Crock Pot Chili Beans

Easiest and yummiest Chili recipe ever! I’m going to give you the base, but see in the notes below a list of ideas to make it to your liking. What I love about this meal is it’s so easy for each person to customize their bowl. You many have a large crowd with all different appetites. You will please all, as long as they like beans and tomatoes!

Ingredients:

1 15oz can pinto beans

1 15oz can white (navy) beans

1 15oz can kidney beans

2 15oz cans stewed tomatoes

1 10oz jar diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel)

Directions:

Dump all (do not drain) into your crockpot. Set on low for 6 hours or 3 hours on high.

Notes:

A great and easy addition is a can of corn, drained. If you would like to add ground beef or ground turkey/chicken – brown it in a skillet and add to your crockpot with all your canned goods. If you want to add cooked chunked or shredded chicken – toss it on top when serving.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with Corn Bread and/or these toppings: Diced Onion, Avocado, Sour Cream, Cilantro, Jalepeno, Lettuce, Cheese/Vegan Cheese, Tortilla or Corn Chips.

It can be as simple as the base recipe or add lots of options for a Chili Bar. If you have leftovers, whip up some chili bean tacos! That’s our favorite!

Candles & Pizookies & Mac’NCheese

This evening, at our table, it will be anything but ordinary – the youngest member of our crew turns a decade today. Double Digits it is!

I would like to share a little bit of her, with you.

She is one of a kind, in all the right ways. Celebration is her ammo and chocolate her kryptonite. She is fierce and loyal. A born leader. A competitive spirit. She can turn the most mundane into a full on festival! Let me give you an example- this past Super Bowl was the first one we’ve watched just the four of us, (no friends or family) and she did not let that stop her from making it a P-A-R-T-Y! She decorated the living room with signs and footballs. I could go on and on with stories… she’s always ready to have some fun. Needless to say, her birthday will be quite a celebration. Streamers on her door, a banner in the living room, pancake breakfast with her daddy, Chick-fil-A lunch with mom, and her dinner choice this year of sticky asian potatoes, shells and cheese, pizookies for dessert.

She will try anything. She is fearless and I love that about her. She loves people. Her heart beats to help others. This girl ran for 4th grade student council, created a campaign poster, wrote and delivered her speech, and YES, she won! She proudly sings in her school choir, and can’t wait till 5th grade when she can volunteer as a crossing guard before and after school. She wants to be IN IT, whatever that may be. She’s not even remotely afraid to try something new.

I’m not sure what this little lady will end up doing with her talents. She has wanted to be a construction worker, Target employee, professional soccer player, poet, writer, entrepreneur, mascot, teacher. What I do know, is that she is not waiting until she’s a grown up to make an impact on this world. She’s honest, hilarious, and almost as beautiful on the outside as she is inside. Oh, and my oh my, is she feisty! Determined is an understatement. Let me tell you this, too, she just DOES IT! If she wants to create or build something, she just DOES. She doesn’t find an excuse. She will go outside, rummage through her dad’s stuff in the garage, go through my desk and her art supplies, and behold, she’s created something.

Her light is so bright. Her love for Jesus and all people destroys the darkness. She’s strong and absolutely brilliant. She’s a magnetic force of acceptance and inclusion. Laughing is her favorite, preferably over dessert! So, today, we celebrate the gift she is to our family. She’s always ready with a hug, a thank you, a compliment, a helping hand. Thank You, Jesus, for blessing our home with one sweet and sour short stack!

Artichoke Antipasto Pasta

This dish is my of my family’s absolute favorites. I hope it will become one of yours too! This plant based dish will appease any eater, is easily doubled to feed a crowd, and see the notes below for other suggestions on how to serve.

Ingredients:

1 12oz jar Trader Joe’s Artichoke Antipasto

1 16oz package of Brown Rice Pasta (I use Fusilli or Penne from Trader Joe’s)

1 medium yellow Onion minced

3-4 cloves Garlic minced

1 bunch Asparagus chopped

1 12oz jar Fire Roasted Red Peppers chopped

1/2 pint of Cherry Tomatoes cut in half

Sun-dried Tomatoes (in the bag, not packed in oil)

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables.

Prepare pasta according to directions, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

While your pasta is cooking, heat a deep edged pan on medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of water (it should sizzle), add onions, and reduce to medium heat. Sauté for about 3 minutes. You may need to add more as needed to keep the onions from sticking. Now add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onions are translucent and the garlic releases it’s glorious aroma, about 2-3 minutes. Add your chopped asparagus and more water if needed. Sauté until asparagus begins to tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the roasted red peppers and pour in your jar of Artichoke Antipasto. Let the flavors blend. Now add cherry tomatoes, we just want them to wrinkle a bit, not get mushy. Add your cooked pasta and combine gently. I add some pasta water at this point to make the dish nice and creamy. How much you add is up to you. Throw in some sun-dried tomatoes or add as a topping to the individual servings. ENJOY!

Notes:

This dish is plant-based, vegan, vegetarian, sugar-free, and soy-free. Our family eats this as a full course, but you can easily adjust to your liking. Add parmesan or mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, or seared steak. Serve with fresh-baked bread and a butter lettuce salad with balsamic vinaigrette.