The start to this year has been...hectic...stressful...busy. So many little things keep adding up and some days I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. It is a pleasure chasing my toddler around but it's been getting harder as I hit the slump of the third trimester. I'm exhausted literally to tears most days from lack of sleep, my day job (well, let's not go there right now...excited to be making changes which I'll share soon...no more empty dreams and half-hearted comments about changes, we are officially on the horizon of new goals and new priorities), not to mention a million other little stressor's in life. I have a bad habit of letting those things get the best of me and with it some of my attention to detail in regards to our weekly meal prep and menus has gone out the window.
Last night was no exception. I hadn't prepared what to make for dinner ahead of time and on my way down the block yesterday morning, Andrew called me asking what he should take out of the freezer for dinner. After a flustered "just some chicken", click.... I called him back and changed that to the package of ground turkey. I was craving some comfort food and chili sounded amazing. Not to mention I pretty much have a base recipe in my mind and an easily throw a pot of chili together with some pantry staples and doctor it up with other random ingredients I may have on hand. Problem solved. The best part, prep time is literally 10 minutes tops with as little as 15 minutes cook time... in our case, we let the pot of chili simmer while we finished Connor's bath and did our bed time routine. Easy for a weeknight meal and plenty of leftovers to get us through another dinner and a couple of lunches too.
There are any number of amazing turkey chili recipes available and I've tried many of them. In experimenting with various recipes, I've discovered I like flavor profiles that include cumin, basil, chili powder, and garlic. After raiding my pantry, I doctored up the following and it made for a fantastic bowl of chili. Husband approved hands down.
Clean Eating Weeknight Turkey Chili
1 package ground turkey (approximately 1 lb)
1 yellow onion diced
1 15 oz can organic black beans (drained)
1 15 oz can organic kidney beans (drained)
1 4 oz can diced green chilis (drained)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (don't drain)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic (don't drain)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp mustard powder
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp Truvia natural sweetener
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
sliced avocado
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add turkey, garlic powder, and onions and cook until the onions are tender and the meat is no longer pink. Add the beans, chilis, tomatoes, and all of the remaining dry ingredients. Stir well, cover pot, and simmer on low at least 15 minutes...longer to let the flavors steep. I love to serve my bowl of chili with sliced avocado. The creamy, almost rich flavor, from the avocado is a GREAT substitute for sour cream.
This chili is also amazing as leftovers. The flavors really continue to develop and it makes for a delish lunch or leftover dinner meal.
We LOVE chili in the Carey household so feel free to share your favorite recipes! I'm always looking for new clean versions to try.
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