Healthy-ish Game Day Crockpot Chili
October 13, 2019
Time for a confession… Chili is one of my desert island foods. If I was stuck on a desert island and I could eat only one food for the rest of my existence, chili is easily in my top five (tacos are number one though). Clearly I don’t have an issue eating hot/spicy food when it’s hot outside…
Chili is one of our staples when the weather turns chilly (pun intended, sorry) and this is the recipe we always reach for because it’s hearty, comforting and has enough flavor for Laura to be excited about it. Hint: the special ingredient for her is the cinnamon!
because you forgot to prep the recipe the night before…
Inspired by the Fartlek Chili recipe from the Run Fast Eat Slow Cookbook. This is one of the three cookbooks we reach for on a weekly basis and cannot recommend it enough.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large red onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt (cut in half if your broth is not low-sodium)
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
.5 pound ground bison
.5 pound steak, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (this doesn’t make it that spicy, just adds flavor)
2 cups bone broth or chicken broth (low sodium if possible)
2 cans (14.5 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 cans (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and salt cooking until soft but not brown for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper, bell peppers, bison and steak. Stirring continuously breaking up the meat, cook for about 5 minutes until the meat is browned.
- Add everything from the skillet to the crock pot and combine with the broth, tomatoes, and black beans.
- Cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 6 hours on high.
- Taste and add more salt or red pepper depending on taste.
- Serve in bowls with your fixings of choice.
Part of the reason Laura likes this recipe is because it’s got a little bit of heat but it’s not overwhelming since the cinnamon cuts the heat. (Her taste buds just can’t handle too much spice, no matter how hard I try). This truly is a mild chili – if you’re looking to make it a bit spicier, I recommend adding another 1/4 teaspoon of ground red pepper and potentially some chilies depending on the level of heat you’re looking for.
Now, why do I call it healthy-ish? Because this recipe is really as healthy as you want to make it. Don’t want to be healthy? Dress it up with all the cornbread, cheese, sour cream, etc that your heart desires. Want it to be healthy? Grab that Greek yogurt and an avocado and you’ve got a delightfully creamy, flavorful bowl of chili that will warm you from the inside on the coldest of Minnesota days.
DFTBA,
Jason
Jason is running 13.1 miles for St Jude!
April 6, 2014
Some of you may have heard, I am running my very first half-marathon this year on June 21st! That’s right, 13.1 miles… Go me!
I have completed my first week of training and things are going well so far. I was supposed to run about 14 miles this week but felt good enough to actually run about 16 miles. Things are looking great so far!
One thing that is special about this half marathon, other than it being my first, is that I am also raising funds for my favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as a St. Jude Hero.
What is a St. Jude Hero? They help fundraise to support St. Jude’s lifesaving mission of finding cures for childhood cancer and saving children. So, I need your support to help me reach my fundraising goal for the kids of St. Jude.
My goal is to raise $1,500 by June 21st and with the help of a few people, I’m already more than 30% of the way there! Just to give you an idea of what your donation does:
$50 – A “No Mo’ Chemo” party for one of the young patients to celebrate the end of their chemo treatments.
$100 – A special little red wagon so that the young patients don’t need to ride in a wheel chair at the hospital. Instead they get to ride in style, the way kids should.
Also, thanks to donors like you, no family ever pays St. Jude for anything, including lodging, food and travel.
If you are able, I ask that you consider making a donation to St. Jude in my name at the link below. If you aren’t able to make a donation, don’t worry. Just knowing I have you in my corner and you are spreading the word about what I’m doing is more than enough for me!
Thank you for taking the time to consider making a donation and sharing my information with your friends and family. I really appreciate your support.
– Jason
Turkey Roll Deliciousness – A Must Have!
January 6, 2014
It’s no secret that I love food so two of my favorite holidays throughout the year are Thanksgiving and Christmas due to the large amounts of really delicious food that we get to make and eat! But not only do I look forward to the meals that day, one of the best parts is all of the leftovers. I am a huge leftover fan!
Every time we have any turkey leftover, I have made it a house rule that we make one of these Turkey Rolls because they are pure deliciousness! I’ve even gone as far as recreating this meal with rotisserie chicken from the super market but nothing beats having it with leftover turkey!
Finished Turkey Roll deliciousness!
Turkey Roll
10 oz turkey/chicken
1c cheddar cheese
2 packages crescent rolls
Dipping sauce (optional)
1c Mayo
2tbsp dijon mustard
1tbsp finely chopped onion
• Preheat oven to 375
OPTIONAL: mix mayo, mustard and onion
• Separate rolls into 16 triangles and arrange in a circle with wide ends overlapping in the center and points the outside.
Fold each triangle over the roll and tuck up underneath
• Add turkey and 3/4 cup of cheese mixed together
• Fold outside points of crescent rolls over the filling and tuck under the dough
• Bake 20-25 minutes
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese
• Serve with mayo/mustard mixture as dipping sauce
Do you have anything special you like to do with leftover turkey? I’m always looking for great ideas!
– JM
The 2013 Milk Run at the Minnesota State Fair
August 27, 2013
This past May, Laura and I set a challenge for ourselves, one 5k a month for 12 months to help keep us in “running shape.” This weekend was run #4, the Milk Run. The Milk Run is a 5k that is put on at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds during the Fair. We had the privilege of joining 18 other people as part of Team Dairy, a group of runners who work to promote dairy to help fuel active lifestyles. They hooked us up with team shirts and the entry into the race! It was going to be an extremely hot and humid day, so Laura and I tried to hydrate as much as we could in preparation for the race. It didn’t really help that we were at a wedding reception until late the night before the run.
We got to the fairgrounds around 6:45am after only a few hours of sleep, and it was already 84 degrees and super humid. Luckily there was a pretty steady breeze that helped a little bit. At 7am we met our team for a couple of team pictures and to get ready for the race to start.
At 7:45, standing amid a large group of excited and anxious runners, we heard the gun sound and we were off.
Now, my pace is about a minute per mile slower than Laura’s, but we decided to stay together for this run and actually forgo the norm of wearing our headphones. Plus, since Laura is in full on training mode for her half marathon in October, she wanted to take it easy. However, while running the race, I apparently started to get a little overzealous, sped up and tried to go for a Personal Record(PR). Sorry honey!
Here is what the course looked like:
The tough part about this course was that the first 2 miles or so was predominantly uphill. However, that means the last mile was almost all downhill and you could coast to the finish line. Some very nice homeowners had also aimed their sprinklers over the road to help keep all of us runners cool. As we neared the finish line, Laura challenged me to sprint it out to the end. I was doing fine until then, but I’m still glad I did it. All in all, it was a really fun run that we would enjoy doing again. The atmosphere was very relaxed, care-free, and fun! Funny thing is, we also both won door prizes which we totally didn’t expect!
After the run, we hopped into the fair for a few hours to eat the calories we just worked off. It wasn’t long before the massive crowds and the temps chased us back home to rest. Here are a few of the foods we tried:
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- Breakfast Sausage Corn Dog with Maple Syrup
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- Poutine…yum!
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- This was a chocolate malt
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- Lobster Mac & Cheese
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- Mouse Trap Cheese Curds- the best!
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- Candied Bacon Chocolate Covered Cannoli
If you’re interested in more information about the Milk Run, please click here.