Week 5: Herby, Saucy, Summery & Simple Whole Foods Bowls

So it’s officially day 50 of WHOLE FOODS ONLY!

Can you believe that? I really started this challenge with only one goal in mind - and that was only whole foods, for 30 days, just as a reset for my body & mind - to get rid of food noise, feel better in my body post baby, get back my energy, and fix my tummy troubles. And now, almost 3 weeks past my original goal, I’m so happy to say I’ve made it this far. And I would say these past 50 days have addressed all of those concerns and then some. I think meal planning like this has truly been my key to success, because eating whole foods requires some pre-planning and if you have the right ingredients at the right times I don’t think it’s any more difficult than eating ultra-processed foods. All that being said, it’s only week 5 of actually recording my plans for all of you following along the journey, and so I hope this planning guide has been helpful in your own journey to whole foods only. Because I think we all deserve to feel our best, and that requires eating our best. OK enough yapping! Onto the food.

Week 5 of our whole foods only meal plan highlights the simplest tastiest SAUCE - a bright garlicky hummus, an herby green goddess, an Indian spiced curry, and more. And the best part - we double batch our meat prep so that we only have to cook a few times a week! Read on for meals, prep guides, grocery lists and pantry staples, and recipes!

So last week I started this concept of - every time I cook meat I’m going to make a double batch so that I can use it for the following day’s meal as well. Because I have this thing where, for me at least, I find cooking meat to be the most time consuming aspect of the cooking process. And I loved the idea so much I’m implementing it as a regular practice in the kitchen. Because it’s still summer, and it’s still worth being outdoors instead of in the kitchen always, and so this week highlights one meatless meal, two chicken meals, and two steak meals, for the perfect balance of protein. With a huge variety of veggies in between!

Our lineup includes:

• Spiced Coconut Chickpea Curry - for when you need that quick 20 minute meal that feels like a warm hug

• Herby Green Goddess Chicken & Cabbage Bowl - for when you have a bunch of fresh herbs that need using

• Greek Chicken & Hummus Bowl - for when you’re craving that Mediterranean taste

• Steak Chimichurri Bowl - for when you want the classic steak & potatoes (always in the mood for this)

• Summer Steak Salad - for when you want a huge bowl of delicious saucy meat and veg.

And like I said, we’ll cook all the chicken on one night and all the steak on another - so it’s like meal prepping the time consuming stuff to save a TON of time the next night.

Gluten-free and easily made dairy-free with simple swaps, this menu is what I followed this week. And the best part - it uses whole, real foods.

Okay let’s get into the FULL lineup: