Those that are pretty close to me know that my love for chili runs pretty deep. In fact, I used to have a roommate who constantly made fun of me for how frequently I ate the stuff. That was when I was still eating it out a can. Not too long ago, I got wise enough to at least throw some veggies into the canned chili. Then one day it dawned on me…. Duh! Make my own chili, from scratch! Why I didn’t do this sooner is beyond me. I’m blonde, okay? I’ve been making my own chili for a little over a year now. At first I followed a recipe I found online for beef chili pretty closely, but since then I’ve steered so far from that recipe that I think I can technically call this my own now. Here you go, I hope you like it!
Ingredients: 2 Tbs olive oil 1 Onion (whatever kind is your favorite or on sale) 2-3 Bell peppers (use a colorful variety) 2-3 Carrots, diced 1-2 Zucchini, diced 2 tsp ground cumin 1 lbs local organic ground turkey 1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz) 2 C water 1-2 Chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and minced 2 tsp adobo sauce from the can of chipotles 1/2 tsp dried oregano 2 cans black beans (15oz) 1 can kidney beans (15oz) 1 can pinto beans (15oz) Freshly ground salt and pepper
Directions: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, and carrots. Cook until veggies are soft. Add the zucchini and cumin. Cook and stir for approx. 1 minute. Add the ground turkey and raise the heat to high; cook while breaking up the meat with a spoon until it is fully cooked (ground turkey will be white when done- NO pink!). Stir in the tomatoes, water chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, and oregano. Simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Stir in the beans and cook, partially covered for 20 minutes longer.
Tips and variations: Experiment with using different vegetables. I didn’t like the carrots or zucchini at first, but now I love it. I’m a HUGE fan of beans, so I tend to use larger cans of beans or more than just 1 can of each. I’ve also used different varieties of beans and it’s always come out delicious. Lastly, I’ve found that this recipe is even better after sitting for a night! The spices and flavors really seep into each other and come out even better than hot off the stove.
*Makes approximately 12 servings
Nutrition Facts: 247 calories per serving; Total fat: 10g; 3g saturated; 1g monounsaturated; Cholestorol: 27mg; Sodium: 482mg; Potassium: 503mg; Total carbs: 28g; Fiber: 8g; Sugars: 4g; Protein: 14g. These are all approximated using MyFitnessPal depending on how heavily you salt your chili, etc.
I’ve been dying to write lately, and just have not put the time and effort into it. Also, I’ve been really excited about cooking as long as I can remember, but I’ve really been having fun experimenting lately and I want to share what I’ve been cooking up with you!!
I’m in the kitchen bare minimum, once a week, so I’ve got a lot of backlogged recipes to get on the blog. But for now, I’ll tell you about my favorite go-to slow cooker chicken recipe!
The base of this recipe is one that I found over a year ago on Pinterest but learned quickly that I didn’t like half of the ingredients it calls for- so I put my own spin on it. I like this recipe a lot because it’s SO easy and it’s a good balance of healthy with a little not-as-healthy.
Ingredients:
4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 cans of black beans, drained & rinsed
1 bag of frozen fajita veggies
1 jar of salsa (make your own if you can! you can find my homemade salsa recipe HERE)
8oz block of cream cheese (you can also find some great vegan cheeses if you’re dairy free or MAKE your own!)
Directions:
Place chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour all the ingredients over the chicken (I recommend adding the cream cheese second after the chicken). Turn slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, stirring every two, if possible. When the timer goes off, give it a good stir and let sit for a little bit to let it solidify a little (it will be pretty runny). I like to take the big chunks out and shred them but you can leave them whole too. Serve over brown rice or quinoa and a bed of spinach. Also makes for great tacos, salad topping or mixed in with some veggie soup!
A few recipes to be on the lookout for…
3-ingredient pancakes; homemade pasta sauce; and the best Brussels sprouts EVER!
Happy Belated National Farmers Market Week, Achieving Healthy fans! Did you even know there was such a ‘holiday’? I didn’t until a few days ago, but I’m so glad I learned!
And it couldn’t have come at a better time! A couple weeks ago, I had a photo shoot with the super talented Austin photographer, Angela Doran. We were shooting for new images to use with Achieving Healthy and I thought a farmers market would be the perfect setting for such an occasion. Being so new to the Austin area, I put my trust in Angela to help me find the perfect farm.
