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    Home » What We're Eating » Dinner » Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili + Tips for Picky Eaters!

    Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili + Tips for Picky Eaters!

    Published: Oct 20, 2014 by Blair Lonergan

    Jump to Recipe


    Get your kids to love their veggies with this Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili. Full of family-friendly flavors and easy to prepare, this dinner is sure to please everyone at your table!

    Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili

    [Tweet "#SlowCooker #Healthy Taco Ranch #Chili: kid-friendly & nutritious! #ILikeVeggies #CG"]

    If you read my blog regularly, you probably already know how passionate I am about feeding my kids a variety of healthy foods. I want to raise them to appreciate good meals, to know where their food comes from, and to understand the importance of a well-rounded diet. Sure, we enjoy treats on a regular basis…but we also balance out our indulgences with lots and lots of fruits and vegetables!

    And you know what? My persistence has paid off! I am raising three little boys who can identify most vegetables at a farmers market, who can recognize most local plants in a garden, and who will at least try (and usually like!) any vegetable that I put on their plate. In fact, they often eat their fruits or veggies before they even get to the rest of their meal.

    Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili 2

    That’s why I was so excited to partner with Birds Eye Vegetables and celebrity chef Melissa d’Arabian to spread the word about their Step Up To The Plate program and to share some tips to help get kids excited about veggies!

    Together, Birds Eye and Melissa (host of FoodNetwork.com’s web series The Picky Eaters Project) are working to make a difference and help moms with our dinnertime dilemma. We all know that it can be hard to get a balanced meal on the table every day, but with Birds Eye’s frozen vegetables and Melissa’s expertise, we can get our children to eat more veggies…one bite at a time!

    Step Up To The Plate is Birds Eye’s long-term commitment to reshape kids’ perceptions of veggies and to get children to love veggies for life. Birds Eye provides moms with more than 40 unique vegetable blends year-round at affordable prices, making our jobs in the kitchen just a little bit easier!

    My kids love the Birds Eye products so much that when I drag them grocery shopping with me, one of their “rewards” is that they each get to pick out a microwaveable Steamfresh bag of their choice to have with one of our family dinners during the week. I’m not kidding – they really get excited for this! I just chuckle to myself…

    sf_family_size_final

    And since I know that one of their favorites is the classic Mixed Vegetable Blend, I can easily add a big bag of the veggies to a Crock Pot full of chili, resulting in a well-balanced supper (with almost no effort on my part)!

    Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili 4

    If your kids don’t love the taste of plain steamed vegetables, this is a great way to get the good stuff into their little tummies. When my boys think that they might not like something in a dish, I just remind them that all of the ingredients are cooked and “swimming” in the same delicious sauce, so I know that it will all taste good. That usually convinces them to give the “scary” ingredient a try, and 9 times out of 10 they realize that it is good! And since Ranch and taco seasonings are two of the most-loved flavors amongst the children I know, this particular dinner is sure to please even your pickiest audience.

    Don't think that your kids like chili? Have you tried "chili mac"? When my boys were babies, I introduced them to the seasonings and textures of chili by serving it over pasta. I used spaghetti, wagon wheels, penne, whatever I had on hand. Give it a try if you don't think that your little ones will enjoy a bowl of this deliciousness on its own!

    And for more great tips to get your kids excited about their veggies, check out this video from Melissa d’Arabian. She shares a great, easy, one-pan recipe for Orange Chicken with Broccoli, which even the pickiest eaters are sure to gobble up!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDduCTyWdCo&list=UUq99-afLqctDYofXZ6INPtQ

    Then head on into your kitchen and start simmering a batch of this comforting, nutritious dinner!

    Print Pin

    Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili

    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 5 hours
    Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
    Servings 8
    Author The Seasoned Mom

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs. lean ground beef
    • 1 1.5 ounce packet taco seasoning
    • 1 1 ounce packet Ranch dressing seasoning
    • 2 15 ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
    • 2 14.5 ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes (undrained)
    • 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
    • 1 small onion chopped
    • 1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
    • 1 19 ounce bag of Birds Eye Steamfresh Pure & Simple Mixed Vegetables (corn, carrots, peas, and green beans)
    • Optional for serving: corn chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, or green onions

    Instructions

    • In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain fat off of beef and transfer meat to a 5-6-quart slow cooker.
    • Add taco seasoning, Ranch seasoning, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, and green chilies. Stir to combine.
    • Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
    • Just before serving, steam vegetables in microwave until just crisp-tender. Stir cooked vegetables into the slow cooker and serve.
    • Top individual bowls of chili with corn chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions, as desired.

    Tip: If you don't want to have to spend time browning your ground beef in the morning before you start your slow cooker, you can cook the meat in advance and keep it in the freezer or refrigerator until you're ready to use it!

    Slow Cooker Healthy Taco Ranch Chili 3

    Have a picky eater in your house? Check out these previous posts:

    10 Tips for Dealing with a Picky Eater

    Tips-for-Dealing-with-a-Picky-Eater.jpg

    7 Tips to Packing Healthy Lunches for Picky Eaters

    Tips-to-Packing-Healthy-Lunches-for-Picky-Eaters.jpg

    I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl

      October 20, 2014 at 9:15 am

      I love soup, I love chili, and I love easy! This looks wonderful! I also love the frozen mixed veggies.. they're super handy for soups and stir-frys. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Blair

        October 20, 2014 at 2:50 pm

        Thanks, Sarah! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Amy@HomeRemedies

      October 22, 2014 at 12:19 am

      Mmmm... this looks delicious! So many great tips to get our kiddos to eat (and like) their veggies! Thank you for sharing at the Merry Monday Link Party!

      Reply
    3. Anna @ Sunny Side Ups

      October 23, 2014 at 9:36 pm

      This chili recipe looks uber delicious! I've gotta try it out soon! 🙂 Pinned!

      Reply
      • Blair

        October 24, 2014 at 5:36 am

        Thanks so much for stopping by and for the pin, Anna! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life

      October 24, 2014 at 10:25 pm

      I love chili and this looks like a great recipe! Thanks for linking it up with us at Foodie Fridays...I always enjoy seeing what you have to share with us!

      Reply
    5. Michelle

      October 25, 2014 at 8:48 am

      This chilli recipe looks yummy, I think even the kids that hate veggies would gobble this up!

      Reply
    6. Heather @ Encouraged at Home

      October 25, 2014 at 10:03 am

      My kids love chili. This looks like an easy way to get some more veggies in them! I'm liking anything I can do in the slow cooker these days.

      Reply
      • Blair

        October 26, 2014 at 9:02 pm

        Thanks for stopping by, Heather! I love my slow cooker, too...it's SUCH a life saver!

        Reply
    7. Stephanie

      October 25, 2014 at 8:42 pm

      Will be trying this soon! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!

      Reply
    8. Jolena @TheRubyKitchen

      October 26, 2014 at 1:48 pm

      Another good slow cooker recipe one add to the box!

      Reply
      • Blair

        October 26, 2014 at 8:59 pm

        Thanks, Jolena!! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Erin @ Simple, Sweet & Savory

      October 27, 2014 at 5:35 pm

      Hey Blair, this chili looks amazing. I love that it's made in a slow cooker, too! Kudos on raising healthy eaters. I'll have to get some pointers from you! 😉

      Reply
      • Blair

        October 27, 2014 at 8:44 pm

        Thanks, Erin! I just had round #2 of this chili for dinner tonight. Still delicious!! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Laura@Baking in Pyjamas

      November 02, 2014 at 12:27 pm

      This looks wonderful, definitely my kind of food. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!

      Reply

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    Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you'll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It's down-home, country-style cooking!

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