Tag Archives: Cook

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.

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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.

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The tomato-y stuff!

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The spices and cocoa!

 Stirred it all up

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

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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!

Not Quite Whole30

4 Jun

What is that they say the road to Hell is paved with? Oh yeah…

goodintentions

To be honest, I knew the first few days were not going to be good — not because I don’t want to do this (I do, I really do!) but because I was going to be out of my home and kitchen. I have been on vacation which to my dad means making sure I “eat enough”…and we don’t do a whole lot of cooking. It’s been a round of restaurant eating and beach parties!

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12925177-spaghetti-pasta-with-tomato-beef-sauce-closeup               bbq sammich

On the bright side, I do think I’m at least making better choices when I am out. Mostly. Shared my hot dog(s) with the dog on Saturday, limited buns. Had chicken instead of pasta at lunch on Sunday. I did eat a couple of fries last night. And there was the egg sandwich for lunch yesterday. But I skipped the bread on my BBQ sandwich last night – I’m taking the little wins!

Who knows what today brings but I am constantly thinking about what I can make when I’m back home and start my Whole30 in earnest on Thursday.

No, not this Earnest….

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My SweatPink Ambassador Friends are on this journey too — How are they doing? 

Jacki at Dare 2 Dream – Dare 2 Do http://www.dare2dream-dare2do.com/ ) has done this before! So how did her first few days go? Have a look here!

http://www.dare2dream-dare2do.com/whole30-what-to-expect-week-1/

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