The Best Chili I Have Ever Made

So we are on this healthy and clean eating journey. And I am always looking for recipes that comply. I was in a chili mood so I went on the hunt for a good chili that used sweet potatoes.

I found one from this site but I didn't have all the ingredients or I didn't want to use what she was listing. So here's the site that I made my recipe modifications from:

http://www.cottercrunch.com/crock-pot-sweet-potato-chipotle-chili-paleo/

Now here's what I did with that recipe...

Sweet Potato Chili
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 90/10)
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 medium sized onion
2 cups chicken broth (organic)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 large handful of fresh spinach (that's how much I had left, you could add more or omit if you want)
1 tsp minced garlic
1-2 tsp of chili powder (depends on the spice level you want, I did 2)
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

I did not make mine in the crockpot though I am sure you could. I just did it all in the pot and it was all done in about 30-45 minutes.

Brown the ground meat on medium heat and cut the sweet potatoes into small chunks. Place the sweet potatoes in a large microwave safe bowl with a little bit of water and microwave for 90 seconds. After the meat has browned you can drain off the fat or leave it depending on how much you have in there (mine was minimal so I left it). Combine the rest of the ingredients into the pot and bring the chili to a boil. After it has been brough to a boil lower it to simmer for 30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are nice and soft and flavors have had time to get all tasty in there together.

This was JUST the right amount of spicy for us and so incredibly delicious. I have tried several home made chili recipes, always looking for the perfect one. DONE. SOLD. DROPPING THE MIC.

Normally I have to load up my chili with shredded cheese and lots of corn chips to make it magical. This one was absolutely perfect plain. We both had small second portions and were full and super satisfied. Josh said I was allowed to make it every day, lol. And that is saying something because he is not in love with our current dietary changes!! I say healthy eating isn't as horrible as it sounds or looks sometimes!!

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood!

So once we got home from our Christmas travels in Kentucky, the Watkins started a dietary journey. Josh has had some heartburn issues...nothing like he has to take prescriptions or anything, but it is bothersome to me how often it is an issue.

I do believe that diet can be used to help our bodies, so I did a little research on what diets are helpful for those that have heartburn. I saw plenty of the typical foods to avoid, but I knew we needed to try something better than that. I found several accounts of people going paleo/whole 30/gluten free, all with good effects for heartburn issues.

Now let me just say, we love our carbs. We do ok on trying to keep our meals balanced and not horrible for you, but we don't normally eliminate anything in particular from our eating habits. Our biggest downfall by far is sugar. That being said, I decided to start us on a paleo/whole 30 type deal, but please know, I'm not following anything super duper strict. Nor have I read any in depth literature about it. But we are avoiding processed sugar, grains, dairy, and gluten. In terms of sugar intake, we use some raw honey or 100% pure maple syrup here and there, but try to avoid it everywhere else.

Guess what. That's hard. Do you know how much sugar is on things that it doesn't need to be on?! I found it in a spice blend which was called "Garlic and herb grill spices"...number one ingredient? Sugar. SERIOUSLY?! Should have been labeled "Sugar spice blend for your chicken."

Anywho, we started on Wednesday January 4. By the time I actually post this we will have completed 1 week.

Here's what I've found:

(1) I have SO MUCH MORE ENERGY!!!!!!!  I can't say that I felt bad before. Lots of people say that. I wasn't plagued by anything necessarily. But I noticed very quickly how much more energy I had. And we cut our caffeine intake in half (we have young kids, we will not torture ourselves with zero caffeine.)

(2) I have been full longer inbetween meals. I still snack, don't get me wrong. But they are better snacks, and I don't feel bad about it.

(3) Almond milk in tea or coffee is pretty tasty. I even made some Paleo hot cocoa with water and some almond milk and it was really nice.

(4) Food tastes better. I was marvelling at the amazing taste of plain celery tonight. And earlier today I couldn't believe how sweet my carrots tasted, plain! A honeycrisp apple was so sweet it tasted like candy.

(5) I still need dessert. But dessert doesn't have to be key lime pie or cheesecake. It can be paleo fudge or skillet bananas. But life is too short not to give yourself a healthier option of dessert. I have adjusted to these "desserts" and am satisfied. Josh is not convinced, although he is kind of liking the paleo fudge.

(6) Josh's heartburn has already decreased in a week's time. It is not totally gone, but it is better. We have to give it more than a week to see how it goes though obviously.

(7) In one week's time I am down about 3 pounds. Josh is down about 4-5 pounds. Weight loss is not our goal necessarily. Josh is glad to lose some, but I was already pretty much at my body's happy weight. I just want to be healthier and I think it is helpful to see how cutting down on sugar and over processed carbs can affect your weight. It's just a nice experiment to see.

