(Dairy-Free) Zuppa Toscana

I have a friend who makes a delicious version of Zuppa Toscana (to be honest, I've never had it at the Olive Garden!), so I finally decided to try it myself. I decided to try oatmilk creamer in place of the heavy cream. Also, there are versions with bacon as well, which I'm sure is delicious, but I left it out of my recipe (bacon is not a necessity for me most days).

I borrowed ideas and measurements from this tablespoon.com recipe and this one from thechunkychef.com. The Chunky Chef link will give you lots of tips and options, as well as instructions to use on the stovetop, crockpot, and instant pot. I made mine in the instant pot, but used more of the recipe from tablespoon.com. In either recipe, oatmilk creamer could be substituted for the heavy cream - or cream it up, if that's what you like!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 medium (yellow) onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T flour
• 2 cartons (32 oz each) chicken broth (I used low sodium)
• 6 russet potatoes (cut in half lengthwise, then in 1/4" inch slices)
• 1 cup oatmilk creamer (can use heavy cream, if not dairy-free)
• 6 cups torn kale (about half of a bunch)
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes

Instructions (Instant Pot)

1. Set Instant Pot to saute setting.
2. Drizzle olive oil and add Italian sausage. Cook, stirring frequently until sausage is lightly browned (around 5 min), making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks.
3. Drain excess grease (I didn't have a lot of extra grease, so I left it, adding a little fat to make up for my oatmilk creamer having less fat).
4. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions become soft (about 3-5 min).
5. Sprinkle flour over mixture, and stir in completely.
6. Add potatoes and chicken broth.
7. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then a controlled quick release.
8. When the pin drops, open the lid.
9. Add oatmilk and kale, and stir together.
10. Serve. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Verde Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breast)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Juice from 1 large lime (or 1-2 Tbsp)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 Tbsp jarred minced garlic)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (measured prior to chopping), chopped finely
• 12 oz. green tomatillo salsa

Instructions:

• Place chicken thighs/breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Add all other ingredients on top.
• Cook on high for 4 hours (or medium for 6, low for 8).
• Break apart chicken and serve however you'd like (in tortillas, over rice, with tortilla chips).

Zesty Orange Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above. This recipe is pretty delicious. So much so... that I forgot to take any pictures. So you're just going to have to trust me.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 1" pieces
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 heaping tsp jarred garlic)

Day of Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water 
• Sesame seeds
• White rice

Crock Pot Instructions:

• Chop chicken into 1" cubed pieces.
• Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except the water and cornstarch.
• Cook on high for 4 hours.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and heat on medium, whisking often.
• Once it bubbles and thickens, add it back to the slow cooker and mix.
• Let it cook for another 15 minutes and serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Instant Pot Instructions:

• Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot except the water and cornstarch.
• Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
• Let the Instant Pot naturally depressurize for at least 5 minutes.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add the mixture to the slow cooker and mix.
• Set the Instant Pot to saute and cook for a couple minutes until it thickens.
• Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless and also the skinless chicken breast
5 diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of cumin
2 cups of brown rice
1 can of black beans (drain and rinse)
1 cup of frozen corn
2 cups of chicken stock or chicken broth (add day of)

Instructions:

First, combine the chicken breast with the tomatoes, salt, cumin, and the chili powder into a gallon ziplock bag and freeze (make sure that the chicken is covered by the spices).

When ready to cook, remove from the freezer and add the frozen ingredients to crock pot with 1/2 cup of chicken stock (add additional stock if you want to). Cover with a lid and cook for three hours.

Remove the lid and add the brown rice, black beans, frozen corn, and the remainder of the chicken broth. Continue cooking for an hour. Check the rice periodically, stir it once or twice to make sure all of the rice cooked. Cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone.

Shred the chicken (or cut into chunks if you'd rather), and stir everything together. Add salt and the black pepper as needed, and serve with your favorite burrito toppings!

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Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos

These fish tacos are a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:

• 6 fish fillets, frozen (Cod and Salmon are my favorite, originally I used Tilapia)
• 1 lg. can Rotel, drained
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp dried cilantro or 1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• salt to taste
• Soft taco shells

Instructions:

• Place frozen fillets in the bottom of the Crock Pot.
• Cook on low for 4 hours. 
• Flake the fish with a fork and mix well with the other ingredients. 
• Spoon into soft taco shells.

