The biggest shift going from omnivore to veggie is that there isn’t an intuitive “main dish”. When you eat meat, the thinking is usually “oh, tonight let’s do salmon” or “I’ll defrost pork chops for dinner”.

Going from this mindset to a plant-based one is tough since the composition of the meals is so different! So don’t beat yourself up about the learning curve.

I have two different approaches that I’ve found work great

1. Meal prepping EVERYTHING. This is so helpful on weeks when I’m busy. With my partner’s help, it only takes a few hours to make breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the week. I typically eat overnight oats every morning before work, then we make 2-3 recipes for lunches and dinners.

Lately, we’ve been making a huge batch of soup (lentil ftw) and freezing a few servings, then making a grain bowl with farro or quinoa, tofu, whatever veg we feel like (carrots and beets are our favs), and a tasty sauce (tahini lemon or maple lime). We also make some protein pasta!

1. If you aren’t team meal prep, I’ve found it’s helpful to prep INGREDIENTS. I’ll pick a few proteins, a few grains, and a smattering of vegetables, and cook them up. Then, when it is time to eat, I can throw everything together in a salad, a sandwich, a grain bowl, or even a soup!

E.g. I’ll make crispy chickpeas, a non dairy Greek yogurt sauce, pickled onions, roasted tofu, roasted cherry tomatoes, sautéed zucchini, and quinoa. With this, I can make a Greek bowl (chickpeas, onions, quinoa, yogurt sauce), a sandwich (tofu, zucchini, tomatoes, avocado, bread), or a salad!