Coconut Curry Chicken and Veggies

serves 4 (with some leftovers for lunch the next day)

2 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into 1.5 in chunks (organic is best, but can get pricey.  Trader Joe’s is my lifesaver in this department-their store brand of chicken is always vegetarian, grass fed-no hormones added.  It’s not completely organic, but a good place to start)

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2-4 summer squash, cut into half circles (or add as much or little as you want, depending on your tastes.  I used the zucchini and yellow squash from our CSA box.  Experiment with veggies you have on hand!)

1 can of coconut milk (I perfer Thai Kitchen)

2 tbsp curry powder (spices without sugar and preservatives are best-check the label as you purchase)

1 tbsp bottled minced ginger (earthbound organic has a good one)

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

Directions.

1.) Heat coconut oil in large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes.  Add onion and garlic, ginger and curry powder. Cook for 1 minute.  Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry mixture.  Cook for 7-1o minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices are clear.

2.) Add peppers and summer squash and cook for 3 minutes, or until tender.

3.) Pour can of coconut milk into mixture, including cream. Stir to combine.  Let simmer for about 15 minutes, making sure chicken is completely cooked through.

Sea Salt and pepper to taste.  Thai fish sauce and soy sauce are optional condiments if you need a little umph.

Normally, I would pile this goodness on a heaping plate of Jasmine rice.  I found that it was just as great all by itself!  And we got to drink the coconut milk from our bowls .

Egg Drop Soup

makes a large pot, great leftovers for the week

8 cups of chicken stock (ideally homemade, but let’s be honest, who has time for that? Store bought will do. Organic is best as it usually cuts down on the sodium and preservatives)

3 green onions, chopped.

1 tsp crushed ginger (same as above)

6 eggs, beaten (free range, cage free is best. we use eggs from our farm and it’s great.  more on that later!)

3 tbsp cornstarch (for thickening)

Directions

1. In medium-large soup pot, bring 7 cups of chicken broth, onion, and ginger to a rolling boil. reserve one cup of broth and set aside.

2. In small bowl, whisk together reserved broth and 3 tbsp corn starch until smooth.  Add to soup pot and stir.

3. In a large measuring cup, beat together six eggs.  Turn off heat to boiling broth and immediately pour eggs in at a slow steady stream.  Gently stir eggs in clockwise direction to make ribbons form.

4. garnish with extra chopped green onion, black pepper, soy sauce or sesame oil to taste.

Our farewell to ice cream on the eve of of our start date. A surprise visit from the Coldstone fairy!

Chocolate. Chip. Oreo. Ice cream. Sandwich

Oh, delicious creaminess, we will meet again one of these days…

You get the idea.  Pretty much everything that was purchased in a bottle, box, or can had to go bye-bye.  We moved some things we knew wouldn’t perish in 40 days out to the garage, and boxed up the rest to give to the random people who are coming to live on  our property for the next three weeks (for Bethel’s School of Worship).  It was crazy how bare our usually chock full pantry and refrigerator looked.  All nice and streamlined, no longer bogged down with the weight of high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar.  It was oddly freeing.  Below our some shots-I call it The Purge of Summer ’10

]]> http://the40daycatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/prologue/feed/ 0 the40daycatalyst pantry pantry 2 P1030032 P1030033 http://the40daycatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/the-makers-diet-in-a-nutshell/ http://the40daycatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/the-makers-diet-in-a-nutshell/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:20:50 +0000 the40daycatalyst http://the40daycatalyst.wordpress.com/?p=26 ]]> Now that we have piqued your interest, here is a breakdown of what the Maker’s Diet looks like:

The 40 days consist of three two week phases.  Each phase gradually builds on the next one as new foods are introduced.

Phase One: lots of  organic vegetables, minimal fruit (berries, and some citrus only), grass fed red meat and chicken, small amounts of raw honey for sweetners, a few types of raw nuts, no grain, no cow’s dairy (goats dairy OK), no sugar, no processed foods, no starches (like potatoes and corn).

Phase Two: Everything from phase one. Add back fruits, beans, more nuts, and organic cow’s dairy.

Phase Three: Everything from Phase One and Two, plus you get starches back, natural sweeteners (Stevia, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc.) and sprouted grains (more on what the heck that means later).

