Sunday, January 5, 2014

Whole30 Week 1 Day 3

As the hubs and I finished breakfast this morning, I realized we were already on day 3. I was thinking it was day 2. Not bad! I have a hard time staying off the scale and felt motivated this morning when I jumped on there and saw that I have already lost 4 pounds! I can't wait to see my results once I start X3 in 2 days. Whew! I'm finally going to hit my goals in 2014! Yeah, I'm feeling spunky this morning and I've only just started on the one and only cup of coffee I'm allowing myself. Haha. It's gonna be a good day. Happy Day 3 y'all!
 
Breakfast
Bacon Wrapped Breakfast Cups
I found this recipe over at Kate Updates and of course I tweaked it a bit. I have made breakfast cups before and they were a nice and easy way to get out the door quick. The family loved them also. I however, thought they were dry and boring. I have a hard time choking down eggs when they taste like eggs. But these little boogers were just delicious. They were moist and booming with flavor. I made them a few days ago and threw them in the freezer. They heated up wonderfully in the microwave. I love that there are hidden veggies in them. You can't even taste the mushrooms! 

12 eggs; beaten, 10 slices (approved) bacon, 1/2 red bell pepper; 1/2 cup shredded sweet potato, 3/4 cup baby Bella mushrooms, salt and pepper.

I used 11 muffin cups, and had one without bacon. 
Line the muffin cups with one slice of bacon each and throw em in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes. Drain the bacon grease. You may need to take the bacon out and stand it back up a bit before pouring the egg mixture in. I didn't stand my bacon up and it just ended up in a pile on the bottom of each cup. We were perfectly okay with that.
 While the bacon is getting crispy in the oven, mix all of the other ingredients together in a large bowl. Once you get the bacon drained and rearranged to your liking, pour the egg mixture in the cups. Mine were pretty full. 
Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. If you plan on freezing them, just be sure they are completely cool before throwing em in that freezer bag. BTW, mine didn't turn out looking anything like Kate's, but they sure did taste wonderful. Enjoy!




Lunch
Leftovers from Day 2

The hubs and I went to our other house and painted today. Having leftovers worked out well since we needed something quick to take with us. We just threw the food on the microwave and chowed down in the sheet-rock dust covered couch. 
 I decided to go with the leftover scotch eggs instead of the turkey pesto meatballs. I did put pesto on top of my scotch eggs though. Yum! I also had some raw broccoli dipped in the Paleo ranch I made the other day.

The hubs went with a little bit of each and some leftover roast from day 1. Yay! He's eating leftovers, and happily! 







Dinner  

Chocolate Chili and Kale Chips

This is seriously good food. My 13 year old made this on our last Whole30 journey, and the whole family scarfed it down. It's gotten quite cool here for Florida, and we figured this would be a nice dinner for warming us up. So, your ingredients are...
2 medium onions, 5 cloves garlic, 2 lbs. grass fed ground beef, 1 tsp. ground oregano, 2 tbsp chili powder, 2 tbsp. ground cumin, 1 and 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa (seriously, just do it), 1 tsp. allspice, 1 tsp. salt, 1 6 oz. can (boxed if you can find it) tomato paste, 1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes (the WF 365 brand has cans that don't use BPA). 1 14.5 oz. can veggie broth, 1 cup water.
Heat up the coconut oil in a deep pot. Add onions and cook until they are translucent. Throw the garlic in there and stir for about 1 minute. Add meat and continue to cook until no longer pink. 

While the meat is cooking, combine ALL the seasonings (not canned items) in a  small bowl. Add to the pot with the meat and stir like it's nobody's business. Next, add in the tomato paste and stir like crazy again.
Finally, add the fire roasted tomatoes, water, and broth to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the chili finds a gentle simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours. The secret is in the simmer my friends. Don't shortchange it. Enjoy!
 
I ate my chili on top of a few spinach leaves and with a little coconut milk mixed in. I also gave it some heat with my favorite hot sauce that passes my Whole30 test. I buy it at Tijuana Flats. It's called "Smack My Ass & Call Me Sally". Yeah sorry for the language, but that's the name of this all natural, yummy goodness! Have you had it?
Kale Chips 
We also had some kale chips with our chili. I love making kale chips and knowing that it's a fun healthy snack. The only reason that the hubs and I got to eat so many tonight is because the kids are at their granddaddy's for the weekend. Otherwise, they are gone as soon as they come out of the oven. 

1 bunch of kale; washed, dried and torn into pieces. Some people like their kale chips large, but we typically make them bite-sized.  
Throw the kale pieces on a cookie sheet or stone. You want to drizzle the leaves with a little olive oil. Don't use too much or the chips wont crisp up. Once you're done drizzling, use your hands and sort of rub the oil all over the leaves so they are well coated. You'll know if you have the correct amount when each "chip" is shiny, but not dripping with oil. This is a good time to sprinkle those leaves with a seasoning, herb, or just plain ole salt and pepper. *The possibilities are endless here. Be sure to look at your ingredients list to see if there is anything funky in the bottle. I used Penzey's Northwoods Fire seasoning tonight for the first time and they were SPICY! I love spicy, always have, but these were a bit much. I definitely need to tone it down next time. Nonetheless, I'll munch on them again tomorrow.
Bake in a 400 degree oven until they are crispy. I baked mine for 20 minutes last night, but it has often taken longer. It has a lot to do with how well you dry them off after their bath and how much oil is used.
 Let them cool for a few minutes before digging in. Mmmmm. Enjoy!

*We have used everything from garlic powder and lemon pepper to coconut oil with cinnamon. Try many different varieties and use them for all sorts of meals and snacks. 

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