Meal Plan for

Healthy Vegan Eating

By Natasha & Luca

Welcome!
Hi there, thank you so much for purchasing our meal plan. We are so glad that youre interested in improving
your health through a wholefoods, plant based diet. People are often shocked to hear that we havent eaten
wholefood vegan all our lives. In fact, we both grew up eating a standard western diet consisting of meat, dairy,
eggs, and lots of processed and junk food. Over the years we became more focused on our health and tried
supplements, juicing, high fat raw food, super foods and so on. But it was when we discovered this high carb,
low fat vegan diet that our health finally improved. Between us, weve managed to heal an array of problems
such as candida, constipation, poor digestion, fatigue, low libido, asthma, and allergies. So, were excited to
share with you the healing foods that have literally changed our lives!
The aim of this meal plan is to keep people eating vegan long term and focused on wholefoods. Although we
personally choose to eat Raw till 4 style (raw food all day and a cooked dinner), we dont expect other people to
do the same. Thats why we dont set meals for you this is a loose meal plan so that you have options and
can choose what style youd like to eat each day. You have the freedom to mix and match your meals as you
feel. Over time, you may find that you naturally move away from cooked foods for breakfast, and perhaps even
lunch, and slowly transition to the Raw till 4 style but its also okay if that doesnt happen. The main thing is
that you feel good and your health improves.
This meal plan is following the 80/10/10 macronutrient ratio, which simply means:
80% of your total daily calories come from carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables, grains like rice, pasta,
quinoa etc, starches like potatoes)
10% from protein
10% from fat
ALL whole plant foods contain all three macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat), however the ratios of each
determine whether the food is classified as a carb, protein, or fat. For example, a banana has 92.8% carbs, 4.1%
protein, and 3.1% fat, so it is classified as a carb.
For medical doctors preventing and reversing chronic illnesses and disease with this dietary approach, see:

Dr. Neal Barnard nealbarnard.org pcrm.org

Dr. John McDougall The Starch Solution
Dr Michael Greger - nutritionfacts.org (online videos about every health topic imaginable!)
Professor T.Colin Campbell The China Study
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn heartattackproof.com
Dr. Douglas Graham The 80 10 10 Diet (Raw food version)

Following our suggested meal plan will increase your carbohydrate intake, so youll definitely need to keep your
fats low. Otherwise, youll potentially run into trouble with diabetes, blood sugar spikes, and candida.
This TEDx Talk from Dr. Barnard focuses on moving towards a vegan diet, and the section from about 3:20 11:15 goes into a little detail about dietary fat and our cells. For more details, please read Dr. Neal Barnards
Program for Reversing Diabetes.
Because all whole plant foods already contain fat, the only way to keep to the 80/10/10 ratio is to exclude oil
altogether (its not a whole food anyway) and keep nuts, seeds and avocado to a minimum. We recommend no
more than a small handful of nuts and/or seeds across the week.
Oil, however, is not negotiable! In addition to oil wreaking havoc in a high carbohydrate diet, heres a quick
video from one of the worlds leading heart specialists Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who cites various medical studies
and concludes unequivocally NO oil! For more reasons to eliminate oil, read the FAQ on Dr. Esselstyns
website.

This is also a low sodium meal plan. The reason being is that the body retains fluid to buffer sodium (found in
high concentrations in ALL salts). The body retains around 100ml of fluid per 1gram of sodium. Thus, to
minimize fluid retention and encourage weight loss, we dont encourage the use of salt. Of course youre free
to add it if you feel the need to - we recommend no more than 1000mg of sodium per day, and all foods
naturally contain sodium, so they are to be factored into that 1000mg. Instead of salt we use lemon, herbs and
spices. We found our taste buds adapted to the new flavors.
When eating out, just do the best that you can. Dont stress, and remember that its what youre eating the
majority of the time that counts. The most important thing is to make sure its always vegan. After that, try to
order the healthiest option(s), for example something thats steamed instead of deep fried ;) If you feel
comfortable, you can even request dishes with no/low oil and no/low salt.
Before you turn the page to discover our delicious recipes, please remember that optimal health is about so
much more than just what you eat. Other factors to consider are stress, the time you go to bed, quality and
duration of sleep, water and hydration, exercise, mental attitude, gratitude, relationships, and living a life of
purpose. After years of experimentation, we have finally worked out how all these factors come into play and
are now thriving on this lifestyle. Also, please remember that your body may need time to switch to this new
diet and healing does take time it took Luca 3 months to heal candida and start feeling great, so please be
patient. Its very important that you are consistent with your diet if you want 100% results, then you need to
follow the meal plan 100% ;) This meal plan is just the beginning! If youd like more help and support navigating
your health journey, we do offer online Health and Lifestyle Coaching.
Thank you again for choosing to purchase our meal plan now its time to explore and create with abundant
plant foods!
To your health and happiness,

