Week 2: Renew a Right Spirit

Over the weekend, I ate some delicious muffins I made with almond meal. In order to loose weight I have to stay away from high-caloric foods like nuts, but they were simply delicious. I had to make a decision whether I would beat myself up for eating a really good muffin. I felt the Lord prompt me this morning that I need my Spirit to be renewed.

The weight of eating healthy and ultimately the weight of desiring to conceive can feel overwhelming at times. In those times, I want to throw in the towel. If I don't exercise hard enough or eat a really delicious muffin, my thoughts tend to push me into "beat down" mode. As my Spirit is renewed, by the power or grace of God, I am challenged to allow the renewed Spirit with in to change my MIND or thoughts regarding my health or any situation I am in.

My surrender this week is "renewing a right spirit with in me" and ultimately my mind be renewed to the way Christ thinks about and in any situation. If I stop & think about how much He loves me and is walking with me through this journey, I realize that he is okay with the muffin I ate or the level of intensity in my exercise. He, ultimately, meets sperm & egg together to create life - Just like he placed His spirit with in me.

I have in idea what I am cooking tonight - I'll let you guys know tomorrow what, probably, occurs in the crock pot.

Chili & Homemade Chili Seasoning - GF

Chili is a staple in our house. I am a Queen of One-Pot Dinners. For 3 years, we didn't have a dishwasher, so my goal was to dirty as few pots & pans as possible while I was in Grad School & working full-time. Now, it's just habit to make my wonderful One-Pot Meals. As I started eating Gluten-Free we transitioned to this wonderful Chili Seasoning. I have played with this for a while; trying to perfect it. This chili is great for kids because it isn't too spicy, but I like to add some heat to my own bowl! It is smoky & has just enough spice to make it delicious. Give it a try & let me know what you think! By the way, there are no beans in my Chili due to the high carbohydrate content. If that bothers you, of course, just add the beans.

Approx. 2 1/2 pounds Ground Beef or Venison or a mixture of the two
1 can Tomato Sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can med or mild rotel
2 tsp. chipotle in adobo SAUCE - do not use the actual pepper unless you want more spice.
1/4 cup of chili seasoning - you may need to play a little with the amount depending on you and you families' taste buds.
3 garlic clove
1 onion

1. Brown the meat & add onion & garlic to soften.
2. Add the sauce, tomatoes, adobo sauce and seasonings.
3. Simmer for at least 30 minutes - the longer the better. You can also put this in the crockpot.

That's it.

Chili Seasoning

1/2 cup chili powder
2 tbsp. Onion
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup paprika
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
2 tbsp. salt (optional)

Guacamole Tuna Salad

It's Friday! With all my running around today, I had a make a quick lunch to keep me going! Tuna is easy to digest & gives the liver a break from working so hard! Avocado is rich in those healthy fats we all need! I have a great recipe that will satisfy that guacamole & chip craving!

1/4 cup Organic Wholly Guacamole
1 can Albacore White Tuna
1 tsp. sour cream (or mayo)
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper as desired

Mix all the ingredients together and pile on top of a big green salad!

Crock Pot Agave Lime Chicken

I woke up to the sound of, "Kori, you overslept." Don't you hate that? So, the rest of the day was about 30 minutes behind. :) I'm so glad that I took the time to throw one of my favorite recipes in the crock pot this morning! For a rainy, cloudy day this Agave Lime Chicken will help your spirits brighten as well as help with weight loss. Limes aid with digestion, and many other things, but they contain almost 2 grams of fiber in 1 lime. That's pretty impressive for this small little fruit!

Make SURE you try this recipe.

1 whole chicken - preferably organic
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 large onion (or 2 med)
2 limes, juiced & put into the crock pot
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup Agave Nectar (or Honey)
1/2 cup water

1. Place the chicken in the crock pot.
2. Chop the celery, onion, and garlic. Put in the pot.
3. Juice 2 limes over the chicken and then place the limes in the pot.
4. Pour water into the pot.
5. Pour Agave Nectar over the chicken and salt & pepper the chicken.
6. Put the Crock Pot on Low if starting early in the day, Put on High if starting midday.
7. When you get home or right before dinner, place the chicken in a small pan under a hot broiler in the oven just the brown the top of the chicken.

The End.

Side Suggestion: Sweet Potato & Broccoli

I got this idea from Elana's Pantry, but I switched up a few things. This chicken was so tender that when I tried to pull the whole chicken out of the pot, it broke apart... The picture will tell all. :)

Keep Reading & Pinning. Don't forget to look at my Breads, Cookies, & Muffins as well as my Body Products!

