when i first started this blog, i intended it to be a venue for me to share stories about healthy eating and running in hopes that the two would combine forces and result in weight loss. in reality, it’s turned in to a place for me to demonstrate my penchant for self-deprecating humor, to reveal myself as a drunken mess, and to occasionally share a story or two about how i avoided cheese fries and jogged a few miles (and i give you exhibit A of my penchant for self-deprecating humor.) don’t get me wrong, i’ve had a glorious time complaining about crappy treadmills, exploring my deep-seeded psychological addiction to cake, and talking about vajayjay sweat, but i’d eventually like this to be a place that people can go for sound running advice, healthy recipes and a much-needed dose of crass sarcasm.
so today, i’ll be giving you the first of many of my masterful (see also: i didn’t set something or someone on fire) recipes that are also healthy, whole-food-based, and in my culinary opinion, fucking tasty. but first, let me talk about my 10.8 miles, wherein you might also receive that dose of crass sarcasm i mentioned.
so of course, today is sunday funday, meaning long run day in preparation for the scenic city half marathon. i wanted to do 10 miles since i’ve been putting my 10 miler off for two weeks. i wish i could say i had some great excuse like shin splints, a sudden bout of fibromyalgia, for christ’s sake i’d even take crabs at this point. but in reality, i’ve been: too drunk, followed by too hungover, followed to by too lazy, followed by too-anything-that-will-prevent-me-from-running. but today i got out the door.
chicago has been experiencing what i would like to call “the great january heat wave of 2010.” now that i’ve formally named this phenomenon, we’ll be hit by sub-zero temps and at least a foot of snow tomorrow. you can all thank me later when you’re struggling to get your rear-wheel drive vehicle out of a 6 inch snow bank. anyways, this heat wave…it was about 40 degrees today, so i had to get outside! sure it was raining with 11-20 mph winds out of the west, but it was also downright balmy. i wanted to try out drinking gatorade during my run since my stomach is, shall we say…finicky when it comes to consuming anything other than water (and even then my bowels are touch and go for a bit.) so i mapped a 5 mile loop that allowed me to stop by our driveway to grab some gatorade at my halfway point. after the first 5 mile loop i was totes bored so i decided to kind of wing-it. i figured i was running about 9 minutes per mile so i just headed wherever and told myself i would stop at 90 minutes. too bad i was actually running 8:25 minutes per mile, which would explain why i felt as though i had been hit by an errant CTA bus by about 70 minutes. but i pushed through to my 90 minute goal and ended up with a sunday funday run of 10.78 miles…not too shabby!
after my run i was pretty much dead to the world, which might explain why i still haven’t showered, and also why i have a thin layer of salt covering my face and neck, oh! and why i smell like total shit. yes, i feel completely disgusting, which makes me feel a little bit better (because if i smelled like total shit, did nothing about it and felt ok about myself that would be way more abnormal than smelling like shit, feeling disgusting, and making the conscious decision to continue to sit around in my own filth.)
after a short nap i felt my like a person again, which brought me the motivation to make my famous (see also: the fiance loves it!) turkey chili for dinner. and there was the segway to my first attempt at providing healthy eating advice as opposed to making fun of myself and further solidifying the fact that i am going to hell (if i even believed that hell existed, haha a loophole!) but seriously, the turkey chili:
what you’ll need:
non-stick cooking spray
1 tsp canola oil (i always use vegetable oil because that’s what i have on hand)
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. extra lean ground turkey (i use perdue fit & easy 99% lean)
1 small tomato, diced
1 15oz can kidney beans
1 15oz can black beans
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1-1 1/2 C tomato sauce (depending on how watery you like your chili)
1/2-1 C fat-free, low sodium chicken broth (again, depending on how watery you like your chili)
how to make it:
i like to start by getting all of my spices (chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes & cumin) measured and pulling out all of my necessary pantry items (tomato sauce, chicken broth & apple cider vinegar.) once everything gets going, you’ll need these items quickly. so having them pre-measured and set to the side will help curb any mid-recipe cooking-anxiety (weird, i’m the only one that suffers from this? interesting.)
next, i suggest chopping all of the vegetables (onion, garlic & tomato.) this is the fiance, he recently took an interest in triathlons and tries to get as much use as possible out of his new gear. here, he’s using his goggles as way to prevent onion-induced sobbing. he’s also been wearing his bike helmet to take out the garbage and hanging around in his speedo to check email (i’ll spare you the photos.)
once you’ve chopped your veggies:
coat a large pot with non-stick spray, add your teaspoon of oil, place pot over medium heat & add chopped onion. cook onion until it is soft (about 5-7 minutes.) once onion is soft, add minced garlic. cook garlic until it is soft, about 1 minute. add ground turkey, breaking up lumps with a wood/plastic spoon. cook turkey until is just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
while the turkey is browning, remember to drain and rinse your beans. once the turkey is browned, add your spices, beans, diced tomato, apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce & chicken broth to the pot. it should look something like this:
after mixing, right before boiling
mix everything together and bring the mixture to a boil. once it boils, cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 35-45 minutes. be sure to occasionally stir during the simmering…then serve (preferably with cheese & a glass (or bottle) of viognier.)
we always eat our chili with some ronzoni smart taste pasta (and tonight with a corn muffin-recipe to come later!) but some have been known to eat chili with tortilla chips, crackers, or just on its own, whatever you choose, enjoy!
ok, i’m off to the tub. i’m going on almost 9 hours of not showering after a long run. you don’t even have to tell me…i’m a sexy bitch. good night!
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