Natasha & Luca

Meal Plan
BREAKFAST
Either:
1) Any whole ripe fruit of your choice.
Winter - e.g. bananas, dates, oranges, apples, pears, kiwi fruit
Summer - e.g. papaya, bananas, melons, dates, pineapple, mangoes, nectarines, peaches (the list is endless!)
2) Fruit Smoothie:
- Banana Berry Smoothie
- Cinnamon Doughnut Smoothie
- Chocolate Banana Smoothie
- Mango Banana Smoothie
- Choc Peppermint Smoothie
- Date Milkshake Smoothie
- Date Chai Smoothie
- Date and Vanilla Smoothie
- Any fruit smoothie combination that you like
- Green Smoothie simply add a green of your choice (e.g. spinach) to any combination of fruit you like.
3) Traditional breakfast:
- Vegan cereal (low sodium and low fat) with a low fat plant milk (soy, rice, coconut, oat, almond, hemp,
hazelnut etc). Can add sliced up banana, or berries, or any other fruit if you like.
- Porridge or oats with low fat plant milk (vegan sweeteners: maple syrup, rice malt syrup, coconut syrup, raw
brown sugar). Can add sliced up banana, or berries, or any other fruit if you like.
- Toast (vegan, low sodium, low fat, and preservative free bread) Topping idea: avocado and sliced tomato, or a
low fat vegan spread.
LUNCH
Either:
1) Whole fruit as above
2) Smoothie as above
3) Leftovers from dinner
4) Store bought vegan food, e.g. sushi (contains rice and avocado/ veggies), noodles & vegetables (rice or wheat
noodles NOT egg), any low fat vegetable and rice dish, a vegan sandwich or wrap such as a burrito.
5) Prepare lunch at home and take it with you - see lunch combo options below
DINNER
- Pumpkin, pea, potato curry with rice (or any grain)
- Leek, cauliflower, broccoli soup / OR pumpkin soup
with rice (or any grain)
- Pasta Sauce Recipes (Napolitana & Vegan
Bolognese sauce)
- Split red lentil, pumpkin and sweet potato soup
with rice (or any grain)
- Warm Pasta Salad
- Veg soup with rice, pasta, or any grain, and optional
lentils/beans

- Lentil Ragu` with pasta or rice

- Potato & Veggie Bake
- Pizza
- Roast potato and pumpkin
- Baked potato chips and sweet chili dipping sauce
- Baked Potatoes
- Risotto
- Asian Noodles with veggies
- Shepherd's Pie
- Stuffed Capsicums

Notes:
For optimal digestion, energy and weight loss, we would recommend people eat fruit for breakfast and
lunch as often as possible.
Smoothies containing bananas should not be over blended as they become aerated and can cause bloating
and gas. Try to pulse (ie: dont let a vortex form) the banana smoothies as much as possible.
Smoothies are a meal so chew them! Chewing pre-digests food in the mouth, slowing the release of
glucose into the bloodstream, and making digestion easier, thus using less energy.
Beans are a great addition to lunch and dinner meals. Supermarkets sell organic canned beans (look for no
added salt and BPA-free lining if possible) and we often add them to salads, soups, wraps, pasta etc. Beans
are a great way to make your meal more filling/ hearty, add more protein and iron to your diet, and help
create interesting dishes. You can add beans to any of the meals we suggest in this plan.
If youre buying wheat pasta, make sure you read the label and check that its egg free. Otherwise, there is
corn or rice pasta (corn is better, just make sure its GMO free).
To aid digestion, we recommend eating lettuce with each cooked meal the alkalinity of greens helps
balance the acidity of cooked foods.
Hydration is vital for proper digestion. Its important to drink up to 1 liter of water 20 minutes before each
main meal. Drinking with meals, or too close to eating, dilutes the digestive enzymes, and hampers
digestion.
We havent indicated quantities for all recipe ingredients, because this will depend on the size of the meal
youre cooking and your personal preferences.
Tips:
Squeezing lemon juice on cooked food is a great replacement for salt.
If you cant be bothered cooking every night, make a larger portion for leftovers ;)
Recommendation: Eat as many fruits whole as you care for in summer, papaya is excellent first thing in
the morning - very cleansing (in Australia, Skybury sweet red papaya is the best).
Special fruit notes:
For optimal digestion and energy, we recommend mono meals of fruit - one type of fruit at a time (so a
bowl of mixed fruit salad is more difficult to digest compared to a bowl of just pears for example). We have
suggested smoothies to help people eat more fruit, but we personally prefer eating whole fruits.
ONLY ever eat melon (all kinds) in the morning, first thing on an empty stomach. Melon has the highest
water content of any food and digests very fast. If eaten after other foods, it will sit on top and ferment in
your gut, causing bloating and discomfort.
You can eat other fruits 30 minutes after melon.
If you want to have fruit as a snack, leave a minimum of 3 hours between any cooked meal and eating fruit.
Eat ripe fruit only! This means you have to buy fruit ahead of time, as the stores only sell unripe fruit. Often
we leave our fruit to ripen for up to a week!

