1st day of maternity leave & chili

Today was my first day of maternity leave and of course I woke up "bright-eyed & bushy-tailed" ready for the day ... so unlike all the days/weeks/months leading up to today when I would wake up exhausted from getting little to no sleep the previous night. What's going on? I really didn't know how I was going to spend my day. Everything is all set up and ready for the arrival of Baby Riedel so there weren't really any last minute baby things that I had to do. 

So after getting Adam out the door, I started stripping the bed, changed the sheets, put away some laundry, cleaned the bathroom, washed my make-up brushes ... can you say nesting?! I then decided to walk downtown to get coffee and enjoy the gorgeous weather - what a luxury! 


On my walk I started thinking about my grocery lists (boring I know) and all of a sudden all of these things that I wanted to make popped in my head almost with a sense of urgency (so weird). So I finished my walk and my coffee and headed home to grab the car and head to the market. 

I needed the fixings for chili, which I made for dinner (more on that later) and while I was at the market I had this craving for a turkey sandwich but since I'm avoiding all lunch meat during this pregnancy, I picked up a couple turkey breasts so I could make my own "lunch meat" ... and since cranberry sauce is already out (Trader Joe's makes a great fresh one!) I thought why not make some Thanksgiving sammys while I'm at it! The sammy's are my favorite part of Thanksgiving anyway ;)  I picked up a few other things to make throughout the week and headed home to start the chili, cook the turkey breasts and make a sammy. 

turns out cooking is my version of nesting and nesting has officially set in

success!
So the chili ... here's the recipe. Feel free to make any substitutions, additions, etc.  Just a warning, this chili comes out pretty thick (which is what Adam likes about it) so if you prefer a soupier chili use more vegetable broth or use tomato sauce instead of paste.  Serves 6. 

Ingredients:


  • 1 pound ground beef ... I used ground bison b/c we like the flavor and it is generally lean and protein rich
  • 18 ounces tomato sauce (3 small cans)
  • approx. 1 cup vegetable broth (more or less depending on desired consistency)
  • 1 can black beans, drained
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained
  • 1 can of corn, drained 
  • approx. 1 cup of shredded carrots 
  • a cup of chopped celery 
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp ground paprika
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • sour cream
  • sharp cheddar
  • green onion


    • Directions:
    1. In a medium skillet, cook ground bison (or beef) over medium-high heat until evenly brown. 
    2. In your crock pot, combine cooked ground bison, tomato paste, broth, beans, corn, carrots, celery, onions, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and chili powder {AKA: dump everything in!}. Mix thoroughly. Cook on medium heat for 4 hours.
    3. Serve with dollop of sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar and diced green onions .. you could also serve with tortilla chips and hot sauce as well ;)

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