I love beans, but I’m also managing the carbs so this chili had chunks of zucchini and eggplant in their place.

I made a fabulous meat chili a few years back from a Bobby Flay recipe. Four or five kinds of peppers and some dark chocolate in the sauce, puréed, no tomatoes, to braise big chunks of beef rather than ground beef. For me that falls into more of a fancy cooking category than a standard chili. Both delicious at the right time.

I had my chili for lunch today and it was GOODT.

If we want to sync up our dinners later this week, I have a shepherds pie planned.

What do you use for a GF crust?

I just do the bottom layer as the (fake) meat layer, then a layer of peas and carrots, and the top layer is mashed potatoes. It's really more casserole-like, but it works.

My tomato/chicken/pasta Instant pot thing from last night was kind of dry, so for lunch, I added more pasta sauce and some Lebanon bologna, then I topped it with GF panko crumbs w/ butter and some Munster cheese, because that's what I had. It was better!

I just pushed off a meeting until Thursday, because I just can't even, as the kids say. My mind is like mush today.

In good news, I passed my cardio clearance for my upcoming colonoscopy (routine), and she said, "Oh, your EKG actually looks better this time," which, great, but... what was wrong with it last time?!?

Mom had a recipe for (vegan) shepherd's pie that used a bottom crust of mashed potatoes that we did make at least once. It was conceptually weird but tasted perfectly fine.

Banh mi was pretty dang delicious but too much food if I'm honest. So ready to nap

We’re using mashed cauliflower for the topping these days and it’s surprisingly good.

Not better, mind you, ‘cause that would be crazy pants. But good!

I actually love a pure meat chili, but I enjoy all kinds -- DH likes lots of beans, so his are very beany. Three kinds in the latest round. Lentils are just always good no matter when or how.

One caveat to the always lentils. I once made chili and happened to have some left over so threw them in the chili. I forgot about soaking them first. Made for a really ... interesting texture.

Cauliflower is pretty delicious. I forget you can mash it.

I have like a mental block about lentils because once as a child I had lentil soup that was made with, I don't know, old, expired, spoiled, something lentils that did not taste good at all. I know, intellectually, that that is not what lentils taste like, and have had them many times and enjoyed them, but they never occur to me as something I want and I have a knee jerk "ew" response whenever they come up that is totally unwarranted.