A Preview of My #SlowCookerChallenge Menu

Next week I'll be attempting something I've never done before. Using my slow cooker to make one meal every day of the week! That's right. 7 days in a row. No eating out, no "I don't know what we're going to have tonight." I'll have each day planned out. And hopefully lunch ready for the next day! Each meal will be turned into Weight Watcher friendly options and I'll try not to exceed 10 points per meal unless it's REALLY delicious and worth it.

I thought I'd share my menu with you before the challenge starts. That way if you're inspired and want to join in on the challenge you have time to prepare!The challenge will run from this Monday, November 7th to Sunday, November 13th and if you're interested in joining check out our Facebook group. I'll include a linky with the names of the other blogs participating in the challenge on Monday. You can check out their progress the following Monday when we all update with our results.

Stay tuned to see if I'm able to stick with it! This will be a monthly event so if you're not ready this month but want to participate next month jump on board!

Slow Cooker Challenge #1 Menu

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs 
Chicken & Dumplings
Barbecue Pulled Pork
Crock Pot Bacon & Cheese Chicken
Ham and Potato Soup
Slow Cooker Meatloaf
Buffalo Chicken Chili

Do you have any awesome slow cooker recipes to share? I'd love links and recipes to save for upcoming challenges! I've even started to add some of my favorites to my slow cooker Pinterest board.

Crock Pot Lasagna {9 WW+ Dinner}

I had high hopes for this recipe. I tried it once and kinda screwed up (didn't have ricotta on hand so used cream cheese in a pinch). And the results were not pretty. So I was determined to revisit this dish and try again.

Good thing I did cause this meal was mighty tasty! And filling too. Only one serving plus a side salad filled me up and kept me satisfied all night. I most definitely cannot wait till tomorrow's leftovers for lunch. I'm sure this dish will keep me happy two days in a row.

Inspiration: Two Pink Hippos

Crock Pot Lasagna

• 1 pound uncooked lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 15 ounces canned tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
• 2 ounces fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheeses, shredded and divided

• 6 dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

In a saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine beef, onion and garlic. Break up meat with a wooden spoon while everything cooks, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes more to allow flavors to blend.

In a separate bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 2 ounces of part skim mozzarella cheese, and 2 ounces of fat free mozzarella cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 6-quart slow cooker. Break 2 lasagna sheets in thirds and arrange over beef mixture; top with 1/3 of ricotta mixture. Repeat with two layers and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

Cook on low setting for 4 hours. Turn off crock pot.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of reserved part-skim mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the lasagna. Cover the crock pot until the cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.

Serves 6 | 9 WW+ Points

Thyme Chicken & Red Potatoes {7WW+ Dinner}

This is a meal that was pushed back from last week to this week and I'm really glad I didn't cut it. I'm usually hesitant to make crock pot chicken dishes because I've had some really bad experiences in the past (i.e. the chicken was so dry my husband started choking due to the piece being stuck in his throat... but we won't talk about that). So even though the ingredients sounded great I wasn't too thrilled to jump in and make it. But the dish surprised me.

The chicken was moist and flavorful and the carrots and potatoes were sweet and tender. I didn't even need a small sweet for dessert. The fresh parsley and lemon gave a fresh zing to the dish that definitely kicked it up a bit. And while there is a bit of prep beforehand, it's worth it. The sauteed onions and celery just add to the sweetness of this dish.

If I made it again I'd probably stop letting it cook after 6 hours instead of 8 since the chicken was *almost* dry. Good thing I followed my nose and stopped the cooker after 7 hours. The chicken was just right! And next time I'll try and remember to buy sage so I can make the meal according to the original recipe... haha... like I ever do that!

Inspiration: Weight Watchers

Thyme Chicken & Red Potatoes

• 2 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 5 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup reduced-sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 2 uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in half
• 1 pound uncooked red potatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 pound baby carrots
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 strip
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Let simmer 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

Put the potatoes, carrots, chicken bay leaf, salt, and pepper (in that order) in a 5–6-quart slow cooker; pour the broth mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Cover the slow cooker and cook until chicken and vegetables are fork-tender, 6-8 hours on low.

Discard the bay leaf. Add the parsley, thyme, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the slow cooker; cover and cook on high until the flavors blend, about 10 minutes.

