Week 9 and final installment of my 2020 Plant-Based Meal Plan series—including a downloadable overview and shopping list and featuring two special guest recipes.
Jump to:
If you are new to my meal plan series, I encourage you to visit my Week 1 post to learn about recommended appliances, Test Kitchen recipes, and daily menu items.
This is the last meal plan I will share in 2020. If you are looking for more ideas, I encourage you to explore previous plans in the series.
Special Guest Recipes
As many of you know, my husband Chris agreed to go entirely plant-based for the month of February and we created a FREE workshop to share his experience. He's nearing the homestretch and doing quite well.
His transition may have been eased by the fact that he often eats the plant-based meals I prepare without adding meat to his plate. But this is the longest he's gone without any animal products.
To commemorate his achievement, Chris wanted to share his own Veggie Pizza and Veggie Pasta recipes this week. These are the go-to meals he often prepares on the nights I don't cook. Note, they have a higher fat content than plant-based advocates recommend. However, they are chock full of vegetables - so they are a good compromise for folks who aren't ready to follow a plant-based diet to the letter.
The links are included in the meal plan below. You will need to log into the Workshop for access. I have also included alternate options if you would prefer to stick with my recipes.
Grocery List
I’ve gone over the ingredients for every recipe in this week’s plan and made a grocery list. It includes quantities when appropriate, so you can compare it to what you may already have on hand.
Breakfast
I enjoy cooked grains with a mix of dried, fresh, or frozen fruit and nuts or seeds every morning. Visit my Breakfast page for examples or other options.
Snacks & Dessert
Fresh or dried fruit makes a great snack around 3 p.m. to hold you over to dinner. Fruit tends to get a bad rap. According to Dr. Greger's new book, How Not To Diet, fruit's natural sugars do not cause your blood sugar to spike the way added sugars do.
But I'm not a saint. I also indulge in dessert about once a week - usually on the weekend. One of my favorite treats is Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies with a cup of chamomile tea in the evening.
Week 9 Day 1
Lunch
Dinner
- Veggie Pizza (See Chris' Recipe or try one of my Pizza recipes)
Week 9 Day 2
Lunch
- Leftover Soup and BBQ Chickpea Wrap
Dinner
Week 9 Day 3
Lunch
- Leftover C's Pizza
Dinner
Week 9 Day 4
Lunch
- Leftover Polenta
Dinner
- Veggie Pasta (See Chris' Recipe or try my Veggie Pasta Alfredo)
Week 9 Day 5
Lunch
- Leftover Lentil Soup
Dinner
Week 9 Day 6
Lunch
- Leftover C's Pasta
Dinner
- Lentil Bolognese over Spaghetti Squash (See this recipe for instructions on how to cook spaghetti squash in a slow cooker)
Week 9 Day 7
Lunch
- Leftover Bolognese and Spaghetti Squash
Dinner
- Veggie Lasagna (We are having friends over for dinner and Chris asked me to make this dish - even though we just had it last week!)
Week 9 Bonus Day 8
The last day of Chris' plant-based challenge! We will post a video interview in Watch Chris Go Plant-Based to re-cap his experience.
Lunch
- Leftover Lasagna
Dinner
- Big Salad
Week 9 Meal Plan Overview
Here's a quick overview of this week's plan:
I hope you found this meal plan series helpful. You are welcome to contact me with questions as you continue your plant-based journey. ?
Clinton
Thanks so much for doing this! Was it always the plan to stop publishing your meal plans after 9 weeks?
Margaret
You are very welcome, Clinton. I didn't have an end date in mind when I started, but the end of February felt right. This way, you have enough plans to revisit without your meals becoming too repetitive. Of course, I will continue to share recipes and insights in various formats and I welcome questions and suggestions on how I can best serve your needs.