Chili Baked Potatoes

For Super Bowl Sunday, I made Ted's favorite - chili baked potatoes!  Since we couldn't go anywhere all day because of the blizzard, I let the chili simmer all afternoon to make it more flavorful, and it was awesome. The longer you can let it simmer on the stove, the more flavorful it will be. But no matter what, it always tastes better the second day so leftovers for dinner tonight are not only going to be easy, but really good.

I usually just use ground grass-fed beef in our chili, but we had a ton of leftover brisket, so I cut some of that up and added, and it was a great addition. I essentially used the same general chili recipe that I always do, but tweaked it a bit for using beef instead of turkey, and used whatever leftover stock was in the fridge. You can use chicken or beef stock, and I used a combination of both to use up what was open.

Top your chili potato with your favorite fixings! We put some organic shredded cheddar on the potato, then topped it with the chili and some organic sour cream. 

Chili Baked Potatoes

Makes ~6-8 servings

Chili

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup organic red bell pepper, chopped
1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
3/4 pound cooked beef brisket, cut into small pieces
1 (28oz) can crushed organic tomatoes with basil, undrained
1 (16oz) can organic red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup organic chicken stock
1 cup organic beef stock
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Chalula)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned.

2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. 

Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

Whole organic russet potatoes
Sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Rinse potatoes with water to wet the skin and rub with sea salt. Poke a series of holes in the potatoes with a fork to let steam escape.

3. Place potatoes on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 60-75 minutes, or until soft on inside.  For softer skin, wrap potatoes in aluminum foil for baking.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Canned tomato products contain lots of vitamin C and more bioavailable lycopene than fresh tomatoes. Kidney beans provide lots of protein, folate, fiber, and iron. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium - and with the skin, there are even more of these nutrients, plus lots of fiber!

Crock Pot Minestrone

After eating meat-containing (but very good) dinners all weekend, a healthy vegetarian meal was in order last night for a Meatless Monday. This soup was easy, since the crock pot did all the work for me, and tasted great. I loved the flavors of the swiss chard and yellow squash in it. I also made a big mixed green salad with lots of fresh vegetables to go along with it. There were lots of leftovers, so there was plenty for a healthy lunch today. This made quite a bit of soup, so I will be freezing some for an easy dinner in the future!

Crock Pot Minestrone

Ingredients

4 large stalks organic swiss chard
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 cups organic vegetable broth
29 ounces canned organic diced tomatoes, undrained
16oz can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15oz can organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 organic yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 organic yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 organic carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups whole wheat rotini pasta, uncooked

Directions

1. Remove stems from swiss chard and chop separately from leaves. In medium sized pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and swiss chard stalks and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Add remaining ingredients, except for swiss chard leaves and pasta, to slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add pasta and chopped swiss chard leaves and cook for another 20-25 minutes on low, or until pasta is tender.

(Recipe adapted from April/May 2014 issues of Taste of Home Magazine)

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Kale is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. It is also a good source of minerals calcium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorous. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control.  Onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Canned tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C.Kidney beans provide lots of protein, folate, fiber, and iron. Garbanzo beans are packed with fiber as well as lots of great nutrients, including protein, molybdenum, manganese, folate, tryptophan, copper, phosphorous, and iron. Yellow squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, iron, folate, beta-carotene, and lutein. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Compared to white pasta, whole wheat pasta provides more fiber and nutrients, particularly B vitamins, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, and iron. 

Thai Chicken Soup

If you are a fan of thai, this soup is right up your alley! It is a nice change from a plain old chicken and vegetable soup and makes a lot so can easily be frozen or eaten as leftovers for a couple of days. The original recipe that I worked from called for a jalapeno pepper, but I decided to leave it out so it wouldn't be too spicy for my 2 year old son, Charlie.  I also put in only a fraction of the fish sauce because I didn't want that flavor to be too strong.  

I made this soup first thing this morning when I got up and let it simmer while I  prepared and ate breakfast with Charlie. I tossed it in the fridge and and just simmered it on the stove to re-heat it at dinner time. This could definitely be made the day before as well. If you haven't gathered from previous posts, pre-making dinner as much as possible is kind of my thing!

