There is just something about fall that gets our family in the mood for some good chili. The leaves changing, the cool, crisp weather…and a warm chili dinner! Plus, the the leftovers make a great lunch the following day.

This sweet potato chili recipe from Cookie and Kate is one of our all time favorites. It’s a sure way to keep James and the boys’ mouths and bellies satisfied! (It’s a big deal in my household to prepare a dish where the meat isn’t missed by the Myers men!) This recipe is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy, satisfying my salty cravings and my sweet tooth in the same spoon. Sweet potatoes are pretty common in the Myers home and honestly, being UT Vols fans, any excuse to add orange to our meals in the fall is a no-brainer! It’s the perfect game day treat!

To save myself a little prep time, I buy the bagged sweet potatoes from the store that are already cubed. I also tend to skip out on the cayenne pepper for Noah and Cole. We enjoy it with some whole wheat tortilla chips or crackers on the side and add a few slices of cool avocado or radishes to top it all off!

Enjoy!

You will need:

• 1 medium, red onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into small bite size pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced (may substitute 1 tbsp. of minced garlic)
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (give or take, depending on your spice tolerance)
• 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ground sea salt and black pepper
• 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes, including the liquid
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or one 14 oz. can)
• Optional garnish: radish slices, green onion, or avocado slices

Instructions:

1. In a 4 to 6 quart stockpot, sautée your fresh chopped veggies in one to two tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Be sure to stir the ingredients every few minutes so they can cook evenly.
2. When your onions become translucent, you can turn the heat down to medium-low.
3. Add the garlic, spices, canned ingredients, and broth. Stir well.
4. Cover pot and cook for 45 minutes up to two hours, stirring occasionally. You’ll know your chili is done when the sweet potatoes become soft and the liquid reduces a bit, producing the perfect hearty chili consistency. Season chili with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnish with toppings of your choosing, share with friends and family, and enjoy!

Click here for the original recipe, and make sure you connect with Kate for more awesome family-friendly clean eating meals.

Two hours at the gym per day used to be my minimum. The mission? To destroy calories.

I counted every calorie (even in sticks of gum) as to not go over 800 calories in a day.

Each step of my workout was punishment for eating.

I never took a rest day. I complained about being “required” to teach a group fitness class on Sunday, even though I voluntarily created the class.

I avoided mirrors as often as I could. But whenever they found me, I stayed far too long, picking apart my imperfections, re-committing to what I would do differently to get better results.

The majority of my day centered around what workouts I should do and what I shouldn’t eat.

I hopped on a scale every morning. The number it said determined how the rest of my day would go.

Bottom line: I hated every inch of my body.

By definition, I may have been thin. Very thin, in fact. But I wasn’t healthy. Every body is different, and health takes various shapes and forms. Health isn’t measured by size at all.

Oh, sweet friend, I pray this doesn’t look familiar to you. I pray you don’t have tears streaming down your cheeks. I pray you cannot relate.

But because of the amount of time I’m worked in fitness, I have no doubts that some of you can. Maybe even many of you can. I may not be able to scoop you up in my arms right now, but God can. And that’s my prayer for you. Right now. That you’ll finish reading this from your loving Heavenly Father’s arms.

God did not intricately create you to pursue perfection in something that doesn’t matter.

Your health matters. The size of your body does not.

This is a mindset shift, and I’ll be honest with you – it will not happen overnight. It will take a tremendous leap of faith, especially if you’re one who has held on to your “health” with white knuckles.

You will have to trust God is able to renew your mind.

That in His strength, you can break even years of bad habits.

And yes, even that He is trustworthy with the results.

But can I tell you the absolute best truth of all? Lean in. This is oh so good.

He is a consistent, faithful Redeemer. If you surrender your health to Him, He won’t keep it for Himself. He will shape it, mold it, make it new, and give it back to you so much better than you created it for yourself.

