Crock Pot Chili

Just in time for the fall -- I whipped out my crockpot to create some chili before the Vikings game on Sunday. I will admit it. I am not much of a chef. I experiment very little in the kitchen. But this seemed easy enough...a dump and pour -- something I could not fail at.
Outcome? Kinda successful. The chili was good, a little bit bland -- I should have added some sea salt or more chili powder. There wasn't much pow!! I will season the ground beef a little bit heavier next time.

Another side note, I need more friends. I called/texted about a half dozen people who all were "busy" and didn't accept the offer to taste my Chili. Except Tiffany. She enjoyed it and even got to take some for lunch the next day. The downside of being fabulous and single is that I have chili for days y'all....I froze 2 tupperwares full and have some in the fridge...Guess what I am eating for the next few days? Yum. Here is the recipe, If you make it tell me what you think.
xoxo, Kelly

Christy’s Chili




2 lbs ground beef


29 oz can kidney beans (with liquid)


29 oz can pinto beans (with liquid)


29 oz can tomato sauce


1 cup diced onion


1/2 C diced green chilies


3 medium tomatoes or one large can of diced


1 1/2 tsp black pepper


2 C water


2 tsp salt


3 T chili powder


1/4 C diced celery


2 tsp cumin


Brown ground beef until done and drain off fat. In large pot (or crock pot), combine the beef plus all remaining ingredients. If in pot, bring to a simmer over low heat and cook, stirring every fifteen minutes, for two to three hours.


If in a crock pot, stir to combine and cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

BPC: after thoughts

So, I did finish the BluePrint Cleanse. It was much more challenging than I expected and I felt really accomplished that I finished it. The final day I went to a Twins game. BIG MISTAKE... Huge... ((that is a reference to Pretty Woman)) The smells, atmosphere, it was a bit much. The person sitting directly next to me was eating a brat, then chicken fingers, then a Tony O --cuban. I was not impressed.

Other than that. I did well. The last day I didn't finish #5 or #6 because it was too much. You'd be hugely surprised of how filling the juices were. I couldn't drink them at all. So I went to bed and woke up feeling energized. I was thinking of what I was going to eat that day but I made it through mid-morning without eating anything other than some water. I am sure my stomach was shrunken. Is that a word?

Anyhow, I feel awesome. A lot of people had opinions about this cleanse and whether or not I should have done it. I got a lot of criticism too, which was kind of unnerving. It wasn't a reason to drop pounds quick, it wasn't something I did not carefully consider. It was a good experience and I would recommend anyone to do it --if they do research & find out if it is right for them.

Cheers,

Kelly

BPC: Day Three

Overnight observations: I haven't been able to drink all of #6. It is hands down the most delicious, but its thick and by the end of the day I just am kind of "done" drinking liquids. I saved the two swallows of the night before to drink the next day-- to get me ready for the Green Juice, but I never did. I hope tonight I will want to slam it down. We'll see. Also I had crazy stomach growling when I was reading last night. My tummy doesn't like cleanse time. Or does it?

Everything is fine. Although I am pretty hungry. Low energy level today. Although I woke up after 12pm. Green Juice #1 went down okay, the Green Juice #3 did not. I finally poured 1/3 of it down the drain. I couldn't take it. I am drinking #4 the Spicy Lemonade. Its nice and light.

I had 2 issues today. I smelled some yummy delicious greek food and that almost pushed me over the edge. And I am going to the Twins game tonight at Target Field -- that is going to be REALLY tough. I am going to have a good time, but without food.

Full Update on the completion of BPC coming tomorrow.
www.blueprintcleanse.com

BPC: Day 2 CONTINUED

Disclaimer:
You pee a lot when you are cleansing. There is a lot of bodily fluids. Well, not like that.

