Category Archives: Crock Pot

Skinny Crock Pot Lasagna

Posted on January 22, 2015 by four sweetie pies

Good evening foodie friends,

Just gonna quick post this yummy new crock pot recipe, so easy and so delicious! Perfect for a chilly winter night. Complete and total comfort food, made guilt-free!

Skinny Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients

Lasagna noodles-any type, uncooked

1 bag skim mozzarella cheese (2 cups)

1 16 ou container low-fat cottage cheese

1 egg

1 package frozen chopped spinach, squeeze excess water out

1 box sliced mushrooms

1 pound ground turkey

1 small onion, diced

few cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 jars of your favorite marinara, i used one that was a Spinach Marinara and one that was a Four Cheese type

1 small can tomato paste

1/2 cup grated parmesan

few tablespoons chopped parsley

fresh basil

Directions

I used my large, oval-shaped crock pot because the noodles fit nicely.

First, brown the ground turkey, mushrooms, onion, garlic in my crock pot insert (it’s for the stove too) and added the salt. Remove the mixture and simply wipe clean.

Mix the paste and sauces together in one bowl,

In another bowl, mix the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, spinach and parsley.

Begin by putting a thick later of sauce down in the bottom, cover with one layer of noodles, break some to have it fit evenly. The, a layer of cheese mixture, sprinkle with mozzarella, then the meat mixture. Repeat the layering process. I ended up with three layers of noodles. I finished with mozzarella cheese on top. Sprinkle some fresh basil on each layer.

Cook on low setting 5-7 hours, I had to hurry up the process and did a few hours on high and ended with a couple on low, this worked fine too :)

Bon appétit!

Recipe inspired by http://www.betterrecipes.com

Mexican-Inspired Chicken Chili (crock pot)

Posted on January 6, 2014 by four sweetie pies

Good afternoon friends!

Happy New year! I hope everyone is staying warm on this frigid winter day. My kids feel as if they’ve hit the jackpot with winter break being extended by 2 days due to extreme cold! I’ve been making soup non-stop lately and one of my favorites is this mexican chili that I’ve more or less made up by experimentation. I slow cook it all day in the crock pot, super simple and delicious! It’s rather healthy too. I will add some pictures once I get my new Mac up and running!

Mexican-Inspired Chicken Chili

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless breasts

1 can great northern or cannellini beans

1 can of white corn or white hominy

6 cups of chicken broth

1 can, the larger one, of chopped green chilies

1 jar of tomatillo salsa (green) or red salsa

Chopped poblano peppers, if available ( I use them if I’ve frozen them from my summer veggie share)

1 cup chopped onions

1-2 heaping tablespoons of fajita seasoning (I use “Family Style Fajita Seasoning” from my new favorite, local spice shop in Libertyville, IL-www.savoryspiceshop.com , but any will do)

Toppings

sour cream or Greek yogurt

tortilla chips

shredded cheese

cilantro

Directions

Add chicken to crock pot, even frozen is perfectly fine! Add all remaining ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours. At the end, I remove the chicken breasts and shred with a fork and return to the pot. Stir and serve with fresh cilantro, sour cream or fat-free Greek yogurt is a great alternative, and tortilla chips. I often crumble a few Crunchmaster White Cheddar Crackers on mine as another healthy alternative.

I love soup all winter long and I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Keep warm :)

4 Comments

Posted in Crock Pot, Dinner, Soups and Stews and tagged chicken chili, crock pot, mexican. Bookmark the permalink.

Thai Turkey Chili

Posted on October 22, 2013 by four sweetie pies

English: Fresh Cilantro (Coriander) Deutsch: Verkaufsübliches Bund frischer Koriander (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Good afternoon friends,

I made an amazing chili recipe last night that I’d like to share with you. It has so many complex favors coming together, definitely a different spin on the traditional chili. It went over well with almost everyone here! There is a little heat to it, but that could be toned down if you desire. Another great feature is that I whipped it up early in the morning and poured it in the crock pot and let it slow cook all day. It seems like the days are getting shorter and shorter and we are squeezing in more and more activities, so these crock pot recipes are a huge help to me and hopefully you too.

Hope you enjoy :)

Thai Turkey Chili

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

1-2 TBL fresh ginger, peeled and minced or 1 TBL ground ginger

1 TBL cumin

1 TBL chili powder or chipotle powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup chopped onions or leeks (frozen chopped onions, a great time-saver)

2 cups shredded carrots

1 red pepper, cut into chunks

2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped or 1-2 small cans of chopped green chillis

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 cups hot & spicy V8 juice

1 28 ox can of chopped tomatoes in their juice

1 15 ounce can of black beans

3 TBL peanut butter (I used our favorite Skippy Natural, but you could use anything, even crunchy would be good)

2 cups of cilantro, rinsed and chopped (for me this ingredient is non-negotiable and really makes a huge difference in taste :)

plain, fat-free greek yogurt

Directions

In a large pot, brown the ground chicken with the garlic and ginger. Drain if necessary.

