Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

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Who doesn’t love a meal that cooks itself? Especially when it’s easy, reliably delicious comfort food like chicken cacciatore? Throw this recipe into a slow cooker and come back hours later to a hearty dinner. Even better, this recipe serves 8, which should take care of more than one meal. Chicken cacciatore tastes great leftover the next day, and it also freezes well.

If you’re not familiar with chicken cacciatore, it’s classic Italian-American food. Tender chicken falls off the bone into a thick sauce of tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms and garlic. It’s flavorful—but in a mild “everyone’s gonna like this” sort of way.

A slow cooker is a perfect place to cook bone-in chicken thighs. The meat becomes tender and flavorful, never mushy and bland. Browning the chicken (and onion) before adding it to the slow cooker gives the dish better flavor and texture; it’s not strictly necessary, but if you have the time then it’s worth the effort.

Chicken cacciatore can be served over something—like gluten-free pasta, cauliflower rice or spaghetti squash—but it doesn’t need to be. This meal is plenty flavorful and filling simply served alone in a bowl.

Servings: 8

Time in the Kitchen: 20 minutes, plus 4 to 8 hours in a slow cooker

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 bone-in, skinless* chicken thighs
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 28-ounce/794 g can crushed tomatoes
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (227 g)
• 1 bay leaf
• A pinch of red pepper flakes
• Optional Garnishes: fresh basil or oregano, capers or black olives, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

*For this recipe, leaving the chicken skin on the chicken thighs tends to make the dish too oily

Season the chicken generously with salt. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil. When the skillet is hot, add chicken. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes a side. Do not crowd the chicken in the skillet; brown in two batches if necessary.

Add the browned chicken to the slow cooker.

In the same skillet that the chicken was cooked, add the onions. Turn heat down to medium. Saute until onions are soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season lightly with salt.

Add onion and garlic to slow cooker. Add tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Mix well, so the chicken is completely coated in tomatoes.

Cover and cook on high 4 hours, or low 8 hours.

The post Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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If you’re serious about your health, chances are you’ve made at least some attempt to read the labels on the foods you buy at the supermarket. Some are easy: if you see words like “hydrogenated,” “artificial,” “polyunsaturated,” or just anything you can’t pronounce, you put the offending food back on the shelf. But some continue […]

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Like most people, I don’t hesitate to slather my face in a heady concoction of moisturizers, toners, masks and lotions. The same is probably true for my feet, legs and even stomach. But when it comes to my hands — my poor, dry, winter-ravaged hands — I’m very much guilty of neglect. Even under ideal […]

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I read The Primal Blueprint a little over a year ago and was inspired to try it. For decades I’ve been health conscious but have had little success avoiding the yo-yo cycle of weight gain/weight loss. The worst mistake I made was succumbing to the low fat craze in the 80s. I was a marketer’s dream!

I became aware of the perils of “white poison” (sugar, bread, etc.) about 10 years ago. As a nurse anesthetist, I was seeing an alarming number of children coming to surgery either overweight or obese with some of the maladies that come with it. Most notable were high blood pressure, high lipids, and depression. They were already taking a host of medications to
treat them as young as age 10!

It inspired me to write and publish a booklet called “Carbavoid….The Fuel for the Future,” but I was still delusional about grains and touted whole grains as a part of a healthy diet. Until I read The Primal Blueprint I was completely unaware of how unhealthy my diet was. I was amazed as I read it and became obsessed with learning all I could.

I was surprised at all the information out there and yet surprised that there was so little knowledge about it in the general public. I readily consumed whole grains, dairy, soy, peanuts and legumes proudly, thinking I was promoting a healthy lifestyle. I also suffered daily bloating and abdominal discomfort, daily mid afternoon lethargy, and arthritis (that I blamed on genetics). 

When I decided to go Primal I spent a few days preparing, and I suggest this for anyone else. I cleansed my pantry of all the things mentioned above. A list can also be found in any Paleo related source. Then I carefully shopped around to stock my pantry and fridge with organic vegetables, uncured meats, cage free chicken and eggs….lots of eggs, ghee, macadamia nuts, berries, and olive, coconut and avocado oils.

The 1st week was very difficult and I kept a daily journal to document my progress. I’m so glad I did because I recently read it from the beginning and was so proud of myself for persevering. I suffered from brain fog and fatigue until day 5 when it gradually began to clear up. Then I experienced near euphoria as my mental clarity improved and energy level skyrocketed!

