Ten Quick and Easy Plant based Lunches

Is your life over the top busy?

For me, life is busy and it just keeps getting busier. I was texting a friend and stated things seemed to be more crazy busy since COVID. I added, “I can’t pinpoint why necessarily…can you?”

He replied, “It’s spiritual, I am sure.”

And I wrote back, “Excellent answer.”

If you’ve been feeling crazy busy and are having trouble finding time to take care of yourself, join the crowd.

We know we have an enemy that wants to destroy us (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8) and he knows his time is very short (Revelation 12:12)… So, the busier he can make you, the less time you will have to take care of your physical health. And the less you take care of your physical health, the less you will be able to focus on your spiritual life. We are one unit. Whatever affects our physical health will affects our spiritual health.

Therefore, I think it is important to get some ideas for how to make quick, easy, healthful meals that are plant-based but will not take a lot of time in the kitchen. 

Last week I shared some breakfast ideas.

Today I will give you ten quick and easy, comforting, full of fiber, plant-based meals that are perfect for when you are crazy busy, but still want whole-food, plant-based, with no meat, dairy, or eggs and can be prepared in 15 minutes or less. Does that sound good?

Also, some of these meals are great for batch-cooking and freezing in serving portions for a meal later in the week or month.

A simple formula for a healthy plant-based lunch

Build your plant-powered lunch around these four components:

• Protein: Beans, lentils, peas, tofu, edamame, nuts or seeds, etc.

• Fiber-rich carbohydrates: Brown rice, quinoa, oats, potatoes/sweet potatoes, whole-grain bread, or other whole food plant starches.

• Vegetables: Fresh, frozen, cooked, or leftover vegetables.

• Flavor: Lemon, lime, salsa, herbs, spices, nutritional yeast, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, your favorite dressings, etc.

Time-savers: Keep cooked grains, canned beans, frozen vegetables, and a simple homemade dressing ready to go. You can mix and match for lunch every day without starting from scratch.

Ten Plant-Based Quick and Easy Lunches

1. Quick Garden Vegetable Soup  Simmer vegetable broth with carrots, celery, zucchini, spinach, and Italian herbs. Add a couple spoonful's of cooked white beans. Serve with bread, toast or crackers. Great for batch cooking and freezing.

2. Fresh Chickpea Salad  Toss chickpeas with cucumber, tomatoes, greens, and red onion. Dress with fresh lemon juice, plant-based mayo, nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powders, salt and other seasonings such as sage to taste. When ready to eat, make a bed of green and top with chickpea salad. A great one-dish meal. Great for leftover meals.

3. Steamed Vegetables with Lemon-Herb Dressing  Steam broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green beans. Finish with lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and nutritional yeast. Add a leftover baked potato. Can also add a side of beans, tofu or cashew cheese.

4. Crunchy Lettuce Wraps  Fill lettuce leaves with chopped zucchini, shredded carrots, cabbage, and crumbled tofu, seasoned with ginger, garlic, and a little Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.

5. Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl  Place 1 cup pre-washed quinoa in an electric pressure cooker, add 1¼ cups vegetable broth. Set for 1 minute at high pressure and use natural release. Open a can of black beans, add salsa and fresh spinach, a bit of chili powder and other seasonings to taste such as cumin and coriander. Pour beans over cooked quinoa, and if available, serve with a tossed salad. Quinoa and beans freeze well.

6. Chickpea, Zucchini & Tomato Skillet  Sauté sliced zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and garlic in a couple Tablespoons of water. Stir in chickpeas, fresh basil (can use dried), oregano, salt and nutritional yeast.

7. Easy Creamy Pumpkin Soup  Heat cooked pumpkin (fresh) with vegetable broth, garlic, cumin, and unsweetened coconut milk. Blend until smooth. Serve with a side salad, if available, and baked tofu, if available.

8. Tomato, Cucumber & White Bean Salad  Combine a can of white beans, drained, diced tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and lemon juice. Serve over a bed of leafy greens with Marty’s Favorite Dressing.

9. Quick Green Vegetable and Rice Bowl  Cook 10-minute brown rice according to directions on the package. Steam edamame, green peas, broccoli, and carrots. Toss with lemon juice, ginger, and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos to taste. Add rice to a bowl and top with prepared vegetables.

10. White Bean Toast & Tomato  Mash warmed white beans with lime juice, garlic, and parsley, add tahini and if desired, and other seasonings such as garlic, basil, and oregano, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. Spread on toasted whole-grain bread and top with sliced tomatoes. Serve with cucumber slices or spears.

Choose one or two of the above recipes to make a week. If you try something different every day you will be overwhelmed and may have too many leftovers.

Happy Quick Cooking!

Blue Skies,

Dana

Dana West, RDN, LD thrives on helping her amazing clients get a new lease on life by embracing health and conquering disease, living with renewed energy and enthusiasm, through learning to cooperate with God, Our Chief Physician. If you’re desiring to improve your weight, health markers, sleep, or energy so you can live life to the fullest again – then join Better Together: A Monthly Health Challenge Club. Wanna Join? Deets Here

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Giving Tuesday Is Just One Month Away - Together, We Can Change More Lives!

Imagine helping someone move from a life limited by chronic pain and declining health to one filled with renewed strength, greater freedom, and hope for the future.

That is what your generosity can help make possible!

At Abundant Health Wellness Center (AHWC), our mission is to share God's Ten Essentials for Health™, practical health education, and the life-changing hope found in His Word. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to experience better health physically, mentally, and spiritually, regardless of their financial circumstances. And often, the results are truly amazing! 

Just listen to what Debbie shared after receiving sponsorship to participate in our Start a New YOU!® program:

“I am so excited I was able to join Dana’s Start a New YOU! program through her sponsorship program! I suffered from autoimmune arthritis that prevented me from being able to move my fingers well and even had a trigger thumb and I had pain all over. And even with my healthy diet and lifestyle, the arthritis continued to get worse.

I learned controlling portions in my diet and digestive walks, getting in the sun more, and all the ten essentials for health improved my health situation beyond my wildest dreams.

Today, I can make a fist and even my thumb bends now! I can move all my joints without pain. I no longer suffer from leaking gut, I lost 20 pounds, and am at my desired weight. I feel so much better!”

~ Debbie Serrano

Debbie's story is a beautiful reminder of why this mission matters!

Because someone cared enough to help provide a sponsorship, Debbie had the opportunity to learn, apply new health principles, and experience meaningful, healing changes in her life.

Your gift can help make another story like Debbie's possible.

Giving Tuesday is December 1, 2026, and Your Generosity Can Double the Hope!

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This means your support can help us provide financial assistance to individuals who otherwise might not be able to participate in:

• Start a New YOU!®: Our online disease-reversing health program designed to help participants learn practical lifestyle principles and take meaningful steps toward better health and less disease.

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Think about the possibilities! More people receiving the tools to improve their health, more individuals finding encouragement when they need it most, and more lives discovering the connection between physical wellness and spiritual hope.

Would you help us make this possible?

As Giving Tuesday approaches, we invite you to prayerfully consider making a special gift to Abundant Health Wellness Center. Your generosity could be the helping hand someone needs to begin their journey toward better health.

You don't have to wait until December 1 to make a difference! An early gift can help build momentum toward our Giving Tuesday goal and prepare us to provide more sponsorships in the coming year.

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Prefer to give by check? Please make your check payable to:

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With heartfelt appreciation,

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