W30D16

What can I do with all of that chicken that I roasted the other day? Easy. Time to pull out that crock pot...

Spinach, Pepper, and Chicken Quiche

12 eggs

1 cup coconut milk

2 cups shredded chicken (for me, this was all of the meat from the wings and thighs)

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 cup chopped bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp hot sauce (cayenne pepper)

1. Whisk the eggs and coconut together. Mix in the spices.

2. Spread the chicken, spinach, and peppers in the bottom of the crockpot.

3. Pour in the egg and coconut mixture.

4. Set crockpot on high and cook for 2.5 hours.

5. Slice into six pieces and serve.

Look at that thick slice of quiche. Isn't it pretty?

ECD8: 1 hour Krav Maga Flex (yoga)

W30D10

Well, I managed to wake up at 4:58 a.m. to get my ass over to my Krav Maga studio for their 5:25 a.m. Meta (metamorphosis/boot camp) class, followed by the 6 a.m. Krav Maga 1 class. In the 30 minutes of Meta, I did 66 burpees, 54 hollow rocks, 54 kettle bell push-presses, 54 up-down planks, and 54 Krav get-ups. We were supposed to do more, but I did move fast enough... for good reason, I was exhausted. We worked on elbows, knees, head-butts, and side choke holds today. By the time I got done with my Krav class, I had scraped off the skin of my right elbow due to throwing elbows against a pad, had gotten elbowed in the head more times that I could count, and had a slightly rug-burned neck from snatching my partner's hands away from it and out of the choke hold. Yeah, it can get a bit violent, but I always leave feeling happy and energetic. Right now, roughly 16 hours after the start of my first workout, I'm starting to feel the muscle soreness. I can only imagine what tomorrow is going to be like.

I'm thinking about getting a Fitbit. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Is it worth getting one?

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stuffed Peppers

(this is pretty similar to a recipe I posted last year, with some differences)

1 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 1" pieces

3 bell peppers, whichever color you want

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 small jalapeno, finely diced

2 tsp chili pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbls lime juice

2 Tbls olive oil

1 sweet potato

1. Mix your ingredients together in a large bowl or gallon-sized plastic bag. Toss/shake until the chicken is evenly coated. Cover/seal and place in the fridge for an hour or two. Take a break, read a book, or cook other things.

2. In the meantime or after you get back to cooking after your break, heat your oven to 400 F. Prick your sweet potato with a fork all over and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Then chop up half to all of the sweet potato into 1 cm chunks. Set aside.

3. Remove for chicken/veggie mixture from the oven and spread on a pan. Cook in the 400 F for 25-30 minutes until almost completely done.

4. While this is cooking, slice the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds.

5. Mix together the chicken and the sweet potatoes and stuff into the peppers.

6. Place on a pan and cook for 30 minutes, or until peppers have softened.

ECD2: 30 minute boot camp style + 1 hour Krav Maga

W30D9

This round of Whole 30 isn't going as well as some of my others. Usually I feel better within a few days of starting a round of what I term super-strict Paleo. I normally feel more energetic, I sleep better, my stomach gives me no issues, and so on. My skin has gotten a bit better on this round, but it's still isn't clear. I'm not as bloated as I was the morning that I started (1" from my waist to be exact).

I guess part of it probably comes down to the fact that I've continued to consume alcohol for the last week, which means I'm technically not doing a Whole 30. While I'm not drinking on a daily basis, I'm thinking that I'd probably feel better if I cut out the alcohol completely. The problem is that I like drinking alcohol with friends. So I'm making my own rule: no alcohol Sunday through Thursday. In addition to this, I'm no longer going to watch TV shows on my iPad just before bed. I'm not going to cut TV out completely, because I fully intend on watching some of the Olympics which starts up this weekend, but not watching it while laying in bed is probably a good idea and will help me fall asleep more quickly. Starting today, I'm also cutting myself off from facebook, excluding my blog posts to my facebook page: Adventures in Paleo-land. I seem to have a lot of caveats to everything. Here's the complete list of my new rules:

1. No alcohol Sunday through Thursday
2. No TV at night, except for the Olympics, but not within 1 hour of bed time
3. No social media
4. Exercise every day -- The most important of the bunch!