Neither of us had been to Boggy Creek Farm, but from what we could see from the website, it looked perfect! Coming from NYC, this farmers market was a little different than what I had become accustomed to, but it did not let me down. In fact, it was better! Not only did I get to meet the farm staff (pretty typical in NYC) but I got to meet one of the owners, Carol Ann, and she let Angela and I roam all around the farm to get into whatever our hearts desired. Boggy’s gorgeous fields of greens (see what I did there) were the perfect backdrop for some fabulous new AH shots.
Now I ask you, when was the last time you took the opportunity to really, truly investigate where your food has come from? Have you considered shopping at your local farmers market or signing up with a CSA in your area? Did I loose you there? What are farmers markets and CSA’s and why shop there over your local grocery store? Only a bazillion awesome reasons, but I’ll try to sum up the most important reasons.
What is a farmers market: That one’s easy- it’s a food market at which your local farmers sell their harvest. This usually includes fruits, veggies and sometimes meats, cheeses and other dairy. Many cities will have what will look like a big farm party in the middle of town where all the farmers get together to sell their goods. This is an awesome opportunity to get a variety of what’s being grown within just a few miles of where you live.
Ok, so what’s a CSA? By definition, a CSA (community supported agriculture) refers to a network or association of individuals who pledge to support local farming by bringing the farm to you! So rather than going to your farmers market where you’ll either have to choose from one or a few different farmers selections, with a CSA, you don’t get to pick and choose what you want to take. You are given a bundle of whatever the farmer has in season at that moment. This may not be the option for you if you’re just dipping your toes into the veggie world or if you hate cooking (unless of course you love raw veggies). You also have to be more willing to try new things with this option. Since you don’t get to pick and choose what you get, as long as you keep an open mind, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to find your new favorite vegetable!
This all sounds great, but why is this any better than hitting up your local produce section at your neighborhood Super Wal-mart or even your fancy Whole Foods?
Fruits and veggies are great, no matter how you get them. Fresh, frozen, canned, even non-organic veggies are better for you than no veggies at all. But I believe eating locally is important above all other things because 1) it supports small local businesses. Do you really think Tyson Farms cares when you buy a bag of their frozen chicken breasts? I doubt they even notice. When you buy from your local farm, not only are you putting food on your own table, but you’re putting food on your neighbors table by paying them directly for your produce. 2) Your immune support will thank you! Your body will react more positively when you’re eating the same things that are in the environment that you’re directly living in. 3) The foods you buy locally are almost guaranteed to be more fresh than what you find in the store. When Angela and I were at Boggy Creek, Carol Ann told us that our bounty we were taking home had just been picked that morning… Doesn’t get much fresher than that people! I could go on and on about the benefits and perks of eating locally, but I encourage you to do some research on your own!
Do you have a favorite farmers market, farm stand or CSA you like to frequent? Leave a comment below so that other readers can hear about your experience!
***A huge thank you to Angela Doran for doing such a great job with my photos. Carol Ann, thank you for being so welcoming, and so educational. I learned so much by visiting with you! I can’t wait to come back soon!***
If you’d like to visit Boggy Creek Farm, they are open every Wednesday and Saturday from 8am – 1pm. They are located at
3414 Lyons Rd Austin, TX 78702
As you may know, if you follow me on this blog or social media, then you know I’d signed on to do a 15-day juice cleanse back in April.
It all seemed like a good idea at the time. My friend Erin was game to be my main support system and has done numerous juice cleanses before so she was also going to be a huge resource for me. We went so far as to creating a Facebook group, and invited a few dozen people to join us so we could all support one another. I’d made the decision to do this cleanse for a few different reasons. All rolled up into one, I was having a really rough moment in life. When I say moment, I mean past few daysweeksmonths. Erin seemed confident that a 15-day cleanse was just what I needed to get me back on my feet and be somewhat of a “reset button”. I’d talked about wanting to do one for months prior, so I decided to just trust her and dive in.
I went in with good intentions. I did my best to “transition in” the days leading up to it by eating mostly salads or fresh veggies and juicing at least once a day. I put down a wad of cash with Fresh Direct on a load of produce I assumed would get me through my first week (give or take a little). When it came, I was so excited! I was so thrilled to see 3 big boxes filled with nothing but fresh fruits and veggies! It was after having made 4 or so juices and my veggie stash had gone down to about half that I realized, “Sh*t. Financially, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this for 15 days.”
