Cube Steak

I've never tried making cube steak on my own before, but I always liked my parents version with the mushroom gravy. I decided to give it a try and I loved it!
Ingredients:
1 lb Cube Steak
4 Potatoes (I used gold because I had them)
1 bag Baby Carrots
8 oz Sliced Mushrooms (I would double this next time)
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom
1 cup Water
Seasoning Salt
Pepper

Start by Sprinkling both sides of the cube steak with the seasoning salt and pepper. Spray the frying pan with some olive oil Pam and place the steak in it. Break up the pieces as you cook it.

While this is cooking you can start cutting up your potatoes and adding them to the slow cooker. Mix in your mushrooms and carrots as well.

When the meat is browned on both sides you can place it in the slow cooker.

Mix together the soup and the water.

Pour this evenly over the slow cooker and try to get everything a little wet.

I cooked this on low for six hours and then it sat on warm for four more hours.

It was delicious!! My favorite part was that the entire meal was ready when I got home.

Nutritional Info:
4 Servings
WW Points Plus: 9
Calories: 407
Fat: 12g
Carbs: 33
Protein: 42

Rice and Lentils

I thought this would be a great side for dinner. Normally we love to eat rice with dal on top. I figured this would be just like that but mixed. Unfortunately, I was wrong...

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

2 3/4 c Chicken Broth

3/4 c Water

3/4 c Dry Lentils

3/4 c Onions, chopped

1/2 c Dry White Rice

1/2 tsp Dried Basil

1/4 tsp Dried Oregano

1/8 tsp Dried Thyme

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Black Pepper

1 c Shredded Mozzarella

Mix all of the ingredients in the slow cooker except the cheese.


Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Do not remove the lid until it has cooked for 6 hours.

Stir in the sheredded cheese 5-10 minutes before serving.

My family and I did not like this recipe... We actually made mashed potatoes instead. My hubby did like it, but he'll take any kind of rice. ;) I guess every recipe can't be perfect.

Nutritional Info: (For a large serving)

311 Calories

6g Fat

7g Fiber

20g Protein

47g Carbs

8 WW PointsPlus

Jambalaya

I can't really recall a time when I have had Jambalaya but I thought I would stay in the festive Mardi Gras spirit and give it a try. Of couse I have never been a big fan of spicy food so I toned mine down a lot! I LOVED IT!!! I can't wait for a potluck party where I can make it again! :)
Ingredients:
1 Onion, chopped
2 Red Peppers, chopped
3 Carrots, chopped
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 Jar Stewed Tomatoes
1 Cup Long Grain Brown Rice
1 Package Sausage **I chose mild because I am a wimp. If you want spicy and your store carries it you should try the andoulli sausage.** I was going to be gutsy but they didn't have it at my store.
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
2 Cups Water
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley
1 lb Shrimp

You can begin by chopping up all of the vegetables and galic and adding them to the slow cooker. I made mine into pretty big chucks so that I would have a better consistancy at the end.

It looks so pretty here! Then you can stir in the tomatoes, rice and sausage. First you want to cut the sausage into little chunks which was kind of tough with the casing on it. You could also remove the casing and roll them into little balls. Also, I am trying to make healthier dishes so I had meant to buy turkey sausage; however, with everyone looking for the andouille sausage I forgot and just grabbed regular. Switching to turkey would save you on a lot of fat in this recipe.

Now you can gently stir in the thyme, salt, pepper and water.

I cooked this on low for nine hours.

I get kind of nervous cooking with shrimp or seafood because we never really did it when I was growing up. So I made sure to buy the precooked frozen shrimp.

Mix in the shrimp and parsley.

Let this cook on low for one more hour.

I added more vegetables and made it into eight servings because the sausage was so high in fat.

This meal was so good! I don't think I would change anything about it next time.

Nutritional Info:
8 Servings
WW Points Plus: 8
Calories: 325
Fat: 16
Carbs: 23
Protein: 26

Chicken Cacciatore

I've been on an Italian food kick lately so I thought this would be a tasty and healthy recipe to try.

Ingredients:
24 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 can Tomato Paste
1 Onion
2 Green Peppers
8 oz Sliced Mushrooms
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Place all of the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Spread the Spaghetti Sauce and Tomato Paste over the Chicken.

Chop up the vegetables and put them all on top of the sauce.

I let this cook on low for nine hours and warm for one.

I served this over wheat pasta and it was delicious!