According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise...

1. controls weight
2. combats health conditions and diseases
3. improves mood
4. boosts energy
5. promotes better sleep
6. puts a spark back into your sex life
7. can be fun

And based on the article "Physical Activity and the Prevention of Depression: A Systemic Review of Prospective Studies" by George Mammen and Guy Faulkner, moderate exercise can both treat and prevent depression. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2013; 45(5):649–657.

I'm really bad about exercising these days. I need a goal or some sort of punishment if I don't exercise. Which is why I'm having my parents hold me accountable. If I don't exercise in some form, whether it's a walk, yoga, rowing, or Krav Maga, for at least 1 hour per day (barring the plague/flu or serious injury), I have to pay my parents $100 each. That's $200 that I could devote to shopping or travel or eating out. And that's $200 that my parents get to hold over me. I don't like failing. And I really don't like giving my money away when I have control over the cause. Plus, if I win, my parents have to buy me a steak dinner. Yum! So wish me luck.

Exercise Challenge Day (ECD) 1: 1 hour Krav Maga Flex (somewhat intense yoga)

Spicy Pepper Frittata

6 eggs

1 1/2 Tbls coconut oil

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced green pepper

2 minced jalapeno

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Heat 1 Tbls coconut oil in a medium oven-proof pan. Add the onions, green pepper, jalapeno and spices to the pan, cooking for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the last 1/2 Tbls of coconut oil and spread across the pan. Pour in the whisked eggs, and cook for 2 minutes or until the eggs at the bottom of the pan start to firm up.

4. Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the eggs are thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan, slice, and serve. I ate mine with a quarter of an avocado.

W30D2

Well, I finished Day 2 of this Whole 30. Nothing big to report. However, the weather's been rather interesting here in Texas, and it's kinda throwing me off of my game. Since when do we get freezing rain, sleet, and snow this far south? I just want to curl up under the covers with a cup of hot cocoa. Don't worry... I didn't. It's only the second day! My will is strong enough to last more than 48 hours. I have eaten a bit more nuts and fruits than I normally would, but I'm adjusting to life without chocolate. It's rough. Wish me luck!

Southwestern Omelet

4 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped avocado
1/3 cup sliced grape tomatoes
1/4 onion, chopped
1/4 cup pepper, chopped
1 tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
a couple shakes of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cumin

1. Heat the olive oil over a large pan and saute the mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Mix in the spices. Once the onions become a bit translucent, remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Add a bit more olive oil to the pan, then pour in the whisked eggs. Once the eggs are ~75% cooked, return the veggies to the pan and spread evenly.

3. Fold in half and top with some of the sauteed veggies and sliced avocado.

Steak with Swiss Chard

Well, it's a Friday evening and I just finished cleaning the heck out of my living room. I spent at least 4 hours vacuuming the rug, sweeping and mopping the floor, vacuuming the couches and giant bean bag, fluffing pillows, sweeping under the couches, wiping down the dining room table and chairs, and mopping the tile in the hallway. To say the least, I'm beat. On the bright side, I did spend the evening with two of my delightful friends, KAOS and PC, painting pottery. I was so engrossed in trying to decide what to do and then actually executing my plan, that I forgot to take photos. It seems like I can only remember to photograph food. Anywho, here's some of the food I remembered to take a photo of...

Steak with Swiss Chard and Roasted Peppers

1 top sirloin steak (other cuts work too)
salt and pepper, to taste

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped into 1-2" pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper
2 Tbls ghee

Roasted Peppers

1. Set oven to broil.

2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat on the stove. Once hot, add the steak and cook for 2 minutes on each side.

3. Place the steaks 3" away from the top of the oven. Cook for 13 minutes, flip, and cook for another 13 minutes (for medium-rare).

4. While the steaks are cooking, heat 2 Tbls ghee over medium heat. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and the minced garlic, and saute for a minute or so.

5. Add the Swiss chard, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Flip over the leaves, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes. The chard should be soft and look like sauteed spinach leaves. If it's dry, add a tablespoon of water and cook for another couple minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

7. Once the steaks are done, remove pan from the oven, transfer steaks to a plate, and cover with tin foil. Let rest for 5 minutes. Then serve with Swiss chard and roasted red pepper.

