Wendy's Lunch: Chili topped Baked Potato

Typically, I'm not one to go out to eat at a fast food restaurant ... unless I'm picking up a pizza. But lately I've been going to sporting events on the weekends and dinners have been on the fly. Trying to opt for "healthier options" while at fast food joints can sometimes be tasking but I try to keep a few staple meals for common fast food chains. One of my favorite fast food chains happens to be Wendy's (I find they have a lot more options), due to that one of my favorites happens to be a plain baked potato with a small chili.

I order my baked potato plain with nothing on it (I add a little salt and pepper to it) and a small chili with no cheese. For my Weight Watchers folks - a baked potato is 7 points plus values and a small chili is 4 points plus values. If you wanted to save a few calories/points plus values you could easily order a side salad in place of the potato.

Then to avoid eating a plain potato with nothing on it ... I empty the container of chili over the potato and am left with a really delicious meal which is both satisfying and filling. Delicious, simple and quite a classic staple.

Chili, Bean & Rice Stuffed Peppers

One afternoon I was watching some YouTube videos that were in my subscription feed when I stumbled upon a video from Laura Vitale. It was a recipe on her chili stuffed peppers. The dish itself looked fabulous and it was a very unique take on having stuffed peppers and even chili so I decided to give it a try. I checked over the recipe and adapted it to the way that I make my chili, only adding in some brown sugar as Laura did in her video while I decided to skip adding cheese to my stuffed peppers.  The end result was nothing other than spectacular.

 

So spectacular that I've actually made these twice so far. They're so good, that my somewhat picky mother has asked me to make these a few times because she enjoyed them so much when I made them the first time. The last time I made a batch, it was Superbowl Sunday and my brother was in love ... so much so he took one home. They're utterly delicious, satisfying and a total hit!

Serves 12, 1/2 stuffed pepper serving, 5 points plus per serving (you can have a whole pepper - 2 halves - for 10 points plus values)

Ingredients:

* 20 oz. lean 93% lean ground turkey (you can substitute for beef if you prefer)

* 14.5 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained (you can substitute for whatever bean you prefer)

* 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, slightly drained

* 32 oz canned crushed tomatoes

* 6 oz canned tomato paste

* 1 medium onion, chopped

* 6 medium bell peppers, cut in half, seeds removed

* 2 cups cooked white rice (you can substitute for brown if you prefer)

* 2/3 cup water

* 1/2 tbsp McCormick Steak Seasoning (optional)

* 3 tbsp chili powder

* 3 tsp cumin

* 1 tbsp minced garlic

* 1 tsp black pepper

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 tbsp brown sugar

 

Cut peppers in half and remove the seeds (leave stems if you can, it helps the peppers hold their shape and filling better). Spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and add peppers into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

 

When peppers are done, remove from the pan and drain of any liquid that sits within the pepper and return the partially cooked peppers back to the pan.

 

Spray a pan with high sides with non-stick cooking spray, cooking over medium-high temperature, add in ground turkey and steak seasoning and begin to crumble up with a spoon. As the meat cooks, add in the garlic and onion and cook until meat is no longer pink and onions are softened.

 

Add in chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir to combine, allowing the spices to blend with the meat and onion mixture.  Add in tomato paste and mix to combine.

 

Add in diced tomatoes, black beans, crushed tomatoes, and water and mix until nicely combined. Allow the mixture to simmer and thicken, coming together in roughly 15 minutes.

 

Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes before adding in your cooked rice. Stirring it in to combine well to make sure the sauce covers all the rice and the mixture thickens together nicely.

 

Using a measuring cup, add in 1/4 cup of mixture into each pepper at a time, until all mixture is divided evenly into each halved pepper (if you end up with extra mixture, use a teaspoon and divide the mixture evenly).

 

Pop the stuffed peppers back into a 350* oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes. Remove peppers from oven and allow to cool 15-minutes before serving.

Beef and Bean Chili

Chili is one of those comfort foods that I remember growing up eating. Once fall rolls around chili season is in and it stays until spring begins. It's one of those dishes that I truly enjoy because it's versatile, filling and a family favorite.  What I think I like best about chili is the fact you can transform it without really doing much work. You can change up the meat, beans, vegetables, etc. Then you can eat it as is, over rice, with cheese/sour cream, with pasta, stuffed into bell peppers, etc. The possibilities are truly endless ... and at the end of the day it's comforting.

This particular dish is my basic chili recipe - the one I use regardless of what type of ground meat I'm using. I have changed up the vegetables, adding/subtracting ingredients .. but this is my tried and true.

Serves 9. 1 cup serving. 4 Points Plus Values.
Ingredients:

* 1 1/8 lb 93% lean ground beef
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 medium bell pepper, chopped (red or green - your choice)
* 14.5 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (you can substitute for any bean of your choice)
* 14.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (you can substitute for any bean of your choice)
* 28 oz can Hunts Tomatoes, Crushed
* 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
* 2 tbsp minced garlic
* 3 tbsp chili powder
* 3 tsp ground cumin
* 1 tsp black pepper
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1 1/2 tsp ground oregano
* 3/4 cup water

In a large pan with high sides, spray pan with non-stick cooking spray, heating over medium-high heat. Add in ground beef and begin to brown, seasoning with salt and pepper. As  the meat begins to brown, add in onion, bell peppers and garlic. Mixing to combine, allow the mixture to cook until the beef is cooked through and the onions are softened and slightly translucent.

Sprinkle meat and vegetable mix with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and oregano. Stir to combine, allowing the natural oils from the seasonings to come to life.

Add in drained beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and water. Stirring until all ingredients are well combined.  Adjust seasonings where necessary.

Allow chili to simmer over medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes.

Dinner: Chili topped Potato

The other night I honestly wasn’t in the mood to cook – I had a pretty rough day and throwing together a meal was the last thing I wanted to put the time or even thought into. Because I wanted to make good food decisions I opted for taking some of my homemade beef and bean chili (see the recipe here) out of the freezer.  I plunked it into a large pan with about ¼ cup of water and let it melt down and come to a light boil over medium heat.  When just about done, I opened a 4 ounce can of tomato sauce and added it in, stirred it up and dinner was served.  Very little effort, truly no thinking and it was exactly what I needed.

I washed a potato and put it into the microwave to cook up. 5 minutes later, my potato was done, so I cut it up into pieces, added it into a trivet, sprinkled it with pepper and a dash of salt, then topped it with 1 cup of beef and bean chili. I threw a serving of garden salad alongside the dish, topped it with 1 tablespoon of fat free dressing and dinner was served.  Simple, delicious and overall easy!

The greatest part was the whole meal was only 7 points plus. Worth it!

QUESTION:

Do you rely on frozen leftovers when you’re in a bind?