Chili Mac

I had a taste for a bagel, so I stopped at my local grocery store on my way to work – score – the bagels were on sale for .33 cents each!  I went with an everything bagel this time.  Before I left work I microwaved the middle part of my bagel sammie – 1 egg, 2 slices deli ham and a slice of Swiss cheese.  Breakfast comes in at 474 calories, 13 fat, 61 carbs, 2 fiber and 24 protein.

One of my co-workers is having a birthday party for her daughter this weekend – Helly Ktty theme (and yes Sophia, I thought of you!)  So I skipped my normal lunch workout to go shopping with her to Michael’s Crap Store, then we picked up lunch at Panera on the way back to the office.

I posted this on facebook yesterday – completely forgot about these!

I ended up spending only $1.07 – I bought two packages (100 total!) of these super cute muffin baking cups.  Look how cute the bottom is?

Although Tony thought it was weird because he said “who looks at the bottom of a muffin?”  I still think they are cute.

I went with the Pick 2 at Panera – you have to get the broccoli cheddar soup, its my favorite.  In case you want to make it at home, my copy cat recipe is pretty close!  For my side I asked what was on the Italian combo sandwich.  I asked to leave the tomato off, otherwise I liked everything else.

So imagine my surprise when I unwrap the sandwich and I get a waft of RED ONION!  Not only that, one side was slathered in mayo – I don’t do mayo.  So I ended up with half of a half a sandwich, which I guess was a blessing in disguise because had I eaten the whole sandwich it would have been 490 calories alone!

So lunch comes in at 445 calories, 23 fat, 37 carbs, 6 fiber and 23 protein.

One of the perks of working in a small office is that sometimes I get to take my bosses dog for a walk when she brings him in.  I love this dog.  I can’t remember what kind of breed he is, but he’s sick with cancer and just had his first chemo treatment yesterday.  I had no idea dogs could get chemo!  You wouldn’t have known it on our walk, he almost dragged me down he was so strong!

Tony is a huge fan of Cincinnati chili – simply for the fact that there are no beans, where I think that beans make a chili.  This is my tried and true Cincinnati chili recipe – feel free to add a touch more cinnamon if you want, or a touch of brown sugar.  I LOVE the vinegar kick in this chili.

Cincinnati Chili

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups low-sodium (I used regular) chicken broth
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1.5 pounds 85% lean ground beef **

1. 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).
2. 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 365 calories, 28 fat, 8.2 carbs, 2.2 fiber and 19 grams of protein.

** beware if you don’t use ground sirloin – I would cook the beef on the side, then drain the fat and then add it in at the end.  Otherwise the chili is too greasy if you use an 80/20 blend.

I had mine over 1 cup of pasta, then topped with 1/2 an ounce of cheddar cheese.  Dinner comes in at 593 calories, 33 fat, 41 carbs, 9 fiber and 31 protein.

I miss Hannah – even though she’s only an hour and fifteen minute drive for me, I still miss her face.  So we skyped last night!  Well, half way.  I could see her and me, she couldn’t see me at all.  Not sure if its because she was on a mac and I was on a PC?  I could see her face though, which is all that mattered to me.

She showed me her notes for one of her classes – she has mid-terms already next week!

We talked for a whole hour, which was nice – when we talk on the phone during the day I usually get interrupted at work.  I love you Hannah!

Any ideas on why she couldn’t see me?  I don’t skype very often! 

Alright, the roof isn’t going to repair itself.  We got a later start because it rained last night, but its nothing but puffy clouds and blue skies today.  If you are working today, hope it goes by fast – Happy Friday!