Turkey, Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili

Another chili recipe! This time I decided to whip out my slow cooker to let this cook over night. This recipe is a favorite among TLS followers and if you are thinking, "What? Pumpkin in chili??" just know that this is amazing and the flavor of pumpkin does not over power this dish in the slightest.

Turkey & Black Bean Chili

Football preseason is here! Time to round up some game day recipes, so I thought I would start with some healthy {but oh so good} turkey and black bean chili.

In my house growing up, football season was the most important time of year. My father is a die hard Patriots fan, so my sister and I bought him a sign to put above our television that says "We interrupt this family for football season". It suits him well to this day. My step mother might just be a bigger fan than my father. I swear I can hear her clapping and cheering back home near Cape Cod all the way here in the city. My father was never too happy that his daughters didn't share in his love for the sport, but after 24 years it has grown on me! Matt and I will definitely be watching this season :)

Matt has some crazy motivation lately. He has been running 6-7 miles almost everyday in addition to circuit training. It makes me crazy that he can workout for a week or two (albeit with EXTREME effort) and look like he has been training for months. Abs all toned....chest definition....drool. Anyways, his motivation has rubbed off on me, so I've gotten more on track with the longer distance runs (mine are 5-6 miles) as opposed to the routine 5ks I was doing. I think my body needs the extreme effort to get the results I am looking for since I have already lost a bunch of weight. I want to lose the final pounds and really tone up - I'll post our workout routines next time.

On to the CHILI!

Naked Southwestern Burgers

I recently had dinner at the Met Bar & Grille and I must admit I had a small anxiety attack on the way there. What am I going to eat at a steakhouse known for their burgers?!? Little did I know, the Met offers a custom burger bar menu! You can go bunless, topless, white or whole grain - turkey, kobe, salmon, veggie...the list goes on. Since we are only on week 2 of the 12 week TLS program, I obviously opted for the bunless option. The perfect combo for me was a turkey Grecian burger - tzaziki, hummus, pickled cucumbers and tomatoes with a side salad. Amazing. It is so awesome to be able to eat out and be healthy!

Naturally, I had to make my own version of the said bunless burger....

Garlicky Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I have been MIA due to a recent family tragedy, but am ready to get back into training/cooking/blogging mode!

Before I start to tell you about these delectable garlicky stuffed peppers, I want to mention the Guilford family and ask all my readers to please keep them in your prayers. They suddenly lost their beautiful 7 month old baby boy, Callan, on March 7th. Jesus gained an angel on that day, but the family has a long road ahead of recovery and I pray they will find peace and understanding in the Lord.

Since I have been spending a lot of time with family I haven't needed to cook much, and oh how I have missed it! We have been having such beautiful weather the past week, which is unusual for Boston this time of year, (I am talking 80 degrees in March people!) so I have had my fair share of burgers and wings on the grill trying to make myself believe it is summer time already......but today we are back to 40 degree days. Sad face.

Anyways, on to the stuffed peppers!

Please excuse the poor image.

My shopping for a new camera was put on hold!