So I took a little time off from blogging for a few reasons…

I was studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification test for the past three plus weeks. I did everything I could to know the material inside and out. Every waking hour I had that was not consumed by work or my personal life, I studied.  I studied my butt off and the result was…I failed! Yes I, Laura Sanchez Cross, FAILED.  The worst part about it this whole debacle was I put in the time and I still missed the mark. I was in shock.

After going through all the stages of mourning and disbelief, I realized I was wasting my time wallowing in my sorrows and no matter how much I fretted about it, the outcome was still the same. Instead of continuing to throw myself a pity part, I decided to rejoice and celebrate. When life gives you lemons make lemonade, they say. Well I can’t make lemonade these days since it’s usually laden with artificial sugars but I can make a choice; a choice to be proud of who I am, what I believe in and what I have in my life that keeps me going. Now THAT is something to be happy about that I know many cannot say for themselves.

So here it is world, below is what I am blessed for that I have in my life, and I am not talking about material things:

1. I am blessed to have a smart and devoted husband who loves me and supports me in all my craziness. Thanks Ben! You are my biggest fan and hero.

2. I am blessed to have two wonderful boys who are rambunctious, loving, imaginative and no matter how much they drive me up the walls at times, they can do one redeeming thing like smile at me or laugh aloud and I know parenthood was my calling. I would never change it for the world.

3. These days, I am also blessed to have a job that not only can help support my family but I have a job that I do believe in. There is something about the privilege and honor of serving in the military and most of all serving alongside heroes that I know my words cannot do it justice so I will stop right there.

4. I am blessed to have found OurFullPlate. This is my calling. I love the Army but it is only temporary. My passion is helping others reach their goals. After the Army, I can focus on being a life coach of some sort where I can help people lead an active and healthy lifestyle. OurFullPlate is my vehicle to do that and I thank you all for helping me achieve my goals and dreams.

5. I am blessed to have a family and friends who also put up with me; their steadfast support is remarkable.

6. And finally I am blessed that I am using this moment in time as a life lesson and remembering that not only did I learn the exam material but more so I learned more from this experience about failure. Just because I do not have those three initials after my name, does not mean I do not understand the principles and concepts I learned about project management. And it certainly does not mean I still cannot apply those methods and principles in my professional and personal life. Just learning the material already has changed the way I look at things so for that I must rejoice. So instead of crying about how I failed my test, I need to be happy for myself and what I have accomplished thus far. I must also remember FAILURE IS NOT PERMANENT; IT IS TEMPORARY!

So having that all said, there was really only 1 BIG reason why I was tardy in my blog writing. I failed, I cried about it and then I celebrated it. I was physically, mentally and spiritually burnt out and I needed a break from everything. So instead I spent some much needed quality time with my family and now I am rejuvenated. I failed, yes, but I hope you can see from my mini sabbatical that it was good for me to fail. It made me realize if you don’t fail then you are not challenging yourself. I know this is just another cliché but I truly believe it. I wish things came easier to me. I have always had to work harder than others to get what I wanted accomplished. Growing up, I resented myself that I wasn’t naturally bright or naturally fit or naturally insert whatever I was doing at the time but you know what I am ok with that now. I am ok with that because I am a better person for it, everything I do I put 110% of my effort in and when it is does NOT go my way I still need to rejoice for the hard work and effort I put in (insert PMP test). Don’t worry Project Management Institution (PMI), know that I will be back. You cannot get the best of me; I promise you that. I WILL PASS!

Close up of my Paleo Crock Pot Red Curry Chicken. I love the colors and the TASTE! Try it and see for yourself!

So on to happier things like this Paleo Crock Pot Red Curry Chicken. Try it. Who doesn’t need a reason to eat Thai? Well I guess I do when you consider what I used to eat before I was Paleo. Back in college, I loved me some Pad Thai to “fuel” me through those late nights studying. No wonder I was 20+ lbs heavier back then. And to think I use to stay away from the curry dishes because I thought coconut milk was “fatty.” Boy has my perspective on food changed and look how far I have come. Some benefits of coconut milk is it helps decrease heart disease, lower blood pressure, helps builds strong bones, prevent anemia, and reduces the risks of joint inflammation, just to name a few. So in reality do not be afraid of it’s higher fat content. Fat is good, yes believe it or not, it is. Fat fills you up. The low fat diets from the 90s has honestly ruined how people think of food. When you take the fat out of food, what do you think they replace it with? Bad stuff, like sugars, chemicals, etc. You are better off sticking to the natural fats foods have and staying away from all processed foods.

What I like about this dish is its savory and the poblano gives it just a little kick. If you can handle more heat, I recommend substituting 2 jalapeno peppers for my 1 poblano. I will stick to my poblanos but more power to you. I served this yummy dish with plain cauliflower rice. Check out this recipe for my no grain cauliflower rice but stop AFTER step 2.

You will love this recipe! It made me so happy eating this. And report back to me and the world and let us know how it favors in your home.

Paleo Crock Pot Red Curry Chicken

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

7 hours

Total time

7 hours 15 mins

 

I LOVE Thai food BUT I hate how when I go out to eat there are little Paleo versions of my fave authentic dishes available. I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my very own Paleo Red Curry dish. I was very impressed with the results of my Paleo Crock Pot Red Curry Chicken dish that it got me thinking maybe my roots are not all Cuban and Spanish after all.

Author: Our Full Plate

Recipe type: Crock Pot

Cuisine: Paleo, Thai

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3lbs of chicken breasts, fat and skins cut off (about 4 breasts)
• 3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste
• lime zest of 1 lime (about ½ a teaspoon of zest)
• juice of the same lime you zested
• 1 can (15 oz) of coconut milk
• ¼ cup of almond butter
• 2 cups of fresh pea pods, stem removed
• 1 poblano pepper, deseeded and chopped (about ⅓ cup)
• 2 bell peppers of your choice, deseeded and chopped (I used yellow and orange)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Toppings for serving: cilantro, lime slices, and chopped cashews for garnishing

Instructions

1. Cut off the fat and clean all your chicken. I am the chicken fat nazie. Anything "white" on my chicken I cut off!
2. Season with salt and pepper on both sides of your chicken and place chicken on the bottom of the crock pot.
3. Add the zest of 1 lime and squeeze the lime juice over all the chicken.
4. Chop your poblano pepper and top over your seasoned chicken.
5. Destem your fresh pea pods and dump over poblano pepper and chicken.
6. It is time to make your yummy red curry in a hurry sauce. Add the 1 can of coconut milk, ¼ cup of almond butter and the 3 tablespoons of red curry paste into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
7. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Since I cooked this meal over the weekend and I was home, at the 5 hour mark I added my sliced peppers and cooked it for another 2 hours. I added these later because I don't like my peppers soggy. If you are preparing this dish in the morning and will be out all day, have no worries. The peppers will survive I just prefer mine crunchy. Another trick is cutting the peppers thick so they don't get too mushy if you are cooking them all day.
8. When you are 20 minutes from serving, steam 1 bag of cauliflower and "rice" it in a food processor to make your no grain cauliflower rice. I served my curry in a bowl and plopped in some cauliflower rice and mixed it in to eat it.
9. I served my Paleo Crock Pot Red Curry Chicken with fresh cilantro and chopped cashews. You can also serve lime wedges or any other nut you prefer.
10. Enjoy!

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So what’s the verdict? I love feedback. I also love Thai so let me know if you have any other fave Paleo Thai recipes to share on the blog. Happy cooking!