My Diet the Last Few Weeks

Almost three weeks ago I decided I would try changing my diet and eliminate grains, legumes, starches.  I am not willing to call it a Paleo Diet because it's not, it's my own exploration and experiment. It is close to a Paleo Diet, and actually more strict than your typical Paleo Diet, if I actually adhered to it the entire time that is!

As I mentioned previously, there are many "camps" in the Paleo world. The "godfather" of Paleo believes you should eat lean meats, most Paleo "hunter/gatherers" think full fat (and the more the better) is the ticket. This can be a problem as our ancestors didn't have fatty animals available year round did they? Much of the year the animals they ate were extremely lean. So eating fatty meats all the time may not really be as beneficial as many people think it is. It all depends on the time of year, the hunting season...the fat in the animals and the other foods available...... I mean it gets a bit odd doesn't it? We are no longer "hunter-gatherers" so we really cannot live just like that, we do need to make some concessions......Some say no potatoes, yet others eat them at every meal. Alcohol really is a no-no, yet many drink on a regular basis.

I am experimenting to see how I feel, how I perform and how I look ( in that order!). I suspect I will end up eating more in the "Zone" diet (I will discuss that another time).

We all need to find the diet that makes us feel satisfied and full of energy, one we can live with and not feel like we are deprived of anything. Luckily I have no gluten intolerance (seems to be the "in" thing these days doesn't it?), I can eat almost anything I want, except many dairy products.

I also do not have a weight issue, a body fat issue nor do I have a cholesterol problem, as a mater of fact, I am extremely healthy so this is all just a lark for me, no pressure at all.

In the last three weeks I have chugged along on a fairly good course. I had four detours, but each was planned and not regretted, so I am OK with that. 

One day I went to lunch with a friend to a Japanese restaurant and had two breaded fried prawns (breading). 

Then one day I had a small taco (2 tiny homemade corn tortillas).

I had a burger (on a very big bun).

I had a lunch of several courses that included a deep fried slice of avocado (fried batter-flour); a couple bites of farro (grain); a small roll (bread); and a BIG chocolate brownie (flour).

My weight always fluctuates a bit, but after three weeks I am down 3 pounds. The thing is, I am not trying to lose weight right now, so I am not sure if this is a good diet for me or not! I am trying to gain lean mass......I am eating a good amount of fat and more protein, not hungry most of the time, but there are periods of the day when I am, I always seem to be hungry then anyway. So I thought I would show you what I eat on a typical day when I train at night with Roy. My meals change on the days I lift in the mornings on my own.

I have been eating more foods that David and Cooper do, such as fattier meats and it seems to be fine with the rest of my diet. I still plan to monitor how I feel and look before I make any other changes.

Up at 4:00 am and my first meal is what you see above, I have cold left over coffee in the shaker cup and just before I drink it I add a mixture I have pre-made of a whey protein/carb powder (a meal replacement), glutamine, creatine, BCAA'a and a bunch of supplements (supps are taken orally not mixed in the drink!).

5:00 am is the gym for an hour where I do cardio and calves- not really "lifting" in my book.

Next at about 7:30 is breakfast, I make this at home and eat it room temperature at my desk as soon as I arrive at work.  This is 1 1/2 cups vegetables (broccoli, broccoli rabe and tomatoes), 1 cup egg whites and one whole egg. Fats are the egg yolk and the olive oil I cooked it in.

Lunch at 10:00 a.m is 6 ounces (cooked weight) 100% grass fed ground beef, 2 cups of vegetables. Today I have zucchini and cauliflower. Fats are CLA and Fish tabs.

1:00 (lunch #2) is 6 ounces tilapia (it's the Basque Fish recipe from yesterday's post), 1 1/2 cups asparagus, 1/3 avocado. (Fats are the avocado). 

4:00 is a big salad made with Super Greens, mint and basil from my garden, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, sugar snap peas, a whole semi hard cooked egg and 5 ounces broiled shrimp. Fats are the egg and 1 teaspoon olive oil added (along with balsamic vinegar).