Thai Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup green onions, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 cup organic carrots, finely chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms (I used cremini)
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
1/3 cup organic green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 pound organic free range chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups organic chicken stock
1 can (14oz) organic unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
1 cup sugar snap peas, julienned
Salt, to taste
2 limes, one juiced and one cut into wedges for garnishing
Fresh organic cilantro and basil leaves, for garnishing

Directions

1. Heat canola oil in large pot over medium-high heat. 

2. Reduce heat to medium and add green onions, garlic and ginger and cook until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. 

3. Add carrot, jalapeno (if using), green pepper and mushrooms and cook until softened, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Add chicken, stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

5. Add sugar snap peas and lime juice.

6. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro, basil and lime wedges.

(Recipe adapted from doortodoororganics.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Green onions are rich in vitamins A, C and K. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Mushrooms  are an excellent source of minerals selenium and potassium as well vitamins riboflavin, and niacin, and are the only item you will find in the produce section that supplies some vitamin D! Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Coconut milk is abundant in vitamin C and E, as well as several B vitamins. Sugar snap peas are a great source of fiber, as well as folate and vitamins C and K.

Potato & Pea Soup

Here is another delicious and healthy soup with a creamy consistency that is completely dairy free! This is the first time I have made a recipe out of our Vitamix cookbook, and it was really great.  And the best part, aside from the soup tasting really good, is that there are not very many ingredients in it, and I had everything in the house already to make it. This was a really nice hot soup to have on a cold winter day. We ate it with some fresh egg salad sandwiches on toasted multigrain bread and some raw carrots - quick and easy for a weeknight!

Potato & Pea Soup

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups organic chicken stock
4 organic russet potatoes, quartered, with skin
1 cup frozen sweet peas
1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4-inch piece lemon peel

Directions

1. Place potatoes, peas, onion, and 4 cups chicken stock in large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Place cooked ingredients, remaining chicken stock and lemon peel in blender and blend until smooth.

(Recipe adapted from Vitamix: Create Recipes cookbook)

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium. Peas are high in vitamins A, C and K, as well as B vitamins, and are also high in fiber. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. 

Roasted Butternut Squash & Shallot Soup

I have been trying out different soups in our Vitamix, and last night I decided to try making a soup with butternut squash.  This recipe could not be any easier to make, and it is also really healthy due to containing very little fat but lots of vitamins and fiber.  It was a really nice hot soup for a cold day, and would be great on Thanksgiving!

This soup can be made the night before or you can roast the squash, shallots and ginger ahead of time and toss them in the blender with the stock when you are ready to make dinner.  Any leftover soup would also freeze well, making an easy dinner to pull out when you don't have much time to cook.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Shallot Soup

Makes ~ 6 servings

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 large shallot, peeled and quartered

1 (1/2 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

4 cups organic chicken stock

2 Tbsp organic chives, chopped

Fresh black pepper, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine squash, shallot, ginger, olive oil, and salt in a baking pan. Toss until evenly combined. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Let cool for 10 minutes.

3. Place squash mixture and stock in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into stock pot. Cook over medium heat until throughly heated. (If you use a Vitamix, it will heat the soup; put in stock pot on stove to keep warm over low heat, if needed). Top with chives and pepper, if desired.

(Recipe adapted from my recipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup?  Butternut squash is low in fat, high in fiber, and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, folate, beta carotene, and the mineral potassium. Shallots are a good source of fiber and potassium.

Crock Pot Chicken Vegetable & Wild Rice Soup

With the weather turning so cold this week, it has been a good time for soup in the crock pot. I looked at a couple of recipes to get some suggestions, but in the end made up my own concoction. A few of the recipes I came across suggested adding chicken bouillon cubes for additional flavor, but bouillon contains milk, as well as a ton of preservatives, so I decided to leave that out and get the flavor from herbs instead. The combination of the slow-cooked vegetables and herbs in the chicken stock provided plenty of flavor, while keeping this soup dairy free and really healthy.

