How to Make a Flexitarian Meal Plan
Reducing the amount of animal protein you eat is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. But if you grew up in a meat-and-potatoes household, a vegan – or even vegetarian – diet might seem a bit out of reach.
The good news? You can significantly reduce your individual carbon footprint without cutting out animal products completely!
To celebrate Earth Month, Registered Dietitian Ann Kent joins us from Peas and Hoppiness to share a few easy meal planning tips to create a Flexitarian meal plan for your family!
What’s a Flexitarian Meal Plan?
A flexitarian meal plan is a plant-forward alternative to a strict vegan or vegetarian diet.
It’s also called a “semi-vegetarian” meal plan because it includes some animal proteins like meat and dairy, but in much smaller amounts than the typical Western diet.
Learn more about the Flexitarian diet and find some simple tips to get started.
Flexitarian diet: https://peasandhoppiness.com/blog/what-is-a-flexitarian-diet/
Simple tips to get started: https://addybean.com/education/flexitarian-101-your-practical-guide-to-becoming-a-flexitarian/
#1 Flexitarian Meal Planning Tip: Use your Schedule to Make your Meal Plan
If meal plans haven’t worked in the past, I want you to know: it’s not you. It’s the PLAN.
The truth is, only YOU can make your family’s meal plan.
Why? Because it must work with your schedule, your taste preference, and your cooking ability. And only YOU know those things well enough to create a plan that will work.
Before you do anything else, download this free Meal Planning Template.
Learn our easy 3-step process that has helped hundreds of busy families find their rhythm of meal planning. It makes life SO much easier!
Grab the meal planning template, your calendar, and a cup of coffee – and let’s talk about what to put on your flexitarian meal plan.
Start your Flexitarian Meal Plan with Meatless Mondays
The best way to start following a flexitarian meal plan is to pick just ONE day or one meal to eat plant-based foods.
Once you’ve written out your schedule on your meal planning template and have planned which days you want to cook, decide which of those days you want to make a vegetarian or vegan meal.
The biggest mistake to avoid is to completely change how you’re eating now.
Stick with your usual meals most of the time and start adding in plant-based meals and snacks one at a time.
Think of it this way: if you try just ONE new vegetarian meal each week, a year from now you’ll have 50 new plant-based meals that you know how to cook! Little changes go a long way.
Which Vegetarian Recipes are Best for Beginners?
As you start to add in new meals you haven’t made before, it can feel overwhelming to know where to begin.
To choose the best vegetarian recipes for beginners, make sure to pick well-written recipes and ones that sound good to you!
Choose Well-Written Vegetarian Recipes
As a dietitian, I’ve worked with dozens of clients who *think* they’re not a good cook. But as a meal planning professional who writes and tests recipes for a living, I can tell you this isn’t true…
If a meal doesn’t turn out well, it’s not you – it’s the recipe!
That’s why you MUST choose a recipe from a source you trust when you’re learning a new way to cook.
Sure, Google and Pinterest will give you lots of ideas – but just because it’s on the internet, it doesn’t mean it’s a good recipe.
A good recipe is:
- Easy to understand, even if you’re not a professional chef
- Clearly written with description of how the recipe should look at each step
- Has ingredients you can find in any grocery store
Pick a recipe from a source you trust so your recipe (and evening) will go smoothly.
Choose Vegetarian Recipes that Sound Good to You!
Just because all your vegan friends are telling you to eat tempeh doesn’t mean you have to start there (although if want to, this Vegan Yakisoba Noodle Recipe is delicious!).
There are plenty of plant-based recipes to choose from, so start with flavors you love!
Craving the famous fast-casual burrito-in-a-bowl? Try this Southwest Quinoa Bowl
Love Fritos? This Lentil Frito Pie is a crowd-pleaser!
For a veggie-packed twist on a classic, enjoy this Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese
Find more inspiration on Pinterest, follow The Addy Bean and Peas and Hoppiness!
Feeling Overwhelmed? Start Here
Shifting toward a plant-forward lifestyle is great for so many reasons – the environment, your health, and even your pocketbook! But when you’re busy it can be hard to get started.
That’s where the Peas and Hoppy Meal Guides app can help!
Premium subscribers to our meal planning app get a new menu every week which is planned seasonally and provides you a nutritionally balanced flexitarian eating plan.
You even get options for vegetarian or vegan meals, so you can shift towards a plant-based diet as quickly or as slowly as you like.
Customize your menu each week by deleting recipes you don’t need, substituting recipes from our database of 800+ options, and adjust servings to feed more or fewer people. Your changes automatically update a grocery list for you to save you tons of time and money at the store!
Use the code ADDYBEAN at checkout to try premium access FREE for one month. After that it’s just $14.99/month – less than a video streaming service!
The most important thing to remember when transitioning to a flexitarian eating pattern is to do what you can – not to worry about being perfect. If we all make a few small changes, it makes a big difference!
Happy flexitarian meal planning,
Dietitian Ann, Creator of the Peas and Hoppy Meal Guides App
Ann Kent
Ann Kent is a Registered Dietitian and the owner of Peas and Hoppiness. She makes mealtime easier for busy families with The Peas and Hoppy Meal Guides meal planning app, where she provides weekly menus with fresh ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; over 800 recipes; and a customizable grocery list each week.
Ann grew up on a farm and trained as a dietitian, earning her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics. She started Peas and Hoppiness as a passion project to link the silos of sustainable agriculture, food and cooking, and nutrition.
Here at Peas and Hoppiness, we firmly believe our motto, that you should “Love what you eat.” We hope you join us at the table!
Free mealtime resources: https://peasandhoppiness.com/hello/
Free Meal Planning Template: https://peasandhoppiness.com/Template
Start a free trial of the Peas & Hoppy Meal Guide Membership: https://peasandhoppiness.com/Join
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