Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

I have no idea where I found this recipe! When I printed it out the link didn't show up at the bottom of the page so now I have no clue despite trying to search again. This was simple, easy and flavorful! We served it with rice initially but there was enough leftover that I ended up eating it for lunch a couple days with the Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi...which I am obsessed with by the way!

(picture from Skinnytaste)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 t crushed red pepper
1 c chicken broth
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper and Place in a 5-7 qt slow cooker.
Top with onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, red pepper and broth.
Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours.
Sprinkle with parsley.

Delicious Shredded Beef Tacos

I haven't been posting any of our new favorite recipes because I have been lazy about taking pictures, but then when I want to make them again I am frustrated that I have to search and find them...so I'm just borrowing other people's pictures and getting some posted!

(picture from Jennifer Cooks)

First up is this delicious new recipe I found for shredded beef. I adjusted things a bit from one I found on allrecipes.com and I really loved! Flavorful and juicy and absolutely heavenly when served in freshly fried corn tortilla shells!

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, sliced into thin rings

1 (2 pound) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed

1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomato salsa

1/2 cup beef broth

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles

2 jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Layer half the onion rings into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place chuck roast on top of onions.

Pour diced tomatoes, beef broth, and coffee into the cooker over the roast; stir in diced green chiles, jalapeno peppers, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper. 

Spread remaining onion rings over the mixture.

Cover the cooker and cook on Low until beef is very tender, 6 to 10 hours.

Transfer chuck roast to a bowl and shred meat. Return meat to sauce. 

Remove onions and serve with meat.

Super Healthy Turkey Vegetable Soup

I made this recipe expecting it to be something healthy I could have for lunches for a few days after everyone else in the family complained at dinner time. BUT it was surprisingly flavorful and quite a hit! I served it with garlic bread for everyone else to dip in the soup and we all loved it! I will definitely be making it again, especially in this cold weather. Thanks to The Lyons' Share Wellness for another great one! (my adaptations included in the recipe below)

Ingredients:
10 ounces 99% lean ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
1 cup salsa (I used salsa verde)
1/2 cup corn kernels (I leave these out)
2 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
2 large stalks of celery, diced
6-10 baby carrots, chopped (or 2-3 regular carrots)
1 onion, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
4-5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions:
Chop all your vegetables and add all ingredients (besides broth) to the crockpot.
Pour broth on top of all ingredients, allowing the spices to get mixed into the dish.
Give it a good stir. Set your crockpot on low for 6 hours or so.
(I had cooked a bunch of ground turkey and onion the day before so I left it out until the last couple hours and then added it in)
*Notes from Megan.. I usually stir once throughout the cooking process, but you really don’t have to. You shouldn’t stir TOO much, because it allows a ton of heat to escape from the crockpot. (If you don’t have a crockpot, brown the turkey first in a frying pan, then add all ingredients to a large pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes or so – the longer the better!).*
Ladle into bowls and add toppings of choice (she chose nutritional yeast and avocado, but suggests cheese, cilantro, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or tortilla chips). Enjoy!
If made according to these instructions (for 5 servings pre-toppings), each serving will contain 174 calories, 3g fat, 21g carbs, and 17g protein.

Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup in a Crock Pot

pre-broth

YUUUM!!! My one complaint with this recipe was that it didn't make enough! I will definitely double it next time so that I can enjoy leftovers for lunches later on. I was impressed with how similar it was to the real deal. In my opinion you MUST use pico instead of salsa to give it a more authentic flavor. It was easy and delicious...make it! (I found the recipe on Peachtree Cooking)

Ingredients:
•1 onion, diced
•1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
•1/2 tsp cumin
•a dash (or two) cayenne
•1/2 tsp. chili powder
•5 c. chicken broth
•3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
•juice of 1/2 lime
•pepper, to taste
•1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
•2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
•2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
•1 Tbsp. paprika
•vegetable oil (to taste)
•pico de gallo or your favorite fresh salsa (definitely use pico!)
•2-3 avocados, diced
•2 c. pepper jack cheese
•tortilla strips
•cilantro (for garnish)
•lime wedges (for garnish)

