Healthy, Hearty Superbowl Chili!

A recent survey said that 80% of women would rather have sex than watch the Superbowl.

I fit in to the 20%.

I'm not sure if Carter would be pumped or pissed.

But Superbowl=Comfort food. Pizza, stew, indian food, and especially chili are some of the hearty foods we eat while watching football in the winter. Often we spend Sunday nights cuddled up for this reason. That, and Keeping Up With The Kardashians is on at 10pm.

This chili is clean! 

Not interested in football? Make it a party! We always bring a stack of loonies and place loonie bets- "The next big play will be a touchdown/interception/fumble/field goal." And, if you have no idea what any of those are, it's just as fun to watch and place bets! We also place bets on other things. For example, my friend Amanda has already loonie bet that Madonna's half time wardrobe will consist of her wearing some kind of onesie.

This is a loonie. It's a Canadian's dollar dollar bill, yo. Except, it's not a bill. Unless you include the loon's.

The best way to make comfort food is to make it clean! Here's my slow-cooker recipe (adapted from Eat, Shrink and be Merry)! Make this the day before for even tastier chili.

Don't be put off by the ingredient list! You literally throw all this into your slow cooker and walk away. It will take only about 15 minutes to prepare! Layer these in in the order listed:

-3 to 4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4) or thighs (about 6-7)- omit this if you want vegetarian chili
-3 to 4 tomatoes, chopped
-1 medium onion, chopped
-3 stalks of celery, chopped
-2 carrots or about 20 baby carrots, chopped
-2 zucchinis (one chopped and one grated- this adds amazing texture to the chili and is a sneaky way to add in extra nutrients!)
-1 can red kidney beans, rinsed (you can really pick any bean that you'd like! The red bean works with the colour of the chili)
-1 can chick peas, rinsed
-1/2 to 1 jar (I use the fresh stuff so it's in a container) of your favourite salsa
-1 jar of strained tomatoes (you can use one jar of your favourite tomato sauce, instead- but using strained tomatoes makes this recipe more "clean". Sometimes, I use half  a jar of strained tomatoes and half a jar of my favourite tomato sauce!)
-2 tbsp chili powder
-1 tbsp cumin
-1 tbsp oregano
-1/2 tbsp basil
-Dollop of plain greek yogurt, to serve
-Sprinkle of grated cheese, to serve

*For spicier chili, add 1/2 to 1 tbsp cayenne pepper!

Put all ingredients into your slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high. If you'll be around, give it a stir at about halfway. If not, give the ingredients a quick stir before you leave! When the chili is cooked, break up the chicken into smaller pieces. It should break apart easily!

Heeeeeeeeey.

You can serve this with a whole wheat bun, or over brown rice or quinoa. YUM!!!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to loonie bet that Tom Brady's ass will look hot.

Superbowl 2012- any loonie bets you want to share?


Are you in the 80% or the 20%?