INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb. ground bison
• 2 cups beef bone broth (can use vegetable stock too)
• 2 - 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes 
• 1 pepper (any color), chopped
• 3-4 cups butternut squash, chopped in 1-inch cubes
• 1- 15 oz. can cannelli beans or any beans, drained
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• ground pepper and salt, to taste
• 1tsp cayenne pepper, optional

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OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• Plain Greek yogurt, dollop
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime juice

1.  In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil on medium heat.  Add in garlic and onions, saute until fragrant.

2.  Add in bison meat and ground into smaller chunks as it is cooking.

3.  Once meat is cooked, add in tomatoes, bone broth, beans, butternut squash, peppers and seasonings.  Stir altogether and let cook on low-medium for about 1-2 hours, or until squash is tender  

Serve this delicious chili with your favorite toppings! 


      Always craving good food,
                 Jillian 

The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison.
        -Ann Wigmore 

​When Nick and I first started our journey to a healthier lifestyle two years ago, we did something outrageous. We took a look at our pantry and fridge and decided to give it a healthy makeover.  This meant that we trashed or donated anything that resembled processed foods. Bottled dressings, sauces, box pasta dishes, microwave dinners, pancake mix, packaged cookies, and chips.  The list goes on and on of what random, processed and expired things we found in our kitchen.  

Why did we both willingly decide to do this makeover?

We both educated ourselves (reading nutrition books and watching documentaries, like Food Matters) about the positive effects of putting good food into our bodies.  Good food going into your bodies,  means the better your body felt and performed, it all made sense. Needless to say, we have been living and eating this way since the day of our pantry makeover.  The results of this makeover were shown in our high levels of happiness, energy, and above all, health! 

6 Simple Steps to Give your Pantry a Healthy Makeover

​1.  Ingredients tell a story about your food. If your ingredient list reads of more than 5 ingredients or you can’t pronounce something that is in your food- toss it!

2.  If any of your ingredients read “artificial flavors”- toss it!  

3. If any of the ingredients listed contain  artificial sweeteners from aspartame (like in Equal) to sucralose (like in Splenda) - toss it! 

4.  Refined sugars like table sugar- toss it!

5.  If any of your foods have food dye in it, such as Red No. 40 or Yellow No. 5 or 6. -toss it!

6.  "Low-fat” often means the fat is replaced with sugar - toss it!  Stick to buying "whole" foods. 

If there is one tip or piece of advice that I could give you to help guide your future grocery shopping adventures, it would be...

Buy as WHOLE as possible and choose foods with less than 5 ingredients or ingredients you can actually read and understand.  

Healthy isn't complicated, make your life clean and simple :) 

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       Always craving good food,
                 Jillian 

It's Meal Prepping Sunday again! I hope you had an enjoyable Saturday and are beginning to prepare for a wonderful week of GOOD FOOD.

For those of you that need ideas, I am sharing with you what I will be having for lunch and dinner this week. I plan out most of my meals every Sunday, so I save time and money on grocery shopping. Saturday night is a date night out for my husband and I (I absolutely love date nights out :)), so no meals will be made.  

Lunch this week: Chicken and Chorizo Taco Bowls + 1/2 sweet potato + spinach

Monday: Squash Kale Salad by Lexi's Clean Kitchen- (I'm using butternut squash and dried cranberries)

Tuesday: Brinner
-2 eggs cooked however you like
-Sauteed carrots or other vegetables in ghee with lemon juice, S & P
-Fried organic chopped sweet/white potatoes or toast 

Wednesday: Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Tenders with roasted cauliflower (seasoned with salt and pepper)

Thursday: Pizza (with tomato sauce, chicken sausage + chopped kale)

Friday: Grass-fed Beef Burgers (1 lb beef mixed with 1/4 grated onion)

I hope this weekly plan was helpful to see just how clean and simple it can be to make good food for the week! 

Please leave comments below to let me know if this plan was helpful for you.

What are your simple tips for preparing for a week of good food?
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             Always craving good food,
                            Jillian

Waffles make any weekend morning AMAZING.  I mean, waking up and just the sight of the waffle iron steaming gets my whole body in a state of pure joy!  These waffles are grain-free or Paleo friendly, and are super simple to make for you and your family.  They are delicious served with fresh fruit and a heavy pour of pure maple syrup. Pair your waffles with a sunny egg and your favorite vegetable sauteed with some salt and pepper for a complete balanced breakfast.  The day is yours to seize after eating these babies! 

GRAIN-FREE WAFFLES
makes 3 waffles

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, ghee or grass-fed butter, melted (for greasing waffle iron) 

Dry

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• salt, to taste

Wet

• 2 eggs (use 4 eggs if you don't have apple sauce on hand)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened organic apple sauce (see comment above)
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Heat the waffle iron and brush it well with the melted coconut oil, ghee or butter.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.  In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk all together to combine.

3. Pour about 1 cup of the batter into your waffle iron to cook your fluffy waffles. Repeat until all of the batter is gone.
 
4. Serve the waffles with pure maple syrup, some sliced fresh fruit and whatever breakfast sides that make your heart and body healthy!

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            Always craving good food,
                  Jillian