Wow. While I took a hiatus from sending blog posts weekly, it really made me miss the story that always went behind my meal prep. It just wasn’t the same, prepping food with no back story to go along with it to share with all of you! So here is the story behind my meal prep for this week. Get ready, you’re gonna want to listen in on this.
Now I was super excited to get back into blogging, so I had started my prep for this late last night to get a head start. I had all of the veggies chopped, turkey was cooked up, ready for take off. I put it all together in the Crock Pot and plugged her in, ready to head to bed to let it sit over night. 3 minutes later, as I’m finishing up the dishes, I see smoke, and smell something awful, like burning plastic! Low and behold, I turn around, and the crockpot is smoking! I thought I was about to burn the place down with the amount of smoke! I was able to quickly pull it off, but the bottom of the Crock Pot was completely melted, all the way to the motherboard! But guess what?! It was still working! I was amazed at how it hadn’t just shorted out on me. The wire I had plugged in caught on the knob for the stovetop, turning on the burner that the Crock Pot was sitting on! Talk about bad luck!
This goes to show you that not all foodies are perfect, and we even burn things every now and again, even if it’s just what we cook the food in 😛 Life can get crazy, and things can get in the way. But hey, we make it work right? It’s all about the baby steps. What can we do today to make it better? At that point what was going to make the situation better, was getting the smoke alarm to hush up so I didn’t wake the neighbors in the middle of the night! 😛
Now, moving forward. I know as much as the next person that how I present this food is all great, but the real bread and butter is sharing tips and tricks for readers to get a feel for what is out there, what’s available, and what is realistic for you to make life easier on the nutritional front. I try to make all of these recipes simple, delicious, and realistic for even the busiest of people. I find myself more now recently struggling with what a lot of you struggle with. And that’s not having the time to sit down and eat. You’re always on the go, not sure where your next meal is going to come from, and just picking the next fast food place you see. But when was the last time you challenged your nutritional game? Did a little digging to find how we can make this whole thing work for you, while also not sabotaging your goals of a healthier life?
For my strategy this week, I needed on the go options that were simple, tasty, and would keep me full throughout the day. On the menu we have clementine cuties, fig bars, boiled eggs, chicken sausage, the infamous bagged salads, cucumbers, hummus and triscuits, all from Costco! That store is my jam! Always have good stuff on hand that I can have a lot of to get me through the week. If you are unsure of what’s acceptable, check your label. Read the ingredients list. If you can’t pronounce it, odds are it isn’t meant for your tummy 😉 Even better? If you have a practitioner in your back pocket, I’m sure they would be more than willing to help you out! 😀
\Now, spirit week is well underway! Let’s finish out this week strong and show true spirit in 80’s theme today, and our fun sock Friday tomorrow! Who is it going to be wearing this fine pink tutu next week?
Turkey Chili
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili pepper
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 pound)
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1, 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1, 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 – 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high. Add the turkey, onion, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cook and stir, breaking up the turkey as you go, until the turkey is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, chipotle chili powder, and cumin, then transfer to the bottom a large slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add the chopped sweet potatoes, quinoa, beer, 2 cups chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, and black beans. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in additional chicken stock if the chili is thicker than you would like (I added about 1/2 cup extra). Serve warm with desired toppings.