*each phase also includes a partial fast day, where breakfast and lunch are not eaten.  Raw carrot and beet juices are recommend on these days. This is for the purposes of cleansing and repairing the body.  More thoughts on fasting in later posts.

We are currently in the first week of phase one, which is supposedly the hardest phase.  It definitely has the most food limitations and has made us have to think about and plan our meals every day.  While there have been some fleeting moments of hunger (especially on the first fast day), we have each been surprised how well we have eaten thus far.  Be on the look out for our favorite recipes from Phase One.  Let’s just say, this is no berries and twigs kinda diet!

The question began a couple of months ago as health and nutrition became an ever-increasing topic of our household.  Topics were being brought up at the church we attend, articles were popping up all over the place.  Then, I (Jessica) begin reading the book  The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin.  It tells about Rubin’s battle with Chron’s Disease and his struggle to find answers within the medical community.  After a couple years and a few brushes with death, 21 year old Jordan, in desperation, sought the council of an eccentric nutritionist in California that told him he was ill because he was not eating a diet of the bible.  He based the failure of doctors to treat his illness on the fact that they were not basing their treatments on biblical principles.

To make a long story short, Rubin tried this diet, which consisted of food in its most natural form.  Fruits and vegetables grown without the use of toxic chemicals and pesticides.  Chicken and beef from grass fed farms that don’t inject their livestock with growth hormones.  Healthy fats and oils.  No sugar, no processed food, no pork or shellfish,  no nothing that came from a box or a can.  After 4 months on this rigorous regiment, Rubin had gone from 111 to 170 lbs and his symptoms were significantly diminshed.  Two years later, he was completely symptom free.   He then went on to commit his life to educating others about the healing properties of whole foods.  Obviously, this is a stretch for most of our minds. As a pretty healthy late twenty-something, I didn’t have much of a grid for it.  But the concept did intrigue me.  How are our bodies affected by what we put into them?  What if we could battle and, even better, prevent attacks on our body just by changing the way we ate?  For someone who didn’t learn to swallow pills until college and still has to choke them down with yoghurt, this thought seemed incredibly appealing.  Not to mention the alarming rate of heart disease and cancer found in our nation with the most advanced medical technology in the world.  Some things just didn’t add up.

So, I thought about it. I researched a little more.  And decided I sure as crap couldn’t pull this off alone.  So, I approached my house mates with the idea of trying out this crazy 40 day thing together.  And the responses were, let’s just say, mixed.  We all had some level of interest on one hand, but on the other was the ” I can’t have ice cream for 40 days and it’s fricken summer?!” reality.  Our talks about it became rather circular, until it was suggested we take a couple of days and think and pray about what exactly we would want to get out of this time.  And as we came back together to share, we found that the desires and visions we had went farther and deeper than just a simple diet or fast.  We talked about unhealthy relationships with food and overcoming them, personal health goals, breakthrough in emotional healing, transitions, and callings.  It became clear that these next 40 days would just be a catalyst in each of our lives to usher in a new season-one of greater insight, greater freedom, and closer community as we hashed all this out together.  Now, this was a bandwagon we could all jump onto.

So, welcome, dear reader to our world.  This blog is two fold.  It’s for  the four of us-to document our journey as it is happening. I will be publishing reflections, what we are learning, and probably the occasional rant when we hit a wall and just want a strawberry limeade from Sonic.  Communicating the process will help us as we trip down this path together.

This blog is also, and mainly, for you.  Whole foods eating is gaining more and more interest and accessibility by the day.  It aint just for those “rich people who hate themselves” (borrowing a quote from Amy Poehler in Baby Mama).  We are out to prove that it CAN be done affordably, with a little creativity and know-how.  Be on the lookout for recipes, shopping tips, and other kinds of goodies.  If you have wanted to eat healthier for awhile now, but just didn’t know where to start,hang out with us for awhile.  The four of us are all at different places when it comes to our health, are different shapes and sizes, and are  desiring different things from this time.  Basically, we are no cookie cutter group and whatever place you are in you are at health-wise, you could probably find somewhere to relate!  If you are a lover of cooking, gardening or good food in general, come along for the ride.  There will be lots of talk about all of these fabulous things.

Here’s to the next 40 days of beautiful struggle, discovery, and healthy living!

meet the sojourners- L to R: Jessica, Kristy, Amanda, and Sarah.