Weeknights can be tough when it comes to dinner. In case of emergencies – I ALWAYS have a handful of items in the house to make chili. This is the easiest chili recipe ever – and it is full of mommy kitchen hacks! 🙂 The big bonus for me is that this chili is FULL of veggies (great for the kiddos) – makes a good amount of leftovers – and takes under 10 min to make. HUGE WIN!

In my world – healthy kitchen hacks make me happy! In the picture below, you will see the items I keep in my freezer and pantry that make it possible to make an amazing and crazy fast chili for my family.

Do I prefer fresh ingredients? YES! Would I rather make this amazing organic chili using these ingredients vs. order takeout? YES!

PANTRY ITEMS:

• 1 – Organic yellow onion
• 1 – 15 oz Can organic cannelloni beans (salt free)
• 1 -15 oz Can organic black beans (salt free)
• 1 -15 oz Can organic pinto beans (salt free)
• 1 -15 oz Can organic kidney beans (salt free)
• 1 – 28 oz Can organic fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 – Jar organic chili powder (no salt blend)

FREEZER ITEMS:

• 1 – 16 oz Bag organic fire roasted corn
• 1 – 16 oz Bag organic three pepper blend (sliced bell peppers)
• 1 – 11 oz Bag Beyond Meat (or alternative vegetable – meatless protein)

INTRUCTIONS:

• Plug in Slow Cooker and put on low.
• Dump entire can of fire roasted tomatoes into slow cooker – juice and all.
• Open all 4 cans of beans and drain them. Dump the beans from all 4 cans (without the liquid) – into the slow cooker.
• Dump entire bag of three pepper blend into slow cooker.
• Dump 1/2 the bag of fire roasted corn into the slow cooker. Save the other half in freezer for another recipe.
• Dump entire bag of Beyond Meat into slow cooker.
• Dice entire onion and add to slow cooker. Stir everything well with large spoon.
• Let cook on low for 8 hours. Add 5-6 tbsp chili powder (more or less depending on your preference). Stir well and serve hot.

OTHER EASY THINGS TO THROW IN:

• Pre-washed spinach from the bag
• Pre-sliced organic mushrooms
• Any other type of organic bean that you like for chili
• Chopped garlic (fresh or pre-chopped from the jar)
• 1 – 15 oz can organic tomato sauce (for a saucier version)

TOPPINGS IDEAS:

• Shredded cheese
• Chopped parsley
• Chopped cilantro
• Avocado
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Scallions
• Sour cream
• Fresh diced tomatoes
• Tortilla chips

You may have noticed that most of the items I used in this are salt free (when possible). I like to cook with as little salt as possible – and trust me – this chili doesn’t need it! The chili blend is salt free as well – and is delicious! Some items do have salt and when mixed with the salt free ingredients – balance it all out. You’ll feel so much better without the extra sodium – and it’s much better for adults and kids alike!

Yes this is a vegetarian chili. You can add meat – but it will take a lot of extra time to cook the meat, drain it, and add it into the chili. Also, you will miss out on the added veggies from the vegetable protein that I use.

Beyond Meat (or similar substitute of choice) is a fantastic mommy hack to get your kids to eat more veggies! The texture is like ground beef – but it’s a lot healthier! The one I use (see above) is soy free, non GMO, gluten free, cholesterol free, vegan, and kosher! Not to mention has 13 grams of protein per serving! You can also try Quorn which is another fantastic plant protein crumble that mimics ground beef really well in chili. Plant protein that tastes like ground beef in your chili! Yes please! Great trick to get kiddos the veggies they need! 🙂

Also, for any canned products you purchase (for beans, tomatoes, etc.) please be sure to only pick cans that have a BPA free lining! This should be available in most if not all grocery stores these days! 

One last trick – don’t tell your kids what’s in the chili if they are picky eaters! Let them try it and see how it goes! My nephew didn’t want to eat this chili because it has onions – and he “hates onions.” That being said – I told him that I took the onions out and he ate the whole bowl and asked for seconds. Yes…I know I fibbed a bit…but he needed to try his dinner and he ended up loving it! lol! If it tastes great – is super healthy – and was crazy easy to make – why ruin it all by telling them what’s in it??? Once they love it, tell them what is in it and have them help you make it! Fun!

Enjoy!! xoxo