The weather around here is supposed to be pretty nice today & tomorrow so I’m excited to be outside and hopefully play with Ava in the pool at her Grandparent’s house! She gets so excited when you say POOL!

We are dog sitting my friend’s dog Barley this weekend. I think I sense doggie love when Cooper is around her. He literally smiles so big and wags his tail for hours & hours. It’s pretty fun to watch them play together.

Ava enjoys giving them treats too!

Besides dog sitting I have a secret party I can’t really talk about. If I gave you details the person might find out!  Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up!

Anyways, last night before Boot Camp I whipped up a SUPER EASY Chili recipe that took me about 3 minutes to throw together. So any lazy chefs out there, feel free to give this recipe a go because there’s no prep involved and its very healthy!

This chili doesn’t have beans and that’s because I wasn’t in the mood, but feel free to add a can of whatever beans you like it would be delicious.

We served this chili over a little brown rice and I topped it with Avocado. If you are a cheese lover, cheddar cheese goes great and for added spice sliced jalapeños would kick it up a notch.

Easy Peasy Turkey & Veggie Chili Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1lb Ground Turkey
• 1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1/2 bag of frozen butternut squash chunks
• 1/2 bag of frozen mixed bell pepper strips
• 2 tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Drizzle oil in a large pot on medium heat, add ground turkey break it up as it cooks. Let cook for 5 minutes until evenly browned. Add in spices & mix. Add in diced tomatoes, squash & peppers plus the water. Mix well. Let cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes. Enjoy with sliced Avocado, Cheese, or salsa over Brown Rice or a corn tortilla!

I usually choose simple meals before boot camp for the pure fact that I am jumping around like a crazy woman instructing and working out. Bland foods are usually preferred but I was really in the mood for chili so I went with it.

About 2 minutes into the warm up I got a big cramp in the side of my stomach but I fought through it and it was totally WORTH IT!! I’m still happy I ate that chili it gave me great energy, but now I know why I usually choose bland foods.

Okay enough rambling over here, it’s time to head to work. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Do you like chili? If so, do you like it spicy?

Are there certain foods you can’t eat before a workout?

I have always treated the Superbowl like any other holiday and I get super excited. It’s even better when your team is playing in the BIG Game. With all the football nonsense that has been going on about the Patriots, I can honestly say it has diminished some of the excitement however; once the game begins I know that will all go away and I will be pumped up to watch.

I love indulging in game day food (Who Doesn’t?) but I have always been conscious of adding in healthier ingredients and making foods a little less junky if you know what I’m saying.

There’s no reason not to eat wings and chili but lets try to make them a little more nutritious so we don’t feel guilty after!

Here are some of my favorite recipes to make for Sunday Football:

Paleo Lean Beef Chili (with extra Veggies)

Healthy Creamy Buffalo Chicken (with Chobani)

Buffalo Chicken & Veggie Chili

Healthy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Stuffed Mushrooms

This Sunday we are having some family over to watch the Super Bowl. I plan on making my Creamy Buffalo Chicken and serving it with buns, lettuce wraps or just as is on a plate. I will also be making Stuffed Mushrooms and Marc said he is going to make a batch of Beef Sliders!! I can’t wait

Please check back tomorrow for Marc’s Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms recipe. They are healthy, delicious & simple to make!

Will you be hosting or attending a party? And if so are you making any appetizers?

What is your favorite Super Bowl recipe or food to eat?

Here is a Photo Recap of the weekend:

Friday we got several inches of snow and both Cooper & Ava had some fun outside in the afternoon.

I made a super delicious & healthy breakfast Saturday with Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes (recipe to come this week)

Who doesn’t love bacon???

I did a workout at home Saturday. I had no desire to head to the gym, sometimes I like working out at home by myself with no one around!!

 I did the Insanity Asylum Day 1 body weight workout. It is super challenging and only 25 minutes. After I finished I had a burst of energy so I tackled some more pull ups. I complete 5 sets.. this time the repetitions were a bit different. Set #1: 2 reps Set #2: 7 reps Set #3: 5 reps Set #4: 4 reps Set #5: 3 Reps

My arms were very tired and my shoulders were so tight so I decided to treat myself to a 10 minute chair massage at a local salon. I highly recommend it. I walked out feeling like a million bucks and I didn’t have to spend a lot!

In the afternoon my family came over to watch the Patriots game with us. We made a big chili and had some delicious food.

Ava wore a Patriots dress for the game and I wore my jersey. This was the first time we wore matching outfits.

The Patriots won.. so we will be sure to dress up again next weekend

Sunday morning I attended my co-worker Michelle’s Group Power class. We are launching the new workout this week and she was the first to teach it!

