Mac and Cheese

When I saw the recipe for Mac and Cheese, I had to try it. That has been one of my favorite meals since I was a kid.

Ingredients:
8oz Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni, cooked al dente
12oz Can Fat Free Evaporated Milk
1 cup Fat Free Milk
1/3 cup Egg Whites
4 cups Shredded 2% Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp White Pepper
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese



Boil the macaroni until al dente



Coat the crock with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix everything except 1c cheese and the Parmesan cheese in the crock.


Layer the Parmesan cheese and 1c cheese on top.

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

I started mine before work for 3 hours. Then it stayed on warm the rest of the day. I think this was too long. It was a tad bit dry. I think the shorter cook time would fix that problem.

Enjoy! You're kids will love it!

Nutrition: (8 servings)

347 Calories

31 Carbs

13g Fat

24g Protein

Recipe from Sherry L. Lapp in Lancaster, PA

Breakfast Casserole

The entire family went up north to Boyne Mountain this past weekend and everyone was put in charge of a meal.  I decided to test out the Crockpot on the family and make a breakfast casserole.  Plus, this way I didn't have to worry about waking up super early to get everything ready.

I cooked and cut everything that I could ahead of time at home so that I didn't have to worry about it up north.

One Green Pepper and a bunch of Green Onion



One pound of Breakfast Sausage and a pound of Bacon

The bacon had to be chopped before I put everything into containers and left for vacation.  Around 10:00 pm I got my Slow Cooker ready and let it cook!  First I covered the bottom with frozen potatoes, covered that with a mixture of the two meats, then the two vegetables and finally the cheese.  Try to save enough each time so that you can have three even layers.  In a bowl I mixed 12 Eggs with a cup of Milk and poured it evenly over the layers.


Before

 We stayed up pretty late and didn't go to bed until about 3:00 am.  The condo already started smelling amazing before we went to sleep!! Since I went to bed so late I was not able to see exactly what it looked like when it was finished but it was tasty!! Everyone seemed to enjoy it!  I used the Mild Sausage and it still had a little kick to it!  I would also recommend adding more vegetables next time and a package of Mushrooms!

The leftovers

Ingredients:
1 lb Breakfast Sausage
1 lb Bacon
1 Green Pepper
1 bunch Green Onion
2 cups Cheddar Cheese
1 Package Frozen Hashbrowns (32oz)
12 Eggs
1 cup Milk

Cook for 10-12 hours on low.

Hamburger Casserole

I was excited to try this one yesterday because sometimes you just get bored with the same old chicken dinners all of the time.  I modified the recipe quite a bit and added larger portions of the vegetables to make larger and healthier portions.

Parsley, Mushrooms, Tomato Soup, Peas & Carrots, Onion, Corn, Potatoes and Ground Beef.  (I accidentally left out the Celery...)

I prepared everything the night before when I was waiting for some friends to come over.  In a saucepan I browned the Ground Beef with the Onion and Celery.

You may want to use your biggest pan because it was overflowing in the beginning but then it all cooked down.  While this was cooking I sliced the potatoes and added everything to the Slow Cooker.  I had fresh parsley on hand so I chopped up a small handful too.  Then I mixed in the meat mixture and put it in the fridge.  It was so easy!

The Before Shot

In the morning I set it to cook for nine hours and when I came home it smelled like heaven! :)

It was fantastic!! Next time I make it I will probably use a whole onion instead of half and I will add more mushrooms.  I could barely tell I had added either of them.

Ingredients:
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
3 Large Potatoes, Sliced
1 12oz Bag of Peas and Carrots
1 12oz Bag of Corn
4 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1/2 Onion, Chopped
1 Can Heathly Request Tomato Soup
1 Cup Water
Small bunch of Parsley, Chopped
8 oz Mushrooms, Chopped
Salt and Pepper

9 Servings
6 Points +
(I couldn't find a calculator to get the other info)

Original Recipe found at Laaloosh.com

Refried Beans

Yesterday I made one of the easiest slow cooker meals and one of my absolute favorites!! You just mix the ingredients together and let it cook.

Cumin, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Pinto Beans, Jalapeno and onions

Measure out and rinse three cups of the pinto beans and put them in the Slow Cooker.  Then remove the seeds from the Jalapeno and chop it up along with the onions.  The first time I tried this I bought the little jar of canned green chilies and put the whole thing in the slow cooker.  This was not a good idea at all.  My refried beans were soooo spicy I had to mix them with cottage cheese just to be able to handle them in my burrito! lol Then add the spices and nine cups of water.

All mixed up and ready to go!

