Well, today did not go as planned… Which is why you’re getting this post so late 😉 Something happened to knock the phone and internet out at the gym and working on my cell is not ideal.

I also had a ton of running around to do to pick up things for our upcoming 10 Year Anniversary Party!

Guys, I can’t tell you how excited I am for this! I’m going to plug it everywhere I can until party time, but meal tickets and raffle tickets are on sale now and trust me, you do NOT want to miss out on either! We have some super cool raffle prizes and tickets (for both the raffle and the food) are cheap y’all! As for the meal plates, you can’t have a party at a ranch in Texas without BBQ. AJ’s Ranch Roach Grill is one of our favorite go-tos down here in San Marcos. When I don’t want to cook, brisket it is! Tim has also known Andrew for years so we’re excited to support a friend.

Honestly, this whole party is put together by partnering with friends. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks reaching out to our friends and cohorts to bring the people and things we love together… Anyway, I have a ton of things to do this evening for this party so I’m going to get on with the recipe. Get your tix and I’ll see ya there! 🙂

African Groundnut Stew 

1 lb Ground Turkey
1Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion – finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper – finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves of garlic – minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger – peeled and minced
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 large tomatoes – diced
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 Tbsp natural almond butter – creamy or crunchy!
1 1/2 cups soybeans (edamame) cooked (I just use frozen in the steam bag)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped
1 lb baby spinach leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and brown the ground turkey. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes

Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and saute until fragrant. Be careful not to brown the garlic.  Add the tomatoes and bay leaf and cook, uncovered until tomatoes are slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and whisk in almond butter until blended.  Add the soybeans and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the cilantro and spinach.  Season with salt and pepper to taste!

This recipe is cozy and earthy and a great way to break out of your normal routine. Enjoy!

It’s kind of strange how food can bring so much comfort emotionally, but it really does! Over the weekend, Tim wasn’t feeling so hot AND we had his mother in town visiting. Sunday evening, it was chilly out, Tim was resting, and I wanted to make something cozy for all of us to enjoy while we watched a movie. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love soups. I love to make soups, especially in my cast iron dutch oven. I wanted a nice hearty soup with warm fall flavors and this is what we ended up with!

It did the trick! We were warm, full, and happy. Tim got a little soup therapy, and I got the thumbs up from his mom so I’d call it a success! I know it’s Thanksgiving this week and there will be plenty of chow making the rounds, but if you need something quick and you’re tired of turkey, this can be on the table in under an hour. Enjoy guys!

Also, Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone gets some quality family time in this week. Tim and I are grateful to have all of you in our lives! XO

*Take note on the spice blend – I did not have Old Bay seasoning on hand, but I made an awesome mix on my own that I actually like better. Easy route, go Old Bay, but if you don’t mind spending another minute or two to mix it up, the alternate is awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

Alternate to Old Bay

Join us in celebrating 10 Years of serving the Austin Community!

What:

We are so honored and excited to be celebrating 10 Years Strong w/ CrossFit Austin! Serving the Austin community for the last 10 years has been no small feat, but one of the most rewarding! The relationships and journeys we’ve fostered have filled these walls with love. We hope you can join us to celebrate!

When:

Saturday, December 8
2:00 – 6:00 pm

Where:

The home of Linzi Newth

14015 S Turnersville Rd
Buda, TX 78610

*Next door to her awesome business – Remington Pet Ranch! Check them out for pet grooming, boarding, daycare.. They’ll even come pick up your pooch on their tricked out bus!

*Note – this will be an outdoor party so dress accordingly. Don’t worry though, there WILL be a bonfire! 

Who:

All members, families, friends, residents in the area! It’s a party y’all!

*Unless you’re dropping them off next door for a boarding/grooming/or daycare appt. Please leave pets at home. The party is at a private residence and we want to respect the space.

What else:

Male and Female members of the year awards
In years past it has been Push Up Man and Push Up woman, but with new ownership and a new decade ahead, we are excited to announce our new annual award – Stay tuned!

Superlative awards
Think high school year book 😉 Always a lot of fun and a good way to get to know your CFA community

Games
Corn hole, spike ball, frisbees, etc… You can also make smores at the bonfire if that’s your thing 🙂

Food & Brews

Usually we have our annual party at a restaurant or bar where everyone’s on their own and food and beverages can get pretty pricey. We’re thrilled to be able to offer discounted meal plates and beverages thanks to some of our friends! 

We are having BBQ plates catered from one of our favorite go-tos! Owned and operated by a long time friend of Tim’s, AJ’s Ranch Road Grill will be cooking up all kinds of goodies at a steal! They are even coming out to serve for us!

