I'm Back!!! And bringing you an awesome, HEARTY CHICKEN QUINOA CHILI

Here's the intro. Scroll down if you wanna skip to the good stuff. Stop scrolling when you get to the picture of the wine--RESPECT! 

My apologies for not posting in quite some time. I've been doing back-to-back marathons and wanted to take some time off. I wrapped up 2013 with completing 9 marathons! The best part was the time off, actually. Any I'm back to training again ...

I haven't signed up just yet as I am still researching in which triathlon I want to compete and which distance, so stay tuned on that front. Tonight, however, I officially started my training and ran 17 miles on the dreadmill at the gym in 2 solid hours. It's too cold to run outside and I don't fancy slipping on snow or ice! Call me a wuss if you want.

 To reward myself, I started with a glass of red to set the mood.

Then these ingredients:

(1) Can Rinsed/Drained Black Beans
(1) Can Rinsed/Drained Kidney Beans
(2) Cans Diced Tomatoes (DO NOT DRAIN!)
(1) Can Tomato Sauce
(1) Diced Large Red Bell Pepper
(1) Diced Medium Onion
(3) Diced Carrots
(1) Cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables (or whatever you have in your freezer)
(3-4) Diced Sweet Peppers--optional
(To Taste) Onion Powder
(To Taste) Cumin
(To Taste) Red Cayenne Pepper Powder
(To Taste) Chili Powder
(1) Cup Cooked Quinoa
(1) Pound of Ground Chicken
(To Taste) As much Cilantro as you like--I like to use a lot!

 Then you dump and mix (careful....the pot will be nearly full) the following into a large pot and place on medium-low heat: Beans, Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Red Bell Pepper, Onion, Carrots, Mixed Vegetables, Sweet Peppers, Spices, Cooked Quinoa

**REMINDER: Reward yourself along the way for all the dicing, can opening and spicing...TAKE A SIP!!**






















While the above is warming, cook the chicken in a skillet with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Season to taste. Then dump that in to the large pot with the other ingredients. Take a whiff of the goodness you're creating, too! And then take another sip.

You'd want to reduce the heat a bit and simmer everything for about 20 mins to let the ingredients "talk" to each other.

Add the Cilantro (as much as you like) when serving. You can also include a spoonful of Plain Greek Yogurt (the perfect Sour Cream substitute!) to add a bit of zing.

 Enjoy!

 ### JB2 ###