#14/100 - I told you I'm bad at this.

Life has been handing me a lot of hot plates lately and I've recently let them all tumble down around me. As I wind down from a fun Thanksgiving with my many families I have a moment to just sit down a breathe.

Work has been harder lately. I'm going through a phase right now where I just don't feel in sync with the rest of the team. It's been quite the struggle since the communication is lacking. It's hard working with people when you don't feel like you're on the same page.

I'm sort of in a cooking rut. I can't decide if the fact that the sun goes down at 4:30pm and it makes me feel rushed to do everything I need to do after work so cooking is just stressful. Or, if I'm just tired of thinking up menus and going grocery shopping so all I want to do it order pizza, Thai and eat spaghetti. It's just so much easier.

I'm burnt out on marathon training. I wanted to train for a Spring marathon, but now I'm just really not feeling like trying this during winter. It's only November and it's already so cold outside. Last year was a struggle and these low temps aren't helping. If I can just focus on exercising for at least a half hour every day and maintain my fitness levels then I'll be happy. I'm thinking about doing an 8 week run streak challenge but I can't start it the first of December because that week is going to be insane. I'm also thinking about doing a half marathon challenge in Spring/Summer, but my local race calendar hasn't updated yet so it's hard to get motivated at the moment. Remaining idle is hard for me.

All in all, I just haven't felt like myself. I need to work on a few things. So, because making lists helps me relieve stress, here are my goals for the end of the year:

1. Remain level-headed at work. Remember to take one day at a time, one task at a time.
2. Work on some short term fitness goals until I have a more long term goal in mind. Think outside of the box and do something that is more fun than work.
3. Continue to scour Pinterest for new meal ideas. Cook something new at least once a week.
4. Remember that not all goals you set for yourself are the right goals. Adjust, but don't panic!

Alright, I promise to keep updating this thing. I've got a crap ton of days left and I'm not going to let a month fly by without update.

#13/100 - There's no wrong way to make chili

Whoops, it was a super busy week and I've been uncreative. But I'm back, and it's a freezing cold, windy day. I'm taking most of the day to rest my body as I am tackling a 50k trail run tomorrow and I want to be as rested and fresh as possible.

That being said, I also have an unnaturally fast draining set of sinuses and a sore throat as a result. Healing today is a must.

Now, if you're a lover of Fall and an avid cook like I am, I'm sure you've made several varieties of chili with lots of trial and error. The mathematics of chili is simple; tomatoes and tomato sauce, beans, onion, chili powder. Oh yeah, I'm a vegetarian. So for those of you who aren't, I guess some sort of ground or shredded mammal.

Some of you add jalapenos. Some of you swear by adding beer to the broth. I've even seen BBQ sauce tossed into the mix. Either way, we all have our methods of chili preparation. I love trying new ideas and ingredients, but some days I just want to toss some ingredients into a slow cooker and call it a day.

Rachael's No Fuss Always Pleasing Chili

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 16 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 4.5 oz can diced green chilies
• 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can red chili beans in chili sauce, undrained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 12 oz light beer, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Old Style Lite, etc.
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional toppings

• chopped cilantro
• diced red onions
• shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Brown onion in a small skillet over medium high
2. Transfer to slow cooker and add tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies, beans, corn, beer, chili powder and apple cider vinegar. Salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well.
3. Cook on low for up to 8 hours.
4. Top with chopped cilantro, diced red onions and shredded cheese.

*Note: I'm making this today so I'll be back later with some pics!
**Edit: It's about an hour and fifteen minutes from being done, and it smells really, really good!