I saw a post the other day with Pumpkin Chili and had it in my mind the last few days that I needed to have it.  Yesterday was freezing cold and just a wonderful lazy day so it was perfect.  I didn't bookmark the recipe I saw before - so I searched up for Paleo Pumpkin Chili and went from there.

http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/foodslideshow/pumpkin-chicken-chili-2/ is the one I came up with - of course I hardly ever follow the directions so instead I'll say that this is the one I chose to use as the guideline.

My family dubbed it a hit.  Personally I'll be making a couple changes again.

Pumpkin Chicken Chili

OCTOBER 6, 2011 BY CIVILIZEDCAVEMAN 30 COMMENTS

Here is a great Pumpkin Chicken Chili recipe that isn’t too spicy but hits that perfect warming spot that we all love on cold Fall Days.  Enjoy 

Servings: 8-10

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs ground beef
• 1 can Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Cups Bell Pepper, Diced (Color of your choice)
• 2 Cups of Sweet Onion, Diced
• 3 cans of chopped green chiles
• 2 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 Cup White Wine (Optional)
• 28 Ounces crushed tomatoes
• 12 Ounces Tomato paste
• 1 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
• Sea Salt to taste (I just ground in about 1-2 tsp)
• 2 Tbsp Lard or Coconut Oil

Process:

1. Heat the lard in a 5qt Dutch Oven over medium heat
2. Saute your onions until lightly browned, then add your bell peppers, jalapenos, and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes
3. Add in your ground beef 1-2 lbs at a time browning as you go.
4. Add in your chicken stock, white wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, spices & salt, and simmer for 20 minutes
5. Stir in your pumpkin cook for an additional 5 minutes
6. Reduce heat to low and let sit until ready to serve or serve immediately

I finished putting it together around 12-1 and served at 5.  Next time I will do diced tomatoes instead of the crushed tomatoes as it is a little soupy for my taste.

The pumpkin adds a sweet flavor to the chili which I think everyone enjoyed.  As someone who usually adds in brown sugar, this was a different way to go it (especially going paleo means no sugar)

Now, I topped it off with a chipolte mayo.  (Mix 1 cup of mayo with 1-2 chipolte chilis in adobo sauce depending on how spicy you want it)  This added a spice that I liked to the chili.... I also made a bunch of this because we used it on sandwiches the other night and I have now decided it is a must have in my kitchen (it even goes with steak!)

This is actually a a very common question that people ask me - especially with so many kids in the house!

First my New Year's resolution (or actually New Years just gave me an excuse to do this) is to give a true Paleo diet a try for 30 days.  I start this weekend with 100% paleo for myself.  This means no dairy for 30 days, no caffeine, and no cheating :)  I'm pretty sure I can do this one since I did the Atkin's diet for 3 years without a problem.  However, now I need to think about my kids.

Dinner will be paleo - but with a twist.  If appropriate, I will add in rice for them.  If the recipe wouldn't work with rice then I'll just make bigger helpings.

We have cereal in the house.  Sometimes I wish we didn't - but we do and I live with that.  I don't see that leaving our home.  I also have Mac & Cheese.... this is something I will eventually just make on rare occasions and I'll do homemade vs the box brands.  We have bread in the house because a favorite meal/snack for everyone in the house is a peanut butter & honey sandwich.

We all do the best we can with the food choices in the house.  The idea is to make the best choices and have healthy choices available instead of garbage.

Snack ideas:
Popcorn - make this healthy with coconut oil and sea salt
Fresh veggies
Nut mixes (minus peanuts if you are going to go paleo!)
Jerky (believe it or not this isn't difficult to make!)
Fresh fruit (apples, oranges etc)

Dinner ideas/hints:
Lots of veggies and salads!  Make this most of your plate
meat (grass-fed of course is always best!! May I recommend ours?)

Breakfast is actually the toughest for me as this is where the cereal comes in so I will be working on some things the kids can take with them and eat.  I've done eggs and things like that - however, I'm not always up in time to make everything for them so sometimes I slip.  I'll probably work on some muffins.

Lunch - well I did the bento boxes the first part of the year - and I will probably start doing it again.  The kids eat garbage at school and they all dislike it a lot!  Plus, even with the regular lunch they are left hungry.  So I need to rework this one back in.

Things I always cook with:
Butter (the real stuff - not margarine which is just icky!)
Lard
Salt

Drinks to have on hand:
Kombucha tea - kids do like it!
Water Kefir made into a "soda" with a real fruit juice or similar - my new one will be with tart cherry!
Milk (raw)
Water - ours is from a well so we don't have fluoride and other stuff in it - if you don't have this then look into filters for your water.  All my kids have stainless steel water bottles - these are NOT allowed in schools though so kids don't sneak stuff that's not allowed in - bummer but true.

Hope this guides some of you a little of things you want to do and would like to feed your family!

as you start to be the one behind the computer.....

Last night and this morning I got to milk the cows.  Shocker I know - but my oldest girls were at friends' homes for the New Years Eve "stuff" and we gave our employee the evening and morning off.  The process is no big deal at all - kinda like riding a bike - you just go and do it.  But the thing you forget is the enjoyment in it.

No, it's not action packed or even remotely exciting.  However, it is a bonding, relaxing experience.  Joe likes the mornings because it's quiet and peaceful.  This partly true while you are milking the cows - only partly.

The cows are easy to get in the barn - they actually established their own line up of who goes first (you should hear how fussy they get if we alter this!!).  The vacuum pump is not quiet at all and neither are the rest of the animals once they wake up and see you.  Once you get started milking the first cow (Penny, our black & white Jersey) though (we do 1 at a time), the rest of the animals in the barn get fed and it quiets down dramatically.  Everyone is fed and then it's time for cow #2 (Snickers - the darker brown Jersey) - and she is never happy about you wanting to clean her udder.  She's quiet content once the pump is on her, but before that you really need to watch out because she can and will kick you!  Now that she's "hooked up" everyone else can get clean water.  By the time water is distributed, there are a few extra minutes before Snickers is finished but it doesn't take long and now it's time for cow #3 (Brenda - our first cow).  Brenda runs into the stanchion to be milked and is really easy to handle.  During her time though, we can sit back and just enjoy the time.  All of this happens in about 40-45 minutes (amazing huh?).

It's easy to forget these moments when you are behind the computer and doing paperwork.

I walk back to the house where Joe waits drinking coffee and first thing he asks me is if I enjoy being a dairy farmer to which I laugh and state that I wouldn't have gotten the cows if I didn't LIKE them.  But it is a different thing as a dairy farmer at our level (the whopping 3 cows - probably 4 in the spring) really connects with the animals.  We know their personalities, their attitudes/temperaments, and issues.  This doesn't happen with chickens at all - sometimes with goats but not as often.

It's just different - and in a good way.