By the end of the month I noticed a decrease in knee pain from my arthritis and even canceled an injection I was due for. After the 1st month I knew I was hooked. I didn’t want to introduce anything that I avoided to start with, but I did eat a little more fruit. I began running and biking the low level way described in the book. I actually enjoyed working out because there was no pain involved.

I also went to the gym for 30-45 minute workouts for my muscle growth. Weight that had hung on my midsection for decades began to melt away. As my upper body became more lean I could appreciate the muscle growth I was obtaining.

As each month passed I would see another 2-3 pounds of fat melted away. It was comfortably slow because I was never hungry. After about 10 months I realized I was at a stabilizing weight and added more nuts and paleo protein friendly bars and shakes to my diet.

It’s been 13 months now, and I am at a weight I haven’t seen since my early 20s! I am happy with my muscle definition, and strangers have complimented me out of the blue in public. I am more fit at age 60 than I’ve ever been in my life! I have motivated many coworkers and am happy to be a consultant for them when they are inquisitive about this lifestyle.

I will never go back to the lifestyle I lived for the first 58 years of my life. I choose not to have many “cheat” days, though I confess on Christmas I ate one of my mom’s yeast rolls AND a piece of her pecan pie with no harm done.

I encourage anyone but especially those who are already diagnosed with pre- or type II diabetes to give this lifestyle a chance. I guarantee that you will alter the course of your future for the better.

Good luck and hang in there!!

Sincerely,
Cindy Howlett

The post Sweet 60: I’m More Fit Than Ever! appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Right now there are millions of people making their ways to their first gym session in over a year. The last time they got this excited about working out was around the same time after the last holiday season. It’s cliche but it’s true. Equally, at the same time, there are a lot of coaches and trainers who are looking at this influx with some level of anxiety or apathy. They’ve seen it all before. Memberships go up, people seem motivated, the energy is palpable and then, just as quickly, it all disappears and everyone goes back to their allotted position in life.

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With the holidays just behind us, I’d say this weekend offers the perfect opportunity to slow life down and spend some time in flagrant leisure. The holidays are fun of course (they certainly offer some good parties…), but several weeks’ worth of erratic schedules, a full social calendar, and extra to-dos can take a toll—particularly for some of us. It’s little wonder people quietly welcome the return to routine after it’s all over.

January comes with a good deal of capital for self-improvement, but what if we also claimed it as a time for self-centering? If we didn’t have the agendas of the outside world to consider, how would we choose to spend our days? What rhythm truly suits us best?

While most of us won’t be quitting our 8-5 jobs and living like Grok did, we can be more intentional stewards of our free time. What will we do with that freedom?

From Primal Connection:

“How do I see the connection between slow living and Primal living? I think slow living on some level reclaims what is natural in human relations, basic sustenance, and life balance. More than that, however, I like how slow living in many respects brings us closer to some of our evolutionary patterns. …There’s a reason we miss quiet weekends untethered to technology. There’s a reason a city with ample park space and a vibrant pedestrian zone feels more inviting than a congested sea of skyscrapers and cars. There’s a reason we feel uniquely fulfilled cooking and sharing a homemade meal with others. These were the basic experiences of our ancestors. Humanity evolved with rhythms and rituals that modern acceleration has left in the dust. Our psyches haven’t caught up with the change of pace. Life makes more sense the slow way.”

Primal Challenge Point: What will you do this weekend to enjoy a slower, healthier, more self-attuned rhythm?

The post Primal Challenge Point: Slow Down appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Day 274 of 360

Positional and mechanical improvement:

“Odd Lifts”

With the guidance of a qualified trainer, practice a few movements from each category listed above and make improvement in the details of each.

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Losing weight is hard, so why make it harder by eating bland food? Instead of cooking up an unseasoned chicken breast or noshing on raw celery, delve into your pantry for spices that can help you lose weight. From spices as simple as black pepper to one of our favorites, turmeric, here are eight common […]

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Sitting at a desk all day can wreak havoc on your body. Not only does this type of work contribute to metabolic syndrome, heart disease and other problems, but it can also cause chronic lower back pain. We’re not immune to it ourselves, so we’ve put together a list of six simple yoga poses you […]