4 Servings | 7 WW+ Points

Crockpot Salsa Chicken {4 WW+ Dinner}

This is the easiest crock pot dish for those just starting out with their crockpot. You don't have to thaw any meat, you don't have to worry about the chicken drying out, you don't have to worry about the size of your crockpot. The ingredients all meld so well together and taste delicious however you serve it up.

I served the chicken with rice and zucchini but you can put the chicken in tacos, enchiladas or anything else you can think of. I'm already planning on using the left overs on Saturday for enchilada lasagna. I was going to go with beef but have more than enough left over chicken to use up so I'm making it easy on myself and saving the beef for another day. Another great way to use this as left overs is to put it on top of a salad or make a soup out of it.

Inspiration: Crockpot 365

 Crockpot Salsa Chicken

• 3 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup kidney beans
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 2 tablespoons dry taco seasoning
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Place the chicken in the crockpot and top with the other ingredients. Set the crock pot to cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred. Place it back in the crock pot and set it to warm while you prepare the rest of your meal (rice, beans, vegetables, etc).

Serves 6 | 4 WW+ Points

You can top with your favorite light sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese for just 2 more points! That's what I did and it was delicious! My whole meal was 9 WW+ points total and included a serving of salsa chicken, a tablespoon of light sour cream, a sprinkle of light shredded cheese, a 1/2 cup of brown rice and a cup of roasted zucchini. It was delicious and filling.

Smothered Buttermilk Chicken with Peas {9 WW+ Dinner}

When planning this week's menu I think that tonight's meal was the one I was most looking forward to. The recipe sounded almost like a chicken pot pie filling over a biscuit and it ended up tasting pretty similar to it! The only thing I'd change is I'd add more spices.

Since I had to work today I had Joseph prepare this meal and he did great. He changed the amount of water added from the original recipe since he didn't think there was enough and he added in a splash of chicken broth to add more flavor. Another change he'd make is to switch the water with chicken broth for more flavor as well.

All in all I loved this meal and will definitely be attempting it again with some more spices. I even had a second helping (don't worry... I had enough points!). Don't get me wrong, one serving would have been more than enough to satisfy me normally but I hadn't eaten since lunchtime due to a busy day at work. I also paired this with a delicious spinach & romaine salad.

Inspiration: Food.com

Smothered Buttermilk Chicken with Peas

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced into coins
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 chicken gravy mix packet
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed
• 6 Trader Joe's refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits

In a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker, mix together the chicken, carrots, onion, water, butter, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

During the last 20 minutes of cooking time, stir in the gravy mix.Remove the bay l eaf; mix the buttermilk and flour together; stir flour mixture and peas into chicken mixture. Increase heat to HIGH; cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until peas are hot.

While the chicken mixture is cooking, prepare biscuits as directed on can. Split biscuits; serve chicken mixture over biscuits.

Serves 6 | 9 WW+ Points

Crock Pot 3 Bean Chili {5 WW+ Points Dinner}

I needed a good recipe for tonight's super bowl dinner and knew the perfect place to go would be to Gina's Skinny Recipes. I always see such great meals posted on her blog and knew this would be a perfect meal for after the game.

Since I only had ground beef on hand instead of ground turkey I made due with what I had. I also added a few more spices to it to make it my own. Next time I plan on adding a few more veggies as well. Some squash maybe. And I don't know about you but I LOVE chili over broccoli. Sooo good!

And I had to add that my husband changed the first ingredient to read "buffalo" when I left the computer so now I know to ALWAY double check the ingredients in my recipes in case he's made any changes to anything. He thinks he's so sly...

Inspiration: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Crock Pot 3 Bean Chili 

• 1 lb ground beef, extra lean
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 16 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 4.5 ounce can chopped chilies, drained
• 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, undrained
• 1 15.5 ounce can pinto beans, undrained
• 1 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, undrained
• 1 tablelspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper

Brown beef, bell pepper and onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Sprinkle with seasonings as they are cooking.

Drain any fat remaining and transfer to crock pot. Add the beans, chilies, chickpeas, tomatoes & tomato sauce. Mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Garnish with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy! I personally prefer some low-fat cheddar. YUM!

