"NP: Wonderful" – Travis Scott feat. The weeknd
In the past year, I’ve made a ton of changes in my life. Gave up habits, created new ones. Molding myself every day into the person that my teenage self has kept in the dark for so long. One of my most recent adventures is becoming a pescatarian. Now, I know most of the people who know me might say, “You don’t need to lose weight,” or “You need a little meat on your body.” But the thing is I didn’t start off choosing this lifestyle for health benefits.
Mid-February, as I was abroad in France, I started to look into Lent and fasting. Due to my appreciation for all the blessings in my life, I thought I give up something that I love and could never see myself without. That’s basically what lent is but you do it for 40 days and 40 nights, to commemorate the time Jesus fasted in the desert. I chose meat (LOL). Never in a million years did I even think about not incorporating chicken or beef in my diet. I love any type of chicken, burgers, and most of all bacon. I figured it would be a great challenge for me. The first months were a little difficult, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
During that time, I gained so much confidence. I was testing my self-discipline and conquering gave me a positive outlook on my self. As the 40 days approached, I went over by a week. It had become a part of my life and I enjoyed the benefits; I decided to continue. I didn’t feel so sluggish after dinners and felt like I was benefiting my health. And the animals of course! Since then, I have been a pescatarian for five months. I have to cook way more to cater to my diet. I have been cooking more than anyone in my house; I think I have found true passion for it. My mom and my brother always support whatever ideas I have in mind and they actually enjoy my food. My mom is even considering becoming a pescatarian too because I have successfully showed her that she wasn’t missing out. So before I go, I want to share my super easy vegetarian chili, which was ahhhh-mazing. I’m not Rachel Ray, but I will try my best with this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
- Canned pinto beans
- Canned black beans
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 white or red onion
- 4 cloves of garlic – or more if you like garlic like me lol
- Carrots
- Celery
- Chili powder
- Red chili flakes
- Garlic powder
- Salt + pepper
- Oregano
- A pinch of cuminOlive oil
Steps
- Chop up your onions, garlic, peppers, carrots and celery
- Coat the bottom of your pot with olive oil and throw the chopped veggies in – keep on medium heat
- Sauté until the veggies brown a bit
- Add the cans of diced tomatoes and tomato paste – I used only half of the tomato paste
- Season the sauce to your liking – but only a PINCH of cumin
- Cover the pot and let it simmer on medium-low heat, stir occasionally
- Strain and rinse your two cans of beans in the meantime
- After 15 minutes, add your beans
- Close the pot and let the chili slow cook until you see a consistency you like
- I let the pot sit for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally
- Taste the chili, to see what’s missing – my chili was a bit tangy so I added a dash of sugar and it fixed it right up!
- Pair with rice or my favorite – cornbread
Bon appetit!
