Easy Vegetarian Family Meal Plan

I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they want to go vegetarian, but they can’t imagine what they would eat every night for dinner. Or how many people have worried that their spouse or children would leave home if they chose to leave out the meat. It may seem daunting at first, but I hope this meal plan may simplify things for you.

All these meals are kid-tested and family approved. You’ll notice we have the same lunch every day. Thanks to Covid, the whole family eats lunch together now and it has become the leftovers and sandwich meal.

Monday

1. Breakfast – Baked Oatmeal

2. Lunch – Leftovers and salads for adults, Sandwiches for kids (caprese, cheese and avocado, or PBJ or PB and banana) with cut fruits and veggies

3. Dinner – Mexican (either burritos or quesadillas, usually)

Tuesday

1. Breakfast – Leftovers (usually baked oatmeal or pancakes)

2. Lunch – Leftovers and salads for adults, Sandwiches for kids (caprese, cheese and avocado, or PBJ or PB and banana) with cut fruits and veggies

3. Dinner – Bowls (usually roasted veggies with rice and beans, plus some sourdough bread. Sometimes if we have extra time, we’ll make some kind of cool sauce)

Wednesday

1. Breakfast – Oatmeal with peanut butter, apples, and cinnamon

2. Lunch – Leftovers and salads for adults, Sandwiches for kids (caprese, cheese and avocado, or PBJ or PB and banana) with cut fruits and veggies

3. Dinner – Breakfast for dinner (usually eggs, potatoes, and toast. Sometimes we manage pancakes too)

Thursday

1. Breakfast – French toast

2. Lunch – Leftovers and salads for adults, Sandwiches for kids (caprese, cheese and avocado, or PBJ or PB and banana) with cut fruits and veggies

3. Dinner – Stir fry (whatever veggies are lying around, plus beans, nuts, and usually some kind of sauce like salsa or peanut sauce)

Friday

1. Breakfast – Oatmeal with peanut butter, apples, and cinnamon

2. Lunch – Leftovers and salads for adults, Sandwiches for kids (caprese, cheese and avocado, or PBJ or PB and banana) with cut fruits and veggies

3. Dinner – Homemade pizza and salad (we make ahead the crust for six pizzas at a time)

Saturday

1. Breakfast – Eggs and Toast (and veggies, if there are leftovers)

2. Lunch – Leftovers and salads for adults, Sandwiches for kids (caprese, cheese and avocado, or PBJ or PB and banana) with cut fruits and veggies

3. Dinner – Homemade Burgers and Home Fries

Sunday

1. Breakfast – Blueberry or Apple pancakes

2. Lunch – Leftovers and salads for adults, Sandwiches for kids (caprese, cheese and avocado, or PBJ or PB and banana) with cut fruits and veggies

3. Dinner – Sunday Soup (whatever leftovers we have in a soup or something more gourmet, if we’re in the mood) and grilled cheese sandwiches

It’s a very simple meal plan, but it takes the guesswork out of what’s for dinner and all the meals are vegetarian. We try to use local foods whenever possible, to bake our own goods, and to buy in bulk, so this plan actually saves us a fair amount of money as well as being good for the Earth.

– Hannah