How One Week Got Its Groove: Chili
Eat healthy? How can we when we have a million things to do and places to be? With a little bit of planning, a few hours on Saturday or Sunday, and some creativity, you can easily cook once on the weekend and have a one-pot “base” meal that you can use in a variety of dinners throughout the week.
One that I like to use as the base is Three-Bean Chili. Packed with tons of protein, and nutritious, filling, and inexpensive ingredients, chili keeps well for days, can be made to the individual’s taste, and provides opportunities to create new meals out of it. I make this on a Sunday and actually look forward to the prep and cooking time because I know I am setting myself up for a week of good eating. If everything else gets crazy, I know I will have a homemade dinner each night with a few minutes of prep time.
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Note: This recipe is vegetarian, but if you’re cooking for meat eaters, just brown some ground turkey or beef, and stir it in.
Make cooking the chili fun! Put some music on, get your friends, spouse, or kids involved, and experiment according to the flavors that you and your family enjoy. If you have kids that are old enough, let them help stir or give them a couple of bowls and spoons to play with while you cook. Once the chili is all set, you can plan out your dinners for the rest of the week. Here are a few ideas for making a simple chili into easy weeknight meals.
Monday
Rice and Beans
Mix ½ cup brown rice with ½ cup chili (per serving). Add hot sauce if you’re adventurous.
Tuesday
Hot and Crispy Salad
Serve warmed chili atop a bed of shredded romaine lettuce, spinach, and shredded cheese. Make two servings and save one for Wednesday.
Wednesday
Wrap It Up
Mix a serving of Tuesday’s salad with 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt and roll into a whole wheat wrap or stuff into hard taco shells.
Thursday
Chili Empanadas
Roll out store-bought pie dough or puff pastry dough into large squares. Spoon chili into ½ cup servings. (I would suggest using a slotted spoon to move the chili so that the liquid is as drained out as possible.) Scoop chili into the middle of each square, fold dough, and seal around the edges using a fork to press down and create a decorative edge. Bake according to dough package directions or until golden. These empanadas not only make a great dinner, but they are also a perfect party appetizer.
Friday
Your Call
You made it! Hopefully the variations using your weekend chili have kept you satisfied. For Friday, either go out to eat… or mix a cup of chili with a cup of vegetable or chicken broth. Adding liquid will thin out the chili into a delicious soup. You may want to add additional spices or hot sauce at this point as the flavors may be diluted by the broth. At this point, you could also add leftover rice from Monday or small cooked pasta to the dish to add some more heft.
These are just a few ways you can create multiple dishes from a one pot meal. Get creative, change up the ingredients, and get cooking. Don’t forget to comment and let us know how your variations worked.
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