Hey there.

I don’t have much to share today. I have been feeling like crap, so a lot of moping and napping and complaining to the dog.

I DO have a recipe to share, though. Yesterday, I made crock pot turkey pumpkin chili. It was pretty good, but maybe a little on the bland side. I’ll share the recipe anyways.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

What you’ll need:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 diced red pepper
• 1/2 diced green pepper
• 1/2 diced onion
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 can (16 oz or so) beans- I used a 6 bean blend, but you can choose black, kidney, navy, etc….
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with chilis
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 cup stock (I had chicken on hand. I used this because it was a little thick)
• salt
• pepper

What to do:

1. Brown the ground turkey in a skillet.

2. Throw everything in the crock pot.

3. Eat.

Honest to God, I don’t think it could get any easier. I topped my bowl with a bit of shredded cheddar- it was a nice compliment once it was stirred into the chili.

Since I was feeling super crappy, I decided not to head to the gym. But, being the fitness junkie that I am, I couldn’t NOT do anything (especially since it wasn’t my designated day off- I know, I know “listen to your body” and all that crap, but I wasn’t dying, I just wasn’t feeling like the normal stellar Jen.) I decided to get in some strength at home. In my pajamas. This is what I managed to get done:

• 2 sets of 12 squat presses
• 100 pushups
• 50 leg lifts
• 3 rounds of an arm series (12 reps of each move: bicep curl, hammer curl, overhead press)
• 3 rounds of gliding lunge series (10 reverse lunges and 10 side lunges- each side)
• 3 sets of 10 overhead reach presses on each side (holding weight in right hand , right foot crossed over left, perform an overhead press, reaching the weight directly up and over your head to the left. You’ll feel this in your obliques)
• 3 sets of 10 deadlifts on each leg
• 3 mile walk with the dog
• 100 stability ball sit ups
• 100 crunches

I actually broke a sweat getting this done because I limited my rest periods (felt that was necessary since I was not doing any cardio)

Ramblings:

-I reintroduced carrots back into my life. Totally forgot about those suckers. They’re pretty good.

-I thought people in the states were rude, but boy, the people here are way worse (at least the ones I have come across). I have been shoved out of the way. People have cut me in line. They do not say ‘excuse me’ to anything. Ever. It sound like an irrational complaint, but dude.

– Except for the cashier at Wal-Mart yesterday (of all places). He was super nice.

– I saw another celebrity look-a-like at the gym Tuesday. This time it was Guiliana Rancic. I have also seen every Canadian twin of my Boston gym friends at the gym here. I think I am just having withdrawals. Haha ok, so my Boston gym friends will get a kick out of this: You know how I don’t go to group ex classes here? Well, a prime example: I walked past the studio on my way to the equipment the other day, and the girl was leading them in heel taps on the 4-count. It was NOT a senior class. Ugh, so sad.

-The lock on your garage door is backwards. I feel like an idiot every time I try to use it.

– I have a recurring dream of going back to the all-girls high school I went to in CA for my freshman and sophomore year. I often wonder how different my life would be if we never moved to NY. My first thought is always about how much fatter I’d probably be.

– Mint M&Ms. Buy them.

– I always dance to the intro music of The Mindy Project. It’s my favorite. Plus, I think Mindy and I would be really good friends.

-Ah, friends. I miss them. And home. And Target.