Well, here we are--almost 3 years since this blog was started. My how time flies! Although I've come a long way since July, 2012, I still have serious challenges when it comes to food. I was down a total of 30 pounds, but unfortunately put back on ten recently. I am not currently doing a Whole 30, but prepping to get down to brass tacks and get going on a 30-day Paleo Challenge. The reason for this post is to record another soup I made and loved recently, so here goes:

         It starts with roasted butternut squash (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) and roasted eggplant (www.toriavey.com) cubes which were heavily seasoned with some of my favorites: cumin, turmeric, cayenne, real salt, & pepper. I put them in the crockpot with some ground beef browned with peppers and onions, a can of hot ro-tel, a can of tomato juice, @ 3 cups of chicken broth, and a jar of Trader Joe roasted peppers. That's it! So easy & so good!!

          My soup is typically too spicy to suit hubby and he prefers his thicker and with potatoes and carrots, so I made up a separate one for his highness! His was so thick it was more of a stoup (Rachael Ray word☺️) or stew.  I made his like this: 4 potatoes, cubed, 4 carrots, peeled and sliced, the same hamburger that I used in mine, @ 1 cup chicken broth, a can of mild ro-tel, and a can of cream of chicken soup. Obviously, my husband isn't into Paleo, but he loved it!!

Week One--not so bad

Five days in on this second round of the Whole30--just about two years after the first. I'm feeling fantastic. I didn't realize how the little things I indulged in--honey and syrup and stevia, wine, and some dairy--were impacting me. That's not to say I see myself living without those things forever, but it sure is an eye-opener. I will definitely be paying more attention. This is what I've been eating this week.

Fried eggs with hash and guacamole

Hash: sweet potato, onion, red pepper, sausage (home-seasoned ground pork)

Guacamole: avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper

I love this because I make the hash and guacamole on Sunday, and then breakfast is a breeze all week--just fry eggs and warm up hash.

I had homemade mayo to use so decided to whip up Paleo Mama's coleslaw. And her salmon patties have long been a hit in this house. I skipped the dill dressing this time, to keep it easy (and I used all the fresh dill in the coleslaw!).

http://thepaleomama.com/2013/03/salmon-patties-with-a-creamy-lemon-dill-sauce/
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/06/recipe-best-creamy-coleslaw.html

And I made this chicken salad to finish up the rest of the mayo and eat atop the abundance of lettuce that I have in the fridge.

Cooked chicken tenderloins, two cans white chicken, red onion, grapes, avocado, mayo, salt, pepper 

I also made coconut pudding: can of coconut milk with coconut flakes, cinnamon, and cardamom. Yummy!

Now to figure out how to make the next week just as easy...

Life Sucks & Then....There's Soup!

    Here's the story:  I began another Whole30 on October 1, but, for whatever reason, haven't been having the success early on that I had experienced during my first Whole30 in July.  Then I caught a cold which diminished my willpower immensely, but I held strong.   
     Soon after I came down with the sniffles, I got word that my brother was in the hospital, and, although I later began to wonder "What was I thinking?!?", I hopped in the car and traveled downstate to see my brother and help my daughter move into her new apartment.  I guess my thought process was that my cold had showed some improvement and it was possibly the last time I might see my brother alive.  
    I wore a hospital mask to keep from passing my cold germs to my brother, but unfortunately, my cold took a definite turn for the worse after spending the day going in and out of the hospital in the drizzly, cold rain.  I was unable to sleep at all that night, but not for lack of trying!! I was feeling so miserable and wished I hadn't left home and then all of a sudden the inspiration came to me:  I should make myself some chicken soup the next day to help me feel better! Then ideas came to me of how I should go about it and what ingredients should go in it.  And so that is how the soup I call "Midnight Inspiration" came to be!  Now I can even be thankful for that sleepless night, as the soup was amazing!

