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The Vegan Week: Meal Prep Recipes to Feed Your Future Self
Prepare for your week with this smart, practical, and delicious guide to vegan meal planning from the Full Helping blogger Gena Hamshaw, author of Power Plates .
“Gena Hamshaw takes the perfection out of meal-planning, making fresh, cozy, plant-based meals accessible—no matter what your week might look like.”—Kristen Miglore, author of Food52 Genius Recipes
Home cooking can be a challenge when life gets busy. Meal prep is the fix for having flavorful, nourishing meals to rely upon all week long. Gena, a longtime vegan with a demanding schedule, prioritizes nutritional balance as well as taste in this hands-on meatless primer. The Vegan Week will teach you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting meals over the weekend, whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare.
Discover new, plant-based favorites like Tangy Cashew Lime Noodle Bowls and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Greens, as well as classics like Pasta e Ceci and Seitan Goulash. Gena will help you to use your time in the kitchen effectively, so that you create and store filling, flavor-forward recipes—recipes that you'll look forward to as the week goes by. This book is a roadmap to eating vegan food regularly, incorporating it into daily life even when things are hectic. Thanks to meal prep techniques and recipes, you won't have to choose between the demands of your schedule and your desire to prioritize taste, nutrition, and the joy of eating homemade food.
“Gena Hamshaw takes the perfection out of meal-planning, making fresh, cozy, plant-based meals accessible—no matter what your week might look like.”—Kristen Miglore, author of Food52 Genius Recipes
Home cooking can be a challenge when life gets busy. Meal prep is the fix for having flavorful, nourishing meals to rely upon all week long. Gena, a longtime vegan with a demanding schedule, prioritizes nutritional balance as well as taste in this hands-on meatless primer. The Vegan Week will teach you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting meals over the weekend, whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare.
Discover new, plant-based favorites like Tangy Cashew Lime Noodle Bowls and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Greens, as well as classics like Pasta e Ceci and Seitan Goulash. Gena will help you to use your time in the kitchen effectively, so that you create and store filling, flavor-forward recipes—recipes that you'll look forward to as the week goes by. This book is a roadmap to eating vegan food regularly, incorporating it into daily life even when things are hectic. Thanks to meal prep techniques and recipes, you won't have to choose between the demands of your schedule and your desire to prioritize taste, nutrition, and the joy of eating homemade food.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published December 27, 2022
79 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 23, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this book about meal prepping for the future. There are fabulous descriptions, information, and recipes. Before reading this, I thought meal prepping meant leftovers. Now I understand how to plan for the future. Besides the delicious recipes, there is a decision tree to help decide how much and what kind of food to make. Seriously, I’m an avid cold and have been vegan for 7 years and I learned a ton of new techniques that enriched my life! Many thanks to the publisher and Gena, the author for this wonderful ARC.
October 24, 2023
Very tasty dishes with complex flavors.
January 15, 2024
I have a LOT of vegan cook books.. way too many.. but this one has helped me get out of the vegan cooking block more than anything else. Great guides/recipes/suggestions for vegan meal prep.
August 1, 2024
It took Ron having a heart attack but we are going to try it. The recipes look good, not too many unknown ingredients, and not too time consuming. I like that they can be made ahead and frozen to pull out as needed.
May 5, 2023
I appreciate the honesty in Hamshaw's work, her steadfast approach to recipe development yields thoughtful recipes. With her latest book, The Vegan Week, Hamshaw shows that meal planning and prep is a wonderful way to guarantee your time in the kitchen is well-spent. When Hamshaw tells us in her introduction, "My present-day self thanks my past self for her forethought and effort" she's reinforcing the idea that we can lighten the cooking load so that on days when life feels complicated and cooking is a chore/burden, we have provided ourselves with nourishment. The Vegan Week meets home cooks where they're at -- I find that I'm not much for planning, but I do find that batch cooking lightens my weekly cooking load, so I found this information useful to me. Throughout the beginning section, Make-Ahead Cooking For Real Life, Hamshaw walks cooks through the steps of meal planning (from knowing how to plan, looking at what she calls the "macronutrient balance", shopping, prepping the ingredients, cooking, and storage/reheating). While meal planning can feel involved or overwhelming, she also reminds us to be kind to ourselves and shows home cooks using the How much time do you have?/Prep according to available time diagram that even with an hour (or a few) we can get cooking. Even the smallest of steps will have a big impact later. If you're new to vegan cooking, the section on Noteworthy Ingredients outlines the essential/everyday ingredients she uses throughout the book -- cooking through her recipes, I found that I had much of what is called for already in my pantry or refrigerator and the rest I could buy at my local grocery store. As for the recipes, The Vegan Week is divided up into 9 main chapters: 1) Proteins, 2) Vegetables & Starches, 3) Sauces, Spreads, Dressings, & Dips, 4) Breakfasts, 5) Snacks, 6) Bowls & Lunch Boxes, 7) Stovetop Meals, 8) Oven Meals, and 9) Desserts.
