View this email in your browser

It's candy-eating season. Do you have a plan?

If I told you I had 15 spots available and I provided:

1-month bootcamp w/ structure
Meal plan
Accountability
Community of support
Work around YOUR schedule
Weekly face-to-face video chat for Q&A and encouragement
A way to be the healthiest before the holidays you've EVER BEEN

Would you want one of the 15 spots?

**Deadline to join is Sunday, October 14, 2018, or when all 15 spaces are claimed, whichever comes first.

It's first come, first served. :-)

SIGN UP here.

Ingrid M. Hughes,
Independent Team Beachbody Coach

Website: www.IngridInPa.com

IN THIS ISSUE:

VIDEO: Never Give Up! Powerful Behind the Scenes Moment of SHIFT SHOP Proving Grounds
Oct 11: Pumpkin Spice Shakeology Launches in Canada!
10 Reasons You Might Be Struggling to Lose Weight
The SHIFT SHOP Nutrition Plan, Explained
They're Here! New SHIFT SHOP Workouts
Save $20 on SHIFT SHOP Challenge Packs in October
Cooking Light Video: How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Are You Ready to Get A Little More Obsessed?
Mes de Más and LIIFT4 Streaming on BOD
Recipe: Rum Spice Shakeology
Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Chili

Never Give Up! Powerful Moment Behind the Scenes of SHIFT SHOP Proving Grounds

Pumpkin Spice Shakeology - Sold Out in US, Available in Canada Oct 11!

It was nice while it lasted. Our first test of a special seasonal flavor of Shakeology was a total sell out in the US in under a day. Now we're looking at you Canadians. Hurry to catch your Vegan Pumpkin Spice Shakeology on Oct 11 when we launch it in Canada!

For a limited time only, starting October 11, 2018, in Canada ONLY, you can order Vegan Pumpkin Spice Shakeology in 14 single-serve packet boxes as a one-time purchase while supplies last. Remember, this sold out in the US in ONE DAY!

Why Is Pumpkin Spice Shakeology Better?
A pumpkin spice latte can cost you over 380 calories and it has very limited nutritional value. Shakeology, on the other hand, helps you build a foundation of health while also helping you reach your fitness goals. Best of all, you can drink Shakeology every day. It’s part of a healthy routine that helps fill any nutritional gaps and properly nourish your body.*

Plus, Pumpkin Spice Shakeology has all the flavors of fall you love so much — warm cinnamon, spicy nutmeg, and ginger — which makes it a no-brainer when you want a sinfully delicious treat without any of the guilt.

Where Can I Buy Pumpkin Spice Shakeology?

It will only be available in Canada in limited quantities while supplies last, and you can get it from me, your coach! Message me if you are interested!
Each box contains 14 single-serve packets.
There is no monthly subscription option, only one-time purchases.
You can buy up to 5 boxes per transaction for a total of 20 boxes per account

As mentioned, Pumpkin Spice Vegan Shakeology is a limited-edition flavor, so you’ll need to act fast when it goes on sale. Once it’s gone, it’s gone!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

10 Reasons You Might Be Struggling to Lose Weight

Losing weight takes work, but the rewards are worth it: a healthier heart, more energy, and checking yourself out in the mirror (and liking what you see), just to name a few. Below you’ll find 10 reasons why the number on the scale might be stuck, as well as some suggestions on how to help you start losing weight again.

1. You Have Unrealistic Weight-Loss Expectations
To be successful with losing weight, you have to have realistic and healthy expectations. And patience! You didn’t put on all the extra weight in a week or month, and you aren’t going to lose it all in a week or month either.

Also, you might find that you are not actually losing weight but your body composition is changing, so the number on the scale might not be going down as fast as you like. Most scales don’t accurately reflect how much water you have in your system, how much body fat you’ve lost, or how much muscle you’ve gained. That’s why we encourage you to take “before” and “after” photos and to take your measurements. When you lose body fat, you’ll be able to see it in how your clothes fit and in your pictures.

“Often, I see clients get impatient, and if they don’t lose weight almost immediately, they change their regimens,” says Wesley Delbridge, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “However, they may have been on the right path to begin with; they just needed to give it more time.”

