Beef Stew in the Crock Pot

I love love love beef stew and this one is super easy and delicious.

Beef Stew

Ingredients
1) 2 pounds of beef for stews such as chuck, chuck shoulder, bottom round roast Since you are cooking it for so long, you can use a tough piece of meat and it will be tender after 8 hours. Cut meat into large cubes.

2) 2 cups of beef stock or broth
3) 1 medium onion chopped
4) 4 carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5) 3 red potatoes (I substitute sweet potatoes sometimes and only use 2) cut into cubes
6) 1 clove of garlic minced
7) 1 tablespoon paprika
8) 2 bay leaves (leave whole)
9) 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
10) 1/2 teaspoon pepper
11) 1 teaspoon basil
12) 1 teaspoon rosemary

Directions
1) Add all ingredients into slow cooker
2) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours
3) Remove bay leaves before eating
4) Enjoy!!!

Steel Cut Oats in the Crock Pot

I LOVE steel cut oats. I just never have the time to make them. This recipe makes it easy to wake up to a healthy breakfast.

Steel Cut Oats Overnight

Ingredients
1) 1 cup steel cut oats     Do not substitute rolled or quick cook oats
2) 4 cups of liquid - when I'm watching my weight, I use water or a combination of water and unsweetened almond milk. You can use 1/2 water and 1/2 milk if you're not counting calories and want something extra creamy
3) 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon)
4) 1 tablespoon vanilla
5) 1/2 cup raisins

Directions
1) Liberally spray crock pot with nonstick spray
2) Place oats, liquid, cinnamon, vanilla and raisins in crock pot.
3) Gently mix without disturbing too much of the nonstick spray.
4) Cover and cook on low for 6 hours

The best part of this is that you can add anything to the top when it's done. I sometimes put natural peanut butter, honey or sliced almonds on top.

ENJOY!!!

Left over Turkey Soup

Are you wondering what to do with your left over turkey? Besides making gobblers (turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy on nice crusty bread), you can make soup!

Left Over Turkey Soup

Ingredients
1) 4 cups of turkey broth - if you are like my mom, you kept the carcass and made broth on Thanksgiving
2) 2 tomatoes, diced
3) 3 carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
4) 3 celery stalks sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
5) 1 medium onion chopped into small pieces
6) 1/4 cup uncooked rice
7) 2 cups diced turkey
8) If you have other leftovers to get rid of such as corn, spinach etc. feel free to add it at the end as well.

Direction
1) Place broth, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion and rice into crock pot.
2) Cover and cook on low for 6 hours
3) Place turkey and whatever other leftover veggies you have in the crock pot and cook on low for another hour.

ENJOY!!!

Sweet Potatoes in the Crock Pot

I love sweet potatoes and I don't have them often because I forget to cook them : )  One thing you can do is "bake" them in your slow cooker.  All you do is place about 5 clean sweet potatoes in your crock pot on low for 6 hours.....THAT'S ALL!!! You have a healthy "baked" sweet potato.  I'll give you a little bit more flavor with the following recipe.

Sweet Potatoes in the Crock Pot

Ingredients
1) 6 medium sized sweet potatoes

2) 1 cup of apple juice with no sugar added
3) 1 tablespoon cinnamon
4) 1 teaspoon nutmeg


Directions
1) Peel potatoes and cut into chunks and place in crock pot
2) Add 1/2 of the apple juice, all of the cinnamon and nutmeg
3) Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until potatoes are tender
4) Using a hand blender, blend the sweet potatoes inside the crock pot, adding a little apple juice at a time to make them the consistency that you like.

You can also add more cinnamon and nutmeg or even allspice or ground cloves.  For people who like a sweeter version, honey and/or maple syrup are delicious to add as well. 

Turkey Chili

This is one of those recipes where I wish I had a slow cooker like this....It Browns and Sautes
because I don't like to mess up two pots.  Maybe I'll put it on my Christmas list.

Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
1) 1 pound ground turkey
2)  1 medium onion
3) 1 red bell pepper
4) 1 can kidney beans (rinsed)
5) 1 can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies 
 Some people may not see canned tomatoes etc. as being "clean" so feel free to cut up your own tomatoes and chilies - I just don't have time to be that "clean" ; ) 
There are also other brands of diced tomatoes and chilies you can use

6) 2 cans diced tomatoes  
7) 1 tablespoon chili powder (more if you want a little more kick)
8) 2 cloves garlic, crushed or sliced with my favorite slicer!!!

Directions
1) Chop onion and red pepper into small pieces
2)  Brown ground turkey on stove top unless you have one of those fancy crock pots that I want : )   
You don't have to cook it all the way through as the slow cooker will do that.  Just get the outsides brown and crumble the meat.  
3) Place the turkey meat in the crock pot
4) Saute onion and red pepper pieces until wilted. 3-4 minutes
5) Place onion and pepper pieces in crock pot
6) Add kidney beans, all 3 cans of diced tomatoes (if you like it hot, you can use 2 cans of the tomatoes and green chilies and 1 can of the diced tomatoes), chili powder and garlic.
7) Mix all ingredients together
8) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
 
  

Lentil Soup - the easy way

Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1) 2 cups dried lentils - rinsed

2) 8 cups vegetable stock
3) 1 1 lb bag of baby carrots
4) 3 stalks of celery  - chopped
5) 1 tablespoon onion powder
6) 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions
Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours!!!

You can also cut up carrots. 

That' it!! Can you believe it? 

Baby Back Ribs in the Crock Pot

Baby Back Ribs in the Crock Pot

Ingredients
1) 8 ounce can tomato paste with no sugar added
2) 1 tablespoon onion powder
3) 1 tablespoon garlic powder
4) 1 tablespoon dried mustard
5) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6) 1 tablespoon honey
7) 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
8) 1/2 cup water
9) 2 1/2 pounds baby back ribs


Directions
1) In a mixing bowl, combine tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, dried mustard, pepper, honey, cider vinegar and water and mix well.
2) Place ribs in crock pot with the meatier side lining the wall of the pot.
3) Spoon the sauce over the ribs making sure to get some sauce underneath as well.  It's okay if the sauce seems thick.  The juices during cooking with thin it out. 
4) Cook on low for 6 hours

Pepper Steak in the Crock Pot

Pepper Steak - Sounds Fancy :)

Ingredients

1) 1 lb round steak (Beef)
2) 1 green bell pepper
3) 1 red bell pepper
4) 1 onion
5) 1 clove of garlic
6) 6 Tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce - There is a link to Bragg's through Amazon on the side.
7) 1 Teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1) Slice steak, peppers and onions into strips
2) Quickly brown steak in frying pan over high heat - This step is optional as I don't like using another pan besides my crock pot but it does seal in the flavor.
3) Mince (or press) garlic and place in crock pot
4) Add beef, peppers, onions, Bragg's (or low sodium soy sauce) and black pepper
5) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
6) Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup in the Crock Pot

DAY 3
Who doesn't love a good chicken noodle soup.  Make this and add a salad on the side and you've got a great healthy meal.  Use leftovers for lunch the next day or freeze them for a future dinner.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
1) 2 lbs of chicken - this can be any type, white meat, dark meat but it must be skinless and boneless
2) 6 cups chicken broth (low sodium) - extra points if it's homemade or left over from another recipe!
3) 2 stalks of celery
4) 4 carrots
5) 1 small onion
6) 2 cloves of garlic
7) 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
8) 1/4 teaspoon pepper
9) 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes OPTIONAL
10) 8 ounces whole wheat pasta - small pieces are best or break long spaghetti into pieces

Directions
1) Cut chicken, celery and carrots into 2 inch pieces
2) Dice onion
3) Mince garlic
4) Chop parsley
5)  Place chicken, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, parsley and chicken broth into crock pot.
6) Cook on low for 7 hours
7) Add pasta and continue cooking for 1 hour on low
8) ENJOY

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps in the Crock Pot

Buffalo chicken is one of my favorite things.  Unfortunately, I like it when it's presented in deep fried, skin on, chicken wing form!  This recipe is not only easy, it is much healthier than my buffalo chicken wing obsession. This will soon be a family favorite - I promise!!

