Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup

Perfect for a winter day...I adapted this from a Martha Stewart Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 large Butternut Squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 large Spanish Onion
• 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to taste
• 4 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/4 tsp. Cumin
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• Juice from 1 lemon

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Toss the chicken, onion and squash in the olive oil, and spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan (I had to use 2 pans)
• Season with salt and pepper, and roast approximately 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through, and squash is softened
• Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside
• Transfer the squash and onions into a stock pot and add the chicken broth and spices
• Let simmer for 15 minutes, and then mash with a potato masher, leaving some chunks
• Add the chicken back, add the lemon juice, and let simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Venison Chili

For those of you who know me, you know that I don't eat red meat, and haven't since I was about 10 years old.  However, this Whole30 challenge has really made me want to be more adventurous with my protein choices.  My friend Jess' dad hunts deer pretty regularly, so she has a freezer full of venison.  She was nice enough to give me some ground venison.  I decided to make a chili with it because red meat still freaks me out a little, so I figured I could disguise it a bit.  Well, I can now add venison to the list of proteins that I'll eat.  I adapted this recipe from a recipe on Food.com

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. Ground Venison
• 1 Large Vidalia Onion, chopped
• 3 Bell Peppers (I used yellow, red, and green), chopped
• 1, 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1, 28 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Paprika
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 3 Tbsp. Cumin
• 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper

Instructions:

• Brown the venison in a stock pot
• Add the onion and peppers and saute until softened
• Add the rest of the ingredients
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour

Whole 30

Oh hey...where did the last 6 months go?  Well, I'm currently on Day 22 of a Whole30 challenge, and I'm so so so thrilled with the results so far.  I feel amazing, I've definitely lost some weight, my clothes fit better, and did I mention I feel amazing?

While I don't think I could eat this restrictively all the time, there have definitely been some good habits I've learned that I'll carry forward with me to hopefully continue with this success.

The next few posts will be some of the meals I've made in the past few weeks.

Enjoy!