The holidays are almost here, and with them come all the holiday parties and meals. If you’re invited to a party or a meal, great! Likely, you’ll make a side dish, show up and enjoy.
If you’re the one hosting, though, it’s a whole other ball game, especially if you’ve taken control of your weight management journey and aren’t looking to pack on extra pounds at the end of the year (because who wouldn’t want one or four extra chocolate chip cookies after dinner?).
Enter the Body Balance Cookbook! This free resource offers up over 70 healthy, delicious recipes that will put a smile on your face and help keep weight off the scale.
But, how to choose what to serve to your hungry guests that’ll showcase your culinary prowess and be good for them at the same time? Don’t you worry about that, we’ve taken care of the hard part of choosing and have curated a full meal — starter, entrée, side dish and dessert — so you have one less thing to worry about leading up to your hosting duties.
Starter
Broccoli Soup With Browned Broccoli “Croutons”
Ingredients
Broccoli Soup
- ¼ c. coconut oil or vegan butter
- 5 c. broccoli, chopped (approx. 2 heads)
- ⅔ c. carrots, chopped (approx. 2 carrots)
- ⅔ c. celery, chopped (approx. 2 ribs)
- ⅔ c. onion, chopped (approx. 1 onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 Tbsp. gluten-free coconut flour
- 4 c. vegetable broth
- 2 c. non-dairy milk
- ¾ c. canned coconut milk (or sub with more non-dairy milk)
- ¼ c. nutritional
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Browned Broccoli “Croutons”
- 1 c. broccoli florets
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- Salt, to taste
Directions
Broccoli Soup
In a medium saucepan, heat coconut oil or coconut oil over medium heat. Add broccoli, carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent and softened, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle vegetables with flour. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Gradually add vegetable broth and non-dairy milk, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add coconut milk and nutritional yeast. Simmer soup over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Blend the soup to your liking. It’s recommended to purée ½ to ⅔ of the soup until smooth. If desired, adjust consistency with vegetable broth or non-dairy milk. Stir in white wine vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and vinegar.
Croutons
In a separate saucepan or skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat.
Add the broccoli florets and sprinkle with salt. Sauté until nearly tender. Turn the heat to high and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli has a nice golden-brown edge on at least 1 side. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Entrée
Chicken Breast Stuffed With Asparagus
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
- 1 tsp. fresh sage, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 12 asparagus stalks
- 4 sundried tomatoes, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Create a pocket in the chicken breast by cutting each lengthwise. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
Place the chicken on a clean cutting board and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika
Add 3 stalks of asparagus and a couple of pieces of sun-dried tomatoes and some chopped sage in each chicken breast and close with a toothpick.
Heat coconut oil in a large, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.
Transfer cast-iron to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until juices run clear.
Side Dish
Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut roughly into florets
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into quarters
- 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions
Put onion in food processor to finely chop. Add roughly chopped cauliflower. Process only until uniformly chopped.
Heat oil in a medium pot or cast-iron skillet. Add the cauliflower/onion mixture and stir. Keep the pan hot. Squeeze in some lemon juice and add salt and pepper, then stir and let cook until tender. You can put a lid on it briefly if it doesn’t seem to be getting tender but keep an eye on it. Taste and season.
Pro Tip: If you want to make your meal a little more colorful, try tossing in a handful of diced red bell pepper into the pan while cooking. Then you’ll have red, white and green on the plate at the same time!
Dessert
Power Boost™ Coconut Peppermint Poppers
Ingredients
- 1 c. coconut oil
- 3 scoops Power Boost
- Pinch of sea salt
- Pinch of cacao nibs
- 3 squirts vanilla-flavored liquid stevia
- 1 tsp. peppermint oil
- Ice cube tray-like candy molds
Directions
Heat coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat. Add Power Boost and stir until smooth. Blend in stevia and peppermint oil. Spoon into candy molds. Sprinkle cacao nibs and sea salt on top.
Place in freezer to harden for 20 minutes. Pop out of molds to serve. Pops can be stored in freezer for several months.
Share It on Social
When you serve this meal, make sure to snap a picture and tag @partnercoglobal so everyone can see your holiday handiwork. You never know, you may be someone’s inspiration to try something new.
Now that 2025 is almost over, it’s time to set your sights on 2026 and your new wellness goals. Maybe that means keeping up what you’re already doing and maybe that means trying something else to achieve a new goal. Whatever you decide, the recipes below and the rest in the Cookbook are going to be right there with you as you take on the Body Balance Challenge!
We know we’re hungry now, what about you?
DF – Dairy Free, GF – Gluten Free, NF – Nut Free, V – Vegan, VEG – Vegetarian