In the eye of this winter season, I’m always looking for something to go with my Snuggie and countless hours of Stats homework (and the occasional break for Teen Cribs re-runs).  It is not every day when you find a remedy that can cure the winter blues and come in warm, fulfilling, cheap, and easy form.

Lucky for us, this delicious chili provides all five elements of satisfaction in a low calorie, protein packed serving. It also tastes awesome and takes only 40-minutes to prepare enough for an entire week of blissful dining.

Behold, your winter cure:

Get Started (What You Will Need):

1 can tomato juice
2 cans of beans. (You can use any kind, but I like doing one can of white and one can of black. Yum!)
1 small onion diced
2 cans of diced tomatoes (or a big 15 oz can)
1 package of taco seasoning (I go with mild, but if you like your chili SPICY, you can buy whatever strikes your fancy.)
1 cup Boca Ground Crumbles (You can find this in the frozen foods section. It’s a low-calorie alternative to using real meat and is packed with soy and other healthy protein.) Read More »

Here begins day two of my week attempting to eat like a vegan:

Breakfast: Oatmeal. Again.

Lunch: My quick-fix meal, a ham and cheese sandwich, is out, so I just munch on grapes, dried fruit, and nuts. I feel like a Greek god, but not at all full.

Dinner: I pull out the big guns for dinner. I go to Whole Food’s and do a massive shopping by following a list I compiled using recipes found on allrecipes.com. The total comes out to $120. Turns out tofu is more expensive than I thought it would be. I get home and I do the unthinkable: I cook for myself. I mix and simmer and stir. I make a total mess, but it actually feels really good to slave over a hot stove for an hour.

The end result? A meaty (thank you, Boca!), spicy, filling vegan chili. I put some of the chili in a tortilla for a vegan burrito thing, and it’s delicious. I pour some in a bowl and eat it, and when I go to put it in a Tupperware container, I end up eating some of it right out of the pot, always a good sign! Read More »