Day 1 Whole 30 & Bison Sausage, Peppers and Zucchini

I got home from Las Vegas last night... late. Like rollin' in the door at midnight and not getting into bed until 12:45 type of late. It was a relaxation vacation and I mean that in every sense of the word. Even my eating habits were GREATLY relaxed. Probably not the wisest thing to do, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. Three whole glorious days filled with margaritas, bread, cheese and chocolate. And probably some more bread. Oy.

The plan was to start The Whole 30 today and that I did. It's very similar to the 21-Day Sugar Detox I did before, but I think just giving it a new name makes it feel like a new challenge.

Well let me tell ya, I can tell my eating has been horrible because I have a headache at the end of day 1. The kind that makes me want to reach for some sort of bread-y goodness. And then I remember that is exactly what caused it. So I am holding steadfast. This is for my overall well being and happiness and I know that a little pain now will reap big rewards down the road. I hear ya... "yada yada yada".. ok, so on to the recipe.

I am a huge fan of the Italian dish "Sausage and Peppers". I've made it quite a bit and often didn't even eat it with pasta or rice. However, this morning in a last minute attempt to plan ahead (wait, what?!) I pulled out some ground bison from the freezer before I jammed out the door to work. Sausage and Peppers is made with Italian sausage. I had bison. What's a girl to do? Well, I looked up the seasonings for Italian sausage, threw those in with the bison, cooked it up, added veggies.. and wa-la!

Bison Sausage and Peppers w/Zucchini
1 lb ground bison
1 bell pepper (I used red) - sliced
1 red onion - sliced
2 small zucchini - cut into thin strips
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp ground fennel seed
1 - 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
dash of oregano and thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the bison and all the seasonings over medium heat until just done (be careful, it can over-cook easily due to the low fat content!) and then remove from the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the veggies and onion to the pan and cook until the onions are soft and the peppers and zucchini are just barely soft. Turn the heat down to low and add back in the meat and the can of tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 mins.

Enjoy!