2. You Don’t Eat Enough Food
Super low-calorie and elimination diets — like those that are probably clogging up your social media feed right now — ignore the fact that food is fuel. Calories, including often-maligned carbohydrates and fat, are required for you to live and breathe… let alone to lose weight in a healthy way.

“Because our body weight is regulated by multiple systems, starving ourselves activates the body’s protective mechanisms to defend our body’s weight,” says Ethan Lazarus, M.D., a board member of the Obesity Medicine Association.

“One of these mechanisms is dropping the metabolism as low as possible. In general, we recommend, unless under medical supervision, not keeping your calories below 1,200 calories per day.”

3. You’re Not Eating Carbohydrates (or Protein or Fat)
For a healthy diet — whether or not you’re trying to lose weight — the calories you eat should come from a combination of healthy carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, explains San Diego bariatric surgeon Julie Ellner, M.D.

Whole-food sources of unrefined carbs (ex. legumes, fruit, and raw veggies) are vital to keeping energy levels up so that you can crush your workouts. The fiber found in these carbohydrates (versus, say, a croissant), will help you stay full and help you be less likely to snack on something unhealthy.

In addition, when you eat too few carbs, your body doesn’t stock as much glycogen, the stored form of your body’s primary fuel source, glucose. And since each gram of glycogen is stored with three grams of water, the scale will reflect that reduction in water weight. But that’s all it is: water weight. So, while the lower number might be encouraging, it doesn’t reflect your progress toward your ultimate goal: fat loss.

In addition to losing primarily water weight, cutting back too far on carbs can leave you chronically low on energy, which can hamper your weight-loss efforts by keeping you more sedentary and lowering your workout performance.

You also need protein and fat. Both will help you feel full, but fat also helps regulate your hormones and protein is vital to building lean muscle mass, the primary determinant factor of your metabolic rate, Ellner says. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be.

4. You’re Not Working Out Hard Enough
When you go for a jog or long, slow bike ride, you burn calories, but your metabolism settles back to normal soon afterward. That’s one of the reasons high-intensity exercise — like the kind of metabolic conditioning you’ll find in Beachbody programs such as CORE DE FORCE and 22-Minute Hard Corps — is superior for weight loss. Not only do you burn more calories during every minute you work out, but your metabolism also remains elevated for days instead of hours.

Another advantage of high-intensity workouts: They can curb your appetite. A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity looked at sedentary, overweight men who either worked out at a moderate pace for 30 minutes or did high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for the same amount of time.

5. You Only Do Cardio Workouts
When most people want to lose weight, the first thing they turn to is the treadmill, aka the “dreadmill.”

Hating your workout isn’t going to help you stick with a workout routine. You may find you have better luck losing weight if you take the emphasis off steady-state cardio and focus more on strength training.

According to one large-scale study from the Harvard School of Public Health, people who spent 20 minutes per day strength training gained less belly fat over the course of 12 years compared to those who logged the same number of minutes doing cardio.

“Even if following a healthy diet for weight loss with adequate protein, we don’t lose 100 percent fat,” says Lazarus. “We lose part body fat and part lean body weight (muscle), and losses in lean body weight can result in the metabolism slowing.”

“Strength training — whether it’s with weights, yoga, Pilates, or any other resistance-based workout — is important to preserve lean body weight and metabolism. Think about it: Weight training gives your body a bigger engine. That bigger engine burns more gas getting you around town,” Lazarus explains.

Cardio can certainly be a part of your weight-loss routine, but try to include weight-lifting sessions and bodyweight circuits into your routine several times per week.

6. You’re Trying to Change Your Whole Lifestyle At Once
Going on a diet sounds like it’s just one simple change, but, in reality, following a healthy diet and weight-loss plan may include shopping for new foods, learning new recipes, changing how you spend your time after work, potentially getting up earlier to work out, increasing your step count, fighting cravings for junk food, drinking more water, and so much more.

That’s a lot to take on at once and can leave you feeling overwhelmed.

That’s why a habit-based approach can help, especially for those who have a history of going on and off diets. A review from experts at the University College London’s Health Behaviour Research Centre shows that habit formation is vital to making sustainable, long-lasting changes.