God has completely renewed my mind in how I think about fitness. Each day when I wake up, working out is no longer a chore. It’s a joy. I look forward to moving my body. I don’t wonder if this workout is going to “fix” that body issue. And I don’t choose my workout based on what my knowledge tells me will burn the most calories.

I choose my workout based on how my body feels. I celebrate what it’s able to do. Don’t get me wrong – I still push myself. But my workout is no longer defined by how sore I am the next day.

My workout is defined by how it enhances my life, not how it limits the next day’s effectiveness.

In the past, I’ve pushed my body to the place that it’s so sore, that I don’t want even to stand up. My boys would ask to go play outside, and I would beg them to watch a movie & cuddle with me on the couch. There’s nothing wrong with cuddles, but do I want my boys to remember a mom that was too worn out to run around with them outside?

No workout is worth sacrificing being the mom I want my boys to remember.

I’ve already told you what fitness used to look like. Let me tell you what it looks like now.

I work out for roughly 30 minutes, listening to & honoring my body.

Eating is about nourishing my body to live as abundantly as possible.

I take 2-3 rest days a week from traditional workouts, but I stay active.

The steps I measure are the ones that make an impact for eternity.

I use mirrors for their intended purpose – to tame my bed head, to make sure there’s not anything stuck in my teeth, and to make silly faces & hear my boys’ giggles.

The majority of my day centers around purposeful living for His Kingdom.

I open my Bible every morning, and His Word guides my day.

Bottom line: I love what my Creator created my body to do, I’m grateful He allows me to steward my health, and regardless of what my body looks like, I am in the best shape of my life.

God, I thank you for the sweet woman reading these words. I pray that I could disappear right now, so she would just hear you. Whisper to her how special she is. How crazy about her you are. That you formed her on purpose and with a purpose that is not defined by anything man can measure. Remind her that you look at her heart, and that Your opinion is the only one that should weigh on her. Give us discipline to steward our spirits, minds and bodies in ways that please You & bring glory to Your name. Give us your perspective. Renew our minds. Change our hearts. Redeem our stories. We’re grateful you care about the smallest details. We surrender to Your will. You are trustworthy with it all. We love you.

In Your Son’s precious and holy name I pray,

Amen.

Please don’t miss the heart of this amazing woman. Yes, you can see the physical difference, but oh my goodness. Her pure heart for the Lord is completely transformed because of HIM! I love when the physical appearance is just an outward showing of what God has done on the inside. That’s what I’m all about – transformations from the inside out. Destiny, you are a blessing in my life. Now…enjoy her story in her words. 

Eight years ago, I was in a great place physically & spiritually when my whole world fell apart. My oldest daughter was about to graduate when her boyfriend told me she had an eating disorder, which turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg of a severe mental illness. We endured 10+ hospital stays over the next few years amidst bankruptcy, foreclosure, job losses. Needless to say, it was a severe testing of my faith. While waiting on my daughter to complete daily treatments, I found myself searching God’s Word, and that was when Job 23:9 became my life verse:

“When I look to the north, I do not see Him; when I turn to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him, but He knows my path and when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

You see…I had mainly lived my adult life “doing the right thing.” I homeschooled my kids, I went to church, I read Christian books, and I listened to Christian music. But somehow in the process, I built a wall around myself and my family, and when that false wall of security came crumbling down, it shook my faith to my core.

I also gained back all my lost weight and then some. I was also battling my fibromyalgia harder than before. My workouts were now a source of guilt.

Was my weight loss responsible for her downward spiral?

How could I do something that my daughter had used to abuse her body?

Then, I came across Michelle’s book, The Look that Kills: An Anorexic’s Addiction to Control. I read it in one day. For the first time, God was able to show me I wasn’t responsible for my daughter’s illness. And while she had used exercise and nutrition as a destructive tool, I could still use it as a healthy tool. It seems silly that I couldn’t see it at the time, but this ugly world misuses many of things that God created for good.

