Archive | Cocoa RSS feed for this section

Chocolate Chili?! This Week’s Whole30 Check-in!

18 Jun

So, I’m still at about a 75 – 80% success rate with my Whole30 challenge. I’ve dropped processed carbs. I’m still drinking wine. And I’ve had some dairy, cow’s milk cheese. So instead of talking about how I’m falling off track, I thought I’d share a ‘recipe’ from this weekend.

While trying to find tasty recipes to eat on Whole30, I have come across reference to this chocolate chili almost everywhere I look! So since I enjoy a bite of the chocolate now and then (hahah – understatement much?!) and I love a good bowl of chili I was ready to dive in!.

First off, I went to the store to get some fresh ground beef. I’d considered doing a beef/turkey mix but got lazy.

Chopped up some onions, threw them into a hot pan with some coconut oil to get them softened up. Then put in a pile of beef and browned that up. (I was doing this the night before I was going to assemble the chili in my crock pot because I didn’t want the meat to go bad!). Put it all in a container in the fridge.

003

The meat and onions…drained in a colander.

Next, after a trip to the store to get a few other things I needed, it was time to start the actual chili making!

I put the meat mixture into the crockpot. Added a few tablespoons of chili powder, a sprinkle of (extra) cumin, a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder, some tomato paste, a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, a big can of crushed tomatoes and enough stock (I think it was chicken!) to cover the meat.

005

The tomato-y stuff!

004

The spices and cocoa!

 Stirred it all up

 006

 And let it cook for a few hours – while I mowed the lawn and did a few other things.

 007

This turned out quite tasty – the cocoa adds a little bitterness but it’s not unpleasant at all.

And I don’t even miss the beans!!

There are lots of different recipes for something similar online but they all have the basic ingredients – play with the proportions til you get something you like!

Thank God it’s Friiiiiday!

17 May

If you now have that song in your head A. you’re old, dude! and 2. My work here is done!!

Happy it’s Friday – but I would be even if I wasn’t working. The dude is coming back home this weekend (and he will hate that he’s mentioned here so mentions will be VERY limited – unless he does something absolutely worthy of mountain-top shouting!) which is always a good Friday!

Now,  I’m sure we are all very happy I made it through week one of my new job without stomping off like a big baby cause I have nothing to do!! The people I sit with (in some funky, four desk configuration that has me staring at three people all day!) are nice. One is only a week ‘older’ than me at this company. My boss is nice and has great plans for piling my work on….eventually. Suffice to say, nothing is being piled on the first week. It never is! (Note to people who hire me: I’ve been working for a BAZILLION years…I pick up on things pretty quick so I can handle running some Excel Macros…)

People-wise things are good. My Big Boss is pretty laid back and the fact that she looks like my best, oldest friend helps. Like, she REALLY looks like Eydie so it will be tough for me to not think she’s Eydie! The other two guys I work most closely with are, I think, being careful to not overwhelm me with my tasks. I sit with three other people, all contractors like me (though I think one might be an intern). One of the gals is only here til/through June I think. The other just started last week. And then there’s the “intern”.

One of my “office” mates and I have decided to take a long walk every day which is going to be nice. It’s good to get out and see the city. She’s done counseling in the city for the last 10 years so a lot of the homeless people we walk past actually know her and they all seem to love her!! I’m learning about lots of cool things that go on in the city – free stuff to do!

So, while I’m not making the money I was making before I am, so far, liking things…we’ll have to see how long this lasts! As long as they keep giving me more to do I’ll be fine. But, sitting in an office getting paid to do nothing is NOT the cake job people think it would be 🙂

Plus…loads of free coffee and hot chocolate! And, have I mentioned Dunkin Donuts in the lobby??

Have a super Friday night!! Get out there and Boogie!

 

What Floats Our Boat

Cruising life on a Small Sailboat

Standing Up

Three Months of Travel, Making Merit, and Searching for Peace

The Pioneer Woman

Plowing through Life in the Country...One Calf Nut at a Time

Diabetes and Donuts

A Type 1 Diabetes Blog By The Girl With The Dead Pancreas Who Can Eat Whenever and Whatever She Wants

pamruns

This WordPress.com site is the cat’s pajamas

Mommy Day by Day

Taking it one day at a time

Pink Running Kicks

Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit!

Dizzy Dancing Dope Runs Disney

My journey from a dancing runner newbie to DOPEY @ Disney 2016

Distractions of Debbie

Crafting, DIY-ing, Running, Disney, Cycling and whatever else catches my fancy

jmrockowski.wordpress.com/

Mom. Travel Lover. Part Time Princess. Full Time Muggle. Exploring the world with my family one trip at a time!

NCF FGFOA

North Central Florida Chapter FGFOA

glamrunner

Fun. Fit. Fabulous.

GooberMonkey

When exercise just isn't enough....

Fairytales and Fitness

When exercise just isn't enough....