I am meal prepping vegetarian stir fry this week for lunches. I like to try out recipes for my sister who can't handle a lot of meat in her diet due to food allergies, so I'm always on the hunt for cheap, easy meals that are both light in calories and delicious to eat throughout the week. My go-to lunch right now contains sliced mushrooms (8oz for $1 to $2), canned bean sprouts ($1.50) or canned bamboo shoots ($2), and a big bag of coleslaw mix ($1).

In warm, large non-stick pot, throw your drained, canned veg of choice and your mushrooms in with a couple splashes of sriracha, pepper flakes, or your heat agent of choice. The moisture from the canned veg will keep the mushrooms from adhering to the surface of the pan as you move them around. Cook over medium heat while stirring for about 4 minutes or so until heated through.

Throw your bagged slaw mix on top, mix to incorporate, and then your sauce of choice. If you're feeling lazy, (like me), grab a bottle of store brand teriyaki sauce ($1 to $3) and dollop in until just coated. Heat another 2 to 4 minutes until the cabbage is heated through but still very crisp.

Box up for lunches for the week with roasted broccoli ($1 for a bag of frozen, toss directly into 450 degree F oven on parchment after spraying lightly and topping with seasonings of choice: garlic salt, ginger, and pepper are great or the everything-but-the-bagel seasoning).

This makes enough for about 5 lunches to reheat in the microwave at work for me. I sometimes pair it up with a protein, (tofu is AWESOME in this, as is chicken or boiled eggs), but I normally eat a protein at dinner, so lunches stay lighter for me. The final cost is about $8, so about $1.50 to $2 for a very filling, healthy lunch.

The coleslaw mix is KEY to this easy meal. Very cheap, super versatile, with no need to buy slice up cabbage and carrots. I also like to use it for extra crunch in salads and cold wraps, or as a toss-in for soups. When reheated, (I normally nuke it for 1 to 2 minutes), the cabbage, sprouts/shoots, and broccoli stay fairly crisp but softened, which I find excellent.

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If anybody else has recipes or ideas using slaw mix, please let me know! Thanks!

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