How To: Roast Bell Peppers

Exciting news everyone! I now have a facebook page. Go check it out, and like me!

How To: Roast Bell Peppers

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place the peppers on their side.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, then use tongs to flip the peppers.

4. Bake for another 20 minutes. The peppers should look charred and should be very soft. Roast for a few more minutes if they're not ready.

5. Once the peppers are out of the oven, you need to let them steam for a little bit longer. You can use the tin foil that you baked on, and wrap up the edges to make an enclosure for the peppers. Alternatively, you can place the peppers on a cutting board and place an upside-down bowl over the peppers. Let them sit for 10 minutes.

6. Now, make a single cut along the pepper and roll the pepper open, so you have one long strip. Pull the stem to remove some of the seeds, then use your hand or a paper towel to remove any remaining seeds.

7. Flip over the pepper and peel off the charred skin.

8. Slice the pepper. Serve, or store in an sealed container under olive oil.

Whole 30 - Day 31

Kind of doesn't make sense, right? Day 31 of 30. But we'll go with it.

The other day I bought some grass-fed ground beef. I used half of it as some back-up protein to just toss in with veggies for a salad or whatever else I needed it for. I used the other half for meatballs. And what do we eat meatballs with? Spaghetti. We don't eat spaghetti? What to do? What to do? Grab all of the veggies you have in your fridge and "make it work" (Thanks, Tim Gunn).

Spa-veggie and Meatballs (I don't know how I feel about this name)

Meatballs

1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp ground pepper

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbls olive oil

"Spaghetti"

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

10 stalks asparagus, steamed and cut into 1.5" pieces

1/2 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 leek, thinly sliced

2 Tbls ghee

Sauce

2 Tbls tomato paste

2 Tbls chicken/vegetable/beef broth

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Mix your Meatball ingredients together. Use your hands. Place in a Ziploc bag and let sit in the fridge for a couple hours if you have the time. If not, it'll be fine, just do step 2 first.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F.

3. Roll the meat + spices into 1" diameter meatballs. I made 7 out of 1/2 lb.

4. Cook in oven for 15 minutes.

5. While the meatballs are cooking, cut up all of your veggies for the Spa-veggie.

6. Heat ghee in large pan over medium heat (I used setting 4 on my stove). Once hot, add in the veggies and cook for 5 minutes, or until the veggies almost reach your desired softness.

7. Once the veggies are almost done, add in the Sauce ingredients, stirring until evenly coated.

8. Remove the meatballs from the oven, and toss in the pan. Serve, or store half in a glass jar for lunch tomorrow.

Whole 30 - Day 30

Tonight, a few friends and I went to a Mumford and Sons concert. It wasn't intentional, but I guess you could say that it celebrated the end of my Whole 30 (though I'm keeping it going for a few more days). Because it's late, and I'm tired, I'll leave you with a few photos of which you can be jealous. Enjoy.

LMR and I - former roommates unite!

As the concert ended...

And because this post wouldn't be complete without some food... Here's what I ate for lunch today. Pre-baked sweet potato, half of a grilled chicken breast, orange bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Super easy. And a bit more starch than I needed since I didn't workout today, but it'll do in a pinch.

Whole 30 - Day 29

I'm almost done... Except I'm adding a couple more days to make up for my cheat days. I'm obviously the type of person that can be really good about following something until I have one slip up, and then it's a lot harder to stick with it. So, I'm going to keep up the Whole 30 until Friday (day 33), even though I know that the 30 days have been blown by the fact that I had those cheats. Once you put that in your system, you can't "make it up" by extending it. I know this, but I'm doing it anyways. Kind of as penance I guess. The only things that I intend to change come Saturday are:

1. I will allow alcohol for some social situations.

2. I will allow myself to make foods that contain Whole 30-approved ingredients, but could be labeled as Sex With Your Pants On (SWYPO). I see Paleo pumpkin concoctions and crackers in my future.

