I took great inspiration from the Bison Chili recipe in the Primal Blueprint Cookbook for this recipe. It was the starting point and then I just kept adding more ‘stuff’ and the chili transformed into a stew. I love chili, but I wanted something with loads of veggies so that I wouldn’t have to whip up a side dish or salad to go with it. This has loads of greens, so there is no side dish required. I made a massive pot of this last week and ate it for lunch a few days, breakfast 1 day and dinner another. This week, I made 2 pots of it so that I could freeze some and also feed Fully Primal Husband. Here you go:
Ingredients (makes 4-6 servings)
– 1.5 lbs of grass-fed ground beef (or another ground meat)
– 2 parsnips – peeled, core removed, cut into bitesize chunks
– 1 bunch of Kale or Collard Greens (or both!) – stems removed, leaves roughly chopped into big pieces
– 2-3 zucchini – cut into bitesize chunks
– 2 Cups of chopped cremini mushrooms
– 1 onion – chopped
– 1 jalapeno – deseeded and chopped
– 2 Tbsp chili powder
– 1 Tbsp paprika
– 1 Tbsp cocoa powder (this adds an amazing flavour!)
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1 tsp dried oregano
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 2-3 Cups of beef or chicken stock
– 1 Large (14.5 Ounce) can of chopped tomatoes
– 1 Tbsp butter
– fresh ground pepper
– Avocado or Guac for garnish
Directions:
- In a large (use the biggest one you’ve got!) pot, heat butter and add onions. Saute for about 2 minutes.
- Add the beef and saute until it is cooked and brown all the way through.
- Add all other ingredients except the stock. Mix around thoroughly.
- Now start adding stock slowly until all the veggies and meat are covered. I used 2.5 Cups. Mix thoroughly.
- Bring it up to a simmer and keep it there for an hour. Stir every 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with a few slices of avocado or a dollop of guac
- Enjoy!
Now for a Day 8 update! The last time I blogged, I said I felt great and that things were going well. I must admit that day may have been a bit flukey. I haven’t been THAT energetic again and I actually felt bad on Saturday. Also, on Friday I wanted to kill everyone drinking coffee in the 6am crossfit class….I may have growled and snapped at Sio as she walked by. My inner caffeine-beast needed to be tamed and my ice cold water was NOT HELPING. Saturday was rough because I had a bit of a headache for the first time. I think Saturday was especially hard because that is usually when I really enjoy my coffee….waking up and having my big mug and eggs with baked bacon. mmmmm. I love my weekend rituals, so it was hard to resist the sweet aroma of FPH’s coffee. We also attended the engagement party for FPH’s sister on Saturday where I was surrounded by wine, amazing desserts (so many mini-cupcakes! brownies! cookies! GAH!) and a plethora of other foods that I am abstaining from for these 30 days. Normally I would still have a coffee and be OK. Not this time! It was HARD!!!!! But I did it and I believe that was the worst temptation test that I will have to endure for the next couple weeks. Other than that, things have been OK. I’m feeling pretty low energy…I just feel uber-relaxed. I suppose that is not a bad thing since I am accustomed to being quite wound-up. I believe there are a few other factors playing into this: It is now dark at 5pm. It is cold. My life is less stressed this month, so overall I am more relaxed. The good news is that my sleep has continued to be amazing! I have had the best sleeps ever lately!!
Breaking news: I am going to remove the black and green teas from my daily roster and stick to 100% decaf. I want to go through the remaining 3 weeks sans-caffeine. I think I was still clutching onto the black/green tea like a safety blanket and it is time I let go. I need to fight through this.
To help, I went on another Tea-Spree to David’s Tea today and picked up the following flavours: Banana Nut, Apple Spice and Caramel Pear. YUM!!!! They smell amazing, so I can’t wait to try them out. They are all caffeine-free. I am loving my new herbal tea obsession.
How are you doing?? Did you make it through the weekend OK?