5:30 I train with Roy, I finished at 7:00 p.m. I always have a fast digesting carb after training so I have a shake. I make the shake ahead of time at home in the morning, 2 cups water, a handful of ice and a very small frozen banana. I blend it all up and then leave it in my freezer at work for a few hours, I allow it to melt a few hours before training. As soon as I finish with Roy I add my pre-made protein mixture of 1 1/2 scoops whey (no carbs), creatine, BCAA's, and glutamine. Shake well and enjoy in the car on the way home.

I am usually in bed my 9:00 pm. so will have a cup of tea before bed. If I am super hungry I will eat some egg whites before bed. 


On the days when I lift in the morning and do not train at night, I have this shake immediately following my lifting (instead of the egg and vegetable mixture) and then at night, usually about 8:00 pm I will eat a meal of egg whites and vegetables. So I swap the morning and evening meals.

Basque Fish

I eat fish of some sort every single day, it's a great lean protein source and is typically very quick and easy to prepare. I eat a lot of tilapia because it's inexpensive and it takes on the flavor of whatever spice you cook it with.

This is what I call Basque Fish, I made it up...as usual. I do have a good reason for calling it Basque Fish, it's based on the spices found in typical Basque Cuisine and it reminds me of the Basque food I had when visiting my brother in Spain a few times. 

Above I have my 1:00 meal (lunch #2 as David calls it). Fish and asparagus. It's great with fresh lemon squeezed over it too!

I came up with this as I usually do by using the ingredients I had on hand, which happened to be a lot of very ripe tomatoes. Red ones and yellow ones. I lined a baking dish with foil then laid the tilapia filets on top. I roughly chopped the tomatoes and put them all over the fish then a very generous amount of smokey Spanish paprika (I like agri-dulce otherwise known as bittersweet).

Baked uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes (test a piece by flaking into it, it should be firm yet still moist, not raw or squishy looking inside) and the tomatoes released juices and mingled with the fish, the paprika melted into the tomatoes and a wonderful sauce was created.

Another view, you can see some of the browed bits on top where the tomatoes caramelized. 

Here I am eating it with cauliflower. It goes well with any vegetable as long as it is a plain one (no other sauce).


This is great even at room temperature, but then I can eat just about anything at room temperature these days...


You can always add some black olives if you want a bit more flavor, I would use Kalamata (Greek) not pitted black California, they have absolutely no flavor! Remember that olives are "fat pellets" though, calorie dense so if you are watching your weight, leave them out.

Hard Work or Gimmicks

People are always looking for shortcuts, the easy way to do something, everything! Take a look at this magazine below- "Big Arms Fast" right. Do you really think that you can get big arms fast? No, of course not, but headlines like this sell magazines.

And this one "Drop Two Sizes" I bet this sells like hotcakes!

Now the next one I like "Look Great Naked". This seems like a reasonable thing to want, I think everyone wants to look great naked, or at least feel good about themselves when they are naked, but few do.  And the funny thing is, most people get so excited seeing naked people that they really don't care what you look like.....LOL!

But the other story "Eat, Drink & Still Shrink" doesn't seem realistic to me.

I am pointing all of this out because I want people to be realistic, don't fall for this marketing hype! None of it is true, its all designed to sell magazines, to make money.

You cannot grow big arms FAST; you cannot drop two sizes FAST, you cannot eat, drink and still SHRINK! The problem is so many people, especially women, look at these magazines and the models and they do the exercises they recommend, or follow the diets and most people get no where.


The exercises are not actually what the model does, in fact, the model makes her living as a model, she HAS to look great all the time. I know a woman who has been a model  in magazines and she told me the magazine told her what exercises to model and what to do, they never asked her what her training or workout was. 


The foods typically are not nutritionally well balanced, they are designed to make you think you are eating right and they taste good. Not many people can survive on 900 to 1000 calories a day, a few celery sticks and a smoothie do not make a great body. Or the other swing is the foods they recommend are super high in fats and starches, just not much so you starve in between meals. Most of the foods I see in these are not nutritionally sound.

You can; however, look great naked! Its all about how you feel about yourself. If you feel good, you look good!


Go ahead and read the magazines if you enjoy them, I read them when I get a pedicure, but don't take them seriously, if you do, you are only setting yourself up to fail. "Beach ready in 3 weeks" may work for someone who is already training, but for a newbie? Its not real life, give yourself a chance to succeed, hire a trainer, hire a nutritionist, read about weight training, ask a friend how they did it, but don't believe the magazines. 


