We're BAAAACK!

We are back from our family vacation in Texas and it's a rude awakening to have to go back to eating right again.  We were a bit lenient...or maybe I should say A LOT... while we were at our family reunion because it was simply too hard to expect all the meals to be as all natural as I like them to be.  That didn't mean that I did any less cringing when I read a label that contained MSG or other JUNK.  Deep breathing....

While I was there I thought of plenty of things to write about but with the chaos and fun we had I only remembered one so far.

When you are buying canned foods don't assume they are full of good healthy ingredients.  Some of the ways they use to "preserve" these items is to add artificial ingredients/preservatives.  Also, many pre-made/pre-packaged items contain MSG as well.

One of the meals we had at our reunion was called Tamale Pie. Essentially it is this: canned chili mixed with canned corn, and some sauteed onions and peppers thrown in for flavor. This is all placed in a 9 x 13 baking pan.  On top was spread corn bread..  It is tasty!  Bake it until bubbly and corn bread is done in the center.

When changing to an all natural way of eating, the problem lies in the canned chili...mostly.

The chili: If I were at home I would make black bean chili for dinner one night, making sure to make extra for the next day or for a few days later to make this dish.

Black Bean Chili
*Note* I am NOT the best at making chili yet, so any suggestions would be welcomed.  This is the best one I have so far.  ;) Don't forget to check your canned goods to make sure there is nothing "unknown" added.  Vegetables, water and salt is the way to go!

12 oz. ground beef or turkey
onion powder
garlic powder
14 1/2 oz. diced tomatoes
15oz. black beans
8 oz. tomato sauce
3 tsp. chili powder
2-3 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. crushed oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
salt to taste
1 Tbsp. soy sauce (check your labels.  Kikkoman brand has one this is pretty good and doesn't have MSG.)
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Brown meat in pan.  Add remaining ingredients.  Let simmer.  Serve.

The corn: Some people won't eat anything out of a can.  Sometimes that simply isn't affordable for a large family.  Each family needs to do what is best for them.  I prefer fresh or frozen corn.

The biscuits: Put DOWN the box mix...Step Away from the premade stuff.  Haha!  Corn Bread is SUPER easy to make and delicious too.  Most premade/pre-packaged items will inevitably have ingredients that are not necessary and they are most expensive to keep on hand.

Here is the Corn Bread recipe we use:

Corn Bread

1 ¼ c. flour

¾ c. corn meal

½ c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. milk

¼ c. oil

1 egg beaten

Grease  8 or 9 inch pan.  Combine dry ingredients.  In separate bowl combine milk, oil and egg.  Mix well.  Pour milk mixture into flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake @ 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Dark pan heat oven to 375 degrees)

Makes 12 muffins: line muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes

Now GO and make something delicious that you can feel good about feeding to your family!