Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

My aunt's 50th birthday party was on Saturday!  I was on the CrockPotGuys Facebook Page and saw a recipe that I just had to try for the party!!  The only thing I really changed was adding cauliflower and doubling the recipe.
Ingredients:
2 16 oz bags of frozen Broccoli
1 16 oz bag of frozen Cauliflower
2 cans Cream of Celery
2 cups Sharp cheddar (You can use all Sharp Cheddar if you want)
1 cup Colby
1 teaspoons Worcester Sauce
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 6oz bag of Croutons
1 tablespoon Butter
1 cup Light Sour Cream

Make sure to spray your slow cooker first so that is it not a battle to try to clean it afterwards.  Mix together the broccoli, cauliflower, soup, 2 cups cheese, Worcester sauce and pepper.

It looks so good already!! Leave the croutons in the bag and start squeezing it until they are all crushed.  Then evenly spread them on top of the broccoli mixture and place parts of the butter randomly on top.

I cooked this on low for three hours.  Then I took it to the party and mixed in the sour cream.

I sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top and set it on high for 10 minutes.

This casserole was amazing!! I loved it! It was also the first dish on the potluck to be finished!  I was a happy girl.

Nutritional Info:
16 Servings
WW Points Plus: 5
Calories: 184
Fat: 10
Carbs: 14
Protein: 8

Hamburger Soup

We hosted my aunt's 50th birthday party this weekend at our house. Dinner was potluck. Of course, I wanted to find a crock pot meal to serve! I decided to make hamburger soup in the slow cooker. In the past I have made it on the stove, but making it in the slow cooker was perfect this weekend. I started the slow cooker before the busy party day began and didn't have to worry about it anymore! Plus, the slow cooker kept it warm throughout the whole party. :)

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef or Turkey

5 c Beef Broth

16 oz Can of Tomatoes

1 c Onions

1 c Carrots

1 c Celery

1/3 c Barley

1/4 c Ketchup

1 Tbsp Beef Boullion or Base

Chop onions, carrots and celery


Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. I even added the raw ground beef to the slow cooker. Not browning the ground beef saved me a lot of time.


Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours.

Dinner is served. I had quite a few complements on the soup during the party. I'm sure your family will love it too!

Nutritional Info: (Serves 8)

164 Calories

4g Fat

3g Fiber

15g Protein

16g Carbs

4 WW PointsPlus

Chicken with Vegetables and Potatoes

I was looking for a simple and healthy meal to throw together.  My friend was coming over before we went to see Hunger Games so I thought I would try my Slow Cooker out on her.. :)

Ingredients:
1 lb Boneless Chicken
4 Potatoes (I used gold because I had them..)
2 packages Mushrooms (Minus a couple for an omlet I was making)
1 lb Baby Carrots
1/2 Onion
1 packet Onion Soup Mix
1 cup Water
1 tablespoon Worchester Sauce

Begin by placing the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.  I didn't thaw mine because it would sit in the fridge all night and cook all day.

Next clean all of the vegetables and potatoes and place them on top.  I peeled and quartered my onion before mixing it in.  Then you can mix together the onion soup mix, water and Worchester sauce in a measuring cup.

Evenly pour this on top of the vegetables.

I cooked this on low for eight hours and it sat on warm for an hour and a half.

This was a really delicious and basic meal to make.  It was really filling without all of the calories!  Sorry with all of the Hunger Games excitement I forgot to take a final picture...

Nutritional Info:
4 Servings
WW Points Plus: 7
Calories: 319
Fat: 3
Carbs: 45
Protein: 29

Orange Chicken

Over the years my family and I have made orange chicken many times. It is one of our favorites. We have always had to make it over the stove once we got home from work though. I decided to try converting the recipe to a slow cooker recipe. I'm happy I did!

Ingredients: (Serves 5)

1 1/4 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

14.5 oz Can of Chicken Broth

1/2 c Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice

1 Tbsp Chicken Base or Instant Bouillon

2 Tbsp Flour

2 c Sliced Mushrooms

1/2 c Thinly Sliced Scallions or Green Onion

1 Orange or 1 c Mandarin Orange Sections

Add the chicken, orange concentrate, chicken base, and broth to the slow cooker. Mix until the base is mixed in the broth.


Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours. It didn't look very pretty when I got home, but the juice is very yummy.


I used a spatula to break the chicken into little chunks. Then mix the flour in and add the mushrooms.

Cover and cook on high for an additional 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime cook the rice and chop the green onion and orange.


Top the rice with the orange chicken, oranges, and green onions.

It tasted just like the original meal we used to make, and I didn't have to slave over the hot stove cooking the chicken! Success!

Nutritional Info: (Not including the rice)

166 Calories

1g Fat

1g Fiber

24g Protein

10g Carbs

3 WW PointsPlus

Tapioca Pudding

Here's another low cal dessert to satisfy those sweet cravings! Cooking tapioca in the slow cooker is a lot less work than making it over the stove!

Ingredients: (Serves 8)

4 c Milk

2/3 c Splenda

1/2 c Small Pearl Tapioca

1/2 c Eggbeaters, lightly beaten

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp Salt

Yes, that gigantic bottle is real vanilla. I suggest buying a bottle if you ever go to Mexico. It is super cheap and REAL vanilla!

Mix all of the ingredients together in the slow cooker. Make sure that you beat the eggs well when you add them to the slow cooker. I don't think I did this well. I would like to try it out again and see if the consistency changes.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Stir the tapioca about every 1/2 hour to keep the pudding at a consistent texture. Unfortunately, I did not take the time to do this enough. This is something else I would like to do the next time I make this recipe.


It didn't seem like the texture was as smooth as some tapioca's that I have seen in the past. That is why I suggest beating the eggs and stirring the tapioca while cooking. It didn't affect the flavor though!

I served the tapioca warm with some sugar and milk on top. It tasted great! I love the hint of salt in the tapioca mixed with the sugar on top! Plus, I can't believe it's so low cal! :D

Nutritional Info:

87 Calories

0g Fat

0g Fiber

6g Protein

15g Carbs

2 WW PointsPlus

Corned Beef Sandwiches

I'm in the festive spirit. I decided to make corned beef sandwiches to celebrate. I've actually never had corned beef. I was a little nervous about how it would turn out... but I'm happy I did! FYI, corned beef is salt-cured. It is called "corned" because it used to be cured with grains of salt the size of a kernel of corn.

Ingredients: (Serves 8)

3lb Corned Beef Briskets with Spice Packets

12 oz Bottle of Beer

1 Bay Leaf

2 1/2 Tbsp Peppercorns

1/2 Bulb Garlic Cloves, separated and peeled

Rye Bread

Place the beef brisket in the slow cooker and top with 1 spice packet.

Put beer, a bay leaf, the peppercorns, and garlic in the slow cooker. Then fill the crock with water until the beef is covered by 1 inch.


Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Then turn the slow cooker down to low and cook for 4 to 5 hours. I cooked mine for 4 hours total, and it was a little tough. I would suggest cooking it longer than 4 hours.


Use a spoon to push all of the garlic and peppercorns off the beef. Then move the beef to a cutting board.


Let it set for at least 5 minutes to cool. This will make it easier to slice. After at least 5 minutes, slice the beef thinly.


Dinner is served. :)

I served the corned beef sandwiches on Rye bread with provolone cheese, thousand island, and sauerkraut.

My parents, grandparents, and aunt were over to try the corned beef. They thought it was great! :D I definitely suggest making it for your St. Patrick's Day!

I was surprised about how low cal it was.

