I’m PUMPED to have Ellie from Pampered Paleo guest posting for me while I’m still in Italy. If you haven’t already been following her on instagram forever like I do, you’re really missing some mouth-watering eye candy (with food, duh). Just scrolling through her recipe index makes me hungry. Here’s Ellie!
Hey guys! This is Ellie from Pampered Paleo! I’m guest posting for Dana while she goes to Italy for two weeks-lucky her! Below I’ve got a delicious recipe to share with you that I came up with this week. It’s by far my favorite savory dish from my website thus far, and I hope you guys like it too! I think I’m mostly impressed by the concept of avocado salsa that I found while scrolling through pinterest one day. It’s chunky like salsa, but delicious and avocado-ey like guacamole, and all around amazing.
I really hope you’ll try this recipe and like it, and if you do, share a photo of it with me on instagram by tagging me (@PamperedPaleo). Nothing makes me happier than seeing pictures that people take when they recreate my food! 🙂
But enough about this recipe, I’m sure you want to find out a little more about me. For starters, I’m a 17 year old girl who loves cooking paleo food. I’m very active, and I play volleyball and am in track. While I love participating in sports, I love the whole big picture of health even more.
I began my “healthy eating” journey my freshman year. Me and a few of my friends decided we wanted to do insanity and “eat clean”, so that we could have some awesome summer bodies. It worked great, and I lost 25 lbs, but I wasn’t what I would call healthy. Yes, I was at a healthy weight, but my body was under so much stress. I had broken my hand, gotten patellar tendonitis, had back pain, and very bad ankle pain.
Obviously this wasn’t good, but to make matters worse I began eating a ton because of calorie restriction for such a long period of time. My body needed something new. So after a few months of trying to restore my metabolism by eating every time I felt remotely healthy, I decided to try a 21 day sugar detox.
My life was changed forever. My first round I just did level one, and had amazing results. I loved the delicious food I was eating, I was happier, had more energy, WAY less bloated, and a variety of other positive factors. During my detox I made the decision that I wanted to at least give paleo a shot since I felt so amazing eating the way I was-and that was before I even eliminated grains like rice, quinoa, etc. I had debated going paleo for so long due to my chiropractor who eats similarly, but I didn’t think I could commit to the obligation of eliminating both dairy and gluten/grains. The sugar detox gave me a big boost, and was a great motivator to do so.
And boy am I glad I did. Since going paleo, I’ve created my blog and updated from the recent health instagram I had to one also called Pampered Paleo. I’ve established some cool instagram relationships with other teens, and paleo eaters like Dana. I’ve had the opportunity to share this lifestyle in other’s cookbooks, review paleo foods, and influence people to change their diets for the better, even if it is just one small improvement. But these material things are nothing compared to the way my body feels. I really know my body for the first time in my life, and you don’t realize the importance of that until you experience it for yourself.
It’s amazing the way food can change not only my overall appearance weight wise, but how it affects us emotionally (mood), physically (energy while working out, strength, etc.), and mentally (I actually feel mentally clearer while test taking, etc. and eating paleo compared to when I slip up and eat gluten).
With paleo, I’ve found a balance in my life that I never knew existed. I love what I eat, and rarely desire to “cheat”. I have improved my vertical jump by 5 inches, improved my 10 m dash by .25 seconds, and decreased my RHR (resting heart rate) by at least 10 beats per minute. I’ve increased my maxes in bench, hang clean, and squat by hefty sums. I’ve gotten better grades while actually studying less.
And most importantly to me: I’ve become an all around happier person.
I rarely get upset, and this is something I noticed this week while slipping up. I had eaten gluten a couple days in a row, and I was seriously emotionally unstable. I won’t go into detail, but it just shocked me how much food can affect my mood. The preceding improvements are just the beginning of what the paleo lifestyle has done for me, and I’m so thankful I found it and stuck with it. “Paleo” is a doorway to so many opportunities no matter what you want out of life. Sorry I went on a little rant, but I just want to get my point across that diet is everything. It will impact you for better or for worse, and ultimately it is up to you. Thanks for bearing with me, I’ll let ya check out the recipe now! 🙂
- 1 whole chicken
- ½ large onion, chopped in large chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ Tablespoon chili powder
- ½ Tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (do 1 teaspoon if you prefer it more spicy)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cilantro, for garnish
- 2 avocados
- 1 small onion
- Juice from 2 limes
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin (optional)
- Preheat oven to 425°F and get your chicken ready.
- Mix chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and salt & pepper. Taste test to make sure the spice level is the way you want it. If you want it less spicy, add more paprika or chili powder. If you want it more spicy, add more cayenne.
- Place the chicken in a deep-dish roasting pan (I like this one and this one), and rub it with the spice blend.
- Top the chicken with the chopped onions and the minced garlic.
- Cover the pan with tin foil or a lid, and place in the oven for 1½ hours. Check and make sure the chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F and is fully cooked. If not, place back in the oven for up to 30 minutes.
- Let the chicken cool. Meanwhile, prepare the Avocado salsa:
- Dice the avocado and onion in about a centimeter-sized cubes. Mix together then squirt the juice from two limes over them.
- Add the cilantro, salt, and cumin, and stir until well combined.
- Serve on top of meats, or with chips, and enjoy!