Ripe Bananas MUST have spots like the images below. The spots indicate the starch has converted to sugar, so
they will taste better and wont constipate you! These spotty bananas look perfect on the inside once peeled.
Unripe fruit is acidic and will cause dental problems. Only eat banana number 7 on the chart below.

Tip: If you have more ripe bananas than you can eat, peel and freeze them for smoothies or banana ice-cream,
or you can refrigerate them and they will last for a few days.
The stem and the area around the stem of a ripe papaya should be soft when pressed, and it should look yellow
on the outside and deep red/orange on the inside like this:

RECIPES
Smoothies
Note: regarding dates - they need to be blended well to fully break down. We use a high speed blender, and we
blend dates for 1 minute. You can also soak your dates overnight in water to soften them up if need be. Makes
sure dates are pitted before blending!
Banana Berry Smoothie

Bananas
Frozen Berries
Water (quantity depends on how thick you like your smoothies)
Add dates, coconut sugar or brown sugar, or use lady finger bananas, if you would like it sweeter.
Pulse or blend

These are the frozen mixed berries we buy from Coles supermarkets in Australia.

Cinnamon Doughnut Smoothie

YouTube video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=574JvKTD3b8
Bananas
Rice milk (or organic low fat soy, or oat milk, whatever low fat plant milk you like. We like rice milk because its
sweet). In a 1lt smoothie, we add 1 cup or 200ml of milk so this will vary depending on your smoothie size.
Cinnamon (just a touch as its strong)
Add dates, coconut sugar or brown sugar if you would like it sweeter.
Water (In a 1lt smoothie, we add 350mls. Again this will vary depending on your smoothie size.)
Pulse or blend
Chocolate Banana Smoothie
Bananas
Carob powder (not cacao, its a neurotoxin!) amount will depend on how chocolaty you like it.
Add dates, coconut sugar or brown sugar if you would like it sweeter.
Water (depends on how thick you like your smoothies)
Pulse or blend
Mango Banana Smoothie
Bananas
Fresh or frozen mango
Dates (pitted!)
Cinnamon (just a touch, its strong)

Vanilla (just a little, its strong)

Lime
Water (depends on how thick you like your smoothies)
Pulse or blend

In winter we use these frozen mango cubes:

We use these Vanilla drops:

Choc Peppermint Smoothie

Dates (pitted)
Carob powder (just a touch, its strong)
Peppermint oil (**Important: no more than 1 drop as its very strong!!)
Water (depends on how thick you like your smoothies)
Blend
Date Milkshake Smoothie
Dates (pitted)
Water
Blend until creamy
Date Chai Smoothie
Dates (pitted)
Water
Mixed spices (just a touch, theyre strong). Photo at end of document - includes cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves etc.
Blend
Date Vanilla Smoothie
Dates (pitted)
Water
Vanilla drops (just a little as theyre strong)
Blend

LUNCH
Eating out
Heres an example of what vegan sushi looks like. We made this, but store-bought vegan sushi is very similar. If
vegan sushi is not on the menu, just ask them to make it avocado instead of fish and NO mayonnaise. Use soy
sauce for dipping if desired.