Instructions:
•In a small skillet, saute onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until onions become slightly soft. Stir in cumin, cayenne, and chili powder and saute an additional minute or two.
(*I skipped this and just dumped it all in the crock pot and it was fine!)
•Transfer seasoned onions to a small crock pot. Add chicken broth, cilantro, lime juice, pepper and pinto beans to onions and simmer on low-heat for at least 2-3 hours.
 (*also, I didn't grill the chicken, just dumped the breasts and spices in the crock pot as well...easy and tasted great)
•In the meantime, combine taco seasoning and paprika. Brush chicken with oil and rub with taco seasoning/paprika mixture. Grill chicken over medium-heat until cooked through, try to turn only once during the grilling process. After cooking on one side, flip chicken, add small amount of water to pan and cover. Remove from grill. Let rest for 10 minutes and shred.
•In individual bowls layer chicken, about 1/3 c. pico de gallo or salsa, 1/3 c. diced avocado, and 1/3 c. pepper jack cheese. Ladle about 1 cup of chicken broth directly over the layers. Top with tortilla strips and garnish with cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges, if desired.

Pork and Green Chile Stew - Crock Pot

You may have noticed I have not been posting as frequently here because it is my busy season with photography. Because of that we have been doing lots of old favorites, super simple stuff or take-out. I have still been trying to mix in a couple new things a week though, because I really do love to try new things, and I have been searching for healthy crock pot meals. Skinnytaste is always one of the first sites I visit and that is where I found this YUMMY stew. I absolutely loved the flavors! Definitely my favorite new recipe in a long time.

Ingredients:

2 lbs* boneless pork loin roast, lean, all fat trimmed off (I used the same amount pork loin chops)
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (I used cornstarch)

3/4 cup diced onion
2 cans (4.25 oz each) whole green chiles, sliced into thick rounds (I used diced)
2 tbsp chopped jalapeño, or more to taste

10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies - Ro*Tel Mild
1/2 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste


Directions:
Cut pork into 2-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large non-stick skillet on high heat; when hot lightly spray the pan with oil and brown the pork over medium heat on all sides, about 3 - 4 minutes total. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour over pork and stir to cook 30 seconds, sprinkle remaining flour over pork and cook an additional 30 seconds.
Add browned pork to the crock pot, along with the remaining ingredients.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours (if using a Dutch oven, cook on low heat for 3-4 hours). When done, adjust season, salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Makes about 5 cups.

*Weight after all fat is trimmed.

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: little over 3/4 cup •  Points+: 6 pts Calories: 253 • Fat: 9 g • Carbs: 5.5 g • Fiber: 0.5 g • Protein: 33 g • Sugar: 1.5 g • Sodium: 836 mg (without salt)

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I was looking for a crock pot meal a couple weeks ago and came across these on Skinnytaste. They looked like a perfect summer crock pot meal (unlike the soup I'm making tonight...oh well :-) and really hit the spot. The chicken was spicy but paired perfectly with the cool crisp lettuce leaves and veggies. We used light ranch in ours since we had that on hand and I made quesadillas with the leftover chicken the next day for lunches. Super yummy!!!

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
1 celery stalk
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
16 oz fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank's)
For the wraps:
6 large lettuce leaves, Bibb or Iceberg
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 large celery stalks, cut into 2 inch matchsticks
optional: blue cheese crumbles, light blue cheese or ranch dressing

Directions:
In a crock pot, combine chicken, onions, celery stalk, garlic and broth (enough to cover your chicken, use water if the can of broth isn't enough). Cover and cook on high 4 hours.
Remove the chicken from pot,
reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest.
Shred the chicken with two forks,
return to the slow cooker with the 1/2 cup broth and the hot sauce and
set to on high for an additional 30 minutes. Makes 3 cups chicken.
To prepare lettuce cups, place 1/2 cup buffalo chicken in each leaf, top with 1/4 cup shredded carrots, celery and dressing of your choice. Wrap up and start eating!

