I’m on day 3 of my 4-day doctor ordered semi-quarantine & rest, so the idea of a snowy Saturday was absolutely perfect. It would make me feel less bad about not being out and about other than to pick a few things up, and do a few random acts of kindness. Even though we didn’t get much snow, and it started later than initially thought, it was a good excuse to whip up a crock pot meal that could feed me for much of the week, or freeze for later use.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have a tendency of finding recipe inspirations, then adding my own twists to them to make them my own. This recipe is another one of those, inspired by fANNEtasticfood.com, and might be my favorite recipe in a while. It’s hearty, but healthy, and while I don’t like it very spicy, can be dialed up with heat easily, if that’s your thing.

Turkey & Butternut Squash Chili
Serves 8-10
Nutrition based on 8 servings
Calories: 300 kCal
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 38g (9g Dietary fiber)
Protein: 18g

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey (I used a combo of just breast and breast/thigh mixture, but you could reduce fat/calories with just breast)
1 can, rinsed & drained black beans
1 can, rinsed & drained kidney beans
1 green pepper, chopped into 1 in chunks
2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash, large chunks
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1-28 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapeños
3 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup quinoa
4 tsp cumin
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp red pepper, ground
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1) Sauté onions & garlic until onions are translucent. Add ground turkey, and begin to brown.

2) Add sauté mixture to crock pot. Add all other ingredients except quinoa. Fill smaller can with water and add to pot. Turn crock pot to high. Simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally (could simmer longer on low).

3) When flavors are starting to come together, add quinoa, and continue to stir regularly until it’s fully cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve. I added diced avocado and it was perfect, but you could add cheese, sour cream/yogurt, or tortilla strips, as well.