This Healthy 1200-1500 Calorie Vegetarian Meal Prep Is a Must See

This Healthy 1200-1500 Calorie Vegetarian Meal Prep Is a Must See

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If you are vegetarian, or if you’ve ever considered switching to a vegetarian diet, this 21 Day Fix-inspired meal prep menu is a great place to start. The Beachbody nutrition experts created this week of meat-free breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks to help vegetarians and others practice portion control and still get enough essential nutrition in their diets. A complete grocery list is included to help you find everything you’ll need to make these meals.

We like this meal prep because it’s simple and requires very little cooking. It’s a good idea to set out individual containers for each meal before you start. Begin by cooking the brown rice and the quinoa, since those take the most time. While they cook, wash all your produce, chop vegetables, and put together salads and snacks. Any of the ingredients in this menu can be swapped for an equivalent amount of other choices from the same color container. For example, if you don’t like tofu, you can substitute 2 eggs instead.

This meal prep menu follows the 21 Day Fix Eating Plan for the 1200–1499 calorie level. It contains 3 green, 2 yellow, 2 purple, 4 red, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 2 tsp. per day. If you are eating at a higher calorie level, you can add containers to this meal plan using more of the same ingredients, or create additional snacks or meals for more variety.

Meal 1 (Breakfast): ¾ cup reduced fat (1%) plain Greek yogurt with 1 cup mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries), 2 tsp. chia seeds, and ½ tsp. honey (1 red, 1 purple, ½ orange)

Variations: Substitute ½ large banana, 1 mango, or 1 peach for berries and 1 Tbsp. shredded unsweetened coconut, or 1 Tbsp. flaxseeds, or 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds for chia seeds.

Meal 2 (Snack): 1 packet Shakeology with 1 tsp. peanut butter (1 red, 1 tsp.)

Meal 3 (Lunch M/W/F): 1 cup kale, ½ cup snowpeas, ¼ cup shredded carrot, ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper, cilantro, basil, ½ cup edamame, ½ cup grapes, ¼ avocado, 1 Tbsp. salad dressing (we used the Asian Vinaigrette recipe in the FIXATE cookbook) (2 green, 1 yellow, ½ purple, 1 blue, ½ orange)

Tip: To chop kale, remove the stems, then roll leaves together into a ball and slice. Squeeze chopped leaves roughly a few times. This is called “massaging” the kale, and will make it more tender and easier to digest.

Meal 3 (Lunch T/Th): 2 cups raw spinach, ½ cup cooked quinoa, ½ cup sliced strawberries, 1 Tbsp. goat cheese, 1 Tbsp. sliced almonds, 1 Tbsp. Honey Mustard Dressing (2 green, 1 yellow, ½ purple, 1 blue, ½ orange)

Meal 4 (Post-Workout): ¾ cup reduced fat (2%) cottage cheese with ½ cup cubed pineapple (1 red, ½ purple)

Variations: Substitute ½ cup berries, ½ peach, or ½ cubed mango for pineapple

Meal 5 (Dinner M/W/F): ½ cup black beans, ¾ cup tempeh, ¾ cup halved cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, drizzled with 1 tsp. olive oil and 2 Tbsp. lime juice (free) (1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, 1 tsp.)

Meal 5 (Dinner T/Th): ½ cup cooked brown rice, ¾ cup firm tofu, ½ cup sliced onion, and 1 cup spinach sautéed in 1 tsp. olive oil. Drizzle with reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce (free) (1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, 1 tsp.)

Tip: Cook onions first in ½ the oil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they turn golden brown. Add spinach, cook until spinach wilts. Remove vegetables from pan. Pat dry tofu with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, then slice into cubes. Drizzle remaining oil into hot pan, add tofu. Cook for two minutes, then flip each piece of tofu and cook an additional 1–2 minutes.

Variation: Substitute 2 poached eggs for tofu

Grocery List:

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

1 avocado

1 large or 2 medium red bell peppers

2 containers blackberries

2 containers blueberries

1 container strawberries

2 containers fresh raspberries

1 fresh pineapple or 16 oz cubed pineapple

1 bag grapes

2 carrots

1 bag shelled edamame

1 bunch kale

2 onions

1 red onion

5 oz. snow peas

1 bag spinach

1 container cherry tomatoes

1 bunch basil

1 bunch cilantro

1 knob fresh ginger

Dairy

1 32-oz. AND 1 4-oz. container plain 1% Greek yogurt

1 32 oz. container 2% cottage cheese

1 oz. soft goat cheese

Grains/Seeds/Nuts/Nut Butter

½ oz. sliced raw almonds

2 oz. chia seeds

1 jar all-natural peanut butter

4 oz. quinoa

4 oz. brown rice

Canned Foods

1 can black beans

Proteins

5 packets chocolate Shakeology

2 packages tempeh

2 packages firm tofu

Pantry

raw honey

Dijon mustard

olive oil

sesame oil

ground black pepper

sea salt or Himalayan pink salt

reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce

rice vinegar

Original article and pictures take http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/nutrition/vegetarian-meal-prep-for-the-21-day-fix?code=SOCIAL_BLOG_PI site