NO BEAN CHILI (whole30, paleo, grain free)

Fall is in the air here on the East Coast! And fall means comfort food, like big bowl of chili. When I first started eating Whole 30, I was reluctant to try chili because to me, chili meant beans. But this no bean chili is so good! My family actually loves this chili more than any other one.

I originally posted this recipe on a Whole 30 recap post, but it's so good I wanted to share it again all on it's own. It's the perfect fall dinner and only takes about 30 mintues!

Whole30 No Bean Chili

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef (grass fed if that's your thing) or ground turkey

1 large bell pepper, any color, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

2 cans mild Rotel 

1 6oz can tomato paste

2 cups water

1-2 cups of beef stock (make sure to read your lables) 

1/2 -1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder, depending on your preference

1/2 tablespoon cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Toppings:

Avacado, cilantro (if desired)

 

In a large pot, brown the ground beef. Add the chopped green bell pepper and onion, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain off grease. Add Rotel, tomato paste, water, and spices, stir. Bring to a simmer, and cook about 10 minutes, Add 1 cup of beef stock, stir. Continue cooking for 20-30 minutes, adding more stock to reach your desired consistency. Adjust spices as desired. Serve topped with avocados and cilantro if that's your thing. Enjoy!

(whole30, paleo, grain free) ZUCCHINI FRIES

People. These zucchini fries are so delicious, that you will eat them off the pan, burning your mouth, and you simply won't care. You'll just shove more in your mouth, and say things to your children as they set the table like, "Do you want zucchini? No? That's fine! You can have carrots sticks instead tonight! No, you don't even have to take one bite!" And then you will eat all the zucchini fries all by yourself.

These are super simple, super quick, and so so so good. Annnnnd: totally grain free, gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and Whole 30 compliant.

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries
4 zucchini, cut into sticks
1/2 cup almond flour/meal
1 Tbsp spoon garlic salt
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/8 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 large eggs

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil, parchment or a baking mat (such as a Silpat). Preheat the over to 425 degrees.
Whisk the eggs. Toss the zucchini sticks in the eggs until coated. Set aside.
Mix the almond flour and all the spices together. Coat zucchini sticks on all sides and lay in a single layer on your prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then increase heat to 450 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from and oven and serve hot.

Enjoy!

CREAMY TOMATOES & CHICKEN OVER SPAGHETTI SQUASH

One of my absolute favorite foods is pasta with cream sauce. I will 100% go to a fancy Italian restaurant with dozens of authentic, delicious, farm to table dishes and be that person who orders Fettuccine Alfredo. I will order anything that claims to be "three cheese." I will use bread to mop up all the extra creamy sauce on my dish. I love it all-gnocchi, tortellini, parma rosa, the before mentioned Alfredo sauce. 

The problem is, as I get older, I've (sadly) gotten wiser. I do silly things like run for exercise and say no to things I don't want to do and listen to my body about things that I eat that make me feel like crap. Which means I really really really limit both dairy and gluten. The key elements to my pasta with cream sauce love.

Luckily, this growing older has also taught me to embrace things I love, one of which is cooking and coming up with recipes. This past year, I've really worked at taking meals we love and turning them into things that are Whole 30 compliant. This creamy tomato and chicken dish is both dairy free and grain free but creamy and decadent tasting. 

(It's also basically one pot, which means less clean up, thank-you-Jesus-and-the-universe, we could all use less time doing dishes, can I get an Amen?)

Cast of Characters:

 Tomatoes, chicken, olive oil, chicken stock, coconut cream and tapioca flour are the base of this dish. Fresh basil and rosemary, plus garlic and onions give this dish a ton of flavor. Salt and pepper, of course, plus a little crushed red pepper for a tiny kick.

First we're going to roast a spaghetti squash to serve all this creaminess over.

While the squash is roasting, we brown the chicken in olive oil.

Once the chicken is cooked up, set it aside. Add a little more oil and the onions to the pan and brown them. Toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Finally, add the tomatoes. Cook it all up. Your kitchen is starting to smell divine.

We add the broth and bring everything to a boil and then simmer it all together. Toss in that basil and the rosemary. And the key to the creaminess: coconut cream and a little tapioca starch diluted in water. We season everything with salt and pepper and add that kick of red pepper flakes. Add the chicken back in and warm everything up. Now your kitchen smells like Italian heaven (and if you're having a dinner party this is when your guests should show up and shower you with praise like "It smells so good in here!" and there is dinner all in one pot with nary a dish to wash and you feeling all chef like! *Praise hands*). 

Run a fork through that spaghetti squash to make "noodles". Top that squash with a piece of chicken and creamy tomatoes. Eat, enjoy, and don't feel a bit guilty. 

