A Couple of Recipes

I have gotten way off track with my eating/drinking and fitness lately.  I can't really blame it on the change of seasons, because here in Nor Cal, the seasons haven't really changed yet.  All I know is that I have been extremely unmotivated to work out, but extremely motivated to drink wine and try out new recipes.

After stuffing myself silly for the Thanksgiving holiday, I finally hit the point where I am ready to get back on track.  Sunday I went to the grocery store and stocked up on fruits and veggies and decided to make a turkey soup to get the leftovers out of the fridge.

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used sweet potatoes instead)
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup corn kernels
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning (I didn't have this and didn't use anything in it's place)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Place the turkey, onion, celery, potatoes, carrots, corn, poultry seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder into a slow cooker, and pour the chicken stock over the turkey and vegetables. Mix well and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set the cooker on Low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6 hours.

I used the sweet potatoes that came with our turkey dinner from Raley's and didn't realize they were already cooked and had a citrus flavor to them.  It ended up turning the soup into more of a stew or as JB lovingly referred to it, "mush".  I also added about 2 cups of cooked brown rice.  I really liked it, although it would probably have been more of a soup and less sweet if I had put in uncooked, plain sweet potatoes.  And even though JB called it mush, he liked it too.

Next up...

Reduced-Carb Turkey Chili

I was going to make this on Sunday as well, but the meat didn't thaw out in time, so I made it on Monday night.  I have made this before using Jamie Eason's 3-bean recipe, but she also has this one listed for her lean-out phase which is lower carb.  During JB's paleo phase, we pretty much cut out all legumes and aside from peanut butter, we haven't really incorporated them back into our diet, so I decided to make the veggie option.

Reduced Carb Turkey Veggie Chili

2 lbs. extra lean ground turkey
½ cup chopped onions
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 – 4 oz. cans of diced green chilies
3 cups chopped zucchini
3 cups roughly chopped mushrooms
3 – 14.5 oz. cans Organic Diced Tomatoes (do not drain)
1 tbsp. Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend (Ideal) or regular
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. white vinegar
3 tbsp. regular yellow mustard
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. dried or fresh cilantro
2 tsp. adobo sauce (optional)

Directions: In a large pot add onions and meat, sprinkled with garlic powder and cook until no longer pink (drain using a plate, if desired). Next add the green chilies, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, xylitol and spices (except cilantro) and stir until combined. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Finally, add cilantro. Serve hot. May sprinkle veggie shreds or a light cheese on top. Makes 12 servings.

I sliced up half an avocado and added a dollop of daisy sour cream to mine.  It was DELISH!  The veggies gave it a great texture and I didn't even miss the beans!  You can find the 3-bean version of the recipe here.

Both of these recipes make quite a bit of food for just the two of us, but you can portion out and freeze for lunches or dinners during the week.  I am looking for more slow cooker recipes to make during the week, so send 'em my way if you have any!