Diabetic Friendly Sloppy Joe Mix for Six

When I was a kid, my Dad sometimes took the kitchen reigns. One of the things he made us from time to time was sloppy Joe's.  I always looked forward to those dinners. Dad would serve them up with a side of either homemade fries (if he had time) or frozen ones, or sometimes he kept it simple and served them with the best potato chips ever made: Charles' Chips.

There was a truck for everything it seemed back then. There was the milk truck, the ice cream truck, and the Charles Chips truck. When he came down the street we knew it was bringing a special treat to our house that day. Back then people didn't "snack" on chips. They were reserved for parties, meals or lunches, and special occasions like outdoor barbecues. People didn't just sit around and eat chips and watch movies or television. 

And Mom parked that tin up high atop the refrigerator. The tins were kept pristine because you turned

them back in for a full one. But if they got dented, all bets were off. You had to buy a new one. 

Believe it or not, you can still get a chips tin filled with these delicious chips from the Charles Chips company. It's considerably more expensive than it was back in my day because it has to be mailed to you but hey, almost everything worth eating these days- not to mention the walk down memory lane- is like that nowadays.

• 1 tbsp no salt added tomato paste
• 1 oz prepared yellow mustard
• 1 oz no sugar added ketchup
• 8 oz no salt added tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tsp hungarian paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp stevia
• 1 lb 98% ground hamburger
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup water

1. Using your instant pot, place heat the oil on saute, and add the onion and bell pepper and saute until just tender.
2. Add in the ground beef, breaking it up as you go [because it's so lean, you don't need to drain so cook it until the juices are dissolved, it's mostly water].
3. Add in the spices and saute for a minute more.
4. Add in the tomato sauce, mustard, ketchup, tomato paste, and water [if it's too thick, add a little more].
5. Switch over to the slow cooker and cook for several hours until the meat is very soft.
6. Serve warm on a nice whole wheat bun.