Skip to main content

Chili, Legs, Shopping, Splurge

Chili for a Chilly Evening
Last night we enjoyed a warm bowl of chili for dinner just as I had said we would. And, as promised, here is the recipe for my Butternut Squash & Black Bean Chili

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:
1 tsp (or less) Olive oil 
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed 

2 cups water
1 low-sodium vegetable bouillon cube 
1 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (no salt), undrained
2-3 Chipotle peppers in adobe, diced (more or less depending on heat preference)

3 oz tomato paste
To taste: chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, ground red pepper, nutmeg

Directions:
Saute onion, bell peppers in small amount of olive oil until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add butternut squash and saute another 5 minutes (approximate).


Add in remaining ingredients and simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until butternut squash is soft and flavors have melded.
 
 

This is so good. The slight sweetness from the squash offsets the heat from the chipotle peppers. It's such a great compliment and the textures are great as well (if you're a texture person).

Sunday Leg Day
Today started off really chilly - only 49 degrees. I had my typical oatmeal to start the day then lazed around putting off the leg workout. I was debating on another run today, but it was really windy out. I had no desire to run in the wind for a second day. So, I finally got off my butt and got in my leg workout. I opted for pyramids for most of the exercises starting with 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps then back up to 10 and 12, increasing then decreasing the weights with as little rest time as possible.  

Squats into Plie Squats

Step ups

Dead lifts

SS#1
Static lunge with low-end pulse - 3x8
Calf raises - 3x15

SS#2
Rear leg slid back lunges - 3x8
Firewalkers - 3x4

Donkey kicks with weight - 16 single, 8 cross over, 8 single
Roll-ins & hip lifts (or leg press) - 16 leg press (heels on ball press through when lifting hip), 16 roll ins, 8 combination

I finished off the workout with 2 of the kickboxing combos from Cathe's Kick, Punch, and Crunch and the stability ball abs from that workout. I did make sure to get in a good stretch for the hams as well.

Errands & Another Splurge Meal
After I got cleaned up, I needed to go run a few errands. Jason was going to go ride his bike with some friends. So I took my time with errands for a change. Though, piddling in Target isn't smart because things just end up in the cart sometimes. I did score a sweet deal on some tennis shoes for my niece - paid 5 bucks for a pair of Champion brand that were originally 22. Gotta love deals like that.

I also hit up Old Navy in search of more deals for my niece and nephew. Her birthday is coming up and she needs some new clothes. Clearance items were an additional 50% off. Of course, it was mostly picked over, but I did find her a shirt for 1.50 and a pair of pants for 4 bucks. I also found a shirt for Jason for 3 bucks. My kind of shopping day. I did also have to hit up the grocery store for a few things like bananas, spinach, bell peppers, and the prize for the day...kabocha squash. It was a good day indeed.

Jason got home from his ride around 3:30 and neither of us had eaten lunch. I had my oatmeal before my workout, then a post-workout meal, but it had been 4 hours since I had eaten, and I was getting to be a hungry girl. Jason has been wanting to eat at a pizza joint we both like, but it's kind of a drive for us. Anyway, long story short, we ended up at Razorback Pizza for a super late/super early dinner. I will admit feeling rather guilty for eating out a second time over the weekend. I am trying really hard to not feel bad about it though. It's not something that happens frequently, and sometimes it's nice to not be doing the cooking (or so I'm telling myself).

Do you stress out about eating out or do you enjoy it? 

Sorry, the pumpkin pasta dish recipe will have to wait one more day. The past is already made though, so it should be a quick dinner for tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it actually.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I Run to Feel Alive

Today is National Running Day . Guess what I did this morning? Cycling? Nope. Lifting? Nope. I bet you thought kickboxing right? Nope. Running? But of course! I actually sort of planned my running days this week just so I could participate this year. I didn't get to run last year and didn't even know about it the year before. But running has become such an integral part of my life and who I am, that I couldn't miss this year. Basically, I run to feel alive . It calms me, it helps me work through life, it's often a reason to get out of bed. No matter how tough a run is, it makes you feel ... period. My plan was to get in 5 miles (got in 5.5 actually). It was about 10 degrees warmer this morning and definitely more humid. That always makes for a tougher run. We decided to take a different route today. Well, it was really only a few streets over different, but still. The point is we took a different street. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not. I did realize th...

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

Weights, Run, & Road Trip Details

Two on Tuesday This morning my eyes opened wide at 4:55 am. I tried to go back to sleep, but quickly realized I was only fooling myself. So I got up and got my workouts done. Today was leg day with quad focus. Wide-stance squats - 3x8 Rear leg elevated lunges - 3x10 Firewalkers - 8 total Narrow-stance squats - 3x10 Static lunges - 3x10 Squats with low-end pulse - 3x8 Wall squats with ball - 6 reps of squat with 10 sec hold Outer thigh raises with ankle weights on ball - 2x24 We had storms roll through last night, so the temperatures dropped finally. It was 74 this morning, so I decided to take advantage of that and get in a short 20-minute run. When I first started out, I seriously didn't think I was going to get very far. My legs were already yelling at me. But, about half a mile into the run, they loosened up and it felt good. What's the Deal With the Road Trip? I am really glad I got the workouts done early. I feel like I still have so much to do to get ready ...