And so began my journey back to health when I joined the Myers Cross Training community. This group was the spiritual encouragement I had been longing for. God has used her ministry to tear down walls that have been up way too long.

It’s now been a year since I joined Michelle, and I’ve lost 36 pounds!  And although fibromyalgia will always be a part of my life, it is no longer the boss of my life! I am able to hike and run again. At the worst of my illness, I honestly believed I would never run again. I can only run short distances right now, but the future is full of new goals and accomplishments. In the beginning, I couldn’t run through one song now I can run through 6! Even more than the fitness victories, God is working on my heart. He is continually reminding me of who I am in Him, and to take this journey one day at a time.

I’m still a work in progress. There is a broadcast that my mind defaults to, a continuous loop of condemnation whose main theme can be summed up in two words….NEVER ENOUGH. Not pretty, smart, brave, thin, athletic, funny, interesting, cool, intelligent, or successful enough. Not a good enough wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend..

But thankfully, God created in me a dial that allows me to choose to change the channel. His broadcast that reminds me that I am His and I am greatly loved. My name is written on the palm of His hand, and He knows every hair on my head. He created me to do good works, and He rejoices over me with singing. He has a good plan for my life. He can work all things in my life out for good (even the hardest ones) if I trust HIm. He forgives and forgets ALL of my sins when I give them over to Him, and He never condemns me. He will strengthen and help me. And best of all, He will never leave me or forsake me.

So no matter how you feel, trust the One who created you. Don’t hesitate to ask for His help every step of the way. And don’t shy away from groups like these as I did. God has placed people in our paths to encourage us and build us up, but we have to take that first scary step. Just wait and see what He has in store for you!

Interested in joining the Myers Cross Training Community? Watch the video below, and request info here!

Working with strangers who become friends is always fun, but the opportunity to help someone I’ve known almost my entire life sends me sprinting laps around my house and turning cartwheels. (Those who know me well know cartwheels are pretty much an involuntary response when I get excited.) Jamie and I grew up in church together, and her transformation from the inside out is such a powerful reminder of why I love my job.

This is Jamie’s journey:

After having my first baby, I weighed 215lbs. Being fit and slim my whole life, this was a serious adjustment. I lost a few pounds, but nothing I was doing was working. I was not myself. I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin.

But it wasn’t just the weight. I started seeing how it was creeping into memories. There are hardly any pictures of me and my son when he was a baby. How was I supposed to be comfortable as a mother; if I wasn’t comfortable with myself first?
I reached out to my long-time friend, Michelle, because I knew her program was more than just personal training.

Since joining the Myers Cross Training community, I have lost 135 pounds combined over two pregnancies. But off the scale, I just finally feel like “me” again. The compliments & looks from my husband don’t hurt either!

The biggest changes I have seen in myself though, has been my growth in Christ. I went from being a lost, casual Christian to being re-dedicated to God through baptism with my husband. Reading the Bible was always was like reading a foreign language. But now, when I open His Word, I am able to share what I’m learning with others, especially my family. Through our commitment to Christ, we’ve got a firmer foundation of our marriage than ever before. Rather than thinking of prayer, Bible reading or my workout as a chore, it’s now one of my favorite parts of the day. Once Christ became the center, everything else naturally began falling into place.

In my eyes, Michelle is more than a personal trainer or a fitness coach. She’s taught me many things, but the thing that stands out to me is that I’m worth it. I’m enough. I do matter. Satan tries to steal our joy, but he can’t take my joy in Jesus. Her encouragement has led me to become a praying woman who serves our God consistently.

If you’re looking to begin your fitness journey, just remember exactly that; it’s a journey. If you’ll keep your focus on why you started, the desire to change will keep you more motivated than the uncomfortableness of staying the same. You can do it! I am proof.

Interested in joining the Myers Cross Training Community? Watch the video above, and click here to get more information from me!