Servings: 6 • Size: 1/2 cup chicken + veggies (no dressing)• Calories: 147.7 • Fat: 0.1 g • Carb: 5.2 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Protein: 24.9 g • Sugar: 1.7 g • Sodium: 879 mg

Thai Chicken Tacos

Thai flavors...love them! Tacos...love them! Slow cooker meals...love them! So, yeah, I was pretty sure I would love these when I tried them. And I did! I also ate the leftovers for lunch the next 2 days and still loved them just as much. This recipe was in the latest issue of Clean Eating and they are definitely worth a try!

Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 cloves garlic
2 T lime juice, divided
2 T creamy peanut butter
1 T low-sodium soy sauce
-1/2 t ground ginger
1 T red curry paste
3 packets stevia, divided
1 1/2 T coconut flour (I used cornstarch)
1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 c chopped red onion
1/4 c chopped fresh mint
1 T natural rice wine vinegar
2 c shredded red cabbage
8 6-in corn tortillas

Directions:
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. In a blender, combine broth, garlic, 1 T lime juice, peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, curry paste, and 2 packets stevia; blend until smooth. Pour over top of chicken and stir gently to coat. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until chicken is tender.
2. Stir and increase heat to high. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken and transfer to a cutting board; set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove 1/2 c broth mixture from the slow cooker and transfer to a small bowl. Add coconut flour to bowl and stir to form a smooth paste. Return broth=flour mixture to slow cooker and whisk until smooth; cover.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange tortillas in 2 equal stacks and wrap each stack in foil. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until heated through. (I just warmed my in hot skillet)
4. Using 2 forks, shred chicken and return to slow cooker; stir to coat. Cook for 10 minutes, until heated through.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine tomato, cucumber, onion and mint. Add vinegar, remaining 1 T lime juice and 1 packet stevia; mix thoroughly. To assemble, spoon cabbage, chicken and tomato-cucumber mixture into center of each tortilla, diving evenly.

Serving size: 2 tortillas, 1/2 c cabbage, 2/3 c chicken mixture, 6 T tomato-cucumber mix, Calories: 397, Fat: 8g, Sat Fat: 2g, Carbs: 39g, Fiber: 7g, Sugars: 5g, Protein: 42g, Sodium: 375 mg, Cholesterol: 82mg

Crock Pot Country Chicken

I was excited to try this recipe because the potatoes in a roast are my favorite part and this dish (from Real Mom Kitchen) gave me those, but in a healthier way. It was super simple but still delicious!

Ingredients:
◦8 Yukon gold potatoes, halved or quartered depending on their size (I used red)
◦6 carrots, cut in half lengthwise and cut into large pieces
◦2 celery ribs, sliced
◦4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
◦3 Tbsp. cornstarch
◦1 1/4 cup chicken stock, cold or room temp
◦2 tsp honey dijon mustard
◦1 1/2 tsp. dill
◦1 tsp salt
◦pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Spray the crock pot with non stick cooking spray.
2.Place the vegetables in the bottom of the crock pot followed by the chicken breast.
3.In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and chicken stock until well blended.
4.Then whisk in the mustard, dill, salt, and pepper until blended.
5.Pour the mixture over the vegetables and chicken in the crock pot.
6.Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Peppers

