The Casa Way

Category: Food & Weight Loss

  • Delicious, Easy and Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe

    Delicious, Easy and Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe

    I could eat soup and chili all year round. This is not a winter-only craving for me. I love that it is full of veggies and is a great break from salad when you are avoiding processed/unhealthy foods.

    My turkey chili recipe isn’t special in any way – no secret ingredients – no new way of doing it. Just your basic, delicious, standard chili for a person who doesn’t eat red meat but likes a nice tomato-based chili still.

    First up, a great pan to cook in. I use my cast iron. I cheaped out a little and didn’t go for the name-brand pot, this one is a Martha Stewart black Friday special. I’ve had it for years and it hasn’t let me down. Here is my affiliate link: https://amzn.to/40Tc5JZ Luckily, I don’t even know the difference of those fancy brands so I’m pretty happy using this one. I make sure to stay away from any Teflon pan, especially when you are cooking for such a long time. If you don’t know why I avoid Teflon, I recommend that you google it right away and replace your pans if you can.

    Next – get those diced-up veggies cooking. I use onions, peppers, and garlic. Yum. I sometimes use a little olive oil, but when I am feeling super healthy I swap that out for chicken broth. Then cook up the ground meat in a separate pan while the veggies are cooking or in the same one after the veggies. Then dump in the rest of the ingredients (minus the cheese and sour cream) and cook for about 30 minutes or as long as you can handle waiting to try it. I think my time at the stove is less than 15 minutes and then we just wait. I love that. I also make enough for us to eat for lunch for days.

    Ingredient Suggestions – Make it how your family likes it!

    2 teaspoons of olive oil (can be replaced with chicken broth)
    2 yellow onions diced
    6 cloves of garlic diced
    1 red pepper
    1 – 1.5 lbs of ground chicken or turkey
    2 cups (or more) chicken broth
    1 – 28 ounce can of tomatoes – crushed or diced
    1 can of red kidney beans rinsed/drained
    1 can of corn drained or 1 small frozen package
    SEASONINGS: 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper if desired

    Toppings – Cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, cilantro, pepper, and anything else you love.

  • Fast, easy, heathy, yummy salads.

    Fast, easy, heathy, yummy salads.

    Salads are so healthy. Raw veggies and fruits are the best food for us. Trying to get enough of them in each day can be difficult. Salads tend to be the easiest way to hit those veggie goals. Unfortunately, the wrong salad can also be very high in fat and sugar. Here are some of my favorite fast, easy, and “mostly” healthy salads.

    Grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and cucumber over romaine. Well, that is the recipe. There you go! My go-to dressing for this one is balsamic. I like to grab pre-made grilled chicken from my local food store to make it even easier. If I skip the store-bought chicken, then we will make a few days’ worths of grilled chicken. I like a dry, thin, grilled chicken with McCormick’s seasoning.

    Another easy salad is grilled chicken, dried cranberries, goat cheese and mixed greens. My favorite salad dressing for this classic is a raspberry vinaigrette. Again, if you have the pre-made grilled chicken, your dinner can be done in less than a few minutes.

    Who could forget Mexican Chicken Salad?! Whatever you order at Chipotle, that is what you include! For me, grilled chicken, romaine, corn, black beans, shredded cheese, and avacado. I like good ranch dressing for a salad like this, although, I know it isn’t the healthiest choice!

    Sick of grilled chicken? No problem! Try a chef salad! Romaine, turkey, ham, cheese (maybe two types – I like a yellow American and a hint of fresh mozzarella), artichokes, red onion, and olives. (Unless you can’t stand olives, like my picky husband). My salad dressing pick would be plain old oil and vinegar for this one. No cooking, no prepping, no cleanup. For me, it doesn’t get any better!

    Hexclad is my favority pan for grilling chicken indoors. If you get the pan hot, get the oil hot, and then add the chicken, you will see a great sear on your chicken , amazing flavor, and much safer than that terrible teflon!) affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3VqLH9a

  • Uncomplicated Weight Loss

    Uncomplicated Weight Loss

    Why is it that when someone wants to lose weight that it seems like there is endless conflicting research on how to do it? It is almost like the internet gods want us to be overwhelmed and confused so we give up and keep struggling with weight loss.

    After years of pinning complicated weight loss plans, recipes, and motivational quotes, I turned it all off and followed my common sense. Eat a reasonable amount of healthy foods and cut out the crap. That might not be what I eventually name this diet when I decide to make a cookbook.

    Garlic Truffle Oil Fries @ MonkeyPod, Maui

    What to cut?
    The crap! Sugary anything, baked goods, fried food, second helpings. It is amazing how I can think I’m eating healthy and unsure why I wasn’t losing weight until I looked back and realized that we had a work celebration with a cake on Tuesday, then Wednesday my daughter got a 100% on a test so we took her for ice cream, and Friday we ordered in and decided to get the mozzarella sticks and garlic knots. Well, there goes any hope of weight loss. To be honest, just cutting ALL the crap make a big difference.

    Quick & Easy Sauteed Broccoli

    What to eat?
    What is a balanced diet? Who knows anymore? Eggs – good or bad? Milk – good or bad? Whole wheat – friend or foe? Corn? Meat? Carbs? What we all know is that we don’t eat enough veggies. If we could load up on veggies we couldn’t go wrong. Limiting the rest is a good place to start. Instead of a chicken sandwich with a side of fries, I think we can all agree that a grilled chicken salad with cucumber and tomatoes is going to be better. Instead of a bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel – let’s grab a spinach egg bake.

    Spinach & Feta Egg Bake

    Does it have to be difficult?
    I wouldn’t call eating healthy to lose weight – “difficult”. It just requires some work. If you are willing to put in a little work in the beginning, the benefits will be worth it. Unfortunately, when it comes to food, the easy way out can often be the unhealthiest. I don’t exactly meal prep in pretty jars for the entire week, but I will make extra grilled chicken every time we make it. I will make enough eggs for the week instead of just one meal. It doesn’t feel like a meal prep session because I’m just making more of each meal when I make it.

    Follow my journey, my meal plan, and some of my favorite recipes.