1500

I can’t believe that today’s post marks my 1,500 post! I’ve said it before, but when I started this blog almost 2 1/2 years ago, I had no idea that I would form so many wonderful relationships from this blog.  That is especially appreciated during these last few weeks while Tony has been sick.  While sitting last week during his long surgery, every time I heard the “ding” of a comment sending us positive thoughts, it helped more than you will ever know. 😀

Check out my first blog post here.   And look at how horrible some of my early photography was!

Really, some of my food photography was so unappetizing – I am surprised you stuck with me this long!  Maybe because my food became more photogenic?

I have tried so many things over the past couple of years – sweet potatoes, Greek yogurt, coconut milk, and curry – just to name a few.  I still will never like onions! 😀

So why not celebrate with a giveaway!  First up – the Weight Watcher’s Food Scale:

And what’s a giveaway without a cookbook!

To enter, simply leave me a comment telling me what your favorite comfort food is.  For a second entry, link back to this post, and if you Tweet about it, you get another shot!  First time I am using social media for a giveaway – I am kind of scared!  😀  You have until Sunday, February 27 to enter and I’ll pick a random winner on Monday, February 28 – the last day of February!  Good luck!

So even though I again got home from the hospital after ten last night, I still wanted to cook up some food!  While I said that I was going to use up just what I have on hand, I did have to make a stop to pick up one thing – spicy chili beans:

While my go to chili is my Best Buffalo Chicken Chili, um, guess who is out of Frank’s hot sauce?!  I think my friend Allison just fainted reading that sentence!

So I am calling this one:  Three Bean Chicken Chili.   I brought it to work yesterday and the comments were “I can’t believe how filling this is – delicious!”  and “Chili is your specialty no matter how you make it.  It was delicious – thanks so much!”

Three Bean Chicken Chili (printer friendly version here)

  • 1.5 cups per serving: 324 calories, 6.7 fat, 41 carbs, 12 fiber and 28 protein)
  • 8 PointsPlus

I am submitting this recipe to Holly at The Balance Broad – this weeks BSI hostess who chose Cumin. 😀

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 large carrots
  • 3 stalks celery
  • 1 large red pepper
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 5 tablespoons of chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1/2 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce (so sad!)
  • 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
  • 1 (15 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15 oz) black beans, drained
  • 1 (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (15 oz) hot chili beans in sauce (do not drain)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Put chicken breasts in food processor to grind up – if you can find ground chicken breast, you can use that too.  Heat oil and add ground chicken and cook about 10 minutes on medium heat until no longer pink.  Rinse out processor and add carrots, celery, garlic and red pepper and puree.  Add to chicken mixture and cook about 5 minutes until veggies start to soften.

Next add the rest of the ingredients, put stove on simmer and cook for 1 hour.

thankfully I noticed the sticker on the red pepper on the left before I turned the processor on!

the perfect bite 😀

172

That is how much I weighed at my quarterly diabetes doctor appointment.  Granted, I was fully dressed and it was the middle of the day, but I can see those extra licks, bites, and oh, yeah, whole pizzas have added up these past couple of weeks – and I haven’t worked out in a week and a half.  But I am owning that number and will make steps to make it lower.  Good news is my blood sugar has been in control, even if my eating hasn’t been!

I test my blood sugar about 5 - 6 times a day - awesome average! 😀

25

My next diabetes doctor appointment is July 13.  I want to lose 25 pounds by then.  That’s the recurring dialogue every appointment “Biz, your blood sugar numbers are great, your blood pressure, etc.  But let’s try to get some of this weight off.”

2

Tony is eating soft foods, his drain has been removed, he’s no longer on a heart monitor, we are just waiting for his International Normalized Ratio (INR) to get to the magic number of 2 before the heart doctors will let me bring him home.  Fingers double crossed that it’s soon!

I miss having him home.  I miss snuggling while we watch t.v., and I miss having him next to me in bed.  Usually every morning after my alarm goes off, he wakes up for a second, reaches over, pulls me into him and hugs me tight.  At that moment I feel the most unconditional love.  It’s an awesome way to start the day!