Serves 12 | 5 WW+ Points

Adventures in Toddler Food: Apple Carrot Sauce

About two weeks ago the family went up to pick apples at an apple orchard just east of us. We brought home about 6 pounds worth of apples and I knew I wanted to make two things: applesauce and apple pie. Well, I made the applesauce yesterday and the dough for the pie is in the fridge for today!

Instead of keeping the applesauce as just apples I added some carrots in as well to give it more nutrition. My son LOVES apple carrot crushers from Trader Joe's and I just knew he'd love this mix. And guess what? I was totally right!

Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

Apple Carrot Sauce

• 8 small/medium or 4 large apples, skinned ,cored, and cut in quarters
• 6 carrots, trimmed, cleaned & cut into coins
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Skin, core, and cut your apples into quarters. Clean, trim and cut carrots. Add the pieces of apple and carrot into your crockpot. Add the juice from the lemon, and the water. Pour in the vanilla, and add the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. When the apples and carrots are super tender, mash with a potato masher or large fork. Place the mash into a food processor or blender to blend into a smooth consistency (you do not have to do this but I like the texture of the blended sauce).

Serve and enjoy!

My son trying to lick the bowl before asking for more...

Chili Chili!

I have been craving chili for quite some time now. I mean it isn't even cold here yet (been in the 80-90s all week) but something was screaming fall to me. So I decided to throw a simple batch of chili into the crock pot and enjoy one of my favorite fall/winter meals.

At the last minute I decided that the chili needed a little something more so I looked in the pantry for something to spice it up a bit. And my hands fell upon a Trader Joes cornbread mix. YUM! I love this mix :)

And the combination turned out to be a wonderful, simple dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day.



Chili Cornbread Cups

• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes w/ chili
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 packet chili seasoning
• 1 package Trader Joes cornbread mix

Brown turkey and season with salt and pepper. Throw all the veggies, beans, seasoning & turkey into a crock pot and set on low for 8-10 hours.

Preheat oven to temperature stated on package. Make cornbread mix. Spoon chili into oven safe single portion dishes (I used 4 large ramekins). Leave about 1 inch headroom. Than top chili with cornbread mix. Bake for amount of time stated on package (I baked mine for 30 minutes) or until golden brown.

Take out of the oven and allow to cool a bit. Eat right out of the dish or turn over and dump it all out :) YUM!

Dinners in the Freezer!

Yesterday was definitely a success! We got so much accomplished and I feel like I can relax now knowing that we won't be living off of boxed mac and cheese for the next month :) I stuck to my list as much as I could. I didn't get a shot of all of the meals so I'll share the other recipes with you as we start to heat and eat.


Turkey Chili | Recipe adapted from The Bobby Pin

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 30oz can kidney beans (I used a 15 oz can)
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 packet chili seasoning
• 1/2 onion, chopped & sautéed
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped & sautéed
• 1 clove garlic, chopped & sautéed

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and saute onions, bell pepper & garlic until onions are translucent. Add a pound of ground turkey and brown. Add in a 30 oz can of kidney beans. Add 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce and 1 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes.

Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and Lawry's chili seasoning. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before placing in a freezer safe dish.

When ready to eat, put dish in fridge in the morning and than by night time it should be thawed enough to either put on the stove to heat up or to spoon into individual dishes and cover with cornbread mix for a chili pot pie (this is what I plan to do!) YUM!

Thanks, Natalie, for the great recipe. Miranda and I tried the chili yesterday and it was sooo good. Perfect for the rainy day we had. I always add shredded cheese and broccoli to my chili because you can't have enough fiber in your diet :) And adding more vegetables just makes me feel better.


Broccoli & Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breast | Recipe courtesy of my head

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
• 2-4 chicken breasts, flattened
• Salt & pepper

Add cheddar and broccoli to one side of flattened chicken breast. Fold over breast and use toothpick to hold the ends together. Salt and pepper each side and slide chicken breast in vacuum bag. Vacuum pack the chicken and throw in the freezer until you want to use.

When you're ready to use it throw it in the fridge the morning of. At night open the bag, place chicken on an oven safe dish or sheet sprayed with non-stick and bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is done. If you want you can add some shredded cheese to the chicken for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking for more cheesy goodness.