And my blog "Ready in 5 Weeks"? It's about me - about how I train and diet and work all the time, year round, not just for a few weeks to get ready for something. Its about staying motivated, being realistic and surrounding yourself with positive people and experiences.

I do have a keen ability to drop to extremely  low bodyfat levels, lower than most people can get, but doing what I do doesn't mean you can also drop that low, and you shouldn't even want to. But you can learn from my experiences and my knowledge, its a lot better than a magazine, it's interactive, and it's free!


And I am a fun gal...

More than Weight Training

We often think all it takes is to hit the gym and train. We go and lift, but those who have been successful know there are many other factors at play here. We need adequate rest, proper nutrition, supplements and we need to care for our bodies.


By "caring for our bodies" I mean it is important to be in tune and listen to it. Some people incorporate yoga, walking, tai chi, meditation, stretching, massage. These are all excellent methods to ensure a holistic approach to a well balanced mind and body connection. 


I practiced yoga three times a week for a couple years, but the instructor, Venus, left the country. My personal connection with my trainer, or my instructor is a major factor in my success. If we don't connect, I will not succeed. I haven't done any yoga since Venus.


I love massage. I love to be alone. I love to be naked. I used to love to go to Santana Row, and to the Left Bank Restaurant. I dress in a knock out dress and high heels, I have a small overnight bag. I sit outside and people watch. I then order a Salad Lyonnaise and a glass (or two) of French Champagne. 


I then walk through down the center of the row, and end up at Burke Williams Spa and spend a few hours there. I would float in the jacuzzi, then in the cool mist room, then the steam, the dry sauna, and the finale, was a massage with Seji. 


Seji left and then used to come to my home and give me massages, we have since lost touch. It's hard to find someone to connect with, it's very personal and the relationship, or the way you perceive the relationship can make or break the experience.


Several months ago I found a new massage therapist, Rachael Hender and she is at Roman Paradigm Therapy and Massage. Life is good again.


I know that I often cut massage out of my budget, when something has to go, it always seems like it is the one thing to get cut. But this is a bad decision and I am working hard to make sure I don't cut it. 


There is no way I will cut my training with Roy, ever. I have left Courtside Club so my gym dues are hundreds of dollars less a month. But, I have a son heading off to college in August, that seems to eat up money. And I am going through protein powder like crazy- it seems to have doubled lately!


I always buy massages and facials on Groupon, Yelp, Living Social, you name it. The odd thing is, I haven't bought any since I started going to Roman Paradigm. I still have a few I haven't used, and I won't let them go to waste, but I don't think I will buy more, how can I even think I can top what I have now?


Recently one of the co-owners of Roman Paradigm, Robert Vignoli asked me to record an interview of my experiences at his business, I wanted to share that with you. I think you will enjoy seeing me (if you have never met me) and will gain a better understanding of why massage may be just the thing your training is lacking.


This was done immediately following a massage on my legs, right after I had trained with Roy, my face still had "head down and all puffed up look after a massage" and it appears I was barely able to finish dressing properly too! Gotta love it!


(Email subscribers will need to navigate to the blog to view this video).

Le Cigare Volant

Lunch, sometimes we go and just have such a time! We really don't go out often, at least compared to other people I know, and we will frequently go months without a meal out (when I am prepping for a competition), so when we do go out, we go out and have a really good time.


One of our favorite restaurants changed recently, so we were eager to go and experience the new food and atmosphere. We loved the previous chef and his dishes, so at the same time, we were apprehensive, we were a bit worried that we might be disappointed. 


The restaurant is in Santa Cruz, on the Pacific Coast about 30 minutes from our house. We live at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, you drive over the twisty mountain highway and pop out with a view of the Monterey Bay (on a clear day).


It is in the Bonny Doon Vineyard wine tasting room and was most recently known as The Cellar Door. A new chef was brought in and it is now called Le Cigare Volant.


Sunday I woke and was at Gold's Gym at 6:15 am, I trained Back and Biceps. I think my biceps are looking better because I am lifting really heavy (70 pound barbell curl- 3 sets of 10) and Roy also told me I should be doing Reverse Curls too. I am supposed to be doing more but am currently at 40 pounds, I think I can move up to a 45 pound bar next week. 


