An Easy and Delicious Chili Recipe

image: source

I always look forward to making the first batch of chili in the fall. It is the ultimate comfort food! This recipe is orginally derived from this one and has been altered a bit (I add a jar of salsa instead of adding chopped onions and canned tomatoes) to be even easier to throw together. I like this chili because it has a milder/sweeter taste and you can add more chili powder or jalapenos to add heat. 

What you will need:

* about 1 - 1.5 lbs of ground beef (can substitute with ground turkey)
* 1 family size can of Campbell's condensed tomato soup
* 1 jar of mild or medium chunky salsa (I always use this one)
* 1 can of kidney beans (about 15 oz)
* 2 tbs chili powder (more or less to taste)
* 1 tbs garlic powder (or can add fresh minced garlic)
* 2 tsps ground cumin

optional: extra chopped onion and or chopped jalapeños. We always add a few chopped jalapeños for a bit more heat.

Directions:

Cook the beef in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat.  Pour off any fat.

Stir the cooked beef and the rest of the ingredients together in a slow cooker.

Cook on low for 8 - 9 hours.

I have also made this in a big pot without the crock pot and just brought it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 20 minutes or so. It's just so much better when you let it cook in the crock pot all day! And the smell in the house is amazing! 

Don't forget to add your favorite chili toppings. Mine are shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and Frito's corn chips!

Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite go-to fall meals?

Quick Weekend Recap

I'm officially in love with cozy, lazy fall weekends with our little family.

Friday night I made a big pot of easy and delicious chili (recipe post coming tomorrow) for dinner. We were in our PJs by 8pm and watching Dateline like old people by 9 and in bed by 10pm. We are super exciting, I know!

Saturday was so cold and rainy. I had plans to maybe take Cam to a pumpkin/apple farm, but we decided to stay in our PJs all day, eat left over chili and watch football. I did, however, get a 5 mile run in Saturday morning at the gym. I can at least say I got out of the house!

Sunday we had a nice little family brunch at Scrambler Marie's and then we all headed to the grocery store for a little meal planning for the week. Our local store actually had a pretty decent display of pumpkins in the front so I thought, what a great photo op for our little pumpkin!
Sunday afternoon was spent at a friends house for a baby playdate. There were 5 babies (Cam was the 'oldest' baby) and 3 toddlers (triplets)! It was so fun to see how Cam interacted with the other babes. He is such an observer! I'm hoping to schedule more playdates in the future and can not wait for all these babes to be buddies when they get older!

Alas, there were no mums or pumpkins purchased for our front porch. This needs to happen this week! I'm craving more fall decor in my life!

How was your weekend?

Happy October + IG round up


Happy October, friends!
Wow, September went by quickly!

I am so excited for this time of year. It is the beginning of holiday season! So many fun things to look forward to over the next few months with this cute little pumpkin... Halloween, his FIRST BIRTHDAY, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (throw in our anniversary and my birthday somewhere in there...)!

It was definitely a busy week, but I was able to snap a few photos for social media's sake. Here's a little round up of my IG posts:

Links to outfit items here:



*I've made a pact with myself that I must get dressed (as in no yoga pants) at least on the days that I work from home. I will try my best to post my #ootd's every week!

 I know I know, the baby eating baby food photos are not my favorite either, but how can you not love that smile?! He loves yogurt mixed with fruit and we also tried mashed potatoes this week!

Did a little fall and winter shopping for Cam at Carter's and Old Navy this week! Both stores are having awesome sales!

Finally, the chubbiest little skeleton I've ever seen... #allthehearteyes! Can't believe my little pumpkin is getting so big! (skeleton one-piece from Old Navy)

Finally, a few random tid bits for you:

1 - Tory Burch is hosting their Fall Event sale now through October 5th! You can save up to 30% off your order! Go get those riding boots and that perfect leather tote you've always wanted! I am very tempted...

2 - We finally took our family photos last night and I'm so excited to see the final edits! I might be stalking our photographer for the next week or so :) Can't wait to share!

3 - On the agenda for this weekend: Get mums for our porch, watch football, take Cam to a pumpkin farm or apple picking or both.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!