Dinner Tonight cont. - A Success Story?!

I had an evening tonight where I felt like I had gotten down this whole mothering with 3 kids while making dinner thing! The baby sat in his car seat where he could hear the noise and see his brother. Elias was strapped into his chair with play do. And Addison was at the kitchen table doing homework. In the meantime, I threw together a yummy vegetarian chili that I like. Instead of the normal witching hour (you know, between 5 and 6 when everyone falls apart), we had a quiet hour. Addison finished her homework and violin practice while dinner cooked!

Now that is the success part. The secret here is that I also kept them quiet with yesterday's cornbread, reheated in the microwave. Elias had strawberries and yogurt. And Addison made everyone chocolate milk. So when it comes to actually eating the chili, I may be the only one who is hungry. Douglas will eat it later when he gets home, but he will not eat the leftovers. So, I got to make something I liked, kept the kids quiet and happy, but still did not achieve the goal of making ONE dish for everyone.

SIGH. I guess peace and quiet is a good goal too.

For anyone interested, here is the chili recipe:


Quick Vegetarian Chili with Avacado Salsa

3 t canola oil
1 C chopped onion
1 C chopped red bell pepper
2 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
2/3 C uncooked barley
1/4 C water
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5 oz) can vegetable or chicken broth

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven, saute onion and pepper 3 mins. Add next 5 ingredients, cook 1 min. Stir in barley and next 4 ingredients, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins or until barley is tender.

Serve with any of the following: cilantro, lime wedges, chips and avacado salsa.