Then to the Farmers Market to stock up for the first part of the week and then David and I drove over to Santa Cruz. We always need to allow lots of time because the beach traffic can make the drive painfully slow, the narrow highway can be at a standstill.


We sat at the kitchen bar, we prefer this over a table as we can watch the chefs in action. It makes us feel like we are a part of the entire process. There would be no dietary restrictions at this meal.....


I have a short 4 minute slideshow below of our lunch, I will describe it for you first.


We had several glasses and flights of wine, I cannot remember them all so you must use your imagination for that! Just know this is in a winery, so the choices are vast.


I started with Ecopia Baby Lettuces in Reggiano with Hazelnut, Grapefruit. This was a plate of tender lettuces with a creamy parmesan dressing, small grapefruit segments and crispy toasted hazelnuts.


David had Charcoal-Grilled Octopus Salad with Baby Potatoes, small chilled octopus and tender purple potatoes in light dressing served in  a small wood box.


We both had Shooters: Gazpacho, Sangria. A spicy tomato with a chilled shrimp; a cucumber with a tangy yogurt ball; a chilled peach. (yum!)


Next was Farrotto with Saba Mustard.


We shared Avocado Corn Dogs, Chipotle Mustard- lime/Avocado Float, battered and fried avocado...oh my god! My advice- don't share these.


Next we shared Smoked Devil's Gulch Pork Shoulder Sliders- House Steamed Buns, Artichoke Relish. I will again order these and...not share!

And the thing that looks like a cigar on a plate? It is really food, 38 North Confit Duck Leg Cigar – Leek Ash. Again, we shared. 



So what are our thoughts on the new restaurant? We thoroughly enjoyed it! Once you see the slideshow with the food you will see why. We did however, miss the old Cellar Door and the chef, Jarrod. The food was more limited, less fussy and featured some bigger plates. The steak and frites was to die for and is not a staple on this menu. But we could tell they were still working out the kinks, still learning Chef's desires and commands. We will certainly go back several times.

A bit of wine tasting in the wine tasting room after then we stopped at Kellys French Bakery next door to pick up a lasagna, baguette and some sweets. We got a small cheesecake to take home to Cooper, David got a Custard Pullman and I got a sinfully rich Brownie. We ate these in the car with coffee...

Life is not always a diet.

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Monday Morning Motivation

“I learned that the richness of life is found in adventure. . . . It develops self-reliance and independence. Life then teems with excitement. There is stagnation only in security.”

 ~William Orville Douglas

"You were born an original. Don't die a copy."

- John Mason

“Get excited and enthusiastic about your own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire - you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away.”

 Denis Waitley

"Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music."

 - George Carlin

“I live a day at a time. Each day I look for a kernel of excitement. In the morning I say: "What is my exciting thing for today?" Then, I do the day. Don't ask me about tomorrow.”

 ~Barbara Jordan

“It was not her sex appeal but the obvious relish with which she devoured the hamburger that made my pulse begin to hammer with excitement.”

 ~Ray Kroc

Lifting, Life and Lavender

It was Saturday morning, quad day (second of the week). I had to do front squats and walking lunges. I ask Roy what weight to do on my own when I repeat my training at Gold's Gym. 

I had a massage with Rachael on Friday, legs only. I told her to concentrate on Hams and Glutes, it was painful, at times I could tell she just had her elbow embedded in my glute, and her entire body weight resting on it, as she sank deeper and deeper. She found time to work on quads too, thank goodness. My legs were killing me when I woke up.

I did my front squats at 120#, 125#, 130# and 130#. I was aiming for 10 reps at each, but on the 130# I could only do 7. Considering that is my body weight, and these are front squats, I am ok with my lifting, not what I wanted but still not shabby.

I moved to the walking lunges with an e-z curl bar held front squat style, Roy said do 65# or 70#, I went for the 70#. I did three sets on each leg, 10 reps. I then decided to do some leg lifts and frog leg lifts, gotta get some some ab work in even if it really doesn't seem to do much.

As I did my lunges I noticed that for the first time, my legs look good. My glutes look great, my upper body no longer seems to overpower my lower body! I am big, big all over but my legs have finally caught up, it's about time! 

This little fire plug is right on target.