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
1) 3 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breast
2) 1/2 small onion
3) 1 celery stalk
4) 1 clove garlic
5) 16 ounces chicken broth (low sodium if possible)
6) 1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce (Something like Frank's - check the ingredients. There should not be sugar in it)
7) lettuce leaves (bibb or iceberg)

Directions
1) Cut celery stalk into 2 inch pieces
2) Dice onion and garlic
3) Place chicken, onions, celery, garlic and broth in crock pot - The broth should cover your chicken.  if it isn't enough, add water until meat is covered. 
4) Cook on low for 7 hours

5) Remove chicken from pot
6) Measure out 1/2 cup of the liquid from the pot and dispose of the rest
7) Shred chicken with two forks

8) Place shredded chicken, broth and hot sauce back in the crock pot.
9) Cook for another 30 minutes on high

10) Fill lettuce leaves with shredded chicken
11) ENJOY!!!!

If you want to get a little fancy, you can add shredded carrots and celery on top of the chicken!!

Pot Roast for the Crock Pot

When I was younger, pot roast was a staple in our house.  We would have it almost every other week.  My grandmother would cook it in the dutch oven and make a really thick gravy for it.  This recipe forgoes the gravy but still brings back such good memories.  Hope you enjoy it!

Pot Roast For the Crock Pot

Ingredients

1) 2- 3 lb chuck roast

2) 5 potatoes if they are small 3 if they are large
3) 4 carrots
4) 1 onion
5) 2 cups beef broth (low sodium if possible)
6) 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
7) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions
1) Cut potatoes, onions and carrots into 2 inch pieces
2) Place chuck roast in crock pot
3) Cover roast with potatoes, onions and carrots
4) Sprinkle onion and garlic powder over the meat and vegetables

5) Add beef broth
6) Add water until meat is covered in liquid
7) Cook on low for 8 hours

When the pot roast is done, you will have meat that just falls apart. The vegetables will be tasty and cooked to perfection.  If you like more seasoning in your meal, I've also added Italian seasonings, paprika and dry mustard but this simple recipe is delicious as is.  As for the liquid when the pot roast is finished cooking, it certainly does make a good gravy but if you are watching your calories (like I am) you should forgo making a delicious, think  gravy ;) 

Enjoy!!

Crock Pot Whole Chicken

I am so excited to share this first recipe with you.  I remember the first time I did this.  There was no way I thought it would work.  Well, it did and the chicken tasted great.  Recently, I've been getting chicken straight from the farm.  What a difference in taste. If you have a local farmer selling chickens, eggs or anything, that's the way to go! This recipe calls for some vegetables but you can also make it without if you are doing this last minute.  I'll show you how!

Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot

Ingredients
1 4-5 lb whole chicken
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
garlic powder to taste
onion powder to taste
pepper to taste
paprika to taste and even optional

Directions
1) Peel and cut carrots into 2 inch pieces

2) Cut celery into 2 inch pieces

3) Line the bottom of the crock pot with carrots and celery.

4) Season chicken to taste with garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and paprika.  I go really heavy on the paprika but I know some people don't like it.  Really, any seasonings you want to put on the chicken will work.

5) Place chicken on top of carrots and celery.

6) Cook on low for 8 hours

7) ENJOY!

If you find yourself without carrots and celery don't worry.  All you have to do is make 4 aluminum foil balls and place them on the bottom of the crock pot.  They work the same way the vegetables would've.  Place the chicken on top of the aluminum foil and cook away!