Meal Prepping: Episode #2

If you haven't seen my first adventure in Meal Prepping, you can find it here. The After my first, mostly successful try, I've decided to put together my own list for the second try. The recipes in this batch includes 7 recipes that sound delicious to me (hopefully they sound tasty to you as well!). I will post the recipes as-is today, and update with pictures and notes as I make them! Enjoy!

Recipes

• Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos
• Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp
• Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
• Zesty Orange Chicken
• Verde Chicken
• Pork Carnitas
• Shredded Chicken Tacos

Shopping List
Protein
6 fish fillets, frozen (I used Tilapia)

6 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

2 slices bacon

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

3-4 lb pork roast (shoulder, butt or loin)

Canned/Boxed

rotel (1 lg. can )
chicken stock (32 oz)

half and half OR cream (1/2 c)

brown rice (2 cups)

black beans (1 can)
green tomatillo salsa (12oz)

Fresh

fresh cilantro (1/2 c fresh chopped or 3 Tbsp dried cilantro)
lime (juice of 3)
medium yellow onion (1 1/2)

tomatoes (5)

garlic (13 cloves or 7t)

Frozen

corn (3 1/4 c)

orange juice concentrate (1 can)

Pantry Items

smoked paprika

crushed red pepper

chili powder

cumin

oregano

ground ginger

sesame seeds

salt

pepper

sugar

soy sauce

rice wine vinegar

sesame oil

corn starch

chicken bouillon cubes (2)

Day of

Soft taco shells
basil (optional)

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Chicken Fajitas

This recipe is from my meal prepping a few weeks ago (originally from this website). In a pinch, this would be a recipe I would do again. It was tasty. However, I just don't like peppers when they've been frozen or overcooked (which can easily happen in a crockpot. While the peppers were fine, I'd rather make fajitas the traditional way.

Yields: Four servings

Ingredients
1 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move the frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and cook on “low” setting for 6 hours or until chicken is tender.
3. Shred chicken and serve with cooked onions and peppers.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Crockpot Chicken Philly Cheesesteak

This recipe is from my meal prepping several weeks ago (originally from this website). I made it, and have eaten some of it. It was not my favorite, but I don't know exactly how it was meant to be served. On bread? By itself? That was not specified, so I had a hard time figuring out the best way to eat it. The flavor is not bad, but the peppers were not my favorite (I'm not a huge fan of frozen peppers - we'll see how this goes with the chicken fajitas next week!).

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
3 medium-sized bell peppers, cut into strips (I used two green and one red pepper)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 slices of provolone cheese *not needed until day of cooking

Materials (if prepping as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except cheese.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
3. Add sliced cheese and cook additional 10 minutes or until melted.

Serve on rolls.

Southwestern Chicken Chili

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago (originally from New Leaf Wellness). It has good flavor, but I made a few small alterations because I like my chili to be spicy! I may also include some spicy rotel or something next time. Drop in the crock pot and enjoy!

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts
1 onion, peeled and chopped (one cup)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (about one cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, chopped
14oz can of tomato sauce
15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (the original recipe had 2 teaspoons) chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-3 dashes of tabasco sauce (not included in the original recipe)

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
4. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
5. Add all ingredients.
6. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
3. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
4. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker.
5. Cook on “Low” setting for 6-8 hours or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft.
6. Shred chicken.

Serve: Top with cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to New Leaf Wellness for the recipes!! This one is definitely up there on my list of favorites from this set of crockpot meals. When prepping the broccoli, I used water, lemon juice, and pepper to steam/sauté it. I also stopped the chicken a little bit early (it was cooked, but not shreddable) so that I could dice it. I am not a fan of shredded chicken on rice. If you are, I'm sure it would be good that way as well.

Yields: 3 servings

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
The juice from one lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Materials (if prepping as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve with rice and broccoli.