I normally mix everything together the night before so that the beans have more time to soak in the water overnight.  Then in the morning I put it in my slow cooker on my way out the door and let it cook for 9 hours.  I believe it only needs 7-8 though.

All finished cooking

The house smelled so good when I got home from work!  Next, you need to drain everything into a bowl and mash up the mixture with a potato masher.  Add as much of the liquid back in as your see fit.  I thought mine was all good without any extra liquid until I looked at it a few hours later.  It was really drying up so I mixed in some water and it was fine later.

I had some friends come over for dinner that night so I sauteed some peppers with onions and we all made Bean Burritos.  We also had it with a side of Rice-a-roni.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their dinner! :) I could probably go through a batch of this every other week but I do love refried beans...

Ingredients:
3 cups Dry Pinto Beans, drained
2 small Onions, or one large
1 Jalapeno
2 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
5 Teaspoons Salt
1 3/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Cumin
9 cups Water

About 15 Servings
WW Points: 3
Calories: 139
Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 785 mg
Carbs: 25.4 g
Fiber: 6.2 g
Protein: 8.5 g

Originally found on AllRecipes.com.

Stuffed Peppers

We had many peppers growing in our garden. Stuffed peppers was the perfect way to use them!

Ingredients:
8 Small Green Peppers
10oz pkg Frozen Corn
1.5lb Lean Ground Beef
8oz Can Tomato Sauce
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 cup Shredded Lowfat American Cheese
1/2 tsp Worcerstershire Sauce
1/4 cup Onions, chopped
3 Tbsp Water
2 Tbsp Ketchup


Halve peppers, wash and drain well:

Combine all of the ingredients except water and ketchup in a mixing bowl. Stir well.

Stuff the peppers with the mixture.

Pour water in slow cooker and arrange peppers on top:

Pour ketchup over peppers:

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. This is what I came home to after work:

Dinner is served! They may not be really pretty, but they were so yummy!!

8 servings:
200 Calories
4g Total Fat
21g Total Carbohydrate (4g fiber, 7g sugar)
23g Protein

Recipe from Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly

Oriental Chicken

Ingredients:
12 Boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Honey
2Tbsp Sesame seeds



Mix the soy sauce, honey, and seseme seeds in a small bowl



Place the chicken in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the chicken

Cook 4-6 hours on low.

Dinner is served:

The chicken was good. It was pretty salty though. I would suggest using Light soy sauce.

Serves 6:
170 Calories
1.5g Total fat
25g Total carbohydrate
15g Protein

Homemade Tomato Sauce / Eggplant Parmesan

Once a year my aunts and cousins have a tomato canning party.  I'm not really a big fan of tomatos but I was in the fall mood and wanted to cook with them.  I decided I wanted to make Eggplant Parmesan and to put a Slow Cooker spin on it I made the tomato sauce from scratch the night before.  This is probably my favorite Slow Cooker accomplishment so far!  I have also decided to start eating healthier so the Eggplant Parmesan has a healthy twist to it!

To begin I needed to skin and seed all of the tomatoes.  To I boiled them for a few minutes and then filled the pot with cold water the make the process a little easier.

Ten Roma Tomatoes

I was fine peeling the tomatoes but I didn't do a very good job getting the seeds out.  In the end you couldn't even tell they were there.

While the tomatoes were boiling I gathered all of the seasonings, chopped the onion and prepared the slow cooker.

Salt, Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Ground Red Pepper and Pepper

I mixed everything together and put in the fridge until the morning. 

I started the slow cooker the next morning at 7:30 am and let it cook until I got home at 5:30 pm.  The house smelled amazing and the sauce looked so good!  I know I took a picture of the final product but I'm unable to find it.  I'm sorry.

Ingredients:
10 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Garlic
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Basil
1 Teaspoon Red Pepper
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
Cook on low for 10 hours

The tomato sauce was a little too spicy for me.  Next time I will try adding half of the Red Pepper that I used.  This is all a learning experience, right!  Then I made the Eggplant Parmesan.  I found an awesome recipe for it at Gina's Skinny Recipes! I actually baked the Eggplant the night before because I knew I would be hungry afterwork and I wanted to cut some of the steps out.

To prepare the Eggplant you want to slice it in about 1/4" thick pieces.

One Large Eggplant

Then lightly salt the slices and place it in a strainer for about a half hour.  This was actually pretty cool because you could see the liquid coming out of them.  I blotted them with paper towels when they were finished.

Next I brushed them with a little Olive Oil and baked them on 450 for 30 minutes.  I flipped them around 15 minutes in.

Eggplant brushed with Olive Oil 15 minutes into the baking.

While these were baking I mixed together the Ricotta, Romao Cheese, Parley and Egg.

