RECIPE: Parsley Pesto Chicken

I’ve been horrible about posting during this Whole Life Challenge. We’re already in the final week, and I’ve only posted three times! Ugh. Sorry about that. I swear, I’ve been meaning to post more—and guess what? That parlays perfectly into the final lifestyle challenge, which begins today: Complete something you've left undone. So, at long last, I’m posting this amazing recipe that I’ve had typed up and ready to share for several weeks now: Parsley Pesto Chicken. It comes courtesy of my teammate, Karen Harper, and it’s dangerously delicious. (Dangerous because the pesto is so tasty—almost cheese-like—that you’ll want to consume more of it than you perhaps should.)

RECIPE: PALEO-M-F-G Chocolate Cupcakes

Okay, I’m not going to lie and tell you that this is a healthy recipe. But I will tell you that it’s probably the healthiest (and most obscenely delicious) version of a chocolate cupcake you’ll ever try, thanks to all the good-for-you ingredients (high-fiber coconut flour! Raw cacao powder!) and absence of crap (refined flour and sugar!). It’s also Whole Life Challenge Advanced Level Compliant (and Paleo, for those of you in that camp). The recipe is essentially a modified version of my fabulous teammate Xen Buchanan’s Clean Banana Nut Muffins, which I blogged about during the last challenge. You simply replace the cinnamon and nutmeg with a heaping dose of cacao powder and wind up with what amounts to a decadent chocolate-walnut muffin (the walnuts are of course optional). To kick it up a notch and make it a seriously over-the-top dessert, I mixed up a batch of the Rawtarian chocolate frosting that I recommended in my Chocolate Fudge recipe a while back.

RECIPE: Gazpacho

The Whole Life Challenge has started again, and that means I’m going to be posting new recipes, along with other random thoughts on health and fitness if/when they occur to me! During the last challenge, I enjoyed a whole lot of hot soups—and I’m still planning on having quite a few of them. But now that it’s spring (almost summer!), I’m also excited to explore some cold soup options—and so today, I decided to throw together a big batch of gazpacho. I know a lot of people feel like gazpacho is nothing more than salsa under another name, but I find that if you add the right kinds of ingredients, seasonings and garnish, and puree it just enough, it makes an amazing (and seriously filling) meal. It’s also great if you’re trying to keep your calories in check. I garnished mine with avocado (next time I’m going to add even more!) and had a hard-boiled egg on the side for some extra protein. Best of all? This baby is 100 percent Advanced Rx compliant (and also vegan). Hope you enjoy it!

RECIPE: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

A lot of people have a tough time figuring out easy meals to make while they’re doing the Whole Life Challenge, especially at breakfast. They seem to think that an egg with fruit or vegetable combo is their only option. But that’s so not the case! There are all kinds of things you can have. Some of my favorites include an apple with peanut butter, one of those awesome Clean Banana Nut Muffins or a simple fruit smoothie.

I used to make this strawberry banana smoothie all the time with regular milk and Greek yogurt—but substituting in almond milk and cutting out the yogurt makes it 100 percent advanced level compliant and just as delicious (especially if you use homemade almond milk). Of course, it’s not very high in protein when you cut out the dairy—which may concern some people at the start of their day. The good news is that if you’re playing at the beginner or intermediate level, you can add a bit of Greek yogurt to this for a protein boost and extra creamy goodness. Give it a go and let me know what you think!

RECIPE: Zucchini with Meat Sauce

OMG, you guys! Today is the last day of the Whole Life Challenge! I can’t believe it. The time has seriously flown by and it really hasn’t been all that challenging. Well, okay, that’s a lie. There have been quite a few challenges—but most of them have had to do with the amount of grocery shopping, food prep and dishes involved. The great thing about all that shopping and food prep is that I’ve discovered—and even created—all sorts of delicious, advanced level recipes, and now I’m going to share the big winner as far as my family is concerned: Zucchini with Meat Sauce.

I’m telling you, the picture doesn't do it justice. This is quite possibly the most delicious meal I’ve ever made. At first, I was just baking the zucchini in the oven, which is extremely tasty, but over the weekend I finally got a Spiralizer (actually, I got what I believe to be a cheap imitation—next time I will get the Spiralizer) and made noodles out of the zucchini. I swear, the texture added an entirely different dimension to this dish. Like I said, the contraption itself is kind of flimsy, and not super easy to use, but the results are so awesome that I think I’ll just deal with the downsides (and, you know, get a better model next time). I mean, seriously, how gorgeous are these?

RECIPE: Sweet Potato, Carrot and Coconut Soup

The other night, it was getting close to dinner time and I still hadn’t figured out what I was going to make for the family. I know it’s important to plan meals ahead of time when you’re doing the Whole Life Challenge but it had just been one of those days (you know, a Wednesday). I didn’t want to make the usual meat and vegetables. I wanted something hearty, but still Whole Life Challenge compliant. That’s when I remembered that a friend who’s been doing Whole30 (partly because I’ve been raving about the Whole Life Challenge) had sent me links to a few awesome-sounding recipes. There was one in particular that I definitely wanted to try: SweetPotato-Coconut Soup, from Jan’s Sushi Bar (it’s not a restaurant—it’s an amazing, healthy-eating, mostly Whole30 compliant food blog). So I looked up the recipe and yup, it sounded delicious.

