Make ahead family meals are one of my biggest strategies when it comes to finding extra play time!  I'm going to start sharing some of my favorite make ahead meals, in hopes that you'll have more time to play during the week. 

Check out some of the MAJOR benefits:

• Cooking together with your kids is also play time
• Eating meals together is good for the whole family
• Kids are more likely to eat what you serve when they help make it - at least it's worked for me
• Making meals ahead can make at least one day during the week less stressful

I adapted this recipe from my favorite Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's Cookbook by Deana Gunna and Wona Miniati.

Yield: Serves 4.

Make-Ahead Winter Chili

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Chili tastes better when you eat it the next day! Fine tune the recipe so it fits your family's tastes. You can make it as organic or vegetarian as you like. My kids like it because they can add their own toppings.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pkg extra lean ground turkey
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2-4 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans
• Half a can of vegetarian refried beans
• ½ cup of your favorite salsa
• 2 tablespoon barbecue sauce
• Chipotle Tabasco, to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste (I like garlic salt and garlic pepper.)
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• Topping: Smashed up Fritos or tortilla chips
• Topping: Shredded cheese
• Topping: Sour cream
• Vegetarian version: Replace meat with bell peppers and an extra can of black beans.

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large stock pot. Cook onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until brown, breaking it up as it cooks. Add ground cumin and chili powder and cook one minute longer.
2. Add remaining ingredients, except spinach. Make sure refried beans are stirred and dissolve.
3. Add spinach (no need to thaw).
4. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Refrigerate overnight and serve the next day for the best possible results.

The toppings are the best part!  Kids love to add toppings to their new recipe.

Originally published in December 2012.