Try focusing on changing one thing at a time, and practicing that change until it’s really cemented, and then work on adding in the next one. Some good examples of healthy changes:

Aim to eat vegetables in at least two meals each day
Up the intensity of your workout program
Cut soda (yes, even diet soda) from your diet
Read nutrition labels
Drink enough water
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Add a 15-minute walk after lunch or dinner
Eat at least one meal a day without distractions

7. You Don’t Pay Attention to Your Body’s Cues
Trying to belong to the clean-plate club can hinder your weight-loss efforts because it ignores your body’s way of regulating food intake: namely, hunger and satiety.

“Paying attention to how each bite makes the body feel is critical to getting in touch with how much food we actually need, as well as what types of foods make us feel good and energized versus fatigued,” Ellner says.

She recommends eating when you are slightly hungry and to stop eating when you are slightly full. Although a 2014 Public Health Nutrition review suggests intuitive eating is a better tactic for weight maintenance versus weight loss, it has been shown to improve mental health and physical health factors other than body mass index.

If you find yourself gravitating to the kitchen or your desk’s snack drawer, ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?” Often we eat out of habit, boredom, and stress. (Or because we’ve confused hunger with thirst!)

As you eat, nixing distractions such as the TV, computer, and phone can really help you hone in and recognize when you’ve eaten just enough, Ellner says.

8. You Eat More Than You Think You Do
“When people track their food intake for the first time, they are usually shocked to see what they are really eating throughout the day,” says board-certified family and bariatric physician Spencer Nadolsky, D.O., a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

You don’t have to do it forever, but tracking every single thing you eat for as little as a week can help raise awareness of what you are eating and where you are getting excess calories or sugar, Nadolsky says.

Make sure to track everything — those little taste-test bites you take while cooking or handfuls of candy from your coworker’s desk add up. Plus, if you add a “notes” column to your tracker or food journal, writing down how you felt prior to each meal can help you learn how your emotions, energy levels, and food schedule play into what you eat.

For instance, if you write: “I worked through lunch, and then my blood sugar completely crashed and I felt super shaky” after your “candy bar” entry, that gives you a lot more information as to what will help you avoid that daily 2 p.m. vending machine run, says Delbridge.

If you don’t have the time or headspace to count calories, you can also try the Beachbody Portion-Fix Eating Plan, which calculates your approximate total daily calorie needs and helps you stick to them with a color-coded portion-control container system. Simply eat the number of containers prescribed in your daily calorie range, and you don’t have to track or count calories.

Also, don’t try to accelerate your losses by slashing more calories than what’s recommended. If you don’t eat enough, your body will try to compensate for the excessive calorie deficit by slowing your metabolism. Your goal is to eat at just enough of a deficit to allow your body to burn through its fat stores.

9. You Don’t Get Enough Good Sleep
Just because you can “power through” on not much sleep, it doesn’t mean you can thrive that way — especially when it comes to weight loss.

“When we sleep, body fat makes two important hormones, leptin and adiponectin,” says Lazarus. “Leptin is our body’s best natural appetite-suppressing hormone, while adiponectin is helpful in making our body respond better to insulin.”

He explains, “After inadequate sleep, in addition to being tired, which we all know is every dieter’s worst enemy, we will be hungry and crave carbohydrates.”

In addition, one small study found that when dieters slept for only 5½ hours, they experienced 55% less weight loss and also saw their lean body mass decrease compared with those in the study who got 8½ hours of sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 sleep 7 to 9 hours per night. If you consistently get less than that — and 35 percent of American adults don’t get this amount, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — it’s time to make sleep a priority.

10. You Spend a Lot of Time Sitting or Inactive
Hitting your workouts is great, but for optimal results, you shouldn’t limit movement to your workouts, says Nadolsky, noting that it’s your total amount of daily activity that truly matters for weight loss.

Unfortunately, simply exercising for 30 or 60 minutes a day doesn’t move you out of the sedentary category, and research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity shows that regular exercisers tend to spend just as much time sitting compared to those who skip their workouts.

Try integrating what Nadolsky calls “exercise snacks” throughout the day. Once per hour, get up and walk around your office, perform a single set of (bodyweight) squats, or just enjoy a few standing stretches. Take a walking meeting, ditch the escalator for the stairs, or use a basket rather than a shopping cart when picking up a couple of things at the supermarket.