Cajun Chicken with Veggies

Tonight, I made a delicious dish that would make your taste buds SHOUT! My husband and I were completely stuffed after this meal. Sam said, "This is seriously the best meal I've had in a while." I should have taken a picture, because it was a a truly beautiful veggie and protein filled meal. Here it is... PLEASE enjoy it. (I provided some rice for my hubby - He can stand the starch, but I cannot. To simplify the meal even more, I cook extra rice on Monday in my rice cooker and place in the fridge. I will heat up a little bit for Sam so that I'm not tempted to chow down.)

Cajun Chicken with Veggies & Kielbasa (4 people)

3 Chicken Breast
3 medium to small yellow squash
1 onion
1 pound fresh green beans
2 kielbasa links
1/4 head medium cabbage
4 tbsp. Cajun Seasoning *recipe below
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. butter
Salt & Pepper
1 garlic clove, grated finely

1. Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil.
2. Slice Chicken Breast in half (cuts cooking time in half) and season the chicken with 2 tbsp. of Cajun seasoning.
3. Place chicken in the skillet and cook in the coconut oil. Season the other side with salt & pepper and a tsp. of Cajun seasoning. Flip.
4. When the chicken is finished, remove from the skillet.
5. Add butter and a little more coconut oil, if needed. Add the squash, cabbage, onion, sausage, and green beans on medium heat. Season with the rest of the Cajun seasoning (2 tbsp.). Add salt & pepper. Cover & reduce to simmer after it begins to boil.
6. Right before serving, add the chicken back into the skillet to warm a little. Heat up rice, if needed.
7. Serve the veggies on the bottom & place the chicken on top. ENJOY!

*Cajun Seasoning Mix

2 1/2 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Orgegano
1 Tbsp. Paprika
1 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. Ground Black Pepper

*Combine all the ingredient & shake in a plastic bag to mix. Place in an air tight container to preserve.

Fill Me Up Taco Salad

Last Night I made some DELICIOUS Taco Meat with LOTS of Veggies. These are gluten-free and are made with my homemade taco seasoning. Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 1b. Venison or Grass-Fed Beef (I often will mix the two)
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
2 clove garlic
1 lime, juiced
1 rotel or diced tomatoes (You can also use whatever salsa you have on hand)
4 tbsp. taco seasoning *see below

1. Brown your meat (add salt and pepper).
2. Add veggies & garlic to soften, taco seasoning, rotel, and lime juice.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes to help the flavors marry.
4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, salsa and lettuce.


Tip - This would also do GREAT in the crock pot. Just add everything together in the morning, turn on low, & forget about it until dinner. DONT FORGET THE LIME - MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

Hope you enjoy!

Taco Seasoning Mix - GF - Make sure you put this mix in a GLASS Jar - Apparently, the flavors might seep into a plastic one.

1/2 Cup Chili Powder
1/4 Cup Onion Powder
4 tbsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Paprika
1 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Celtic Salt

My 26th Birthday

Today I woke up to my usual 16 oz. Ice Cold Lemon Water (yes, even in the winter!) which helps my liver continue to detox and a "shot in the dark" or brewed coffee with a shot of espresso in it! Delicious!

I grabbed my brand new heart rate monitor to do Intervals. I walk briskly trying to stay around 60% for 2 minutes then run, getting to 80%, for 1 minute. I repeat this pattern for 15 minutes. Then, today I did workout #1: a)10 squats w 40 pounds, b) 10 pushups, c) 30 second plank - 3 rounds. This workout lasted about 30 minutes.

My diet today was alright - Sam's brother (or his wife) had their baby today unexpectedly. Needless to say, I was at the hospital all day so I had a chic-fil-a chicken salad for lunch and then the dry-rub ribs at Chili's tonight for dinner with broccoli and side salad. I'd say I did pretty good considering the circumstances of having to eat out. I even resisted a Chocolate Molten Cake sitting right in front of me at dinner. It honestly really wasn't that bad. My incentive was being able to right in my blog that I did RESIST one of the best tasting deserts around.

Tomorrow I hope to post something yummy to cook for dinner! Eating out is not much fun anymore when I can create something delicious right in my own kitchen! I hope to post many great healthy recipes. The picture above shows the basic diet I abide by. There are many great resources out there to help transition.

Follow me on Pinterest - I also pin many Paleo Friendly recipes I'm using and other stuff related to my diet.