I am determined not to have a gain this week – still can’t wrap my brain around a 4.2 gain last week, and while I am looking foward, it still sneaks up on me and I keep trying to bat it away but the +4.2 keeps rattling in my brain. Hopefully it will shut up soon. š
So after I blogged yesterday morning I went downstairs, put on my workout clothes and decided to find something on exercise on demand. Level 1 of 30 Day Shred is going to expire tomorrow, so I decided to do it. And then I was quickly reminded that I hate lunges.
But my atmosphere could not have been better – I had two corner windows open so the cool autumn breeze was blowing in and the smell of fresh brewed coffee was in the back drop. Perfect way to start the day.
I had a work errand to run so didn’t end up eating breakfast until 10:00 – a super quick egg and cheese bagel sammie – 10 points. Oh, and don’t mind the pinch taken out of the top of the bagel – it was moldy, but the rest was fine. I am klassy like that.
And then before I knew it was 12:45 and I hadn’t gone on my run yet! Happily my blood sugar was 224 before I left – perfect. I decided to run naked, no music – just the electronic voice of my GPS spitting out every half mile of my run. The weather was perfect – 72 degrees, partly cloudy. But I felt so good I started out too fast, which is one of my biggest mistakes.
Instead of stopping to walk, I just slowed down, got my breathing under control and carried on. And when I felt like stopping, I didn’t, because my friend Skippy can’t run. She’s got congestive heart failure and lupus. Her days are spent usually in one place – if she makes it down from her 2nd floor bedroom and happens to be chilly and her sweater is upstairs, tough shit. She only goes back upstairs to go to bed.
Where she sometimes coughs so hard I am not really sure when the last time she’s actually had a decent nights sleep. Her husband “Pooldad” and her kids do most of the chores and cooking – she wants to help and when she tries to help, the glimmer of hope in her families eyes is motivation for her to do too much . . . and she typically pays for it for the next few days.
When the heart muscle weakens and can’t pump hard enough to push blood through the body, a couple of things happen. First, not enough oxygen gets delivered to the body, so muscles that don’t get enough oxygen tire more quickly and it’s harder to walk or climb stairs.
So I ran for you Skippy because you can’t. I didn’t stop, and you inspired me to keep going when I didn’t want to – simply because I can and you can’t and it breaks my heart. Thanks for unknowingly pushing me to my imaginary finish line. š I thank you for that.
Since my old PR’s weren’t actually 3.1 miles, I am using yesterday’s run time as my new PR and move on from there . . .34:37!
So I only have to shave off 4:38 minutes to get a sub 30 minute 5k. Totally doable. š
Lunch turned out to be excellent, but it didn’t start out that way. I found Kayln’s recipe for a crockpot pumpkin chili that I wanted to adapt for the stove top. Her recipe called for ground Ancho chili pepper and I only had chipotle chile pepper. After it was all put together and simmered for 30 minutes, I took one taste and it was so fricken spicy – I mean too spicy for me even!
So you know how Rachael Ray calls a cross between a stew and a soup a stoup? Well, to tone down the heat I had to add chicken broth, more pumpkin and cooked brown rice, so this is chili turned into a choup. (a chili and soup!)
FYI, don’t let this long list of ingredients turn you off, it comes together pretty quickly – and don’t be afraid to add the pumpkin – you can’t taste it but it gives a unique texture to this choup.
Biz’s Pumpkin, Beef and Bean Choup (inspired by Kalyn’s Kitchen)
This made 20 cups of chili – at only 3 WW Points per cup – perfect if you have a bunch of people over for a football game, just add sour cream and shredded cheese.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons Ancho or chipotle pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro (added at the very end)
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (or regular dried oregano)
- 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
- 4 ounce can of diced green chiles
- 2 cups beef broth
- 4 cup chicken broth (I just ran out of beef broth, you could use 3 cups beef)
- 1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained
- 1 15 oz. can chili beans with sauce, don’t drain
- 1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained
- 28 ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) š
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
In a VERY large stock pot, brown ground beef. Drain all but about a tablespoon of the fat and add garlic, bell pepper, cumin, chili powders, oregano, Adobo and diced green chiles. Stir for a couple minutes until you can really start to smell the seasonings.