(8) Eating well is expensive!!! I hate that about being healthy. Really wish we could all get our act together so food that is good for you doesn't cost so much more. However, we don't have lots of easy options for eating out, so our "Restaurant" budget will go towards whatever extra we need for groceries during this experiment month.

We are going to try and maintain the eating plan through the end of January. Maybe even round it off for a full 30 days and wait until Feburary 5. After that we will see if we try a couple food groups which I still believe are fairly healthy (for example, brown rice...or using small amounts of cheese) but checking to see how they affect Josh's heartburn levels. Then we can pinpoint what might be some specific triggers.

Wish us luck!!

Grandma Johnson's Scones

I guess I am on a recipe sharing kick!

This Sunday we had a little baby shower for 2 girls in our lifegroup that are having their 2nd children...their due dates are about a month apart and they are both having little girls (both of their first borns are boys).

So we decided to throw them a little girly joint shower. We had made all our plans but then my dear friend Mel decided maybe we should try to make it into a "tea party" and asked if I would consider making scones.

It's been a while since I made my scones...I used to make them alot - but it's probably down to 2-3 times a year tops at this point. I found this recipe at random, just after I was married I believe, and they are truly some of the best scones on the face of the earth. I can say that because I didn't come up with the recipe, I just follow it. Anyone can do it - I promise!

So, I happily obliged, and while I was making them I decided I should blog about this! I think sometimes people are intimidated by scones - but these are really easy. You can't really mess them up - they always come out very edible!

**Disclaimer** - if you love an authentic British scone, this probably won't be anything like it. I have actually not had one myself, but I love British things and I bet I would love them too. Having said that, these are still REALLY good scones :)

I'll start with my SUPER cute cookbook (sarcasm). My mom got me this when I was in college to hold recipes in. Glamorous, I know. Cock-a-doodle-doo.

Here is my ancient print out of the recipe (from allrecipes.com) - and here is the link if you want to look it up yourself! 
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandma-johnsons-scones/

nice little scone bit on the recipe if you look closely...

Since I was making a batch, I decided to go big or go home. So I made a DOUBLE batch. Some for the shower, some for me, some for other friends, and then some more for me. In making a double batch I find it most helpful to use my extra large mixing bowl. Josh got me this mixing bowl as a gift a long time ago for 2 reasons... (1) I asked for it; (2) I was making double batches of scones so often that I really needed something huge and wide to mix it in.

I tried to capture just how large this mixing bowl is...

Here you have my hand for comparison...still doesn't quite do it justice.

I tried. I just can't prove it's hugeness through photo. Feel free to come visit the bowl any time to see just how large and amazing it is.

Ok, back to the actual recipe. I thought to help some of you random folks out there actually have the courage to make these, you might like to see some helpful hints along the way.

First the ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup raisins (optional & I never ever use raisins!)

1. In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda, and set aside.

The baking soda and sour cream react and it gets really fluffy. I usually mix them together and then mix the dry ingredients and then when you are ready to use the sour cream mix, it looks like this:

Looks so tasty. But its plain sour cream and baking soda.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

Please note - I have never greased a baking sheet. The scones have never stuck. So no worries there!

3.  In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the butter. Stir the sour cream mixture and egg into the flour mixture until just moistened. Mix in the raisins. (or your mix-in of choice!)

So here you will see all my dry ingredients mixed together and then you might not know how to "cut in" the butter. You can actually "cut" it into the mixture by using 2 knives. I did that for a long time before I got my pastry blender!

This mixture is so HAPPY to know it will be yummy scones!!

This is a pastry blender. It makes the "cutting in" much easier. 

Once you have blended that all well, the mixture will have little lumps of butter in it. That is fine, and that is what you want for this type of baked good. And make sure your butter isn't too warm. These will be a better texture if the butter is cold-cool. Doesn't have to be frozen, but cold is better. My favorite mix ins are blueberries and also mini chocolate chips. You can do a bazillion different combinations, but those two are a favorite.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll or pat dough into a 3/4 inch thick round. Cut into 12 wedges, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Ok, if you cut these things into 12 you would have the thickest and biggest scones you have ever seen. No no no. I make them much smaller. Serving sizes people, serving sizes!! And I like cutting mine in random shapes. I just kind of make a rectangle and then go to town. They look home made, which is how I want it to look. Not like a Starbucks scone.

Ready for cutting

5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom.