Spring Chicken Soup

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. This recipe is quite tasty. The only things I would consider changing would be using some sort of small pasta rather than the orzo (it was hard to get to, as it sunk to the bottom, and just didn't fill the soup out very much). I also needed to cut my carrots smaller (you can't quite tell in this picture, but they were still pretty long, and not super thin...). I did have to pull about half of the soup into a pot on the stove as I was finishing it up. It was a bit much for my crock pot (which I think is pretty standard-sized). This recipe is quite large (and could be larger if you wanted to add more chicken broth to stretch it a bit) - it will obviously depend on who you're feeding, but I believe that this will give me at least 10 servings.

Yields: 8+ servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (1+lb)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
1 medium-sized zucchini, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
The juice from one lemon
1.5 teaspoons dill
1.5 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup orzo *not needed until day of cooking
48oz chicken broth (6 cups) *not needed until day of cooking
16oz water (2 cups) *not needed until day of cooking

Materials  (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except orzo, chicken broth, and water.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and add chicken broth and water.
3. Cook for 6 hours on “low” or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
4. Shred chicken and add orzo.
5. Cook for additional 30 minutes.

Serve with fresh, crusty bread.

Hawaiian Chicken

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. It was fine as-is, but not my favorite. I added some garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little more soy sauce when I heated up leftovers, and I liked it so much better! Next time I make it, I will add those from the start. You can make that choice for yourself!

(The finished product didn't photograph well, so you can see the prepped part)

Each serving shown in the picture was definitely more than a serving. The recipe originally stated 3 servings - I have made 4-5 servings out of it.

Ingredients
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 fresh pineapple, stalk, skin, and core removed and fruit cut into bitesized pieces
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
(add ginger, garlic, and chili flakes if you desire)

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve with brown rice and broccoli, and enjoy!

Red Pepper Chicken

This recipe is delicious! It is the first of the 7 Summer Chicken Meals that I prepped recently. It has just a little bit of kick - especially when it's not in a tortilla (the tortilla cuts the kick). I am excited to also try it on a salad as well!

Yields: One gallon-sized bag of red pepper chicken with three servings

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, sliced (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced (about one cup)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Materials 
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.

Meal Prepping: 7 Summer Chicken Meals

Today, I have branched out and done something that I've never done before. I meal prepped like a boss. I found several versions of major meal prepping, chose one, and did some grocery shopping. Today's choice was a group of 7 chicken meals.

I'll be very clear about a few things... I would say that I spent approximately $100 on all of ingredients that I had to buy. When I think about it, though, $100 for 7 meals that will have several servings each is a great deal! Also, she says "under and hour" - it took me 2-3, but I've never done this before, and I chopped all of my own vegetables (she chose some that were pre-cut). However, I think it was so worth it to spend a few hours all at once, knowing that they're available to stick into the crockpot for the next several weeks!

So, without further ado, here are the meals in this set:

-Red Pepper Chicken
-Lemon Pepper Chicken
-Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
-Spring Chicken Soup
-Chicken Fajitas
-Hawaiian Chicken
-Southwestern Chicken Chili

I will create new post and link to this one once I make some of these and try them! Stay tuned!

Cilantro Lime Chicken [crockpot meal]

This meal is one I found on this website. It sounds very tasty, but I have to admit that I haven't tasted it. I have it in my freezer, ready to make, and I'll see about updating this when I get it made. But, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 lb chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).

Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese).

Cinnamon-Sugar Almonds

This is another recipe I've been wanting to try for a while - thank you Pinterest... again. I found this recipe from the Recipe Critic blog (sometimes I feel like a recipe critic... because I always use other people's recipes), however, I think she found it elsewhere.

I took some of her suggestions and made some minor changes to the original recipe - below is what I did:

Ingredients:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 T Cinnamon
1/8 t Salt
1 Egg White
2 t vanilla
3 cups Almonds
1/8 to 1/4 C. Water

Instructions:
Mix together in a large bowl sugars, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl with a whisk, mix together the egg white and vanilla until it is frothy. Add the almonds and coat thoroughly. This will help the mixture stick to the almonds during the cooking process.