Chipotle Rub Pork Chops | Recipe courtesy of McCormicks Grill Mates

• 2-4 pork chops
• Chipotle Cinnamon McCormics Grill Mates rub
• Olive oil

Lightly drizzle olive oil on both sides of each chop. Sprinkle about 1/2 a tablespoon of rub onto each side and rub in. Place chops in a vacuum bag and vacuum seal. Throw in the freezer until ready to use.

When ready to use thaw meat in fridge. Open bag and pan fry the chops for about 2-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place in oven safe dish sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30-35 minutes or until pork is done.


Stuffed Peppers (a last minute add) | Recipe adapted from Spice N It Up

• 4 large bell peppers
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 small clove garlic finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper chopped
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Dash of red pepper
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Cut thin slices from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top, seeds and membranes. Rinse peppers. Cook beef, onion, chopped pepper and garlic over medium heat in skillet until brown. Drain.

Stir in tomato sauce, salt, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper. Stir in rice. Divide beef mixture evenly among peppers. Place in oven safe/freezer safe packaging and cover with foil. Freeze until ready to eat.

Pour water into 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker; stand frozen peppers upright in cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until peppers are tender. Garnish with cheese. (You can also throw these in the oven for about 10 minutes so the cheese melts).


Mom's Turkey Meatloaf | Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

• 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk (I used 1%)
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 2 lbs ground turkey breast
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1-8 oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce

In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk and allow to soak while you get the rest of the ingredients together, at least 3 minutes.

Thinly slice one-quarter of the onion into rings and set aside. Finely chop the rest of the onion.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, oatmeal mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire, ketchup, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish that is freezer safe (I used an aluminum loaf pan that you can buy at the supermarket) and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the sliced onions. Cover with plastic wrap and with foil to insure a proper seal (and protection from freezer burn).

Remove loaf from freezer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 F, about 1 hour – 1 hour 20 minutes (may be longer if you don’t allow loaf to thaw).

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Dec/Jan Recipe Exchange

I was so excited to try this recipe! It sounded right up my alley with all of the kitchen remodel stuff. The recipe definitely turned out perfectly for Joseph and me. We might even put it on the regular rotation. I served this with a salad.

The only regret I have is that I forgot to take pictures! Being pregnant and being hungry are two things you don't want to mix. Because than nothing else matters except for eating :) Just ask my husband.

Enjoy!

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

Slow Cooker French Dip

• 4 pounds chuck roast
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 can or bottle beer
• 6 French rolls
• 2 tablespoons butter
• sliced mozzarella cheese

Trim excess fat from the roast and place in a slow cooker. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion pawder, and worcestershire sauce. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 6 hours. Slice and add back to the juice and cook on low another hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Split French rolls, spread with butter, and top with cheese. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through. Place the meat on the rolls and serve the sauce for dipping.

Serves 8

Warming Up

With the cool weather that has finally hit I decided to make something warm and comforting for dinner. I had to be smart and had to use what ingredients I had in the house. That's pretty hard right now since we're remodeling our kitchen and I've all but used up the contents in the freezer (saved a lot of money over the past two months not having to go shopping as often). So I knew we had potatoes, cream and cheese on hand. What better than a potato cheese soup?

We are limited to just a few cooking options at our house right now. So it was either the BBQ, rice cooker or slow cooker. I chose the latter. I searched my GR for some inspiration and found a cheddar, potato steak soup on Carrie's Cooking Adventures. With a few tweaks due to the ingredients I had on hand I came up with this...

Source: Carrie's Cooking Adventures



Potato & Cheese Soup

• 2 russet potatoes, peeled & diced (or cut into thin strips)
• 1 box chicken broth
• 1/2 box water (used chicken broth box to measure)
• Spices (I used s&p, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb and some Tony's Original Creole Seasoning)
• 1/4 pound of marble jack cheese

Peel potatoes. Dice, or thinly slice and than cut into strips, potatoes and put them in the slow cooker. Pour in broth and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Throw in the spices (I didn't measure... just literally threw in a bit of everything).

Cook for 6-8 hours (I cooked for 7 hours) on low.