Midnight Inspiration (or Soup Surprise)

 Dice and saute' in coconut oil: 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, and 1/2 large sliced red onion.  After these have softened somewhat, add 1/2 large butternut squash, diced, 1/2 bag snow peas, stringed and cut in 1/3's, 2 diced jalapenos, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and a small amount of chopped kale.  Add additional coconut oil and saute' until nicely browned and softened.  Place the veggies in crock pot along with 1 qt. homemade beef stock and set on low heat.  Now, using the same fry pan, cut up 2 chicken breasts and break up 2 1/2-3 pounds of ground beef and saute' well.  Add seasonings as follows to both the meats in the fry pan and the veggies in the crock: salt and pepper, Trader Joe's 21-season salute, dill weed, chili powder, about 4 t. of cumin(altogether), and cayenne pepper.  After meat is cooked, add it to the crock pot, turn the heat to high and cook for about 3 hours. Toward the end of cooking time, cut up the remaining butternut squash and steam or boil it until soft, then mash it and add it to the soup.  Serve the soup with diced avocado, grated cheese, and sour cream, if desired, but it is most scrumptious even without these additions!  Even veggie haters cannot help but love it!  The possibilities are endless in changing this soup up.  Experiment to your heart's content and ENJOY!!

Still here!

Been a little quiet on the blog recently. I am still mostly following the Whole 30, though I have allowed small amounts of cheese and HWC, as well as the occasional dash of stevia. Dinner tonight was tasty! Salmon on the Foreman grill with my version of Wilson Sonoma's potlach seasoning, sweet potato with coconut oil and cinnamon, and apple poppyseed coleslaw (I used a little stevia instead of the honey in the recipe, and used my homemade mayo). Oh, and a few vinegar cukes!

Because I still haven't lost, I am going to have my hormones looked into. I am thinking my purposely too-high thyroid hormone is causing a problem. I am also thinking I may have to do low-carb paleo for awhile. I'll keep you posted!

Sugar - The Root of all Evil

   The other night my husband and I were having a conversation about how I was doing on this program.  I told him I was doing quite well, and hadn't even found myself "bending the rules" very often at all (which frankly surprised me!).  I then shared how I was unprepared when away from home one day last week, and found myself eating an Almond Berry Chicken Salad from Wendy's. I explained to him how it wasn't the salad itself that was a problem, but the "Fat-Free" dressing which I should not have indulged in, as it was loaded with sugar.  He chimed right in saying how his sister was talking about all the "Fat-Free" foods that have tons of sugar added to make up for the loss of taste caused by removing the fat. This sparked an entirely new discussion about how the "Fat-Free" industry played a huge role in the rampant obesity epidemic in the US. This is when I told him about the piece I had seen on a television news show where they said that sugar was so addictive and responsible for so many deaths from multiple diseases, that someday sugar would be lumped in the same category with nicotine, alcohol, and other addictive, destructive substances.  He looked at me as though  I had sprouted another head!  I guess he's not quite buying into that, but it does give us something to ponder. I think the reason we look at sugar differently, is simply due to the fact that it is in the food category and, therefore, necessary to our survival. But, let's face it, sugar is not necessary for survival, it just tastes good!

Day 25:

I know, despite my two indulgences, that I have eaten cleaner these last few weeks than I have in a long time; maybe ever. And I know that it's healthy for me to eat this way. But that doesn't keep me from wondering why I don't seem to be making any progress. My weight really hasn't budged any since the first 10 days. My clothes aren't fitting any differently. I seem to have developed a neck strain or something that is causing regular intermittent headaches. I am not giving up, but I am frustrated. I guess I am going to have to try to do even better: source pasture-raised meat, move to more organic veggies, limit fruit, and add the recommended supplements.

Dinner tonight (and lunch for tomorrow!):

Day 22: Back in the saddle.

Yesterday was the moot court banquet. I usually am not able to go, and wouldn't have this term under the circumstances, except my campus was hosting and I was in charge. I couldn't not go. I did my best to plan ahead. I ate a good breakfast, packed lunch and a snack, and contributed food to the potluck that I could eat--paleo deviled eggs and crab-stuffed mushrooms wrapped in bacon. I knew there would be guacamole, fruit, and vegetables that I could also have. I was too busy doing prep to eat lunch, though I managed to eat the snack. It didn't help that there was no microwave so I couldn't heat up my lunch. There was a lot of food I could have eaten but didn't: brownies, cookies, chips, bread, pasta salad. When it came down to it, there were some things I couldn't resist having. I ate one meatball, a little caprese salad, a small amount of my buffalo chicken dip, and a small amount of a snickers-apple-marshmallow fluff-cool whip dessert. I also had some alcohol. So I started over again today.

Dinner was yummy! Burgers with guacamole (avocado, cilantro, red onion, tomato, garlic, lemon juice, salt) and stir-fried mixed veggies.