Month: February 2018

Pressing Pause

~ Mama On A Run ~ 1 Comment

Our social calendar has been a whirlwind of activities the past couple of weeks. Play dates, family visiting from out of state, birthday parties…plus our weekly commitments which occupy two of our nights and two mornings. Every. Week.

Monday night as I tried to soothe my overtired baby to sleep, I realized I was not okay. If I continued at this pace, my family and myself would quickly reach a breaking point. I was reminded of the book, Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud. If you haven’t read that one yet, Mama, I highly encourage you to do so!

So, I am pressing pause.

Two days a week will be “at home” where I and the kiddos don’t have to rush to bring Daddy to work in the morning, jam pack our day to run errands and play with friends, and pick him up in the evening.

Yesterday was one of those days.

It wasn’t anything spectacular.

I didn’t cross many things off my to do list.

The day didn’t include tantrums.

It didn’t include a fancy home made dinner.

It did include pajama wearing most of the day and snuggle time on the couch while reading books.

It did include my son entertaining himself at different points during the day.

It did include my 8 month old taking a 2 hour nap.

It was more peaceful. More intentional. It was much needed.

What areas of your life do you need to press pause, Mama?

Sweet Potato Chili

~ Mama On A Run ~ 1 Comment

Super Bowl Sunday has always been more about the food and friends than the football. Well, at least for this Mama!

Chili has appeared on the table this particular Sunday year after year for as long as I can remember. When I became vegetarian, I was introduced to sweet potato chili by my friend, Sember. A big shout out to her as her original recipe has been tweaked over the years. I hope you enjoy this, Mamas! Whether for this weekend or any other night that a one-pot-meal is needed!

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Sweet Potato Chili Recipe

Servings: 8        Prep Time: 15 minutes        Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • 4 large garlic cloves minced
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 1 bell pepper diced
  • 2 large sweet potatoes diced
  • 4 cans of kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 large can of diced tomatoes 28 oz.
  • 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes 28 oz.

For the spices. I come from an Italian family where there are no measurements, you simply taste as you go. These are the spices we use in order of the most to least.

Spices:

  • Chili powder (use generously)
  • Garlic salt
  • Black pepper
  • Sea salt
  • Cumin
  • Oregno (a dash)APC_0035.jpeg

Directions:

  1. Dice veggies and mince the garlic.
  2. In a large pot, lightly coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Add in the garlic, onions, and pepper and saute for a few minutes until the onions are translucent on medium high, stirring frequently.
  3. Add in the diced sweet potatoes, and stir frequently for about 5 minutes.*
  4. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and add to the pot.**
  5. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes.
  6. Stir everything in, mixing it well together.
  7. Add some spices.
  8. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on medium high for about 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.
  9. Taste test and add more spices if needed.
  10. Serve, add toppings of your choice, and enjoy!***

What I love about this recipe, is it’s so versatile! My sister is a meat lover, so she adds ground turkey after cooking it in a pan. My family enjoys cheese and sour cream, so they dollop it on top of their chili. I personally love to put some quinoa as a base, and then put my chili on top. This is a fun recipe to be creative with!

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What are your favorite Super Bowl recipes, Mama?

*The smaller you dice the sweet potatoes, the quicker they will cook.

**I’ve found that rinsing my beans in a collider removes not only the liquid from the can, but also some of the sodium.

***We love to put a heaping spoonful of guac on top and sometimes use chips to scoop up this yumminess.

P.S. Photo credit and thank you to my Babes!