What I long for in batch cooking is versatility – take the recipes for Lentil Apple Sage Patties and the Simple “Eggy” Squares. While both can be destined to be assembled together in the To-Go Breakfast Sandwiches, I found that the patties, if made a little larger, make superb veggie burgers and, the “Eggy” Squares also taste good when perched on a bed of rice, splashed with some soy sauce. Once the patties and squares are made, they can be frozen, then reheated when it’s time to eat. As a side note, the combination of chickpea flour and silken tofu in the eggy squares gives the uncanny texture of an actual egg. Since trying it, I’ve made it several more times as my family really likes it.
Saturday morning in our house is usually reserved for scones, so I was keen to give the recipe for Dark Chocolate Oat Scones a try. Easy to mix and bake, they can be frozen for up to 6 weeks (although, I know we had them gone in just a few days!). I baked these up on a Saturday morning and we continued to enjoy them for a few more breakfasts. I froze the extras and found they thawed well, with no change to the flavour or texture. Speaking again of versatility in recipes, this scone recipe could also be made using different add-ins. While the chocolate (as my husband would say) is crucial, I think that chopped dried fruit or nuts would work well too.
Winter is the time when I look for those warming, comforting recipes and, the recipe for Mixed-Potato Quinoa Stew totally fits this criterion. Red onion, garlic, chiles, and some warming spices give this stew a great base for the potatoes, greens (I used kale here), quinoa, and bell pepper. I appreciate a good chunky stew/soup that eats like a meal and, like all the recipes in this book, can be made ahead of time and frozen. Since it also keeps well in the fridge, we enjoyed it over a couple of meals. And, while I haven’t given it a try yet, I feel like this stew would be a great lunch to send to school with my daughter too.
We’ve all had those nights where there is no set plan for dinner and, it was on one of these nights that I decided to give Hamshaw’s One-Pot Pasta with Olives & Capers a try. Here, all of the ingredients are put into a large pot then left to cook – so, instead of cooking the pasta and sauce separately, they cook together. I really liked the combination of kale, crushed tomatoes, beans, olives and capers – a slightly sweet/salty taste, with the flavours infusing the noodles as they cook.
Cooking through Hamshaw’s recipes, either from her books or blog, I feel her inherent kindness through each step. I also appreciate that her recipes are nutritious and delicious (and, so beautifully photographed by Ashley McLaughlin). In the introduction to The Vegan Week, she tells us that while she can feel overwhelmed or discouraged with cooking, it’s having a recipe and a plan that helps her through. Which is why she’s written this cookbook focused on meal prep. So instead of feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, I’ve relied on her recipes and prep strategies at meal times.
A version of this review is also posted to www.shipshapeeatworthy.com
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ten Speed Press for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
What I long for in batch cooking is versatility – take the recipes for Lentil Apple Sage Patties and the Simple “Eggy” Squares. While both can be destined to be assembled together in the To-Go Breakfast Sandwiches, I found that the patties, if made a little larger, make superb veggie burgers and, the “Eggy” Squares also taste good when perched on a bed of rice, splashed with some soy sauce. Once the patties and squares are made, they can be frozen, then reheated when it’s time to eat. As a side note, the combination of chickpea flour and silken tofu in the eggy squares gives the uncanny texture of an actual egg. Since trying it, I’ve made it several more times as my family really likes it.
Saturday morning in our house is usually reserved for scones, so I was keen to give the recipe for Dark Chocolate Oat Scones a try. Easy to mix and bake, they can be frozen for up to 6 weeks (although, I know we had them gone in just a few days!). I baked these up on a Saturday morning and we continued to enjoy them for a few more breakfasts. I froze the extras and found they thawed well, with no change to the flavour or texture. Speaking again of versatility in recipes, this scone recipe could also be made using different add-ins. While the chocolate (as my husband would say) is crucial, I think that chopped dried fruit or nuts would work well too.
