21 day jump start challenge

If you follow me on Instagram you will be seeing a LOT of food pictures coming up.  I am starting a 21 day challenge to help switch my body over from fat storing to fat burning mode.  At least that's the hope!  I am a member of EPlifefit and the jumpstart is what they suggest to get your body into fat burning mode so that your workouts are optimized.  I'd love it if any of you want to join me in this challenge. I will post recipes if it is an original creation and if not, then I'll post where I found the recipe.  Most of you with kids will want to know what will my kids eat during this time?  They will eat the dinners that I prepare for myself, but their breakfast, lunch and snacks will be the normal stuff for them.  They do Paleo about 80/20, so they still eat things like rice, corn and Paleo treat foods.  My Sunday Food prep post shows the typical breakfast foods they like.  They just snack the rest of the day usually till dinner.  Rolled up pieces of lunch meat, goats cheese and nut crackers, apples and natural peanut butter, chips and homemade salsa, raw veggies and hummus.
So today is day1 of my challenge.  I did a intense 30 minute heated yoga session yesterday to detox my body.  Started today out with a mug of hot lemon water.  Then around 8:30 I had 2 poached eggs, 2 pieces of nitrate/nitrite free uncured bacon, and sauteed spinach.  I also had a cup of pumpkin chai tea with no sweetener and 1 Tbsp of plain unsweetened almond milk.

That held me over for 5 hours.  When I decided to eat lunch, I actually was not really all that hungry.  I ate anyways because I am trying not to let myself get to a starving point for better blood sugar control.  Lunch was left over ribeye steak that had been grilled, about 5 oz and french style green beans that were sauteed in bacon fat.  Very filling and satisfying!

My plans for the rest of the day are to have a cup of Harvest Blend herbal tea (from Trader Joes) and for dinner have "spaghetti" in creamy tomato sauce from www.everydaypaleo.com
I will have it with the zucchini noodles but my kids will have GF rice noodles.  Although they would probably eat the zucchini.
I will be posting pics on Instagram if you want to follow me.  It's never too late to join me in this challenge either, so come on.  Even if you're a few days behind me, start it today!  Email me if you need a food list of approved foods and such.  It's a great way to get the whole family transformed into eating healthier and on your way to a better you!  

Stuffed Acorn Squash

The finished product

 

 

If you have never ventured outside your comfort zone on trying new and different foods, this recipe might get you out side the box.  It is super easy and delicious.  Go ahead...give it a try.  I think you'll be glad you did.
Roasting the squash:
2 Acorn squash, cut in half, placed flesh side down in a glass casserole dish with about 1/4 of the pan full of water.
place in a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for approximately 40 min or until a fork easily pierces the outside sin.
Preparing the filling:
1 pound ground pork sausage
2 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (precooked, I boiled mine)
2 carrots chopped
1/2 onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
cook the sausage, remove with a slotted spoon saving the hot fat in the pan to cook the veggies in.  Once the veggies are cooked, add back the sausage and season.
Seasoning:
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 Tbsp chipolte powder (or black pepper if don't like it too hot)
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
Pull the chicken apart into pieces and add to the filling mixture
I also had some leftover rice that I stirred into  my filling as well.  (yes I know it's not Paleo)
Once the squash is done, scoop out the seeds and discard, then carefully scoop out the cooked squash leaving a small amount for the "bowl" in the shell.
mash up the squash really good and stir it into the filling mixture as well.
Stuff the acorn shells with the filling and put back in the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

If you have leftover filling, you can have a really filling breakfast the next morning.  Just add a couple poached eggs.

I also threw in a sprinkle of parm. cheese as well.  (again, not Paleo)
ENJOY!

Quick Healthy Dinner

                                        CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
*Sorry no pic, it was a quick throw together meal that was eaten so fast, there was no time for a snapshot.