3. I will restrict the amount of nuts and fruits I'm consuming.

Reasoning behind number 3: I've noticed that I seem to be eating a lot more nuts and fruits which I guess I'm viewing as "treats" since I'm not letting myself have "sweets" or cheats, like gluten-free crackers. I think that my face might be breaking out because of the increased nuts and sugars, so I'm going to give it a try. One of my weaknesses lately has been dried fruit, in particular dried mango, which is vaguely hilarious to me, since I used to hate mango. My how Paleo has changed my taste buds.

This will coincide nicely with a day excursion for Highland games. I love all things Celtic, so I'll be in heaven surrounded by kilts, dancing, men in kilts, bagpipes, men in kilts throwing trees, turkey legs, men in kilts throwing trees and giant stones, Celtic jewelry... need I continue? I may even go for mead. We'll see what the day brings. I promise to provide photos!

Now to what I ate for lunch today...

Ground Beef Salad

1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef

salt and pepper, roughly 1/4 tsp each

2 shakes tabasco sauce

1/4 orange bell pepper, sliced (chopped is better if you're not feeling lazy like I was)

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes

2 cups mixed greens

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat on the stove.

2. Once the pan is hot, add the ground beef, crumbling as you toss into the pan. Add the salt and pepper and stir.

3. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until all of the ground beef has turned brown.

4. Serve with the remaining ingredients. Easy peasy.

Whole 30 - Day 28

Man do I love lazy Sundays. It took me a little bit of time to fall asleep last night due to what I'm attributing to a dehydration headache and the after-effects of a day of physical exertion. And I'm pretty sure my shoulder is bruised from carrying boats around yesterday. So I dealt with roughly 20 minutes of muscle soreness and headaches and then slept solidly for 9 hours, waking up at 8. It was glorious. I then relocated to the couch where I promptly started watching movies and knitting. I snacked on some unsulfured, sugar-free dried mango and some roasted, unsalted pistachios, finally making myself an actual meal around 4. It ended up being almost the same as Friday's post (Whole 30 - Day 26: http://adventurepaleo.blogspot.com/2013/09/whole-30-day-26.html), though I didn't add any mixed greens or cabbage to the egg scramble. Here it is...

Orange Bell Pepper and Asparagus Scramble

1/2 orange pepper, chopped

12 stalks asparagus, bottom inch cut off, then cut into thirds

1/2 chicken breast, grilled, then sliced/shredded

2 eggs

1 Tbls ghee

salt and pepper

1. Heat ghee in pan over medium-low heat (I used setting 4 on my stove).

2. Add the asparagus and pepper to the pan, cooking until soft. Sprinkle a couple shakes of salt and pepper to the pan.

3. Add the pre-cooked chicken to the pan (just to warm the chicken.

4. Whisk the eggs, then add to pan.

5. Cook for 3 minutes or until eggs are thoroughly cooked. Stir often.

Whole 30 - Day 26

Check that out, y'all. I'm almost done with a Whole 30. I admit to having my first cheat today. I had a soda... I know! It's terrible, but I needed it. I have an out-of-town regatta tomorrow and had to drive this afternoon, because I had no desire to make a 2:30 a.m. drive before a day of races. As I was driving, I was having a lot of trouble staying focused and kept wanting to close my eyes, just for a little bit. Sleeping while driving is really not acceptable, so I pulled off at a Bucee's gas station to buy myself some caffeine. Try not to judge so much. I at least made it to my destination in one piece.

Want to know what I ate for a pre-drive breakfast? Of course you do...

Asparagus and Pepper Scramble

3 eggs

1/2 red pepper, cut into large chunks

1/3 bunch of asparagus

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 cup baby kale/spinach/arugula

1 tsp garlic salt

3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 pinch cayenne

1 Tbls olive oil

1. Rinse your asparagus and cut the bottom 1-2 inches off the stalk.

2. Wrap the asparagus in paper towels, and briefly run the wrapped bunch under the faucet so it's a bit damp.

3. Microwave for 3.5 minutes.

4. While the asparagus is being microwaved, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat.

5. Toss in the peppers once the asparagus is hot. Cook for a couple minutes, until starting to soften.

6. Chop the asparagus into 1-inch pieces, and add to the pan with the peppers.

7. Add in the tomatoes, cabbage, and mixed greens. Cook for about a minute, then add the whisked eggs.

8. Stir often until the eggs are cooked, then eat.

After checking into the hotel, I immediately drove over to the boathouse to help unload boats from our trailer and then rig them. After dinner, we went to Rodeo Goat (http://www.rodeogoat.com/) for dinner, where I had the Caca Oaxaca, minus the cheese and the bun. It was good, but not mind-blowingly good for a burger joint which was rated the best burger in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Here's my burger below...