Make your own lunch

Salad
Lettuce (whatever variety you like).
We recommend eating soft lettuce like Iceberg, Romaine/Cos hearts, Coral lettuce, Butter lettuce, Green oak these kind of soft leaves are easier to eat without oil. We used to eat the dark, bitter greens but you need oil
and salt to mask their flavor. Soft greens are the way to go.
To your lettuce you can add cucumber, carrot, grated beetroot, tomato, etc (whatever you like and have access
to). Ideally, we recommend not using too much avocado in order to keep fats low. But, if adding avocado will
help you stick with this meal plan, then go ahead and add it to your salads
Salad Dressing
1) Lemon juice, fresh herbs like coriander, a little spring onion (the green tips are nice and subtle). You can
add sweet paprika if you like, or any other herbs/ spices.
2) Mustard (honey free) and a vegan sweetener like maple syrup or rice malt syrup. Stir this up and pour
over your salad. You can add a splash of Worcestershire sauce too if you like (make sure its vegan
though)
3) Any store bought vegan salad dressing that you like (try to keep it low fat)
Salad dressings can be tricky without oil, salt, and limited avocado but your taste buds will adjust. If you really
need to have some salt then thats ok too, its up to you.

Also, many vegan salad dressings (and recipes) use yeast flakes. We discovered that they are produced in a
similar way to MSG no wonder theyre addictive!! BUT, its up to you if you want to use them as a transitional
food they have a cheesy flavor and are often used as a cheese replacement, so they may help you in the early
stages. They can be used in salads or any cooked food.
Salad Combos
- Boil corn cobs to have on the side of your salad (this is our idea of fast food!)
- Potatoes peel and cut potatoes into small cubes and steam until soft (but not mushy). Add these to your
green salad and stir them through with some Italian herbs (rosemary, oregano etc) and a squeeze of lemon for
a divine potato salad.
- Pumpkin same as the potato salad, but with pumpkin instead.
- Rice boil some rice and toss this through your salad. You can add some raisins for sweetness which is lovely.
- Grains an alternative to rice, you can add any grain you like to your salad (quinoa, millet, amaranth,
buckwheat)
Other options
- Wraps salad, beans and either boiled potato cubes or rice. Use a vegan dipping sauce, chutney, or salad
dressing of your choice. Please check that your wraps are vegan (many contain milk powder) and preferably oil
free and low sodium. As with any processed food, the fewer ingredients the better.
- Supermarkets and health food stores sell vegan cheese and meats (ham slices, etc). You can make a sandwich
or baguette. Avocado or hummus can be used as a spread.
*** For something a little special, add some tempeh (pan fried or baked) to your wrap, sandwich, burrito or
baguette delicious!
- Leftovers! Take leftovers from the previous nights dinner (like a dry curry, or any veggies, a rice dish, etc) and
wrap them up in large lettuce leaves (Buk Choy works well too) or store bought wraps. Of course you can just
have the leftovers as they are if you dont want to wrap them.

Examples

Tempeh
(fermented soy) adds a great texture to sandwiches

Some visual examples and inspiration from our kitchen:

Rice, canned lentils, tomatoes, a few avocado chunks (optional), salad on the side mustard, rice malt syrup &
Worcestershire sauce dressing in the rice mixture

Quinoa, beetroot, mixed veg salad

Potato, rice, raisins and mixed veg salad

Example of leftovers (rice& beans) mixed in with fresh veg and wrapped up in a green leaf.

Example of homemade wraps bean salad with tomatoes, yellow peppers, fresh herbs and mustard dressing,
Jasmine rice (tasty and cooks very fast), wraps are from Coles supermarkets in Australia.

DINNER
Pumpkin, pea, potato curry with rice

YouTube Video Link: http://youtu.be/SEigkHsE62E

Ingredients:
Red onion and/ or spring/green onion (avoid brown onion because its stronger and therefore harder to digest)
Small cubes of pumpkin (Japanese pumpkin is the sweetest and tastiest)
Diced potatoes (Dutch Cream or Kipfler are the tastiest varieties)
Peas (we buy frozen baby peas from the supermarket, theyre lovely and sweet)
Rice (Jasmine is our favorite, especially with this dish, but any kind will do)
Directions:
Steam the potato cubes (the smaller the cubes, the faster they will steam).
After about 10 minutes, add the pumpkin cubes to the steamer (the potatoes will take longer so put them in
first, and hopefully they will both be ready at the same time).
Put your frozen peas in a bowl and cover them with hot water (use a lot of peas because theyre sweet and
fresh tasting, they really lift the meal).
In a large pot, add the onion and some water to steam fry.
Once onion is cooked, add the steamed potato and pumpkin.
Turn the heat down low and start to stir.
Drain the peas and add them in.
Add some water so that the mixture doesnt burn, but just a little bit of water (this is a dry curry) keep stirring.
Keep adding a little water if needed until the curry is ready to serve.
Youll find that the pumpkin will start to break up and it will become mushy.
Add spices: mild curry powder, turmeric, Middle Eastern blend (see end of document).

