I Miss Spicy Food

As I sit at work, eating my chili, which is really good, by the way (recipe here), I am struck by the fact that it is... bland.  It is as flavorful as it should be and it isn't horrible, but there's something missing.  Something that it took me a second to put my finger on.

Spicy.

Chili is supposed to have a kick.  Chili is supposed to be hearty and mostly healthy and filling and have a KICK.  My chili is hearty and super healthy and I'm stuffed... but there's no eye watering.  There's no cleared sinuses.  There's no need for water to put out any sort of fire.

It just... was deliciously bland.

So then I got to thinking, how does one who cannot eat nightshades get spicy food?  Now for those of you who shouted out the correct answer, humor me a bit.  First I needed to figure out if all my favorite spices are indeed nightshades.  And why can't I have nightshades anyway?  And shoot, for that matter, what's a nightshade?!

What is a nightshade: According to Google, a nightshade is: a plant related to the potato, typically having poisonous black or red berries. Several kinds of nightshade have been used in the production of herbal medicines.
Instead of copying and pasting all the important stuff, I'll also link you to Dr. Sarah Ballantyne's page on nightshades.  She's the mother of AIP and offers a lot of good insight.  But yeah... tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, paprika, pimentos, eggplant... all of those are nightshades.


Why can't I have nightshades?  They're actually poisonous.  I know.  I like my paprika as much as any other Hungarian... but it can cause harm to my body.  Sure, one pepper OBVIOUSLY hasn't killed me.  Or even a bushel or the 20,000 bushels I've eaten in my lifetime.  But chances are, it hasn't done my body any favors.  AIP is about eliminating anything that could cause trouble and resetting your body, so in order to start reintroducing so that I know what is making me crazy, I have to first have a baseline.

So... lesson learned, all my favorite spices are out.  So back to my original question - how does one who cannot eat nightshades get spicy food?

Turmeric and ginger.  Both of these are anti-inflammatory foods and super delicious.  When I get home tonight, I'll be adding a nice amount of turmeric to each remaining bowl of chili.  I'll keep you posted on the deliciousness that ensues.

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We're Back!

I got sidetracked for a while.  some of that time was sidetracked as well from AIP, some of that time was filled with AIP goodness and no time for blogging.

Let's see how long I can stay this time!



So, I've been up since 8a and it's 10:30a and several meals for the week are done.  Amazon Fresh delivered some groceries today at 9a and yesterday, my husband and I went out to see what we could get locally.  Can't seem to snag a beef heart for the life of me, so as soon as I find one, I'll be buying a couple.  I've been itching to try one and have an easy recipe.  I've not been doing very well at eating my organ meats and I'm anxious to get back to it.

So... what's on the menu this week?

For breakfast, I just cooked a bunch of bacon and I'll pair it with an avocado/pineapple/spinach smoothie.  I also have some chicken sausage to use up first.  Bacon is absolutely okay to eat (in moderation, of course)!  Yes, it's fatty, but it's a good fat.  Much like avocados, our body needs these healthy fats.  When I choose lean meats (which I do), and cut out things like nuts, my body simply isn't getting enough and not only will it help me feel full longer and cut down on some cravings, but it will also help improve cholesterol levels, which lowers my risk for heart disease.  Every little bit helps, right?

For lunch, I've prepared a nomato crockpot chili.  I dumped all of the ingredients into the crockpot last night and let 'er cook through the night.  I woke up this morning to an amazing aroma.  It's already been divided into 6 grab-n-go containers, although I probably could have easily made 7 or make smaller portions to go toward 8-10.  This was my first time working with a rutabaga, so I'll let you know how I think after tasting it.

Dinner was supposed to be a crockpot beef heart, but we're gonna have to improvise (although most butchers here get their shipments on Monday, so I'll be calling around tomorrow to see where I can grab one).

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