Taco Meal Maps

Never run out of ideas to make for dinner again

My number one tip for anyone wanting to or thinking of starting a whole food plant-based (wfpb) diet is always this: do not use recipes. In the beginning, the level of foreign ingredients (think nori sheets, tempeh, miso, rice paper - to name a few) can be exasperating not to mention the time that it takes to cook every single meal based on these recipes. It is bound to leave you beyond frustrated, exhausted and not excited at all to continue this way of healthy eating.

When I first started in my wfpb journey, I had to rethink everything I knew about putting a meal together. I had so many questions: How do I make a meal? What does a "meal" even look like now?  In the beginning I found myself printing off recipe after recipe and buying cookbooks with yummy but super complicated steps resulting in grocery lists that were way too long, costly grocery trips that usually took me to several different stores in one day and a pantry/fridge filled with ingredients that I would only use once in a blue moon.

After some time (and much trial and error frustration), I put the books away and just decided to make it easier by sticking to cooking my favorite simple whole food ingredients and making a meal based around those. I eventually found myself making the same "type" of meal (or cuisine) over and over again. I literally did taco Tuesdays every three days for the first few months because I knew now how to make tacos we loved and I just used what I had already on hand.  Another simple meal I made were giant Bounty Bowls of roasted veggies, a whole grain, some greens and a sauce. These kinds of meals were perfect while I was adjusting to navigating mealtime, social gatherings and out to eat. When I had mastered one type of meal, I tried a new one, and after I had a collection going, I realized that these were becoming sort of road maps for me for putting a delicious and inexpensive meal together quickly.

So, out of this completely different way of thinking about how a meal is made, my Meal Maps were born. 

I realized with a well stocked wfpb pantry and some weekly meal prep, I could literally make any type of food I was craving without having to think about it, go to the store or spend a lot of money. This is what I've been using for over 3 years now to create our meals. I created these maps on my computer, printed them off and placed them in a binder in my kitchen so I can flip to any one I want, scan the columns for the ingredients I have on hand and in minutes (thanks to a little weekly meal prep) I'll put together tortillas filled with diced baked sweet potatoes with some black beans, salsa and lettuce and call it a Taco Friday.

I'm going to pass my first Meal Map on to you, in the hopes you give it a try and replace even one meal a week and hopefully it'll make a difference in your journey to a wfpb diet.

A few simple things like having a well-stocked pantry of whole food plant-based staples, a little weekly meal prep for those pre-cooked wet starches and pre-roasted veggies and using what you already have in your cupboards can make a world of difference on your journey to a healthier way of eating.

I was raised on the USDA food pyramid where every meal is based around a giant cut of meat, some vegetable covered in cheese, a slice of bread and all of that washed down with a big glass of diary milk. To me now, this is SO extremely boring - not to mention unhealthy!