Chop some parsley and add to the curry just before its ready to serve.
Squeeze of lemon to finish the meal off.
In another pot, boil your rice (Jasmine rice cooks very fast, half the time of brown rice so time your rice to be
ready with the curry according to the variety you use)
Once the curry is stirred through evenly and youre happy with the spices, turn off the heat and serve.
Leek, cauliflower, broccoli soup / OR pumpkin soup with rice

YouTube Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQZ06-aFFFU

Ingredients:
Red onion and/ or spring/green onion
1 leek
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Rice
Add any spices and/ or fresh herbs you like (parsley is nice)
* Add 1 small potato if you want the soup thicker.
Directions:
Chop all the veggies into LARGE pieces.
Put them in a pot and cover with water, bring to boil (just cover the veggies with water, dont fill the pot up
with too much water).
Once the veggies are soft, scoop them out and put them into a blender. Add just a little of the veggie boiling
water.
Blend and serve.

Depending on the size of your blender, you might have to blend the veggies in stages and pour the soup into a
bowl or another pot. Dont add too much water to the blender because it will make the soup too watery (the
veggies will release a lot of liquid when theyre blended).
Also, its important to cut the veggies in large pieces because once they boil they start to get soft and fall apart,
which makes scooping them out of the pot difficult if theyre small. But large chunks are no problem.
OR, you can leave the veggies in the pot, take out most of the boiling water, and then blend the veggies with a
handheld blender

A PINCH of salt is ok in this dish.

In another pot, boil your rice.
Once all is cooked, put your soup in a bowl and add some rice. You dont have to have rice, but it does help add
bulk to this soup, otherwise its very low calorie.
This is the same technique we use for other veggie soups, e.g. pumpkin soup (use mixed spices which has
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves etc, and add parsley). For pumpkin soup, you can also add some plant-milk when you
blend to make it creamy.
Pasta Sauce Recipes (Napolitana sauce and also a Vegan Bolognese sauce)

YouTube video link: http://youtu.be/qhCkpb30z2I

Ingredients:
Red onion and/ or spring/green onion
1 grated carrot
Sliced mushrooms
Bottle of tomato puree (low sodium)
Sundried tomatoes (optional)
Olives
Italian herbs and spices, and fresh herbs if you like
Sweet paprika
A dash of Worcestershire sauce if you like (optional)
A little sugar or sweetener to neutralize the acidity of the sauce
Directions:
Add diced onion to a pot with a little water to steam fry.
Add mushrooms and grated carrot (add a little more water if needed)
Re-hydrate sundried tomatoes in hot water, blend and add to pot (optional ingredient).
Add tomato puree (you can also use cans of diced tomatoes, or a combination of puree and diced tomatoes)
Slice the olives and add.
Add herbs and spices.
Simmer on low heat.
We also enjoy adding a can of Cannellini beans to the sauce this thickens the sauce and makes it hearty.
To turn this sauce into Vegan Bolognese, simply cook some red quinoa in a separate pot and add it to the sauce.
This will create a chewy meat like texture to the sauce delicious!
Boil pasta and serve.

Same sauce as above with mushrooms that were baked in the oven.

Pasta with Peace Balls ;) using quinoa, mushrooms and polenta. Something to try later on when youre
feeling more confident with cooking plant foods the possibilities are endless!

Pasta options - mixed veg. Make the pasta sauce as above, and add whatever mixed veg you like, such as
pumpkin, cauliflower, red capsicum, silverbeet/chard or kale, capsicum, leek etc.

Lentil Ragu` with Pasta or Rice

Ingredients:
Red onion and/ or spring/green onion
1 diced carrot
Sliced celery stalk
Can of diced tomatoes (quantity of tomatoes will depend on how much sauce you are making)
Italian herbs and spices, and fresh herbs if you like
Canned lentils
Sweet paprika
Worcestershire sauce (vegan)
Mustard (honey free)
Sweetener like rice malt syrup
Directions:
Add diced onion to a pot with a little water to steam fry.
Add carrot and celery add a little more water if needed and simmer.
Drain, rinse and add lentils
Add tomatoes
Now add herbs, spices, 1 tablespoon of mustard and 1 tablespoon of sweetener.
A good dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Lower heat and simmer.

