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Recently I had the absolute pleasure of trialling a months worth of nourishing, plant-based, & best of all, delicious – meals (12 per week + drinks and a snack) from Soulara. I’d been seeing their stunning looking vegan meals beckoning me on social media for some time now, so decided to take the plunge when I was offered the chance to give myself a little nourishment, and break from cooking, for a month.

12 meals a week worked out to be lunch & dinner (sometimes I had one for brekky instead!) for 6 days of the week, and I allowed myself a day off to enjoy a yummy dinner & drinks out with my boyfriend one night on the weekend – because #balance.

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Week 1 – What’s in the box?!

Coming home from a loooong day running around at my retail job, I was thrilled to see my Soulara box sitting patiently on my doorstep on a balmy, late autumn evening – I felt filled with hope and possibility for the coming 4 weeks and super excited to unpack my box. After tearing it open and removing the handy ice-packs which will keep the meals cool if you’re not home when they’re delivered, I was very happy with my first weekly selection which included…

Morning Ritual – a nourishing and delish quinoa-based, brekky oats style dish with apricots and pistachios (pictured above) – I’ll take this moment to note, one of the best things about Soulara, is that their menu changes VERY regularly. Unfortunately this dish is no longer available – sad face – BUT there are currently some Raspberry Ripple Oats, Bushwalker’s Granola & Ruby Sunrise Chia Pudding that also sound like the perfect way to start your morning.

Cold-pressed cleansing juice pack – all of the juices taste so fresh, and the packaging is super cute. I used to run a juice cleanse company so I have high standards for juices, and these ones make the grade.

BBQ Black Bean Casserole – my fave of all the dishes! IT’S SO GOOD.

The first lunch dish I tried was a low-calorie Mushroom Bourguignon with Black Garlic Mash – the mushies are plump and the mashed potato tastes incredible. I love this dish, there’s so much depth to the flavours (hi red wine, herbs, olive oil, tomato, carrots + more). And it also reminds me just HOW GOOD mashed potato is, and that I want to add this healthy comfort food into my life more regularly.

The next morning I had a little misadventure. Hot tip for all – make sure you read the note that’s on top of the container! I accidentally microwaved my Morning Ritual brekky which was meant to be consumed cold, it was still super yummy though, and while I was a bit worried as it’s a somewhat smaller dish than I’d normally have for breakfast, it was very filling, and I found myself craving it on the weeks when this dish wasn’t on my menu.

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Week 2 – Feelin’ Nourished

By now my body is settling into the routine of regular, protein-rich, nutritionally-balanced meals that, admittedly, it may not have been getting so regularly before between working a day job, late-night job, running a website, being a cat mom, spending time with my boyfriend & friends, and trying to squeeze in some exercise and sleep somewhere in amongst the madness.

This week my highlights were…

Kombuchas! I really have to say, the Soulara team have absolutely outdone themselves with their kombucha offering – with super unique and delicious flavours (hello Coconut and Lime, Wild Berry, & Turmeric, Ginger & Pear). If these were available to buy as 750ml bottles, I would definitely have them on hand at all times as I reckon they’re better than anything on the market at the moment.

Work lunch has become a breeze – no more trawling Coles with the hope of finding a random vegan option. My colleagues can’t stop asking about what I’m eating, and I can’t stop raving about it in response.

♥ Cloud Tofu Hoisin Noodles

Dish of the week has got to be the Cloud Tofu Hoisin Noodles.

THIS. DISH. IS. BLOODY. INCREDIBLE. (Also how cute is the name?) I felt like I was having a life altering moment the first time I had it. Super high in protein, incredibly delicious, and I felt so stable, calm and nourished afterwards. Definitely include this in your menu if you decide to make an order!

Week 3 – Protein Powered

I ramped up my exercise this week in an effort to work towards shifting a couple of Covid kilos. I’m a strong believer in being comfortable with and loving your body at any size, but I’d gotten to the point where almost none of my clothes fit anymore, and the prospect of buying a whole new wardrobe wasn’t really vibing with the state of my bank account. In addition to this, a bit of work and blogging related stress had started to creep in, so I hoped that upping my weekly yoga & spin classes to a couple more sessions would help with that, too.

Due to this I decided to focus on some higher protein meals this week to give myself some more energy pre-training, and help my body recover properly post-training.

♥ Supercharged Satay!

Cue the Sunkissed Protein Pesto (30g protein) and Supercharged Satay (36g protein), the highest protein meals of the bunch. These two dishes had enough protein to impress my boyfriend, who is a keen gym-goer & very protein-conscious, plus I really felt like I did recover more quickly afterwards!

♥ Choc Chip Cookie Dough Bites… don’t mind if I do.

The bite-sized sweet treats really are the perfect little snack to have with a morning cup of tea, after lunch when the cravings inevitably hit, pre-workout, or before bed as a mini-dessert. The options are seriously endless. My favourites were the Choc Chip Cookie Dough Bites!

Week 4 – And the winner is…

It was an incredible month of nourishing meals. I shared a couple with friends and loved ones and everyone agreed – 100% delicious. I was the envy of my work colleagues and housemate, sorting out my meals for the day was always a breeze, and most importantly – I felt great.

Overall, my top 5 favourites and recommendations for those considering choosing Soulara for their plant-based meal deliveries are as follows:

♥ BBQ Black Bean Casserole – the well-balanced combination of flavours in this dish make it the perfect filling breakfast, lunch or dinner. While in the past I wouldn’t have called myself a massive seitan (a type of vegan meat substitute) fan in general, it’s done perfectly here. I would honestly eat this every day if I could.

♥ Coconut and Lime Kombucha – Put simply, this drink is bliss. It tastes like all your sun-soaked childhood summers distilled into a bottle. Plus it has the benefit of being loaded with gut-loving probiotics! Please infuse this into my veins immediately.

♥ Any of the curries – While all the meals were really yummy, where I felt Soulara really, really shone were their selections of Indian-inspired curries, such as the Golden Coconut Dahl, Earthen Seer Curry, Roots Unearthed Curry + more. These meals all helped me feel balanced, grounded and nourished, along with tasting amazing of course.

♥ Supercharged Satay – I’m a massive satay fan, and with 36 grams of protein, this dish is amazing for days when you’ve just come home from the gym and there is no known universe in which you’re going to have the energy to cook dinner for yourself. If it’s between UberEats and this dish, Supercharged Satay is winning hands down every time.

♥ Morning Ritual – the unique combination of quinoa, oat milk, apricots, pistachios, vanilla, minced ginger, maple syrup and coconut yoghurt all join together to create a real treat for the tastebuds. And leaves you feeling good all morning. 10/10 do recommend.

I loved my experience with Soulara and I’m looking forward to ordering from them again in future when I have a busy week or two coming up, it’s so comforting to know that you have a selection of fuss-free, 100% vegan dishes that are going to leave you feeling nourished at a moments notice, just waiting for you in the fridge / freezer. The other exciting thing is that Soulara’s in-house chefs and dietitians work together to create new and exciting meals every week, so there’s always something new and exciting being added to the menu. For someone like me who LOVES variety and fun in what they eat – this is a big one for me.

If you’re thinking of taking the plant-based plunge, feel free to ask me any questions below, or over on the ‘gram -> @wellnesswa & make sure you head on over to the Soulara menu to pick out some tasty dishes for yourself!

Be well,

xoxo

Annette