fiteatrest 
Have you ever had one of those days when you work so long, you just want to lie down and eat anything that is quick, packaged, easy? Do you know what every busy person’s kitchen savior is? I guess I shouldn’t generalize but for me it’s my Crockpot. With usually a 15-minute prep, I can get things cooking and ready by end of day when everyone is tired and I have no desire to cook after a long day. It is one of the behavior changes you’d learn in my coaching group - make things easy for you by doing what you can when you can. To me that means ahead of time, when I might have 15 minutes. It makes eating well a no-effort. With winter fully settled in our Chicago suburb, comfort foods like Chili are crave-worthy. For this chili, I use a combination of black and kidney beans. Get this Crockpot chili recipe with all the details below.
Ingredients (serves 6)
Side note: I only cook for 4 but I love that this recipe makes extra - lunch or dinner for another day.
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- ½ can of tomato paste
- 1 large can of unsalted plum/peeled tomatoes
- 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (if you don’t like spice, omit this one)
- ¼ large yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic (optional)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1-2 tbsp Chili Lime spice (found at Trader Joe’s) or 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp salt, 1 lime
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 pound ground beef (optional)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
Directions
1. To a large crockpot, add jarred tomatoes, diced tomatoes (if you like it spicy, otherwise omit), black and kidney beans and ½ can of tomato paste.
2. Add your spices: 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp coarse salt and 1-2 tbsp of Trader Joe’s Chili Lime spice. This spice is the absolute magic for this chili. You could Mac-gyver it by adding 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp salt, and a juice of 1 lime, and it comes close but not as good. Note, the extra salt in addition to chili lime spice. Stir well.
3. Heat a large pan, add olive oil and garlic. Quickly add onions and saute together until translucent.
4. If adding beef, stir 1 pound of ground beef to the onions. Season with garlic powder. Cook until browned, don’t overcook. I like to use 85% lean grass-fed beef, so you get a little bit of fat for flavor. However, make sure you drain the beef before you add it to the chili, to cut down on excessive fat.
5. Add the onions and (if using) beef to the crockpot with beans and tomatoes, stir gently.
6. 
Plug in the crockpot and set to cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4. You can cook it longer on low, if need be, but if you can reduce it to warm after 6 hours, you’ll get the best tasting chili after a long day!
