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Our column, ThePrep, has everything you’ll need to make dinner planning and grocery shopping as easy as can be. Nutritional needs differ from one individual to another, and we invite you to use these dinner plans as inspiration and adjust them as you see fit. Sign up to get a dinner plan delivered to your inbox every Saturday!
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have a hard time getting enough fiber in my typical day. I seem to naturally get enough of other nutrients without thinking too hard, but I really need to try to prioritize fiber and seek out high-fiber foods. Why is getting enough fiber important? Because it’s crucial for a variety of body functions, including gut health. It might surprise you to learn that gut health isn’t just about your gut. The gut is connected to so many other parts of the body, so taking care of your gut health is one way to take care of the rest of you. To help you (and me) do that, this week’s recipes are all high in fiber—plus they feature foods rich in prebiotics and/or probiotics, which help support good gut bacteria. So let’s jump in and increase our fiber intake this week—without overthinking it.
Your Weekly Plan
Sunday: Broccoli-Pesto Pasta
Monday: Crunchy Chopped Salad
Tuesday: Roasted Vegetable Soup
Wednesday: Crispy Tempeh Steaks with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Thursday: Roasted Squash & Lentil Kale Salad
Friday: Piled-High Veggie Sandwich
Sunday: Broccoli-Pesto Pasta
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
Instead of just tossing broccoli with pasta, here we transform broccoli into a pesto that coats the pasta. To make it, you simply pulse fiber-rich, tender-crisp cooked broccoli in the food processor with basil, garlic, lemon zest, artichokes and Parmesan cheese. Toss the pesto with whole-wheat spaghetti and use a little of the pasta cooking water to thin it out so it coats every strand.
Monday: Crunchy Chopped Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This crunchy chopped salad features a quartet of high-fiber ingredients that all start with the letter “C”: cabbage, carrots, cucumber and chickpeas! And because it has so many vegetables, it’s not just gut-healthy, it’s also packed with a variety of health-promoting vitamins and nutrients. Plus, it has a delicious, punchy ginger-soy-miso dressing to tie everything together. Serve it with a little rotisserie chicken on the side.
Tuesday: Roasted Vegetable Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This satisfying, gut-healthy soup gets probiotics from white miso and a good base of fiber from chickpeas and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes get roasted with apple, leek, cherry tomatoes, scallions and seasonings to ensure a deeply flavorful soup. Blending it all with the chickpeas, miso and coconut milk gives it a silky texture. Serve it with a crusty whole-wheat baguette.
Wednesday: Crispy Tempeh Steaks with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
Like the ever-popular “Marry Me” chicken, this dish features a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce, but it swaps in tempeh, a probiotic-rich plant-based protein, for the chicken. The tempeh, plus fiber-rich kale, makes it great for improving gut health. Some Parmesan and basil sprinkled on top ensure that it’s super-flavorful too. Serve it over brown rice to catch the sauce.
Thursday: Roasted Squash & Lentil Kale Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
Kale is a gut-health superstar. Not only is it packed with fiber, but it’s also a prebiotic food, which means it feeds your good gut bacteria and keeps it healthy. Add to that some butternut squash, lentils and pepitas, and you’ve really got a powerhouse salad, chock-full of fiber and nutrients. Be sure to massage the kale to make it tender and easier to chew.
Friday: Piled-High Veggie Sandwich
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
It’s the end of the week. We all deserve an easy dinner. Let’s make a sandwich, but not just any sandwich—one that’s packed with gut-healthy veggies and fiber. Start by combining yogurt, cream cheese and pesto to make a flavorful spread, then layer on sliced tomato, chopped artichoke hearts, shaved asparagus, spring mix and some pickled cherry peppers. Your gut will thank you.
I wish you all a great week, and I hope you enjoy this dinner plan. If you try a recipe, remember to add a review.