Slow Cooker Chili

Now that fall is near, and cool weather is creeping up on us, I decided to make some chili!

To make this chili, you will need the following:

ground beef and/or turkey (this half of a Costco sized beef) browned

1 can brown beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans or other beans of choice

1 onion diced

banana peppers to taste

celery chopped

garlic to taste (optional)

chili powder to taste

Now, I know this is not the best recipe ever in regards to measurements, but usually when I make chili, I just put stuff in until I think it's enough or until the crockpot is full...

But, put all the above ingredients in your crockpot, set to low for 8 hours, and walk away!

What We Did Wednesday

Mitch had the day off from Canada Post today so we decided today was a good day to tackle some of the projects left to do around the house. The big project we worked on today was staining the front door. It involved a lot of prep work and getting ready before the staining could happen. A couple days ago, I washed down the entire door, inside and out with a special chemical to remove the dirt and grease from the wood. Today, Mitch did a little bit of sanding, removed all the hardware, and we took the door off the frame.

This is the "before" picture of the door. The outside looks the same.

An "after" shot of one of the side panels following one coat of stain.

Palmer was helping Daddy

It still needs one more coat of stain, which we (and when I say we, I really mean Mitch) will do tomorrow. Then we will need to put a protectant on it. But, so far, we are happy with the look and colour of the new door!

Yesterday while grocery shopping (15% Tuesday - I don't know why we didn't always shop on these days. We saved a ton of $$$), I picked up a Butternut Squash, for the first time ever. I had planned to use it for Palmer's meals, but I also wanted to try it out for myself. All I can say is SUPER DELISH!!!  I started by using the veggie peeler to remove all the skin and cut the ends off. I then sliced it in half the long way.

I then scooped out all the seeds and stringy stuff with a spoon and sliced it up into cubes, spread them on a baking sheet and drizzled a little bit of olive oil over them. 

 I roasted them in the oven at 400* for 30 minutes or until they were tender.

They were super yummy!!! I'm sure Palmer will enjoy them for dinner tomorrow!

I have also been "practicing" with Leaf - I've been trying to get him to walk better in the house with hopes of eventually one day getting rid of his boots. So, each morning when we get up, I put on his two back boots, grab a leash, and we go for a walk through the house. We wander around upstairs for a bit then tackle the dreaded stairs. He has gotten better over the past few days. He use to be fine on them while wearing his boots, but something must have triggered his dog OCD/anxiety and he started being a super spazz while going down. One day he even slid all the way down, no kidding! So, after being outside all day, when its time to come in for bed, I put on his boots again, hook up the leash, and we go for another walk through the laminate floor house. 

Slowly but surely????

We got a good little laugh out of Palmer this evening.

And of course, what is a day without me taking an obsessive amounts of pictures of Miss Palmer???? So, here are only a few!

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No-Sugar Added Banana Muffins

I wanted to share a recipe I have for no-sugar added muffins. I have been using this one for awhile now, using Splenda as my sweetener. I love it for a base for muffins then add what ever other ingredients I have on hand that day.

 

The top pan I added raspberries and blueberries. The bottom pan I added some peanut butter chips.

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