Whole Foods Lent Challenge....Done! (plus Easter roundup)

This weekend it is Easter....and today is Good Friday meaning that it is the last day of lent.

My congratulations to all those who challenged themselves for the last 6-weeks regardless of whether you teamed up with me to take the 'Whole Foods Challenge' or whether you opted for a personal challenge of your own...if you've made it this far I applaud you!

You may remember that as part of the challenge I decided that I was going to go sugar free in all my baking endeavours...well I can tell you now that it has been a resounding success. I admit that I was a little nervous to begin with and I worried that there would be a lot of savoury recipe being posted on my blog... ha ha! But with the miracle food that is dates, I was not at a loss at all.

In fact I see no reason to change my ways. I am more than happy to continue with this mindset. That said, I am not going to restrict myself in that if I come up with a recipe that is clearer more suited to using a little agave or maple syrup then I am happy to use it, it's just been great to move away from relying on these sweeteners day to day.

I have also now updated the Lent Challenge 2013 menu tab. As well as going sugar free I also decided to give myself the further challenge of '6-weeks to 6-pack'...that did not go so well... see the link to check it out (or scroll towards the bottom for the outcome highlights). I have more ideas up my sleeve for all that.... I will not be beaten!

So for today I simply have a roundup.... the summary of my 'sweet' sugar free experiments are listed below with my three favourites picked out, followed by a visual roundup of Easter themed recipes.

I will have one final Easter post going up tomorrow...its a speedy single serve recipe perfect for a last minute celebration!

I am also going away on holiday to trek the Welsh mountains for all of next week and I don't know how plugged in to the internet i'll be whilst away. Hopefully i'll be able to keep an eye on things but I apologise now if there is a delay in reply to emails or comments. I have a few posts scheduled to keep you going in the meantime.

A sweet summary of my sugar free challenge!

(they look so good I can barely believe it myself!)

Healthy Cadbury's Cream eggs (favourite)

Buckwheat Balls

Quinoa powder breakfast Cakes

Green smoothie peppermint cheesecake (favourite)

Choc berry buckwheat bake

Chewy choc quinoa cookies (favourite)

Whipped buckwheat porridge

Chocolate almond crackles

Gingerbread ice cream

Chewy buckwheat clusters

CADA...zing!

Baked apple oatmeal with date sugar

Date sugar

 An offering of Easter recipes...

This obviously had to go in!
Healthy Cadbury's Cream eggs

Hot choc cream cups

Classic Easter biscuits

I know you see these truffles everywhere....but they are so good!

angel delight

raw carrot cake balls

carrot cake pancakes

choc covered hazelnuts

carrot burgers...these are a reader favourite

chia banana pudding

healthy banana frosting

quinoa balls

...and just for giggles...!

Easter bunnies....ok they look a bit ridiculous I admit!

Week Three 'Six Weeks to Six Pack'

I have updated my 'Lent Challenge' page....click the tab at the top and scroll down to check out my progress report for week three... half way in and I think I need to notch things up a gear!

3 weeks down...3 to go!

Amongst other things this week included!

• plenty more oats!
• Lots more buckwheat (new recipe on Saturday)
• green smoothie (a tried a more savoury version...hmmm!)
• Single serve banana blondies for a dinner party with friend
• More chocolate bars a bit like this
• lost of raw veggies with lots of this dip
• I also used this dip as a base spread for a roasted veggie tart..yum!
• Bean casserole...blog post planned for that too as soon as I can
• broccoli and bean soup
• lots if chia seeds!
• more of this spag bol and I also transformed it into a lentil chill with cauliflower rice
• homemade almond milk creations of various kinds

See you for WEEK FOUR this time next week! :-)

'Whole foods’ Lent Challenge

Join in with the challenge and follow me on Facebook or Twitter 

...let's get the party starting and the motivation flowing!

Shrove Tuesday is followed by Ash Wednesday...the time of year in the Christian calendar (and the general media) where traditionally people 'give something up for lent’. I must admit I don’t often partake in the challenge, in part due to my inner rebellion against society’s obligations . But you know what, this year I had a think, I wondered whether I might put myself out there for the challenge and maybe bring a few others on board in the process....

...Still listening? Ok, here’s the plan. This year the period of lent from today until March 28^th will become the 'WHOLE FOOD LENT CHALLENGE'. It’s not so much about what you don’t eat i.e. give up, but more a focus on what you do eat. I think this puts a more positive spin on things since giving up implies restriction and for me the plant based way of life is about choice not limits.

The challenge itself is pretty simple and the rules can be tailored to suit.... for example a focus on eating  whole grain bread instead of white refined read, or a challenge to use all whole food forms of sweetener instead of regular refined sugar, or a challenge to focus on whole natural foods whether they be plant or animal (I appreciate not everyone follows a plant based diet!) instead of processed meats and snacks substitutions... simply embrace the whole foods nature gave us and be inspired!

This line of thinking had come about in large part by T. Colin Campbell’s findings in The China Study and also my own development in undertaking the Plant Based Nutrition Course.

I been putting the word out and have already enlisted friends and colleagues, and I’d love it if you would join in too. It doesn’t need to be extreme or incur a huge change to routine, a little offering is all and your focus and mindset will reap the benefits.

I have chosen to focus on natural sweeteners for my challenge, so the forthcoming posts will be even more of a challenge to create indulgence using natural whole food sweeteners- banana, dates, raisins, fruit purees. I will allow stevia simply because it is used in such small amount within my recipes, I will try to use natural green stevia in some recipes where possible. The main things I want to find ways to work around if possible is agave nectar, brown rice syrup and maple syrup as I feel have become too reliant on the ‘healthy syrups’.

A few 'unrefined' goodies to get you going....I will be adding to this list over the next 6 weeks!

cocoa-nana custard, pear and gingerbread sauce,  chia jam over pancakes, banoffee shake, berry buckwheat breakfast

Anyway, that’s enough from me today. I hope you decide to join me in challenging yourself in some way. Let me know in the comments below and follow me on Facebook or Twitter ...let's get the party starting and the motivation flowing!

Your first (very simple) recipe will be coming your way on Saturday and will be the perfect start to natural sweeteners...here is a little sneak preview. Do you know what it is?

P.S  As a little side note I will also be challenging myself on a further level by undertaking a ‘Six-Weeks To Six-Pack: The Plant Based Way’ Challenge. I’m passionate about fitness and it’s contribution to a healthy lifestyle, yet that isn’t generally the focus of my blog, hence I’m keeping this challenge a little separate to my regular posts. You can find out more about my challenge and follow my progress here on the dedicated page tab.