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Easy Steak Chili (for Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)

Yum

February 1, 2018 By Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD 1 Comment

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Steak Chili

What is a good Super Bowl (or any winter) party without a solid chili? Chili is one of the easiest foods to make, even for you novice chefs out there. So, if you have been wanting to try a recipe of mine but not sure if you can, this is the one to start with. You literally dump a bunch of food in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker and BAM deliciousness at your service.

Yes, it’s that easy.

A steak chili is filling, full of color, taste and a crowd pleaser. The best part (in my opinion) is actually the next day when the chili has had time to marinate in its own juices. The flavor somehow multiplies and melds into this hearty magical combination.

Fix-It And Forget-It

When the week is busy (okay, every week), it can be incredibly helpful to have a larger meal on the menu that can be compiled, tossed in a slow/pressure cooker and ready in a blink of an eye.

I remember my first slow cooker. My cousin, Teresa, gave it to me for my birthday because she could not believe I didn’t own one. I used to go visit her and her family back when I was living in Chicago. She pulled out this cookbook, “Fix-It and Forget-It” and I can never forget the impact it had on me. I’m actually unsure what my life was like before such a device, how did I survive?

That’s a litttttttle dramatic (or is it?). However, it is nice to own a slow cooker AND a pressure cooker that make even my life (a passionate cook) a little easier.

Meat & Potatoes

When I can find decent meat on sale, I jump at the opportunity. Many ask how I can find good quality meat or seafood for anything less than a kidney and I respond by letting them know I shop the sales. You may have to alter what you are having on your weekly plan BUT you can save some money and get creative in the meantime.

The steak used in this recipe was on sale this week AND it happened to coincide with the Super Bowl, how convenient. I couldn’t help but take my stab at a steak chili. When I normally make chili I use ground meat because it’s cheap, easy to access and it cooks up quickly. The missing piece is usually that it lacks the amount of protein I need to a) feed my family (read: JJ) for more than 1-2 days and b) satiate us so we aren’t scrounging for other food later in the evening.

Meat and potatoes sometimes get a bad rep, but I have to hand it to the classic duo, they fill you up and keep you satisfied. Not to mention they are filled with vitamins and minerals your body needs to function and feel energized. Dietitian win-win.

The Secret Ingredient

Every time I make chili I have to think hard about what I put in it as far as spices. I’m the type of person that ad-libs most of my recipes. Measuring is more of an eye-ball and ingredients are more of a suggestion. Funny for someone who loves to give others recipes to use, I realize this.

However, there is one ingredient that I love to put in my beef chili. Unsweetened cocoa powder. Yes, chocolate. It gives the chili a deeper flavor and for some reason makes me feel like the chili is my own. Not to mention, cocoa powder is rich in antioxidants which does the body good. Got chocolate?

Okay, now that I’ve spilled the beans (both in this post and in the pot), it’s time for you to get cooking! Enjoy.

Pro tip: Add any veggies you have on hand! It’s okay to get creative in the kitchen. Afterall, some of the best food & recipes come from so-called “mistakes” in the kitchen.

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Easy Steak Chili

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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp ghee/butter
  • 2–1/2 to 3 lb lean stew meat, cut into 1–2” chunks
  • 2–14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (or can use 1–28 oz can)
  • 1–15.5 oz can of pinto beans (or beans of choice)
  • 2 cups chicken/beef broth (water if you don’t have any broth on hand)
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped & deseeded
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, green onions, jalapeno slices

Instructions

  1. This is incredibly complicated, so set your intentions and breathe deeply.
  2. Place all ingredients in an Instant Pot or a Slow Cooker, stir to combine.

For Instant Pot

  1. Put on lid (make sure vent isclosed), choose Beans/Chili and let it work it’s magic. Let it slow release for 15 minutes or longer if you can manage, then vent and remove lid.

For Slow Cooker

  1. Cover with lid, set on low and let cook for 6-8 hours.
  2. Once finished, top with toppings of choice, take a photo for social media and DIG IN!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @@thesassydietitian on Instagram

xoxo,

Sassy

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  1. 5 Perfect Slow Cooker Dinners - SilverSneakers says:
    December 10, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    […] recipe from Laura Ligos, R.D., blogger at The Sassy Dietitian calls for a variety of veggies, but Ligos says you can use whatever you have in your kitchen. She […]

    Reply

@thesassydietitian

We’ve made it over a week together and it feels We’ve made it over a week together and it feels like it’s always been this way.

Motherhood is a wild ride & it’s only getting started. I have never been so tired & simultaneously so fulfilled in my life. That’s not to say it’s not filled with tears, worries and doubts but what fun would it be if it were all sunshine and roses anyway?

Going into this all I have felt so supported by friends going through this with me BUT I felt so unsupported by the general public. It seems like we want to fear and shame moms because misery loves company, right?!

