Monday, December 10, 2012

Yummy Slow Cooker Chili

It's cold out and most of us are busy this time of year. Instead of reaching for something easy and unhealthy like fast food, here is a quick, cheap recipe for a no bean chili that can be made in a slow cooker. Prepare it in the AM and have dinner and a few meals set for the rest of the week.


Ingredients:
olive oil
2 onions
2 (28oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
1 (6oz) tomato sauce
1 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 lb of grass fed ground beef
2 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp of cayenne


photo: Maria Quiroga

1) Cook the beef with some olive oil and add the onions. Saute all together and add to the slow cooker.

2) Pour the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce over the meat

3) Add chopped celery and carrots (feel free to add kale or other yummy greens as well)

4) Add spices. Feel free to adjust to taste

5) Mix everything in the crock pot and set it to low for 6-8 hours


This makes about 8 servings.

Eat alone or serve over brown rice and top with a few slices of avocado. Yum!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Fast Food Advertising


I was curious about how much money was spent on fast food advertisements, so I did a little research. McDonald's is at the top of the list year after year. But what can parents do? First, limit the amount of time kid's watch TV. Second, make sure that meals are eaten at the table and not in front of the TV. Third, teach your kids about food and proper nutrition. Introduce them to different foods and try to include them in the preparation of their own food.

We can't control what is advertised but we can control what kid's eat and what/how much TV they watch.