Whole30 Diaries: Dinner Day 2 and 3

It's Day 4 of my Whole30 and I'm feeling GREAT! Supposedly the first 3 days are the hardest, but I really only struggled on the first. I think it's primarily because I had the most incredible hankering for a Big Gulp of Diet Coke from 7-Eleven. 

I'm so glad that I planned and prepared days in advance because it's made this process pretty easy thus far. I made a meal plan, and only purchased the ingredients and amounts necessary for those recipes because I didn't want anything to go to waste and I didn't want to spend more than I had to. Pretty much right after I returned from the commissary I started to rinse, chop, and portion out my produce for my recipes and made sure I had pulled my meats so they could thaw properly. I'm telling you, doing little things like this ahead of time are such a lifesaver!

Below is the recipe for Paleo Taco Soup I put on my meal plan for dinner this week and I LOVED it! I plan on using it even after I complete my Whole30. It may not seem like there's much to this soup, but one bowl of this hearty soup is all you need! I was comfortably full by the time I finished eating. This recipe was also so great because it was enough to provide dinner for my husband and for two nights AND lunch for him today.

Paleo Taco Soup

Ingredients:
·         1-1.5 lbs of ground beef or turkey (I used 1.5 lbs of lean ground turkey)
·         1 orange bell pepper, large dice
·         1 carrot, peeled and cubed
·         1 onion, diced
·         4 garlic cloves, chopped
·         1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced finely (I left out because the commissary didn't have them.)
·         2 cups of organic beef stock
·         1 – 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

Seasoning Blend:

·         1 tsp kosher salt

·         1 tsp onion powder

·         1 tsp garlic powder

·         1/4 ancho chili powder

·         1 tsp (regular) chili powder

·         1/2 tsp cumin

·         1 tsp coriander

·         black pepper, couple grinds

Instructions:

1. Heat a large soup pot to medium high with a little fat (I used coconut oil).  While that’s heating, prepare the vegetables, open the can of tomatoes, get the stock measured out. Add the ground meat and carrots. Let this go until the meat is no longer pink.
2. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, Serrano/jalapeño and the seasoning blend. Mix well. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, the ground meat has some color to it and brown bits are sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the stock to de-glaze the pan, then add the crushed tomatoes. Make sure to mix everything well.
4. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer. I let mine simmer for an hour, but if you don't have that much time, or if you're just stubbornly impatient, reduce heat to medium/medium-low and give it maybe 15-20 minutes.

I served mine with slices of avocado and my husband had his with tortilla chips, cheese, and Greek yogurt. For extra flavor you could also serve with some cilantro or lime over top. Enjoy!