I am finally, finally happy with where I am. I always struggle when I finish a show, I go from super lean and ripped to normal. Normal doesn't seem good enough then. It's taken me 7 weeks to get to this "space" in my head. I suppose in the grand scheme of things that isn't much time really. 

I am at 129 pounds now, I was actually up to 131 for a while but have now held steady at 129 the last week and a half. I have changed my diet (I will write more later) and it has allowed me to maintain a fairly lean yet muscular physique. I think I night stay right where I am for a while (you know I can do that right?)

I feel good.

After I trained and had my shake, I wandered out to my front yard. We don't have a lawn like regular folk, we make wine so we have a vineyard (small but powerful, like me). In our vineyard we have Provencal lavender which I cut and place into vases in the house, they will scent the rooms for the upcoming year. Have a glance at the beautiful view.

Official Beast

I remember one day years ago I was telling SC how Cooper called me a "beast" and I got offended. He had to explain that it was a good hing, he was paying me a compliment. We both had  a good laugh and I have considered myself a beast ever since.

Now it's official! the Vitamin Shoppe says so!

I got this email the other day:

***Do not reply to this e-mail. UPS and The Vitamin Shoppe - Marketing will not receive your reply.

At the request of The Vitamin Shoppe - Marketing, this notice is to confirm that the following shipment has been delivered.

Important Delivery Information

---

Message from The Vitamin Shoppe - Marketing:
Congratulations on winning round 2 of the Vitamin Shoppe Commit to be Fit Summer Sweepstakes. Your prize is on its way

Tracking Number:

XXXXXXXXX

Shipment Detail

---

Ship To: 
Kristy Wilce 

We get junk like this all the time right? Well it loked legit and the tracking number actually worked! I went to the Vitamin Shoppe site to see what on earth I could have won. Turns out there was a contest and all you had to do was like them on Facebook, and you could win a whole box of supplements and gear! 

I got home from training with Roy on Monday and asked Cooper to take photos of my winning box as I opened it! I love gifts!

It was big, I was excited! 

The suspense was killing me! Cooper just stood there laughing.

I open Christmas and birthday gifts very slowly too, drives everyone crazy!

Lots of stuff in there!

I got a BEAST gym bag! can you tell I am excited?

A BEAST shaker cup! It has a supplement container that attaches to the bottom, the black part.

A TRUE ATHLETE shaker cup, pretty gold detail. And both cups are BPA free, so I will use them!

A 300 gram container of CREATURE which is creatine and a 300 gram container of BEAST MODE which is creatine and caffeine, a pre-workout drink. Great stuff that I will use, this is a great prize! 

And, as you can see I am beside myself, I got a hat and a shirt, Unfortunately it is a very, very large shirt, I guess they thought this "beast" was bigger than she actually is.

I told David I shall rip the neck and sleeves off and make a dress out if it! He said it might be a tad too short though. Did something like that ever stop me before? 


Nope!

The Vitamin Shoppe is having another contest, this time the prize is $500.00 worth of goods (mine was $170.00), all you need to do is "Like" them on Facebook!


Just go to their page and click the button! 

No Limits

I have a post every Monday called "Monday Morning Motivation". I know many enjoy it and many really don’t read it; however, it may interest you to know that it really is for me, it keeps me going and I just happen to enjoy sharing it. 

You can tell what’s going on with me by the theme that week, I always think about where my head is at the moment and if it’s not a good place, I identify why and write about what I need to do to change my thoughts. If it is a good place, then I just find quotes that reinforce my positive mood.

Although I am a really upbeat and positive thinker, I do have my moments of self doubt, and "down" periods.

Recently I have been struggling and have not been quite able to identify the reason. I am typically very good at it. If something is bothering me I sit and think until I figure it out, then I decide what I shall do to change it. It is a rare occurrence where I feel a situation is not within my control to change.

What puzzles me is this: Everything seems to be progressing exactly as planned, so why am I struggling? My training has felt particularly difficult in the last few weeks. I love to train, it is the highlight of my day, yet a few times recently I have felt like it was too much to even consider doing.

I do not have a competition planned in the near future so I am not stressed about that. I am not on a competition diet.  I am enjoying meals out and eating pretty much what I want, but still mindful of a balanced and clean diet.

