Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

I have this master list created for once my husband comes home and we settle in to the craziness of the holidays and waiting for baby.  I stuck to the old favorites, but this was a new recipe I added.

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Serves- about 4 depending

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c peas (or other vegetable of choice)
1 tube refrigerated biscuits

Directions:
Put the chicken and soup in to the crock pot.  Let cook on high for 5 hours or low 6-8 hours. 
About 1 hr before serving, add vegetables and biscuits (torn apart).
Cook until biscuits don't look wet.

The kids liked this as well which was a huge plus for me.

I will experiment with using an alternative to the cream of chicken soup and a prepared biscuit mix from the organics section of our grocery store like this one: Red Mill Biscuit Mix

Lentils with Beef

Lentils and Beef



1tsp onion powder
3 whole cloves 
6 cups water
1 pound lentils
2 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 pound ground beef, browned 1/2 Cup ketcup
1/3 Cup molasses
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder

Into a large saucepan, put onion powder, cloves, water, lentils, salt, and bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes.

While lentils are simmering, in crockpot, combine rest of ingredients. Stir in simmered ingredients from saucepan. If needed, you can add additional water.

Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until lentils are tender. We like this over mashed potatoes.

Homemade Chicken & Noodles

This is one of those recipes.  It's one my grandma always used to make and one I always asked for when I'd come visit during college and during my early, single years.  I still ask her to make it now because it's one dish I KNOW my kids will devour.  It's easy.  It's unhealthy.  And it's wonderful comfort food.

So, I made it tonight for my daughter's second birthday. 

Time flies.

Homemade Chicken & Noodles
Serves: Not enough

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
1 package (1 pound) of Amish style egg noodles (regular will do if you can't get the Amish of Kluski style)
About 1-2 T of salt
About 6 cups of water

See?  It's one of those recipes.

Directions:
Put chicken in a large soup style pot.  Add enough water till it's covered and a tiny bit more.  Add salt.  Cook, covered with the lid slightly askew (you know what I mean) over medium-low heat for about 3 hours.  Alternatively, you can dump it in your crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Remove the chicken carefully from the water (it will fall apart easily).  Let it cool while you strain the broth through a mesh strainer.  (This part wasn't something my grandma did but I do and like the result).  I'll also take a paper towel around the edge of the pan where there's usually just evaporation gunk to avoid it falling in my yummy dinner.
Turn the temp up to get the broth boiling and dump in the noodles.

Once the chicken is cool enough to touch (or you're willing to burn your fingers because your family is HUNGRY and it smells amazing), separate the meat out from the skin, bones and fat and put replace in the pot.

Serve alone or over mashed potatoes.  (Yes, double starches- heavenly!)  I'm sure you could add some carrots, celery, onions, etc to this but why?  We love it just as it is!  Also makes great leftover, if there is any left of course!

Enjoy!

Baked Potato Soup

So sue me, I'm feeling fallish! I always make this in my slow cooker, but you don't have to.  It would be easily done on the stove top as well.

Ingredients:

6 large russett potatoes, peeled and cut in to 1/2 inch cubes (about 3.5 pounds)

3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth (with roasted garlic if you can find it- if not, add about 1-2 tsp of minced garlic)

1/4 cup butter

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp fresh pepper

1 cup whipping cream or half and half

6 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1, 8 oz container reduced fat sour cream

4 bacon slices crumbled (I use turkey bacon)

Extra cheddar cheese to top, if desired

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours- until the potatoes are tender.

Mash evenly with masher until potatoes are chopped and soup is thickened.  Stir in cream, cheese and sour cream.  Top with bacon and additional cheese, if desired.  (And yes, I always desire that!)

Cantonese Crock Pot Pork

Cantonese Crock Pot Pork
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
• 2 pounds pork steak, cut into strips
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 20 oz can pineapple chunks
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons low sodium Worcestershire sauce


Directions
1. In a large heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown pork in oil. Drain off excess fat.
2. Place pork, onion powder, tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, pineapple, salt and Worcestershire sauce in a slow cooker. Cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.


Serve over rice.


* I served without adding the pineapple and over mashed potatoes due to my tender mouth from dental work.  Even rice seemed like too much chewing at the time...

Slow-Cooked Pork Roast Dinner

Another wonderful crock pot recipe.  I'm unsure where I found this one, but I like that it's not too heavy and works well as a summer time crock recipe.  I find my needs for these recipes is high since we're often out all day and coming home to a meal cooked with little clean up is great.  Yes, there's always a grill, but with my husband's schedule, I still put my crock pot as #1 as my "can't live without" kitchen item.