November 8, 2010 at 6:27 pm
I’m still hanging in with it. Sleep is improved even though the stormy winds have increased. Over the weekend I had the start of a cold but have thrown it off, this meant that I had two early nights (early by my standards) 10.30pm on Saturday and 9.00 pm Sunday. I have abandoned all tea now, just having a cup of cinnamon with ginger to start the day (pure spices not teas)and slurping water throughout the rest of the day. Did have two glasses of red tonight though, but I’ve been good haven’t?
John
November 8, 2010 at 7:20 pm
I love David’s tea. LOVE Forever Nuts the best….
November 9, 2010 at 7:58 pm
I’ve got that one too! It is the best!!
November 8, 2010 at 7:25 pm
You still killed it at noon, except for the 30lb giggles! Haha!
Try making one of your herbal teas and make iced tea instead of plain water for your 6am crossfit!
November 9, 2010 at 7:59 pm
You killed it too lady!
This morning I made a herbal tea before class….it was so much better than my cold water. Thank you for the suggestion! I had never thought to do that because I’m half asleep when I leave for the gym.
November 8, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Why not hot water, or hot water with lemon?
November 8, 2010 at 9:55 pm
I need to do that! I’m half-asleep at that time and never thought to make myself a warm drink. Genius!!
November 9, 2010 at 8:25 am
Still going on my end…my sleep has improved tremendously! I am still allowing one caff tea in the morning and I have a cup of Tulsi decaf in the afternoon. We follow a fairly strict paleo diet in our house so I am not going to feel guilty for that one caffeinated tea. Coffee brewing in the morning for my husband is so tempting yet I realized this morning that the aroma is way better than the actual taste as I sipped my tea. I use coconut milk in coffee so I have been using it in my tea and it is pretty good. I cruise through a lot of fat each day so I have to keep up this intake. The time change has also helped my energy levels. I love getting up early and now it is way easier with the sun coming up at 6a rather than 7a. Overall, feeling good!
November 10, 2010 at 11:12 am
Wondering about the teas you’re talking about. Are these teas flavoured with the actual ingredients or are there flavouring agents added?
Way to go on giving up the caffeine! You’ll notice an even bigger difference now that you’re giving up the caffeinated tea, too. You’re a superstar 🙂
November 10, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Tara – you read my mind! Last night I was thinking, “I wonder if there is artificial flavourings in these teas?” On their website it says: Our “all natural” or “natural” flavourings are derived from the natural extracts and essences of fruits, berries, herbs or nuts. These extracts are suspended in a carrier like grain alcohol or grapefruit seed oil that can be used in products bearing the organic certification or “all natural” designation.
This explanation is a bit cryptic and suggests some unnatural components are used to get those flavours. I’m thinking it would be like using Vanilla or Almond Extract. I have to think that it would be a trace amount that actually gets steeped into the tea, so I’m going to be OK with it. When I run out of these flavours, I’ll choose ones that don’t have any “natural flavouring” and are strictly real ingredients.
November 11, 2010 at 7:55 am
Ok, I’ve been following your blog – and you gave me inspiration to give up my coffee (I only drink 2 cups a day). I want sooo bad to like tea, but don’t know where to start. I looked at the site you recommended “David’s Tea”, looks great, I want to order something but have no clue where to start! I want to give up sugar and cream too, so what tastes best without those? When I do drink tea, I’m a black tea/cream/sugar kinda girl – need to break it, suggestions please???
November 14, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Louise – I’m kind of a tea newbie, so I’m not sure what to recommend for you. You could try using some coconut milk in place of cream. Personally, my 2 favourites at David’s tea are Forever Nuts and Creme Caramel (it’s a Rooibos). They are both caffeine free. They also have a touch of sweetness which makes them really enjoyable and might be easier for you to drink without the sugar. I’m thinking the Creme Caramel would actually taste great with some coconut milk. The other one I really like is the Malibu White Tea…it’s light and also has a bit of sweetness.
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