Beans, beans, beans...

It's the beginning of a new week...BEAN WEEK!!!

We all know how much I harp about increasing protein whenever possible. And how much I love fiber. Well beans fulfill both of these characteristics quite well. And of course, they taste good. What could be better?!

So we'll start the week off with an exceptionally easy recipe for chili. This is literally the best meal to make when you have a busy day and all you want to do is come home and eat something hearty. This happened to me today, but also because I hardly ate anything all day to punish myself for eating pizza at Zachary's last night for dinner, followed a burrito from Taco Shop at 3 in the morning.

...I never do these things. Just FYI. But a little splurging on greasy food isn't bad once in awhile. (Or so I like to tell myself).

The way I made this is with a crock pot. This appliance is magical. Seriously.

Crock pot.

I started off by defrosting my lovely Morningstar fake beef crumbles in a pan. I chopped 3 cloves of garlic and half a green bell pepper and added it into the pan. I also had half of a roma tomato that was going bad, so I chopped that and added it in as well. Note: no oil was used in the process. 

That was the hardest part of making the chili.

I opened 3 cans of pinto beans, and emptied them into the crock pot. Then, I added two cans of tomato sauce. One of which was regular, and the other Mexican style.

Then I added the crumbles/bell pepper/tomato/garlic mixture to the pot. To season, I just used black pepper, paprika, and a handful of cumin seeds. 

Turn the crock pot on low, and let it sit for 4 or more hours. I had it on for about 6. And then it was complete!

With 2% shredded cheese on top. 

Oh and if you were wondering, it is DELICIOUS!!! (I'm eating it as I type this).