Crockpot Recipe: Easy Butternut Squash Turkey Chili

Can anyone believe I am even talking about food after the non-stop food fest between Thanksgiving and Christmas? I know, most of us are not done as New Year's Eve is around the corner but...a girl's gotta eat!

I'm sure we're all tired of thinking about food after all the menu planning and grocery shopping, and it will be nice just to "set it and forget it". Especially if you want to catch some of those post-Christmas sales and want to leave food behind for your family to eat. 

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
3/4 lb ground turkey
1 package (10 or 12 oz) of chopped onion, celery and bell pepper or some variation of that
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can pinto or white beans (use what you have)
2 15.25 oz Mexican style stewed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup water or chicken broth
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

Thrify mama variation: of course, using dried beans is always the most economical. In my case using cans was more economical because I already had them in my pantry. You can also be more thrifty by not buying the pre-chopped vegetables but honestly the difference in price is negligible if you look at how much time it saves to buy the pre-chopped mix. I'm always a proponent of using what you have, so if you've got onions and celery and bell pepper hanging about by all means use it before it perishes. On that note, if you are pressed for time and don't want to deal with peeling and cubing squash, you can also buy it peeled and cubed already.

Take your squash and pierce it with a sharp knife several times. Place it in the microwave and cook on high for approximately 2 minutes. Peel and cut into cubes. Set aside.

Cook your ground turkey and onion, celery and bell pepper in a large non-stick pan sprayed with Pam or similar spray on med-hi. Dash with salt and black pepper to your liking.

Plug in your crock pot and set to 6 hrs on high or whatever time frame works with when you plan to eat. Put the squash, turkey and vegetable mixture and tomatoes into the crock pot as well as the last 4 ingredients. Set it and forget it. You can eat this in a bowl as a main dish with corn bread and a dollop of sour cream on top, or as a side dish. Makes approximately 8 cups. Enjoy!!!

I Love My Crock pot!

Healthier Version - Rigatoni Bake - So Tasty You Won't Miss The Fat!

I try to make one meal a week that I can either freeze or parcel out for leftovers so that during the week when I am in a pinch (stuck in horrible traffic, in a bad mood, exhausted and not feeling like making anything) I can just reheat it. This not only saves money since I don't stop and pick something up, but it's healthier than many other last-minute options. I love pasta. I try to do whole wheat, or whole grain when I can. I do hear from my kids that they don't like it if it's "brown" but I am lucky that they don't notice if it has sauce on it. Most of the time they like their pasta plain with cheese anyway, so this lovely dish I made pretty much just for me and my hubby. It made more than one casserole dish, so I will not only save some for us for another dinner during the week, but also offer it as lunch to my children's caregivers who are at my house during the week when I am working. My husband,  who I'll call Chip for this blog, works an opposite schedule, so he eats his "dinner" while working.

Most baked rigatoni recipes call for ground beef. Why do it if you don't have to? Trust me, this is just as good, and you'll feel better about yourself knowing you took the lighter route.  Plus, this recipe has a little twist to it, I've added one of my favorite winter vegetables which can be used beyond just this meal.

Earlier in the week some of my running moms were discussing recipes, and I had mentioned I love roasted spaghetti squash and how easy it is to prepare. Well, I decided to make one and it really yielded a lot of "spaghetti" and I had at least 2 cups left over. I decided to put it to good use! For those unfamiliar with spaghetti squash, all you need to do is pierce it several times, and put it on a pan in the oven preheated to 400 degrees for 1 hr. Cut the bad boy open and use a fork to scrape out any seeds and all of the squash which should come away in spaghetti-like strands. It's easy enough to pour on a bit of marinara and have a good piece of bread and your done! Or if your family has heartier appetites you can use it more as a side along with a piece of chicken if you like.

Finally - getting to the rigatoni bake!

What you need:
1lb ground turkey
1lb whole wheat or multigrain rigatoni noodles
1 jar pasta sauce (I used Classico tomato and basil)
1-1/2 c. part skim grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1-1/2 c. cooked and stringed spaghetti squash
a couple dashes salt, garlic salt, pepper and red-pepper flakes which are optional

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, cook noodles until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large skillet season the ground turkey with salts, pepper and red-pepper flakes if desired. Cook completely on medium to medium high heat. 

When pasta is done, mix with ground turkey, sauce, spaghetti squash, parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella in a large bowl. You may add any additional Italian spices if you wish, depending on your taste and the flavor of your sauce.  I wish I had used a larger bowl!

