People, I’ve made a decision to start eating like a grownup. I started this venture back at the end of May, with the help of my (now) friend Izzy Libman, a personal trainer and nutrition coach. I had the whole workout commitment thing down, but the food part was eluding me. My brother (also a trainer, among other things), suggested I try Izzy’s Clean Slate 28 program. He promised that this would not be a traditional diet. No shakes. No pyramid scheme. It’s all about changing my relationship with food, creating good habits, yadda yadda.
I was still skeptical, as I’m not one for diets. Never have been. I gained weight on South Beach and Atkins (yes, I had my my thyroid checked and it is fine). Gave Weight Watchers a half-assed try, but it was too much counting and calculating for me. Whenever I’d try to track my food, I’d lie on my food journal about how much I was eating. Really, how dumb is that? Lying to myself!
Still, I thought what the heck. I have the month of June where I won’t be able to get to the gym (with The Girl off of school and not yet in camp), so it seems like a good time to focus on the food thing. Well, the whole CS28 program, combined with what I learned in Izzy’s free kickstarter kit has really made a difference for me. I’m eating so much better, not hungry, not feeling deprived (NOTHING is off limits – including my mommy juice), have more energy than I have had in years, and yes, I’ve lost weight (a good, reasonable amount for the time period, but nevermind the numbers – after all, results will vary).
I’ve also found some fab new recipes that work as one dish meals. There’s that frittata I’d posted about a few weeks back. And now here’s another fave that I’ve modified ever so slightly from the CS28 receipe booklet – Thai peanut chicken in the crockpot. I know that “crockpot” does not scream summer, but this is a great, year-round dish. I make it at the beginning of the week and have a healthy, veg-forward lunch for the rest – just heat and serve. It doesn’t photograph well, but I did want to include a photo so you don’t think you effed it up. It does look pretty gross, but it’s sooooo good!
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 small red or orange bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 cups raw spinach (I like baby spinach)
- ½ cup chunky peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (by the soy sauce at Trader Joe’s)
Directions:
- Place peppers, onion, and spinach at the bottom of the crockpot. Veg on the bottom keeps the chicken from drying out.
- Next place raw chicken breasts on top.
- In a bowl, mix together peanut butter, lime juice, chicken broth, coconut aminos, and honey. Pour sauce over chicken.
- Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or 6 on LOW. When 15 minutes remain of cooking time, shred chicken with two forks. Cover and continue cooking for the remainder of the time.
- Remove from crockpot and serve over brown rice or cauliflower rice*.
* To prepare cauliflower rice, I just saute it with a little olive oil. If you like, you can season with salt, pepper, garlic, or whatever floats your boat.