Chili Chili Bang Bang

With fall right around the corner and rainy days ahead, I decided to make a classic crock pot chili.  Typically, chili includes beans, but with the Paleo diet, beans are forbidden.  My paleo take on this dish is below:

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground meat
3 cups of zucchini
3 cups of squash
1 large can of tomato sauce
4 jalapenos
2 cups of chopped onions
2 red peppers
1 small can of green chilis in liquid
4 tbs of chili powder
2 tbs of cumin
1 tbs of cayenne pepper
1 tbs crushed red pepper
salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat in a skillet.  Drain.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 4 hours.

Aside from the chopping, this is a super easy recipe.  One can even start it in the morning and cook it in the crock pot on low all day only to come home to a delicious meal.  The recipe serves 6-8 so invite some friends over and enjoy!

Stay Away From Poisons

Processed foods. The more ingredients in your food you pick up at the store, the more it has been tampered with, processed, and deviated from its natural state. If you do not already check the ingredients of what you have been eating, you need to start doing so right away. Not sure of one of the ingredients? Pick up your smart phone or go on the internet and search it. If you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't be consuming it. As part of the paleo diet, you must start eating naturally and more importantly, organically.

Do not let a label, like Diet Soda or Sugar-free gum, fool you. The sugar is probably replaced with something worse, like aspartame. Please, for your own piece of mind, do your own research on aspartame (or asculfame), monosodium glutemate (msg), genetically-modified organisms (gmo's), sodium nitrate (used to preserve meats), and high fructose corn syrup (which research has shown to be laced with mercury). There are many more poisons out there in food churned out by huge corporations who cut corners at the expense of your health.

And, don't think a soda-ban in NYC is anyway to go, because the soda ban does not apply to diet soda drinks! You all must realize that there are healthy alternatives out there, but for big corporations, there is not enough profit in those alternatives. "How can we prolong the shelflife of our product so we don't lose money? Preservatives!" Do you think these chemicals will eventually harm your body? Does anyone out there really think most diseases Americans face are natural and unavoidable? This is no BS. You will notice a world of difference when you begin to elliminate these toxins and poisons from your diet. When you stop consuming them, you will hopefully detox your body of them and become healthier - not only your body but your mind as well.

Last nights dinner!

When I was younger, my mom rarely made mashed potatoes and usually made rice (my sisters favorite). Well, after a while of no mashed potatoes, one day I arrive to the dinner table and see a big bowl of what looks like my favorite side item. I ate some, they were good but different. I asked, "What is this?" My mom said, "Do you like it? It's cauliflower." I was so mad and betrayed that left the table in disgust. We laugh about it now.

I cook food often. Although it is nice to go out to a restaurant, I feel a homecooked meal is always better because you know where all the ingredients are coming from and who is handling your food. This isn't to discourage anyone from dining out, it's a risk. But, so is making your own food, especially something you have never made before. Last night I made maybe, in my opinion, one of the best meals I've ever made.

Leigh and I went to the farmstands in Hoboken and picked up olives stuffed with almonds, garlic artichoke hearts, two green peppers, two yellow squash, mixed unsalted nuts, and spaghetti squash.

Last night for dinner, we decided to make the spaghetti squash. We took the entire squash and microwaved it (to save time instead of baking it) for 12 minutes. After that, we cut it in half and saved one halve for another night. We took the halve and removed the seeds (which you can toast like pumpkin seeds) and then with a fork scraped out the spaghetti. We put the spaghetti in a grill pan with shaved zucchini, the chopped olives with almonds, the garlic artichoke hearts, and extra virgin olive oil. No spices were necessary.

Simultaneously, we took cauliflower and chopped it up, put it in a pot with chicken broth and some water, chopped garlic, ground pepper, and rosemary. We let it boil, then on medium covered for 20 minutes. After they were tender, we put the cauliflower in the blender with some of the broth, adding a little at a time if necessary.

The end result was spaghetti squash and mashed cauliflower. Like I said earlier, it was one of the best things we've made yet. The funny thing is, it was better than what we were substituting. The spaghetti squash is like angel hair pasta which is my favorite pasta. My favorite side item from when I was younger did not even compare to the mashed cauliflower. After the meal, we were full and we felt good. It just goes to show you can still enjoy your favorite foods on the paleo 30 day detox. Sure, there are differences, and in this case, the healthy alternative also tastes better!

A Testimonial

A friend of mine sent me this message the other day...

"What's up bro? Yo I lost 14 pounds in one month and I didn't even exercise that much. I'm feeling much better now bro, I'm going to continue with the diet thanks."

It really makes me happy that I can just share some information that was shared with me and then that person uses the information in a way that benefits them and helps them become happier in life.

Feel free to use the comments section and just post anything: how your feeling, what you like/dislike, any difficulties, advice, help; anything. It can really help someone.

Down At The Farmstand!

The Paleo 30 Day Detox would not be the same without purchasing fresh produce from the source. In your local area, find the nearest Farmstand, preferably organic, and find the best deals for the best produce.

On Tuesdays in Hoboken, where some of us live, there are 5 or 6 farmstands set up on Washington Street. The prices are very good because they all compete for your business and the food is delicious. Make sure you stop by it today, it's on the corner of Newark and Washington.

If you live or work in NYC, the Farmstands at Union Square are top notch, there is such a wide variety of things they offer from seafood, to ostrich eggs, other unique proteins, crazy concoctions just waiting to be eaten.

You'll notice how much more expensive the organic stores and other supermarkets are compared to the actual farmers stands. Support your local farmers and keep up with your detox. For some of you, it is Day 2, others it is Day 30: you are all close to your goal, so keep it up!

Who's Making These?

"Not So Chunky Monkey Muffins"

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 heaping tablespoons almond butter
• 2 really ripe mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Cooking Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, almond butter and bananas.
3. Add in the coconut flour, salt and baking soda and beat until smooth.
4. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until done


modified for the Paleo 30 Day Detox
original source: http://fastpaleo.com/not-so-chunky-monkey-muffins/

Day 1 Dinner

Post your Day 1 dinner pictures here!

Leigh made a salad with romaine lettuce, red cabbage, broccoli, red pepper, tomatoes, carrots, kalamata olives, and blueberries. We didn't have any tonight, but we made a lot and are going to have some for lunch tomorrow, and either dinner later on tomorrow night or lunch on Wednesday, or both! We have some leftover chicken so Leigh is going to have that in her salad and I'm going to have tuna.

Leigh baked chicken with red and green peppers, onions, and tomatoes. She baked it in apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, pineapple juice, and seasoned with smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, and garlic pepper. Leigh baked it in the oven on 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

So again, very simple. Easy ingredients, nothing crazy. You get full and yet you don't feel disgusting or have trouble moving around haha.