No, this does not mean I've abandoned my quest for a healthier me. I just felt like "Thinner" was so limiting and potentially discouraging. The truth is... you're probably NOT going to get thinner making these recipes alone and they won't all be "low cal" recipes. However, the reality is... a little bit of this and a little bit of that go a long way.
I love to cook, so if I can catch myself cooking with Awesomeness (the Godly one) in mind, I'm pretty sure dinner will taste awesome (the worldly one). I'm not talking seven deadly sin awesome, but be truthful.. a good home made meal always tastes better than take out or something out of a box.
Today is not so much going to be busy schedule-wise, but I do have Bible Study this afternoon, my daughter has ballet, and my son has a Dr's appointment. It's going to be stressful an afternoon of just getting everyone where they need to be on time and properly prepared for their activity. I know... it does sound busy but yesterday was so much busier [grocery shopping needed to be done, lunch with a friend, Dr appt for me, basketball practice for the boy, first communion meeting for the parents of 2nd graders (i.e. me with kids in tow), along with usual homework.] Today's a piece of cake comparatively.
It's a good day to use the crockpot because we will all be arriving home at the same time and all hungry at the end of the day. No one is going to want to cook and stopping by McDonald's (or something of that nature) is not going to provide my family with the nutrition that we need. I'm convinced if you eat badly, you behave badly because your belly is full but your body is still hungry and needs fuel.
In the crockpot today... "Ralf's Venison Chili." [No, the venison (aka DEER MEAT) is not Ralf's but his chili was so good, I actually cooked venison for the first time in my life. It's venison from my Dad's freezer from November's catch (kill? harvest? what's the right term here?). Funny, when I asked for ground venison, my Dad's voice got a little lower (with a tinge of excitement) when he said I could "take whatever I want." I think it was manly pride that he was providing for others sneaking out. If you know my Dad, you can imagine how endearing that was to see.] Anyway... because it's Ralf's recipe, I don't feel right sharing (but Ralf, if you're reading this and you want to share it in the comments, go right ahead!). I will however, share my own "Sneaky Chili Recipe."
I call it sneaky, because I've fed it to the manliest carnivores and they've said... mmm... this is really good and meaty tasting. It doesn't have any MEAT in it, but it's not completely a vegetarian chili (because I use beef bullion). And it's so good and easy to make that it's just gone on my menu for Good Friday when I have a bunch of guests, including my sweet baby sister who is a vegetarian (and I will use veggie bullion instead). My "sneaky" secrets for this recipe are a variety of beans and soy crumbles/TVP crumbles.
I'd like to expound on the soy crumbles/TVP crumbles before I launch into the recipe. If you're a "Tofu is gross" kind of person, it's not that glob of unflavored rubbery/gelatinous gunk you may have been fed before. You taste what the rest of the ingredients are... and get that meaty satisfaction along with the protein. My local grocery store sells TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein) in the frozen food section from a brand name Q'uron, but I prefer (and will compromise my common sense and go to Wal-Mart for it) the Morningstar Farms brand Meal Starters. Be careful if you're going to by Morningstar Farms, because they also sell as sausage flavored one which is really nasty in chili (great in breakfast foods though). Now, clearly the words texturized vegetable protein is a little "gross out" sounding... but it's good. [And if you know my husband and can imagine him saying "this is good, uhm, texturized vegetable stuff" then you can maybe trust me a little more and give it a try]. I have also seen dried TVP in the gluten free area of my grocery store (so apparently, it can come gluten-free?! I'm not sure, because I've never checked the label closely).
Trust me, when you can just sit down to dinner with your family and attempt to enjoy the moment... you will feel Awesome. Chances are, the kids will say, "Mom, this is awesome." It feels good to be complimented and it feels good to feed your family a healthy meal. You will feel like the day's cares are not so significant because you can enjoy a stress-free meal and not have to tip anyone. In fact, people may be so excited, they'll do the dishes. Okay, so after all that... here's the toss it in the crockpot and have a busy day recipe.
SNEAKY CHILI
1 bag Morningstar Farms Meal Starters (plain)
1 can black beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can chili beans (your preference on strength and brand)
1 can Great Northern or White beans (not cannelini beans)
2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with garlic
1 pkg pre-chopped red onion/yellow onion and green pepper from the produce section of the grocery store.*
1 tbsp chili powder
dash of cayenne (or to taste)
1 tbsp beef flavored bullion
Drain all the beans (except the chili beans-- don't drain those or you lose the flavor) and put them in a crockpot sprayed with non-stick spray. Add all ingredients into the crockpot, breaking up the soy crumbles and stirring them in. [Don't worry about the ice chunks that come with it, it's just extra water].
Set your crockpot to low for 4-6 hours and either manually switch to warm (or if you have an awesome programmable crockpot like mine, it will switch for you) and eat it when you're ready.
I usually put out sour cream, cheese, crusty rolls (or crescent rolls) and (if my Dad's around) hot sauce to garnish.
*If you have the time and inclination, you can chop 1 onion and 1 pepper up and place in your chili... but if you're in a hurry or you realize one pepper costs $1.99 and it's $3.19 for the mix with the right amount with no waste... you may decide your money is worth it. You do what works for you.
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