{falling in love with} autumn in ann arbor

I did not realize how I lucky I was to live in such a beautiful town until I took a brisk walk to the People's Food Co-op today. With Jack Johnson on the ipod, a toasty northface, and streets lined with trees changing colors, the walk could not be more pleasant. Ann Arbor is such a gem in the midwest-- it has so much culture to offer. In a mere15 min walking-distance radius from my home- I go to college, get heirloom tomatoes at the farmer's market, drink fresh locally roasted guatemalan coffee, listen to indie & rock concerts, attend global film festivals, take pilates classes, peruse used bookstores, and shop the latest Nanette Lepore... and that's just the beginning. From fine dining to thrift shopping, this town's got it all. 

I finally got some fall nail polish the other day. I'm currently sporting OPI's "Espresso your style". I also picked up the "You don't know Jacques". Love them!

the reading may be tedious... but at least I have pretty nails!

Of course, to continue the fall theme, I made some chili for dinner. I really dislike using anything processed or canned, so I boiled my own black beans and used fresh tomatoes- it was so tasty! If anyone dares to tell me that chili is unhealthy, they definitely have not had mine!

Fresh & Healthy Chili

Ingredients:

black beans- 1 cup (pre-cooking)

ground beef- 1 lbs

tomatoes- 3 big round ones

sweet onions- 4 small ones (I just happened to have small ones on hand, one or two larges are okay too)

peppers- an assortment (I used an orange, a green, a red and some real spicy ones)

carrot- 1 stick

garlic- 5 cloves

herbs: cilantro, parsley, basil, marjoram, oregano to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the black beans in water on medium. Meanwhile, chop up all veggies. (keep the tomatoes in a separate bowl)

2. Brown beef and drain excess oil. Sautee beef with all ingredients except the tomatoes and herbs.

3. In a large pot, cook the tomatoes with the herbs on medium to high. For approx. 10 min.

4. Combine beef veggie mixture into the pot of tomatoes. Mix in black beans (drain excess water). 

5. Cook on medium until done. (approx 15 min) Season with sea salt and red pepper flakes.

Note: This makes a really large pot. So expect to have a lot of leftovers. I love having one-pot dinners with all the nutritions I need, so this works perfect for me.