Slow-Cooked Pot Roast Dinner
Servings: About 8

Ingredients:
1 onion (optional) halved and sliced
1 boneless pork loin roast (2.5 pounds)
4 med potatoes
1 lb carrots
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions:
1. Place onion in bottom of slow cooker, sprayed with non stick spray (omit if you don't like onions!)  Add the pork, potatoes and carrots (add more potatoes if not adding carrots).  Whisk together the next 9 ingredients.  Pour over meat and vegetables.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender.  (Want meat to reach at least 160 degrees F)
3.  Remove pork and vegetables and keep warm.  Pour cooking juices to a sauce pan.  Skim fat.  Combine water and cornstarch in a small dish and beat together until smooth.  Stir in to juices.  Bring to a boil for about 1-2 minutes while stirring or until thickened.  Serve with meat and vegetables.

Crock Pot Oatmeal

Wonderful recipe!  Just be SURE to use STEEL CUT oats to make this work.  Otherwise, you'll end up with oatmeal soup. I found them at my local farmer's market for $2 for 2 pounds.  It looks like there's about 8 cups of oats in the bag, so truly, and affordable, healthy, get-you-through-the-day breakfast.  I sprayed my crock with Pam before adding everything ni and clean up was quite easy.  I used to be a fan of the Crock Pot Liners made by Reynolds but have tried to use them sparingly these days.  Original recipe found here.

Crock Pot Oatmeal
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
3.5 cups water
1/2 cups fat free milk
1/4 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low overnight (8 hours). May need to add milk, sugar and either cinnamon or I prefer brown sugar, to taste.
NI: 153 cals, 4 g fat, 6 mg chol, 17 g sodium, 31 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein

Easy Crock Pot Chicken

I'm not sure where I came across this recipe, but it's great for just fix & forget type of days.  We serve it with sliced, prepared Polenta (I found this at Trader Joe's for $1.99) fried simply in olive oil, 4-5 minutes per side.

Easy Crock Pot Chicken
Servings: About 8

Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken breast, boneless & skinless
1 pkg Italian dressing mix
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg chicken gravy mix
1 cup low sodium, low-fat or fat-free chicken broth\

Directions:
Place all ingredients in slow cooker sprayed with non-stick spray. Set on low for 8-9 hours.  Serve with your choice of side.  Would also be good with brown rice, broccoli, a salad, etc.  Leftovers are delicious in quesadillas or on a salad (I'm guessing...)

NI: 210 cals, 3 g fat, 99 mg chol, 508 mg sodium, 3 g carbs, 40 g protein

LaaLoosh's Beef Stew (Tsimmies)

I stumbled somehow across another blogger who focuses on providing "Weight Watchers" recipes.  I love sites like this- not because I have ever been a part of the WW organization but simply because they focus on the right things. Lowering calories, but in a way that's healthy, sustainable and filling so you're not hungry 2 minutes later!  Click on the recipe title to be taken directly to her website to see her version or stay here for my very slightly modified version.  I would say this is definitely not a dish for the person who needs to be at work at 8am the morning they're making it.  In order to get the brisket "lean", I had to cut off much fat which took some time and patience.  But, it was worth it.  The stew was filling without being greasy or heavy.  It did however scream to me to be served with a big, crusty loaf of rustic bread.  How could I resist?  And be drunk with a glass of full-bodied red wine.  Yes, I'll oblige.  Yum!

Beef Stew
Servings: 8, 1 cup servings

Ingredients:

-1 tsp onion powder
- 3 pounds raw, lean beef brisket, trimmed, boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 pound baby carrots, cut in half if large
- 8 small uncooked new potatoes, cut in half (unpeeled)
- 16 prunes, pitted or dried apricots
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided (from 2 small lemons)
- 5 tsp honey, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup beef broth

Directions:

Place onion, beef, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, prunes, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and broth; stir well.

Cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons of honey; cover and cook on low for 5 minutes.

NI*: 295 cals, 4g fat, 43 mg chol, 675 mg sodium, 43 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 26 g protein
*I estimated about 30 oz of brisket actually in the meal as I cut away a LOT of fat and fatty meat.

Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken

 Don't hate me, but no picture.  When I finished my first 8 mile run last night, I could barely move, so... you're stuck with my good word that it was delicious.  My toddler loved it and asked for more, my preschooler ate some but was pretty annoyed we weren't having yet another peanut butter sandwich for dinner.  Alas...  I loved how easy this was to throw together, how easy it would be to double, it would freeze well which also makes it great for just 1 person.  Leftovers will be fantastic!  Enjoy!

Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
Servings: About 5

• ¾ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• ½ cups White Wine Vinegar (Apple Cider would be good, whatever you've got handy)
• ½ cups Pineapple Juice
• ¾ cups Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
• 1.5 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts


Directions:
Dump everything in to crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Shred chicken and serve either with sandwich bread or over brown rice. 
NI (chicken only):  242 cals, 1.2 g fat, 55 mg chol, 1,135 mg sodium, 42 g carbs, 0 g Fiber, 24 g protein

Country Rib Sandwiches

From Simple & Delicious magazine, May 2010

I'd categorize this as a toned down BBQ or pulled pork.  We've been eating a lot of spicy pulled pork lately and this was much calmer.  I loved the cut of meat itself- when I went to shred it, there was hardly any fat and it fell apart where ever I stuck the fork.  It was tasty!