Add cheese to top of soup and cook on high for 1/2 an hour longer. Stir soup and taste to see if any more seasoning is needed. If not, scoop into a bowl or cup, top with more cheese if you'd like and enjoy!

Update: I just tried the soup heated up today for a quick snack and added some bacon... MMMM! (I used the microwavable bacon from Costco).

Rata what?

Ratatouille! I had my first ratatouille dish at Disneyland's Cafe Orleans and fell in love. Since then I have been trying to find a recipe to try so that I could enjoy my love for the dish at home. My friend Anmarie, a vegetarian, checked out a slow-cooker vegetarian book at the library and found a ratatouille slow cooker dish. She tried it out and nothing but good things to say about it.

So I finally got my hands on the recipe and had to try it right away. I ran to the store to buy my veggies. This was the first time I cooked with eggplant and I think I am hooked! I will definitely be trying some other eggplant recipes soon. I have to let you know that Joseph was not pleased with the dish. Mainly because of the lack of meat and the surplus of veggies he didn't like. But too bad. He did eat all of the corn cakes I made as a side dish though!

Source: Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker



Half-Day Ratatouille

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 small yellow onion, diced (I did a rough chop because I wanted larger pieces)
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices (I used two 14 oz cans)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons pesto, homemade or store-bought (I used 1/2 cup)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant to a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until soft (I also added garlic), about 5 minutes. Add the onion to the slow cooker along with the bell pepper, garlic (if you didn't saute), zucchini, tomatoes and their juices, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours until the vegetables are tender.

Just before serving stir in the pesto.

Serves 4-6, 3 WW points if 6 servings, 4 WW points if 4 servings
And I noticed that this whole recipe except for the pesto was core! So maybe if I make the jump it won't be soo bad...

Corn Cakes
Source: Elly Says Opa

• 1/2 cup corn
  
• 1/4 cup masa harina (you could also just use AP flour)
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• good pinch of salt
• cayenne and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  canola oil, for pan frying.

Combine the masa, cornmeal, salt, peppers and baking powder in a bowl. Add the milk and the beaten egg. Depending on the texture you want (I wanted something a little firmer), you could always add some more milk to resemble something more pancake-like. Stir in the corn and cheese.

Heat canola oil in a skillet (I use a nonstick skillet to minimize the amount of oil). Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the skillet (depending how big you want the cakes) and press down lightly with a spatula. Cook until one side has set and is golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until golden.

Serves 2 with two cakes each

2 WW points per 1 cake, but only 3.5 WW points per 2!!! Don't you love WW fuzzy math??

Crockpot Magic

Each week I try to pick recipes that use a different spice I don't have yet. This week I wanted to try out paprika. I searched through my GR and didn't see anything I liked so I started looking though my Crock Pot recipes.

I <3 my Crock Pot. So as soon as I found this recipe I knew I had to try it. It included my new weekly ingredient, paprika, and something we can all love, garlic. I sort of screwed up but my Crock Pot still came through for me. I forgot to plug it in and realized it too far in to cook it on low for 6 hours so I cooked it on high for 3 hours.

Source: WW Crock Pot Word File

Garlic Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts, no skin, no bone
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 garlic cloves, whole
• 1 onion

Slice onion into rings and place on bottom of crock pot. Mix paprika & s&p together and sprinkle over both sides of chicken. Place chicken on top of the onions. Place garlic cloves on top of chicken. Cook 6 hours on low or until liquid is clear (I cooked for 3 hours on high and the chicken was very moist).

6 Servings (one serving = 1/2 a chicken breast, 2 serving shown in the picture above)
3 WW points per serving

Pineapple Madness

I was craving a little sweetness tonight so instead of a vegetable I decided to go with a fruit with dinner. I haven't had pork chops in a while so pineapple and pork chop sounded great. I just sort of looked in the cupboard and pulled out what looked good.

These pork chops were tasty and had a different after taste to it. Almost a cool, refreshing flavor. I think that it's because of the nutmeg and pineapple but I am not really good with identifying flavor combos/reactions/etc. Let me know what you think.

Source: My Head and Pantry

Pineapple Pork Chops

• 4 3oz pork chops (thin, 1/4")
• 1 can pineapples, reserve juice (or fresh if you have some)
• 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat baking dish with non-stick spray. Place pork chops in baking dish.