I knew I would love these when I saw them on Cassie Craves! Initially I was also excited about the fact that it was also a crock pot meal, but then the day I had this on the menu got crazy and I forgot about it. So, I ended up using 1 can of chicken instead and mixing the other ingredients in a saucepan. They still turned out delicious!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1 package taco seasoning
4 cups salsa, divided
4 large bell peppers, any color
Shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Directions:
1. Put chicken breasts, black beans, corn, taco seasoning and 2 cups salsa in the Crock pot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks and mix well.
2. Using a sharp knife, halve peppers and pull out all the seeds and ribs. Stuff each pepper half with chicken mixture.
3. Spread 1 cup salsa on the bottom of a baking dish. Place peppers in dish and top with remaining 1 cup salsa. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until peppers are soft.
4. Top with shredded cheese and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Chipotle's Barbacoa Beef on Cilantro Lime Rice

This is another recipe from Skinnytaste...a new favorite recipe spot for me! Slow cooker meals are always a hit for me and this one was AMAZING! I love Chipotle and this definitely hit the spot. We served it on the Cilantro Lime Rice (recipe below) with the Corn Salsa on top, burrito bowl style. Delish!

Ingredients:
3 lbs beef eye of round or bottom round roast, all fat trimmed
5 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion
1/2 lime, juice
2-4 chiptoles in adobo sauce (to taste)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp ground cloves
salt and pepper
3 bay leaves
1 tsp oil
1 cup water

Directions:
Place garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chiptoles, cloves in a blender.
Trim all fat off meat, cut into 4 inch chunks. Season with salt and pepper and brown on high heat in 1 tsp oil. Add liquefied spices, water, bay leaves and simmer on low two hours in a pressure cooker. (If you are making this in a regular pot, you will have to double the cooking time to at least 4 hours or more, covered on low flame and add more water from time to time to make sure it doesn't dry out.)
Once cooked and the meat is tender, remove the meat and place in a dish. Shred it with two forks, and reserve the liquid for later (discard the bay leaf). Return the shredded meat to the pot, adjust salt and cumin (you may need to add more) to taste and add some of the reserved liquid back. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to let the flavors penetrate.
For the Slow Cooker...
Sear meat on high heat in a pan with 1 tsp oil or oil spray. Place all ingredients in your crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes. Super easy!!

Cilantro Lime Rice
1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
1/2 lime, juice of
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
3 tsp vegetable oil

In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.
In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

Tomatillo Chicken Soup

YUUUM!!! This is my new favorite! I recently re-organized my recipe binder (which was full of recipes ripped out of magazines) and added this one, from the Nov 2010 Better Homes and Gardens magazine) to our menu this week. Now when I went to make it at 5pm I realized it was a crock pot recipe, woops. I just sauteed the peppers, celery and onion in a large pot first and used a can of chicken. I let it all simmer about 20 minutes and it was still delicious, so I can only imagine it's even better in the crock pot. It was tangy with a little heat and sooo delicious! I was planning to eat out for lunch today but was so excited about these leftovers that I didn't...it's that good!

Ingredients:
* 6 medium tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
* 1-1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 32-oz. box chicken broth (I used low-sodium)
* 1 medium green sweet pepper, chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped red onion
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1 4-oz. can diced green chiles
* 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
* 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced*
* 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
* 1 Tbsp. lime juice
* 2 tsp. chili powder
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. ground black pepper
* Dairy sour cream, chopped green onion, chopped red sweet pepper, sliced jalapeño peppers, snipped fresh cilantro, and/or tortilla chips (we topped with monterrey jack cheese and tortilla strips)

Directions:
1. Chop three tomatillos. Place remaining tomatillos in blender. Cover; blend until smooth. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine pureed and chopped tomatillos, chicken, broth, sweet pepper, onion, celery, chiles, cilantro, jalapeño, cumin, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, and 1 tsp. each salt and pepper.
2. Cover; cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Remove chicken; let stand until cool enough to handle. Shred chicken; return to soup. If desired, top with sour cream, additional chopped red sweet pepper or jalapeño peppers, snipped cilantro, and/or tortilla chips. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Servings Per Recipe 4, Calories 247, Protein 42g, Carbohydrate 10g, Fat total 4g, Cholesterol 101mg, Saturated fat 1g, Dietary Fiber, total 3g, Sugar total 4g