The SHIFT SHOP Nutrition Plan, Explained

“I treat diet the same way I treat exercise. I do this because food is more of a crutch for most people. So if you can get past that, if you can cut out the carb cravings, you can achieve anything — including even the hardest workout.” — Chris Downing

When Chris wants to get into peak form, he puts himself through one heck of a boot camp — and we’re talking both fitness and nutrition. So it only made sense that when he created the SHIFT SHOP, he put a little dietary hurt on. The Simple Shift plan features a moderate calorie deficit and keeps things super clean, progressively eliminating grains, legumes, and some of the more decadent carbs, so that by Week 3, you’re working hard on a protein-leaning, minimalist diet designed to keep you fueled and fit.

Most of us tend to “live to eat.” With the Simple Shift nutrition plan, you “eat to live.”

Don’t worry. It’s not all that bad. You’ll still get everything required to fuel your workouts and build muscle — including Shakeology to support your nutrition goals and help ward off any hankerings for foods not on the plan.

“The idea is to get past junk cravings,” explains Chris, “so you can give the body what it truly needs to perform.”

How The Shift Shop Nutrition Plan Works
The Simple Shift nutrition plan is straightforward and simple to figure out: You take a quick quiz to find your calorie level, and then find the corresponding plan that tells you how much to eat from a series of color-coded food lists.

While the Simple Shift isn’t technically a Portion Fix program, it can work with the Beachbody Portion-Control Container System.

WEEK 1: The first week features a fairly standard balance of macronutrients with a moderate amount of starches and legumes (beans and peas).
WEEK 2: The second week cuts back the starches and increases the protein.
WEEK 3: Now it’s time to get serious.You’re eating starch- and legume-free so that all your carbs come from veggies and fruit. Comfort foods are gone.

It’s NOT a Low-Carb Diet
Keep in mind that the SHIFT SHOP nutrition plan is not a low-carb diet. At the start of the program, carbohydrates make up 40 percent of your daily diet, dipping down to 30 percent by Week 3.

It’s also not a ketosis diet, where carbs dip down to 10 percent of your diet. Ketosis diets also feature reduced protein, so as to force your body to utilize fat stores. Given protein is important in helping with muscle growth and recovery, the SHIFT SHOP doesn’t take that route.

If you had to align the Simple Shift with any diet trend, it’s not far off from Paleo eating, thanks to the progressive elimination of grains and legumes. The exception is the inclusion of dairy, but thanks to the extensive list of choices in the protein food list, those foods can easily be left out.

Of course, the nutrition in Simple Shift is rock-solid, created to give you results while maximizing performance, but what it’s really about is motivation. It’s a hard plan — Chris sees it as a journey — intended to inspire you to push yourself further. So are you ready to make a shift? Chris thinks you are.

Want Support?
As your Team Beachbody Coach, it is my job and my privilege to support you through your fitness journey. Message me about my support groups or for one-on-one help!

They’re Here! New SHIFT SHOP Workouts

Plus $20 Off Challenge Packs in October!

Ready to reinvent yourself? Here’s your chance.

SHIFT SHOP is Chris Downing’s breakthrough conditioning program that has helped thousands of people of all fitness levels see maximum results in minimal time.

And now he’s bringing you four brand-new workouts to take the “shift” to a whole new level.

You’ll still use Chris’ breakthrough “ramp-up” method of increasing your daily workout by 10 minutes every week, but this time we’ve added a Prep Week and new workouts designed to test your speed and strength as you get faster and stronger.

You’ll start Prep Week with 15-minute Quick Shift workouts that give you a taste of what’s ahead and two Proving Grounds workouts that score your starting performance. Think of it as your baseline week — your goal is to only get better from there.

Then you move on to 25-minute cardio and strength workouts, finishing Week 1 at the Proving Grounds with the goal of improving on last week’s score.

In Week 2, as your strength and stamina increase, you’ll push harder with 35-minute workouts, consume more protein to fuel the burn, and stay motivated as you watch your Proving Grounds score climb even higher.

Finally, in Week 3, the workouts reach 45 minutes and your nutrition is even more dialed in for optimal burn… ending one final time at the Proving Grounds.

