The Vegan Week: Meal Prep Recipes to Feed Your Future Self [A Cookbook]

I've been a huge fan of Gena for years now. Power Plates is one of the best done cookbooks in the past decade imo. As a dietician, food blogger and eating disorder survivor, Gena brings her knowledge and experience to the table to create hearty, wholesome meals. In addition to her recipes, I enjoy her sincere, down-to-earth tone and willingness to share her struggles to help others.The Vegan Week is another beautiful work. The beginning has a flowchart to help you get organized. There is a whole chapter on basic vegan proteins and each one lists sample recipes at the bottom that you can use them in. There are also snack and dessert chapters, something that wasn't included in Power Plates, but I know from Food52 Vegan that Gena does amazingly well.Pros:- every recipe tells you how long it keeps in the fridge and freezer and almost all can be made in advance and frozen!- stunning photography and a pic for every recipe- balanced meals that we know Gena does better than anyone (carbs, protein, veg and/or fruit, mostly healthy fats)- no store-bought analog cheese or meat needed (is occasionally optional but she also gives homemade options)- doesn't require odd ingredients for a well-stacked vegan kitchen (the only pantry staple I didn't have were soy curls)- metric mass and volume measurements given!!! And they are correct (worked perfectly in the cornbread)- has both mix and match options and whole meals built on them- she gives ingredient options so you can use what you like or have on hand: eg tamari or Bragg's, yogurt or homemade cashew cream- gives estimates for salt and doesn't just say "to taste," which can be difficult for beginning cooks- as mentioned, also includes snacks and desserts- I've made about 20 recipes so far and have loved most of them. I'm not a fan of most meat/cheese/egg substitutes, so some of those have been the only ones I didn't care for (tofu egg, tofu feta, tempeh chorizo, tofu scramble). That being said, my husband enjoyed them all and we both loved the lentil "sausage" and shiitake bacon.- i could drink the sunflower cilantro dressing it's so goodRelative cons (definitely not deal breakers):- this book uses more vegan butter than Power Plates and probably fewer whole grains, though you could easily substitute them in many cases- it'd be nice if every recipe explained how to reheat, if you need to thaw first or heat straight from frozen and included instructions for reheating in the microwave (many do include this, but not all)- many recipes are somewhat time-consuming (though worth it)Though I'm talking about her like we are besties, I don't know Gena, I just think she is extremely talented and hard-working. Highly recommend buying this book for you and a friend!

This book is full of fresh , simple recipes that breathe new life into my routine.Gena Hamshaw blows me away with her fresh recipes and new flavor combos, yet the end results appeal to me and my husbands traditional traditional leaning taste buds.The food prep diagram and hints work for me. I also dive into some of the recipes , as stand alone on some nights. The desserts are fun and tasty too!And Gena is a Registered Dietitian, so the meals are healthy!This is my second purchase by Gena Hamshaw.Favorite Recipe are the Simple Eggy Squares. I’ve eaten them every day since this book arrived.

I have several other books from this author so decided to try this one as I have always been impressed. This particular book is based on meal prepping, so no matter how crazy your week becomes - and mine do as a working mom who runs a sales team and spends 100 plus nights on the road - you can always have healthy plant based options!The recipes do not call for complicated and expensive shops, long prep times or complicated recipes which is huge and often a reason many forgo healthy options. These dishes can be made ahead, made in bulk with recipes that are easy to follow!There are a few key chapters to help you get started then this book is organized by food type: Protein, Veggies and Starches, sauces, spreads, dressings and dips. The we go into the traditional Breakfast, Snacks, Lunches and bowls, Stovetop meals. Oven means and desserts. I liked the snack as there were several ideas we can use for school lunches , the sauces - as those can transform many dishes and the lunch bowls. Though that said, every chapter had merit!The dessert chapter is also highly worth checking out...LOVED the Chocolate Pots de Creme and that is used began chocolate and not avocado and Cacao ( much as I love avocados....chocolate pudding made from avocado tastes lie chocolates avocado!!) and t4h salted tahini data caramel cups are insane!If you want to eat plant based without fuss, complication, expense and time - this is the book for you!

This book is amazing. It’s loaded with helpful meal planning advice and overall cooking tips that make life as so much easier for people like me who are terrible at planning and need as much help in the kitchen as possible. I’ve only made a few recipes so far, but the ones I’ve made have been fantastic. I made the Fig Bars (which are slightly more involved but not hard and incredibly delicious), the Green Onion & Potato Frittata (which had a new tofu technique to me that made a world of difference for frittata texture), and the Turmeric Chickpea Yogurt Dip using her Tangy Cashew Cream (and was the prefect hat for a purple potato). I’ve followed Gena for years and she puts a lot if work into creating perfectly seasoned dishes and these don’t disappoint. But most of the recipes also give an idea for a base recipe and how to construct a similar type of dish adjusting for personal taste or sensitivities. All the recipes look to be fairly simple and don’t contain any wacky ingredients, yet are flavorful and balanced. I’ll be using this book quite regularly for sure and can’t wait to try everything!Update 1/4/23: I’ve continued to make more recipes and everything just keeps getting better! I made the Edamame Hummus with cilantro, the Pumpkin Waffles and the Caesar Smashed White Beans - which scarily taste like tuna! Everything has been amazing!

I bought this book and "Unbelievably Vegan by Charity Morgan" after I saw the Netflix show "Game Changers"The recipes in The Vegan Week are so much more flavorful than "Unbelievably Vegan", they're easier to make and I find myself using this book 3-4x as much as the other one.100% recommend, especially if you're starting a vegan journey.

I love Gena Hamshaw's recipes! She's the only recipe author that I will buy any book from, no questions asked. The sauce and protein recipes in this book are especially amazing.