Spoon all ingredients into a large casserole dish sprayed lightly with non-stick spray. Depending on what type of dish you use you may not be able to fit it all into one. I used 1 (9x13) and a smaller one (pyrex loaf pan). Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Now, you can add more cheese to the top to make it thick and gooey, which sounds fabulous but remember we are trying to be healthier here. Put it in the oven for 10 minutes. And then...voila!

This had plenty of favor, I did not miss the fatty ground beef, and barely even noticed the spaghetti squash which is good if you are trying to disguise it for your kids! There are many variations you can make with this - using different vegetables, for example, or no meat at all. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if there was less turkey and more spaghetti squash in this case. Mangia mangia!

Hearty, Spicy Beef Stew in the Crock Pot!

I wish I had a picture of my stew! It was made, eaten and enjoyed before I could take any photos. Well take my word for it, it looks very tasty, smells amazing and is quite yummy. I had fun shopping for the veggies at my Saturday Farmer's Market, my weekly family tradition. Pefect hearty stew for a cold day, and you can go out and enjoy your Saturday or Sunday and come home to a nice warm meal if you make it in the crock pot.

This recipe should feed 4 hungry people if served over rice or noodles.  If you have leftovers, even better - this stew tastes even better the next day.

1-1/2 tablespoons oil
2 lbs stew meat cut into 1 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 carrots chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1 small can diced green chiles
1 can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1/2 can beef broth
1/2 cup sliced green pimento stuffed olives
1 potato cut into 1 inch pieces (more can be added if you desire)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin

In a large pan on medium heat, heat half the oil and brown half the meat with 2 of the garlic cloves. Remove. I like to put the meat in the crockpot to wait for the rest of the ingredients. Brown the rest of the meat with the remaining oil 2 garlic cloves. Remove remaining meat and saute the vegetables in the same pan for about 5 minutes or so until they start to soften.
Put the meat into the crockpot if its not already there, then vegetables. Add the remaining ingredients - chiles, tomatoes, broth, olives and potato. Add your spices and combine with vegetables and meat with a large spoon. Turn your crock pot on high for 6 hours. Happy eating!

Try it, and let me know what you think. I would enjoy this with a nice glass of full bodied red wine. TGIF!

Black Beans in the Crock Pot

I know, its still summer and I'm talking about the crock pot.  Well, here in Northern CA the weather had been a bit cool for the last week or so. With school about to start soon, and the foggy mornings, I was starting to fear that summer was truly over! Turns out warmer weather is on tap for the rest of this week so I'll get some pool time in with my family.

I do usually associate the crock pot with the fall and winter months. I love to make stews, chili, soups...and have started to branch out and experiment with some other non-typical crock pot fare. But this summer, after going back to work full time in an office, I have really struggled with dinner. My husband works most nights so its usually just me,  my preschool-age son and toddler. Sometimes the kids are really hungry if I end up stuck in traffic and I'm racing to throw something together quickly. I really want to start using my crock pot now that summer is coming to an end and the barbecque will be used a little less. This way, the kids can start eating right when I get home instead of having to wait.

Tonight was the first time I have used my crock pot since last winter. I decided to make a simple side dish of black beans which can accompany more than one meal this week, and my husband can take some to work with him. Black beans are really good for you. They are full of fiber, protein and antioxidants. And they are so easy to make!

If you are on a budget, the smartest thing to do is buy dry beans in a bag. Not only are you saving money by doing this, but saving yourself from all the sodium typically associated with canned food. All you need to do is soak your beans over night in a large bowl with twice the volume of water as beans. The next morning just drain the water and pick out any that have split open, remove any "rocks" or otherwise disfigured looking beans. Now if you are short on supplies, you can honestly make these with nothing but water. Just put the beans in the crock pot, set it on the low/8 hr setting, cover the beans with water up to 2 inches over the bean line, cover and walk away.

Knowing that is all that is required you can pretty much add anything you like to your beans, and unless it is something off the wall you can't mess them up. Here is what I did, based on what I had in my pantry:

1 chopped yellow onion
1 small can of diced green chiles
swap out 2 cups of the water I put over the beans in the crock pot with chicken broth

Set, cover and walk away.

In the past I have also swapped out the 2 cups of water with a Mexican beer such as Negro Modelo or Dos Equis. I have also added cooked bacon or chopped, cooked ham to taste. Another tasty additive - chopped fresh tomatoes. Can also be yummy served with some Monterey Jack cheese, a dollop of fat free sour cream and a few sliced olives sprinkled on top. Enjoy!