My Weekly Words: Wind, Snow & Chili Spaghetti

I can't seem to unglue myself from NPR and news updates on Frankenstorm Sandy! My thoughts are with everyone on the coast and in New York who are dealing with major flooding and power outages. We weren't sure what the effects would be here in southwest Virginia, but we knew there was a chance of heavy wind and snow(!). So, I didn't go crazy, but I wanted to be prepared. After the derecho a couple of months ago, some people in the area were without power for over a week. So I made sure I had plenty of candles and flashlights. And of course I made sure I had plenty of food :)

I bought some fuel for our alcohol stove and lots of rice and oats. I think I'd be happy living off oatmeal for the next week (did I mention I have a new obsession with oatmeal?!)

I also filled every vessel I could find in our apartment with water.... you never know, right?!

There's something kind of fun about preparing to be without power for a few days. I didn't know what to expect, but could hear heavy winds outside my window all night. I woke up this morning to about a 1/2 inch of snow, light winds and electricity still working! I guess a few hundred people in the area did lose power, but overall we didn't get hit hard at all.

So, I finally made myself roll out of bed (it was COLD!) and I made my typical morning oatmeal. This is my new favorite - pumpkin oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola and sunbutter - YUM! :)

Although we didn't get much snow, our office was closed today. So I got to work from home, which is always kind of nice, but not so great when it's 52 degrees inside! (Yes, we do have heat, but we refuse to use it most of the time because it's ridiculously expensive and we have NO insulation in our apartment, so it doesn't stay warm long anyways) So I spent the day wrapped in a blanket with a little space heater by my side. I was dreaming of chili all day, and decided to make some for dinner. Shane and I used to love getting veggie Skyline Chili when we were in Ohio. There's something about chili over spaghetti that's so delicious! Once we moved to Virginia, we decided to try to make our own (healthier version). So, we started using a can of veggie chili, but more recently started making our own. This is so quick and easy and can be eaten on it's own or poured over spaghetti.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 can diced tomatoes (I use Fire Roasted for an extra kick)
2 cans of beans of your choice, drained (I use one can black beans and one can of tri-color)
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Optional:
1 box whole wheat pasta (cook according to box directions)
Sprinkle of cheddar cheese
Oyster crackers (sometimes I can't resist!)

Directions:

1. Heat up the olive oil on medium in a saucepan. Add the diced onion and pepper and saute for about 2-3 minutes until the onions are golden.

2. Add in the tomatoes, vegetable broth and spices. Stir and let simmer for about 2 minutes.

3. Add in the beans (I usually drain at least one can - depends on how thick or thin you like your chili) and cook until heated through.