Crock Pot Sausage Pasta Sauce

Hooray for another crock meal! I found this recipe on Gina's Skinny Taste, which I found out about from The Daily Dish...I love the new discovery of awesome recipe blogs! This recipe had a lot of things going for it...the crock pot, 4 ingredients, kid friendly, and of course yummy too. We had this on Sunday and it was such a perfect meal because it was super fast to throw in the crock pot before church and then was already to eat when we got home. I ate mine over gluten-free penne pasta and the rest of the family had it over spaghetti noodles.


Ingredients:
* 1 lb lean chicken Italian sausage, casings removed (I couldn't find these so I just used Italian turkey sausage)
* 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
* 5 cloves garlic, smashed
* 28 oz tuttorosso crushed tomatoes (my store didn't have this brand, so I used the store brand)
* fresh cracked pepper

Directions:
Brown the sausage in a large skillet, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon. When sausage is browned, drain if needed and add to crock pot.
Clean skillet with a paper towel and set flame to high; when hot add oil. Add garlic and cook until golden but do not burn; add tomatoes and garlic to crock pot along with fresh cracked pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
If you wish, take an immersion blender and blend the sauce a 2-3 seconds to break the sausage up into smaller pieces to combine with the sauce.

French Dip Sandwiches

I've been trying to have at least one crock pot meal planned for the week because our Tuesdays and Wednesdays can get pretty crazy and it really helps our evenings go more smoothly. After seeing a recipe on Melissa's Bargains for French Dip Sandwiches recently they were on my mind already and then as I was searching blogs for crock pot meals I saw this recipe on Our Best Bites and added it to our menu for the week. It was probably one of the easiest meals I have ever made and it was one of the most well received too. EVERYONE ate it and loved it! 

Ingredients:

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast

2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix

2 c. water

2 cans beef broth

6-8 large buns (I say more like 12-15 if you want enough for all the meat)

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced. (we used provolone)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melted.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

Oven Kalua Pork

I found this recipe on Delicious Dishes and made it with the intention of freezing half of the meat for a future meal...I love it when I can do that (it's so nice having meals on hand for busy weeks)! This pork was super easy to make and had a great, yummy flavor to it. I was wanting some sort of sauce with it though and would definitely figure out something next time for that. I think we will use the leftovers for pulled pork sandwiches! (and I'm sure you could do this in a crock pot if you wanted to leave it cooking for longer)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small piece of fresh ginger root, crushed (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1 clove garlic, minced
5 pound boneless pork roast
1 tsp. liquid wood smoke flavoring

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce, ginger and garlic. Mix well. Lay 3 sheets of aluminum foil out, one on top of another. Place roast in center of aluminum foil; rub with soy sauce mixture and sprinkle with liquid smoke. Fold all 3 sheets of aluminum foil over top of roast and secure tightly. Place wrapped meat in a baking pan. Roast at 375 for 5 hours. Shred the pork before serving.
** Recipe from the Lion House Entertaining Cookbook**

Balsamic Chicken

After the end of the school year and just getting back from vacation I'm ready to get back to my meal-planning and cooking again! This was the last new recipe we tried that I never got around to blogging about. I had seen it posted a few times on Melissa's Bargains weekly menu but when I saw it also had good reviews on Favorites, I decided I better give it a try. Of course, the fact it was an easy crock pot meal helped in my decision too. It was easy and flavorful and light. I also LOVED the tanginess and the fact that my kitchen didn't get hot making it!

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves – approx. 1.5 to 2 lbs.
½ C. Olive Oil
½ – 1 C. Balsamic Vinegar – depending on how tangy you like the recipe (I used 1/2 c and it was plenty for us)
1 large can of diced tomatoes (I took this to mean a big 28 oz can)
1 can tomato sauce (I used an 8 oz can)
3-4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
2 t. crushed dry oregano

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and serve chicken and sauce over rice or angel hair pasta. The consistency and taste of the sauce is sweet and tangy like an Italian barbeque sauce.