Serve the lentil ragu` with pasta or rice.

You can also mix the lentils with a can of Cannellini beans. Or make the dish with chickpeas instead.

Warm Vegan Pasta Salad

YouTube video link: http://youtu.be/64AqBFAtnIM

Ingredients:
Red onion
Baby spinach leaves
Pumpkin (Japanese is the sweetest)
Corn and peas (frozen)
Tomatoes
Red capsicum
Olives
Italian herbs and spices, and fresh herbs if you like
Directions:
Chop the pumpkin into cubes and steam. Once soft, mash the pumpkin in a large pot.
Chop all other ingredients and add to the pumpkin.
Add Italian herbs and spices.
Boil pasta (spirals work best), add pasta to the other veggies and stir through.
Serve.

Veg soup with rice, pasta, or any grain, and optional lentils/beans

YouTube video link: http://youtu.be/Gwp2dWfYNf8

Ingredients:
Soup base Red onion and/ or spring/green onion
Chopped celery
Diced red capsicum
Chopped carrots
Small cubes of potatoes
Tomato puree or canned diced tomatoes
Fresh herbs like parsley and coriander
Spices: paprika, mild curry powder and turmeric
Additional optional ingredients:
Chopped chard/silverbeet, or kale
Chopped green beans
Directions:
Put the onion in a large pot and add water to steam fry.
Once onion is cooked, add all the other vegetable ingredients, plus tomato puree/or canned tomatoes, and
cover with water, bring to boil.
Add spices such as: paprika, mild curry powder and turmeric.
If you have other spices/ flavors that you like using, then please do so.
Chop some parsley and add to the soup just before its ready to serve.
This is the soup base. From here, there are several variations that you can make each week for variety:
- Rice: boil rice separately and add to the soup (one of our favorite combos is mixing lentils and rice, add lemon
juice).
- Pasta: such as risoni, elbows, baby shells all work very well, or even penne. Boil the pasta separately and then
add to the soup.

- Quinoa: once the veggies are almost cooked, add more water to the pot and then add some quinoa to the
soup. The extra water is needed to cook the quinoa. Dont put too much quinoa in because it expands and will
soak up all the water making a very thick soup! (we would have cup in a very large pot of soup). The quinoa
will cook quickly. * Quinoa is very high in protein.
- Whole brown lentils (also called green lentils). Just rinse the lentils and add them to the soup, they will cook in
the soup. Or you can use canned lentils for convenience.
- Beans (whatever type you like), boil dry beans separately and add to the soup. Or use canned beans for
convenience.
Here is an example of the above soup base and then adding pumpkin for sweetness. Plus alphabet pasta or
Bob the Builder pasta that children would like

Split red lentil, pumpkin and sweet potato soup with rice

Ingredients:
Red onion and/ or spring/green onion
Small cubes of pumpkin and sweet yellow potato
A few good quality sweet tomatoes (optional)
Red split lentils (rinsed well)
Rice
Chopped parsley
Spices: paprika, mild curry powder, Middle Eastern spices, and turmeric
Directions:
Dice onions and add to a large pot.
Add some water and steam fry.
Add diced veggies and cover with water, boil.
Once veggies are soft, blend in the pot with a handheld blender. Dont over blend, so that the soup is only
partly blended - you want some veggie chunks to remain.
Now add the lentils and more water if needed.
Add spices.
Add chopped tomatoes here if you like.
Let the soup boil on a low heat until the lentils are cooked.
Add chopped parsley once soup is almost ready.
In another pot, boil your rice.
Once all is cooked, put your soup in a bowl and add some rice.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
This meal has a Middle Eastern/ Turkish feel to it.

Potato & Veggie Bake

Ingredients:
White and/or Sweet potatoes
Red onion
Carrot
Zucchini
Leek
(any other veggies you like)
1 can of diced tomatoes
Herbs and spices
Directions:
Slice the potatoes into discs and lightly steam (however if you have a quality baking dish, you dont need to
steam the potatoes first).
Place some of the canned diced tomatoes in the bottom of your baking dish (to help prevent sticking but if
you have a non-stick dish then this is not necessary).
Once the potatoes are steamed, layer the potatoes and other veggies (sliced into discs) add more of the
canned tomatoes and herbs and spices as you go.
Place in oven and bake.