Less Junky Junk Food

Okay, so I know one of the primary goals of The Whole Life Challenge is to focus on eating fresh, clean, wholesome and minimally processed foods—and I’ve definitely been striving for that, I swear. But as anyone who’s been doing this for the past five-plus weeks (and/or for more than one Challenge) knows, there are times when you just want to reach into a bag or open up a container of something for a quick food fix.

Oh sure, you could roll with something non-compliant and lose a point, but guess what? In addition to the old, tried-and-true nuts and dried fruit (and LaraBars, which I don't really like since I started making my own), I’ve discovered a few packaged foods that will satisfy a craving (and/or need for speed) while being one hundred percent compliant. (Incidentally, as I'm sure you've noticed, most allegedly "healthy" packaged snack foods on grocery store shelves are loaded with non-compliant ingredients, from artificial sweeteners to all kinds of other garbage.) So, I figured I’d compile a list of a few of my favorites—all A-OK at the Advanced Level. If you have a favorite to add to the list, please do so in the comments. (Just make sure to note if it’s compliant at the advanced, intermediate or beginner level.) Here you go:

RECIPE: Chocolate Fudge

Okay, so today is obviously Valentine’s Day—which isn’t really something I care all that much about. I mean, yes, I’m all for love and romance but I think most of us know it’s basically a fake holiday designed to boost consumer spending more than anything else. It’s also a day when a lot of people, particularly kids, consume excessive quantities of sugar. (My friend Stacy Whitman over at School Bites has been trying to do something about this by creating a Candy-Free School Valentine Pledge. I guess it may be a little too late to sign, but check it out anyway!)

Personally, I like to indulge in a bit of chocolate—not just today but most days. (I know, I’m such a female cliché that way. But dark chocolate/cacao is good for you. Study after study confirms it.) I was even thinking about getting my favorite—See’s Candy—and sacrificing a point or two on the Whole Life Challenge as part of a Valentine’s Day treat tonight. But then my 8-year-old son, of all people, asked if there was a way for us to have a chocolaty dessert while still sticking to the Whole Life Challenge rules.

RECIPE: Chocolate Berry Super Smoothie

I know a lot of people who are extremely into green juices and smoothies. I also know plenty of people who are seriously skeeved out by them. I fall somewhere in between the two: While I appreciate that they’re good for you and an effective way to boost your intake of healthy produce (especially green, leafy vegetables), I don’t find them particularly tasty or satisfying. However, I’m still interested in the idea of blending up a drink that packs in at least a serving of leafy greens—because, honestly, I have a tough time getting enough of them in my diet. I think it has something to do with the fact that they usually need to be chopped and/or cooked or mixed up with other stuff in a salad, which often sounds like too much work.

Anyway, a friend recently forwarded this Choclate-Covered Cherry Smoothie recipe to me and I thought it looked…interesting. I wasn’t really expecting it to taste like chocolate-covered cherries, let alone good, but I had the ingredients handy and it was most definitely Whole Life Challenge compliant. So I figured I’d give it a go and, surprise! It was really, really good! It was so good, in fact, that I made another the next day. Then, the next day, when I ran out of frozen cherries, I decided to make it with frozen blueberries instead—and I liked that even more!

RECIPE: Cauliflower Soup

Have you noticed that health-conscious foodies are going kind of crazy for cauliflower lately? Especially if they're trying to avoid starchy white foods like potatoes, rice and flour tortillas, it's like cauliflower is the second coming. "OMG," they'll exclaim, "you can whip it up like mashed potatoes! You can rice it!" Some say you can even transform it into tortillas (with mixed results, based on the reports I've received).

But I've always been a fan of the cauliflower. Growing up, my mom—who was a gourmet chef (okay, not professionally, but she did study at Le Cordon Bleu)—used to make cauliflower cheese for us on a semi-weekly basis. Of course, she would drench the hell out of it—coating the otherwise healthy vegetable in buttery cheese sauce and crispy breadcrumbs. Yes, it was delicious. But here's a healthy newsflash: You really don't have to douse cauliflower in dairy to achieve a creamy consistency. Even when pureed with nothing but water, the texture is decadent enough that you might think it’s got cream in it.

Of course if you want to make this recipe even richer, you can certainly use butter in place of the olive oil, or even add a bit of coconut milk (it will still be completely Whole Life Challenge, Advanced Rx compliant). But this version is super simple and a great vegan soup to boot. It’s also high in vitamin C and fiber, which makes it a perfect dish when you’re feeling under the weather (as my son and I were today). I won't say it's quite as indulgent as my mom's cauliflower cheese, but it's definitely a tasty dairy-free alternative.

