Warm to your soul Chili!

Chili is one of the dishes that actually is fun to make and healthy to eat. I love trying different ways to make Chili!  Spice it up, or substitute your favorite lean meat or textured vegetable protein. Experiment with different beans and legumes. It's also great for using up those soon to spoil veggies.  Try to avoid certain popular mix-ins like cheese and sour cream that add more fat than flavor. 

1 lb. ground chicken/turkey, extra-lean (or make it without meat and use buglur wheat)

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

28 oz of fresh tomatoes diced

2 tbsp of tomato paste

1 bay leaf

12 oz of fresh tomato juice

2 cans (15 oz.) black beans or tri colored beans, rinsed

2 tsp. chili powder (or more to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, brown ground turkey. Spoon out any excess fat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and pepper,  and sauté until veggies about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer at least 30 minutes. The longer it's cooked the better! Can be served immediately (although leftovers are great, too). Serve with hot sauce to taste. Serves 4.

10 Foods that SHOULD be in your Shopping Cart!

How do I pick just 10 foods?? I can give you 100 foods that should be in your cart. But I don't want to overwhelm you. Start small, we've talked about baby-steps before. These small changes in your lifestyle will bring you to the goals you are trying to achieve. So go grab your list and start writing.

1. Avocados- Heart Health (can help lower Cholesterol and lower the incident of heart disease!)                                                               
2. Quinoa-great source of fiber, iron, and it is rich in protein!
3. Tree Fruits (apples, pears etc)     control your weight, and a great source of fiber, vitamin C (immune function), A (healthy vision) , and E (heart healthy antioxidant)                     
4. Hummus- has Tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine which can promote good quality sleep and uplift one’s mood.
5. Greens (Romaine, arugula, Spinach, etc)-balance your pH, they have omega-3 fatty acids which help improve many body functions including the brain, they are a blood detoxifier, and help support the immune system.  
6. Oils (olive, grapeseed, coconut, etc)-have so many benefit! I will have a whole post on this!
7. Blueberries -rank the highest of any fruit for antioxidants  1 cup delivers 14% of your daily fiber and nearly a quarter of your Vitamin C, plus they are low in calories!                                                            
8. Honey or Agave  Nectar-there are many benefit to using honey instead of sugar but one is that it is cleaner, or not processed! Again I will go into detail with this topic in a later post!
9. Fish (salmon, tuna ,cod, trout)- low fat high quality protein! May decrease the risk of depression, ADHD, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and diabetes! Our bodies don't make omega-3 so we must get it in our food and this is a GREAT source!                     
10. Nuts (raw almonds, walnuts, etc)- Rich in energy, protein, packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and much discussed omega-3 fatty acids. Delicious nuts are wonderful gifts to humankind by Mother Nature.