Pizza

- Store bought pizza bases (dairy and oil free)

- Cover base with some tomato puree and sprinkle some Italian mixed herbs
- OR, you can make a sauce by steam frying some onion, capsicum strips, zucchini slices, tomato puree and
Italian herbs.
- Cut up veggies and dress the base (we use baby spinach leaves on the bottom, then mushrooms, capsicum,
corn kernels, red onion, olives but any veg will be fine)
- You can also use some vegan cheese (sparingly) if you want.
- Put the pizza on baking paper and in the oven (for best results, dont use a baking tray, just put the pizza/
baking paper directly on the oven shelf).
- These bases are pre-cooked so it doesnt take long for the topping to cook - say 15 minutes with the oven on
200 degrees Celsius (392 Fahrenheit). But, bases will vary depending on what you can find in your area. Just
make sure theyre vegan, oil free, and as low sodium as possible.

Roast potatoes and pumpkin (serve with salad)

- Peel and cut white potatoes (and sweet potatoes if you like) into cubes.
- Steam potatoes (dont let them get too mushy). Steam white potatoes first as they take longer and after say
10-15 minutes, add the sweet potato to the steamer for about 5 more minutes.
**steaming first will take less time to bake in the oven. If you dont want to steam, thats fine, just allow
longer in the oven.
- Put potatoes in tray (use baking paper if needed to prevent sticking)
- Sprinkle mixed Italian herbs and sweet paprika (optional)
- Can even add some diced red onion
- Put in oven and bake
- Half way through baking, toss/ flip the potatoes, add more spices and a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
PUMPKIN - leave skin on and simply cut into big chunks.
Place in a baking tray and put in oven.
Put a little bit of water in the tray so that the pumpkin doesnt stick or burn.
Can sprinkle some spices on top Middle Eastern spices, or cinnamon, or mixed spices (optional)

Baked potato chips with sweet chili dipping sauce

YouTube video link: http://youtu.be/EgJg4-osToY

Peel potatoes (white and/or sweet) and cut into chip sizes.
Either steam first and bake for less time, or skip the steaming and bake for a longer time.
Place chips on baking paper and flip half way through cooking once golden on top.
Can sprinkle with herbs and/or spices if desired.
- A faster alternative is to follow the directions for the roast potatoes in the previous meal. This version saves
you having to flip the chips ;) Seasoning is optional. Once the baked potato cubes are ready, you can use a
variety of dipping sauces such as the homemade Sweet Chili dipping sauce in this video link, or a store bought
vegan, low fat sauce/ chutney such as these. We also enjoy using the Mustard and Sweetener dressing as a
dipping sauce. Perfect with a side salad.

Example of baked potato discs with dipping sauce and salad

- An even faster option is to simply steam the potatoes and use a dipping sauce they dont have to be baked.
Baked Potatoes

YouTube video link: http://youtu.be/XOZkv9bw54s

Simply wash and place potatoes in the oven, directly on the oven racks. No need to wrap in foil.
Once a little cooked, poke potatoes with a knife to release pressure and avoid a mess in the oven!
Bake potatoes for about 60 minutes on 200 degrees Celsius (392 Fahrenheit). Potatoes are ready when the
knife can go through easily.
- As an alternative to the tomato and mushroom sauce in the video link, you can also make this meal with
guacamole (mashed up avocado, tomato chunks, diced red onion, parsley, lemon juice), or vegan coconut
cream or yoghurt, or vegan cheese (sparingly, as these are all high fat).
- The salad toppings are up to you.
- You can also make homemade baked-beans simply simmer diced onion, a can of diced tomatoes, cannellini/
navy beans, add herbs and spices to taste parsley is great.

Asian noodles and veggies

Use any colorful veggies that you like broccoli, red and yellow capsicum, snow peas, mushrooms, carrots, red
onion and spring/green onion, zucchini, baby corn, buk choy, Chinese cabbage, bean shoots etc.
- Steam the veggies lightly.
- Steam tofu or tempeh if you like.
- Toss through any low fat vegan sauce that you like (we enjoy Hoisin sauce)
- Boil vegan noodles and top with veggies.
Examples of what we use:

Risotto

YouTube video link: http://youtu.be/D8fMmuHcsFY

Homemade Vegetable Stock:

