Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I've got a great fall recipe to share today - Turkey Black Bean Chili!  Before I share I'll talk about my weekend a bit (because I know everyone just cares so much ;].) It was low key over here. After a month as busy as October it felt GREAT to relax and reset a bit. I taught my super circuits class on Saturday at Sweat Fitness in Old City - missed that class so much because I haven't been able to teach for the past two weekends! I will share a similar workout here in the next week. The rest of Saturday consisted of some Trader Joe's shopping, chili-making & a whole lot of chillin'. 

Yesterday was the first Sunday since the end of August that I didn't have a long run on my schedule and it felt AMAZING. I slept in (until 7:30...) and then Michael and I grabbed coffee and a rugelach from High Point Cafe before coming back to make pancakes. I took advantage of my time and headed to the gym for a long workout. I didn't have a plan, I don't really remember what I did, but it felt so good to move my body and not have to be in a rush to go anywhere! Ah, Sunday's I love you. 

Getting on to the fun stuff. This chili recipe is real easy to make. I don't like to do complicated. It's got a lot of hearty protein & fiber and it's very delicious. A little fiesta for your taste buds.

My favorite part about chilis like this is that there are a lot of ways that you can dress them up. I have the dish pictured here with cheddar cheese and cilantro, but later on I added greek yogurt, avocado and hot sauce. SO good. Give it a try! So excited to eat the leftovers for lunch in my very 'chilly' office. 

[yumprint-recipe id='5']

I have a delicious and easy recipe to share. Stuffed peppers never disappoint, am I right? Especially these Cheesy Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers. Mmmmmm.

How's everyone's week going? Over here it's been crazy busy, which is a great thing, it just leaves me a little less time to focus on my blog. Over the weekend I went to DC and Virginia to visit with Michael's family and it was such a nice little get away! It's so comforting to hangout with family that feels like my own away from home. The weekend involved a lot of down time, some mini golf, GREAT food and even better company. Plus that AMAZING Gator win over Tennessee. That was awesome. I didn't want to have my phone out snapping pics all weekend so I have nothing to show you there. 

On another note...tomorrow is OCTOBER. HOW?! I'm so excited for the weather to start cooling down! There's lots to look forward to for the rest of this year and so much just in this month. All but just one weekend in October is already dedicated to friends and travel! Gotta love that. The last weekend in October is the Philly Rock 'n' Roll half marathon...only four weeks away! Let's pray for zero annoying minor injuries in these next few weeks...

Anyway, on to the recipe  :) 

[yumprint-recipe id='2']XO-Rach

Let's chat: 

Do you have any travel or visits planned for the next couple months?

This was only the second time that I've made risotto in my life. I'm not going to lie, it's kind of a pain in the ass. It's definitely easy to make, it just takes a while. But it's SO worth it. You'll feel fancy when you eat it, I promise. Once you learn the process, it's the exact same every time. The only thing that changes are the flavors or the add ins that you want to include. This time, I made it with onion, garlic, mushrooms and a bit of spinach for some pop of color. My favorite part about making this dish is that it tastes like there's a million pounds of butter in it. I didn't use one hint of butter. WIN!

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 1/2 cups of risotto (arborio rice)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 1 lb mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 4 thin sliced chicken breasts
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4-1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (more or less depending on your preference. I used about 1/3 cup)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Fresh lemon to taste

Here's what to do: 

• Chop everything first to get that out of the way!
• Heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil in a LARGE saucepan on medium heat
• Add in mushrooms, onions and garlic
• Sautee until onions are just about transluscent
• Add in rice and stir to coat with olive oil. Let it cook until it has a golden color and looks a little translucent
• Add in the white wine and stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed
• Here comes the pain in the ass part: add in chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time. Once your 1/2 cup is dissolved, add the next 1/2 cup and repeat until the full 6 cups are absorbed. Keep stirring throughout.
• While the rice is cooking, heat a medium pan with cooking spray on medium heat.
• Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook about 3 minutes on each side.
• Once the chicken stock is absorbed in the rice, turn off the heat, add in chopped spinach and parmesan.
• Now you're ready to eat! I squeezed a bit of lemon on top of mine for some freshness.

Enjoy!

- Rach