Food for thought:

It’s mid week and I am feeling pretty good! I have healthy, delicious, and nutritious recipe’s to share as well as some little thing happening this week.

First a wonderful meal I made this week- Vegetarian Chili. Even the boys ate it- although I served it to them more like salsa, with cheddar melted on top and chips to dip in.

(sorry no pic)
Veggie Chili
1 large onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 can corn, mostly drained
1 can chickpeas, mostly drained
1 can ‘chili beans’ with sauce
Add water as needed for right consistency
1 to 1.5 tblsp cumin
1 to 1.5 tblsp chili powder
Salt and papper to taste

First sauté the onion, green pepper, jalepeno peppers, and garlic for 5-6 minutes in a tiny bit of olive oil. Next add all the rest of ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer 10 mins or until everything is done and hot. Reduce or increase spices to taste. I started with 1 tblsp (eyeballed) of the cumin and chili powder, then had to add more.

This was so good! I did not miss the meat at all. There is virtually no fat except for the tiny bit of olive oil in the beginning, and is packed full of vitamins, fiber, and flavor. Be careful when you start adding the jalapeños to the pot- the boys were complaining that their eyes burned! Meanwhile I have been crying over the stove the whole time between the onion and jalapeños.

To start eating leaner, I had left over soup for lunch yesterday along with half a wrap and a pickle. Through the day I snacked on fruit, and had a little peanut butter and granola to power me through my afternoon cardio class Wednesday. Last Wednesday I did not eat anything for hours before the class and really felt worn and dizzy during the aerobics, so I was sure to fuel up this time. Even though I skipped my run on Monday and Tuesday, I was glad to go to the class yesterday. Now hopefully I can get in another couple runs before the week is over!

When I got home last night after class, Ben had already made dinner- an asian stir fry with ground turkey, veggies, and noodles. The veggies were lacking and everything looked really shiny (oily!) so even though it tasted good, I only ate one scoop, and then made myself a GREEN MONSTER smoothie after I showered.
**2 cups chopped kale, 1 banana, 1 tbsp PB, ¾ cup milk, ice and water, handful mixed berries, 3 pieces papaya**

Guess who else likes green monsters (as long as I add some Nesquik to them)? =)

This morning, still feeling good, I drank the rest of the smoothie I made last night (the whole blender was full, and made 4 servings). And then had my most favorite breakfast as of lately: vanilla greek yogurt, granola, and blueberries. Mmmm so creamy, so crunchy, so sweet, so juicy!

Another surprise I came home to last night was a huge purple Orchid from David’s mom. It was a housewarming present to me for moving in! How sweet! It is beautiful!

Plans for this afternoon is lunch with my work team at a restaurant on the water (bosses birthday) and then volleyball with friends after work followed by getting a Thirsty Thursday drink to rehydrate!

This weekend is my good friend Ashley’s bachelorette party! I can’t wait to tell all and post some pics! Hopefully the drinking won’t throw me off my lean and fit path too much!