Cincinnati Chili Mac

Kyle joined me not only for breakfast but for dinner last night.  I just wanted to get rid of the taste like ass granola so I didn’t have to see it again.  I have a new batch in the oven right now, so fingers crossed that one turns out.  No more fruit purees in granola!

But I kinda just broke up the pieces kind of big – this one was so big, Kyle had to set it on the table and eat it from the top!

I found this melon at Sam’s Club – all I know is I picked it up because it was only $3!

When I cut into it, it looked more like a honeydew melon, but firmer.  I mixed it with 1/2 a cup of blueberries and had more of my Green Monster casserole on the side.

I don’t know about you, but I always save my fruit until the end for dessert.  So once I finished my eggs, I took a bite of the lemondrop melon and holy cow was it sour.  But like in a sour apple taste and once I got over the initial shock, I loved it.  It was like eating sour candy, but in fruit form.   I have no idea if its supposed to taste like that, if it was under ripe or overripe.  All I know is I ate every last piece.

It was chilly again – 68 degrees, so Pinterest helped me figure out my workout.  I started out running for 10 minutes (well, more like jogging!) to warm up.

Then I found this 1000 rep workout – holy shizz this was a workout!  There were so many exercises you can’t even see them all!   20 workouts of 50 reps each.  Um, no way I was using 65 pound, 55 pound or even 25 pound weights.  I stuck with 10 pounds for the exercises that called for weights.

I was able to do 50 sets of all reps at once except for the pushups – I rested 5 seconds between each set of 10 – I was doing them on my toes people!   And that wall sit was no joke.  I thought  – 50 seconds – no problem!  Um, no – after 25 seconds my legs were shaking – so I did a 10 second rest before finishing up that one.  All in all, those 1000 reps took:

I ended up doing a 2 1/2 minute cool down on the treadmill to make it an even 45 minute workout.

While I was working out, my sister texted me some of her lunch – she went to eat with our Momma (hi Mom!) – she wrote “potstickers!”  and I sent her a picture of me at the gym that said “getting fit!”

Karli, I am loving those shirts you sent me – they “hold” everything in when I work out.

Before work yesterday I made a simple stir fry – 1 cup bean sprouts, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup broccoli, 1 small zucchini, 8 shrimp (leftover that were in the freezer) and I used 1.5 tablespoons sesame teriyaki sauce and a generous pour of sriracha.  When it was time to heat it up for lunch though, somehow I had all this liquid – I didn’t add any broth at all!  So after I ate the bigger pieces of veggies, it ended up being like a spicy tom yum soup – delish!

Later in the afternoon I was really hungry for some reason, so I had one of the Nature Valley protein bars – these are like candy bars to me – but have 7 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein.

I know it’s only August, but once the temps start to drop, my mind already goes to comfort fall food – beef stew, chicken pot pie and Cincinnati chili.  Tony loves it because there are no beans.  I love it because it has a vinegary kick to it.  I did alter the original recipe a bit – I reduced the chicken broth to one cup and reduced the amount of chili powder to 1 tablespoon.  I also used ground sirloin. Here is the revised version:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cups low-sodium (I used regular) chicken broth
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1.5 pounds ground sirloin

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Cook onions (if using) until soft and browned about 8 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook  until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in chicken broth, tomato sauce, vinegar and sugar (if using).

1. Add beef and stir to break up meat.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chili is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

Now this is not a thick chili, so don’t worry.    This recipe made 7 cups of chili and each cup comes in at 351 calories, 18 fat, 8.2 carbs, 2.2 fiber and 19 grams of protein.

I had my chili mac 3 ways:  with 1/2 cup Dreamfileld’s pasta, 1/4 cup of chili beans and cheddar cheese.  Tony loves his with just oyster crackers and shredded Parmesan cheese.

Here’s a tip from me to you though.   Don’t have chili mac prior to doing an Insanity workout.  I hot boxed myself with continual farts throughout the whole workout.  At the time they were silent but deadly!  In the kitchen later on though, I let one go and it was so loud Tony could hear it from the living room!  I am klassy like that.   I think Tony doesn’t think girls should fart!

I did the 40 minute Plyo Cardio Circuit.  I did it 110% and was sweaty in the end:

Stats for the Day:

• 1573 calories, 57 fat, 151 carbs, 25 fiber and 93 protein
• 38% calories from carbs, 33% from fat and 29% from protein
• 45 minute run/1000 reps at lunch
• 40 minute Insanity plyo

I’ve decided that even though its only 56 degrees right now, no matter what the temperature is today, I am swimming outside – only a couple weeks before the outdoor pool closes for the season!

Don’t forget to send me any “ask Tony anything” questions by the end of today – I’ll post his answers tomorrow.

Make it a great day!