The Whole30 Friends & Family: 150 Recipes for Every Social Occasion: A Cookbook

by Melissa Urban

Recipes and menus for every social gathering you might encounter while doing the Whole30 such as birthday parties, backyard barbecues, baby showers, movie night, date night, game night, and more.

One of the most asked questions from new Whole30'ers and long-time fans alike is, How can I do the Whole30 and still be social? It's easy enough to find a holiday-free 30 days, but other social occasions occur all the time--birthday parties, movie nights, Sunday brunch, baby showers, date nights, and more. These ongoing events leave people wondering how they can stick with their Whole30 but not feel left out of the fun. That's where The Whole30 Friends & Family comes in, with recipes and menus to help you get through any occasion. The book includes whole menus so you can offer to host yourself. Other times you might just want to bring a dish. Again, this book will come to the rescue. In addition, Whole30 co-creator and CEO Melissa Hartwig has packed the book with her signature no-nonsense tips on being social and sticking to the program. This book is a must-purchase companion for anyone doing a Whole30, whether they are a newcomer, or someone who has been doing Whole30 once or twice every year. Most important, these recipes and menus will help bring Whole30'ers closer together with friends and family.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

Melissa Urban is CEO of the Whole30 and an authority on helping people create lifelong healthy habits. She is a six-time New York Times bestselling author (including the #1 bestseller The Whole30); and has been featured by Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and CNBC. She lives with her husband, son, and a poodle named Henry in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Reviews

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am familiar with Whole 30 and the programs Melissa created. I have a few friends that have done Whole 30 and a few that swear by it and have made it their new lifestyle. When I read about the release of this book, social gatherings and family parties tend to be the hardest concerning staying on track and still living healthy. It's wonderful that Melissa released this book because now families can still enjoy their favorite party foods without all of the guilt and still stay on track and on program. I know this book will be essential for a lot of people and it will be heavily circulated and popular.

We will consider adding this title to our Cookbook collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate the easy breakdown of food ideas. I liked that I could get a sense of what I could serve while hosting a book club. I also really appreciate the resources of store brought items that work for the Whole 30. I haven't done a Whole 30 because of how much work it is, but seeing what I could eat that is pre-made has made it less intimated. What I'm not a fan of and another reason I haven't done a Whole 30 is because everything seems so complicated to make as well as including things my kids won't eat.

[Pamela Chavarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the recipes in this new book! It definitely make entertaining or going to gatherings a lot easier with more options to make entrees, apps and/or something to bring to parties!

[Sylvie Daigle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very many things I would try.

[rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recipes are great. However, the layout of the book is very difficult.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I needed to be sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and alcohol-free, this would be a good resource. I borrowed this cookbook because my girlfriend made a delicious salad from Melissa's original cookbook, but this recipe book was the closest thing my library had.

On their own, regardless of Whole-30 compliance, most of the recipes did not entice me. I actually laughed aloud at the camping section. Wouldn't it be easier to just grill a piece of meat and throw a whole potato (wrapped in foil) on the coals? I was reminded how much grill marks or caramelization improves the appearance of food. The recipes seem to rely on plantains and coconut milk.

My absolute favorite paragraph was from Melissa's introduction:
This is not hard. Fighting cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black is. not. hard.

[Susan]

I read a lot of cookbooks and I try a lot of recipes--I get food boredom pretty easily, I guess. I like eating lots of veggies and trying to avoid sugar, so I enjoy Whole30 or paleo type recipes...

And I got at least 4 recipes from this book that I think are keepers, which is not a bad return, honestly! Sometimes Whole30 recipes just seem like a LOT of work for not as much of a finished product as my always-hungry children would like, so some are definitely not for us, but overall, I'm sure if you like eating similar foods, you will find something in here that works for you.

[Kimberly Bennardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the recipes , they are easy and have basic ingredients.