Nutritional Info: (4oz Corned Beef)

130 Calories

7g Fat

0g Fiber

16g Protein

0g Carbs

3 WW PointsPlus

Stuffed Cabbage

St. Patrick's Day recipe number two!! I love being able to try new things!! A friend introduced me to Stuffed Cabbage for the first time a few weeks ago and I loved it!! It always kind of scared me a little bit for some reason.. lol  This one turned out great! The cabbage rolls were a lot more filling than I thought they would be.  You really only need one if you have a salad and some vegetables with it.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup Water
1/3 cup Long Grain Brown Rice
8 Cabbage Leaves
1/2 Onion
1lb Ground Turkey
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 can Healthy Request Tomato Soup
1 pint Stewed Tomatoes

Begin by bringing the water to a boil and mixing in the rice.  Then let it simmer for 40 minutes.  (Follow the directions on your package if it is not long grain brown rice.)

While this is simmering you want to prepare the Cabbage.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and place eight of the cabbage leaves into it.  Cover it and let it cook for about three minutes.

Place the cabbage in a strainer and let it cool down for a little while.  Once the rice is prepared you can mix the turkey, rice, egg, salt, pepper and two tablespoons of the tomato soup together.

Next, evenly divide up the meat mixture and spoon it into the middle of the cabbage leaves. (I did this four leaves at a time to make it easier)

Fold in the top and bottom of each leaf and then the sides.  If you place these open side down in the slow cooker you will not have to worry about them coming apart.

Stir together the remaining tomato soup and the stewed tomatoes.

Try to evenly pour it on top of the stuffed cabbage.

I let this cook on low for six hours and it sat on warm for five more hours.

It wasnt the prettiest meal I have made but it was tasty!  We had a salad before dinner and then a side of cauliflower.  I was full for the rest of the night! :)

Nutritional Info:
8 Servings
WW Points Plus: 4
Calories: 170
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 16
Protein: 13

Irish Stew

I love St Patrick's Day!! So while getting into the spirit I decided to try some Irish dishes... This one was fantastic and healthy! :)

Ingredients:

1.5 lb Cube Steak

2.5 cups Water

2 tablespoons Corn Starch

3 cups Carrots (or the whole bag)

4 stalks Celery

1 Parsnip

1 Onion

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

1 Bay Leaf

1 teaspoon Basil

You can start by browning the cube steak on the stove.  I had to cut this up after because it was still too tough to break apart.  While you are cooking this you can mix together the water and corn starch.

Once the meat is cooked, place it in the bottom of the slow cooker and pour the mixture over it.

Chop up all of the vegetables and put them in the slow cooker as well as the spices.  Mix everything together and it is ready to cook!

I cooked mine on high for eight hours and it sat on warm for two more hours.

This had a lot more flavor than I thought it would.  The meat just fell apart after all that time in the slow cooker.  I will definitely be making this again!

Nutritional Info:
6 Servings
WW Points Plus: 7
Calories: 260
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 16
Protein: 29

Pork and Mushroom Barley Risotto

This is a clean version of risotto. It has a little different texture than regular risotto due to the barley, but the flavor is amazing!

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

1 lb Pork Tenderloing

1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 c Onion

10 oz Baby Portobello Mushrooms

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 tsp Dried Rosemary

1 c Pearl Barley

2.5 c Chicken Broth (I used 3c and it was too liquidy)

1/2 c Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 c Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

3 c Baby Arugula

Chop the onion and slice the mushrooms.

Cut the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch pieces.

Season with salt and pepper. Then sear pork in a skillet with medium heat. Turn once and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Place the pork in the slow cooker after it is seared.


Add the onions and mushrooms to the same skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the veggies are soft. Stir occasionally.

Pour the veggies into the slow cooker. Add garlic, rosemary, barley, and broth to the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

Pour the vinegar into a small sauce pan. Reduce by boiling steadily for 5 minutes.

Transfer reduced vinegar to a small bowl and let set until dinner is ready.


My risotto was a little too liquidy. I suggest using 2.5c broth instead of 3 like I used. Add the parmesan, lemon juice, and arugala into the slow cooker. Continue to fold the risotto until the arugala is wilted.

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over each serving.

This meal had such a great flavor! My whole family agreed. :D I love that I can make healthy clean meals in the slow cooker that taste so great.

Nutritional Info:

378 Calories

9g Fat

6g Fiber

36g Protein

44g Carbs

10 PointsPlus

Recipe from Clean Eating magazine