Last week we got a closer look at our new Elements Meal, Country Herb Chicken. This week, we’re going to get a little closer to our other new Elements Meal … Coconut Mango Chicken.

I call this meal an "inherent fat" because all of the critical macronutrients are inherent in the whole food ingredients, i.e. there are no added fats independent of the whole food ingredients. One of the benefits of this kind of meal is this: science is beginning to explore the inherent bioavailability characteristics of macronutrients that occur together naturally.

In other words, natural, whole foods seem to have a built-in ability to "nutrify" (my word) the body that exceeds that same ability of all non-whole foods. Maybe that seems obvious? But our American-style cuisine culture doesn’t seem to care. In fact, American-style food gets blue ribbons for wreaking havoc on human health. Right? Anyway, I digress....

Coconut Mango Chicken is a creation of a few "exotic" thoughts, shall we say. Ha. It started with a question that I asked myself: What two whole foods taste so well together that they seem to have been created for each other? I made a list.

I won’t disclose that list here because it happens to be the creation source for future Elements Meals. 😉 Needless to say, Coconut-Mango made the top of that list. To me, it’s a flavor combination that makes a mouth water, that evokes memories of fun, care-free times, vacations, white-sand beaches, blue waves, great music, laughing, friends and family, love. It’s all of that. So, how does all this fun, beauty and goodness show up in a meal? Well, we start with organic coconut shavings … the "white meat" of the one-seeded drupe kingdom. Drupe kingdom you ask?

Coconut geek mode. Yes. Drupe. A coconut is not really a nut. The coconut is botanically classified as a fibrous one-seeded drupe: a fruit with a hard, stony covering enclosing a seed. The white fleshy part we enjoy eating is the endosperm, the food for the growth of a new plant.

Coconut contains lauric acid which increases good-HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Research demonstrates that cytokinins in coconut have attractive abilities, e.g. anti-thrombotic, anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic effects. It contains many trace minerals, too; calcium, iron, manganese, copper, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. It contains vitamins as well; B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin and pyridoxine. Plus, it tastes great and has a fun texture.

Add a touch of sweet, smooth mango to this fun white, fibrous meat, and the meal is well on its way. We added cauliflower for additional texture and nutrition, some red bell peppers for their taste and color, freeze dried coconut water (that sounds so funny) for natural sweetness, a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of habanero pepper to round it out.

The cinnamon and habanero creatively accentuate and enhance the mango’s contribution to the flavor palette. The coconut water brings an exclamation point to the coconut meat. To all this we added protein in the form of naturally raised chicken breast meat.

We also drilled the macronutrients: 38 grams of protein, 16 grams of healthy fat from the coconuts, and 23 net carbs (5 grams of fiber). Hot dang! All in all, I’m confident that Coconut Mango Chicken is going to be a new favorite among our customers! View the ingredient list and nutrition chart here.