jam sandwich with carrot sticks

   Greek salad with goat cheese, pine nuts, and tomatoes, sprinkled with balsamic vinaigrette. Serve with a slice of French bread.

   Egg salad sandwich served with a small green salad

   Taco salad with lettuce, black beans, avocadoes, sour cream and salsa

   Split pea soup with a slice of French bread

   A Portobello burger with red onions and crisp lettuce

   Basil soup with grilled-cheese sandwich

3. Plan dinners. It's tempting to fall back on pasta dishes when following a vegetarian diet. Legumes are a great source of protein that can be used in many dishes. Below you can find seven healthy, satisfying dinner suggestions:

   Tacos with refried beans, tomatoes, green onions, shredded cheese, and salsa.

   Vegetarian chili with French bread and a green salad

   Carbonara pasta made with mushrooms and plenty of Italian cheese

   Barbequed veggie skewers (red potatoes, pearl onions and green peppers) with grilled sliced beefsteak tomatoes and fresh mozzarella

   Baked mac and cheese with steamed broccoli

   Spinach and mushroom lasagna with a tomato and cucumbers and Italian salad dressing

   Tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette

Tips & Warnings

• See the link in the Resources section for lots of great vegetarian recipes.

• If you're unfamiliar with vegetarian cooking, keep an eye out for hidden meat in your ingredients. Canned foods often contain bacon or ham. Also, be sure to cook with vegetable, canola, or olive oil and not lard, bacon fat or any other oil that contain animal byproducts.

References

• American Heart Association: Vegetarian Diets

Resources

• Food.com: Vegetarian Recipes