Nutritional Info:
6 Servings
WW Points Plus: 7
Calories: 187
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 16
Protein: 28

Marinated Mushrooms

I love mushrooms so I was trying to think of a healthy way to make all mushrooms in the slow cooker. This did not turn out the way I had wanted. I guess I will just have to try it again in the future. This version is too teriyaki-ish for my taste.
Ingredients:
32 oz Fresh Mushrooms
2 cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 cup Splenda
1/2 cup Low Fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Light Butter
2 cups water

You can start by adding the water, soy sauce, splenda, butter and yougurt to sauce pan and heat it to low. While you are waiting for the butter to melt you can begin washing the mushrooms and cutting the stems off. Place all of the mushrooms into the slow cooker.

Once the butter is melted you can slowly stir in the sugar until it is all dissolved.

Pour this mixture over the mushrooms.

I left my slow cooker on low for ten hours.  The house did smell great when I got home..

I'm going to use the leftover just to marinade some chicken!

Nutritional Facts:  (This counts all of the juice which you don't actually eat)
6 Servings
WW Points Plus: 6
Calories: 143
Fat: 7g
Carbs: 15
Protein: 11

Chicken and Rice

I felt like comfort food this week. This chicken and rice did the trick.

Ingredients:

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 1/3 c Water

3/4 c White rice, uncooked

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Pepper - I would use 1/8 tsp next time, but I'm not a fan of pepper

1 tsp Garlic Salt

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Halves

Usually, I use a 6 Qt slow cooker. This time I decided to use a smaller crock so that the rice was not spread out as much while cooking. I was worried that it would over cook.

You could substitute the white rice for brown rice to make this a healthier meal.

Mix all of the ingredients except the chicken in the slow cooker.

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the chicken with additional paprika and garlic salt.


Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.


It did not look pretty when I got home, but once I stirred the rice it looked much better.

It tasted great too. My husband loved it, but he does love anything with rice. ;) I did serve it with corn also since we need at least 1 veggie with dinner. I just mixed the corn in my meal.

Nutritional Info:

333 Calories

8g Fat

1g Fiber

24g Protein

38g Carbs

8 WW PointsPlus

French Dip

French Dip is one of my dad's favorites. I wanted to see how a french dip cooked in a crockpot compared to the restaurants tasted.

Ingredients:

3 lb Beef Brisket (not corned beef)

1 pkg Dry Onion Soup Mix

1 Can Condensed Beef Broth

8 Mini Baguettes or Sandwich Buns

I have had beef brisket at 2 different BBQ restaurants before and it was so yummy. The cost of the beef brisket ($6/lb) was not worth it though... I would just use a pot roast next time.

Place beef in the slow cooker.

Mix the broth and onion soup mix.

Pour mixture over the beef.


Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.


Remove the beef from the slow cooker and slice against the grain. I would recommend letting it cool for a little while. Mine fell apart while I sliced it. I guess I shouldn't complain that the meat was so tender it fell apart, but I wanted a pretty picture! :p

Serve the beef inside a bun or roll with a side dish of the au jus for dipping.

It was very tasty! My family including my dad loved it! By the way, I know you don't usually make a french dip with a hamburger bun. At least my husband did the shopping for me. :p I'll take my trade-offs. Sorry the picture doesn't look like a traditional French Dip. Hehe

Nutritional Info (Beef w/o the Roll)

268 Calories

13g Fat

0g Fiber

36g Protein

0g Carbs

7 WW PointsPlus

Seseme Pork Tenderloin

In the past couple years I have realized that I love pork tenderloin. It is so lean and soooo tender! I have only had experience cooking the premarinated ones from the store in the oven. I am happy I gave this recipe a try.

Ingredients: (Serves 8)

3lb Pork Tenderloin

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/4 c Chicken Broth

1/4 c Soy Sauce

4 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Seseme Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

2 Tbsp Cold Water

2 Tbsp Green Onions

1 Tbsp Seseme Seeds, toasted

Place the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the pork with the black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Mix the broth, soy sauce, ginger, lemon juice, sesame oil, and garlic in a separate bowl.

Pour the sauce over the pork tenderloin.

Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours or High for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Move the pork to a separate serving dish and cover to keep warm.

Pour the remaining juice through a strainer into a pot.

Mix the cornstarch and water in a separate bowl. Pour this into the juice.

Heat the juice until it starts bubbling over medium heat. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Chop the green onions.

Slice the pork. Pour the sauce over the pork tenderloin and sprinkle with the green onions and sesame seeds.


I served the pork with rice and baked asparagus. The pork was so good! My family loved it too! This is another must try.

Nutritional Info:

277 Calories

8g Fat

0g Fiber

45g Protein

3g Carbs

6 WW PointsPlus