Turkey Sweet Potato & Quinoa Chili plus the start of a Vlog!

Quinoa & Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

photo credit via Advocare

For those of you that watched the video….thank you! Health and fitness really are a passion of mine and Eric’s and I’m excited to share a little piece of our life with you all! Hopefully we can show you that living a healthy lifestyle can be done when you find what works for your family and it doesn’t mean you have to eat bland chicken all day long. And you get a peek inside our little lives other than photos!! If you did not see the video...you can watch it by clicking HERE!

Soooooo on to the recipe….which was originally sent to me via Advocare in a Recipe Guide but I made a few changes!

My friend texted me the other morning…yes I’m calling you out Rita!! She mentioned that she finally made the chili and thought it was a little bland.

I was like awe man…I had already bought the ingredients and was looking forward to another great recipe from the guide.

I was already planning to change the recipe slightly to fit our needs/macros and when she told me this….it made me more aware of the flavor I could expect.

I changed the recipe slightly by adding 2 lbs. of cooked 93/7 ground turkey meat and added in 1 extra cup of chicken broth (I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth). And in the last hour of cooking….I taste tested the chili and it in fact could use a little salt and pepper so I salt and peppered to taste (also added a little garlic powder and a little extra chili powder since I did add broth and turkey) and it turned out really good.

I would like to note it is a thicker type chili….not like soup. I will definitely make again as this was Eric approved!!

The macros for the recipe with my spin on it are 29 carb, 27 protein and 10 fat. One serving is one cup. Entire recipe makes 8 cups.

I eat 1 cup and Eric eats 1.5 cups for a meal. Add a side of veggies to make it complete!

It really took no time to prep…maybe 15 minutes. I started at 5pm and it was ready at 9 before bedtime. We ate this for lunch and dinner the next day.

Ingredients

2 lbs 93/7 ground turkey meat (cooked)

1 can pinto beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes

4 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cups sweet potatoes, diced

1 cup dry quinoa

1 medium onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced (I bought a jar of minced garlic)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

5 cups low sodium chicken broth

Directions

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. 

Add all ingredients to slow cooker and stir.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

It’s as simple as that!! Enjoy!

Have a great day everyone!

Xoxo

manda

11 TIPS to Living a Healthy Lifestyle!

Habits to a healthy lifestyle… 

Living and eating healthy really is a lifestyle. Start small and set goals for yourself (and your family).

You must go into this knowing it will not happen overnight. This can get frustrating and result in giving up.

But if you start small….set small goals…these small goals will lead into big changes.

My 11 Tips…

- remember to drink plenty of water!

- get your significant other on board. If everyone in the household is willing to live a healthier lifestyle....it's so much easier to stick with it.

- plan your meals and snacks. Fail to Plan....Plan to Fail. 

- planning leads into prepping. Prep your meals 2 or 3 days in advance. This allows you to grab and go and you are less likely to make a trip to the vending machine!

- prepare TASTY meals and snacks. Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to eat bland chicken every day.Trust me....we've been there and done that and it's not fun. I honestly don’t think I can eat another chicken breast for the rest of my life!!!!

- remember it's a lifestyle.....not a diet. 

- eat dessert! It's not gonna kill you. We usually splurge a little on the weekends. I would go crazy if I couldn't have dessert and pretty sure you feel the same way. My hubby may beg to differ and say that I'm already crazy!

- don't starve yourself. This will only screw up your metabolism! Eat the correct portion size for your body and ask for help if you need it!

- eating a healthy breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day

- it's ok to fail. I've had my fair share of grabbing a donut (or two) from the break room or eating the entire box of goldfish while watching Joe Kenda on the ID Channel. It's going to happen but remember tomorrow is a new day. You'll have more good days than bad...trust me!

- workout or do some type of physical activity. For me….it’s my ME time.

…………………………………..

So these are MY tips and what works for our family….find out what works for yours!

Do YOU have any tips for a healthy lifestyle?! 

Email me at forloveofacupcake@gmail.com if you need help beginning your healthy lifestyle!

Have a great day!

Xoxo

Manda 

PS - click HERE for a healthy banana muffin recipe!

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