Now it’s my turn to teach the new Group Power workout this morning. I don’t know why I’m nervous but I guess it is good nervous feeling!! I’m sure I will be wiped after this class, there are a lot of pushups and my arms are slightly sore going into it.

What is something fun you did this weekend? 

Do you watch playoff football?? If so who are you rooting for?

I stumbled on this Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Chili from Olena at IFOODREAL.com. I was sold at the title of the recipe alone! Olena has some other delicious clean eating recipes on her site, I highly recommend you take a look!!

I love taking recipes and adjusting them to my liking, so I switched out a few things and made some substitutions based on what we had available in my kitchen!

Chilis are an easy way to toss in extra veggies, so I amped it up with some butternut squash & peppers and omitted the beans because I don’t always feel like beans in my chili. It turned out FABULOUS. Marc and I loved every bite. It tastes just like you are eating chicken wings minus the extra calories

We had it for dinner twice, this time we topped it with Cheddar cheese.

BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI

1lb lean ground chicken breast

1 tsp olive oil

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 cup carrots chopped

1 cup celery chopped

1 cup butternut squash (I used frozen chunks)

1 cup  diced mixed peppers

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp parika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce (Optional)

DIRECTIONS:  In a large pot saute the celery and carrots in olive oil for 6-8mins on medium high heat. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Let cook for 10 minutes and mix. Turn heat down to low/medium and cook for another 10-15 minutes, mixing occasionally.

If you didn’t mix in the hot sauce, drizzle some on top and with whole grain chips! This would also be great with a little blue cheese.

This recipe will be made again and again.. I like it more then the buffalo chicken dip recipe that’s floating around out there and it is much HEALTHIER!!

And here is a picture of Cooper to make you smile. He’s clearly trying to get some attention.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Do you watch football with your husband/family?

What is your favorite appetizer/chili recipe to make during football season??

5 Healthy Ways to Enjoy the Fall

1. Get Outside and go for a long walk or hike and enjoy the beautiful scenery and changing leaves.

2. Make a homemade chili and enjoy watching some Sunday football with your significant other or family!

Paleo Lean Beef Chili Recipe

3. Take a day trip to go apple picking. Last Fall Marc and I went when I was pregnant, and I can’t wait to bring Ava this year.

(This picture is from last year when I was 7 months pregnant!!)

4. Make a new healthy Pumpkin recipe. There are tons of great ones out there.

Here ares some of my own quick simple Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Skinny Pumpkin Cookies

Quick Pumpkin Oats

5. Carve Pumpkins with your family and cook the Pumpkin seeds as a treat for later!

What healthy fall traditions do you have? 

Do you like pumpkin flavored everything like me???

I chopped up a bunch of veggies which only took a few minutes and then I literally threw everything into the crock-pot! I had it as a main meal, a side dish, and for lunch I added in chicken for extra protein! You can definitely swap in different veggies too. I made this recipe mild but it would be great with some chopped up jalapenos or a few splashes of hot sauce!

SUPER HEALTHY VEGGIE CHILI

Ingredients:

3 small zucchini

½ red bell pepper, ½ orange bell pepper, ½ yellow bell pepper

1 medium onion

1 can petite diced tomatoes

2 tsp cumin

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

½ teaspoon salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 can beans (your choice I used chickpeas)

1 cup of chicken stock and 1 cup water

2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

Toppings: Cheddar Cheese, jalapenos, avocado, salsa

Directions: Chop up veggies, throw everything in the crock-pot for 3-4 hours on high. Serve in a bowl with toppings. (This chili would be great over rice or quinoa)

A little cheddar cheese and avocado on top was a must for me!

My chili has tons of veggies and it is made with lean ground beef so it is super nutritious and low fat! I made it right on the stove top, but you could even throw it all into the Crock-pot and let it cook while you are at work! Who wouldn’t love to come home to a cooked dinner!

PALEO LEAN BEEF CHILI W/ BUTTERNUT SQUASH

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil

1lb lean ground beef (I used trader Joes 94%)

1 1/2 cups frozen butternut squash chunks

1 onion

1 red pepper chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen chopped kale

1 tbsp chili powder

1 bay leave

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp crushed red peper (optional)

¼ tsp sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Turn stove on to medium heat. In a large pan saute peppers & onions with olive oil.

Add in the ground beef and cook about 10 minutes making sure to break up the beef.

Add in the diced tomatoes, kale, and seasonings. Mix well and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Add in butternut squash and mix again. Turn heat to low and cook another 5 minutes.

Serve hot with brown rice or baked tortilla chips!

Toppings Avocados, jalapeno, light sour cream, olives, reduced fat cheese

***Check out my Fall Turkey Chili recipe if you don’t like ground beef***