RECIPE: Chicken Lentil Coconut Curry

My family loves Indian food (yes, even my 8-year-old son!), and especially chicken coconut curry. I’ve been working on ways to recreate, perhaps even improve upon, the curry we get from our local restaurants—and last night I think I finally did it! This is one hundred percent Whole Life Challenge advanced Rx compliant, and can be modified a variety of ways depending on your dietary preferences.

For instance, you can use ghee or coconut oil in place of the olive oil to make it even richer. Or, you can swap in garbanzo beans or another meatless option of your choice for the chicken to make it vegan. If you don’t like coconut, you can of course leave the coconut milk out (I would probably replace it with a compliant vegetable broth or more diced tomatoes to ensure enough liquid), but it’s worth noting that there really isn’t an overpowering taste of coconut once all the flavors blend together. You can also serve this over brown rice (intermediate level compliant if you’re doing the Whole Life Challenge). I recommend letting this simmer for at least an hour—but the longer you leave it, the more delicious it gets. It’s the perfect meal for a cold winter’s night. If you love curry like I do, give it a try and let me know what you think!

RECIPE: LaraBar Bites

About a year ago, well before I did The Whole Life Challenge, I was already trying to look for minimally processed foods to feed my family, and was especially dismayed at the long list of artificial crap in almost all of the supposedly healthy “nutrition” bars we were used to eating. The one brand that didn’t contain a ton of added sugar and other awful ingredients? LaraBar. Honestly, most of the flavors contain a mere four or five ingredients—and virtually none (except those containing chocolate chips, as far as I can tell) has added or refined sugar of any kind.

This is why LaraBars are a perfect grab-and-go snack when you’re doing The Whole Life Challenge. Again, not all of the flavors are completely sugar-free, so they’re not all compliant, but many of them are—including my favorite flavor: Coconut Cream Pie. However, as much as I love LaraBars, the more I thought about how few ingredients there were, the more I wondered if I could just make them myself. So I did a quick online search and behold! There were a ton of websites sharing their recipes. Coming in at the very top of my “Coconut Cream LaraBar Recipe” search was a site called My Whole Food Life. The recipe looked awesome so I decided to give it a try and OMG was I glad that I did. These things were like coconut crack. Almost too good—and, I hate to say it, a billion times better than the store-bought LaraBars. They’re also crazy-easy to make. If you want to check out the recipe, click here. (Note: My Whole Food Life also has recipes for a ton of other LaraBar flavors that I have yet to try, plus plenty of other recipes that are Whole Life Challenge compliant!)

RECIPE: Simple and Speedy Vegetarian Chili

When you're doing The Whole Life Challenge, cooking can take up a huge chunk of time. This chili, however, does not. It's vegetarian (vegan, in fact!) because I like it that way, but it would certainly be WLC compliant if you added in some browned ground beef or turkey. I've been making it for years now, and my husband and son love it (as do I!). You can serve it as-is or over brown rice (WLC compliant at the intermediate level), as well as garnished with some cilantro or onion or even a dollop of Greek yogurt (again, intermediate level compliant).

I used to feel weird about making a meal almost entirely from cans (and if that bothers you then you can certainly chop up your own tomatoes, and soak and cook dry beans!). But ever since discovering the truth about BPA in the canned goods that I use, I can now make this stuff without feeling the least bit guilty (and while saving a whole lot of time in the process). Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. (Note: I know my food photography blows. I'll be working on that in the months ahead!)

RECIPE: Clean Banana Nut Muffins

One of the best things about doing The Whole Life Challenge so far has been discovering all the amazing, healthy recipes people share with each other. Yes, the grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning (hey! cleaning!) can be overwhelming at times. But it's worth it when you're putting your health first...and when the results are this ridiculously delicious. Seriously, when I first saw this recipe I thought there was no way they'd taste like real banana-nut muffins. I could not have been more wrong. These babies are moist and every bit as good as (if not better than) the ones I used to make that were loaded with flour, sugar and more sugar. Pretty amazing for baked goods that are Whole Life Challenge compliant at the advanced level, not to mention gluten-free (and Paleo, if that happens to be your dietary preference)!

The sweetness in these comes from nothing more than the bananas and dates, and the moist and buttery taste is courtesy of coconut oil. (Don't complain to me about the saturated fat! I've read a ton of research on coconut oil and will write more about its many health benefits in a future post.) If you want to make these vegan, I've been told you can substitute 1 cup applesauce for the 6 eggs, but I haven't tried that yet. (If you do, please report back with your results!) I have baked eggless cookies using a baking soda-water substitute for the eggs, but I'm not sure if that will work with these since you're using coconut flour instead of death flour (seriously, you know that refined white stuff will kill you, right?). Incidentally, coconut flour has a phenomenal nutritional profile (hello? 3 to 5 grams of fiber per tablespoon, depending on the brand!) and creates a much better bread-like texture than almond flour, in my opinion. ALSO NOTE: I usually halve this recipe and get about 9 muffins out of it, which winds up making the serving size slightly smaller (and therefore each muffin lower in fat and calories). Anyway, here's the recipe. Enjoy!