Chilly? Chili!

I think winter has arrived... Last night was "feels like 15 degrees" and I really was just wishing I had a bowl of chili to warm me up after work. Who doesn't love a nice bowl of chili? Or pot for that matter? I used my beautiful new crockpot to arrange tonight's dinner and surprise my roommate with a nice warm comfort meal for after work.

This baby is brand new so I was so excited to get crock in! Lol. 

The awesome thing about chili is that there are no boundaries or rules. I took a leap of faith and threw together some ingredients without a set recipe. Here, I sautéed peppers, onions and garlic before adding my turkey. Once I added the turkey, I waited until it was browned and added it into the crock.

I love beans! And I love veggies, so this chili is full of healthy protein, minimal ingredients but giant taste. I combined red kidney beans (you can also and I sometimes do black beans!), canned corn, diced tomatoes, and some water for the liquid parts of chili. Everyone likes their chili different which is why "chili tasting competitions" are around. A friend of mine used to put little pasta Os in hers along with sausage and Fritos. Another twist would be buffalo chili or white chicken chili (which I hope to try!) 

After letting the chili CHILL in the crock for the day, definitely feel free to add cheddar cheese, sour cream ( if you're a fan), avocado slices, cilantro... Whatever you like! Funny thing is I ran a mile home from the store with tomato sauce in hand on my way from the gym because it was so cold. ( don't forget this ingredient!) Worth it.