Day 7 (of Whole30): Chocolate Chili

Well, folks, that's one week down!  It was a whirlwind week, with starting this way of eating almost without any planning (not recommended, btw), having a house guest (who luckily has eaten this way for years), and baby getting a very high fever for a few days due to roseola (thus leaving me with even less sleep).  I did not let any of it get me off-course.  And, although I can't say I am feeling the benefits of weight loss or less irritability (that one might be genetic), I suppose, given everything I went through, on balance I am up on energy!  So, once I actually sleep on a regular basis, that ought to feel amazing.

This coming week I will add a new challenge, which I hope I can take well beyond the 30-day challenge.  Assuming my boot comes off my once-broken foot on Wednesday, I would like to reintroduce at least 30 minutes of pilates at least 3 days this week.  Ideally, I would like to do this in the morning, because in the past I've been most successful crossing exercise off my list early.  I have plenty of DVDs to work from, but with the kids needing so much in the morning, I am going to look into what places have either early morning classes or classes later in the day (just before pickup).  With any luck, I can do this between dropping off kids and going to work (or between work and kids)!  I will keep you posted on what I find.  

Day 7: Breakfast
The last of the breakfast casserole. :( I have to make another one, but until then, I will just scramble up something when I make the kids' breakfasts.

Day 7: Lunch
The most awesome leftover Pesto Chicken over a LOT of baby kale and the rest of the grilled yellow squash.  Next time I make that chicken I will definitely have to make a ton more for lunches, because I think it was even better the next day.  Of course, I was very hungry, which is probably why I also had celery with almond butter.  I was sitting across from my husband, who was eating a wonderfully smelling and way-too-tempting lunch of a grilled-cheese sandwich, a sliced mango (not a big deal because I am very allergic to mangoes) with a side of...CHEESE (awesome Jarlsberg in big chunks).  Hot cheese with a side of cheese.  Oh, and a Coke, of course.  I wanted it all, so I did what any normal person would do: I ate my celery and almond butter with anger. Probably didn't do anything but make me get through that difficult moment, but that's no small thing!  So, yay anger?  Ummm.... I might have to revisit that logic.

Day 7: Dinner
So, I made the Chocolate Chili from the book Well Fed, but which I got from getting the free eBook sample.  I did order the book afterwards, and the chili was good, but I was not in love with the flavors. Much to my father's dismay, this has not only chocolate but the dreaded cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg combo!  I prefer my veggie chili, which is pretty much Whole30-friendly already; I just need to get rid of the beans and maybe add mushrooms or more peppers for bulk.  It just doesn't have meat in it, so I will have to serve it with (or perhaps over) grilled chicken or something.  Anyway, the chili certainly had depth of very interesting flavor (and it will be my lunch for a couple of days), but it just wasn't my cup o' tea enough for me to make this a staple.  Plus, my husband doesn't like meat in his chili, so this is a bust. 

Note: I actually halved the recipe to fit the ingredients I had on-hand, and added chopped red bell pepper, chopped yellow squash and zucchini, cayenne, and hot sauce.  I served in in a bowl over kale for extra veggies, but it turns out that I don't like kale in that context!  I love kale, but something softer like a chard or spinach would have worked better.  

When I make my veggie chili recipe, I will let you know how it works.  In the meantime, let me know if you have made tweaks to this recipe, or if you have another chili recipe you think is great.