Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers

One awesome part of our Whole30 journey was trying new recipes. A few were "eh" and a few were "oh, yea!"-this one fell into the latter category. Great for supper as well as something to nosh on guilt-free during a game. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

2 onions

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. dill

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried chives

5 peppers

1/2 cup hot sauce (we like Frank's)

1/2 stick of butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice onions and layers in 9x14 dish.

Lay chicken breasts on top.

Mix spices and sprinkle on chicken.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (or until chicken is done).

While the chicken is cooking melt the butter and hot sauce together. 

Cut tops off peppers and hollow out.

Take the cooked chicken and onions and shred it very finely (we use our Magic Bullet for this).

Combine the shredded chicken and hot sauce mixture.

Fill the hollowed peppers with the chicken and hot sauce mixture.

Place stuffed peppers in baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with guacamole and enjoy!

Whole 30 Regress-Week 3

Does that say "regress"? Shouldn't it say "progress"?

You read it right the first time, folks, it says regress. As is, we went backwards not forwards on our goals. Please excuse me while I go hang my head in shame. I wish I could say it was just one moment of a mistake, but it was a few. You see, what had happened was. . . 

Thursday night I was making Whole30 compliant fish "tacos". I was so proud of myself for coming up with ways to make this recipe okay for us to eat and still taste good. We sat down to supper, enjoyed our tacos and each other's company. Bliss. Until David got up for seconds and looked at the salsa jar and realized there was sugar in it. *face in palm* Argh! I didn't even think to check! Rookie move! I was so caught up in not using tortillas and any dairy products that I didn't even think about the salsa. Tsk tsk.

Fast forward to Friday evening. David's mom generously offered to watch Amelia Grace so we could go on a date. For some reason we were really excited about this date night. Nothing really to celebrate, but we still wanted to do it up big. Dinner, movie, the whole shebang! Our go-to of Outback just didn't seem right. Our most favorite local restaurant was participating in Charlotte Restaurant Week so we headed over there. We were sucked into the good deal of three courses for $30 which included our favorite appetizer (a combination of pimento cheese and guacamole) and a dessert of peanut butter pie. And of course what date night isn't complete without a little local brew? Yea, folks, we didn't just fall off the wagon-the wagon tipped over and threw us off into a pile of delicious food.

Saturday morning we woke up with full intentions of hitching ourselves back to the wagon and continuing on. Then my sister, her boyfriend, and my mom came down to visit, so my brother and his wife came over as well. Before we knew it we had a rowdy game of Dominoes going and a good time was had by all! Adding to that good time were a few local craft beers from 201 Central. And what's a fun evening without a little dessert? Yea, it was badddddd. 

So, where are we in all of this? Good question. I am bummed we were only a week shy of our goal and we didn't make it, but does that mean we're tossing in the towel completely? Nope. We love the way we feel eating clean and that's not going to go away. We have learned a lot through this and I love how I've been stretched in the kitchen with the meal prep. Our lifestyle and way of viewing food has been altered significantly and for that I am thankful. We are going to continue on with it and keep eating as healthy and clean as we can. We are going to continue to steer clear of processed foods as much as we possibly can and only allow ourselves the occasional treat. 

Te he he, I feel like I've said this a zillion times. . .

Whole 30 Progress-Week 2

We've officially made it another week-whooooooo! I am happy to say that things have gotten easier and we aren't craving sugar as much as we were. I would love to say we're not craving it at all, but you're talking to the queen of cookie cakes and sweet treats. It's going to take a lot more than two weeks to kick my tastebuds into gear, but we are two weeks closer than we were. 

One big observation from this past week is how full of fridge is. On the flip side our pantry is practically empty. I guess that's what happens when you're focusing on eating fresher foods and cutting out the stuff that sticks around for months. 

How are we feeling? Stinkin' awesome! A sweet friend of ours from Community Group noted how we seemed to be dragging last week and how this week we definitely weren't. I feel like I could run a marathon every day and the mid-afternoon slump I used to feel daily is longggggg gone. 

Meal planning and prepping is still going well too. I did learn not to try to make a complicated new recipe on a night David is working late. Thank heavens for ring slings and baby wearing! ;-) Here is what we chowed down on this week:

Sunday-pork chops, apple cider brussel sprouts, cabbage

Monday-buffalo chicken peppers (these were awesome), cauliflower, asparagus

Tuesday-taco salad, roasted garlic broccoli

Wednesday-Italian chicken skillet, kale, spaghetti squash

Thursday-Mexican chili lime soup, zucchini

Friday-steaks, rosemary sweet potatoes, garlic green beans

Saturday-chicken enchilada soup

Lots of yummy flavors and new foods that we will be keeping on the rotation. Many thanks to those who have helped out with recipe options and suggestions-keep 'em coming!

Whole 30 Progress-Week 1

It's been about a week and half and here we are-alive. That sounds a little dramatic, but it's true. We are feeling so alive! We realize it hasn't been very long, but we are already feeling lighter and healthier already. It hasn't been all roses and rainbows (hellooooo sugar cravings), but we are definitely feeling some of this hard work paying off. Let me back up, though and start with a few thoughts from this week. . .

 I would kill for a cookie cake right now.

I bet she has a peppermint mocha in that red Starbucks cup.

Would it really be so bad to cheat? 

Wow, my skin looks clearer.

Did I really just beat my last workout's time by almost a minute?

I feel lighter; not as puffy.

My clothes are definitely fitting better.

This recipe actually tastes better with coconut oil.

I could eat this every day. Even after we're done with this!

As you can see the thoughts transitioned from negative to more positive. Our mindset definitely shifted this week as we realized the good that was coming from keeping up with the healthier eating. Something that really helped us was starting with a plan.

I had meals figured out for the next week and a few snack options in case we got "hangry". I knew we needed to have a plan of action in place when those nasty cravings attacked, and boy did they (did I mention the sugar cravings?). But with the foods we had readily available it wasn't too bad. It only got really tempting when I was out and about and saw all the options around me (oh, Starbucks, how I miss your chocolatey goodness).

Here is a look at what we ate this week:
Sunday-pork chops, brussel sprouts, collard greens
Monday-turkey zucchini bites, salad, sweet potato fries
Tuesday-fish tacos (lettuce wraps), carrot fries, sautéed green beans
Wednesday-chicken fajitas (no tortilla), spinach, cauliflower
Thursday-chili, eggplant fries
Friday-steaks, grilled shrimp, sweet potatoes (from Outback)
Saturday-cilantro lime chicken, sautéed spinach, sweet potato fries

It definitely wasn't boring. In fact, a lot of the items above are things we ate any way. I doctored a few recipes to make them compliant, but was really happy overall. Pinterest has been so helpful through this! I honestly don't know what I would do without the wisdom of those who have done this before us.

Here's to hoping the next week goes just as smoothly!

Haha. Yep. 

Check out my healthy eating board on Pinterest for lots of yummy recipes.