Monday Musings

Happy Monday,  cherubs! It's the week of Thanksgiving! The boy comes home Wednesday night! I get to bake Wednesday night! I get to go see my family and eat lots of tasty food (read: my dad's stuffing by the bowlful) and then come back and decorate for Christmas on Thursday! I get a short day of work Friday! I get lots of boy time! Yays for everybody and everything right now! I know, I know...I'm one of those annoying morning people. Talk to me around 4:00 this evening. My perkiness is much more virtually non-existent. #Pinkypromise.

Me. Afternoon. Truth.

Yesterday's rest day went extremely well! I did some writing, some cleaning (things look betterrrrr anyway), some reading, and I didn't get out of my jammies at all! I also did some cooking, and I do believe I promised a recipe for turkey chili, as long as I didn't poison myself or create something inedible for other people (I, of course, will eat just about anything I cook #inabilitytowastefood #poor). Guess what?! I didn't! Yippee! I loosely used this recipe for guidance with seasonings and veggies to include, added my own preferences and flair (always necessary), and ended up with this delectable and simple dish:

Caitlin's Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 package of ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon of McCormick Chili seasoning
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 29 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
• 1 16 oz. can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

Directions

1. Brown the ground turkey in a pan with the garlic and chili seasoning for about five minutes. Add the chopped up onions and peppers to the browning turkey and garlic. Let it all cook together for another five minutes.
2. Throw all of the rest of the ingredients in the crockpot.
3. Once the turkey has browned and the veggies have cooked a bit, add them to the crockpot. Stir it all up. Put on the lid. Step away from the crockpot.
4. Let it cook on low for 7-8 hours, high for 3, orrrr my combination of the two (high for 1.5 hours, low for 3-4).
5. Top with cheddar cheese, feta cheese, sour cream, Greek yogurt, bacon bits, or anything else you like. Serve in bread bowl, alongside corn bread, over roasted sweet potatoes (my preference in this case), or however else you like.
6. Dig in and enjoy!
7. Make something tasty for dessert! When in doubt, go with ice cream or froyo. With lots of toppings and sprinkles.

Yum. And yes that's feta cheese since I forgot the cheddar at the store and was too lazy to go out and get some. #sorryi'mnotsorry #totallystillworked

Easy peasy, right? Right. I also promised a workout schedule for accountability purposes. This is meant to serve as a guide, so I don't go overboard, and is also flexible. If my body doesn't feel up for something, I'll either change it to what it is asking for or take a rest day. You can hold me to it. Here's what I'm thinking now:

Monday: 6 mile run followed by 10 minutes of core work

Tuesday: 15-20 minutes of circuit work followed by 20 minute Yoga Download session 

Wednesday: 4-5 mile run and 20 minute Yoga Download session

Thursday: 4 mile run with the boy 

Friday: FULL REST DAY

Saturday: 5-6 mile run

Sunday: 2 20 minute Yoga Download sessions

This is tentative and can and will be changed if necessary. And it's going to be supported with appropriate amounts of food and fuel. Oats (and some new ways to try them thanks to Hayley), monster salads, nut butters, chili, sweet potatoes, bread, quinoa, fruit, and whole nuts top the list for the beginning of the week...and pumpkin french toast casserole, a Thanksgiving feast, and lots of leftovers come in at the end. All of which is followed by dessert, of course ;) So, that's my week in a nutshell! And now I'm off to get started!

Thought of the day :)

Have a marvelous Monday!

How was your weekend? What are you most looking forward to this week? Are you a morning or evening person?