Rump Roast Chili with a Kick

Shopping List

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 green pepper, chopped
1 fist garlic, peeled and chopped (or 2tlbs minced garlic in a jar)
2 tsp coconut oil or EVOO
3-4 lbs rump roast, cubed (or any beef cubed)
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chipotle
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
6 oz can of tomato paste
2 ~14oz cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, diced



Cost ~$24 (if you already have the seasoning and oil)
4.44lbs of beef / Costco ~$16
Onion, tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes, green pepper / Trader Joe's ~$8  

Directions

1. Chop onion and sauté with garlic in 1tsp coconut oil until the onion starts to turn translucent and get a slight char. Transfer to large pot.

2. Chop and sauté green peppers until they get a slight char. Add to pot.

3. Sear cubed meat in 1tsp coconut oil. Add to pot.

4. Add seasonings and the rest of the ingredients to pot. Cook over medium heat until tomato paste dissolves.

5. Cover and simmer for 3-4 hours.

Notes: When searing the meat, if the skillet is overwhelmed with juices, the steak will not get a good sear. Pour off some of the excess so that only 1/2 remains. These juices can be added into the chili to enhance the flavor.

It will look like there is not enough liquid in the pot, but after it cooks down there will plenty.
 
Reference: Make it Paleo: Over 200 Grain Free Recipes For Any Occasion by Bill Staley & Hayley Mason

Cauliflower Rice would go great with this!

If you want to zone keep on reading.
 
3blk Meal Measurements
 
1/2 cup of chili = 3blks of protein. The carbs are not significant enough to count towards carbs.
 
For your carbs you could do 2 cups cauliflower rice (1/2 blk carb), 1.5 cups brussel sprouts (1 blk carb), 1 apple for desert (2 blks carb).
 
*You can mix the rice and sprouts in with the chili.
 
For your fat 3 tbsp avocado (3blks fat)

 

Cauliflower "Rice" Two Ways

Cauliflower Rice is a great subsitution for regular rice without all the carbs! It can be used in place of rice in any dish.

Coarsely chop up the cauliflower. Fill the bottom of a large pot with a couple inches of water, bring to boil, then add a steamer basket(or metal strainer) with the veggies. Cover and let steam until on the oven until SUPER soft and mushy.If you don't have either a steamer basket or strainer, it's okay to put the veggies directly in the shallow water and drain when done.

Once the cauliflower is mushy, remove from the pot and put into a big bowl. Season with sea salt and pepper. Take a potato masher or just a fork, and mash up the cauliflower until it is the consistency of rice.


It is best to make alot at once and save it. I will cook up several heads at one time so I have it on hand for cooking other meals throughout the week.

"Fried" Cauliflower Rice

You will need:

Premade cauliflower rice

Eggs

Diced or shredded carrots

Diced green onion

Garlic

I know my measurements are very vague, but I just cook with what I have on hand. It's a hard dish to mess up! :)

With your already pre made cauliflower rice from above, heat some extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add minced garlic and cook slightly. Add chopped carrots and green onions. Let cook for a few minutes then beat a few eggs and add to skillet. Before they eggs fully cooked, add the cauliflower rice. Stir and cook until the cauliflower get a golden "fried" color as opposed to white. Great side dish to any meal.

Zesty Cilantro Lime Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 whole fryer chicken, somewhere around 5 lbs
• 1 lime, zested & juiced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 3 green onions, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 c olive oil
• coconut oil or lard for greasing
• salt to taste (I use approx. 2 tsp)

Instructions

Get chicken out of the fridge ASAP.  It's important for moist roasted chicken that you bring the chicken to room temperature.  If it goes from fridge to the oven, half of the cooking time is just bringing the chicken temperature up and the temperature will be different in each part of the chicken because some parts cook faster than others.

Now, split the chicken in half.  I use kitchen shears that can cut through the cartilage of the chicken.  Right down the middle.  First cut along the back, cutting just to the side of the backbone.  Start at the neck and cut down to the tailbone.  Turn it over to the breast side and cut down the middle (between the breasts).  This will leave you with two halves of the chicken.  Lay the chicken breast side up in a roasting pan or a large oven safe dish.  I prefer using a Pampered Chef Stoneware Bar Pan, but any baking dish will do.

In your food processor or blender.  Puree the lime zest, lime juice, cilantro (w/stems),  onions, garlic, olive oil and salt.  Smear mixture all over the chicken (top and bottom).  Use the time it takes the chicken to come to room temperature as marinade time.

Preheat your oven to 400F.  Bake until the temperature in the thigh of the chicken is around 150-165F.  It should take about 45 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Food Renegade's Zesty Cilantro Lime Roasted Chicken.

What to Expect When Doing Whole30. A Day by Day Timeline.

I got a few questions and comments today while at the gym regarding exercise performance and overall feeling.  Most of what I heard was.  "I'm tired".  "I feel weak".  "My 6 mile run time sucked".  There could be a number of reasons for feeling this way.  Have some faith and trust the process.  This is just what happens in this Whole30 journey.  Check out this post on the Whole30 Timeline.  This will give you an idea on what to expect on your Whole30 journey.

Easy on the go Egg Muffins

Shopping List:

12 eggs

Bacon, ham, sausage, chicken, beef (optional)

Vegetables (peppers, green onions, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes)

Cost ~$8 (if you don't add meat)

Directions:

Crack all the eggs in a large bowl and mix with hand blender. You can mix by hand, but they will be fluffier using a hand blender. Cut up your vegetables/protein and mix into eggs by hand. Use the eyeball method when adding the extra ingredients. You don’t want to overfill with vegetables.
Wipe muffin tin with oil and distribute egg mixture evenly. Fill almost to the rim.  Bake for about 25 minutes at @350. If they still look runny cook a little longer.

~If you are using a 12 cup muffin tin, this will make 12 egg muffins and are good up to a week in the fridge.

Pop in the microwave in the morning for ~30-45 seconds.

If you want to zone keep on reading.

3blk Meal Measurements

For the small muffin tin use one egg per “cup” (1block of protein). Cut up one piece of bacon and sprinkle on top of one muffin cup (1/2blk of protein). Two egg cups would then = 3blks of protein. *0.5oz of chicken or beef per egg cup can be used instead of bacon. 1oz of chicken or beef = 1blk

For this recipe since the amount of vegetables added is not a significant amount you wouldn't count them.

If you use the larger tin you can get a 3blk egg muffin in one cup. Two eggs and two pieces of bacon cut up. The larger muffins will take longer to bake.

For your carbs you can eat some fruit. i.e. 1 apple = 2blks and1/2c grapes = 1blk.

For your fat you can eat 3tbps avocado or 9 whole almonds (each option = 3 blocks of fat)

*The hand blender will fit in both the small and large cups so you could crack your eggs and blend in the cups (it is easier this way if you are zoning). You can get a hand blender at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $35. They last forever and are good for blending smoothies/shakes too!