Chilli and a Smoothie

My daughter has been sick which has been miserable for both her and I.  I hate when any of my kids are sick but there is something about a toddler being sick that just makes my heart break.  It's only a cold but she has been miserable for the last 4 or 5 days.  She is a big eater and she hasn't had much of an appetite for anything so I decided that maybe a smoothie would make her feel just a little better if only temporarily.  I got the idea while listening to the Everyday Paleo/Growing Up Paleo podcast.  I find it so encouraging to listen to other mothers choosing to feed their children Paleo and succeeding.  You can find their podcast at itunes or at http://www.everydaypaleo.com/. 


I'm not sure if on the Everyday Paleo blog the actual recipe is posted but just hearing was enough to try it.  It ended up being perfect for my little one who hasn't had much of an appetite over the last few days.  I used the fruit that I had available in the house today, no experiment with what you have available. 


The chili on the other hand was my idea for dinner as soon as I woke up this morning.  As the day progressed I realized that the 4:30 doctors appointment that my daughter had wasn't going to work with coming home and hour + later and trying to get dinner ready.  I briefly succumbed to having pizza for dinner as a way out.  About 2 seconds later I said out loud "what the heck am I doing?" (my children must really think I am crazy).  Putting together this chili took about 15 minutes and I let it simmer on the stove until we had to leave for my daughters appointment covered it and when we came home reheated it and voila a hearty paleo dinner was ready to serve.


Smoothie:


1 banana
small handful of blackberries
3/4 -1 cup of frozen blueberries
1 tbsp coconut oil
full fat coconut milk
4-5 ice cubes


I added all the fruit and ice to the blender.  Added enough coconut milk to cover the fruit and blended away.  Add more of the milk as needed to get the consistency you want.  The results were very tasty and full of such healthy fats.  I froze the left overs and discovered that just before it is completely frozen solid it get the consistency of ice cream.  I believe that I also discovered a new dessert for myself on those days where I really want some ice cream!


Chili:
1 lb organic grass fed beef
1 1/4 lb ground turkey
1 red onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
3-4 tbsp** chili powder
2 tbsp** paprika
1 tbsp** cumin
2 tsp** sea salt
black pepper
2 cans organic diced tomato's-don't drain the juice
2 cups gluten free beef stock


Brown the meat in a large pot, add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the spices and mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  I like adding the spices first and letting them cook because it seems to bring out their flavor better than just immediately adding the liquids.  Add tomatoes and stock.  Bring to a boil turn to low and simmer for an hour or two.  As a little treat to the kids tonight I served this with crushed sweet potato chips on top and it was delicious.  I can't wait to have this in the morning with a couple of poached eggs on top.  Enjoy!


 **Now here is my disclaimer:  Unless I'm following a specific recipe I don't usually use measuring spoons.  I eyeball it in the palm of my hand so amounts may need just a little tinkering since the measurements aren't exact.**