EASY VEGAN BLW MEAL PREP

If you have a spare hour, you can get the freezer stocked with this easy vegan BLW meal prep – its got pumpkin bread, lentil veggie frittata slice, and orange and cranberry muffins! We just whipped up 3 different baby-led weaning recipes in just one hour that are all nut-free, soy-free and freezer-friendly, so they’re perfect for stocking up the freezer for easy and healthy ready-to-go snacks that you can send to nursery or as back-to-school lunchbox fillers!

The key to making meal preps run smoothly (especially if you have kids help), is to have all the ingredients ready, like having all the flours and spices measured out in bowls, and veggies chopped in advance, so you can simply mix and stir without having to go back and forth. 

This meal prep takes exactly one hour from start to finish. The recipes are all provided as standalone recipes in case you don’t want to do them all at once, but if you do, this little timeline should help:

1. First, start by soaking your lentils while everything else is prepped. 
2. Add the veggies for the lentil slice into your baking dish, and place it in the preheated oven to soften while you prep the pumpkin bread. 
3. Make the pumpkin bread and place it in the oven. When you put the bread in, remove the veggies, then proceed with the rest of the recipe ~ 10 mins with blending, mixing, and topping. Add the slice back to the oven (this now takes around the same time as the pumpkin bread to come out as the pumpkin bread will have been in for 10-15 minutes already).
4. Finish by making the muffins, as they take 18 minutes to bake. Once you’ve mixed and added them to your tin, you can wait ~5 minutes and add in to the oven when the bread and lentil slice have 18-20 minutes remaining, so they all come out at the same time. Take the last bit of baking time to do a little tidy and clean up, so you can then sit down and enjoy the snacks!

We paired up with our friends over at GreenPan to create these recipes using their new Reserve bakeware range – they’re PFAS-free, non-toxic, and non-stick ceramic coated bakeware. If you aren’t using these and your pans aren’t non-stick please use liners, baking paper, or grease your tins as needed. 

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Orange & Cranberry Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 150

Suitable For 6m+

Perfect for a quick breakfast or lunchbox friendly snack.

Ingredients

WET INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large bananas (220g peeled)
• 125 ml orange juice
• Zest 1 orange
• 60 ml coconut oil (melted; sub olive oil)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 150 g spelt flour
• 50 g rolled oats
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 75 g dried cranberries (omit <18 months)

Metric - US Customary Units

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 180c/350f.
• Mash bananas in a large bowl until smooth. Then stir in the remaining wet ingredients.
• Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Spoon into a muffin tray (we used the GreenPan Reserve muffin tray which is non stick, if not using it add liners or grease). Bake for 18–20 minutes until risen and lightly golden (a toothpick will come out clean).
• Cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool fully.

Storage

Store in an airtight container on the bench for 2 days, in the fridge for 5 days or freezer for up to 2 months.

Calories: 150kcal

Course: Breakfast, Snacks

Nutrition - Per Serving

Serving: 1 muffin | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

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Pumpkin Spice Bread

Servings 10

Calories 212

Suitable For 6m+

6+ months* - This loaf is a winner for toddlers and grown ups. Slice for snacks or bake as muffins for lunchboxes.

Ingredients

WET INGREDIENTS:

• 400 g pumpkin (cooked weight - mashed. Don’t overcook it or it goes too watery)
• 80 ml coconut oil (melted)
• 60 ml maple syrup (omit for under 12 months)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 80 ml soy milk

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 160 g wholemeal flour
• 100 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (optional to top, omit for under 18 months)

Metric - US Customary Units

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 180c/350f.
• In a large bowl mash the pumpkin until smooth, then stir in the remaining wet ingredients.
• Add all of the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined.
• Pour into the loaf tin (we used the Reserve loaf tin) and smooth the top (add seeds if using).
• Bake for 45–50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool fully before slicing.

Storage

Store covered at room temp for 2 days, in the fridge for 5 days, or freeze slices for up to 2 months.

Calories: 212kcal

Course: Breakfast

Nutrition - Per Serving

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6259IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg

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Lentil Veggie Frittata Slice

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 333

Suitable For 6m+

This is a lentil take on our chickpea frittata - it’s packed with plant protein and lots of veg. Perfect warm for dinner or cold in the lunchbox.

Ingredients

LENTIL BATTER:

• 200 g dried red lentils (rinsed)
• 250 ml vegetable stock (low-salt, or water)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 2 tsp cornstarch (or arrowroot)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 15 g nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp kala namak (optional; for eggy flavour, omit <12 months)

VEGGIES (finely chopped):

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch broccolini
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 4 handfuls baby spinach
• 50 g grated vegan cheese (to top; optional)

Metric - US Customary Units

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 180c/350f.
• Soak lentils in hot water for 15–20 minutes to soften while you prep the rest.
• Add the veggies to your baking pan (we used the rectangular Reserve cakepan) with the olive oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes to soften.
• Blend the drained, soaked lentils with all remaining batter ingredients until smooth.
• Remove the veggies from the oven and pour over the batter. Stir to combine. Top with cheese if using, then bake for 35-40 minutes until set and lightly golden.
• Allow to cool for 10–15 minutes before removing from the tin and slicing in to 10 slices (it firms as it cools).

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Calories: 333kcal

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Mains

Nutrition - Per Serving

Serving: 2 slices | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 896mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4020IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 6mg