Leftover Chili Dinner & My Favorite Mug

I made a TON of chili a few weeks ago.  I had a bunch of ingredients that were about to go bad (beans, tomatoes, etc.), and I realized - I can throw together a batch of "whatever I've got in the fridge chili!"  And it was pretty awesome.

I put half of it in the freezer, and I've been thawing it out and having it periodically for the past month or so.  It's SOOO GOOD.

I wish I could remember how I made it, but I can't.

I CAN however remember how I ate some of the leftovers!
I didn't have enough to make 2 whole bowls (I wanted to make it last for 2 more dinners), and I wanted to get my greens in there too.  So I decided to heat up my leftover chili, and dump it over a bed of arugula and warm brown rice.

But it was missing something.  Something creamy and delicious to top it off just right.

A fried egg!  YES!

Oh man, this is my new favorite dinner.  WAY yummy, and surprisingly healthy to boot!  You could make this with any leftover chunky chili, soup or sauce.  So easy!

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On another note, how's this for a great way to start your morning?

It's by far my favorite mug 'cause it cracks me up every time.
Wanna buy one for yourself?  Click here!*

*Note: You may need to change the Content Filter to see all the products listed (including the Asshat mug). There’s a little tabby thing on the left. Just change the filer from SAFE to OFF (you'll need to enter your birthdate). :)  You're welcome!

A Morning at home

Lately I've been trying to get up early, and enjoy some morning time at home!

I love the way the light comes streaming through my kitchen window every day... it always helps wake me up!

Today I got up at 5:30am and went for a walk.  I really wish I could do that every day!  It was so quiet outside (at least for downtown Denver), the birds were singing, and it was still cool outside - even though we're supposed to hit 94 degrees out there today.  When I got to the park, the sunlight was still filtering through the trees... it was just gorgeous.

Afterwards I made some breakfast, got my things together (which means just dumping out my purse everywhere and reassembling), and left.  But I love those quiet mornings sometimes!

What is your routine like in the mornings?  Do you like to sleep in / get up early?
I do love having a sleep-in day every now & then, but boy, getting up early definitely has it's benefits too!

Teacup / Coffee Cup

Not much to post today - I'm at a coffee shop gettin' caught up on the internets. :)  

It snowed in Denver last night, and everything is covered in a beautiful white blanket.  I was worried that my new apartment would be terribly cold since it's such an old house, but it's cozy and warm and wonderful!  

Now I'm enjoying a cup of joe & bloggin'.  One of my favorite boards to post to on Pinterest is Coffee Tea Cups & Mugs.  It's kind of silly, but I just love pictures of these things!  I seriously have a mug-purchasing problem too.  I don't know why mugs are such a comforting thing to me, but they just are! 

Today I have a day off from work (yay!), so my mom and I are going to hang out & spend some time together.  I'm lookin' forward to it!
Hope you all have a super duper Tuesday! 

All images via Pinterest. 

New Living Room Arrangement - With room for PIANO!

On my day off this week, I decided to rearrange our living room to fit our new-ish upright piano that's coming in just a few days!!

I'm SO DARN EXCITED!  I rented a bunch of books from the library (piano for beginners, Piano for Dummies), so that I would be ready to get started when we finally got it.

I kind of like my little book nook on the side now too.  I still have my office in the back room, but I just love the light out here - and it's nice being close to the kitchen in the morning so that I can make breakfast and blog / pin / Facebook at the same time.  You know, really important work stuff. :)

We got a bunch of Honeycrisp apples at the last farmer's market, and man, that was all I wanted for breakfast that day.  I had some peanut butter with it for protein, and a cup of coffee (that I really don't have that often, even though I've been Barista-ing at work)!  It was delicious, and filled me up just right. 

Fudge has a new favorite place to sit too (he's sitting there right now as I'm typing this in fact).  I think he just loves that he can be close to someone AND look out the window if he wants to!  

And man, those bookshelves were dirty.  It was good to go through everything and clean up during the process as well - there were a lot of books / movies I was hanging on to for no particular reason.  Oh how easily our lives get cluttered.

Pics of the piano to come soon!  I can't wait!

Yoga Beautiful

I came across this video a while ago, and I finally found it again.  It's so beautiful!



Isn't it amazing what our bodies can do with training?
I think that our bodies are so beautiful when they are strong - inside and out.  Not thin.... STRONG. :) 

Kendra and I were going to a free yoga class once a week at a local college, but unfortunately they just ended due to summer break (doggone it)!  I guess we'll have to figure out another way to mooch free yoga classes now, huh?  Haha!

Of course we aren't anywhere close to where this girl is (shoot, I can barely do a headstand, let alone a handstand), but it's nice to dream isn't it?  :) 

My own beautiful breakfast (and the Joy of Books!)

This morning it was snowy and cold here in Denver, but somehow Stacey & I managed to get up and go for a jog!  It was actually so beautiful and quiet out at 6am - the snow was falling in big fat flakes, and there was no one around.  It was so peaceful!  We tried out our Yak Trax for the first time (the little strappy things you put over your shoes so that you don't slip), and they worked amazingly.  I guess now we have no excuse to miss running when it's snowing now huh?  Haha! 

