White Chicken Chili

This is a great chili for the upcoming cold weather. I love to pour my chili over fresh cornbread!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of chicken, cut up into cubes

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 (4-oz) can, chopped (can substitute fresh chilis)

8 green onions, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour (can substitute 2 Tbsp cornstarch for gluten-free preparation)

2 cups chicken broth

2 (14-oz) cans white northern beans

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

Make-Ahead Preparation

• In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove from pan.
• Saute onion, red and yellow pepper, chili peppers, and garlic in the same skillet. Return the chicken and add ginger, salt, sage, cumin, and white pepper. Mix thoroughly. Allow to cool, and transfer to freezer bag or container; set aside.
• In a separate dish or pan, melt butter and add the flour to make a roux. Whisk in the chicken broth. Stir this mixture into the freezer container with the sauteed vegetables and chicken.
• Add the beans with the liquid to the freezer container. (If you like it thicker I suggest that you don't put in the liquid from the beans.) Seal and freeze.

To Serve

• Stovetop: Thaw in refrigerator. Bring to a simmer in a medium pot. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve.
• Slow Cooker: Can cook from thawed or frozen. Place meal in slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 6 hours).

Winter Squash Chili

It's been awhile since I've posted any recipes, so it's about time that I contribute. Speaking of time, it is now the time of the year to start thinking about using squash in weekly meal planning. Here is a great recipe that I got from a squash farmer a few years ago; every time I make it, I just can't get over how easy and tasty the recipe is.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups celery, sliced

2 cups carrots, sliced

1 clove minced garlic

3 cups cubed squash

3 Tbsp chili powder

2 (14-oz) cans stewed or diced tomatoes

2 cans undrained black beans

1 (4-oz) can mild chopped green chilis

4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Brown onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Place in plastic freezer bag.
• In a second freezer bag, combine remaining ingredients. Add both freezer bags to another bag (so they don't get separated in the freezer), label, and freeze.

To Serve

• Combine all ingredients in a stew pot. Simmer on low for 30 minutes (or longer if cooking from frozen instead of thawed).

Garnish each serving with cilantro and sour cream; tortilla chips or hot crusty bread are great to add on the side. This recipes yields quite a bit of soup, but luckily, it freezes well so you can have an easy make-ahead meal later.

Enjoy!

Jessica Finger, RD, CD

Simple Saturday: Pesto Rotini with Smoked Salmon

It's no contest.  My absolute favorite Tastefully Simple item is the Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix, and I use it in everything!  Here is yet another way to use this versatile mix to make a fabulous one-dish meal, or a great dish for a buffet-style party.

Ingredients
1 (8-oz) box Ancient Harvest Quinoa Rotelle (or regular rotini pasta)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cups frozen pepper strips (or fresh chopped bell peppers, all colors)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided (1/1)
2 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix
12 oz smoked salmon

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, and toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil.
• While pasta is cooking, heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and peppers, and sauté until tender (approximately six minutes).
• Add Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix and pasta to pan, and toss.
• Transfer to freezer container and freeze.  Tip:  Salmon can be frozen separately, or chunked and tossed with pasta.  Or, consider not freezing the smoked salmon; when vacuum packed, it can be refrigerated for several weeks or even months; check the expiration date on the package.

To Serve

• Thaw completely in refrigerator.
• In a saucepan, combine pasta mixture and 1/3 cup water.  Cover, and warm over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  
• Spoon onto serving dishes, and top with flaked salmon.

Prep time: 10 min.
Cook time: 60 min.
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1/6 loaf
WW Points+: 7

Devon Thurtle Anderson, Independent Tastefully Simple Consultant
Consultant ID #0119436
http://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/dthurtle-anderson

Other Recipes You Might Like:
Aunt Laurie's Unrolled Cabbage Rolls
Jack Daniels Glazed Ribs
Apple Cranberry Pork Roast

Pasta Fresca

For busy weeknights, nothing beats the ease of a one-dish meal.  This pasta salad, filled with flavorful sausage and all varieties of color (translation = vitamins!) will stash in the freezer for weeks and still deliver a healthy and fresh-tasting meal in minutes.

Southwest Meatloaf

Done right, meatloaf is a delicious and kid-friendly meal packed with nutrients.  Add a Southwestern kick, and suddenly your meatloaf goes from drab to fab in under 60 seconds (or as long as it takes to chop the southwest vegetables, I suppose).  Here is a recipe for moist and delicious make-ahead meatloaf that will put an end to the chorus of, "Meatloaf AGAIN?!"

Cabbage Soup

Soups are a great way to get all your vegetables into one delicious make-ahead meal.  This soup is loaded with healthy veggies, but also plenty of flavor.  Thanks to my mom for this recipe, and for teaching us to eat healthy!

Mojito Melon Salad

The mint dressing complements all kinds of fruit.

Fruit salad is always a healthy treat.  This recipe adds a new twist - mint - to turn that traditional fruit salad into a dish that will really stand out.

Top Five Tips for a Nutritious Make-Ahead Lunch

Today we're honored to host guest author Stacy Cacciatore from the healthy eating blog Five a Day the Fun Way.  Stacy started Five a Day the Fun Way to provide parents with realistic recipes, tips, activities, and ideas to make eating healthy fun for the entire family.

