Take Them a Meal: Plant-Based Recipes (2024)

It happens to all of us at some point. The people we care about go through a crisis–serious sickness or an extended stay in the hospital–and we want to do something to help. Taking a Plant-Based Meal is a wonderful act of love and can be a catalyst for healing as well.

There is even a free meal scheduling service called Take Them a Mealthat provides a wonderful platform for friends and family members to coordinate meals to help people during their time of need. I am so excited that TTAM has asked me to share some recipes for those who would like to provide healthy plant-based options. 12 of my favorites are listed below.

Providing Healthy Food Can Be a Catalyst for Healing

From personal experience, as someone who has suffered from multiple chronic medical issues, I can testify to the healing power of food. For over a decade, I dealt with painful and swollen joints, high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleeping issues, obesity, and a host of other medical conditions.

Only by changing the foods I ate, was my body able to heal and allow me to become healthy and medication-free after years of taking prescriptions and declining health. My health journey has led to many changes in my life, as you will see from reading my story.

Food truly is medicine!

As a Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, I get to see people regularly who are preventing and reversing diseases with a whole food plant-based diet. This includes myself and the students I teach in classes. Chronic medical issues like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some autoimmune diseases are no longer controlling the lives of many former sufferers.

What is a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet?

Eating plant-based, whole foods means fueling your body from the following food groups:

WHOLE GRAINS– This group includes brown rice, millet, oats, barley, corn, bulgur, and all products made from whole grains including bread, cereals, pasta, and more. Whole grains are filling but have very little fat. In countries where whole grains are staples, such as rural Asia, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers, are much less common than in the States and Europe.

LEGUMES– This group includes beans, peas, and lentils. They are hearty, high protein foods that are rich in calcium, iron, cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, and even traces of omega 3 fatty acids.

VEGETABLES– These foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals, are very low in fat, and like all plant foods, have no cholesterol at all.

FRUIT – These are vitamin-rich and have no cholesterol. They do have natural sugar but are low on the glycemic index, except for watermelon and pineapple.

For more information about how diet influences our health, this article, What is a Plant-Based Diet, can help.

When loved ones suffer from illness, it’s a perfect time to surround them with love and healing. Trust me when I tell you that we are not talking about taking them endless bowls of salads and fruit trays.

There are so many delicious recipes to choose from. These are some of my favorite healthy dishes that are great for sharing with those you love.

12 Take Them a Meal plant-based recipe ideas

Plant-Based Casseroles

• Hash Brown Casserole
• Broccoli Rice Casserole
• No-Meat Loaf

Healthy Soups

• Dairy-Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Vegetable Barley Soup

Side Dishes

• Broccoli Slaw
• Easy Bean Salad
• Orzo Basil Veggie Pasta

Desserts

• Glazed Carrot Cake
• Chocolate Mousse
• No-Bake Chocolate Pie

How Does Take Them a Meal Work?

The free service is a true blessing for anyone trying to schedule meals for families who are struggling with illness, adjusting to a new baby, or going through difficult circ*mstances.

Our church uses the Take Them a Meal program to create a customized online sign up sheet that makes it easy for church family members to take meals to those in need. Each person taking part simply picks a day and types in what they are bringing.

The organizing group–support group, church, etc– lets everyone know if the family has any allergies and helps coordinate food drop-off times.

TTAM does all the work by sending out invitations and reminder emails. What a wonderful way to love on people when they need it the most!

What a perfect way to say, “I love you and want to help you get healthy!”

Article on Take Them a Meal website, Take Them a Plant-Based Meal.

This is not a sponsored article, and I received no compensationfor writing this piece. Just happy to share the information with those interested.