{day 1 in the books}

Day 1 of my 30 days of better eating is coming to an end and I didn't slip up once. It wasn't too brutal and I might make it a second day. The only thing I really, really wanted was a latte. A hot, creamy latte is my happy place on a bummer day and today started out as a true Monday. A bummer day and a hot latte would have been so incredibly wonderful. But, I resisted and stayed on track when my track was barely starting. It would have been sad to fail three hours into my 30 days.

I've already posted once today so I'm just going to share my recipe for tonight. Nothing fancy, nothing special, but all Paleo. About 15 years ago I consolidated recipes from family members and we had a great cookbook printed. This recipe was submitted by my aunt and also by my great-great-aunt. As printed it is strictly Paleo. I just added more veggies and better for you beef. No picture today, but never fear you will get your fill of non-creative pictures of food in a pot or food in a skillet. Every now and then I will treat you to a beautifully plated meal, but don't sit on the edge of your seat waiting for it. Even then my photographer skills are right up there with my cooking skills and your butt will just fall asleep sitting on the edge of your seat like that! So here you have a recipe shared by aunts of all sorts in my family. By-the-way, my family rocks. Just so you know. :-)

I am typing this up as I made it. I kicked out the potatoes in the original recipe and replaced them with cauliflower. Why did I give potatoes the boot? Because I'm trying to stick to the Whole 30 program and it says, "Do not eat white potatoes. It’s arbitrary, but they are carbohydrate-dense and nutrient poor, and also a nightshade." I remember reading about nightshade foods quite awhile ago, but couldn't remember what this meant so I used the ole Google machine to refresh my memory. This is what I found on nightshade foods. So, if you were feeling like you hadn't learned anything new today, well, your welcome. :-)

Soup For You!!!!

Hamburger Soup

1 lb. grass-fed local hamburger

1 c. chopped onion (I used 1/2 of an onion)
1 c. chopped cauliflower, into bite-size pieces

1 c. sliced carrots

1 c. diced celery

1 c. diced cabbage

1 c. chopped broccoli, into bite-size pieces

1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 small bay leaf, crushed

1 t. thyme

2 t. basil

1/4 t. pepper

salt, to taste

1 1/2 qt. water

Saute burger with the onion until slightly brown. Add to all other ingredients in a large soup pot; simmer for at least an hour or until veggies are tender. Bam! Soup!

Note: I had a 1 1/2 lb. package of burger so I made a 1 1/2 batch. Duh. I added 2 full cans of tomatoes instead of 1 1/2. I didn't want to find a little container to save that half a can of tomatoes in my fridge that would just get shoved to the back and I would find it in about a month with a layer of green, fuzzy mold. So in the soup it went while it was green, fuzz free. I also tossed in extra veggies to my liking until I had a veggie heavy soup.

What else did I eat today?

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs with mushrooms and peppers, salsa and 1/4 of an avocado

Lunch: Enormous salad with romaine, 1 oz. leftover turkey breast, two hard boiled eggs, 1/4 avocado, diced celery, diced carrots, alfalfa sprouts, 1/4 diced apple, balsamic/olive oil dressing

Dinner: Lots of Hamburger Soup

Snacks: I was busy. I mostly had some random almonds and grazed on veggies while making dinner.

Water: Not near enough :(