Recovering from Sickness with Paleo Jambalaya and a Golden ACE

Let me tell you, being sick is no bueno. Everyone knows this. But being sick when you are trying to be healthy is even harder on your mind, body and soul.

I was hit with whatever crud is going around on Tuesday and only emerged on Saturday sounding and looking somewhat like normal. Which was quite interesting since I had to be in a fancy gown Saturday evening for an awards gala. I was nominated and selected as the 2014 Tallahassee Network of Young Professionals Golden ACE in the Government Relations & Law category. I was honored to have been nominated and proud to win the award.

 

 

Earlier that morning was the Springtime Tallahassee 10k which I was registered to run, but due to bad weather and not wanting to get sick again, I opted not to run Saturday. Instead I made up the 6.2 mi on Sunday morning. After being sick all week, eating very little and not working out at all, that was one of the hardest and must unhappy runs I have done to date. I ended up walking the last 1.5 mi due to pain in my knee, and barely being able to breathe. But I completed it.

I decided there was no better way to clear my head than with a spicy jambalaya, paleo-ified. I've been searching for some good crockpot recipes and came across this one from www.lifeasaplate.com and modified it as I usually do. With windows open, and some serious shuffle of my iTunes going, I started prepping my crockpot wonder of the day. It was quick and came out delicious! Just be prepared to serve it to a lot of people or have leftovers forever.

Ingredients:
4 c chicken stock
4 bell peppers chopped (any colors)
1 sweet onion chopped
2 (14.5 oz) cans of organic diced tomatoes (include liquid)
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
2 bay leafs
1 lb shrimp raw, tailless and deveined
1-2 chicken breasts diced (1 large or two small)
1 package spicy Andouille sausage (can sub with kielbasa sausage)
1 head of cauliflower
1/4 cup (or more) of hot sauce
2 Tbps paprika
1 Tbps salt
1 Tbps garlic powder
1 Tbps black pepper
1 Tbps onion powder
1-2 Tbps cayenne pepper or chili powder
1 Tbps dried oregano
1 Tbps dried thyme

Instructions:

1. put chopped peppers, onion, garlic, chicken, seasonings, hot sauce and bay leaves in crockpot with tomatoes and chicken stock. Let cook for 5.5 hours.
2. Add in sausage and let cook for 10 more min. Add in shrimp and cook for 20 more min.
3. Steam cauliflower rice and serve jambalaya over rice in a bowl.

This was exactly what I needed tonight and I'm so ready to get back to working, and more importantly, working out tomorrow. I don't think I've ever looked more forward to a Monday before!