Turkey & Veggie Chili {recipe}

Those that are pretty close to me know that my love for chili runs pretty deep. In fact, I used to have a roommate who constantly made fun of me for how frequently I ate the stuff. That was when I was still eating it out a can. Not too long ago, I got wise enough to at least throw some veggies into the canned chili. Then one day it dawned on me…. Duh! Make my own chili, from scratch! Why I didn’t do this sooner is beyond me. I’m blonde, okay? I’ve been making my own chili for a little over a year now. At first I followed a recipe I found online for beef chili pretty closely, but since then I’ve steered so far from that recipe that I think I can technically call this my own now. Here you go, I hope you like it!

Ingredients: 2 Tbs olive oil 1 Onion (whatever kind is your favorite or on sale) 2-3 Bell peppers (use a colorful variety) 2-3 Carrots, diced 1-2 Zucchini, diced 2 tsp ground cumin 1 lbs local organic ground turkey 1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz) 2 C water 1-2 Chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and minced 2 tsp adobo sauce from the can of chipotles 1/2 tsp dried oregano 2 cans black beans (15oz) 1 can kidney beans (15oz) 1 can pinto beans (15oz) Freshly ground salt and pepper

Directions: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, and carrots. Cook until veggies are soft. Add the zucchini and cumin. Cook and stir for approx. 1 minute. Add the ground turkey and raise the heat to high; cook while breaking up the meat with a spoon until it is fully cooked (ground turkey will be white when done- NO pink!). Stir in the tomatoes, water chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, and oregano. Simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Stir in the beans and cook, partially covered for 20 minutes longer.

Tips and variations: Experiment with using different vegetables. I didn’t like the carrots or zucchini at first, but now I love it. I’m a HUGE fan of beans, so I tend to use larger cans of beans or more than just 1 can of each. I’ve also used different varieties of beans and it’s always come out delicious. Lastly, I’ve found that this recipe is even better after sitting for a night! The spices and flavors really seep into each other and come out even better than hot off the stove.
*Makes approximately 12 servings

Nutrition Facts: 247 calories per serving; Total fat: 10g; 3g saturated; 1g monounsaturated; Cholestorol: 27mg; Sodium: 482mg; Potassium: 503mg; Total carbs: 28g; Fiber: 8g; Sugars: 4g; Protein: 14g. These are all approximated using MyFitnessPal depending on how heavily you salt your chili, etc.

Copyright 2015 Abbey Corbett – Achieving Healthy

Spicy Shredded Chicken & Beans {recipe}

I’ve been dying to write lately, and just have not put the time and effort into it. Also, I’ve been really excited about cooking as long as I can remember, but I’ve really been having fun experimenting lately and I want to share what I’ve been cooking up with you!!

I’m in the kitchen bare minimum, once a week, so I’ve got a lot of backlogged recipes to get on the blog. But for now, I’ll tell you about my favorite go-to slow cooker chicken recipe!

The base of this recipe is one that I found over a year ago on Pinterest but learned quickly that I didn’t like half of the ingredients it calls for- so I put my own spin on it. I like this recipe a lot because it’s SO easy and it’s a good balance of healthy with a little not-as-healthy.

Ingredients:
4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 cans of black beans, drained & rinsed
1 bag of frozen fajita veggies
1 jar of salsa (make your own if you can! you can find my homemade salsa recipe HERE)
8oz block of cream cheese (you can also find some great vegan cheeses if you’re dairy free or MAKE your own!)

Directions:
Place chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour all the ingredients over the chicken (I recommend adding the cream cheese second after the chicken). Turn slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, stirring every two, if possible. When the timer goes off, give it a good stir and let sit for a little bit to let it solidify a little (it will be pretty runny). I like to take the big chunks out and shred them but you can leave them whole too. Serve over brown rice or quinoa and a bed of spinach. Also makes for great tacos, salad topping or mixed in with some veggie soup!

A few recipes to be on the lookout for…
3-ingredient pancakes; homemade pasta sauce; and the best Brussels sprouts EVER!