On the first day of my cleanse, I had plans to go see a live taping of The View with a friend and so I juiced my first 3 juices the night before since I had to be at the studio pretty early. I had the first juice before I left the house and felt pretty good. I was mentally craving food, but I knew my body was doing just fine with the nutrients I had just poured into it, quite literally. Immediately following the show, I let my emotions get the better of me and I scarfed down a big sugar cookie. It didn’t even taste that great! I just wanted to put a band aid over my emotions with food. I felt so disappointed with myself but rather than allowing it to completely derail me, I continued on with the cleanse. After 2-3 more juices that day, I realized how quickly I was blowing through them and still needed juice for the following day. So I allowed myself to eat a small bowl of refried beans with avocado. Eating felt amazing. Even though I’d eaten a cookie earlier in the day, it felt like I was eating for the first time in years! I’m not sure if the beans had dairy in them or if it was just the fact that it was my first time really eating that day, but my stomach started hurting so bad. I followed it with some raw kombucha in hopes that it would help soothe my belly, but it just tasted too sweet.
The following day, I slept in much later than normal and didn’t get to my first juice until almost noon! If I ever try doing this again in the future, I definitely need to make sure I plan my days better. I will say, I found it interesting how I didn’t seem to ‘suffer’ from any of the common side effects that you generally hear with juicing- no headaches, no dizziness, no fatigue, I didn’t even feel very hungry. What I did feel was the yearn for food. I missed the act of eating so much! I missed that satisfying feeling you experience when you have a fully belly after a great meal.
As I review the notes I kept from those 3 days, I just kept writing “I want food! I can’t stop thinking about food!” That was honestly the biggest struggle for me. I missed the satisfying feeling you get when you pick up a fork, and put food into your mouth. So why did I quit when I knew that would be a struggle before I even got started?
On day three, I started like the days prior with some warm lemon water, followed by my first juice of the day. As part of my cleanse, I wanted to experiment more with ingredients and juices I hadn’t made before. I promised myself I’d drink them no matter what. The problem was, I had some serious flops. I didn’t realize how bitter Swiss chard was or how “pulp-y” mango was going to juice. I was choking down these juices and not enjoying a bit of the process. Not only that, but by day 3, I was almost completely out of produce. Given I’d “transitioned in” a few days before going in 100%, I was just not in the position at that time to be taking on a juice cleanse at ~$30/day. By 2pm on the third day, I gave in, had a hearty bowl of kale and white bean soup and came to terms with the fact that now is just not the time for me to be making such a drastic “diet” change.
I fully understood and agreed where Erin was coming from in the beginning when she said that she thought honestly that it could benefit me in many areas of life. I think the one component that I really wasn’t fully aware of going in was the cost. In NYC, it’s easy to spend upwards of $40/day on breakfast, lunch and dinner. But I was not your average New Yorker! When I was working, I packed my own lunch almost every single day and made the majority of my breakfasts and dinners at home. If I ordered out, it was generally on the weekend and even then I’m pretty lucky in that my super awesome boyfriend pays for the majority of our meals together (which happened mostly on the weekends).
Once my life here in Austin really gets rolling, I get into my own apartment and start boosting my salary up to where I was once accustomed to it being, I think I’d like to give a cleanse another shot. I’m not going to get on my soap box again proclaiming to do it at X date for X number of days. I just know that I’d like to try it again sometime in the near-ish future.
Have you done a cleanse before? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear what you think, positive or negative!
I love cooking at home, I really do! But sometimes, it just feels good to go to a restaurant and have someone else do all the work for you!
Sometimes, going out is somewhat of a treat (or a “cheat” as many like to call it). But what if you still want to make nutritious choices while dining out? Keep reading! I’ve got some great tips that I think will be easy for you to apply to your next brunch with your BFF or date night with your favorite guy/gal.
Before you even opening the menu, think for a minute about what your body wants. How many times have you gone to a restaurant with the intention of getting a “healthy” dish only to end up noticing the basket of fish & chips or the juicy burger & fries and regretted it afterwards? Don’t let the endless menu options determine what you eat.
Look at the menu online before leaving home. If my first suggestion doesn’t really resonate you, look up what the restaurant offers ahead of time and pick out a few healthy options to contemplate while you’re on your way there. If you happen to have a health coach (*wink, wink*) you can send them the menu and ask for their suggestions.
Sharing is caring! Talk to your dinner date, and find a dish you can both agree upon to share. Restaurants almost always serve portions that are WAY bigger than what you actually need. If you’re dining alone, ask for a box as soon as your food comes and put half of it away for tomorrow’s lunch.