Can you beat Chris’ score? How about your own? Either way, the results when you cross the finish line will be absolutely stunning.

If you’re ready to make the shift, message me to join my free support group and mark these dates on your calendar!

October 1, 2018: New SHIFT SHOP Challenge Packs and Accessories Bundles available, plus the two Quick Shift workouts on Beachbody On Demand.

October 22, 2018: The two Proving Grounds workouts will be available on Beachbody On Demand.

What Is the SHIFT SHOP?

SHIFT SHOP is your perfect on-ramp to fitness, helping you get leaner, faster, and stronger in only 3 weeks. SHIFT SHOP uses a revolutionary ramp-up method that starts you off slow and alternates between cardio and strength workouts — then gradually increases the intensity week by week — all while refining your nutrition.

Chris’ engaging, motivation-based approach can help you grow stronger, both physically and mentally. He’ll push you to shift your body and mind to a place that allows you to reinvent yourself by challenging you to bring out your best potential.

And now he’s bringing you new workouts that give you a chance to prove your progress as you go — you’ll swap out one Speed workout and one Strength workout for Proving Grounds workouts every week and get a score based on your performance.

This is your moment to test yourself with timed challenges and really see how much you’re improving from week to week, driving you to give it your all every single workout. And there’s even a new calendar you can follow, so there’s no guessing which workout to do each day.

What can you expect after 3 weeks of SHIFT SHOP? Nothing but results.
If you commit to the program, your body should be leaner, faster, stronger. And because Chris will be shifting you toward a healthier mindset, you’ll be able to build on these accomplishments for the rest of your life.

Who Is the SHIFT SHOP For?

Because of Chris’ ramp-up method, and because there’s an incredible modifier to follow, anyone can use SHIFT SHOP to help reach his or her next level of fitness:

Men and women of any age or fitness level
Beginners looking to start their fitness journey
Graduates of Beachbody beginner programs, such as 21 Day Fix, and people of intermediate fitness levels who want a bridge toward more extreme workouts
Those who enjoy athletic activities and want to become leaner, faster, stronger — as well as former high school and collegiate athletes who want to get back to where they were
Anyone who wants to achieve significant results quickly

Shift into Fitness with $20 off SHIFT SHOP Challenge Packs in October!

SHIFT SHOP Annual BOD & Shakeology Challenge Pack

Save over $115 compared to buying each item separately!

Fitness + Nutrition + Support = SUCCESS. Reinvent yourself in minimal time when you stream SHIFT SHOP with your annual membership to Beachbody On Demand. Plus, get a 30-day supply of Shakeology, Agility Markers, ME as your personal Coach, and free SHIFT SHOP DVDs while supplies last.

Click to purchase SHIFT SHOP Annual BOD & Shakeology Challenge Pack

SHIFT SHOP Annual Beachbody On Demand Performance Pack

Save $100 compared to buying each item separately!

Reinvent yourself in minimal time when you stream SHIFT SHOP with your annual membership to Beachbody On Demand. Plus, get one tub of Beachbody Performance Recover and Energize, Agility Markers, ME as your personal Coach, and free SHIFT SHOP DVDs while supplies last.

Take Recover after every workout to help combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, speed muscle recovery, support muscle growth, and restore your strength. Take Energize before you work out to help sharpen your focus, push harder, and last longer—because every ounce of extra energy means better results.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Click to purchase SHIFT SHOP Annual BOD & Performance Challenge Pack

Check Out This Cooking Light Video on How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds!

Are You Ready To Get A Little More Obsessed?

It’s here! For those of you who are obsessed with 80 Day Obsession, you will be psyched to know that super trainer Autumn Calabrese just announced that A Little More Obsessed will be coming to Beachbody On Demand! These six bonus workouts are considered the Phase 4 of this groundbreaking workout program and can either run as a week-long maintenance option OR can be turned into a full four-week Phase 4!

A Little More Obsessed launches October 8 on Beachbody On Demand – keep reading to find out how you can get access!

What Are the Obsession Workouts?