Green Juice doesn’t get better. I am chugging it now. Its 1:45pm and I haven’t finished #3 – it tastes like a
rotten time in my mouth. I have to remember I only have 2 more times to choke this down. Only hurdle is this juice. I also have that la-la feeling. I think it returns when I drink the "Green Juice"

Do I have a glow? I can’t tell.
http://www.blueprintcleanse.com/

BPC: Day Two

I am still alive after one day of juicing. And I was actually okay. This sounds like a surprise to me too, I haven’t consumed any solid food for more than 24 hours and I am still managing to walk around and have a bit of energy.
I woke up much earlier this morning because I had to work. So I thought this would be a huge advantage to drinking the awful Green Juice. I started drinking this at 8am, and by 10:15am I still hadn’t finished. I finally plugged my nose and slammed the rest down. I am sure the BluePrintCleanse folks did not think this would be the picture of their cleanse but seriously, that stuff is gross.
It’s barely 11:30am and the 2 is nearly gone. It takes me no time to finish this juice. I love PAM. Yummy. But, I slow down because I know once I finish this #3 is Green Juice again. Popped a couple Advil because I have that lingering headache that won’t go away. I felt like I had more energy this morning but its slowly wearing off and I feel a bit loopy. Could just be my work environment
I am going to keep plugging away. So far so good. I have read a few reviews and it says the Green juice will be even grosser if you have a toxic body, meaning I probably have eaten crappy, fried, processed food and my body is just revolting at the taste & texture of fresh, green vegetables.
Fun.
www.blueprintcleanse.com

BPC: Day One

I reluctantly decided to do a cleanse for my buddy Melissa Specken. (@MelissaSpecken) if you are the twitter type. I am not your normal beauty regiment type of girl. I actually don’t usually participate in fad diets, or anything of the sort. So when she asked if I would do it, I jumped and said YES! I was excited, especially after State Fair time. I indulged a little too much. So when the juices were delivered in their tidy, cute, and modern bottles I was stoked. Day One Here I come!

When I woke up I was looking forward to a granola bar or something light. Oh wait. I have something very light… 6 juices!!

1: Green Juice: this stuff is NASTY. It took me over an hour to slug this down. It is gross. Here is the juicy breakdown: romaine, celery, cucumber, apple, spinach, kale, parsley and lemon. First of all. Yuck. I hate this juice. It tastes like I shoved old lettuce in my mouth.
I was getting hungry and I felt like every time I looked up I saw an ad for some type of tasty delicious meal. I started up with my 2nd drink of the day.

2. P.A.M Yummy Yum time. This juice was a welcome change from the yuck-ola drink I slammed down before. This one was a light juice of Pineapple, Apple, and Mint. Yum. It was so light and refreshing; it tasted similar to a mojito. This took me less than 45 minutes to get down. I had to slow down from slurping it all up.

My energy level was low. I also had a lull headache. It wouldn’t go away. I felt really sluggish and wanted to just stay on the couch. I was tired and funny feeling. And not in the good way. I was dreaming about Shrimp Scampi. I think I saw a Red Lobster commercial.

3: Green Juice (Again) I don’t know. I hate this. I want to quit. This green juice is hellish. If I had to bottle hell it would be labeled green juice.
It was about 4pm by now, and I was increasingly worried that I wasn’t drinking fast enough. I didn’t want to speed drink but once one was done, I was onto the next. Unsure if this is okay but I went with it.

4: Spicy Lemonade: This one wasn’t bad; I thought it tasted like Lemonade. It has a hint of Cayenne pepper, and filtered water with Lemons. It is very Master Cleanse if you know what I am talking about. I didn’t mind this juice at all. It was actually pretty tasty.
My stomach started to ache. I don’t know if I am hungered or what. I also had to pee all the time. I was constantly going to the bathroom. Only pee. I would tell you if anything else happened.

5: CAB. I hate you. This is a mixture of Carrot, Apple, and Beets. I think. I don’t know. I refused to look at the bottle. This was like grinding up dirt, with food coloring, and then shaving a carrot in there. It was not nice. It also had a thick consistency. It wasn’t as terrible as “Green Juice” but – at this point in the day I was hungry so drinking it wasn’t a big deal.

