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Are you interested in trying a plant-based diet but not sure where to start? This seven-day plant-based meal plan includes a shopping list and tasty recipes to get you started. I’ve included some of my favorite recipes from my best-selling cookbook, Simple Green Meals, and even calculated the shopping list (for two servings) to make it easy to give this a go for you and a buddy.
I’ve cooked these whole food plant-based meal plan recipes everywhere, from my home kitchen to The Doctors, to show you that eating more plants is doable and worth it.
I know what it’s like to get started with plant-based eating. It can be so overwhelming with all the recipes and rules. Then you give it a shot and make something, and it’s gross, which sucks.
I promise this is NOT that. If you follow my seven-day plant-based meal plan, you’ll love the recipes! This was made for those who are foodies trying to get healthy. Bon appetit!
Table of Contents
What is a Plant-Based Diet?
A plant-based diet means loading up your day with nutrient-dense plants that are not processed. This can vary from person to person, yet here are a few of the top things you’ll eat when on a plant-based diet:
- Fruits and Vegetables: squash, potatoes, kale, onions, green beans, apples, avocados, mixed berries, pineapple and more.
- Dairy-Free Milk: almond, cashew, oat, coconut, hemp
- Nuts and Seeds: almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, pecans
- Nut Butter and Natural Sweeteners: almond butter, maple syrup, honey
- Whole Grains: brown rice, rolled oats, quinoa
Embracing these amazing food encourages you to limit (yet not totally exclude!) meat, dairy, eggs and heavily processed foods. Translation: You don’t have to be vegan to be plant-based. The goal is to fill up your plate with an array of rainbow-filled plants and be okay eating cheese, meat and Taco Bell occasionally. Yep, that’s me!
This plant-based diet meal plan pulls in an incredible variety of recipes to help you fall in love with this lifestyle. It is incredible when you embrace plant-based smoothies, snacks, meals and even desserts. Yes, you can eat desserts on a plant-based diet! Woot!
Download: Free Plant-Based Meal Plan
With this free plant-based diet meal plan, you get three breakfast recipes rotated throughout the week (one recipe can be made ahead then portioned out for the week), three snacks (two which can be prepped ahead) as well as seven satisfying dinners. All recipes are whole food plant-based and fuel your day.
This meal plan is for two people, so get ready for easy lunches with dinner leftovers or double the shopping list for a family of four. You do you! If you’re worried that rabbit food is on the menu for the week, then take a breath now. If I want to eat healthily, I need to eat good food. So that’s what I’m bringing to you!
Download Plant-Based Diet Meal Plan
Plant-Powered Breakfasts
While smoothies are my breakfast go-to, I like having other easy options. That’s where my Baked Oatmeal recipe comes in. You can make it once and portion it out for the week, then reheat and go when you’re ready to fuel up.
Healthy Snacks
Snacks are my jam. I often eat smaller meals throughout the day, so snack time needs to keep me energized without the sugar crash. For this plant-based meal plan, I’m sharing my recipe for chocolate-dibbed bananas with almond butter. They are amazing. These dessert-like energy balls are perfect for snacking on during the day.
- Pecan Granola, featured in Simple Green Meals
- Strawberry Maple Snack, featured in the Autumn Cleanse Guide
- Chocolate Covered Banana Bites
You can easily customize them too! Swap out the peanut butter with nut or seed butter of your choice. Feel free to use your favorite chocolate chips (be sure to read the label if you want to keep this vegan).
Filling Dinners
The dinners on my whole food plant-based meal plan are a highlight. From Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms to a savory Vegetarian Noodle Salad, you won’t feel like anything’s missing from these plentiful meals:
- Chipotle Veggie Bowl
- Tacos de Papas
- Vegetarian Noodle Salad
- Creamy Potato Soup, featured in the Autumn Cleanse Guide
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
- Bean and Rice Burritos
- Vegetable Chili Skillet, featured in the Autumn Cleanse Guide
While salad can be filling, I like a heartier option for dinner. The meals I picked for this free plan are ones my family eats and enjoys. Feel free to spice them up the way that suits you best and serve with the toppings you know your family loves.
FAQs for a Plant-Based Diet
Plant-based eating means celebrating and enjoying the foods that naturally fuel our bodies and are minimally processed. Choose fruits and vegetables as your main source of fuel while limiting meat, dairy and heavily processed foods. This plant-based meal plan will show you the power that plant-based protein, healthy fat and whole foods can have on your mind and body.
We hear protein and we think meat. Yet you’d be surprised just how much protein comes from plants. The best diet is a balanced one, so my recipes include a great balance of protein, carbs and healthy fats to get you full and keep you satisfied.
Heck, yes! I like a good salad, yet I can’t eat it all the time. On my seven-day plan, you’ll be eating real, nourishing meals, drinking filling smoothies and eating delicious snacks that won’t give you a sugar crash.
#1 Plant-Based Meal Plan for Foodies
If you love this menu-shopping list-recipes planned kind of eating, you should try Rawk the Year Meal Planner. I’ve included over 500 plant-based recipes that you can build your own meal plans with.
I created this meal planner because my family was in a food slump. I needed something easy to customize or grab as-is for the busy weeks. My family needed meals they would eat and give them a reason to come to the table on a weeknight.
Check out more free meal plans below:
- Weight Loss Meal Plan
- 30 Days of Smoothies Plan
- Winter Meal Plan
- Diabetic Meal Plan
- Vegetarian Meal Plan
- Mediterranean Meal Plan
- Vegan Meal Plan
- Daniel Fast Meal Plan
Don’t forget to review this meal plan once you’ve tried it. I’d love to get your feedback!
Hey Jen
I used to make smoothies years ago before all the comments of “they’re not good for you, too sugary, you should eat fruits not drink them” etc etc put me off. You’ve got me excited to give them another go in a bid to try and rescue my liver! I’m planning to do your 3 day smoothie plan and then follow up with a 7 day meal plan. But I’m confused about something. A lot of people swear by intermittent fasting, where you eat all your food in a 4 hour window (eg 4pm – 8pm) and then fast for 20 hours. Most health food practitioners dont recommend snacking, saying we’re not meant to graze like cows and we should only eat at mealtimes. Even dentists discourage snacking. What are your thoughts on this and how would you recommend tailoring your plans to take these views into account?
Since seitan is actually wheat gluten, it is not suitable for folks with celiac disease or those who are following a gluten-free weight loss program.
Thank you for sharing this free menu with me, I was wondering what am I supposed to do for lunch do I not eat? Or do I use one of the other meals? Thank you again
You can absolutely eat lunch!
If you’re looking for a recommendation – it might be easy to double up on your smoothies and have one for breakfast and one for lunch. Although, I would def recommend adding a plant-based protein powder to make it a worthy meal replacement, such as homemade protein powder
or doubling up on your dinner recipe and saving half for lunch the next day!
Both of these methods are used during our seasonal cleanses! Or you can have something totally different for lunch – the choice is yours! 🙂
All the menu looks delicious. Thank you for sharing a free menu plan 🙂
You’re so welcome! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
This is amazing! Thanks for sharing a free menu with us.