Whole 30 - Day 24

Taco Salad

1 lb grass-fed ground beef

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 red pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 green pepper, roughly chopped

1/4 onion, roughly chopped

1. Heat 1 Tbls oil oil in pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for a few minutes.

2. Once the onions are just starting to get soft, crumble the meat into pan. Sprinkle the seasonings on top, and stir to combine.

3. When roughly half-way cooked, add the peppers.

4. Once the meat is completely cooked, throw some together with shredded green cabbage and baby kale and spinach (or use whatever leafy greens you have on hand. Add a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, and 1 avocado (or half of one if you feel like sharing the other half with a friend).

Whole 30 - Day 23

Breakfast today was leftover veggies from Sunday night's stir-fry with a few slices of Proscuitto and watermelon.

Lunch consisted of leftover steak and fajita veggies, some "power greens" from Trader Joes. I also had a snack of plantain chips, apple slices, 3 strawberries, some pineapple, and some grapes (we had a meeting at work during lunch and my only viable food options were fruit).

Dinner was a post-workout sweet potato with an egg, and some pomegranate seeds.

I read an article recently from Fitrocracy about weight loss: http://www.fitocracy.com/knowledge/weight-loss-101/. This article provided a link to a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculator in order to determine your ideal caloric intake for weight loss. Your BMR is the amount of calories that your body burns while at rest. Now to accurately determine the BMR of your specific body, lab experiments need to be run, including a gas analysis through direct or indirect calorimetry. I bet most of you don't want to spend the time or money to have these tests, so in the meantime, you can get an estimate of your BMR from one of these websites: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ or http://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html. You can then use the Harris-Benedict Equations (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/) to determine what your caloric intake should be based on your lifestyle/activity level. Alternatively, if you want to use the Mifflin St Jeor Equation, this calculator can be used: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm. The Harris-Benedict equations were originally developed in 1919, and then updated in 1984. The Mifflin St Jeor equations were developed in 1990 and take into account the change in lifestyle over the last century, a.k.a. we're a bit more sedentary. Keep in mind that these formulas don't take into account lean body mass. If you know what your % body fat is, then you can use your lean body mass [your weight * (100% - %body fat)] with the Katch-McArdle or Cunningham formulas.

As you can probably guess, I've read about this just a bit and would in fact like to lose weight. I wouldn't say that I'm actively counting calories, but it's a side effect of using PaleoTrack.com to keep track of my nutrient intake. I've posted before that it's rather difficult to achieve ideal Paleo nutrition. To add another layer of difficulty, the article I mentioned above said that you should eat your goal weight in grams of protein, i.e. if your goal weight is 100 lb (not that mine is), you should aim for 100 g of protein per day. That's a LOT of protein, and it's much higher than what I tend to consume in a day. And I've found that a lot of protein sources, like beef and chicken, have high omega-6:omega-3 ratios, which messes up my fatty acid ratio. So I guess that means I should eat fish every day? Yikes. Though I've gotten past most of my aversion to raw meat, I haven't quite gotten used to the idea of handling raw fish every day. I still find it gross.

Whole 30 - Day 22

I smell like a candy cane right now. Weird, right? Especially considering that it's September; I'm a few months early for the Christmas holiday... just a few. Anyways, you're probably wondering why the smell of peppermint is wafting from my skin. Well, in my ever-encompassing effort to incorporate the Paleo ideals into my life, I bought a bottle of Dr. Bronners Magic "All-One" castile soap which is supposedly a good option for Paleo/all-natural-fanatics, of which I'm becoming (or have already become). There are a lot of different scents available: tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, almond, citrus, rose, peppermint, peppermint/hemp, aloe, and unscented. You can purchase it in bar form or in liquid form. Personally, I got my hands on an 8-oz bottle of the liquid soap. I probably would have gone for a different scent than peppermint, but it was the only option that came in 8-oz at the grocery store, and I didn't want to invest in a giant 32-oz bottle if I didn't like the stuff or the smell. Now, I've only used it once, but I have no complaints so far. My skin feels soft and minty-fresh. It also feels moisturized, which means that my skin isn't itchy right now, if you exclude the locations mosquito bites magically appeared after my Saturday morning row, and even they aren't terribly itchy.