Winter is the time when I look for those warming, comforting recipes and, the recipe for Mixed-Potato Quinoa Stew totally fits this criterion. Red onion, garlic, chiles, and some warming spices give this stew a great base for the potatoes, greens (I used kale here), quinoa, and bell pepper. I appreciate a good chunky stew/soup that eats like a meal and, like all the recipes in this book, can be made ahead of time and frozen. Since it also keeps well in the fridge, we enjoyed it over a couple of meals. And, while I haven’t given it a try yet, I feel like this stew would be a great lunch to send to school with my daughter too.
We’ve all had those nights where there is no set plan for dinner and, it was on one of these nights that I decided to give Hamshaw’s One-Pot Pasta with Olives & Capers a try. Here, all of the ingredients are put into a large pot then left to cook – so, instead of cooking the pasta and sauce separately, they cook together. I really liked the combination of kale, crushed tomatoes, beans, olives and capers – a slightly sweet/salty taste, with the flavours infusing the noodles as they cook.
Cooking through Hamshaw’s recipes, either from her books or blog, I feel her inherent kindness through each step. I also appreciate that her recipes are nutritious and delicious (and, so beautifully photographed by Ashley McLaughlin). In the introduction to The Vegan Week, she tells us that while she can feel overwhelmed or discouraged with cooking, it’s having a recipe and a plan that helps her through. Which is why she’s written this cookbook focused on meal prep. So instead of feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, I’ve relied on her recipes and prep strategies at meal times.
A version of this review is also posted to www.shipshapeeatworthy.com
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ten Speed Press for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
January 2, 2023
What really stood out to me about this book, is the meal prep section on pp.4-9. Hamshaw designed a smart flowchart depending on meal needs and/or available time to do so. It’s a smart start to any cookbook, but the fact that this one is designed for plant-based diets is even greater. As someone who is part-time plant-based, I’m looking for ways to make this lifestyle more streamlined and simplified. There’s a lot of versatility in the food choices & flavors, too, which also makes life easier.
Even if you’re not vegan/plant-based, many of these dishes make fantastic sides to offer variety, or bring along to a pot luck gathering. The “Snacks” section was full of easy to prep ahead options, and the Hummus Pinwheels were just awesome, light, and filling. I think the Crispy Ranch Chickpeas are going to be my new favorite way to add crunch to a salad or even enjoy on its own. The “Bowls & Lunch Boxes” section has a really great sampling of how great plant-based on the go can be for a quick healthy lunch that didn’t leave me ready for nap time like a lot of carb-heavy vegan meals can (my favorite being the Tumeric Roasted Cauliflower & Brown Basmati Bowls… so far). Am excited to mix and match the recipes in this section because lunches are the area I am most in need of make-ahead meal prep. The comfort food dept. is also well represented, and I really enjoyed the Bigger is Better Vegetable Lasagna, which can be adjusted to any taste (packed w/ veggies or plant-based protein of choice). All in all, just a fantastic representation of all that plant-based cooking (and now meal prep) has to offer. I’ve received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
Even if you’re not vegan/plant-based, many of these dishes make fantastic sides to offer variety, or bring along to a pot luck gathering. The “Snacks” section was full of easy to prep ahead options, and the Hummus Pinwheels were just awesome, light, and filling. I think the Crispy Ranch Chickpeas are going to be my new favorite way to add crunch to a salad or even enjoy on its own. The “Bowls & Lunch Boxes” section has a really great sampling of how great plant-based on the go can be for a quick healthy lunch that didn’t leave me ready for nap time like a lot of carb-heavy vegan meals can (my favorite being the Tumeric Roasted Cauliflower & Brown Basmati Bowls… so far). Am excited to mix and match the recipes in this section because lunches are the area I am most in need of make-ahead meal prep. The comfort food dept. is also well represented, and I really enjoyed the Bigger is Better Vegetable Lasagna, which can be adjusted to any taste (packed w/ veggies or plant-based protein of choice). All in all, just a fantastic representation of all that plant-based cooking (and now meal prep) has to offer. I’ve received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
December 30, 2022
I’ve received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review. This cookbook is all about prepping meals to save time when it comes to cooking during the week. In Gena’s introduction she states that she hears from people all the time that they don’t have time to cook. She said at the beginning that she couldn’t understand this complaint until she had a job that when she came home from work she didn’t want to prep for dinner. This is when she decided to plan ahead and do the prepping for the week or two. Gena starts with make ahead cooking for real life: 1. Be kind to your future self, 2. Have a flexible plan, 3. Remember variety and finally Prioritize. This is what Gena does, she walks you through this plan step by step. Then she gives you some great recipes that you can choose to prep for you meals. Such as for Breakfast: Blueberry Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Waffles (Delicious), and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole. For Lunch: Taco Salad (Yum) amd Romesco Rice Bowls with Roasted Broccoli. For Dinner: Vegan Fried Rice, Pappa al Pomodoro (Super Tasty), Bigger is Better Vegetable Lasagna, Sheet Pan Nachos, and finally for desserts: Mini Apple Galettes (Scrumptious), Fudgy Brownies, and Almond Biscotti. ALL vegan style recipes. A great book to add to your cookbook library.