2 cartons of organic Free Range chicken broth (or homemade if you have some)
1 cup uncooked GF Rice noodles of your choice
1-2 cans of chicken (I used one of the bigger cans)
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (mine had green beans, carrots and corn in it)
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp oregano
a few rounds of freshly cracked black pepper
Bring all of this to a boil and simmer till noodles are done.

This was our dinner Halloween night.  The girls had gymnastics and are always starving when we get home, so I need this done fast!
We also had some "Candy Bar Cupcakes" to make up for no candy.  The recipe for those can be found at www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com  To me they tasted just like snickers.  I used the GF all-purpose flour and xylitol, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

I posted the link on Facebook that I used from Pinterest.  Be sure to follow me on pinterest and also I post pics of foods I make and eat on Instagram too.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween.  In TN we had storms and most all Halloween events were cancelled.  The leaves around here are so beautiful I was really hoping the 300 mile an hour winds (yes I am exaggerating) wouldn't blow all the color off.  I was able to find one beautiful tree this morning when I went to pick up my bushel of apples.

We went to Cheekwood on Tuesday and the girls got to dress up and have some Goblin fun.  They were witches this year and thankfully all I had to buy were tights for their costumes because these dresses were in our dress up closet!  YAY!

 

Elderberry Syrup

I just realized that I spoke of an elderberry recipe and then never posted it.  Well now is definitely the time for having this on hand!  It is an immune booster, and also amazing how it can fight off flu.  Whether you get the flu shot or not, it doesn't always cover the strain that you may come in contact with and you could still be infected.  During the flu season, I give my kids a "shot" of this syrup daily to help boost their immune system.  Then if they do get sick, I give them a "shot" every two hours.  Being diligent and giving this often and for as long as the illness is lingering is the key with Natural Remedies!  They will take longer to work, but a chance of relapse is almost none!  Also remember to keep hydrated too!  I found a great "Natural Gatorade" recipe on Pinterest.  By the way, if you are on pinterest and don't follow me, please go and do that!  I have a lot of boards, but you may just be interested in my natural health, no harsh chemicals please, nourishing our bodies one bite at a time, paleo, and our life on GAPS boards. 
Now for the recipe:
1/2 cup dried elderberries, or 1 cup fresh (Frozen) berries
3 cups water
1 cup honey
bring berries and water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 min
mash berries to release all the juices
strain off the berries, add honey and mix to combine well.
store in fridge for a few months

I buy dried berries from www.bulkherbstore.com or I harvest them myself in the wild.  Just be sure they are the black elderberries not the red ones.  The red ones are poisonous.  Also do not confuse elderberries with polk berries or sumac.  Be sure to look it up on line.  Making sure the  leaf and the blooms/berries look like what you see online.  This is the time of year to find them ready to harvest.

The bottom picture is frozen elderberries that I harvested last fall.  I am making the syrup using those berries today!  ENJOY, and may you and your family all have a healthy winter!
 

Taco Chilli

It's beginning to feel like Fall here in the mid-south.  Today was a busy day for us as we started the day on a field trip to our local pumpkin patch.  I packed our lunch for us to eat in the car.  After the patch, we headed to the library to get our books on hold and a movie.  Then headed to Sam's Club.  This adventure did not go well because of 2 reasons.  #1 when I got out my membership card, I realized it was expired.  No problem, I will just renew it inside.  So I proceed through the store filling my cart only to realize at the check out that my debit card has expired.  Oh yes I do remember they sent me a new one, but its on my counter at home waiting on me to activate it from a month ago.  GRRRR, I have no reason to get upset with my children when they pull these kind of forgetful stunts...they learned it from me!  So I leave the store empty handed.  Let me also mention here that my local Sam's Club is an hour from my house.  So you can imagine my frustration with myself! 
After that incident, we headed to Trader Joes's and got our groceries.  (They take a credit card, where Sam's does not)  Then we still had 40 minutes to kill before the chiropractor opened, so we stopped by the park to play for a few.  Then I got adjusted and we were homeward bound by 4:30. 
After I unloaded all the groceries and put them all away, I realized I had nothing planned for dinner.  It's now 5:45 and the girls are hungry.  What can I throw together quick that is also filling and healthy?  I invented a Taco Chilli recipe, and I wanted to share it with you all since it is kid and husband approved! 

