Days 8-12: A New Chef in Town

The biggest challenge of being a beginner clean eater is trying to come up with a variety of meal options without chocolate, cheese and french fries that are still satisfying.  I wasn't sure meals like that even existed, but luckily we've been able to make it thus far without being miserable.  And even though I started out always feeling hungry, I think we've gotten the hang of things and I almost never find myself hungry.  I just eat because it's time.  That is such a different feeling for me because I'm used to waiting until I'm hungry to eat; at which point I stuff my face with whatever I want.

For breakfast on Thursday I had my usual 5 egg whites, but I also added salsa (which I've done a few times) and avocado.  The avocado really gave it a little something extra so I felt like I was eating an entirely new breakfast.  I also had a slice of Ezekiel bread and two sliced strawberries (which Aria decided were for her).

 

 

If you know me then you know that I do not do the cooking in this household.  But with Jason teaching every night and us now having to eat particular foods at particular times, I don't really have a choice.  I'm not going to win any awards, but I feel like I've done an okay job!

 

On Sunday night I made 3-bean turkey chili which was great because we were able to eat on it for a few meals.  It was super easy and was actually really good.  I like to have a sweeter taste to my chili so next time I might even add another can of diced tomatoes.

 

A few times this week I cooked some chicken in a skillet and ate it in a low carb, whole wheat pita bread with salsa, romaine lettuce and avocado.  Jason made a Mexican chicken in the crockpot and even though I thought it was good, he feels he can do it better next time.

 

Yesterday I braved making one of Jason's recipes, a spicy pulled chicken.  It is really good, but I have to admit that it was hard to eat 6 ounces of.  Not because it was too spicy but because the taste is pretty powerful.  I still think it turned out really well!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons Xylitol Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 Gloves of Garlic
1 1/2 cups of water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Stir the brown sugar into a bowl with the hot water and continue stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the sugar water, apple cider, spices and garlic to a pot and heat on low for a few minutes. Next add the 1 1/2 cup of water and chicken breast.  Boil on high for 15 min (or until chicken is cooked thoroughly).  Remove the chicken and allow the sauce to continue to boil in the pot.  Using two forks pull the chicken apart so that it is shredded.  When the sauce has boiled down to 1/2 of its original size (15 min of boil) add the shredded chicken and boil for another 5 min. Remove from heat and serve.

 

It has been fun to learn a few things and I am excited to try new recipes.  There are a few different resources I use when searching for recipes as of now.  The Bodybuilding.com site is great and I have specifically been looking at Jamie Eason's recipes.  I've also been getting a lot of helpful hints and recipes from Sarah Evans' Facebook page.  There are a few recipes I wouldn't mind trying on CleanEatingMag.com as well.  Looks like if I keep this up I'm going to give Jason a run for his money!