DAY 7: WEEK 1 Complete!!

Just like that were done with week 1 of the RFC!!!! Only 14 more to go 😉

Lunch

Chopped salad, homemade balsamic dressing, strawberries, and home made tortilla pieces.

Meatless Monday: A little CLEANER Crock Pot Chili

-Adapted from Clean Green Simple

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped fine
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 c. dried kidney beans (make sure to rinse them)
• 1 c. dried black beans
• 1/2 c. dried black eyed peas
• 1.5 c. frozen corn 
• 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 Tbsp Cumin
• 1.5 tsp salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Pepper to taste
• 7 c. vegetable or chicken broth (or water)
• 1 avocado, sliced or mashed (optional, as topping)
• 1 can of organic tomato paste (optional, I like mine thicker that’s why I added it)

Directions:

Add all the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on high for 6-8 hours or until the beans are soft and the chili has darkened to a nice deep brownish red. Serve with avocado slices if desired.

Love all the colors! The slow cooker worked so hard all day 🙂

I threw some of my cut up homemade whole wheat tortillas (I sprinkled them with a little EVOO) into the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

They added the perfect crunch! Also topped with FAGE! Hubby loved this dish 🙂

Thoughts on week 1 of the RFC:

If you missed Hubby’s post on his thoughts, check them out here: http://www.bobbimccormick.com/?p=18465

Here are some of my thoughts of the past 7 days without packaged foods, sugar, white flour, fried foods, and fake sugars. It’s been awesome, as expected 🙂 It’s really not that much different then how I normally eat. I actually haven’t really craved a ton of sweets and if I have, fruit has really satisfied. I am not going to lie, I have gotten less sleep and have been working really hard in the kitchen for the past two weeks to prepare foods. Good thing I LOVE to cook. We could just eat the same things over and over and then it would be a lot easier, but what would the fun in that be? I like FOOD and I believe that I can eat good tasting meals with REAL food, it just takes a little more time and creativeness.

I think the best thing I have discovered so far is that I haven’t labeled food "good" or "bad" just real and not fake. I think this challenge over all will give me a greater awareness of what goes in my body and it’s quality will be a lot more important to me. I am ok with being a little food snobby when it comes to what goes in this body ;)  I also think I will get the Hubby to eat a  lot more VEGGIES!

TIME  to take on week TWO!