Stir in the cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Next, add the remaining ingredients, except the the peanut butter, cilantro and yogurt) Mix and bring to a boil.

Pour into your crock pot and cook on low for a few hours. When ready to serve, stir the peanut butter and cilantro.

Spoon in to bowls and serve with a dollop of greek yogurt and a couple of sprigs on cilantro.

Enjoy :)

Recipe adapted from The Today Show http://www.today.com/

1 Comment

Posted in Crock Pot, Dinner and tagged chili, crock pot. Bookmark the permalink.

Green Chile Pork Posole

Posted on September 25, 2013 by four sweetie pies

Good morning friends!

Sorry, it’s been too long since I posted a recipe, but I’ve been getting back into the school routine! Lately, I’ve been reaching for my tried and true friend, the crock pot. So many times in the last month it’s been a real dinner saver! Last nights Green Chile Pork Posole was so yummy and quick and what a wonderful greeting to come home to after a late afternoon soccer game. What is a “posole” you ask? It’s simply a Mexican-style soup, traditionally made with pork and hominy. It does have a little “kick” to it…but the condiments I used to top it can mellow it out a bit. Give this one a try, I think you’ll really like it.

Green Chile Pork Posole

Ingredients

1 15 ou can of hominy (corn that has had the hull and germ removed, found in canned veggie aisle)

1 16 ou jar of salsa verde

2-3 cups of chicken broth

2 4 ou cans of diced green chilies

1 cup chopped onion

1 TBL cumin

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper

1-2 pounds of pork tenderloin, diced into bite size pieces

Toppings

chopped avocado, low-fat cheese, fat-free plain greek yogurt, crumbled tortilla chips

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients, except the toppings, to your crock pot and stir. Cook on low all day. (6-8 hours)

2. That’s it! It’s really that simple :)

3. Serve with the yummy toppings. Try the plain, fat-free greek yogurt in place of sour cream. It’s tastes the same and is better for you!

Enjoy your dinner :)

* Recipe adapted from Good & Fresh Magazine

7 Comments

Posted in Crock Pot and tagged Broth, Chile, Chili pepper, Cook, Mexican cuisine, Pork, Pork tenderloin, Slow cooker. Bookmark the permalink.

Easy Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Posted on July 17, 2013 by four sweetie pies

The hazy, lazy days of summer are here! Okay, so not very lazy but at least a bit more laid back and relaxed. I have been pulling out the crock pot this week because due to swim lessons, camps and all the flurry of activity all of a sudden its 6 o’clock and everyone is starving. So I’ve been slow cooking some meats so that they are ready to go when everyone is clamoring for something to eat.

Today, I am doing a turkey breast in the crock pot, a small 7 pound boneless breast. I simply tossed some carrots in the bottom along with some sliced shallots (from the weekly CSA share) and rubbed the meat with a dried mushroom and onion soup mix, added a bit of water or white wine in the pot and set on low for 8 hours.

Looking forward to some turkey tonight and sandwiches tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy your summer day :)

Overnight Oatmeal in the Crock Pot

Posted on November 19, 2012 by four sweetie pies

Happy sunny Sunday afternoon! As promised, here is the recipe for a favorite at our house, Overnight Oatmeal. It’s perfect for cold, chilly mornings when you want a hearty wholesome breakfast as well as those times when you are entertaining and need a quick breakfast that everyone can “serve” to themselves :) I like to create a “buffet” of toppings for everyone to make their oatmeal they way they like to. Toppings such as raisins, toasted nuts, brown sugar, dried or fresh fruits and milk.

Overnight Oatmeal in the Crock Pot

Serves 4 (can be doubled)

Ingredients

1 cup steel-cut oats

4 cups water (can use apple juice or a combination depending on the flavor you want)

1/2 cup milk or cream

1/2-1 vanilla bean (actual bean is much more flavorful than the extract)

1-2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp cinnamon (optional, we just like extra)

*Can add chopped, peeled apples to the crock pot for an Apple Cinnamon version of the recipe

Directions

Spray the inside of a crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add all ingredients and stir. Cover and set crock pot on “low” setting. I usually do this about 9 or 10 p.m. for it to be ready about 6:30 a.m. In the morning, open lid and stir. Set up bowls of assorted toppings such as raisins, dried cranberries, brown sugar, fresh fruit, toasted nuts, really the possibilities are endless…Enjoy!