Now it’s simple – add everything else to the pot except the fresh cilantro, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour, I ended up cooking it for 2 hours. Just before serving sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
When all was said and done, this turned out super delicious – just a hint of heat so I think this would work for a crowd, and then crazy ass people like me who like hot shit can have a bottle of Tabasco at close hand to sprinkle over each spoonful.
I brought it for some co-workers, and they all gave it a big thumbs up. š
I defrosted a steak for dinner, but when I got home, I realized it was a pretty small steak – not enough to split for me and Tony, so I grilled some lemon pepper chicken breasts on the side – I ended up with 3 ounces of steak, 4 ounces of chicken, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes and a cup of green beans.
The only picture I took to capture this simple meal? The grilled chicken!
Stats for Tuesday:
- 25 minutes of Level 1 Shred
- 45 minute walk/run included 34:37 5k
- I did have 27 points for the day until I had a cheese and cracker fest with Tony – I was really hungry last night for some reason, so I had 39 points
- 45 miles done of 125 miles in September . . . 80 miles to go š
- average blood sugar 131
Make it a great day!
You are amazing Biz! I love how your friend Skippy’s story inspires you to keep going. She must be one awesome lady.
I have never tried pumpkin in a soup but it sounds intriguing and of course per usual you make everything look delicious.
LOL at how your tore off the moldy bit on your bagel! You are so thrifty!
Thank you Bizzy. I really have no words, but I have to say you are inspiring to so many people. And you know I love you, [and Tony and Hannah] one of the best parts of my day is coming here to “see” you.
Hugs to you my friend!
Hugs back at you! I hope more readers find you – you are so funny and talented! š
Awesome 5k time! I thought of the quote I posted on my blog recently when I read this post – did you see it? It’s about running because you can, because other’s can’t..awesome!
Seriously, you’re getting so speedy!
Not that I ever wanted any inspiration to run because I’m just fine and dandy with walking BUT I think you just gave it to me anyway. I’m not sure whether to thank you or not. We’ll see how it goes. LOL Seriously, you are fantastic! And I’ll bet Skippy thinks you’re simply the greatest!
Cannot wait to try the chili!
You slay me, Biz!! Klass with a Kapital K indeed! If I see a molecule of mold I throw stuff out…maybe I’ll rethink that, and my husband will thank you a thousand times. He thinks I’m ridiculous about stuff like that.
Pumpkin chili dumbed down to mild status sounds right up my alley. I need to reinforce my pumpkin stash.
yay for running for skippy! Right now i’m dedicating all my runs to ashley at healthy ashley because she’s stuck in the hospital with cracks and bolts in her hip!
I know, poor thing. I actually just started wearing my Road ID bracelet because of her – I normally have my cell phone with me, but what happens if I get hit by a car? Who would know I was diabetic?!
– You make your pizza as I like it! Truly I will never understand what is so apnplaieg about traditional American pizza slathered in tomato sauce and smothered in a pound of cheese. It has no flavor, is soggy and clearly horribly fattening. I enjoy making flatbread as well, it’s a lot of fun to come up with unique sauce and topping ideas. Yours is great!
I love that you kept running for Skippy! In high school we’d go to cross country camp at a college down south every summer, and the coach there (who’d coached many, many national champion teams…so we took his word for gold) said that you should always run for something bigger than yourself. That it’s easy to quit or slow down if you’re just thinking about how much it hurts or what else you need to get done that day, but if you dedicate each mile, each block, or even in a tough workout each minute to running for your family, for a friend, thinking about troops overseas, etc – that the miles will fly by. So true!
Love that – “run for something bigger than yourself!”