TACO CHILLI
1 pound grass fed beef
1 pound pastured pork sausage
1/2 cup of bell peppers (I used red, green & yellow) diced
1/2 yellow onion  diced
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1Qt tomato juice (home canned is super yummy)
1 can Rotel (tomatoes and chillis)
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp Chilli powder
salt to taste
shredded cheese (optional topping, we use kerrygold)
avacado (topping)
Sour cream (we use plain greek yogurt)
Organic blue corn chips (optional)
Since I am the only one in my family who is 95%  Paleo, I do not include all the optional toppings, I do use avocado. (yes I do realize that beans are not Paleo! Thanks for the good observation)

Brown the sausage and beef together in a skillet.  Remove the meat, leaving the fat behind in the skillet.  Saute the veggies in the fat.  After they are cooked, drain the fat and add the meat, veggie, beans, tomato juice, Rotel, crushed garlic and seasonings to a big pot and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 min.
(If you want this to be thicker, more like chilli, add an 8oz can of tomato paste)
Serve with the optional toppings.
ENJOY, and HAPPY FALL YA'LL!!!

Pictured is a bowl with cheese as a topping.

Fresh homemade salsa

This is a video of me making my fresh salsa.  Tomatoes have been good this year!  This was the first gallon I made.  We ate all of that and I have since made a second gallon.  It lasts in the fridge for 6 months!
Recipe:
1 gallon of tomatoes, chopped, drained and press (excess liquid through mesh strainer)
1 small bunch cilantro (optional)
1 large red onion, diced
1 fresh cayenne pepper, seeded and diced
5-6 fresh banana peppers, seeded and diced
2 medium bell peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup sea salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp ground cumin

Dice all veggies or use food processor to do it for you!
Add vinegar and spices
stir well and refrigerate
ENJOY!


Oh and I forgot, add the juice of 1 freshly squeezed lime!

Fresh homemade tomato sauce

If you are like me, you have a LOT of tomatoes in your fridge.  Either you grew them or you have friends giving them to you.  So many tomatoes and you can not eat them all before they go bad.  You have made BLTs and salsa, and eaten them in salads, had tomato and cheese sandwiches and still have TONS of tomatoes.  What to do with them all?
Can them!  I know this may be a new thing to some or scary to think about, but I have an easy way that you can do this!  Not special equipment needed!
You can use cherry tomatoes, or the big ones, either is fine!
Take about one big stock pot 1/2 full of tomatoes.  If you are using the big ones, core them and cut off any bad spots.
Add them to the pot and turn heat to med high.  Add chopped bell peppers (approx. 3) and chopped onion (1 large yellow), about 5-6 garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp sea salt, 1/4 cup EVOO, and fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary) about 1/4 cup of these slightly chopped, stems removed.
cook all of this till veggies are tender.
Let cool a little, then pour into blender or use immersion blender to puree into a sauce.
put sauce back into pot and bring to a boil, then simmer while you get the jars ready.
Fill clean QT or Pint jars with HOT water to get the jar HOT.  The ladle hot sauce into clean empty HOT jars.  Leave a 1" head space, wipe rim clean, screw on a new lid and ringer to hand tight.  Set on a towel on the counter and repeat till you are out of sauce.
Let the jars set until the lids POP and seal.  Then let them continue to set undisturbed 24 hours. Label and date the jars.  If any do not seal, put in the fridge and eat within a week!
ENJOY!!! 


NOTE: if your sauce is watery before you add to the jars, stir in a small can of tomato paste!  Make sure its organic!