Cut out unnecessary added sugar! Skip the soda (diet or regular) and concentrated juices and order water instead. If tap water is just a snooze-fest for you, ask for sparkling or a fruit garnish to liven it up. I personally love lemons, limes, strawberries or pineapple in my water. Unsweetened tea is also a fine alternative. Fresh vegetable juices are SO popular these days, many restaurants are adding them to their menus. If you really want to give yourself a pat on the back, order a fresh veggie juice as an “appetizer” which will both hydrate and nourish you at the same time! BOOM! Two birds, one stone with that one!
Decline the carb-y bread/crackers that come with your soup or salad. Who doesn’t love bread? I know I sure do! But saying no to a slice of [refined/bleached white flour] bread won’t kill you and will also leave you with more tummy space for that main dish that’s on its way.
Ask to have the sauce or dressing on the side. Chances are pretty likely that if you were making the same dish at home, you’d use about half the amount of sauce/dressing that would otherwise drench your dish. Asking for it on the side allows you to be in control of how much you actually use (or don’t use).
Load up on veggies! Nothing wrong with having pizza from time to time. That’s right, I SAID THAT! But do what you can to pile on some veggies in addition to whatever your favorite toppings are. If you’re ordering a burger or some other less-than-healthy option, consider ordering a side of veggies (either in place of or in addition to the fries that may come with it). *Bonus Tip (on pizza): Ask for “easy cheese” to cut back on unnecessary fats and sodium. Refrain from asking for extra sauce thinking you’re getting in more veggies. In the end, you’re probably just getting more added sugars that you don’t need.
Don’t hesitate to be picky. If you see a veggie listed on another menu item, ask your server if you can sub it for an item or add it to your order. It may cost you a bit extra (likely no more than $3) but you’ll be thankful you got the nutrients in the end. If your fish tacos come fried, ask if you can have it prepared grilled instead.
Just say no to salt! Sodium is one of the leading cause of heart related issues. Refrain from adding salt to anything that’s put on the table- even those fresh, unsalted tortilla chips served at many Mexican restaurants. If you really want to cut back on your sodium intake, ask the server if anything you’ve ordered can be made without any added salt, like french fries or roasted veggies.
Life is sweet! If you’re going to order dessert, opt for a fruit filled option over a gargantuous slice of chocolate cake. If you really can’t decline the chocolate cake, still ask for some fresh fruit- not jelly or berry compote, FRESH fruit! Throw it on top and dig in. Don’t forget to ask your dinner date to split it with you 😉
Lastly- whether you went into the meal with the intentions of ordering something healthy and followed through or not, think or say to yourself, “I am eating this because I choose to“. This takes the power away from the food and puts you back in control and hopefully in turn, alleviating any food related guilt.
Think eating healthy has to be expensive? In this post, I’ll give you ten different ways to help you cut costs at the grocery store and get the most bang for your organic buck!
1- Waste not, will not! Save every part of your veggies, and turn the odds and ends into a homemade veggie soup. You can make this is bulk too, and freeze so you can always be prepared with a bountiful lunch option! Don’t have enough of veggie “rubbish” to make a full pot of soup now? Freeze it!
2- Look up what an actual serving size is to avoid over eating/spending/waste. Chances are more than likely you’re eating double if not more, than the recommended serving size.
3- Choose organic from the dirty dozen plus list/ the clean 15. Go standard on whatever else you feel you can’t afford.
4- Drink more water. Skip the coffee, tea, soda and processed juices. There’s absolutely no need to buy bottled water. Buy yourself a fun glass if it will more you more excited to drink from it!
5- Make your own almond milk. It’s actually quite simple, and almond milk lasts almost three times as long as cows milk!
6- Make your own nut butter. You don’t have to own a fancy nut butter machine, a Vitamix or any food processor will do just fine!
7- Skip the dessert. If you’re one who craves an after dinner treat, try reaching for a banana or an apple. You’ll still give your body the sugar it’s craving, without all the added sugars and chemicals. You can even use some of your freshly made nut putter to smear on top!
8- Buy a whole chicken and use it ALL! Here are a few good ideas of how to make a whole chicken last for many meals. Not to mention, the phenomenal benefits of bone broth. HERE is just a few reasons why you should consider eating it with a great recipe too!
9- Shop local/volunteer at a co-op. A lot of small, local shops will trade hours worked for merchandise or at least a sweet discount. Look here to find your closest food co-op, farmers market or CSA.
10- Make your own bread. Got a crockpot? Put that bad boy to use! This recipe looks delish!
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