Wintertime is officially here in Michigan.
I have heard rumors that this weekend it is going to drop down to a lovely 5 degrees. FIVE.

One of our favorite go-to meals in the winter is Chili. I also love serving a big ol crockpot of this traditional chili as well as our white chicken chili at our annual bonfire. It is a staple and one that everyone just loves. I get asked a lot for this recipe so I wanted to share.

Going along with the new year- one of our goals (you can read more in our last blog post) is to live simply. We aim to keep our meals and our grocery budget simple. You may think this can be hard to do with a family of 5, but I really believe it doesn’t have to be.

This Sunday we sat down and planned out our meals for the week and headed to Aldi. They have GREAT pricing on so many things- and their off-brand items are of decent quality. We aimed to have a week with budget friendly but also healthy meals and we walked out of Aldi with a receipt for $93. A family of 5 for $93. That is pretty dang good.

Since we had two sports to run to and from, our Monday meal was chili.I challenged myself to make this meaI entirely with Aldi branded goods- added up everything on the receipt – and it was just over $7. Simple, warm, hearty, goodness on the cheap.

Ingredients

1- 1.5 lbs ground beef

2 Large Cans crushed or chopped tomatoes (4 small if you can’t find the large cans)
*Chopped makes the chili more tomato-y, crushed makes it smoother. Personal preference on which you prefer! Sometimes I mix it up.

1 small can tomato paste

2 Cans chili beans

1 can chili (yes i put a can of chili in my chili. It is a secret ingredient, dont knock it.)

1 Green Pepper

1 Onion

Chili Powder
Salt- Dash
Pepper- Dash
Tabasco Sauce – Add accordingly for how hot you like it!
Cayenne Pepper- Add accordingly for how hot you like it!

The first step is just to brown the meat on the stove. I like to chop up half the onion and throw it in here to just to add some flavor.

While the meat is browning I open up everything else and throw it all in the crock pot. It’s a lot of cans, but don’t hesitate. Throw it all in! Two cans tomatoes, tomato paste, two cans of chili beans, one can of chili, chopped green and red pepper, and the rest of the onion.

You may be asking why I put chili in my chili. This is a trick I learned from a recipe long ago…somewhere in Pinterest land, that just really added a good texture to my chili. I love what it brings to the recipe and so I always add it!

When the meat is done browning, drain it and throw it in the crockpot too. Add your chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and tabasco and mix it all up. Let it cook go for a few hours, stirring here and there, and in no time you’ll have a great winter time meal! Enjoy!