December 26, 2022
I loved The Vegan Week and I would recommend it to everyone, not just vegans. It is filled with delicious and nutritious meals and snacks. From beans, grains, and legume dishes to soups, pastas, sauces, and desserts. This book has it all. The focus of this book is on plan-ahead, make-ahead meals. While I used this book as a traditional make-it-as-I-needed-it cookbook, the author lays out how to plan and execute batch cooking over a weekend for a week of healthful eating. Recipes are uncomplicated and use everyday ingredients. Stand-out recipes for me were chickpea piccata, broccoli tahini pesto pasta, and smoky, spicy lentils. I also loved the root vegetable chocolate cake that used beets in the cake and sweet potato puree in the icing. Delicious!
I received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
I received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
June 22, 2023
Beautiful pics, organized sections, great for beginners or experienced plant-based home cooks looking for meal prep ideas.
Recipe I would like to make (or someone can make for me) was the blueberry crumb cake though I would probably look for a vegan butter substitute. (Cause that stuff is expensive!)
There’s are some proteins I don’t often use — soy curls, tempeh and seitan — but the recipe ideas do make them sound as if they’d taste better than I expect.
While I didn’t see any recipes using jackfruit (canned in brine) as a protein substitute which I personally found make the best “chicken” taco stuffing, the author offers good info on how to stock a plant-based kitchen with noteworthy ingredients.
Recipe I would like to make (or someone can make for me) was the blueberry crumb cake though I would probably look for a vegan butter substitute. (Cause that stuff is expensive!)
There’s are some proteins I don’t often use — soy curls, tempeh and seitan — but the recipe ideas do make them sound as if they’d taste better than I expect.
While I didn’t see any recipes using jackfruit (canned in brine) as a protein substitute which I personally found make the best “chicken” taco stuffing, the author offers good info on how to stock a plant-based kitchen with noteworthy ingredients.
January 27, 2023
This cookbook has everything from protein packed mains to cozy soups perfect for winter to mouthwatering desserts. I loved how each recipe had storage information tailored perfectly to each meal, so every recipe works as a meal prep option or can be devoured right away! I’m so excited to dig into the dark chocolate oat scones and blueberry crumb cake, or maybe the fudgy brownies and berry peach cobbler. If you’re looking for main meals, Cajun-spiced red beans were calling my name along with the chickpea piccata bowls. And let’s not forgot the snacks and sides; the crispy ranch chickpeas and shiitake bacon are definitely on my list too!
December 27, 2022
This is a fantastic book. I haven't made anything yet, but just the information about how to think about meal planning, prep, and storage makes it a five-star book for me. Some of the tips may seem simple but as someone who gets overwhelmed by planning ahead, and planning for more than one meal at a time, the way Gena outlines how to think about balanced meals and create a plan is beyond helpful. The recipes are simple yet sound delicious. I spent the day reading, drooling, and planning.
Now I can't wait to get cooking - and sampling!
Now I can't wait to get cooking - and sampling!
January 11, 2023
I’ve been following Gena’s blog and am a big fan of her other cookbooks, but I think this may be my favorite. The recipes are straightforward and fast, and I love the way the chapters are structured — I can cook up a few of the proteins, starches and dips/sauces to mix into my own lunch or dinner bowls throughout the week, or use them in the oven/stovetop recipes later on. I can definitely see some of these recipes, like the chickpea-walnut taco meat, become staples in my fridge! I can’t recommend this book enough for people looking to ease into a plant-based diet.