Country Rib Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup plum sauce (find in the Asian foods section)
1/4 cup chili sauce (find next to the ketchup)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp liquid smoke (find near BBQ sauce)
1/2 tsp ground allspice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except for the meat in a small bowl and mix.
Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray.
Place meat in slow cooker and cover with sauce.
Cook on low all day (mine went about 8 hours, recipe says 6.5).
Remove from slow cooker and shred with forks.  Mine was amazingly easy to do!
Add back to liquid in slow cooker and cook on low or warm for a few minutes to let everything just get all delicious!
Serve with 100 calorie sandwich thins.

NI (meat only): 276 cals, 11 g fat, 72 mg chol, 470 mg sodium, 15 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 29 g protein
Shown here with Zucchini Crisps

Chipotle Brown Sugar Pork Roast & Mashed Potatoes

So, I admit my friends that this was not a success with the young ones in the family.  It was too spicy.  The potatoes would have been a hit had I had the foresight of using white pepper instead of cracked fresh black pepper.  The result of my error was picking the black specks out of my son's mashed potatoes.  The things we do for love.  But, we loved it.  And my mouth waters thinking about the quesadillas the leftovers will have the honor of making.  Though, the pork was fantastic with the mashed potatoes & also served with green peas.

Roast, NI*: 380 cals, 26 g fat, 99 mg chol, 296 mg sodium, 11 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 25 g protein
* This is probably a best guess- when I shred the meat, I separate out all the fat & don't consume all the sauce that is made in the recipe.  But, I don't really know how to take that "out" of the calculation so I realize it's probably a little high especially in the calories and fat, but it's good enough for government work, or so they say.

The before:  If you notice something strange here (my friend refers to it as the "Crock Pot Condom") I decided to use Reynolds Aluminum 00504 Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner to make clean up a bit easier since we had a busy day & I knew I was making mashed potatoes which take up several pots/pans.

And the after: meat falling in to pieces just trying to remove it from the slow cooker. 

Crock Pot Lasagna

Crock Pot Lasagna
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 tsp onion powder
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion powder and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.  
NI: 418 cals, 16 g fat, 77 mg chol, 2039 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 3.6 g fiber, 36.5 g protein

Edited to add: This can (and has been) be prepared in an oven as well.  Bake at 350 for an hour, topping with cheese and parmesan cheese for the last 10 minutes. 

Buffalo Shredded Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Servings: 16-18, 1/4 cup servings

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
The original recipe calls for 1 lb, but it was just too much sauce when I tried it, so thought I'd double the chicken this time
1 cup Frank's Wing Sauce
1 cup Light Ranch Dressing
4 oz, 1/3 less fat cream cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Add all ingredients to pot.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove chicken breasts carefully and shred.  Return to slow cooker and cook another 10-15 minutes.  Serve over baked potato or 100 calorie sandwich thin.
NI for buffalo chicken only:  106 cals, 5 g fat, 38 mg chol, 788 mg sodium, 3 g total carbs, 0 g fiber, 12 g protein

Rachel's Mexican Chili

Pretty much all my recipes are adapted from someone, somewhere.  I'm not adventurous, creative, knowledgeable enough about the food world to start from scratch and I'm too picky to try.  So, I just swap out what I or my family won't eat and go from there.  I've grown significantly in this since I became a mom- trying to set a good example for my children but there are things that texture wise just won't fly no matter how I try.  Onions and tomatoes are two of those things.  Shown here with reduced fat cheddar cheese & a corn muffin VitaTop.  So... feel free to tweak or change, but here's how I make it:

Rachel's Mexican Chili
Servings: 7, 1 cup portions

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)
1-2 t onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16 oz) can chili beans with liquid
2 (16 oz each) cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel sweet corn, drained
1 (28oz) can tomato sauce- low sodium if you can find it
1 pkg low/reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 t chipotle chili powder
Cooking spray

Directions:
Brown ground turkey in a skillet with garlic and onion powder.  Dump in to crock pot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray along with all other ingredients.  Mix to blend together.  Cook on low for 8 hours.
NI: 361 cals, 6.2 g total fat, 46 mg chol, 1762 mg sodium*, 54 total carbs, 15 g fiber, 26.5 g protein
* I believe this may include the liquid with the beans which I don't use.  Either way, I admit it's a higher sodium recipe than I'd like & I'll be really looking for lower sodium tomato sauce as soon as I get my bearings in this town.

Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips
I also think this would be great served over a baked potato or frozen if you make a double batch then taken for lunches during the week.

And here's the slow cooker I make it with.  When the movers broke my old one, I had to get a new one fast- I use mine ALL the time!  I found this one and am in love with it.  Seriously, if you're in the market for one, this is fabulous!
 Hamilton Beach 33956 Set 'n Forget 5-Quart Slow Cooker, White