Hiiii. Sorry for it being so quiet around here but I’ve just been living up life and honestly, doing very little cooking! Mark has a LOT of travel this month and so the girls and I are keeping things super simple (also, I go into full-on survival mode and cooking for myself and an couple of unimpressed cuties does not top my list of evening fun!) and subsequently, we’ve been eating leftovers from the freezer and I’ve been happy to let them binge on whatever the flavor-of-the-week vegetable they’re on to. This week, it’s edamame.
I’m qualifying edamame as a vegetable – let’s just leave it there and trust that I know otherwise. 😉
Monday through Wednesday of last week was a blur. I was stuck on Germany time, sleeping like garbage, and just trying to plow through work. The girls were on CST after their visit to Grandma’s in Illinois and were sleeping until 8am. It was rough when a 7:45am meeting rolled around for me on Tuesday and I was all but drop-kicking them out the car door to speed to the hospital. Single mommin’ aint easy. I had all these ambitious plans of working out after the girls went to bed and wanted to make some pumpkin muffins to get in the fall spirit, but all of it was side-lined for laziness. Germany and back in 48 hours left me front and center on the struggle bus. #worthit #notREALLYcomplaining
On Wednesday, a friend and her husband visited from Arizona and we were brewery-bound to show them a fun time. The weather was a super pleasant surprise at a balmy 82 degrees and so sneaking away for dinner and being able to sit outside was an unexpected treat! By morning, it was full-on hoodie and sweatpants weather and ever since, it has been rainy and cold. NOT COOL.
Yesterday was Shea’s 4th birthday and we celebrated by bumming around the house, being sure to pull out every last toy there is and leaving it strewn across the floors and hallways. It was probably the last year we could escape the whole hoopla of gifts and parties, so we lived it up by watching the Illini football game (WE WON! We’d gone 700 days without a Big10 football victory *eye roll*) and eating chili – a delicious, traditional chili with beef, beans, and chorizo. If you love chili, you’ll love this recipe!
I don’t know if Shea would agree, but it was just what we all needed. Some hearty and warm comfort food with a nice dose of football. Isn’t that what fall is all about?! I even pulled out my Illini hoodie and stayed in my jammies until 4pm for good measure.
- 3 lbs 93% lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground chorizo
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 (1 oz) packets taco seasoning
- 1 (1 oz) packet ranch dressing mix
- 1½ Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 (15.5 oz) can Bush’s chili black beans
- 1 (15.5 oz) can Bush’s chili beans
- 1 (15.5 oz) can Bush’s chili kidney beans
- 1 (4 oz) can chopped jalapeños
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (28 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
- In a large pot, brown beef and chorizo till no longer pink. Drain excess grease.
- Add onion and pepper and cook about 5 minutes.
- Add taco packets, ranch packet, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and stir. Add the beans, jalapenos, chilies, and stir. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Simmer on low (stirring every so often) 2-3 hours. Serve with sour cream and corn chips*.
Recipe created and submitted by Ashley of Cheese Curd in Paradise
Weekly Menu: October 7th – 11th
- Sunday: leftovers / must-go’s / salad
- Monday: Pesto Shrimp and Broccoli Fettuccine
- Tuesday: Healthier Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Wednesday: Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon with roasted potatoes and green beans and/or brussels sprouts
- Thursday: Sweet Apple Risotto
Be well,
1 Comment