I paired this soup with the Fall Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette that I posted last week, making it a complete dinner that was filling but not too heavy. I added an ounce of goat cheese to each of the salads when I made it this time, and it was a great addition!

This made quite a bit of soup, so I am planning to freeze what we had leftover. There will be an evening not too long from now, I am sure, when I don't have much time to make dinner and I will be really glad I tossed that extra soup in the freezer for an easy dinner!

Crock Pot Chicken Vegetable & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

1 pound organic free-range chicken breasts

2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups organic celery, chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

8 cups organic chicken broth

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups organic carrots, chopped

1 (15oz) can organic sweet corn

1 cup organic wild rice

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except wild rice, in slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours

2. Remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and shred, using two fork to pull apart.  Place chicken back in slow cooker. Add wild rice and cook on low for 4 more hours.

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Corn provides some fiber and vitamin C, folate and thiamin, as well as minerals phosphorous and magnesium. Celery provides fiber as well as vitamin K and folate. Wild rice is a great source of protein and antioxidants, as well as vitamins A, C and E.

Carrot, Ginger & Sweet Potato Soup

With the weather cooling off, and it being a little rainy outside, it was a good evening to have soup for dinner - and this soup turned out great! This was really easy, and is also a very healthy low-fat and low-calorie soup. A lot of carrot soups call for cream, but this recipe was incredibly flavorful without the added fat (and dairy) of a creamy soup. And it had a pretty creamy consistency after being blended.

To save some time, the carrots, sweet potato and onion could be chopped up ahead of time so that they are ready to be tossed in the pot with the rest of the ingredients. I simmered the soup in the morning, and then at dinner time, I tossed it in my Vitamix to puree it and heat it up, then kept it warm in a pot on the stove.  I find that breaking up my dinner preparation into stages like this saves me a lot of stress at dinner time!

Carrot, Ginger & Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup organic carrots, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger root, peeled and minced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.

2. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

3. Add carrots, sweet potato, broth and orange juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until vegetable are soft. 

4. Puree soup in blender, or in pot with an immersion blender. Thin with additional stock as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

(Recipe adapted from doortodoororganics.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Sweet potatoes are very high in vitamin A (one cup provides over 400% of the daily value!) and are a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Carrots are also very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value, just like sweet potatoes), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. 

Turkey Chili & Dairy-Free Cornbread

This chili is one of our favorite fall and winter meals. It has a great chili flavor, but is not as "tomato-y" as traditional chili tends to be due to the chicken stock taking place of tomato sauce. The crushed tomatoes provide just enough tomato flavor. This chili is also a great meal for Charlie because it is not very spicy.  To add more hotness, you could always add more hot sauce to your bowl (which Ted often does).  

I have always made this chili by simmering it on the stove, as I indicate in the directions, but you could easily cook it in the slow cooker. To go the slow cooker route, just cook the ground turkey, bell pepper and onion in a pan until the turkey is cooked through and the onions are translucent. Then place the turkey mixture, along with the remaining ingredients, in the slow cooker and cook it on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

This is the first time I have made this corn bread, and it was just as good as regular corn bread (it may have even been better!). 

Turkey Chili

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup organic yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 pound antibiotic free, all-natural ground turkey
1 (28oz) can crushed organic tomatoes, undrained
1 (16oz) can organic red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar
2 cups organic chicken stock
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Chalula)
1 tsp sea salt (optional)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until browned.

2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. 

(Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com)

Dairy-Free Cornbread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 large organic free range eggs
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with canola oil and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, combine almond milk, eggs and oil. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture and stir until evenly combined.

3. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

(Recipe adapted from wholefoodsmarket.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Turkey is an excellent source of protein as well as vitamins thiamin (B3) and pyridoxine (B6), and the mineral selenium. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Canned tomato products contain lots of vitamin C and more bioavailable lycopene than fresh tomatoes. Kidney beans provide lots of protein, folate, fiber, and iron.