Prepare your slow cooker by spraying it with cooking spray (although you'll still have to soak it afterwards...). I used a 4 quart. Add the cinnamon almond mixture to the almonds and turn it to low. Stir until the cinnamon sugar mixture is coated well on the almonds. Be prepared for your house to smell amazing!

You want to cook for about 3-4 hours. Mine took about 3. Stirring every 20 minutes. In the very last hour, add between 1/8 and 1/4 cup water and stir well. This will ensure a crunchy coating and help the mixture to harden.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds onto the sheet to cool. The almonds should be pretty sticky so be sure to separate them the best that you can and let them cool!


My Notes:
*She suggested less water (1/8c), so I tried that, and I think that may be why mine didn't have quite the hard coating that I was expecting. I started with 1/8, then added more later - which helped a lot. I would stick with the 1/4c next time.
*Be careful of the HOT crock-pot as you stir. Just sayin'. (ouch)
*It made... well basically 3 cups of almonds... makes sense right? I have not yet calculated the calories, but I probably will, so I'll try to update that later.
*These are super tasty. Y-U-M.

Easy Chicken Tacos

The first time I ever had these chicken tacos was about a year ago (last Thanksgiving, actually), whcn my cousin made them for me. I loved them and decided that I just had to make them... it only took me a year!

This recipe was found on Pinterest (from this blog), but when I told one of my friends what I was making, she told me that she'd been making it for years and that it was wonderful! I was very excited to try it.

Here are the basics:

*6 chicken breasts
*1 packet taco seasoning
*1 jar of salsa
*Crock Pot

Seriously, that's it!

Put all together in the crock pot (I mixed the salsa and taco seasoning, but I'm not sure that you need to), and cook on high for 4-6hrs or on low for 6-8hrs.

My friend even told me that you can put the chicken in there frozen... which I did and it still worked! Here's a little photo tour of what I did:

All 3 ingredients - wowza!

Probably not the most appetizing picture, but I wanted to show that they were, in fact, very frozen when I started.

 

This is actually the next day after it was refrigerated. It looks mostly the same anyway. I'd also shredded some parts already by then.

No extra toppings, just chicken and tortilla.

I have to tell you that I've been ordering chicken tacos from Mexican restaurants for several years now, and I love them. I did not imagine that I'd be able to make them at home. These are very similar in taste, juicy, and downright fabulous.

My lovely friend also gave me some other ideas of how to use the chicken... which will be blogged very soon...

Grandma's Chili

{Grandma's Recipe}
Serves 4-5

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2- 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes (maybe blend)
1- 15 oz can chili beans
1-2 dashes tabasco sauce (opt.)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
*Adjust spices to taste

Instructions
In dutch oven, brown ground beef; drain. Add red pepper & onion; saute in with drained beef until vegetables start to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili beans, and spices. Stir well. Simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Serve with grated cheddar cheese & sour cream.

Saute the vegetables with the ground beef

Summer over low heat for 20-30 minutes

ta da!

***

I followed the recipe almost exactly; I did use turkey instead of beef and left out the salt. This chili is chunky and pretty tasty. I do not own a dutch oven, so I took care of the meat and vegetables in a saute pan, then transferred everything to a crock pot before adding in the other ingredients. You could also put it it in a large pot and keep it on the stove.

There is a lot left over, so I plan to refrigerate some for lunches and dinners, and freeze the rest. I was recently enlightened to the idea of freezing soup in ziplock bags, so I am planning to try that method out. I'll let you know how that works out.

If you're interested in something a little simpler (and smaller in portions), I will post the "Rush Hour Chili" recipe that I tried a while back. It is quicker and less chili, but not as tasty. If you choose the "Rush Hour Chili" instead, I would highly recommend adding some of the spices from this recipe.

INSTANT POT:
Use the same ingredients, but follow these steps:

• Brown the meat on the "saute" setting.
• Drain the liquid.
• Add the pepper and onion, and saute for a few more minutes. 
• Add the remainder of the ingredients and use the "slow cooker" or "bean/chili" for the remainder of the cooking time:
• Slow Cooker: 2-3 hours
• Bean/Chili: 25 minutes, with a 5-10 minute natural release