Weekly Meal Plan: Ditch Dairy with these Plant-based Recipes Made with Dairy Alternatives!

Non-dairy milks are pretty mainstream; you can find them in coffee shops, some boba tea places, and many places offer their typical options made with non-dairy milk. When you’re just starting out with trying out non-dairy milks, or you’re used to just getting in your regular cup of coffee, you might be wondering how to expand into using non-dairy milks in your meals or throughout the day. It can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out which brand and blend you like (there’s so many out there!) and which non-dairy milk goes best with what dish. Usually, having soy, almond, cashew, or oat milk on hand is an excellent start. Also, having canned coconut milk on hand is a great way to add creaminess to dishes like curry and pasta, as well.

If you’re looking for more information on ditching dairy, check out these roundups: Quick Dairy-Free Survival Tips for Beginners and 10 Delicious Non-Dairy Milk Alternative Recipes to Help You Ditch Dairy!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives!

Are you ready to have a week full of delicious vegan food that leaves you nourished and content? Let’s get started!

This week, we’re bringing you plant-based meals that use non-dairy milk for your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert! And, they are fully vegan and plant-based!

Monday

Source: Creamy Coconut Curry Noodles

Start off your Monday with these delicious dishes! From wonderful pancakes that you can make with a sheet pan, you’ll be able to share with your family or have leftover pancakes for the week! Finish your day on a sweet note with this cooling golden milk ice cream, which makes a perfect nutritious dessert!

• Breakfast: Beyond the Cinnamon Roll Sheet Pan Pancakes by Dustin Harder
• Lunch: Creamy Coconut Curry Noodles by Lenny Wu
• Dinner: Lasagna by Toni Okamoto and Michelle Cehn
• Dessert: Golden Milk Ice Cream by Incredible Vegan Ice Cream, Deena Jalal

Tuesday

Source: Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

A great way to incorporate non-dairy milk in your life is to figure out which one is your favorite and what the best ways to use them. Pancakes are a great food to make when you have non-dairy milk on hand since you can use basically any non-dairy milk for them. Plus, if you’re not feeling pancakes, you can make them into waffles instead.

• Breakfast:  Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes by Doug McNish
• Lunch: Minestrone Pot Pie With Biscuit Topping by Liz Martone
• Dinner: Beet Thoran: South Indian Beet and Coconut Milk Curry by Mira Manek
• Dessert: Monkey Bread Cinnamon Rolls by Lauren Wright

Wednesday

Source: Jalapeño Mac and Cheese Burger With Shiitake Bacon

It’s Wednesday and that means that you might be feeling that mid-week slump. Let these chickpea omelets keep you fueled through your morning. Plus, you can make this comforting dinner of a mac and cheeseburger for dinner! Closeout the day with a great bowl of this coconut vanilla ice cream!

• Breakfast: Chickpea Flour Omelet With Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Mushroom, and Spinach Filling by Philipp Ertl
• Lunch: Hawaiian-Style Fried Tofu With Coconut Rice by Cara Carin
• Dinner: Jalapeño Mac and Cheese Burger With Shiitake Bacon by Gabrielle St. Claire
• Dessert: Cashew Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream by Caroline Doucet

Thursday

Source: Peanut Milk, Banana, and Cocoa Smoothie by Annie Oliverio

Have you had peanut milk before? You can try it out in this smoothie that’s made with peanut milk, banana, cocoa powder for a filling start to your day! If you don’t have any time to make a full lunch, you can use leftovers, or even use another meal on this plan to replace it.

• Breakfast: Peanut Milk, Banana, and Cocoa Smoothie by Annie Oliverio
• Lunch: Middle Eastern-Style Veggie Bake by Mouthwatering Vegan (Miriam Sorrell)
• Dinner: Potpie Noodle Casserole by Jenn Sebestyen and Kelli Foster Kelli Foster
• Dessert: Sugar Cookies by Nicole Dunai

Friday

Source: Drizzled Cinnamon Roll Bread

What’s better than it being Friday? That your Friday starts with this easy smoothie bowl. Not only does it have four ingredients, but it’s simply delicious, too. On this Friday, enjoy a wonderful potato chip-encrusted chicken salad sandwich and end the day with a warm bowl of cabbage soup. Plus, you can eat this epic drizzled cinnamon roll bread for dessert and have the leftovers for a Saturday morning treat!

• Breakfast: 4 Ingredient Blueberry Smoothie Bowl by Robin Browne
• Lunch:  Potato Chip-Encrusted Baked ‘Chicken’ Salad Sandwiches by Betsy DiJulio: Blogger, The Blooming Platter
• Dinner: Red Lentil Cabbage Soup with Cilantro Oil by Stephanie McKinnie
• Dessert: Drizzled Cinnamon Roll Bread by Maria Koutsogiannis

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based or even giving one of these vitamin-rich citrus meals a try, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!