The focus quickly shifts from mom to baby (still shocked that I only have an appointment at 6 weeks even though my body went through the biggest event of its life) and there also seems to be this shift from joy to shame & guilt.

Here’s some of what I heard from people:

😕Sleep when baby sleeps. You’ll never sleep again.
😕Don’t let baby sleep in a car seat, or a bouncer, or anywhere but their crib EVER. 
😕You’ll never have time to shower again, enjoy it now. 
😕Cry it out is cruel and harmful to the baby. 
😕Get baby on a schedule/never put baby on a schedule.

These are all things I heard and that truly led me to believe I was going to lose all sense of who I was and my life as I knew it.

What I wish people had said instead were:

🥰Your heart will grow bigger than you could imagine.
🥰You’ll cry the happiest tears you’ve ever cried.
🥰You’ll feel like a giant hole was filled that you didn’t even know was there.
🥰You won’t feel guilty about cleaning your house, it just won’t matter anymore.
🥰Babies pooping will make you laugh so hard you will feel like a kid again.
🥰You will have time to eat and shower and you don’t have to neglect yourself.

We need to do a better job of building each other up, supporting one another and our decisions while refraining from offering unsolicited advice and opinions. 

So for all you future mamas and new mamas out there, I see you, I’m proud of you and I cannot wait to share our stories with one another and the world.

Let’s stop fear mongering (just like the diet world) and start building one another up.

Xoxo,
Sassy & lil sassy man
🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s b 🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s been a long year of loss, unknowns and worry but it’s all been worth it to get to meet my lil man🥰
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Now time to introduce this sassy human who is already so well loved to the world...
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Introducing 

💙 Connor James Ligos 💙
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After an almost 24 hour labor, Connor joined us over a week past his due date on 2/12/21 at a whopping 9lb2oz & 22.5 inches long with a full head of hair and lungs to scream hello to us with.
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We are so in love already and cannot wait to share him with the world. Thank you for all the love and support from friends and family and to all those that helped us in the hospital. Holy cow labor & delivery teams are truly magical and I cannot imagine doing it without all of their support.
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Now back to snuggling this human of mine and trying not to cry at every last thing he does 🥰 
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Mom, Dad & Bode are all doing well!
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#babyboy #pregnancyafterloss #rainbowbaby #birthdayboy #birthannouncement
I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk t I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk to others about what worked for us. That's great!
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What's not great is when we push our nutrition and eating behaviors onto others ESPECIALLY when we are not qualified to do so.
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So often when people meet me for the first time they are worried to eat around me and/or buy groceries around me. My friends can attest I am not judgemental around food and will gladly eat that cake, queso dip or sip on that glass of wine right alongside of you. I am not the food police and do not offer unsolicited nutrition advice unless it's a client who is paying for my help OR on Instagram and other social media platforms where my goal is to educate.
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Why do I share this? 
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Because I see far too many people diving down diet rabbit holes, finding success & then claiming to be nutrition experts purely because something worked for them. 
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I've also seen this alot being pregnant, everyone wants to tell you what worked for them. IF you use that stipulation of "this worked for me" then fine, share away but if you start doleing out advice please pause, take a breath and think about NOT doing it.
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People are OVERWHELMED by diet culture and some so badly want to change but YOUR way is not the only way and it most likely is not what will work for your friend/coworker/cousin/neighbor so please, stop trying to be an expert in something you aren't.
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Got it!?! 
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Ok, carry on.
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xoxo,
Sassy
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#nutrition #nutritiontips #nutritionist #dietitianapproved #rdapproved #rdchat #dietitiansofinstagram #dietitian #dietitiansofig #albanyny #albanynutrition #albanynutrition
Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. I'm not saying you have to find perfect balance (does that even exist?) but I am saying that we shouldn't feel like either we have to eat perfectly or that we might as well give up.
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Instead we should look to the grey area in between for our nutrition guidance. 
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What do I mean?
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I mean that we need to realize that we can still eat cookies but we probably should throw some veggies in there. 
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We can have a glass or 2 of wine but we should probably also drink some water. 
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We can take rest days but we should also find ways to move our bodies regularly.
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And the list goes on.
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It's not about all or nothing it's about doing something daily to help your health and nutrition without it feeling like a set of rules or a free for all.
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How do we find that grey area in between?
👉🏻 stop hopping on and off fad diets
👉🏻listen and trust your self, not your coworkers and cousins 
👉🏻focus on the simple things (ie drinking water instead of worrying about supplements)
👉🏻work to remove guilt and shame around food & body
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Where do you currently fall Right now?!
🤪 all
👍🏻in between 
🙅🏻‍♀️ nothing 
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Xoxo,
Sassy
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#dietitian #dietitiansofig #dietitiansofinstagram #nutrition #nutritionist #nutritiontips #thesassydietitian #rdchat #realtalk

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