Turkey Chili

Alright guys, I attempted my first recipe video! I hope you liked it. There is some room for improvement for sure but I have to start somewhere, right?! 

Anyways, if you stumbled across this post, this is by far my most FAVORITE Chili recipe EVER. It is a modified version from a meal plan of a program I have done in the past and has become a staple in our house! 

This recipe makes 6 servings at 1 cup each however in the video, I made double, so 12 servings total at 1 cup each.  I prefer to double any recipe I can so that I can portion it out and put extras in the freezer for those busy weekdays or weeknights! Work smart, not hard! 

Turkey Chili

1 tsp. olive oil
1.5 lbs. raw 93% lean ground turkey
1/4 med onion, chopped (you can use one whole onion, we don't)
1 med green bell pepper, chopped
1 cloves garlic, finely chopped (you can use 3 cloves, again, we don't) 
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 Ttbsp chili powder
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste; optional)
2 (15oz) cans black beans (or pinto beans) drained & rinsed (I prefer to use one of each)
1 (15oz) can all natural diced tomatoes, no sugar added (do not drain)
12 fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, I prefer to use my dutch oven! 

• Add turkey, onion, bell peper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 8 min or until turkey is no longer pink (this time will be longer if you doubled the meat) 

• Add cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly for 1 min.

• Add beans and tomatoes (with liquid). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 min, or until thickened.

• Serve warm, sprinkled w/ cilantro.

Chop it likes it's HOT!

Ok, so I might be crazy, but really, I used my new Pampered Chef Salad Choppers today to chop my salad and it TASTED way more amazing than it usually does. Like ridiculously amazing. Of course that means I would have to share my recipe, but fair warning, it just may not taste as amazing without these salad choppers. Ha! Just kidding, it will be still be good, it is one of my favorites. Even before salad choppers came into my life! 

First step is to make turkey taco meat.  I make this in batches and store it in the freezer for quick weeknight meals or lunches. Really, in my eyes, if I can double something when I cook it and freeze it, you can bet your ass I am going to do it.  That saves me time later on and I like to save time! I work smart, not hard...sometimes. 

What you need (makes about 8 servings): 
2 lb 93/7 Ground Turkey
2 tbsp of Southwest Seasoning (see below) 
1/4-1/3 cup of diced tomatoes w/ peppers (rotel) 
3/4 cup water

Instructions: 
1. Cook the meat until no longer pink (be sure to chop it up or crumble). 
2. Drain, although w/ the lean I buy there is never much to drain
3. Add in water, rotel & seasoning, mix well.
4. Let it simmer until water is gone. Usually about 10 minutes. 

Southwest Seasoning
2 tbsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
Mix all the seasonings together and put in a sealed container, it should make enough to have some left for other recipes! It is really great on anything, I use it in my burgers too! 

Oh wait...we are talking salad recipe here, right? Guess you need that too...I almost forgot! 

Here is how I assemble my salad! 
2 cups butter lettuce (the bag kind because I am lazy like that) 
3/4 cup turkey taco meat
1/3 cup avocado & cheese (half & half) 
1/4 cup salsa

Put ingredients together and ENJOY! 

Turkey Sausage Gravy!

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We like to use our "fine china" for a lot of our meals.

Breakfast food.  It is a total downfall of mine. Everything I want to eat for breakfast or brunch ends up being centered around bread. Biscuits & gravy, french toast, pancakes...my mouth is watering just writing this post, which I probably shouldn't be writing when I am doing a program that doesn't allow biscuits & gravy! Ha!

Anyways, so if you know me, you know I am always trying to find way to make healthier versions of my favorites foods.  So here it is folks..."healthy-ish" turkey sausage gravy! 

What you need: 

Breakfast Turkey Sausage
1/3 whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups skim milk

I like to use my dutch oven for this recipe but a large skillet or large pot will do.  Crumble sausage into dutch oven.  Cook over med-high heat until the turkey sausage is browned and no longer pink, be sure to stir frequently. 

Grab a wire whisk, stir in flour, salt and pepper, then gradually stir in milk.  Continue to cook until mixture thickens, be sure to stir constantly. 

Serve over your favorite biscuits and enjoy!  I love to buy Trader Joe's biscuits, they are flaky and delicious. 

Chicken & Broccoli Mac

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Well, it may be a new year, but that doesn't mean my kids have made a resolution to eat better! I try, but seriously, my son is so picky. I mean, we didn't have the best eating habits the first few years of his life, so I can't blame him.  He saw broccoli on his plate tonight and cried before he even let me explain to him that all I wanted was for him to try ONE bite. ONE. Stinking. Bite. There was more of a meltdown and then we got through it. 