Chop and boil onion, celery, capsicum, carrot, parsley.
Once soft, blend vegetables with the boil water.
Risotto:
Chop ingredients into small pieces onion, carrot, mushrooms, peas (oil free sundried tomatoes are optional)
Steam fry ingredients in a pot with a little water.
Add risotto rice (Arborio rice) and cover with veggie stock.
Continue to stir occasionally and add more stock if needed.
Add fresh herbs like parsley.
Turn the heat down, cover and allow rice to absorb the liquid.
Once the rice is cooked, fluff with a fork and serve.
There are many recipes for risotto, a simpler version that we enjoy is:
- Cut up a head of broccoli and slice up a heap of mushrooms.
- Steam fry in some water along with red onion and spring/green onion.
- Add the rice and water (we dont use veggie stock in this version)
- Flavor with Worcestershire sauce, a little bit of mustard, any other herbs and spices that you like.
Note: you dont have to make your own veggie stock as we did in this video, you can buy vegan veggie stock and
you can also simply use plain water.
More involved recipes to try.
Shepherds Pie
A divine, but more involved recipe. A great dish to prepare on the weekend or to impress your dinner guests ;)
YouTube video link: http://youtu.be/4_n19uvGJe0

Vegan Stuffed Capsicums/ Bell peppers

YouTube video links: Part 1 http://youtu.be/QkqdTzGDB4A Part 2 http://youtu.be/tYVZXXXBz0M
These videos are a little long because we chat away discussing a few topics whilst cooking this dish dont
worry, stuffed capsicums/ bell peppers dont take that long to cook :)

**Note: since making

this video, we learned
that steaming the
capsicums/ bell peppers
a little before stuffing
and baking works best.

Snack or main meal!

Banana ice-cream with chocolate sauce
Peel and freeze bananas in a plastic container
Put frozen bananas in a high-speed blender and use the tamper to mash up (add a little water or low fat plant
milk to help the blender out). And this can be made with frozen mangoes too.
Sauce - carob powder, water, coconut/raw sugar - stir together in a bowl and pour over the banana ice-cream
Sensational!

Examples of items we use regularly:

Tomato puree:
Low sodium, no nasties, just organic tomatoes.

Worcestershire sauce:
Please make sure its vegan.

Legumes:
Always have a variety of legumes/ beans in your kitchen
and youll be able to fix a quick hearty meal.

Spices: These are some of the spices we use

ADDITIONAL MEAL IDEAS & TIPS:

The meals in this plan are the kind of foods that we eat. However, please dont limit yourself to these meals
only. Add tofu or tempeh to these dishes if you feel the need to. Also, there are many brands of vegan burger
patties, sausages, cheese and yogurt, etc. We would only recommend these foods if you need them to
transition to a vegan diet, but its best to eat a predominantly wholefoods diet long term. Of course there are
also many online recipes for homemade veggie patties if youre craving a healthy veggie burger. The list of
vegan meals is endless and what we have shared in this meal plan is what we eat and what makes us feel great
inside and out.
In order of priority, you should focus on:
1) Eating 100% vegan (plant-based). This is important for your health, the animals, and the environment.
2) Minimalizing processed foods and focusing the majority of your meals around wholefoods.
3) Keeping fats low this is easy to do when the majority of your meals are based on wholefoods.
Finally, its important to make sure youre eating enough. Many people struggle eating enough on a plant-based
diet because plant foods are full of water and fiber, but they are low in calories. As soon as you feel a craving for
animal foods or fried/ fatty/ junk foods, thats an indication that you need to eat more carbohydrates more
plants. This is also true if youre feeling low on energy and reaching for coffee, energy drinks, chocolate or any
other stimulant. So, eat until youre full, satiated, have ample energy, and no cravings for anything other than
healthy plant foods. Also, if you find youre craving dessert after dinner, thats a sign that you havent eaten
enough simple sugars from fruit throughout the day.
Thats all folks!
We hope youve enjoyed reading this meal plan and find it helpful. A forewarning, most of the recipe videos on
our YouTube channel were made when we first created the channel and were still getting used to cooking in
front of the camera so have a good laugh at how the channel first came about ;)
As we mentioned at the beginning of this meal plan, the food you eat is just one piece of the health puzzle. If
you feel you need more help and support navigating your health journey, feel free to contact us about the
online Health and Lifestyle Coaching we offer.
If you havent already, wed love you to connect with us on social media and continue learning.

https://www.youtube.com/user/MoveMeYoga
https://instagram.com/moveme_yogafoodlife/
https://www.facebook.com/MoveMeYoga
http://movemeyoga.com.au/

Thank you once again!

To your health and happiness,

Natasha & Luca