After being inspired by the photographs from yesterday, I snapped some pictures of my breakfast this morning.  I had oatmeal with almond milk, blueberries, and a little bit of honey (and a sprinkling of coconut).  And of course a cup of steaming hot green tea!
 

I made the mistake of putting a little bit of blackstrap molasses on top of my oatmeal too, and spent some time trying to scoop it off.  Not the best taste in the world, but it's a great source of iron.  It tasted pretty awful on my oatmeal though!

This is the snow we woke up to this morning!  Yesterday it had to have been about 60 degrees, and now it's a winter wonderland!  That's what it's like living in Colorado, that's for sure.  It's supposed to warm up again by this weekend, so I'm hoping that the snow will be melted so that I can go outside & skate around!  Ha!

And check it out!! I even had time to work on some Sudoku puzzles this morning.  I realized that I already had lunch from yesterday at work (my dad took me out for a salad instead), so I had some time to myself.  Pretty rad!  

I remembered I got some pretty awesome pictures of our morning-after-new-year's celebration as well.  John & I were up in Breckenridge with our friends Bill & Geneva.  After a night of partying, we woke up late to a beautiful sunny day.  We walked down to a little breakfast place and got some delicious breakfast burritos, and coffee.  It was lovely!  

"Uhm, excuse me?  I believe I ordered the LARGE cappuccino?  Holy cow.  Look at the size of this thing!  It's like Campbell's Cup o'ccino!"  If you don't know what that's from, please go out & rent So I Married an Axe Murderer right now.  You will thank me for it!

Awww... John's all tuckered out!  Haha!  That's his hungover face.

 

I think the above photo is one of my new favorites.  Just a great moment, and I love the lighting!  :)  

On a completely different note, I just watched a video that my friend Denny posted on Facebook, called "The Joy of Books".  It's just wonderful! 

Honestly, I'm a bit sad about the booming Nooks and Kindles out there.  Sure they're ridiculously convenient, but there is something about holding a REAL book, turning a page, smelling the paper - it's just wonderful.  I hope that the world can still appreciate books even with the new technologies out there! 

Anyway - on to the snowy day!  Hope yours is a great one!

Breakfast is Beautiful

I think mornings are my most favorite part of the day.  You're just beginning new again, the sun is coming up, you're rubbing the sleep from your eyes & stretching, you have no idea what today will bring, and you get to enjoy the first meal of the day.

I love breakfast foods.  LOVE them.  I love eggs over-easy, eggs benedict.  I love tofu scrambles with lots of vegetables.  I love toast with fresh strawberries, and a cup of tea.  I love a steaming hot cup of coffee with an english muffin.  I love pancakes & waffles with fresh fruit.  I love a traditional English breakfast (vegetarian-style), with baked beans, toast, and fake sausage links.

I love waking up after a good night of sleep, early enough to prepare myself for the day.  I love hearing the birds sing, seeing low beams of sunlight stream through the window.  I love a warm shower and putting on my fuzzy slippers to shuffle into the kitchen and make myself a freshly-squeezed juice.  I love seeing the darkness turn into light.

I have really been digging all of the breakfast photography that I've been seeing lately too!  I think since I've been cooking more, I've been appreciating food photography a lot - but the breakfast ones really stand out to me.  I think it's the lighting that does it - it reminds me of all of those feelings that I have when I'm starting the day!

I actually wish that I could get myself up even earlier than I usually do to enjoy a leisurely breakfast.  What's funny though is that most days of the week I'm up about 3-hours before I need to leave the house so that I can workout, have a shower, make & eat my breakfast, and make & pack my lunch for work (then clean everything up) - without having to rush.

The only thing that would make it better is if I had enough time to sit down and read some of my book while enjoying breakfast, or work on a crossword puzzle / sudoku puzzle or something!  :)

Sometimes something as simple as a cup of tea with toast & jelly really hits the spot!

When I was doing my search for the above images (all found on www.weheartit.com - of course!), a lot of pictures came up for one of my most favorite movies of all time - Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring the wonderfully elegant Audrey Hepburn.

I almost forgot how much I love this movie, and I'm going to have to watch it again soon!  I absolutely love the character of Holly Golightly - she's strange, and loveable, and so scared of falling in love.  I think one of my favorite lines comes near the end of the movie... the whole time she's calling (the love interest) Fred, because she says "you remind me of my brother, Fred.  May I call you Fred?" - even though his name is Paul.  At the end of the film, he's had enough.  "My name is not, nor has it ever been Fred!  My name is Paul!  Paul Varjack, and I love you!"

Sigh, love it!

Wake up, Miss Golightly!  Time for breakfast!  :)  Oh, how I adore that eyemask.  Absolutely hilarious.

If you're into breakfast time as much as I am, I encourage you to check out the blog Simply Breakfast.  She takes beautiful photographs of her morning-time meals, and I just love looking at them every day!  Here are a couple of them just to give you an idea...

Her lighting and compositions are just lovely, and I get some great ideas of new recipes to make from her pictures!

If you're the type of person that always wakes up late, and is rushing out the door for work - I encourage you to try and take a little more time for yourself.  It's so wonderful to start your day relaxed and to have the time to mentally and physically prepare for whatever your day may bring.

Happy mornings to you! :)