From chowder to chicken wings, 5 Whole30 recipes to keep you motivated

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If you shed a tear at the start of Whole30 at the thought of saying goodbye to some of your favorite foods, these five recipes are for you.

They are easy to make, decadent and so delicious you will forget they are made without sugar, dairy or any other non-Whole30 ingredients.

The recipes, from chowder to chicken wings, were created by Alex Snodgrass, a stay-at-home mom in Texas who shares her recipe creations on The Defined Dish.

(MORE: These 5 recipes will give you Whole30 #mealgoals)

Try these recipes in your kitchen today.

Need more Whole30 inspiration? Try these 10 tips for finishing the 30 days without crashing and burning.

Creamy chicken and potato chowder

Ingredients:
1.5 cups carrot, medium dice (or 1 large carrot)
1 cup celery, medium dice (or 3 stalks)
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced (or 1/2 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms (about 4 mushrooms)
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 russet potato, scrubbed and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2.5 cups diced cooked chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken)
1 bunch Swiss chard (or 4 cups baby spinach)
1 cup coconut milk, full fat and unsweetened
Ingredients for serving:
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and fried until crispy
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives

Directions:
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat with olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Then, add the mushrooms and stir. Saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add arrowroot flour. Stir until arrowroot has dissolved into the vegetables and the clumps have dissolved.

While stirring, slowly pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any brown bits in the bottom of the skillet.

Add the potatoes, dried thyme and a bayleaf increase the heat and bring to a boil. Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce heat so that the soup is lightly simmering.

Add the chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook, simmering, until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, if you are using Swiss chard, fold the leaves in half and cut off the stem. Then, tighly roll the leaves into a cigar and thinly slice into ribbons.

Once the cook time is up, stir in the greens and let wilt, about 1 minute.

Stir in the coconut milk and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Taste broth and adjust seasoning, if desired.

Garnish with crispy bacon, parsley and chives.

Serve and enjoy!

Sichuan beef stir fry

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs sirloin steak
1 tablespoon tapioca flour*
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon avocado oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1.5 inch knob of ginger, peeled and julienned
2 cups green onions, julienned (about 5 green onions)
2 cups carrots, julienned (or 1 medium carrot)
2 cups celery, julienned (or 2 stalks celery)
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground sichuan peppercorn (or sub Chinese Five Spice Powder)

Directions:
Slice the steak into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Then, take each slice and cut them in half lengthwise, into thin strips.

Place the sliced steak and season with the tapioca starch, garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper and toss to coat evenly.

Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat with 2 tablespoons avocado oil and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. When the oil is shimmering, fry the beef, in small batches being careful not to overcrowd the skillet so that they crisp up nicely, until the beef is golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side.

Transfer cooked beef to a plate and set aside and continue until all of the beef is browned. (if your skillet starts to smoke excessively, turn the heat down to medium-high or medium during this process).

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining teaspoon of the avocado oil along with the crushed pepper, ginger, carrots, celery, and onions and saute, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and fish sauce and stir to combine and bring to a simmer.

Add back in the seared beef (and any of its juices) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 more minutes.

Sprinkle with sichuan peppercorn.

Serve alone, over steamed rice, or over prepared cauliflower rice. Enjoy!

Note: Tapioca flour is a Whole30-compliant flour that acts as a thickener. You can also substitute arrowroot powder and, if not Whole30, you can use corn starch.

Salt and vinegar baked chicken wings

Ingredients for the wings:
3 pounds split chicken wings
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Ingredients for the vinegar finish:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, for serving (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and top with a wire baking rack.

One a large cutting board or sheet of parchment paper, spread the chicken wings in a single layer, skin side up. Using a paper towel, pat the skin very dry.

Place the wings on the wire rack in a single layer without any of the wings touching one another. This allows them to crisp up more nicely as opposed to steaming when they are too close to one another. Transfer to the oven and bake until wings are golden brown all over and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl (large enough to toss the wings) combine the apple cider vinegar, cayenne, garlic powder, and 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside and let rest so that the salt can dissolve in the vinegar while the wings cook, whisking occasionally so that the salt doesn't settle on the bottom of the mixing bowl.

Remove the wings from the oven and turn your oven on 'broil'. (If your oven has a high/low broil option, opt for high. If your oven doesn't have a broil option turn up the heat to 500 degrees or as high as it will go). Meanwhile, using a sturdy spatula, transfer the baked wings to the large bowl with the vinegar sauce. Toss constantly to coat evenly, for about 2 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the tossed wings back onto the wire rack (do not discard remaining salt and vinegar finish) and spread into an even layer once again. Place under the broiler (on the top rack) and cook until crisp again, watching carefully and being careful not to burn, 1 to 3 minutes depending on how hot your broiler gets.

Remove from oven and spread on a platter to serve. Spoon about 3-4 tablespoons of the remaining apple cider vinegar finish left in the bottom of the bowl over the cooked wings. Sprinkle once more with a little salt (kosher or even Maldon if you have it) and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Serve and enjoy! I also recommend serving with fresh cut carrots and celery and ranch for dipping, however they really are great without dip.

Sloppy Janes

Ingredients:
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup coconut aminos

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Scrub and pat dry the sweet potatoes. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic and saute until slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon, until the meat is browned and cooked through (no longer pink), about 7 minutes more. Season with the salt and pepper while browning.

Add the tomato paste, mustard, chili powder, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring, until well combined.

Pour in the coconut aminos and cook, stirring, until it has reduced.

Remove from heat, cover and keep warm until the potatoes are finished cooking.

When potatoes are done, remove from oven and make a slit in the top of each sweet potato. Stuff with sloppy joe mixture, serve and enjoy!

(MORE: Everything you need to start Whole30, from a meal plan to a grocery list)

Fish puttanesca en pappillote

Ingredients:
2 (6-8 oz) filets white flakey fish (petrol sole, tilapia or halibut work best)
8 oz haricot verts
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons store bought marinara
1 lemon
2 teaspoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons kalamata olives, halved
1 heaping teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with two 14-inch sheets of parchment paper.

Evenly divide the haricot verts among the two pieces of parchment paper. Placing the ingredients in the center of the parchment. Place the fish on top of the haricot verts. Top with minced garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and marinara sauce. Slice half the lemon in two 4 thin slices and lay 2 slices of lemon on top of each filet (Reserve the other half for serving).

Evenly distribute the capers and kalamata olives. Garnish with oregano and crushed red pepper flakes, if using.

Fold both ends of the parchment paper over the fish, making a long rectangle. Then, grab the open ends and roll towards the fish, so that no liquids can escape and creating a package.

Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven and bake until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Cook time will depend on how thick your white fish is -- Tilapia and Petrol Sole will take 15-18 minutes. Halibut will take closer to 20-22 minutes.

Garnish with freshly chopped basil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve and enjoy!

Recipes reprinted with permission, courtesy of The Defined Dish.