6: Coconut Milk: Water, Raw Cashew, Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon, And Agave. I heard from Melissa (my new cleanse guru) that this was the best juice of the day! I was so excited to drink it. I was not disappointed. It tasted like a milky, sweet, goodness. It was so good! Yum. Good end to my first day of cleansing. *BUT* I didn’t finish the whole bottle. I think it was a little too much for me.

So far so good. I felt okay going to bed. Day 2 – and I have to head to work. So I hope everything goes well.  Want to learn more? The BluePrintCleanse website is top-notch.
Even more information and access to testimonials
Check it out here: http://blueprintcleanse.com/
Cheers!

Hot & Cold

This blogging thing is still an incredible experiment. I go in spurts of extreme "I've got so much to say" and then I go to "all quiet on the western front" I don't mean to do that to all of you readers out there. I just have been kinda of blah, and then busy. Then blah again.

I might jump around with my subject matter, so hang on tight. Or not.

Summertime in Minnesota is unbeatable. Honestly. No place I would rather be. I have been working out religiously --and by religious I mean about 3-4 times a week with a good friend. I love it. I have so much more energy and feel better. My breathing, my attitude, I don't know how I survive without it. When we don't feel like going in the gym we hit Lake Nokomis. Which has been a nice change of pace. I also bring Hendrix. He loves it. I imagine him snoozing the rest of the day after we go for a 6am brisk walk around the Lake. I love it. What will I do in the winter?? Probably stock up on workout DVDs --a little Jillian Michaels? Something called P90X. Perhaps!!!

Since I haven't invested in Cable TV -- I have been watching crazy amounts of DVDs. It is always nice to check out your personal collections again. All your DVDs do anyway is collect dust. My favorites are still: Love Actually, and Bridget Jones Diary. I did watch Bustin' Loose and Finding Nemo last week. Random I know, but both very good in their own special way. I also had the opportunity to borrow Mad Men from one of my co-workers. I LOVE THIS SHOW. I am watching it Season to Season. I am still on Season 2 but -- I will be done before the week is over. I can't believe I didn't watch this before, When I had full access to Cable. Jeez. I was sleeping on this show. The characters, the authenticity, the plot and story lines. I am in love with a TV show. I hear Season 4 just debuted. I don't know what I will do when I finish Season 3... Maybe get Cable? Doubtful. I love this show.

The Radio Shows are going well. I am learning alot and continue to be so grateful to have the opportunity to host these shows. I am quite fortunate in that respect. If you do listen, please drop me some feedback. I want to strive to get better each week.
The new house isn't really new anymore. I am working on a few projects and loving the home ownership. I honestly cannot believe it is "my house". I hate bugs, and had to be coerced (?) over the phone to kill a centipede. In my defense it was hairy and had about a billion legs. I eventually killed it, but screamed the entire time and had to wear rubber gloves and use about a half a roll of paper towel to dispose of it.

I do have local channels on a converter box and I watch the news often. (Duh) One show I can't miss is Big Brother. Go ahead and laugh and make fun but I really love this show. It is very interesting to see what will happen when people are shoved into this house with all the cameras. There is bound to be a romance. (Showmance they call it, and its icky) and deception, and backstabbing, and alliances. It's such a corny show but I am just drawn to it. I -- wish that I would be cast on this show because know I would go far. I can read people and don't let too much BS get past me. (or so I say...I could be the direct opposite) Being away from TV and Radio, and Newspapers and current events for an undetermined amount of time would be crazy. I don't know what I would do. I will say Big Brother is one of those shows either you like it... or you don't. I take no offense, most people DON'T.

Summer is slowly winding down. I hate it. Make me anxious and sad all at the same time. Trying to take full advantage by being outside as much as possible and partaking in all the sweet things the Twin Cities has to offer. Wish me Luck!

Next blog is about Flugtag. I had an amazing time. Stay tuned for that.
Out,

Kelly