Crockpot Pumpkin Turkey Chili

More pumpkin! This chili was part of my project last weekend - making frozen meals for the crockpot. So I did all the prep work last weekend, froze it in a ziploc freezer bag, and just broke it apart and dumped it in the crockpot today with a can of chicken broth and a couple bay leaves. Totally brill.

Right out of the freezer!

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 lb lean ground turkey (I used 85% fat free Jenni-O brand)
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
2 tsp chili powder (or more, to taste)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 15 oz cans of white navy beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling! I cannot stress this enough!)
4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
1 15 oz can fat free low sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves

Preparation:

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with some nonstick cooking spray. Add meat and cook, crumbling as you go, until it's no longer pink. Remove from pan and let cool.
2. Add olive oil and onions to the pan and saute for 3 minutes. Add cumin and cook an additional minute or so until the onions turn translucent. Remove from pan and let cool.
3. Once everything has cooled, add turkey, onions, beans, pumpkin, green chilis, chili powder, and oregano to a freezer safe gallon size ziploc bag. Freeze immediately (lay it flat in your freezer to make it easy to store).
4. Once you're ready to make an easy, no fuss meal, let it thaw a little in the refrigerator overnight. When you're ready to put it in the crockpot, just slam the ziploc bag on the counter a couple of times to break it up into pieces that will fit in your crockpot. Empty the bag into the crockpot and add the can of chicken broth and 2 bay leaves on top. Cook on low for about 6 hours and voila!
5. Remove bay leaves before serving. Top with sour cream, cilantro, cheese, chives, tortilla strips, more chili powder - whatever!

PS: I used this recipe from SkinnyTaste and modified it! She has a lot of great recipe ideas but I find that hers are a little bland for me.

White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe

This recipe is so delicious and it is South Beach Diet Phase 1 approved! Next time I'll probably make it in the crockpot but I couldn't wait to try it tonight.

Can you blame me?

Yield: 5 servings (It was supposed to be 6 but I couldn't find another piece of tupperware sooo...)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 oz can of diced green chiles
4 oz can diced jalapenos
2 cans fat free chicken broth
 3 cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
16 oz chicken breast, ground or shredded and cooked
Toppings (not included in nutrition):
2% Mexican cheese blend, shredded
Low fat sour cream

Preparation:
1. Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add onions and stir until softened (4-5 minutes). If you haven't precooked your chicken, you can cook it now in a skillet.
2. Add the chiles and jalapenos, stir, and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, beans, and chicken broth, turn heat up to medium and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Top with cheese and sour cream. Yum!

The Best Recipe Ever: 5 Ingredient Taco Chili

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write a post about one of my favorite recipes ever: my five ingredient slow cooker taco chili. I think it took me longer to type the name of it than it did to make it this morning.

Yield: 4 servings (The pictures are from my mini-crockpot, so I just halved the recipe, I put the half cans of beans in the freezer to use next time I want some yummy chili!)

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen Morningstar Farms Meal Starter Crumbles, 12 oz (or if you want to use a pound of beef or turkey, that's fine, just brown it first)
2 cans diced tomatoes, you can use the ones with chiles or green peppers, but do not use Rotel
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chili/red kidney beans with gravy
1 packet of taco seasoning mix

Preparation:
1. Dump everything in your crockpot, give it a stir, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. That's it!

You can top this with cheese, low fat sour cream, tortilla strips, fritos, put it over a baked potato...pretty much whatever you want. You can also add other canned veggies, like a can of corn or some chopped onions and bell peppers, even some jalapeños. Like I said: Best. Recipe. Ever.