Creamy Tomatoes and Chicken Over Spaghetti Squash

2 Tbsp chopped basil

1/2 Tbsp chopped rosemary

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, chopped

2 lbs of fresh tomatoes, chopped OR 1 28oz can chopped tomatoes

2 lbs chicken breasts

1/2 cup coconut cream

1 cup chicken stock

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp of tapioca flour*, dissolved in 2 Tbsp of cold water 

Big Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper, to taste.

1 large spaghetti squash

*Tapioca flour can be found in the "health food " section in most grocery stores. This part is OPTIONAL. It makes the sauce a little thicker/creamier, but if you can't find it don't worry about it!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and place on a rimmed cookie sheet, cut side up. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until flesh is soft (if you can stick a fork in it with little resistance, it's ready).

While the squash is roasting, make your sauce. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper, and when the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken to the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes, each side, until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through. Remove from the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate; leave the brown juices in the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium and return the pan to the burner. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan. Add the onions to the pan and cooking until soft and slightly brown. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes and then add the chopped tomatoes, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the chopped herbs and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the tomatoes for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the coconut cream and 2 Tbsp of the dissolved tapioca starch, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add in the crushed red pepper flakes. If you'd like the sauce a little thicker, add more of the dissolved tapioca starch, 1 Tbsp at a time until desired thickness is achieved. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer another 5-7 minutes to warm the chicken.

Shredded the spaghetti squash with a fork. Serve the chicken and sauce over the spaghetti squash.  

Enjoy!

WHOLE30: FINISHED!

So last Friday, I officially finished my first Whole30. And I want to tell everyone everything about it. Why? Because this has changed my entire out look about eating. We have always eaten pretty healthy and been considerate about what we were eating. But the Whole30 has taken it to a whole new level. I am very aware of how much my entire body and mind are affected by the food I chose to eat. And I feel amazing!

 

 

You can read all the rules here but I just wanted to talk about the changes that we have personally seen in our family-because our WholeFamily has had a great outcome from our Whole30 (you see what I did there).

 

1. We have cut our sugar consumption like whoa. I had no idea how much sugar we were consuming on a daily basis. I noted in my first week review that I knew things were getting a little out of hand with dessert at our house, but it turns out dessert was the least of our worries. Spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, bread, bacon-it's all full of sugar. By cutting our sugar intake, our kids especially are less cranky, sleeping better, and have cut their cravings. I plan on cutting refined sugar as completely as possible and keeping "natural" sugars such as honey and agave to a minimum.

 

2. And speaking of sleep, everyone is sleeping better. Ever since we moved, my husband hasn't slept well. That's been a year! But the Whole30 has helped him hugely. We're both sleeping better at night and getting up easier in the morning-no more snooze alarms. I'm also not feeling an afternoon slump like I had a tendency to do.

 

3. Drinking isn't the only way to have a good time. I also mentioned in my first week review that we were having one drink to many to often. After doing the Whole30, where there was no drinking at all, we had a real eye opener. We were equaling drinking with all sorts of everyday things: relaxing, having fun, and just what we did on Fridays and Saturday because everyone else is. New flash: not healthy. Not normal. A glass of wine on a Saturday night or a bottle of hard cider at a barbeque is great. But our overall consumption was entirely too much for us to be comfortable with. For me, this awareness was one of the best things to come out of the Whole30 and I'm thankful for it.

 

4. Exercise is so much better when you're eating well and taking care of yourself. I'm what would be a reluctant runner. I run not because I truly enjoy it, but because it's good for me, and I'm in my 30s and I need something to keep me in check. But you know what? My running has gotten better since starting the Whole30. Like, a lot better. And it's inspired me to come up with new running workouts. And it turns out that not only am I now one of those people who will say "No bread please," I'm now also one of those people who LIKES TO RUN FOR FUN.

(I'm sorry. I hope we can still be friends.)

My yoga routines have also gotten longer and better.

 

5. And finally...between the two of us, my husband and I lost 28 lbs. I thought that the weight I was at-which was a healthy weight, if not my happiest weight-was just where I was going to be from now on. I'm in my 30s, I have two kids. But eating like this and running better and doing yoga like I mean it has made my body the way I'm happiest.

 

I like big glasses and I cannot lie.

So what's next?  I plan on continuing to eat Whole30ish most of the time and truly enjoy my occasional indulgences. I encourage you to try a Whole30 yourself! You CAN do it, and it WILL make you feel awesome. Even if you're already healthy. Even if you love junk food. Try it; you won't be disappointed!

 

I'll be continuing to post recipes and inspiration here on the blog and on Instagram (@junenovember).

 

Cookbook recommendations: I'm getting continued inspiration from Against All Grain and the actual Whole 30 book.