Italian Chicken

When I went to the grocery the other day I hit the jackpot.  Y'all know how much I love my crockpot.  Well, Taste of Home has a wonderful magazine out with tons of slow cooker meals.  Now I have a question....

Do you say crockpot or slow cooker???

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes (I bought the "no salt added" but think I'll buy regular next time or just add extra salt to the meal.)
3/4 cup plus 3 TBSP water, divided (I used chicken broth.  I always replace chicken or beef broth when a recipe calls for water.)
2 TBSP dried minced onion
2 tsps chicken bouillon granules
2 tsps chili powder
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 TBSPS cornstarch
Hot cooked rice

1. Place chicken in your crockpot.  Combine the tomatoes, 3/4 cup water, onion, bouillon and seasonings; pour over chicken.
2. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
3. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.  Pour cooking juices into a small saucepan.  Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; stir into cooking juices.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve with chicken and rice.

Servings: 6

Turkey Macaroni

Are you surprised when I say this is from my Fix it and Forget it Lightly cookbook???  I'm always on the go with the girls so when I plan my meals I almost always have at least one crockpot recipe.  It's just so easy to throw the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning and not to mention the smell when I walk in the house after being gone for hours.  Love it!!!!

1 tsp vegetable oil (I omitted)
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed low sodium tomato soup, undiluted
16 oz can corn, drained
1/2 cup onions, chopped
4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 TBSP ketchup
1 TBSP prepared mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups dry macaroni, cooked and drained

1. Heat oil in medium skillet.  Brown turkey.  Drain.
2. Combine all ingredients except macaroni in slow cooker.  Stir to blend.  Cover.
3. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 4-6 hours.  Stir in cooked and drained macaroni 15 minutes before serving.

French Dip

This is so delicious and hubby approved!  I put this in the crockpot Sunday before we left for the game so it was nice a ready when we got home.  My friend Julie gave me the recipe and suggested eating it like a sandwich (dip sandwich in juices) and eat the leftovers over rice the next day.  I did both and it was so good!!!!  I even had enough leftovers to put some in the freezer.  I'm all about freezing things these days!!!  Definitly a keeper for game days......Easy, Easy, Easy!

3 lb. chuck roast
2 cups water (I did 1 1/4 beef broth 3/4 water.  I was afraid of the sodium level with the broth.  May
     try all broth next time.)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 to 2 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
ground pepper
1 to 2 tsp. rosemary
1 to 2 tsp. thyme

Put roast in your crockpot. (I browned mine beforehand to try to hold the juices in but that is optional)  Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over roast.

Cook on high 5-6 hours. (It is ready when it is easy to break apart (shred) with a serving fork.)

Olivia's Texas Chili

Here is a delicious and easy recipe for chili.  It reminds me a lot of my chicken taco soup that I make.  Olivia's husband is a true Texan and this recipe comes from his family.

1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg dry ranch seasoning
1 lb hamburger meat browned with an onion
1 can water (optional)

• Brown the meat with the onion.
• Put everything in a pot and heat.  That's it!!!!
• Serve with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips

A suggestion she gave me, which I used, if you don't drain the beans, corn, etc then don't put the water.  It really depends on how thick you want it.  In my opinion, chili should be thick so don't add it. :-)  I bet you can also do this easily in your crockpot.  So delicious!!!!

Chicken Taco Soup

Tomorrow I'll be making one of my favorite soups that one of my favorite people introduced me to. She's one of the Soup Exchange Diva's and always has great recipes. Jon loves this soup because it's so hearty....I love it because it's a crocpot recipe. :-) Enjoy!!!

Chicken Taco Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 can chili beans (to cut back on heat, use pinto beans)
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 ounce) can or bottle beer (it's for the recipe guys....not to drink!)
2 cans Rotel, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning or use homemade seasoning (recipe at the bottom)
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

1. Place the onion, chili (or pinto) beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and Rotel in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Taco Seasoning

1 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

Mexican Cornbread

This is another crockpot recipe that I found in Fix it and Forget it Lightly. What a wonderful recipe!!!

Mexican Cornbread

1 lb extra lean ground chuck (I used turkey)
16 oz can cream style corn
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup fat free milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup low sodium taco sauce (try to make sure it's low sodium. mine wasn't and I found it a little salty.)
2 cups shredded fat free cheddar cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 oz can diced green chilies

1. Brown ground chuck in nonstick skillet.
2. While meat is browning, combine corn, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, oil, milk, eggs, and taco sauce. Pour half of mixture into slow cooker.
3. Layer cheese, onion, garlic, green chilies, and ground beef on top of cornmeal mixture. Cover with remaining cornmeal mixture.
4. Cover. Cook on high 1 hour and on low 4 hours, or only on low 6 hours.

per serving: 360 calories, 10 gram total fat

Beef and Rice Casserole

This recipe (found in Fix it and Forget it Lightly) wasn't anything earth shattering but the main thing is that Tay loved it. I thought it was a good, kid friendly food. As some of you know, Taylor is quite a picky eater so when I find something she really likes I jump all over it. It is a crock pot recipe so it makes a lot. I actually froze quite a bit of it so we will have some on hand when I need a nice fast mean in a hurry.

Beef and Rice Casserole

1/2 lb lean ground beef (I used 1 lb)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut finely
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
10 3/4 oz can reduced fat, low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup water
4 cups cooked brown rice

1. Brown ground beef, onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season with basil and oregano.
2. Combine soup and water in separate bowl.
3. Spray slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray
4. Layer 2 cups of cooked rice on bottom of slow cooker. Add half of ground beef and half of soup mixture.
5. Repeat layers.
6. Cover. Cook on low 4 hours.