Quick Turkey Chili

I'm originally from Texas, so I know a thing or two about chili. You don't have to have hours to simmer it or spend a lot of time prepping for this chili. Turkey is a matter of preference, so you could use lean ground beef, venison, etc...

Quick Chili

1 lb. lean ground meat (omit for veg)

1/2 -3/4 c salsa verde

1 - 14 1/2 oz. can chili ready tomatoes (or add 1 Tbsp chili powder to stewed tomatoes)

1 - 14 1/2 oz. can kidney beans

1 c frozen onion, bell pepper, celery mix

1 c beef or vegetable broth

Brown meat and drain. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25-3o min. Serve with fat free sour cream, low-fat cheese, chopped avocado, or additional salsa.

Power Cookies

These cookies are great for an on-the-go breakfast or a snack. Just cover in foil and freeze, then thaw and enjoy! I purposely titled them Power Cookies because they are packed with good for you ingredients and they won't spike the blood sugar. The oatmeal gives them the effect of a big cereal bar and will stick with you until lunch. Puréed white beans add fiber without all the fat of using butter or oil. Don't knock it until you've tried it! If you process them until there are no lumps you won't taste the beans at all.

Power Cookies

1 14 1/2 oz can white beans, drained (I used navy or great northern)

1/4 c Splenda Brown sugar blend ; packed

3/4 c Splenda for Baking

1 egg or egg beater substitute

1/2 ts Vanilla

1/2 ts Cinnamon

1/4 c Whole wheat flour

1/4 c soy flour (could omit and just use whole wheat or oats)

1/2 ts Baking soda

1/2 ts Salt; (optional)

4 c Rolled oats

Add-ins (optional)

Coarsley chopped nuts, dark chocolate, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream beans with sugars. Add egg beater and vanilla. Stir in flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, then add the rolled oats. * I've found it is also helpful to process 1 c or more of oats if you feel your batter is too wet to stick together. Stir in any add-ins you would like. Drop by 1/4 c. servings onto a lightly Pam-sprayed cookie sheet and flatten slightly (this is easier if you wet your hand first). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies seem solid and the bottom edges look a bit browned. Remove to rack and cool. Makes about 1 dozen large cookies.

The Basics of the Glycemic Index

For those interesting following my recipe blog, I thought I might introduce the food list/chart for GI foods to begin with. Basically a food is given an "index" from 0-100 based on the effect it has on blood sugar (i.e. how quickly it becomes glucose) Big numbers are bad. Small numbers are good. I try not to eat anything with a 50+ index. If you are at all like me, breads, pastries, cakes, and starchy veggies are comfort food heaven, but wreak havoc on your system. What in the world can/do you eat?! Anything I want actually. I've been off and on living low gi for two years and as long as I resist the urge to binge on sweets, my cravings are kept at bay. Its so much easier to live lgi than to diet or go low carb because I'm never hungry. I don't limit portions or starve myself and if I see something that looks delicious....I modify it and try to keep the integrity of the original recipe. So here http://www.lowglycemicdiet.com/gifoodlist.html is a guideline for low, moderate, and high GI foods. Also check out http://www.gilisting.com/ for a great alphabetical listing.