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

Although it is admittedly a little warm for soup here in Houston, this week was a crazy one and I was looking for a healthy crock pot meal and this one (from Family Circle magazine) looked good. It was easy and flavorful and light. I'm a fan!

Ingredients
* 1 cup wild rice and grain blend or all wild rice (I used an Uncle Ben's box without the spice packet)
* 1 medium onion,chopped
* 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
* 3 ribs celery,trimmed and chopped
* 1 package cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (large ones cut in sixths)
* 1 whole chicken (3 or 4 pounds), cut up, wings reserved for another use (I used 2 breasts)
* 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
* 2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
(plus 4 cups water)

Directions
1. Sprinkle rice into bottom of slow cooker. Add onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Remove skin from chicken pieces and trim rib bones from the breastbone. Place chicken pieces over vegetables; add broth and 4 cups water. Add poultry seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.
2. Cover and slow cook for 6 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW. Carefully remove chicken to a cutting board; discard bones. Shred or chop chicken; return to slow cooker and add remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Serve warm.

Latin Crock Pot Chicken

I really try to have at least one crock pot meal a week for our busiest day. It's nice to have dinner ready to go whenever you need it! I found this recipe on Fabulously Delicious and it sounded yummy, was healthy, and I could throw it all in the crock pot...awesome!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. chicken thighs salt and ground black pepper to taste (I used 1 large chicken breast)
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, divided
1 large sweet potato, cut into chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
(I added in 1/2 red onion, cut into thin slices)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup hot salsa (I'll use medium next time, it was a little too hot for the kiddos)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground allspice (I used Goya multipurpose seasoning)
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
lime wedges, for garnish
rice and tortillas

Directions:
1.Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over the chicken thighs; brown the chicken in the frying pan, 3 to 5 minutes each side.
2. Arrange the chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, and black beans on top of the chicken. Mix together the chicken broth, 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, salsa, cumin, allspice, and garlic together in a bowl; pour into the slow cooker. Set slow cooker to LOW and cook for 4 hours. Garnish with lime wedges to serve.

San Francisco Chops

 

We love any meal that is served on top of rice, so I was excited to try this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. The meat was so tender and I loved the subtle flavor. It was a hit with the whole family!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Hot Cooked Rice, for serving

Directions:
In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. (Mel says this is a MUST!) Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.
Serve the tender chops over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.

Hawaiin Chicken Bowl

This recipe is from Kill the Gluten and I decided to try it because it looked good most importantly, I love broccoli and it used a crock pot. It was really good, pretty healthy and the ranch was a fun addition I wouldn't have thought of on my own. They mentioned that they have made it with pork too and that it was just as tasty.

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3)
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple (I used lite)
1 bottle (16 oz) [gf] barbecue sauce (I used lite)
4-6 cups rice, cooked (I used 1/2 white and 1/2 brown)
Steamed broccoli
Ranch dressing

Directions:
Place meat in 3 1/2-5 quart slow cooker. Combine pineapple and barbecue sauce and pour over meat. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Layer in bowls: rice, chicken, broccoli, and a little ranch dressing. Makes 4-6 servings.

4 Packet Roast

There is nothing like a roast really...so easy and so delicious! I saw this one recently on The Sister's Cafe and I had to try it. It was unbelievably flavorful and the gravy it made while cooking...YUMMY!!!

Ingredients:
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet Italian salad dressing mix
1 packet onion soup mix
1 roast of choice
1/2-3/4 cup of water
assorted veggies if desired (I threw in some baby carrots)

Directions:
Place roast in crockpot.  Arrange vegetables around the roast if being used.  Sprinkle the mix packets over the roast.  Pour water around the roast.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.