And lately, my toddler has decided that she is no longer a meat eater. Not to mention, anything she chews that she doesn't want anymore, she spits it out...onto your hand, onto the floor, on the table, wherever, really. 

So I knew when making (in my opinion) the best healthy versions of Mac N Cheese I have had that they would beg to differ. Being the amazing mom (haha) that I am, I opted to not mix the broccoli in until after I made their plates.  

Both loved what they ate, even if there were tons of veggies left on the plate (and chicken for the toddler)!  The husband is a fan of this meal, so no complaints from him.  I opted for salad for dinner tonight, feeling a little carb loaded at the moment. 

It is a recipe from the Fixate cookbook however, I have had to modify the original due to my son's tree nut allergy.  Plus, I use a rotisserie chicken to simplify my life. So here is my version!

UPDATED: Finally! It only took almost a year from this original post to get my son to eat this WITH the broccoli in it. I set a small serving on a plate in front of him and told him he had to eat every bite and if he did, he could have a quesadilla or pbj. It worked! I did it two times now and he ate it all both times. Remember, it takes 10 exposures to a food before someone can acquire a taste for it or even want to try it...so keep placing the food in front of those picky eaters as often as you can.

Macaroni & Cheese w/ Broccoli & Chicken
{{Recipe: Adapted from Fixate Cookbook}}
Serves 8 (1 1/2C each) 

What you need: 
4oz. dry whole wheat macaroni
4tsp. organic grass fed butter (or you can use coconut oil instead) 
2TBSP. unbleached whole wheat flour
1 1/2C skim milk (or almond milk, which is used in original recipe)
1 1/4C freshly extra sharp cheddar
3C chopped rotisserie chicken breast, skin removed (or bake your own chicken breast)
6C chopped broccoli florets
1tsp. sea salt
1/2tsp. ground black pepper

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Your roux should look like this...cheesy goodness! 

1. Cook macaroni per the box (do not add extra salt or oil). Set aside.
2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add flour; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until brown (don’t let it burn).
4. Slowly whisk in skim milk; cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 min, or until mixture thickens & there are no lumps.
. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese; cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 min, or until melted. 
6. Add chicken, noodles, broccoli, salt & pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min, or until heated through.
7. Serve & enjoy!! 

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The final product. 

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year! 

Caesar Salad & Dressing

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I don't know where you guys live but I am currently living in a sea of water and by sea of water, I mean the middle of Missouri. 

Yeah, so when it is rainy and cold, I avoid leaving my house which means I avoided getting in my boat and going to the grocery store all weekend. Mostly because 1) I don't have a boat 2) I was scared to melt in the rain and 3) I was just not feeling like getting my act together after the holidays. The struggle is real you guys.  Typically, my meal plan is done by Friday and I grocery shop by Sunday! That totally was not the case this past weekend. Oops. 

You know what happens when you aren't prepared?  You order Papa John's for lunch because you have NOTHING in the house to feed yourself or the kids. Those are the decisions you make when you are hangy and your fridge is empty! True story. I know from experience. 

So I got myself up off the couch, went shopping, got my food for the week and whipped up this amazing homemade caesar salad for dinner from the Team Beachbody blog. And let me tell you after you eat not so healthy, it just feels good to eat right! 

By the way, I am super excited for this weeks meal plan other than our date night for sushi, we are having caesar salad (yes, again, it was that good), "fried" rice, general tso's chicken, habanero chili & a couple of different pastas! I promise you, eating healthy doesn't have to be boring. I love knowing I can eat all of these foods and if I eat the right portion, thanks to my handy portion controlled containers, I will stay on track to reach my goals!  

I am sure I will share recipes so check back! In the meantime, here is the Caesar Salad & Dressing! I modified it just a bit and my recipe serves 2. 
 

Caesar Salad 

What you need: 
1 bag of precut romaine lettuce
6oz grilled chicken
4 tbsp dressing (posted below)
1/8 cup organic croutons
1/8 cup shaved parmesan

1. Cook your chicken until no longer pink or until the temp is 160 degress. I used a grill pan & just sprinkled them with a little salt and pepper. Once cooked, cut into strips. 
2. Evenly split up lettuce into two serving bowls. Place chicken on top.
3. Drizzle dressing over top (2 tbsp on each) & toss to blend. 
4. Top with croutons & cheese. 
 

Creamy Lemon Caesar Dressing

What you need:
8oz nonfat plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup real mayo
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 glove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. anchovy paste
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. dijon mustard
Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely smooth/mixed.  This dressing recipe is about 8 servings but since we are having this salad again this week, I wasn't worried about having leftovers, I just threw it in a container & put in my fridge.