Lemon Garlic Green Beans

lemon garlic green beans
I’m turning up the flavor on a classic side dish with this easy recipe! The fresh lemon zest and juice add such a nice citrus brightness to the dish, while just a pinch of red pepper flakes gives a kick to your taste buds. You can use green beans or haricot vert (French green beans) for this dish. I prefer the latter because they are more tender and have a slightly more complex flavor. Either way, this would be a great side dish to serve with roasted chicken, grilled steak or fish. You can also cut down on preparation time by getting ready-to-use packages (washed and trimmed). Enjoy! Continue reading

Turkey Chili

turkey chili
There’s nothing more satisfying, sometimes, than a hot bowl of chili on a cold winter’s night. My mom and I used to make chili with the seasoning packets they sell at the store. All the different spices were conveniently premixed for you, including tons of sodium. I took a look at the nutrition information on one of these packets a few years ago and was shocked at the sodium content! Since then, I have been making chili using my own spices and seasoning at home. I think it’s a much better choice because you control the amount and quality of ingredients that go into your food. It’s also not that much more difficult or time consuming. You probably already have all the necessary ingredients sitting on your spice rack.

I’ve played around with different recipes, but I really like this particular version of my turkey chili. It has less calories and fat because I use lean turkey. Plus, there’s tons of nutrients from the beans and carrots I add. You can substitute other veggies of your choice if you don’t like beans or carrots. Red peppers, corn, and zucchini would all work very well.

Give my recipe a try sometime this winter and you’ll have a delicious pot of chili in no time!  Continue reading