You are klassy Miss Biz! My heart goes out to Skippy, you are such a caring person to run for her. š Your chili looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
We are off to Hoodsport to say goodbye to a very dear friend that is losing his battle with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. I’m thankful for my health, and for all my loved ones. Let’s all take care! š
Don’t worry about the gain! I mean, worry about it as motivation, but don’t stress too much! Ugh I have felt soooo bloated all week, and because my stomach is being all bloated I’m not eating well at all because I already feel like crap. So thank you for this post because it was very inspiring. I didn’t end up losing anything for the 101 days of summer but oh well. At least I maintained! (Though it sucks to maintain when you are trying to lose.)
You will rock this week’s WI, I know it š
@Anne Marie – I totally thought she meant Skippy PB too š
Am I the only one who thought you ran for Skippy pb before reading the post? LOL I think I’m too obsessed with food! Seriously though, that’s awesome!
You won my giveaway – congrats! (Send me an e-mail at abinns3142@aol.com) and I’ll get the specifics from you.
Hope you have a great day!
Winning!! Thanks Anne Marie š
I love that you use Skippy’s story for inspiration and encouragement!
And I also love the addition of pumpkin in your chili š
I thought of you this morning when I was searching through my mom’s old cookbooks… there was a recipe for CROCKPOT REUBEN SOUP!
Reuben soup.. worth a shot huh? š
Let me know if you’d like the recipe and I’ll type it out for you!
Um, yes I would love that recipe!! My SIL would love it too. š Thanks!
What a great inspiration to run. I know you will get that PR in no time – just keep at it!
I’ve never made pumpkin chili, but I’ve been seeing it so often lately that it’s on my “must make” list now. It looks delicious!
Your “Klassy” comment CRACKED me up! Too funny…
I unknowingly was highly anemic for a few years and remember the struggle to climb the house stairs. Upon reaching the top I had to stop and wait for my heart to stop racing. Fortunately for me there was a easy cure. My heart goes out to Skippy… When the mind and the body don’t work well together it is heart breaking…
Yep, that’s what caused Skippy’s problem, undiagnosed anemia – so crazy!
I am definitely going to make some sort of pumpkin chili this year even though I know I’ll be eating it alone as Mr. Helen has been off all soups, stews, chilis, etc. lately.
But, can I say I’m feeling sort of sad that it’s chili/soup/stew season already? It’s so not fair that we are getting so cold before summer is officially over!
That was nice that you ran thinking of Skippy!
Cheese and cracker fest? – those are the best! š
I’ll call you on my way to work
What an inspiration for your running your friend is. I know you will kick those pounds to the doorside at next weigh in.
I Soooooooo want to make pumpkin chili…I keep seeing it everywhere….on the list…supposed to get COLD this week starting tomorrow ( under 60 degrees for the high!) so it’s definitely chili weather!
I sometimes think of stopping on my runs/walks out of pure laziness, but always think – “What’ if I couldn’t walk? I need to be grateful & keep moving.” From now on I’m going to think of & pray for Skippy.
“Choup” – anything with pumpkin in it has to be kick azz…adding this to my list! Love how low in pts it is & how much it makes. Perfect autumn “choup”.
What a great source of inspiration for your run! Rocking. And you will punch that weight gain in the face this weekend š I know it. Pumpkin chili? mmmmmm. Must make!
Aww, that is so awesome that you ran for Skippy! It warms my heart to hear that and my thoughts are with her and her family. Encourage her to look into reading about reducing inflammation, it may help with her lupus. There are certain foods to avoid and eat that can help.
Your choup looks SO GOOD! Perfect for this beautiful crisp weather. š
I often do The Shred when I’m short on time. It’s so convenient! And a great workout!
Thanks for sharing that Skippy inspired you to run. I often think how lucky I am at this point to have my health. There really isn’t any excuse not to move my body…
Love your choup! Your coworkers are very lucky!!!
Have a great day!