Brisket
BBQ chicken
Mac & Cheese
Pinto Beans

**We’re also excited to have custom printed cups for the occasion! We’ll have 3 kinds of beer from a couple of our neighbors! If you plan to drink beer you must be (21+) and must purchase a beer cup with or without a meal. Cups may also be purchased if you don’t plan to drink beer and just want a commemorative cup 😉 

NXNW Restaurant and Brewery on Slaughter lane –
Zombie Dragon IPA & Northern Lights Lager

Two Wheel Brewery in Buda
Buda-Ful Blonde Ale

We’ll also have some of the standards if craft isn’t your thing.

BBQ plates + CFA Cup $15  – Will include 2 meats and 2 sides, cup must be purchased if you plan to drink beer. (21+)  Water and tea will also be provided
PURCHASE HERE

BBQ plate (food only) $12 – Will include 2 meats and 2 sides – water and tea provided with meal plates
PURCHASE HERE

CFA Cup only – $5 – Cup must be purchased if you plan to drink beer (21+) You can also purchase without drinking beer if you just want the cup! 🙂
PURCHASE HERE

POTLUCK SNACKS/APPS – We’ll be setting out some additional snacks and appetizers for free. Help us stock the table and bring your favorite! Ex: Chips, salsa, guac, veggies/fruit/meat trays, potato salad, cole slaw (it’s outside so anything that needs to stay cool will do great!) crackers, cheese, sweets, etc…

*Email gen@crossfitaustin.com to purchase plates and cups

*RAFFLE TICKETS*

We are excited to be working with several of our favorite local restaurants and businesses for some awesome raffle prizes!

So far our prizes include:

Emmer & Rye Gift Cards
District Kitchen Gift Cards
Rosewood Gift Cards
Stronger Faster Healthier prize packs
Cryo + Compression session at Restore Cryo
Infared Sauna + Stretch session at Restore Cryo
Austin Weightlifting 1-on-1 Sessions
Massage with Heidi @ CFA

But, there is much more to come!

Email gen@crossfitaustin.com to purchase raffle tickets! All proceeds go to covering additional costs for the party and left over goes to our equipment fund! 

Raffle tickets
1 – $2
3 – $5
5 – $7
10 – $10

What do I need:

A lawn chair
Cash for raffle tickets if you didn’t pre-purchase and have FOMO
Warm, outside clothes or a blanket (just in case)
Potluck dish for the snack/app table
The meal and beer tickets you purchased
Your party pants

HOLY BURR! There is a reason that I moved out of Kansas and to Texas… cold weather. I will say… I’m glad it’s not raining anymore, but this is for the birds.

I say that, but guess where we are going for Thanksgiving next week? Yeah.. Kansas. My dad said they’ve already gotten their first snow. I honestly don’t mind that if I don’t have to be driving or getting out in it. I’ll take snow on Thanksgiving day when we can veg out and just watch it come down in the yard.

So, guess what I was craving with the cold weather? Chili. I’m not really a fan of the typical chili beans and I like a lot of “stuff” in it, so this is the recipe I came up with when I wanted chili MY way. With every recipe, you can add and subtract as desired, but I like to think this is a pretty good one. Tim would agree… we’ve had this twice in the last couple of weeks and he hasn’t complained. 🙂

Alright, put on your sweatpants and get to cooking! This will be ready in no-time. It’s not one of those chili recipes that needs hours to simmer so if you want a quick one for tonight – I got you covered.

Weeknight Chili 

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Lb ground meat of your choice – I like a mix of 1lb Bison and 1lb Beef
1 15oz can of black beans – drained and rinsed
1 15oz can of garbanzo beans – drained and rinsed
1 14.5oz can HEB fire roasted tomatoes
1 14.5oz can HEB diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 medium yellow onion – diced
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 large jalapeno – finely diced
1 poblano pepper – diced
1 large bell pepper (color of your choice) – diced
1 cup sweet corn (I use frozen)
*2-3 Tbsp chili powder – I like a lot in my chili so I use 3, but go to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregono
*1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (Optional if you like spicy)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

For topping – All optional
Diced onion, diced green, fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeno, plain greek yogurt (I actually like this better than sour cream), sliced avocado, lime wedge, tortilla chips… make some cornbread… the world is your oyster.

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large pot (I use my cast iron dutch oven… let’s be real, I use it for EVERYTHING)… heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, jalapeno, bell pepper, and poblano pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the ground meat, stir and cook until browned throughout.

Add the seasoning and all your canned goods. Tomatoes (both kinds) – (note* If you can’t find those, about 30 oz of any diced tomatoes will do. I just love the flavors of those), black beans, and garbanzo beans. If you need more liquid you can add a little water or broth, but keep in mind the ingredients will cook down a bit and release some moisture.

Bring the chili to a boil, add the corn, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. The longer you simmer the more the flavors will blend, but it’s pretty much ready at this point! Taste and adjust your seasoning if you prefer.

Put your coziest socks on, dish it out into nice deep bowls and load it up with your favorite toppings! Netflix and chili y’all.

Click the image to enlarge

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

AND SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR PARTY! Saturday, December 8th!