Here's my nourishing veg meal prep session designed to support calm, steady energy and hormone balance throughout the week.
This veg meal prep for calm is exactly the kind of slow Sunday kitchen rhythm I love during perimenopause.
Some prep Sunday sessions, I'll make whole, complete recipes, while others I'll just make components or sides; sometimes a mix of both.
From stacked grains and roasted vegetables to chia pudding jars, sweet potato muffins, and a beautiful free-form pie, this veg meal prep gives you easy components to reach for all week long. Think warm bowls, effortless sides, grab-and-go breakfasts and a comforting dinner that can be built in minutes.
If you love meal prep roundups like these, check out my 4 recipes with 2 rotisserie chicken prep session, next.
Note the individual recipes are grouped at the bottom of this article.
Meal Prep Notes: How to Make This Veg Meal Prep in One Session
Here's a breakdown of how I ran this prep session. As a chef, I love efficient prep sessions; I'm just built this way:
- I gave myself a head start the night before by steaming the apples and sweet potato for the muffins. If you've got spotty apples or sweet potatoes starting to sprout leaves, this is the recipe for those ingredients.
- Begin your prep session by getting the sweet potato, beetroot and garlic into the oven first, as these take the longest.
- While they roast, cook the stacked rice blend and spread it onto a tray to cool so it stays fluffy and doesn’t become soggy. I store mine in freezer bags in the fridge and freezer.
- Next, prepare the spiced roasted cauliflower and zucchini, which can go into the oven once the root vegetables are nearly done.
- While the vegetables roast, blend the chia and flax pudding jars and store them in the fridge.
- Make the pie pastry, pop it in the fridge. The pastry can be made as a double batch. Freeze half for another easy pie night later in the week.
- Make the muffin batter next so they can bake while you prepare the pie filling.
- For the pie, salt and dry the tomatoes and zucchini well; this is absolutely essential for preventing a soggy base.
Stacked rice with buckwheat and black quinoa
Boost your everyday rice by stacking it with other grains
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 cup black quinoa
- 1 cup hulled buckwheat
- 6 cups water
- 1½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse the basmati rice and black quinoa well until the water runs clear.
- Add both to a large pot with the water and salt.
- Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the hulled buckwheat and stir.
- Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes until tender.
- Remove from the heat and allow to steam, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Fluff gently with a fork.
Notes
Tips to prevent soggy rice:
- Rinse grains thoroughly
- Don’t stir too much once simmering
- Allow the resting time after cooking
- Fluff while still warm
- Spread onto a tray to cool before storing
- This is key for veg meal prep so the grains stay fluffy for the week.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Roasted Sweet Potato, Beetroot and Garlic
These roasted vegetables are perfect for meal prep for calm, easy sides, and nourishing bowls.
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes halved lengthways
- 1 large beetroot whole, skin on
- 1 whole head garlic halved crosswise
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan.
- Arrange sweet potatoes, beetroot and garlic in a roasting dish.
- Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
- Add thyme sprigs.
- Cover loosely with brown baking paper.
- Roast for 50–60 minutes until tender.
- Reserve some roasted garlic for the free-form pie.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Spiced Butter Roasted Cauliflower and Zucchini
A beautiful hormone-supportive veg meal prep side that pairs perfectly with the stacked rice.
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 zucchini sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon grass-fed butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
- sea salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Add cumin, mustard seeds, and curry powder.
- Simmer gently for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Toss the cauliflower and zucchini with olive oil, salt and the spiced butter.
- Roast at 180°C fan for 25–30 minutes until golden.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
2 x Flavored Chia and Flax Pudding Jars
Perfect for perimenopause breakfast meal prep and stable morning energy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Greek yogurt per flavor variation
- ½ cup milk per flavor variation
- 3 tablespoon chia seeds per flavor variation
- 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed per flavor variation
Chocolate Jar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Berry Jar
- ½ cup frozen mixed berries
Instructions
- Blend the base ingredients.
- Divide into 2 jars.
- Blend one with cocoa, cinnamon and peanut butter.
- Blend the other with berries.
- Refrigerate overnight.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sweet Potato and Apple Muffins
This is such a lovely meal prep for calm snack or breakfast bake.
Ingredients
- 100 g browned butter
- 2 duck eggs or 3 chicken eggs
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup amasi
- 1 cup steamed sweet potato peeled and mashed
- 1 apple steamed and mashed
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Mix browned butter, eggs, sugar and amasi in a bowl.
- Stir in mashed sweet potato and apple.
- Fold in flour, flax, baking powder and salt.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Free-Form Tomato, Leek and Zucchini Pie
This is the star dinner recipe in your veg meal prep for calm session.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 150 g cold butter
- 250 g flour
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 80 g cold water
Filling
- 3 jam tomatoes sliced
- 3 leeks sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 4 slices parma ham, sliced thinly optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine or rose
- roasted garlic (from sweet potato prep, earlier)
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese
- splash white wine
- 1 egg for brushing
Instructions
- Salt tomatoes and zucchini for 30 minutes.
- Pat very dry: this is essential.
- For pastry, rub butter into flour until breadcrumb texture.
- Add flax, herbs and water.
- Bring together into rough dough.
- Chill for 30 minutes minimum.
For filling:
- Cook leeks and zucchini until softened. Add sliced parma ham if using.
- Deglaze with a splash of white wine.
- Fold through roasted garlic.
- Cool completely.
To assemble:
- Roll pastry out.
- Spread cream cheese.
- Add vegetables and tomatoes.
- Fold edges up.
- Brush with egg.
- Bake on a greased tray at 180°C fan for 45–50 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Comments
No Comments