Skiing, 3 Bean Chili & Lemon Bars = A Perfect Day

Good morning from beautiful Lake Tahoe! 

My spring break is officially in full swing and I’m quickly getting used to sleeping in, long days of exercise and lots of eating.  Sunday afternoon Rob and I drove from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe for a few days of skiing with friends!  One of the things I love most about San Francisco is that in a matter of 3-4 hours you can go from a sunny day in the city to a sunny day on the slopes.

We had a super fun and exciting day skiing at Alpine Meadows yesterday.  I used to snowboard but have since decided to get back into skiing since I think it’ll be easier on me as I age… and I also just enjoy it more. 

Rob spent the morning coaching me down the mountain.  At lunch, I met up with the girls, Enmi and Grace, and we spent the afternoon skiing together.  Things were going well and the girls were definitely a confidence booster!  After a few solid runs, they convinced me I could dominate the summit.  I was a little weary but thought it’d be a fun challenge.  The snow was great and the weather was perfect…  until we got to the summit.  Hello, white out conditions.  

Do you want to know what I was repeating over and over in my head? I have NO business being here right now.  My skis couldn’t agree more.  They popped off after my first few leaps down the mountain.   

I couldn’t tell the steep parts from the not-so-steep parts because I couldn’t see anything which was probably for the best.   I actually had a lot of fun getting down the mountain, though.  I’m so happy the girls convinced me to take the plunge!

After 6 hours on the slopes, we were all exhausted and starving so we headed home for hot showers and a hearty dinner.  I whipped up a delicious 3-bean turkey chili. 

This chili only required 1 pot and was done in under 2 hours.  I started by sautéing the ground turkey, peppers, onion and garlic in a large pot with cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes and a touch of salt.

Once the meat was cooked, I added in some diced tomatoes, roasted green chilies, chicken stock and 3 different kinds of beans: black, red kidney and pinto.

Everything cooked for 1 1/2 hours.  We enjoyed it with a nice side salad and fresh French bread. 

Chili is so simple and so delicious, especially after spending the day in the snow.  Turkey chili is a great, healthy alternative to beef.  Here’s what I put in mine: 

• 1.5 pounds of ground turkey breast
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 large onion
• 28 oz. diced tomatoes, canned
• 3 C chicken stock
• 20 oz. red kidney beans, rinsed
• 15 oz. black beans, rinsed
• 15 oz. pinto beans, rinsed
• 4 oz. roasted green chilies, canned
• 1 1/2 T cumin
• 2 T chili powder
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. salt

I will definitely make this again!

For dessert, Grace made some delicious lemon bars.  She tweaked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen using filling ingredient amounts in between the “full size lemon layer” and the “thinner lemon layer.” They were some of the best lemon bars I’ve ever had.. lots of lemon filling and a thin cookie crust. 

Scott couldn’t resist going back for seconds, thirds, fourth and fifths.  He could barely wait until Grace finished sprinkling the powdered sugar on the second round… that’s how good they were!  

This morning we’re making pancakes and gearing up for another day in the snow! On the agenda for today is Nordic skiing or snowshoeing.  We can’t decide which we want to do more but both options will be fun and a really good workout! 

Have a great day! 

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