You may be wondering what is castile soap, and why should I use it? Well, castile soap is the name of olive oil-based soaps that are made in similar style to that originating in Castile, Spain. Dr. Bronner's soap is a popular version that is well-known for the insane amount of tiny text all over the bottle's label, and more importantly for its foaminess. If you're like me, you're used to your soaps developing into a lather when you use them, however, there's some soaps out there that don't lather. For instance, Cetaphil is a soap that had been recommended to me by my dermatologist as a gentle face wash. It was moisturizing and gentle as claimed, but it didn't lather and I just felt like I wasn't getting clean. That being said, my experience with Cetaphil was ages ago (a.k.a. high school), and now that I've switched over to the oil cleansing method for my face, I no longer need that foaming action to consider my face clean. I haven't completely accepted that for my shower though, so Dr. Bronner's Magic "All-One" is a good option for me to start going more natural for soaps. I've looked up some recipes for making my own soap though, and I imagine it's going to happen some day. I mean, I've taken to making everything else and using natural household ingredients for everything from face wash to toothpaste to leave-in conditioner and moisturizer. Why wouldn't I eventually get around to making soap. Yeah, I see that in my future.

In the meantime, let's talk about the present, or technically the past at this point. After getting home from Krav Maga and a brief stop at Trader Joe's for some veggies and unsweetened dried fruit, I whipped up some steak with fajita veggies, and a side of plantain chips with salsa. For the fajita seasonings, refer to my post here: http://adventurepaleo.blogspot.com/2013/08/whole-30-day-4.html

I used a bag of frozen 3-pepper medley (red, green, and yellow) with onions. Toss that into a cast-iron skillet, and cook with the seasonings until it's melted and the excess water from freezing has started to evaporate. Then toss in the steak (or half a steak as shown above), cooking for a few minutes on each side until the insider reaches your desired pinkness. As always, go for the grass-fed beef if you can find it. And the plantain chips are a good option (when you can find them not cooked in canola oil) if you're really craving chips and salsa. Don't go wild on it, because we don't want to have too much dried fruit, and it falls into that iffy region of "Sex With Your Pants On." But I feel that as long as you don't eat ALL of the plantain chips in one sitting, you're probably okay. And if it feeds the craving, that great, and you can get back to all of the other healthier options.

Whole 30 - Day 10

Yeah, this may not look like the most appetizing meal, but get past the appearance, and give it a try anyways. It's a yummy way to incorporate cabbage into your meal, and it comes wrapped up in a package. Awesome.

Pork Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Stuffing

1 head cabbage

2 lb pulled pork

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

pinch of salt and pepper

Cooking Liquid

2 Tbls tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

2 tsp white vinegar

1. Rinse the cabbage and remove the leaves individually. You'll need at least 8 leaves depending on how much meat you actually use, but I used around 12 leaves. And keep in mind that the leaves get progressively smaller...

2. Place the 3-4 cabbage leaves in a microwave-safe bowl (depends on the size of bowl that you have available). Pour ~1/4 cup water into the bowl, and cover with saran wrap. Microwave for 3-4 minutes until the cabbage leaves are soft. Repeat as necessary.

3. Mix the stuffing ingredients together in one bowl, and the cooking liquid ingredients in another.

4. Put ~1/4 cup of the stuffing into a leaf...

...and wrap the sides of the cabbage leaves over the stuffing.

5. Place the cabbage roll face down into your slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and stuffing. It's okay to stack the rolls.

6. Pour the cooking liquid over the rolls, and set the slow cooker on low for 6 hours. My programmable slow cooker can only be set on low for 8 or 10 hours, so you may need to set a timer.

Before:

After:

7. Carefully remove the cabbage rolls using a large spoon. The cabbage is very soft and can easily tear.

8. Eat.