Preparing vegan meals in bulk.

[RobotechXB9R]

Hello everyone. I am very new to this forum and very new to a vegan lifestyle. My amazing wife is accompanying me on this fantastic journey. I work at a desk job 5 days a week for 8 hours. I have recently forced myself to start bringing and preparing my own lunches. I find it easier, for me, to make in bulk on Sunday so I don't have to worry about it during the weekdays. I am wondering if anyone can offer me info for "cooking" in bulk for vegans. Like Sunday if I wanted to make a huge epic salad, what do I need to make sure I have in it to offer me great nutrition for the day and night? I have read alot and see a tremendous amount of repect on this forum for all its members. Thank you in advance for any info.

[Linanil]

So I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, other than you are looking for some info on vegan nutrition? There are various takes on vegan diets but I like a generic diet including legumes, grains, fruits, veggies and nuts/seeds.

A good general resource is VRG

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm

I've also heard Becoming Vegan is a good book but I've never read it:

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Vegan-Complete-Adopting-Plant-Based/dp/1570671036/

 

When you are first vegan, men especially, may take some time adjusting to satisfaction levels with vegan foods. I personally like lunches that mimic dinners so that I just have to make large batches of various foods and they work for lunch and dinner.

 

Staples that are always in my fridge include cooked grains (rice, millet, quinoa, etc) and legumes (lentils, black beans, black eyed peas). I also keep various sauces and salsas to help flavor those things. I may also have cooked veggies and/or quick cooked veggies and frozen veggies.

 

This weekend, I made 2 dishes which will serve as lunches/dinners for a couple days. I also have a plan to make something midweek to last the rest of the week.

[RobotechXB9R]

Awesome! Pretty much what I was looking for. Thanks a ton. I just want to make sure that what I am eating is as nutritious as possible.

[Linanil]

Oh and I forgot this link as well:

http://veganhealth.org/

 

You'll read it on various sites, but I'd recommend supplementing with vitamin B-12 and vitamin D. I'd also make sure you get a regular checkup with your doc every year. My doc checks for B-12 and vitamin D. Although I'm a bad vegan and don't supplement with vitamin B-12 specifically and infrequently take a multivitamin, my B-12 levels are optimal. Vitamin D though was a bit low, which is actually true of most Americans these days.