Autumn Calabrese has created some of the most popular Beachbody workouts. The Obsession series is the newest and includes:

A Little Obsessed helps you prepare for 80 Day Obsession, this five-day fitness program includes exercise routines in 30-minute workouts. You’ll get to experience some of the 80 Day Obsession workouts in a shorter format.
80 Day Obsession is the real deal with challenging workouts that are 45 to 60 minutes long. If you are looking for total-body transformation then you’ll love this workout program.
A Little More Obsessed is the newest addition and is 6 days long. Keeping with the focus as the other workouts in the series, the focus is on creating a leaner and stronger body. With workouts lasting 45 minutes, you’ll find them a bit tougher than the 80 Day Obsession workouts. Carrie will be back as the modifier for all six bonus workouts, which means anyone at any fitness level can do this program!

What About Equipment and Nutrition?
You’ll need some equipment: dumbbells, strength slides, and resistance loops, which you can find here.

If you’ve done 80 Day Obsession, you’ll simply follow that program’s eating plan using the Phase 1 calculation to determine your daily calorie target.

For those who aren’t familiar with Autumn’s nutrition strategy for 80 Day Obsession, I can walk you through it, showing you how to get your best results by combining her proven portion-control container system with the unique Timed-Nutrition Meal Plan.

When Can I Start?

Here’s how you can get access to A Little More Obsessed workout.

If you are a member of Beachbody On Demand and have a monthly nutritional subscription like Shakeology or Beachbody Performance as of September 30, you get access on October 8, 2018.
If you don’t have an active nutritional monthly subscription as of September 30, you can unlock access to these workouts by purchasing Shakeology or Performance on home direct. Message me to get the best deal.

The Obsession workout series is one of Beachbody’s greatest successes! People have achieved amazing results, and I am excited to share the new A Little More Obsessed fitness program!

Mes de Más and LIIFT4 are Now Streaming on Beachbody on Demand!

Mes de Más is Beachbody's FIRST Spanish-language launch with a Latin twist! It is a new BOD-exclusive 4-week workout and nutrition program featuring one of the top Hispanic Fitness trainers, Idalis Velazquez, Beachbody's newest super trainer. The workouts are in Spanish with an English subtitles option.

LIIFT4, Joel Freeman's newest program, features 4 days of workouts, 3 days off! This 8-week program is 30 minute workouts of weights and HIIT cardio with a no-nonsense super simple eating plan. AND, you get 32 completely new workouts so you’ll never see the same video again for the entire 8 weeks.

Still don’t have Beachbody on Demand? You're missing the best deal in fitness!

Stream hundreds of Beachbody’s most popular workouts including: 80 Day Obsession, PiYo, P90X, 21 Day Fix, INSANITY, T25, 3 Week Yoga Retreat, and all future releases during your subscription.
Access to meal plans, recipes, Fixate cooking show, fitness guides and workout calendars
Stream workouts via web, iPhone, Roku, Fire TV, Fire Stick, Apple TV, or Chromecast
Me as your free Team Beachbody Coach for motivation and support.

Message me to get started!

Rum Spice Shakeology

Alcoholic beverages can be tasty, but they can also have a ton of empty calories, especially when they’re made with cream and sugar syrups. The next time you have the urge to imbibe, try this Rum Spice Shakeology recipe that’s made with rum-flavored extract and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. It tastes similar to a rum cocktail, but it’s actually good for you!

1 serving Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
1 cup coconut milk beverage
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. rum extract
1 cup iced

Blend and enjoy! The more ice you use, the thicker it gets.

Slow Cooker Beef Chili

This simple slow-cooker beef chili recipe is everything you could hope for: it’s simple and easy, and since you cook it in a slow cooker, the meat becomes fall-apart tender, and develops a deep and satisfying flavor.

After a couple minutes of chopping, and a few minutes of browning and sautéing, you can pop all of the ingredients into a slow cooker and forget about it for several hours.

Definitely consider doubling this recipe if your slow cooker has a large enough capacity. Freeze unused portions for a future weeknight win!

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1½ lbs. extra lean beef chuck cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium green bell pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes no salt added
¼ cup tomato paste no sugar added
2 Tbsp. chili powder
¾ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained, rinsed

Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over high heat.

Add beef; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-high.

Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.

Place beef mixture in a 3-quart slow cooker. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well; cover. Cook on high for 3 hours.

Add beans; cover. Cook for 1 to 1½ hours, or until beef is tender.