Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Hi Everyone,

I am in such a great mood!  I had a wonderful Fat Tuesday and let me tell you I feel fat, but full!  I started my day off with an e-mail from FoodBuzz, saying my Blueberry Lemon Pancakes made the top 9!  Woohoo!  I feel like I won the lottery!  That was a 2012 goal, and I did it!  Then I saw my Healthy Raisin Bread made the FoodBuzz featured recipes and they used my bread on the front page.  He he!  I am double excited!  This is one Fat Tuesday I’ll never forget.

Then it was my co-worker/friends birthday today so we went to lunch to a fabulous restaurant with the worse service ever.  I filled up on sweet potato fries and a big Asian Salad.  It was so good!  When I got home from work I got a coupon from Starbucks giving me a free Oatmeal.  Another bonus.  This is my day!!

Then for dinner I had leftover Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili which I used to make tacos. Oh so good!  I have had a great day!!  As I write this I am extremly full!!

This was the best Vegetarian Chili I ever had!  I made this Monday night since it was fend for yourself night, and my family is not a big Sweet Potato or Black Bean lovers, but I am.  I got this recipe from Joanne of Eats Well with Others.  She posted the recipe for the Chili back in December and I have had it on my mind ever since.  I am so glad I made it!  The flavor of this Chili is unbelievable.  It’s got a little spice to it, which I love.  I didn’t want to make it to spicy since my Hubby was going to have it with tacos and he is not a huge spice person.  Thats crazy, but true.  So I added a little Franks Hot Sauce to it to give it a little bit more of a kick.

I followed Joanne’s recipe pretty much to the “T” but I had to change it a little since I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand.  I also omitted the pomegranate juice since I wanted it super thick, with the intent to use it as my taco filling.  You should really check Joanne’s site out, she has healthy recipes and not so healthy recipes, a well-balanced blog!  I love her blog and look forward to reading it everyday!  So check it out and tell her I sent you!  🙂

On Fat Tuesday, since it was so nice out I went for a 3 mile jog, I felt so good when I was done, but dreading doing it.  My legs are actually sore.  I’ve been dealing with weight issues lately, and the guilt is kicking in.  I told myself if I gained 3lbs, I would start counting calories again and I am, but it doesn’t seem to help.  I don’t get it.  I’m staying within my range and exercising 5 days a week, and I have been pushing myself.  I don’t understand the whole weight loss thing.  If you eat over 3500 calorie beyond what you burn you gain a pound, but I have been sticking between 1400 – 1700 calories a day, plus working out and I’m gaining.    I’m averaging a pound a week in gain and now I am up about 7lbs.  I want to think I may be bloated, but I really don’t know.  I set myself up with new goals. My goal is to lose the 7lbs by July 1st.  that gives me a calorie range of 1500 – 1800 calories a day with an exercise burn of 283 calories 6 days a week.  This is how I plan on changing what I’m doing now.

• Do not eat after 6:00pm, no matter what, if I’m dying of hunger, eat vegetables
• Drink more water
• Work harder at Cardio
• Limit my carbs at night, eat them in the day
• Limit my bread intake to one bread meal a day, I used to do that and it worked
• Do 10 minutes of strength training every night before bed
• Cut back on my Greek Yogurt, I eat way to much of it and that is what has changed, so one yogurt meal or snack a day.
• Up my protein with eggs, cheese and chicken

So that’s what my plans are.  I don’t know if that will work, but it doesn’t hurt if I try.  I’ll do this for two weeks and see if I lose any weight.  If not, I’ll have to try something else.  I don’t want to spend my life counting calories, but I want to live a healthy journey.  Honestly, I am really happy with my life right now.  I am enjoying the cooking, blogging amongst other things, and I’m not over weight, but I have a fear that I will go back to where I was.  I may just have to except that I’m getting older, my body is changing and maybe eating more is what I need to stay healthy?  I’m never sick, I always have energy and I’m always happy, now to I just need to learn to be happy with myself.  Ok, enough weight talk, let’s get back to Joanne’s Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili – Eats Well with Others

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 sweet potato, cut into cubes (6.9 oz)

2 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen corn (I used Trader Joe’s Fire roasted Corn)

1.75 cups cooked Black Beans

2 tsp cumin

2 tbsp chipotle chili powder

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Directions:

In a large pot, cook the onions with the oil for about 5 minutes or until translucent and soft. Add the red bell pepper. Saute for 5 minutes or until soft. Add in the garlic and saute for one minute.
Mix in the sweet potato, tomatoes, frozen corn and black beans. Add in the cumin, and chili powder. Saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in the cilantro. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 25 minutes or until sweet potato chunks are tender.

Makes –  Six 1 cup servings

Calories per Serving:  186,  Fat:  2.5,  Cholesterol:  0,  Sodium:  287,  Potassium:  172,  Carbs:  33,  Fiber:  6.9,  Sugar:  7.9,  Protein:  6.6

I did change the recipe a pinch, but not much, so check out Eats Well with Others for the original recipe.

I wanted to give a thank you to Big Fat Baker for the yesterday’s Holiday Recipe Blog Hop. I had so much fun creating my dish.  I love these hops because I step out of the box, learn about new foods and have fun making new creations.  I am looking forward to the next blog hop.  My guess it will be for Easter, which is coming up fast!  I can’t wait!!

Time to update my recipe page and then catch up on some magazine reading, then off to bed.  Need to occupy myself, no eating!!  I hope everyone has a great day!!!