Plant-Based Meal Planning

Home Cooking 🍽️

In 2014, for the first time ever, the average American spent more money on food out than for their food at home according to the USDA (1). The amount of food spent out has only increased since. In 2021, the United State’s food-away-from-home spending was 10% higher than pre-pandemic levels (2). That’s roughly 4.5 dine-in or delivery/takeout meals every week (3). Cooking at home is a healthful and creative habit that can benefit individuals and families in the long run. The Blue Zones, founded by Dan Buettner and are known as the 5 places around the world which contain the healthiest and longest living people (4). Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California. Homes to these healthy centenarians of whom cook their own meals on a regular basis for their entire lives. Eating out is considered celebratory or a rare treat (5). But what kinds of foods are the residents of these zones eating? Well, for example, the Okinawan diet is made up of 90% whole plant foods, less than 1% of the diet is fish, less than 1% meat, and less than 1% dairy and eggs. Think tons of vegetables (a majority being sweet potatoes), rice, and beans. And in our own country, the Adventist vegetarians in Loma Linda, CA eat a 100% meat free diet which gives them perhaps the highest life expectancy out of the Blue Zones (6).

Meal Planning Guide 🥕

We are huge advocates on home cooking, especially when it comes to plant-based meals. As much as we love the support of our guests at the shop, we also find it incredibly important to incorporate the same type of nutrient-dense meals into your own homes as well. That’s why our team created the P.S. & Co. Meal Planning Guide. It’s a go-to guide for planning and prepping your weekly meals. We let you in on tried and true pro-tips including grocery shopping, preserving produce, favorite vegan snacks, and how to be kind to yourself throughout the process. We want you to save money, create less waste, and learn how to thrive on a plant-based diet. We’ve even included 18 recipes to help keep you on track while trying new techniques in the kitchen.

Meal Planning Class 📓

Back by popular demand, we are re-introducing our Meal Planning Class. Guests get in-person advice, Q and A, and a community to learn from on the planning and preparation of weekly meals. By attending, you also get a copy of our e-Book, the meal planning guide referenced above.

Get a Sneak Peek 👀

Planning Tips

• Prep your grains (rice, quinoa, etc) in advance so you don’t have to wait 20+ minutes for grains to cook for every meal.

• Marinating: inject some extra flavor into a dish by marinating your tofu or tempeh as part of your prep. Ease the hassle with a tofu press!

Shopping & Storage Tips

• Shop the Perimeter. When it comes to chain grocers, these are words to live by. Generally, grocery stores are set up to have all the enticing junk foods in the aisles and the fresh foods around the perimeter.

• Keep Celery Fresh - Trim the connecting ends off the celery bunch. Wash celery stalks thoroughly and dry. Fill a mason jar (or any glass cup tall enough) with a few inches of water, just enough to cover the ends. Put celery in a jar, cut side down and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for a full week+! We love these wide mouth Weck jars with removable lids.

Prep Tips

• Try to dedicate a specific day and time that works best for your individual schedule. If it's on the schedule, just as a work meeting is, you are more likely to stick to it!

• Buy in Bulk! Try international markets for big bags of rice and other dry goods such as bulk grains, lentils, beans, and spices. We love Le Parfait and Weck jars for storage.

Snack Suggestions

• Ancient Nutrition Plant + Protein Chocolate, made primarily from organic nuts/seeds (no soy/rice/pea proteins) this will keep you full and satiated without causing constipation like most processed protein powders. It’s expensive at $2.50/servings, but works like no other!

• Lesser Evil Popcorn has a ton of organic and vegan options and flavors.

• Ghia Signature Non-Alcoholic Apertif or Ghia Non-Alcoholic Le Spritz (not organic, but vegan and gluten-free).

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1 Holodny, E. (n.d.). This chart shows a major shift in the way Americans eat. Business Insider. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.com/food-spending-on-home-versus-away-from-home-2017-7

2 https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-prices-and-spending/?topicId=2b168260-a717-4708-a264-cb354e815c67#:~:text=Food%2Dat%2Dhome%20spending%20increased,to%20%241.17%20trillion%20in%202021.

3 Kotifani, A. (2021, September 20). Want to eat better and live longer? learn to cook. Blue Zones. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.bluezones.com/2018/04/want-to-eat-better-and-live-longer-learn-to-cook/

4 Admin. (2021, April 30). History of blue zones. Blue Zones. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.bluezones.com/about/history/

5 ibid

6 Admin. (2021, April 30). History of blue zones. Blue Zones. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.bluezones.com/about/history/