Roy and I have been working hard to add muscle to my frame, I want to transition into Women’s Physique. My weight is up, way up, yet bodyfat is low. I have packed on muscle, a lot; I look like a little bull or a beefy weight lifter (I mean a real competitive one, not a weekend warrior).  My quads have gotten so big that I cannot wear some of my biggest pants, and the ones I can are pulled tight across my thighs, they bunch up in the fold of my leg/hip. Roy even said they are really showing increased size. My glutes are big and round, almost laughable actually. My calves are getting big; I have been training them diligently three times a week now for six months. A couple days ago David said “Your calves are looking curvy!”

No one has ever used the words “curvy” and “Kristy” in the same sentence before.

Three days a week I train with Roy, and we lift heavy, really heavy. I repeat those same workouts on my own so I train each body part twice a week.  I know I am lifting quite a bit, I don’t know any woman who deadlifts 205 for reps and I rarely see any men even do that. It takes a lot out of me. On the days that I train with Roy I train twice a day, and I am in the “off season”.

Wednesday is usually one of my most difficult days: quads.  When I saw Roy on Wednesday after work, I told him that I had a really good nap at lunch, short but I fell right asleep. It could be because I am working out of an apartment and I have a bed in my office.  Roy remarked that it was a really good thing “With the way you are training right now, you need as much sleep as possible.” Even he is recognizing that I am training harder than usual.

On the days that I train on my own it is tempting to shortchange myself, to tell myself that I am too sore or too tired to go as heavy as I should. And there have been times lately when I am so, so sore that I feel I cannot physically do it.

Then on Thursday morning my brother sent me this message on Facebook.  I woke at my usual 4:00 am and sat at my Mac drinking my shake, taking supplements, waking up. I was feeling fatigued, it was hamstring day and my glutes and hamstrings were still painfully sore from Monday. I was supposed to do multiple sets of back extensions with a weighted bar and then Glute Ham Raise with weight, I was dreading it.

This made me realize that I love what I am doing, and I have a valid reason for feeling a bit fatigued, I am pushing myself, but I have set my own limits and that is why I am struggling. I had convinced myself it was too difficult.

I no longer have limits. 

I will keep lifting heavier and heavier and adding the lean mass I have been working so hard for and I will continue to succeed. 


I am looking forward to my training on Friday with Roy, I bet the bench press will be easy.


I have a massage with Rachael immediately afterward, I will have her work on my hamstrings and glutes, her hands will eliminate the pain so I can squat on Saturday with even more weight than before.

Thanks little brother, for pushing me.

This is the story my brother sent, it is about Bruce Lee, the martial artist.

“Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile [Note: when running on his own in 1968, Lee would get his time down to six-and-a half minutes per mile]. So this morning he said to me “We’re going to go five.” I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a helluva lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.” He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.” I said “Okay, hell, I’ll go for it.” So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out. I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, I can’t go any more and so I say to him, “Bruce if I run any more,” –and we’re still running-”if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.” He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles. Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, you know, “Why did you say that?” He said, “Because you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

Turkey Chili

I have posted about this before but I think people tend to think cooking is a science and very specific, it is not. Baking, on the other hand is.

I love food in bowls, odd huh?  I was in the mood for some hot and spicy chili so I decided to make turkey chili again. I bought the ground turkey breast and then search in the fridge for the rest of the ingredients, I will use what I have!

I also love cooking, and spend hours every week making foods for the rest of the week. David is acting as the photographer today. He shouts "How about a lat spread while you stir!" LOL!

 

So what did I do this time? I sauteed red and white onion in olive oil (I had both onions), along with lots of chopped garlic. I then added about a pound and a half of ground turkey breast and cooked it till it was no longer pink. I then added lots of vegetables. I will not add beans to this so it is important to have vegetables as a carbohydrate. I have added lots of chopped purple cabbage, celery, carrots, fresh and pickled jalapenos, a Serrano chile.

The spice today were my new Spanish Smoked Chorizo rub, red pepper flakes, cayenne and a small amount of dried chipotle chile powder, I like it spicy! Then three 14 ounce cans of chopped tomatoes, a fresh tomato (it was about to die) and 16 ounces chicken stock.

I let it simmer away until it was the thickness I wanted and then package it up and freeze some, leave some in the fridge.

I got so excited I ate most before I took the picture, but I have topped it with fresh avocado and Greek yogurt. I then splash on Tabasco!