Chicken Chorizo “No Potato” Hash

   

Is it possible for a person to be a serious food-lover and also be serious about fitness? This sorrowful question has haunted me for years. There have been times when I could answer emphatically YES! Yet plenty of other times when my cooking took a backseat to “Health” or my culinary endeavors gifted me a little more “junk in my trunk” than I’m used to!

I am not a dietitian, nutritionist, doctor, or personal trainer. I’m  also NOT promoting a product in this post for money. Let’s just get that out of the way before I go any further. I simply want to investigate this question a little more, and share what I’ve been experimenting with, as it pertains to my cooking and eating habits over the last month.

As a former gym-rat and person who pays close attention to health trends, if there is a health book on the New York Times Best Seller’s list, I read it. I may not follow it’s principles, but at least I want to be in the know.

In younger years, Hubs and I were the couple that used to come home from work, make dinner, lounge a bit, and head to the gym for a few hours every evening. This was, of course, before kids. Nowadays we have a “gym” set up in our spare room so that I can cook as I please, then go “run it off” while my precious ones are sleeping.

This January we read the newest health book on the hot list,4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, the author of the ever popular

4-Hour Workweek. Ferriss goes to great lengths to explain and prove that common socially accepted methods of maintaining a healthy physique stem from out-dated science. He states that pro-athletes, top body builders, and celebrities use techniques that often don’t trickle down to us “regular” folks for 10 years or longer. His book lays out a somewhat rigid, but effective way to develop a lean body.

As stated, we’ve read many health and diet books; this one seems to pull together the very best tips of other popular books, plus throw in a few new ideas.

TIm Ferriss’ “Slow Carb Diet” eating plan:

Protein

Beans

Veggies

Eggs

Period.

No diary (with the exceptions of cottage cheese), no “white” foods or carby things,  no FRUIT. There is nothing wrong with fruit, it’s just not what you want to fill up on if you are trying to tone up!

On the 7th day, you take a cheat day, eating whatever you want without restraint or guilt. There’s actual science behind this…and quite a bit of it, I might add. Tim discusses the myths of a “well-balanced” diet and the possibility that “zig-zag dieting” can be good for you if done properly. We had to try it.

For the last 4 weeks we have followed 4 Hour Body’s Slow Carb Diet to a tee, saving all glutenous meals for Saturday. We have noticed quite a physical change in how we feel and look, and many of our friends and family members have noticed and jumped on the band wagon. The weight loss element is pretty amazing! One friend lost 16 pounds in two weeks on the Slow Carb Diet. You say that’s not possible? Or at least it’s not possible to lose 16 pounds of fat, not muscle??? Well, Tim Ferriss says the science behind that train of thought is old-school.  He’s used test groups measuring body composition to prove you can lose more than 2 pounds of fat a week if you follow the appropriate steps. If you’ve ever watched the TV show “The Biggest Loser” you’ve seen proof of this.

As a cook, The 4 Hour Body can feel a bit stifling, eliminating grains, glorious cheese, even vitamin-rich fruit for 6 days a week. But it has also provided a new surge of creativity!

Here’s a QUICK and hearty veggie hash, that doesn’t taste like “diet food.”

Chop your veggies.

Brown the chorizo. Then warm the chicken.

Remove the protein and saute the onions.

Add the veggies and toss until just cooked.

Add the protein back in!

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Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Chicken Chorizo “No Potato” Hash

Ingredients:

½ red onion, chopped
½ chopped cilantro
4 large zucchini, cut into 1/3 inch cubes
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
6-8 oz. Mexican chorizo
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
1 Tb. oil, if needed
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Brown the chorizo for 2-3 minutes, then add the chicken until warmed through. Remove the chorizo and chicken, and set aside.

Add the onions to the skillet and sauté for 1 minute. Add the zucchini, red pepper and a tablespoon of oil if needed. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked, but not mushy. Salt and pepper to taste. Then add the protein back in.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately!

*This is a GREAT recipe to make use of leftover chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

Here are some of the other Slow Carb recipes we’ve been eating:

New Mexican Chile Verde (Minus the Masa.)

Chinese Hot Pots

(The noodles are made completely of mung bean sprouts so they only add a few carbs per bowl.)

Pork with Chimichurri and Grilled Veggies

Seared Scallops with Wilted Greens

Artichokes and Aioli (Don’t overkill on the aioli!)

Eco-Ceviche

“Angel” Eggs

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Minus the chips and cheese…it’s still awesome!)

Roasted Beet Salad (Minus the cheese.)

Asian Beef and Bok Choy Salad

Mashed Cauliflower (As good as mashed potatoes, promise!)

Street Kebabs

Malabar Chicken Curry (Served over lentils, not rice)

Seared Ahi and Avocado Salad

All in all, I’ve been happy with The 4 Hour Body experiment.  There are plenty of things to eat if you just use a little ingenuity!

I KNOW you’re wondering what I look like now… I’m pretty much a super-model. Along with fat-loss, my legs grew 6 inches longer over the last four weeks and every last reminder of pregnancy and motherhood has vanished! My hair grew longer and thicker and, my eyelashes have doubled in volume. Oh, the best part is I now have a super sultry voice and a foreign accent! My husband is constantly mixing me up with Gisele. You should really try this diet!!!

Really, I’ve toned up a little. It’s not a miracle book, but it is effective if you have a little will-power. I can also testify that about a dozen of my peeps are having GREAT success with this. All “what about…” questions pertaining to the Slow Carb diet and suggested workouts are answered in the book.

2 Important Announcements:

The WINNER of the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is comment # 133, Samantha! Samantha, please email me your address ASAP so you can get your Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker generously donated by Central Chef!

I’ll be on the radio with Leah McGrath, Ingles Dietitian, this Saturday morning at 8 am EST. Tune into  WWNC 570 (am) or listen on wwnc.com!