elbow macaroni | A Hungry Runner

Hello hello!

And, just like that, we’re back at Monday again.

Did everyone have a good weekend? Do anything fun? See any good movies?

We did! We saw Despicable Me 2! So cute! They’ve really done a good job with that movie. Steve Carrell is just brilliant as Gru. Okay, he’s just pretty brilliant in general as a comedic actor. 🙂

So, besides the movie, here’s our weekend in review:

snippets of a Friday evening

Thing 2 and I shopped for outfits for Thing 1’s upcoming boot camp graduation. I got a dress and new shoes – Ginny got a new box! Win/win! 🙂

Molly’s got my back. 🙂

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake. Om. Nom. Nom.
Recipe at https://www.facebook.com/ahungryrunner

Add to that laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping and the weekend has gone by too fast!

Speaking of groceries, I’ve decided to do comfort foods this week. I’m not talking comfort foods that take forever to cook, either. Quick, easy, and delicious are my goals for this week. 🙂

I was talking about it at Crossfit this morning and was informed that it was too warm for comfort food. What do you think?

How do you define comfort food? I think of comfort food as food that tastes good and makes you feel happy, safe and loved. Does it require the oven or stove on all day to be comforting? I don’t think so. I think you can definitely make some comforting, homey meals in less than 30 minutes.

And that’s what happened last night – a quick take on Chili Mac. Who doesn’t remember chili mac from when you were growing up? So good! 5 ingredients, about 15 minutes and voila! Healthy, hearty, delicious and comforting with minimal heat in your kitchen. 🙂

Om nom nom!

Southwestern Skillet Macaroni
makes 4 servings

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 pound lean ground beef (I used bison)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
1/3 Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook macaroni in boiling water 5 minutes. Drain.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, cook ground beef with chili powder until meat is browned. Add tomatoes and Red Hot sauce. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes.

3. Add macaroni; cook 5 minutes or until pasra is tender and has absorbed excess liquid. Sprinkle with cheese.