As an overweight child, anorexic teen, and obese adult, Stacy struggled with her weight for her entire life. After hitting an all-time high of 220 pounds, she decided something needed to change. She immersed herself in education about health, nutrition and wellness, resulting in losing 80 pounds, 11 sizes, and half her body fat.  As a mom, she wants to ensure her children don’t experience the same struggles with weight and food. She writes Five a Day the Fun Way to share her experiences, research, struggles, and successes in getting her entire family to eat healthier.

Check out Stacy's blog and website for more information about Stacy, her writing, and other projects. You can contact her at stacy@stacycacciatore.com.

Whether you are trying to pack a healthy lunch for your child for summer camp, school, or even for yourself for work, it’s not easy to bring a lunch that is healthy, quick, affordable, delicious, and can withstand making ahead.

As a busy mom, I struggle with balancing convenience, time, and nutrition. It seems that I can typically achieve one or two of these criteria, but not all three. Last week I found myself succumbing to the allure and convenience of the Lunchable. I dreaded my decision when I read that Lunchables are full of nitrates, high fructose corn syrup, and refined flour.

I immediately decided to set out to find healthy lunch ideas that I could make ahead on Sunday night for the entire week.

Given that I had recently had lunch with my son at his school and saw how the kids trade lunch items like silly bandz, I wanted to make a lunch that was not only nutritious, but that my kids would be excited to eat (and not trade in for chips.)

Here are my top five tips for making a healthy lunch that your kids will actually eat:

Agave Citrus Kebab Medley

This dish is a great way to keep your summer meals fun, delicious, and light; all in one.  This is a slight deviation from our usual fare, as it's not wholly a freezer meal; however, the make-ahead process works several days in advance, so you can prepare the whole meal the weekend before a camping or boat trip!

These kebabs also make a great make-ahead "hybrid" meal.  That is, you can prepare the meats several weeks ahead of time to freeze, and then hit the farmer's market the morning of your grill to get the fresh, sweet local fare that only that local produce can provide.

Chipotle Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

This versatile dish makes for a hearty winter's warmer, or a neat summer treat.  The sweetness of the kidney beans and the turkey sausage combined is what gives this meal its great flavor.  Serve over rice, and you'll have yourself a one-dish make-ahead meal!

Sweet and Sour Pork with Coconut Rice

I always thought you had to go to an Asian food restaurant to enjoy Asian food. As it turns out, it can be pretty easy to cook! It may include a few ingredients you don't normally keep in your cupboards, so a trip to the store ahead of time may be in order. However, this recipe is a great way to get your feet wet in the world of Asian cooking, and also to please the family with a great make-ahead meal!

Sweet-and-Sour Prawns with Vegetables

For Christmas this year I got a huge Calphalon wok and my mother gave me the cookbook Great Tastes Stir-Fry published by Bay Books. This cook book has over 150 stir-fry recipes that incorporate everything from vegetarian entrees to lamb. Each chapter of the book features multiple recipes from different protein sources: vegetarian, seafood, chicken, pork, lamb and beef.

I made the Sweet-and-Sour Prawns with Vegetables recipe as a make-ahead meal. I followed all of the directions suggested from the cookbook with the exception of the preparation of the shrimp. The book recommends using uncooked shrimp and de-veining them. I used cooked de-veined shrimp because I would rather pay a little more and skip this whole step.

To re-heat this recipe, you can heat the shrimp and vegetable mixture in a sauce pan or in the microwave until it reaches 165 degrees. I serve this stir-fry over jasmine rice; for best results, cook the rice while re-heating the stir-fry so it is moist and sticky.

Make-Ahead Slow Cooker Chili

Our family loves chili, whether it's for a small, intimate family meal, or a big group get-together.  Either way, this chili is sure to please even the most discerning 5-year-old's palette.  What's more, this make-ahead chili can be tailored to satisfy a number of different dietary restrictions and still taste great.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground turkey
1 tsp seasoning salt (Lawry's is recommended if gluten-free preparation is desired)
1 yellow onion, chopped (can also use frozen, pre-chopped onion)
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves (or more!) garlic, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 can white kidney beans (cannellini)
1 can black beans
2 cans chipotle petite diced tomates (such as Western Family brand)
1 can garlic and olive oil flavored petite diced tomatoes (such as Western Family brand)
1 tsp (or more) chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Make-Ahead Preparation:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, combine turkey and seasoning salt.  Cook turkey for several minutes, breaking it up with a spatula, until brown and mostly cooked through.  Remove any extra fat with a turkey baster or paper towels.
• Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic to pan.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions and bell peppers are soft and no longer crunchy.
• Remove pan from heat and let cool.
• In a colander, drain and rinse beans.  Dry gently with a paper towel.  Pour beans into large freezer bag or container.
• Pour tomatoes, including juices, into freezer bag or container with beans.
• Add chili powder, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to freezer bag or container.
• Once the meat mixture is cool to the touch, add mixture to freezer bag or container.
• Mix all ingredients.  If using a freezer bag, the kids love to help with this step by shaking the (tightly closed) bag all around.
• Freeze chili until ready to use.

To Serve:

• Thawing chili prior to cooking is optional.
• Place frozen or thawed chili in slow cooker.  Cook on high 3-4 hours, or on low 6 hours, stirring occasionally. 

This chili can also endure longer cooking times.  For example, I frequently start a batch of this home-made chili in the mornings before I leave for work, and cook on low all day (more than eight hours), to return to a delicious dinner all ready to go! 

Serve this chili with some of your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onion, chopped green onion, the remaining halves of the chopped bell peppers, or my personal favorite, cottage cheese.

Makes approximately 8 1-cup servings.