Ricotta, Romano, Parsley and an Egg

Once everything is ready it is just a layering game!  Start with a little sauce on the bottom of the pan, lay half of the Eggplant down, spread the cheesy mixture on top, cover with half of the mozzarella and then repeat.  After the layering is finished sprinkle a little Romano on top and bake.  I covered it with foil and baked it at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then I took off the foil and turned off the over and left it in there for another 10 minutes to brown it up a little.  It was tan and bubbly when finished!

This was my first time making and trying Eggplant Parmesan!  I really liked it besides the whole spicy factor.  I can't wait to try it again with a lot less Red Pepper.  I had to have a glass of milk with it to calm my mouth down a little but I'm a wimp.  My friend who likes a little spice had some too and she really enjoyed it!  I love trying new dishes!!

Ingredients:
1 Eggplant (I will probably use 2 next time because it was spread pretty thin)
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
15 oz Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Romano Cheese (Plus a little extra to sprinkle on top)
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
1 Egg
1 Cups Reduced Fat Mozzarella
Homemade Tomato Sauce
Salt

Makes 8 Servings
8 Points +
265 Calories
12g Fat
14 Protein
35 Carb
4 Fiber

Almond Bark Fudge

Last weekend I had a girl's night with my friends. We usually like to have lots of chocolate! So I decided to make this almond bark fudge. Fudge is one my favorite things!! This was my first time ever making fudge.


Ingredients:
1lb Dry Roasted Salted Peanuts
1lb Dry Roasted Unsalted Peanuts
3 Planks of Almond Bark, broken into pieces
4oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips
12oz White Chocolate Chips





Pour the peanuts in the slow cooker first:

Then add the chocolate chips:

Then add the white chocolate chips:

Then break the almond bark into pieces and put it in the slow cooker:

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Do not open the lid even if it looks like it isn't melting.

After 3 hours, it may look like the chocolate hasn't melted, but once you stir it, it should be nice and smooth. You can see how mine looked below:

Stir and let sit for a couple minutes to let it cool. I only waited about 10-15 minutes.

For part of the fudge, I just made spoon sized pieces on a greased cookie sheet. These were perfect sizes!

I also put part of the fudge in a cake pan to slice. This did not work out! The fudge is a little harder consistency that normal fudge. When I tried to slice the fudge, it broke into a million little pieces.

Fudge was ready for the girls night!

As you can see, this made a LOT of fudge. The recipe can probably be cut in half.

Everyone at the party loved it :)

Recipe was from bestcrockpotrecipes.net:

http://www.bestcrockpotrecipes.net/Crockpot-Recipes/crockpot-dessert-recipes/almond-bark-fudge-recipe.php

White Chicken Chili

Well it seems like Summer has ended and Fall is here once again... White Chicken Chili in the Crock Pot is my favorite!! It is so easy to make and pretty healthy for you too!  I normally mix everything together the night before so all I have to do in the morning is turn it on... I'm not really a morning person.

To begin add the chicken, onion, olive oil and garlic to a saucepan and cook it until they are light brown.


Eight Chicken Tenderloins, One Medium Onion, One Tablespoon Olive Oil and One Tablespoon Garlic Garlic

After this is complete you can add it right into the Crock Pot.  Next you need to gather your other ingredients.  I normally like to soak all of the beans ahead of time and freeze them for later use, one bag normally equals two cans.  I am trying to keep things as fresh as possible these days.  I had Chickpeas in the freezer, but I did not have any white kidney beans.  I'm going to admit that I did go out and buy a can because I was pressed for time.  When soaking the beans I always add the bag of rinsed beans to a pot full of water and cover them overnight.  When I get home from work the next day I boil them for a couple of minutes and they are good to go! :)



Whole Kernel Corn, Green Chilies, White Kidney Beans, Chickpeas, Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder, Chicken Bouillon and Red Pepper.

 Now all you have to do is add everything to the Slow Cooker and mix it around.  Set it on low for 7-8 hours and your dinner will welcome you when you get home!


Before I left for work...



Finished product.

All you have to do here is mix it up and serve it!  I ate mine as it was; however, my friend added cheese and sour cream to his.  We both enjoyed it!! I will continue making this all season long!

White Chicken Chili:
1 lb Boneless and Skinless Chicken, cubed
1 Medium Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cup Water
1 (15oz) Can White Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 (15oz) Can of Chickpeas, rinsed
1 Can Whole Kernel Corn, drained
1 (4 oz) Can Green Chilies
1 Teaspoon Chicken Bouillon
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper

You can make it as spicy as your wish by adding more or less Chilies and Red Pepper! I like to keep things pretty tame though...