Crock Pot: Ground Turkey "Gumbo"

I absolutely love my Turkey Chili recipe as one of my go-to's for weekly meal prep, but I wanted to mix it up a little this time!

Introducing...Ground Turkey "Gumbo"! 

I used my crock pot along with these main ingredients:

-1 lb lean ground turkey

- 2 bell peppers

- 5(ish) radishes

- 3 large carrots

- 3(ish) celery stalks 

- 1 can black beans (or beans of choice)

- 1 carton vegetable broth (could use chicken or beef)

- 2 cups brown rice

- salt and pepper to taste

I chopped up all my veggies and put them in my crock pot (on high) with the 1 lb of ground turkey and 1 can of black beans:

To get the cooking started I added 2 cups of the vegetable broth and the salt and pepper. I let all of this cook for a couple hours because I didn't want to over cook my rice. 

So at about the 2 hour mark I added 2 cups of brown rice along with two more cups of vegetable broth:

I let this all cook for another couple hours so that all of the broth could be soaked up by the rice.

And there's the Ground Turkey "Gumbo"! 

It's a nice alternative to the chili since it adds a little grains in there and I was glad I added the radishes for a new twist! It's fun to experiment with winter time veggies :)

Super simple and easily modified for whatever you'd like to add! 

Make it vegetarian style with more brown rice and beans!

Add tons of your favorite veggies and it's a great way to pack them into your diet!

Chicken and Quinoa Noodle Soup

I finally got the chance to break into my new Crock Pot! 

First recipe attempt: Chicken and Quinoa Noodle Soup packed with veggies! 

For this batch I used:

-1 package of all natural white meat chicken breast tenders

-2 cartons of organic chicken broth 

-5 celery stalks

-4 large carrots

-2 bell boppers (one red, one green)

-1 box quinoa pasta 

- chopped cilantro

- diced green chills

-salt and pepper to taste 

First step was prepping and chopping all the veggies!

Then added in some chopped cilantro and diced green chilis (about half a can):

I chose to use chicken breast tenders because they are easy to cut up into nice sized pieces:

Do not fill the crock pot all the way with goodies before adding whatever liquid you are using! 

So, once I had everything prepared I added in the organic chicken broth:

Since one carton wasn't enough to get a good broth going I decided to add my second one, then it was crock time!

All Crock Pots are probably different, but I set mine on high for the entire cook time.

I didn't add the noodles in to the pot till about half way through the cooking time because I didn't want them to get way over done:

You can always add more broth at this time as well, or along the way if it seems to be getting absorbed by all the goods.

The soup cooked for about 4 - 5 hours, and it was so nice to be able to set it and forget it!

This came out great!

Filling and packed with veggies!

Also stays great in the fridge for the week, or frozen to keep for longer! 

This recipe can totally be switched up and tweaked anyway you'd like! Different veggies, you could do a beef stew version, regular noodles, or none at all! Let me know how you make yours!

New Developments for Fit Foodie!

Needless to say, this summer has been crazy busy for me (hence the lack of postings)!

But I have GREAT news! All summer I have been reading and studying and quizzing and testing my way through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) to become a Certified Personal Trainer. Today, I took the final exam and passed! I'm so pumped on this and excited for what I can continue to do in the fitness world! 

Also, I received an AMAZING gift from my dear, dear friend Jess:

That's right! I am finally the proud owner of a legit Crock Pot! I am so excited and can't wait to use it! I promise to share all (good) recipes with you! 

I am relieved to not have to watch the stove anymore for my yummy turkey chili! 

I just wanted to give a quick check-in before going out for a celebratory dinner with my main squeeze. 

Do you have a crock pot? What's your favorite thing to make with it?!