Whole30, Days 4 & 5

Whew! Finally made it through a few whole days entirely on the Whole30 program - and I feel...unsatisfied. Not to be confused with hungry. I'm not hungry...but I'm not enjoying my food the way I typically do. I miss cheese and pasta the most.

Probably the hardest part of this weekend was going to a friend's child's birthday. Pizza and cupcakes? Ugh! I finally asked my friend if she had some carrot sticks I could snack on. She asked if I was a rabbit! When I explained what I was doing (she was my inspiration, by the way!) she promptly produced a salad with grilled chicken! I felt bad because she had obviously already provided food for the party and was now digging in to her weekly groceries; but I was told to stop being ridiculous and eat my salad.

The BEST thing I've made so far on this - is a Colombian soup called sancocho. It was my husband's idea. This stuff is HEALING. I mean the broth, the meat, the yucca - it's my new chicken soup! This was one of the first really satisfying meals I've had this week! Something you can eat joyfully! Plus it's a soup so I made a huge pot of it and plan on eating it for the next few days! Soul satisfied, food prepped, I'm ready for Monday!

Our kitchen lighting is terrible...but I snapped a quick pic of the sancocho before we dug in! Recipe is below!

Whole30, Day 4, 0lbs lost
Breakfast: eggs with peppers & onion, coffee (milk & sugar)
Lunch: sausage & peppers
Dinner: Trader Joe's brussel sprout and kale salad, grilled chicken

Whole30 Day 5, 0 lbs lost
Breakfast: eggs with peppers & onion, coffee (milk & sugar)
Lunch/Dinner: sancocho

Sancocho (adapted from My Colombian Recipes):
Serves 10-12

1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
8 scallions
1 tsp. cumin
4 cloves garlic
1 tbs. Spanish seasoning with azafran (I use Goya)
2 tbs. grapeseed or coconut oil
2 lbs. beef (for stew)
1.5 lbs. pork ribs (seperated)
2 ears of corn, cleaned and cut into thirds
2 green plantains, peeled and cut into 1 inch disks
4 Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large yucca, peeled and cut into large pieces (try to match the size of the potatoes)
salt & pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped

In a blender, or food processor, combine the peppers, onion, scallions, cumin, garlic and Spanish seasoning mix. Blend until it all comes together and there are only small pieces of pepper. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large stock pot until almost smoking. Season beef and pork ribs generously with salt & pepper. Working in batches, sear the beef in the pot, removing it to a plate as you go. Once all the beef is seared, return it, and the pork ribs to the pot.

Add in 1 cup of the pepper mixture (reserve the rest in an air-tight container in the fridge) and 12 cups of water. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Add in potatoes, plantains, and yucca, cover and continue to cook for 30 minutes.

Add in the corn, cover and cook for another hour, tasting for seasoning as you go.

Finish the soup with fresh cilantro. Serve hot. (makes GREAT leftovers!)