Mix brown sugar, spices, teriyaki sauce, and juice together. Spoon half of the mixture over pork chops. Add pineapples on top of the pork chops. Pour remaining mixture over pineapples and pork chops.

Bake covered for 20 minutes. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy over a bed of jasmine rice.

Serves 4
6 WW points per serving

Juicy Roast

Costco had a great coupon that expired yesterday. Buy one double pack of whole chickens and get one free! So I had to buy them. Now I have four whole chickens that I need to use. Not at once of course but why not start early? I decided to roast one for the first time since the last time I cooked a whole chicken I used the crock pot.

So when I have an idea and don't have a recipe where do I go? The What's Cooking board of course! There were two suggestions for roasting the chicken. Elly Says Opa had a very yummy roasted chicken and a fellow nestie recommended Giada's Garlic and Citrus Chicken. So I decided to make Elly's then and try Giada's next weekend.

Source: Elly Says Opa

Roasted Chicken

• 1 whole (5 lb.) chicken
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme, plus 1 tsp. additional dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• a few sage leaves (I omitted)
• 2 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light
• olive oil spray
• baby yukon gold potatoes halved (I also included a sweet potato and red potatoes)
• zucchini, cut into 1" chunks
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 and place your rack in the lower third of the oven (so that the chicken will basically be cooking in the center of the oven).

Clean/scrub the potatoes. Add them to the roasting pan with the zucchini and spray with olive oil spray. Add just a little bit of salt and pepper. Toss together. Nestle the roasting rack into the pan.

Remove the giblets/neck from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper, and then stuff it with the thyme, lemon juice, onion, garlic, and rosemary.

Mix the tsp. of dried thyme with the softened butter. Carefully pull the skin of the chicken away from the meat and rub the herb butter in between the skin and the meat (you can just put a few globs of the butter in front of the breast and then massage the butter back; be sure to also add a little to the drumsticks/thighs). Spray the skin with just a little bit of olive oil spray and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on the roasting rack (or on the vegetables) and roast until the internal temperature reaches 170 (check at the thickest part of the thigh). Place the chicken under a foil tent for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken - 6 WW points for 5 ounces
Veggies - 1.5 WW points for 1 cup potatoes and veggies

Sweet Pork

After reading about this dish for quite some time on thenest.com I knew I needed to make it. Simple and easy! Joseph thought that it was a bit too done so I think I might cook it for about an hour and put it in a pan with the BBQ sauce to give it more, as Joseph says, "texture".

*** updated on 8/3/11 with additional ingredients/instructions and a new picture ***

Searing the pork before placing it in the slow cooker not only locked in the moisture but also created a wonderful texture to the meat after it was done cooking. By cooking the meat on low for only 5 hours instead of 7 it was not as dried out as the first time we tried this recipe. Now this is on our regular monthly rotation and serves as a great dinner for the summer months when we don't want to touch the oven :)


Source: Our Sweet Life blog

Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 lbs pork roast
• 1 12 oz can of your favorite root beer
• 1/2 bottle BBQ sauce

 Preheat a large pan on medium low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper the pork. Sear pork in a pan on all sides (about 5 minutes each side).

Put pork roast in slow cooker and add can of root beer on top. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Shred pork and add in BBQ sauce. Mix and serve on buns. Enjoy!

How simple is that?

Pot Roast Love

I needed a hearty meal today. Something easy to put together but full of flavor. I purchased a roast on Friday and knew that it would be perfect.

So I got some red potatos and an onion cut up on Saturday night and put some carrots and broccoli aside to steam. Sunday morning I took the bag of onions and layered 3/4 of them on the bottom of the crock pot.

I than seasoned the potatos with seasoned salt, garlic salt and red curry (yum!) and layered them on top of the onions. I trimmed the fat off of the meat and salted and peppered it and than put it on top of the potatos. I put the rest of the onions on top of the meat, set the dial to high and took a nap.

Four hours later my house smelled wonderful and dinner was ready. I steamed the veggies and fixed the plates up. The food was sooo good I didn't even have time to take a picture of the perfection. I had to take a picture of the left overs! My husband even commented on the fact that it was waaay better than my last roast. I think it was the curry ;)