Add some Spice.....Spicy Chili Recipe (Crockpot Style)

Well I am certainly not the greatest in the kitchen. I don't think I've ever made anything that A wasn't willing to eat, but there have been a couple of borderline meals when we first got married. Then about a year or two ago I tried out a crockpot. Several people had mentioned how easy they were to me when you are both out for the day and how they don't take a ton of prep time usually.

So I grabbed a little magazine style crockpot recipe book from the grocery store and threw the ingredients in to give it a try. You guys, I never looked back. 

In winter, I think I use that thing at least once a week if not more. And actually I just bought a 2nd one because I'm tired of waiting for us to transfer the contents and having to wash it thoroughly before I can use it again (Target has them for $20 + free shipping if you use your target redcard). I feel like I'm cheating every time I cook, which is awesome as I love having food that is made from scratch that tastes good. But I am not one of those types that finds cooking relaxing. I tend to spend a few hours on monday making meals for the entire week and then relaxing and enjoying them knowing I don't have to cook again for a whole week. 
(Yes, I am a meal planner complete with a little whiteboard)


So here's a little treat. I love this chili recipe in the winter. It is a little spicy, I adapted one of our other recipes & am not sure where I originally found it (oops!). 

1 lb ground beef
3 cans diced tomatoes (undrained) 
1 can Rotel
1 can pinto beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can black beans
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1. Brown beef in pan and drain off the grease. (You can add some onion in there too, I left it out as hubby isn't a huge fan)
2. Drain all the beans and add all ingredients to crock pot.
3. Cook high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
4. Serve with cornbread or Ritz crackers, shredded sharp cheddar, or even sour cream if you like. 


Then enjoy an amazingly tasty meal & have your house smelling wonderful by the time 6pm rolls around. Win Win! 
What are your favorite crockpot meals???? I have SO many favorites! 

Girl Behind The Blog - Your Inner Foodie

I'm super excited about these two sweet friends joining forces for this month's girl behind the blog linkup.

I had the privilege and I totally mean privilege of meeting both Chelsea and Ashley at the Influence Conference last year. 

They are both just some of the sweetest girls you will ever meet. 

I had tons of fun hanging around both of them. 

photo credit: 5ohwifey

So they are doing a VLOG linkup about food this month. 

So anyway I won't spoil anymore except to go ahead and let you watch the video.

Be sure to head over to their blogs and check out some of the other videos.

This linkup is how I made some amazing friends in this blogging community.

The Girl Behind The Blog- Your Inner Foodie

Time limit: Vlogs should be 2-3 minutes long

Do you have a food philosophy? (gluten free, vegan, whole foods, whatever is easiest, kid friendly,etc)

If you could only have two foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Do you have a favorite food blogger or place for inspiration?

Share a favorite recipe or link with us!

Smitten Kitchen: Link to amazing cake I talked about.

Resurrection rolls recipe I plan on trying this weekend.

Love you guys! Be sure to check out some of the other videos! 

Such a great community on this linkup.

Receipe: Mango Salsa

{Via}

Since its coming to the end of the summer, I didn't want you guys to miss out 

on this awesome receipe.

I'm a huge fan of salsa and mexican food in general....

but as mangos will only be in season for a little bit longer, this one is a must currently.

(Also Qdoba have the mango salad right now which is AMAZING....if you live in the states, 
you really should go try their salad....no really!)

So here is my adapted version of a mango salsa receipe.

Fresh Mango Salsa 

2 mangoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, diced (peeled if you want)
1 red bell pepper
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
a pinch or two of salt

Dice the mangos, cucumber, pepper, onion and place into tall Tupperware.

The add cilantro, lime juice, sugar and salt.

Put the lid on the container and shake well.

Serve with favorite salted chips.

(I added too much sugar without meaning too and actually....it turned out really well.

Especially since the mangos weren't quite as sweet as they could be)

They also have strawberries added to some of the receipes on Pinterest.
They look really yummy!


Much Love,
L

25lbs of WOW.

Berry picking in this country brings me so much joy. Well I should add fruit picking since

I also love the apple picking in the Fall.

It's the first time I have lived in a country where you could actually pick so many

different types. Can you pick potatoes in England? (Not that I ever did! lol)

So this past week I went with my mother-in-law and younger sister-in-laws to the berry farm

where we headed back to the patch labelled wow. 

And WOW.

Yes....berries everywhere you look. Just falling into your hands in bunches.

We had so much fun standing around for a few hours picking those berries.

And now of course they are in the house in abundance.

So I want to hear your favorite blueberry recipes.

(I have frozen a ton of the lbs of berries so they don't go bad)

But since we have them in abundance, I would love to try some of your favorite recipes.

So please share away in the comments.

How are you guys enjoying your summer?

Much Love,

L