Ok, I don't know what kind of super-oven Grandma Johnson baked with, but I have never had an oven that these scones went for 12-15 minutes in. And if you did them as thick and as large as her recipe says, well then just forget it. You wouldn't even be close to done! I usually don't set a timer as I just kind of check on them and know when they are ready. But I timed it just for you all (that's so kind of me)!  And it took exactly 18 minutes in my oven for them to be softly golden along the bottom edges.

This is the final look you are going for!

So I hope I gave you the courage to go for it with these scones. I promise that they are a crowd pleaser and they do not disappoint!!

When stuff goes bad...

And by "stuff" I mean bananas.

Noelle goes on banana kicks and then decides they are a lesser fruit to be eating. So I will buy bananas fairly consistently and they will be eaten - and then one day they won't.

I find that when this happens I have 2 leftover bananas...maybe 3, but almost always 2. And those lonely bananas are brown and gross.

When you have brown bananas, you make banana bread. Or in our case - muffins!

I found this recipe through googling and it is very yummy, very simple, and I can make it in a hurry.  It makes 1 pan of 12 muffins, which is perfect. One and done!  I wish I could remember how long I bake it for....I think it is somewhere between 18-25 minutes. You can always just make the loaves like the original recipe calls for if you are terrified of ruining muffins!  I usually just let them bake and check on them once or twice with a toothpick to make sure they are done.

Here's the link to the original recipe:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/bananabread

And here it is pasted in :)

Banana Bread
Makes 1 full-sized loaf or 2 small loaves
2 eggs
2 or 3 very ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional - but I add it!)

**Abby's add** - 1/2 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (because we need our chocolate!)

Preheat the oven to 350.

In one bowl, combine:

1/2 stick (4-5 tablespoons) butter, softened

Use a potato masher, fork, or spoon to squish the banana and mix the ingredients together. It is alright for there to be small (1 centimeter) chunks of banana in the batter, but you want most of the banana to be reduced to mush.

In another bowl, combine (**Abby's add** I also just combine it all in one bowl b/c I am lazy) :

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are blended together.

If you like, stir in additional ingredients here, such as chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cherries or apricots, or chocolate chips. A handful (about a half a cup) is about right.

Pour the dough into greased baking pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Small loaves take around 30 minutes, a normal-sized loaf takes around 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven. This bread is great warm, but it is excellent cold too.

After they have cooled for 5 or 10 minutes the loaves can be removed from the pan to cool. Once they are cool they can be individually wrapped and frozen.

The next time you have some bad bananas on your hands I hope you give this a try! It is so so easy and makes for a very tasty breakfast treat!!

Cheater meals - Easy Enchiladas

I love to cook, but I don't cook daily.

Josh and I have unique schedules, and since there are really only 2 mouths to feed at this point I would be way overcooking if I made dinner every night.

So basically, I will cook 2-3 times a week and then we eat off of the leftovers for the other half of the week. I love leftovers. (Sorry mom for all the complaining I did when it was leftover night growing up...I FULLY appreciate them now!)


Some weeks I put more time into cooking and make some really nice stuff. Other weeks I am feeling lazy and I make what I like to call "cheater meals." It's not like a frozen pizza or anything, but it doesn't take too much effort.

An example is Cincinnati style chili...basically it is ground meat and a Cincinnati style chili seasoning packet from the grocery store and then you cook that up and serve it over some pasta and voila - lots of food for minimal effort.  I have made it from scratch before, but it tasted the same as the packet. That isn't very motivating for me to make it from scratch very often!!

Another example is easy chicken enchiladas. I cannot take credit for this one - I credit Rachel Mahoney entirely. She may not do it the same way as me - but she told me about it! They are super easy, super quick, super cheap, and taste really good! The plus side is you can make all kinds of variations depending on what extra stuff you have on hand.

Here's what you need:
Soft tortillas (any kind you like)
Refried beans (again, whatever you prefer)
Chicken (canned or leftovers from another meal work great)
Shredded cheese
2 cans of red enchilada sauce

Get your 9x13" baking dish ready with some pam and then get to work! Take a tortilla, smother it with some refried beans, put some chicken in there, sprinkle with cheese and roll that bad boy up! Then put it in the dish and keep on making those things until your dish is full or you run out of your ingredients. Then pour the sauce over the whole dish (I sprinkle a little extra cheese on top too) and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until it all looks nice and hot.

Serve it up with some Spanish rice and a salad and you are good to go!!  I like to make some variations on occasion and add in different stuff I might have on hand, like salsa, diced tomatoes, corn, or anything that inspires me and I need to use up!

So next time you need a "cheater meal" night, give the easy enchiladas a try!!