Food for the Soul – Hearty Chili

Food for the Soul - Hearty Chili

Here’s Jennifer Valdois, One of HCFM’s Meal Masters with this week’s Food for the Soul!

 

Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am a mommy to three wonderful children. I mostly get to stay home with them, but every Friday night and Saturday I work outside the home. It would be easy to be grumpy about going, but 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

So, I have tried to focus on the positive and do things that will make it easier on me and my family, like knowing ahead of time what I will make them for dinner each week.

It has become a ritual for me to make Chili every Friday. It started because Chili is something I can mix together and leave simmering on the stove for my husband to serve. Over time, it became one of my children’s favorite foods. I am surprised every week when they smell it cooking and they ask me what I am making. I tell them, “Chili,” and they exclaim, “Yeah!”

I am so thankful that my family has something to look forward to each week. It brings me joy to know that I can leave them a healthy, yet comforting meal to eat while I am away.

Hearty Chili Ingredients:                      Print Recipe Here:

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans (or 4 cups) of pinto, black or white beans
28 oz. can of Diced Tomatoes
2 Tbsp. Chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp bouillon
1-2 cups water
Salt to taste
Directions:
In a 4 quart pot, brown the ground beef or turkey and drain. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add the beans, tomatoes, water and spices. Simmer for 30 minutes. Top with grated cheese or sour cream.

Mom Tips:
After making this week after week, I have started doing a couple things to make it even easier.

One of my other meals each week is bean burritos. I cook about three cups of dry Pinto Beans in my crock pot. I save half of them (about 4 cups) for Chili and puree the other half for “refried” beans.

Instead of using a fresh onion, sometimes I add 3 tablespoons of dry minced onions.

After many years of buying or freezing individual one pound packages of ground beef or turkey I started buying the 5-6 pound package of lean ground beef from Sam’s or Costco and cook it all at once. I divide it into one pound servings and freeze it. Now, rather than having to thaw and cook raw ground meat, I can throw the already cooked meat into my chili or other recipe and it cuts my prep time down even more!

Jennifer Valdois
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8 Comments on “Food for the Soul – Hearty Chili”

  1. I really need to get chili into my meal rotation, but that it’s not a big favorite for my children. I think this recipe is a good one to try!

    I love the idea of cooking the meat in a large batch, then freezing in smaller quantities. Another tip – to make it healthier, rinse the ground meat in a colander to reduce the fat content.

    1. That is a great tip, Daphne! I’m going to try it next time. My youngest isn’t really a fan of chili but at least he eats a little. Maybe your children will like this recipe. 🙂

  2. That recipe sounds great! I’ll have to try it. My recipe for chili is much more time consuming and not really worth the effort. I love chili, but we never eat it because it’s too much work.

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