Paleo Chili (Or Half Hearted Paleo Chili)

I made this meal first when I was looking for a paleo-friendly version of chili. I decided to bring dinner to my parents neighbors who just had a baby girl. As a side note, Jordan and I have been half hearted Paleo people for the past few months for many reasons, but in my case because of Reaghan. I say "half hearted" because we haven't followed the strict diet. We do try to follow some of the guidelines of no grains or dairy on a mostly consistent basis (can you tell we are fair weather Paleo people? ;))

Since breastfeeding Reaghan I've noticed that dairy has been the culprit of her excessive spitting up. Knowing that many of my nursing friends have babies with dairy and gluten sensitivities, and not knowing this new mom personally or whether her baby did as well, I wanted to provide her with a hearty meal that would be safe to eat and provide leftovers because let's face it, when you're nursing a baby you want to eat everything in sight.

Heck, I don't even know if she's nursing her baby, but I guess it doesn't hurt to cover all your bases! I ended up with this recipe by skipping the beans that are traditionally found in chili. Not too complicated. 

This would work well with ground turkey if needed. I have made it this way before and it was still very good. I will say that beef is more flavorful...but that probably goes without saying!

Per my husband's request, I made this as his lunch for the week. This makes a double batch so there was plenty left over for multiple days and for me to eat from as well. I was reminded about it and wanted to share it with you!

Serves: 4 with leftovers

Ingredients:
Cooking oil (I prefer coconut oil or olive oil)
2 lbs. ground beef
1 red onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
2 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, with juices 
salt and pepper to taste

*skip the store bought stuff -- it's filled with chemicals. Here's the recipe for a homemade version I've been using for a while and love!

Melt your cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon, allowing it to brown. Meanwhile chop your onion, carrots and celery. Season the beef with taco seasoning, stirring so the spices start to sizzle. Once the beef is mostly cooked through, add the veggies and tomatoes, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring the chili to a boil for about a minute, then lower the heat and simmer for about 1-2 hours on low, stirring occasionally. Taste it and add any additional salt and pepper or taco seasoning to suit your taste preferences.

Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt, sour cream, chives, cilantro, cheese, you name it! (This would obviously not be Paleo, ha!)

Go a little further and jump completely off the Paleo bridge by adding a can of kidney beans to this recipe if you like! Let me know how you like this easy dinner!

"Paleo Chili (Or Half Hearted Paleo Chili)" is part of a blog 

relaunch series entitled "31 Days of Responding to Him" 

Follow along here