So I know I alluded (a few times) to a busy Labor Day Weekend, but it appears I may not have been completely honest with you! We did have an exciting Friday evening with our Fall Fiesta, which led to the BOY and I deciding not to set an alarm for Saturday morning. When we finally woke up at 8am to stormy skies, it was more because of Cooper’s love of breakfast than our own desire to get out of bed. What proceeded was quite possibly the LAZIEST day I have had in years. I made some breakfast, read some blogs, watched TV, made leftovers for lunch before the BOY, Cooper, and I took a 2 1/2 hour nap! We only woke up when I dragged us out of bed for fear we wouldn’t sleep that night, or worse get our nights and days mixed up like our crazy (yet adorable) kitten. After our nap, we made some popcorn, finally watched Silver Linings Playbook, and then whipped up a simple but satisfying dinner. After dinner, there was some more playing on the computer and an episode of Dexter before going back to bed. Do I even need to tell you that I never changed out of my PJ’s. I almost felt guilty for taking the day off but then remembered that I didn’t want to : )
Thankfully, Sunday had a little more action as I did leave the house for yoga. That’s two weeks in a row…woo hoo! Sunday afternoon, a friend, her two kids, and I took a road trip about 2 hours south to visit another one of our college roommates and celebrate her baby shower. It was a great afternoon to be outside catching up with old friends and reliving good times. We left just as the sun was starting to set over the fields.
Monday was a do over from Saturday. I could have spent another day inside, but instead went out for a run. Even though it rained most of last night (here, not where we were BBQing), it was still hot and humid today. I’ve been feeling a little slow and down on my training, so I was hoping to have a speedy and strong run. My legs (and abs) felt tired from yesterday’s yoga class, but despite a slow start, I was able to finish my 5 miles in 44:15 with a negative second half split. That was a great way to start the day. The BOY and I went out for lunch and then swung by the grocery store for the necessities. He has been talking about chili all weekend, so despite the heat, we decided to throw a batch into the crockpot for dinner.
We are a little rusty on our technique, but pulled together a bold tasting Turkey, Black Bean, and Brew Chili based on this Vegetarian Times recipe.
Just the smell of chili in the air brought a smile to my face!
This wasn’t our favorite chili recipe, a little more watery than we typically like (I would recommend only using one bottle of beer), but it was extremely tasty with the dark ale! There will be plenty left over for lunch this week, which I am looking forward to! Sadly, the long weekend has come to an end, but fall is just around the corner! Hope you had a wonderful labor day weekend filled with adventures and down time!
Turkey, Black Bean, and Brew Chili
Adapted from Vegetarian Times
Ingredients
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained and minced
1.25 lbs lean turkey (we used 93%)
2 Tbs. ground cumin
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 14-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
24 oz. dark beer (2 bottles, but you can decrease to 1)
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes
Directions
-Brown meat in skillet over medium heat.
-Place meat in the bottom of crockpot sprayed with cooking spray. Add chilies, onion, red bell peppers, black beans, corn and tomatoes.
-Stir in spices and beer.
-Set crockpot per instructions 6-8 hours.
