What a beautiful Saturday! I hope it’s filled with some time in the wonderful sunshine for you. This warmer weather gets me so excited because I know I’ll be spending a lot more days enjoying the outdoors. Being cooped up inside, looking at screens all day, can be exhausting for our minds, so even spending a few minutes enjoying nature can support all of the systems in our bodies. Especially if you’re feeling stressed, looking out on a horizon or tree line can be calming. Give it a try next time you are feeling overwhelmed and let me know what you think.
Each week’s menu is inspired by dishes I’ve enjoyed while traveling, along with ideas that come from experimenting with ingredients and flavor profiles. Now, this week’s chocolate peanut butter blast smoothie was inspired by a story that I hope you will find as humorous as I did.
All the time I tell you healthy eating doesn’t have to complicated or time-consuming or expensive, but for this occasion, I did choose to indulge in the exorbitant prices of one of California’s most well known health foods grocery stores, just to see what the hype was all about. While my intention was to try the famous Hailey Bieber smoothie for a jarring price point of $21 (all in the name of research), I was influenced by the smoothie barista to a far less famous smoothie that had a more chocolate & nut butter flavor. Unfortunately, some things were lost in communication, and not only was the smoothie completely underwhelming, but it also left me feeling less than my best self due to the use of whole milk instead of coconut milk. I’ll spare you the details, but all to say, I have full confidence that you can make an AMAZING smoothie at home for a quarter of the price that will taste better and align more with your preferences. From my learnings, I came home and whipped up a delicious recipe that you can enjoy all week long without breaking the bank or having dairy.
Question of the Week
What is something you’ve bought out that would have been 10x better if you made it at home? Let me know in the comments below.
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Menu
Let’s make it easier for you to eat healthy, nourishing meals every day this week!
Love this menu? Share with someone who you think would enjoy it too!
Before we jump in to the details, here are a few things to note so that we can make these recipes work best for you1:
Dietary restrictions? All of these meals are gluten-free & dairy-free and packed with veggies. For a more plant-forward option, swap the protein for beans.
Each recipe yields 4 servings—2 for dinner the night you cook and 2 for lunch the next day.
Cooking solo? You can freeze two servings for later or share meals with a friend.
For families, simply double the recipes to get two full meals on different days.
This meal plan starts Sunday night and ends Friday night. The weekends are for you to choose, or reuse something from the week.
Grocery List
To make your grocery shopping easier, I recommend copying this and adding it to your notes on your phone.
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Fruits & Veggies
2 bunches of bananas (smoothies, pancake bowls)
1 bag mixed greens (smoothies, power bowl)
1 bag spinach (greek bowls)
1 bag butter crunch lettuce (taco salad)
2 bunches cilantro (taco salad, chimichurri chicken, cabbage crunch)
1 bunch of mint (cabbage crunch)
1 bag snacking bell peppers (greek bowls, taco salad, cabbage crunch)
1 head green cabbage (cabbage crunch)
1 English cucumber (cabbage crunch)
1 bag carrot chips (power bowl, cabbage crunch)
1 bag russet potatoes (greek bowls)
5 avocados (taco salad, power bowl)
2 limes (taco salad)
1 lemon (chimichurri chicken)
1 head of garlic (chimichurri chicken)
6 zucchini (taco salad, chimichurri chicken, herb chicken)
1 eggplant (chimichurri chicken)
Protein
1 lb ground lamb (greek bowls)
2 lbs grilled chicken breasts (taco bowls, power bowl)
3 lbs chicken thighs (chimichurri chicken, cabbage crunch bowl)
Frozen
1 bag frozen cauliflower (smoothies)
1 bag frozen raspberries (pancake bowl)
1 bag frozen broccoli spears
Packaged Goods
peanut butter (smoothies)
cacao almond butter (pancake bowls)
cacao nibs (smoothies)
quinoa (taco salad, protein bowls, chimichurri chicken, cabbage crunch)
container of salsa (taco salad)
container of sauerkraut (power bowl)
Bean Vivo crunchy salad topper (power bowl, cabbage crunch)
Primal Kitchen teriyaki sauce (cabbage crunch)
Items You Might Already Have at Home
vanilla protein powder (smoothies, pancake bowls; I prefer Kion)
sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (greek bowls, herb chicken, chimichurri chicken)
white rice (power bowl)
sesame oil (cabbage crunch)
rice vinegar (cabbage crunch)
crunchy chili oil (cabbage crunch)
honey (cabbage crunch)
extra virgin olive oil (Get $5 off of Graza here)
spices: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, ginger powder
Ingredient Prep Plan
I set about an hour and half aside on Sunday to prepare me for the week ahead. It helps that I grocery shop on Saturday so that I don’t spend the whole afternoon preparing our food. In that time, I am able to get a lot done and can feel more prepared going into the following week:
Prepare Sunday night’s dinner
Prep and pan sear lamb meatballs.
Wash, chop, and air fry potato wedges.
Wash lettuce and mixed bell peppers to prep salad.
Prep for breakfasts
Peel and freeze bananas for the smoothies.
Prep veggies
Wash and chop the yellow onion. Save half of it in an air tight container for later in the week.
Chop only (wait to wash until just before cooking) zucchini and mixed bell peppers. Place in a bowl and cover with aluminum foil in the fridge for later.
Wash and dry the greens and place in an airtight container for the week.
Place the cilantro in a glass jar full of water and cover with a plastic bag to keep it fresh until use.
Slice limes and place them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Prepare protein
Place all the chicken on a large plan and add respective seasoning. Cook and slice, then place in an air tight container in the fridge.
Cook quinoa in rice cooker and place in air tight container and place in the freezer.
Your efficient home kitchen is setting you up for a healthy and successful week. You should be proud of yourself for prioritizing your own health, so you can do all the other things that make up your wonderful life with the energy they deserve.
As always, I love to see your creations, so please, tag me on TikTok and Instagram if you make something that you enjoyed. You can also find me on YouTube.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week,
Grace Barker
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