January 10, 2025
I made several recipes from this book, and every single one needed at least double the seasoning for any discernible flavor. Additionally, I was disappointed that all of the "meal planning" instructions were basically the same - "Refrigerate for X days or freeze for up to X weeks."
That being said, the techniques are solid and I think the recipes would be very accessible for new plant-based eaters.
That being said, the techniques are solid and I think the recipes would be very accessible for new plant-based eaters.
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February 7, 2023In general, a great cookbook but the organization of it is a little odd. We break right into recipes, but the recipes are referencing building block recipes, which are mixed throughout the cookbook. It feels like it would've made more sense to put those at the front, then build on them with the more complex recipes after that.
June 9, 2025
Love this book - lovely hardback book with colour photographs and easy recipes. I particularly like that in the sauces/condiments section, there is a summary of all the recipes that use the sauce etc. on each recipe. Therefore if one has leftovers of a sauce, one can easily find another recipe that uses it. Saves time and waste. Also love that ingredients are listed in both grams/ml and cups/ounces. Tasty recipes and the book is well put together.
March 26, 2023
The meal prep and organisation is really useful. I like most of the recipes I have made so far and will make them again. Maybe when I’ve made some more I will be able to upgrade the book to five stars.
January 22, 2025
Gena Hamshaw cookbooks are my bible. If I am in the kitchen, I am probably making something from Gena. The foccacia - amazing, strawberry snack cake - divine! Anything with cashew cream - I am probably eating it!
May 21, 2025
This cookbook is a solid plan for preparing healthy vegan food for the week ahead. The recipes sound delicious and are primarily made with easy-to-find ingredients. I have several Post-it note tabs throughout this book of recipes I want to make.
November 2, 2025
Nothing revolutionary. Not sure why this is considered "meal planning" there's little to nothing about combining the recipes to make a meal plan. Lots of photos; but terrible styling choices that forces me to take away a star.
January 26, 2023
There are some really great recipes in here that I've already dog-eared to try.
July 5, 2023
Some new ideas for me.
February 14, 2024
Some interesting ideas I'll use and recipes I'll try. Not revolutionary if you're already aware of the idea of meal prep.
May 11, 2025
This is a lot of fun and delicious.
made 3 recipes and copied others I liked for future meals.
will ad to my rotation.
made 3 recipes and copied others I liked for future meals.
will ad to my rotation.
August 15, 2025
I made the focaccia from here and I am amazing. It was so good, my husband and I ate the entire pan in 2 days. Go me! Thank you, book, for guiding me to greatness!
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March 17, 2023This book is fine? Like meh? The recipes are good for meal prepping but I thought it would be heavier on the how-to side of prepping components. What I am looking for, which the book never promised tbf, is tips on how to freeze things properly, how to make sure your pre-sliced veggies don’t get slimy, meal charts (eg eat salads early in the week and soups later) and prep charts (“while the veggies are in the oven…”). Does anyone know of a good book that teaches these things? Girlfriend’s tip to “leave headspace in your mason jar when freezing liquids” ain’t gonna cut it lol.
There is a womderful guiding light for building meals buried in the middle of the book: a green, a grain, a bean, a sauce. I so wish the book was organized on that mantra. Pick 3 from each category and you got meals for a week! Alas, it was not to be…. But maybe I should work on building a Notion template based on this idea 💡
Anyways, as vegan cookbooks go, this one is fine. Lovely photos, and overall it is budget friendly. I think you can get all the weirder ingredients from your average health food store: different types of tofu, nutritional yeast, and wheat gluten are vegan staples. Personally, I am going to try out the tofu feta and the alternative pesto, but the other recipes weren’t super eye catching (I eat eggs and I don’t eat gluten, so that cuts out a large part of the recipes of interest).
There is a womderful guiding light for building meals buried in the middle of the book: a green, a grain, a bean, a sauce. I so wish the book was organized on that mantra. Pick 3 from each category and you got meals for a week! Alas, it was not to be…. But maybe I should work on building a Notion template based on this idea 💡
Anyways, as vegan cookbooks go, this one is fine. Lovely photos, and overall it is budget friendly. I think you can get all the weirder ingredients from your average health food store: different types of tofu, nutritional yeast, and wheat gluten are vegan staples. Personally, I am going to try out the tofu feta and the alternative pesto, but the other recipes weren’t super eye catching (I eat eggs and I don’t eat gluten, so that cuts out a large part of the recipes of interest).
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews