Awesome Homemade Chili

I have never been a chili person.  I never tasted a recipe that appealed to me until one autumn day, back when hubby and I were in our first year of marriage, we went to a local Fall festival and taste-tested the chili cook-off entries.  To me, chili was chili and they all tasted the same until we came to one booth that was decorated with trophies and ribbons from past chili cook-off winnings.  The apron-adorned man handed us samples and to my surprise, it was delicious!  Of course, he wouldn't give his award winning recipe out but I knew what was tantalizing my taste buds: the hint of honey.  You heard me right: honey.  The subtle hint of sweet to offset the chili spice was amazing.  We left the Fall festival and went straight to the grocery store because I was making chili that night.  I customized my chili to my own liking because I don't like chunks of tomatoes or onions, so my chili has neither of those.  I am not a huge fan of spicy foods but with the hint of honey, I make my chili a little spicier because the contrasting flavors work so well.  And I can boast that everyone who has tried my chili has gone back for more.

My handy helper

Ingredients:
1 lb ground meat (I usually use ground turkey)
1 pack hot chili seasoning
1 pack low sodium chili seasoning
1 can corn
4 cans kidney beans
2 cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey (or to taste; sometimes I add a drop more to my own bowl of chili)

Start by browning the meat in a large stock pot that has been drizzled with olive oil.  Once the meat is browned, add the chili seasoning and the water.  Stir together and let simmer for a few minutes.  Add the honey and let simmer a few more minutes.  Add kidney beans, corn, and tomato sauce and stir together.  Add a little more water if it seems thick.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve and enjoy the awesomeness!  I sometimes even double the recipe and have leftovers or freeze the bulk for later.

Amazing Homemade Chili

Homemade Fish Sticks a.k.a. Breaded Tilapia

I was craving some sort of fish a few weeks back.  I wasn't in the mood for salmon or tuna but tilapia sounded perfect.  I like tilapia because it is light, not too fishy, and you can cook it a variety of ways.  I was feeling fancy that day so I decided to do my version of fish sticks which I adapted from my version of chicken parmigiana (hmmm.... sounds like I have an idea for a future post!).  I also had some green beans and potatoes lying around so I whipped up some side dishes to go along with my fish sticks.

What you'll need:

The yummy finished product!

- Tilapia filets (I found a deal on bulk tilapia so I cooked up A LOT! But, clearly, you just need what you plan on eating)
- whole-wheat bread crumbs
- whole-wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 3 containers long enough to fit your filets in
- glass casserole dish
- lemon juice
- olive oil

- potatoes, peeled and chopped into small squares
- green beans

optional: Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese to add to bread crumbs for flavor

Make it happen:
Before starting on the tilapia filets, wash, peel, slice and cube the potatoes. Then, place them in a skillet, sprinkle generously with olive oil and a pinch of salt and cook on the stove over medium for about 45 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.  Stir occasionally.

Let the green beans simmer with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt while you're baking the tilapia.

First, pour about 1/2 cup whole wheat flour into one of the containers and pour 1/2 cup breadcrumbs into another container (keep the flour and breadcrumbs handy in case you need to add more later on).  Then, crack your eggs into the last container and beat them until smooth.  Now, you're ready to bread your filets. 

The Breading Station

I've experimented with several different breading methods and looked at many different recipes and I have perfected a technique that works best for me and is great for double breading if you like a thick breaded crust on your fish or chicken (everyone has their own opinion and I refuse to say one way of baking is better than another).  First, roll the filet in the flour, then dip it in the egg, then roll it in the breadcrumbs. If you want to double bread the filets, dip it back in the egg and roll it in the breadcrumbs again.  Then, place the filets in the casserole dish sprayed with olive oil.  Repeat until all the filets are breaded.  Sprinkle a little lemon juice over the filets and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the breadcrumb coating becomes golden brown.

Serve it all up with your favorite fish condiment.  I like a dollop of cocktail sauce.  These are so yummy that my super picky 3 year old even ate them.  That's a successful meal in my book!

Know Your Weaknesses And Then Demolish Them

Part of the reason I do not mind aging is because you never stop learning and, therefore, you never stop bettering yourself.  I learn something new each day and I apply those lessons to my life so that I can be the best possible version of myself.  One of the greatest lessons that I have learned is to know what my weaknesses are.  When I know my weaknesses, I am able to formulate a game plan to overcome them.

Last winter, I discovered how much I enjoy hitting the gym first thing in the morning before heading to the office.  It was smooth sailing on 

My workout board and equipment

that routine for a year until I started my daughter in preschool.  That meant I would have to forgo my morning gym time on the days I had to take her school before heading to work.  The "old me" reaction would have been to not worry about it and work out whenever I felt like it which would have turned into never.  The "new awesome me" reaction was to opt for working out at home on those mornings and then research and devise several different workout routines and purchase a few pieces of equipment for those workouts.  Then, in the few weeks before my new schedule was to begin, I did several trial runs of my routines so that I could time them out and plan my mornings accordingly.  It is going on 3 months with this new schedule and my physique has not suffered even a little bit.  That was one of my biggest concerns going into this.  I have a huge disdain for working out at home, so I was afraid that the tone and definition that my dedication to my morning gym sessions had brought me would disappear once I took those a.m. sweat sessions home.  To the contrary, in fact.  Plus, it has opened up my mind up to the advantages of working out at home.  Though I will never completely dedicate my workouts to my living room, it is nice having another option for times when going to the gym is just not possible.  Weakness: Demolished.  Mission: Accomplished.

One of my favorite sayings is, "If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail."  The "new awesome me" refuses to accept failure as an option.  A little cocky sounding?  Sure.  Completely necessary for demolishing obstacles?  Most definitely.  You are the only one responsible for yourself and for your happiness.  You are worth the effort of ensuring your own success.

Derailments Happen: Deal With It And Get On With It.

Life is full of ups and downs.  That's a given and I know that's nothing new for you to hear.  But, slowly say it again and take it all in: life is full of ups and downs.  The beauty of that lies in the expected.  You know that something unexpected- good or bad- could come your way any moment.  Of course, it is almost never the unexpected good things that cause derailments.  For me, that could be something as simple as waking up in a bad mood and then spending the rest of the day trying to eat my way out of the bad mood.  Or it could be very expensive car problems that arise right on the cusp of the Christmas season.  No matter what your derailment is, knowing those things are a part of life makes it easier to face it and get on with it.  Because life goes on whether or not you're sitting around feeling sorry for yourself and avoiding your situation.

A while back, I decided to change my attitude about the unexpected ups and downs.  I decided that things happen regardless of how I choose to deal with them.  Since I have no control over what comes my way, I can at least control the most important aspect for my well-being: my own reaction.  I know that avoiding things will not make them go away and sitting around feeling sorry myself will not make things any better, therefore, I face whatever is in front of me head on and I say, "Bring it."  I don't care if I fall flat on my face because I know that I am the only one that can face my problems.  What I've learned from that is that tackling my problems is biggest part of the battle.  Once you open your mind to solving your problems, the solutions have an easier time getting through.  I'm sure most of this theory has to do with how keeping a positive attitude which makes it harder for the negativity to get in, but whatever the case may be, it works.

For your own health and well-being, when derailments happen, deal with it and get on with it.

Healthy Homemade Tacos

One of my favorite dishes to fix on a Sunday afternoon is my own variation of tacos because it's easy to whip up, we can get several meals out of it, and most importantly, it's yummy while still being healthy.  One serving of the taco meat comes out to 212 calories, 41 calories from fat, 16 grams of protein, and 27% of your daily recommended value of iron.

What you need:
1 lb ground turkey
1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning
3/4 cup brown rice
1 can corn
1 can black beans

your favorite multigrain tortilla chips
reduced fat Mexican style shredded cheese
your favorite salsa

Whip up the Tacos:
Let the brown rice start cooking before you get the meat going.  To save some time, I go ahead and add the brown rice to the water before it starts boiling.  Typically, a small serving of brown rice only needs about 15 minutes to cook so by the time you're ready to add it, it's ready.

In a large pot or sauce pan, brown the meat.  Then add the taco seasoning and a cup of water and mix into the meat.  Add the corn, black beans, and rice.  Mix together well making sure everything gets a good bath in the taco seasoning.

It's ready to serve.  Top with a sprinkle of cheese and a splash of salsa.  Sometimes, I like to crunch up the chips on top of the meat and make it like a taco salad.  Mostly, I like using the chips to scoop everything up.  You can't go wrong; it's yummy either way.  Delicious and nutritious!  Try it and let me know what you think or let me know of any variations you like.

It's Gotta Get Done and No One Else is Going To Do It

That is my daily mantra.  Whether I am writing out company Christmas cards on top of trying to get my own Christmas cards out, or trying to decorate thirty Elmo cupcakes and keep my 3 year old out of them until party time, or just getting done what a normal day consists of, I know that no one else is going to step in and be mommy for me or be wifey for me- that might get a little awkward if someone did- thus, it is up to me and only me to keep things running smoothly with the military precision I was raised on.

A day in the life of Mama Mutch

A few months ago, another parent gasped in horror upon finding out that I don't drink coffee.  "But you're a mom, how do you get up in the morning without coffee?"  I replied, "I just do."  It sounds so simple and it sounds like I'm making myself out to be a rockstar super mom but, trust me, I'm not.  There are the days that I wake up and I don't feel like jumping out of bed and starting on my to-do list or I don't hit the ground running to my morning workout before heading to the office and guess what?  All of that stuff is still sitting there waiting for me when I finally decide to get around to it.  So I learned long ago, but not that long because I'm only 27, that things have to get done and no one else is going to do it for me.