Pumpkin Chili

This recipe was DELICIOUS and kid friendly (at least in my house!). I adapted it from Katie Farrell's, "Devotions for a Healthier You." She is the author of a lovely cookbook called, "Dashing Dish!" I follow both Katie and her sister Sarah Robbins on Instagram!

I chose the slow cooker option and made it with ground chicken.  The original recipe calls for lean ground turkey or lean ground beef so if you have other preferences then go with what you enjoy! I personally try to limit my red meat intake to only 2-3x per week.

I did double the batch so that I can have some to freeze for a later date. I found this recipe so light!  Even if you aren't a pumpkin fan, I think you would like this dish.  It was like a lighter, creamier chili. The only complaint I had from my hubby was that it could have had a little more chili powder but I didn't want to over do it for my 4 year old son's sake.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
1 (15oz) can of pumpkin
1 (15oz) black beans
1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes, drained (I actually forgot to drain them and it still turned out delish!)
1 cup of low sodium chicken broth
1 small-medium onion, diced
1 medium bell pepper ( I chose red! Original recipe calls for yellow)
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 tsp fresh chopped garlic)
1/2tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey **optional ( I did add this!)

Directions:
Add ground chicken to slow cooker and make sure to break it up with a spatula.
Add additional ingredients to the slow cooker and stir until everything is well combined.  Put the cover on the slow cooker and cook for 4 hrs on high or 8hrs on low heat.

Garnish with mozzarella or cheddar cheese if you wish! Enjoy!

Homemade Salsa

So funny enough, I get inspired sometimes to "use up" items in my fridge/pantry.  Usually each week I check out what I have from last week and incorporate it into the following week's meal prep. This week is were these gorgeous red onions that I bought at our local market last week.  So what better idea than to use them up in a fresh summer salsa?!

This is a recipe that I got a few years ago from our friend's Shawna & Terry Bergin. I have tried many recipes before but this one proves to be MY FAVE!  One of the main reasons besides the flavour, is simply because I don't have to peel the tomatoes before hand!  I got permission to share this recipe and we hope that you will enjoy it too!  This recipe is phenomenal and lends itself well to making it your own however you like it!

If you are wondering if this recipe is clean or not, you can be the judge.  I did make some modifications to the recipe based on some changes I have made in my own home. I used Pink Himalayan Salt instead of table salt. I also used raw sugar instead of the traditional white refined sugar.  I am certain that you could also try maple syrup or agave nectar too if you wanted.  Please enjoy!

Recipe Yields:  5x500ml jars (and around 1 cup left over which we just ate after the others were jarred)
Heat: Medium

Main ingredients:  
12 tomatoes
2 green pepper
3 c. celery
2 c. onions
1/3 cup of pink himalayan salt
* chop all vegetables and let set overnight and drain well in the morning.

Add:
1 1/2 c. raw sugar *optional (I used 3/4 c. of raw sugar)
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed chilies
1 tsp mustard seed
*I also added 1 cup of frozen corn for a splash of colour!

Cook all above for 45 minutes in a large pot on the stove. Then add 1 large can of tomato paste and cook another 15 minutes.

Enjoy this recipe and I hope you have a wonderful September!