70. Make 10 meals in the Crockpot.

Ok, so maybe this doesn't count as a "meal" per se, but I was super excited to find out I could make yummy chicken stock right from my crockpot!

I used Gina's method and it worked perfectly!  8 hours later, I had the best homemade stock and some shredded chicken I used to make homemade enchiladas.

Before.

After.

Plus it made the apartment smell heavenly.  Kinda like those days where it's all snowy outside and you can curl up and read a book all day...just like that.

70. Make 10 meals in the Crockpot.

For my first "official" crockpot meal (I have used my crockpot many times before - but never documented it) I chose a vegetarian version of J's favorite meal - chili.

This Black Bean Chili  was super easy to make - thanks to my dear friend, Mr. Crockpot.  I love the functionality of the crockpot - throw everything in, set to "low", arrive home from work to a home-cooked meal. yum.

This recipe used a ton of different types of beans - which I LOVE.  I, however, do not love the gross oil and added chemicals to the beans in the cans.  After rinsing and cleaning them they looked much better...

But I think after this experience, I will be buying dried beans.  Better for the earth and less gross things added = win/win! 

After cooking for close to 10 hours - the chili looked like this:

...and closer look

I topped mine with a little fat-free sour cream, while J opted for his go-to Frank's Hot Sauce.  Truthfully - I am not big on spice - but I added a bit to mine - and it totally kicked it up a notch.

J really enjoyed it - so it's safe to say this will be made again.  Plus, it was great to come home to a warm meal after the cold and rainy day we had!