Pineapple Beef Brisket

The last time I made a beef brisket recipe, I cut the brisket in half and froze it for later since it was so large.  I figured it's time to use the brisket I had been saving.  This is new way to cook it.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Meat Tenderizer
3 lb Beef Brisket
1/4 c Soy Sauce
1 c Water
8 oz Can Cubed or Crushed Pineapple, drained

Stir together the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, brown sugar, and meat tenderizer.

Run the mixture over the entire beef brisket.

Mix the soy sauce with water in a bowl.

Place the beef brisket in the slow cooker.  Pour the soy sauce mixture around the brisket.  Then sprinkle the meat with the pineapple.

 Cover and cook on Low for 7 hours.

Let the meat cool on a platter for a few minutes before slicing.  Then slice against the grain.  Dinner is served.  You will just need to make some sides to serve with the beef.

We thought the brisket had a great flavor.  I would definitely use this spice combination again.  Plus, it was very easy and available! :)  The pineapple had an interesting flavor though...  It didn't taste like pineapple anymore.  It absorbed all of the flavor from the spices.  They were definitely still edible.  :)   Just don't expect a sweet flavor.

Nutritional Info: (Serves 5)

374 Calories

26g Fat

0g Fiber

25g Protein

6g Carbs

10 WW PointsPlus

Bean Soup

I wanted to make a healthy soup to keep in the house to keep us full.  I thought a bean soup would hit the spot!

Ingredients:
8 c Chicken Broth
16-20 oz Package of 15 or 16 Dried Bean Soup Mix
14.5oz Can of Diced Tomatoes, undrained
2 c Carrots
3 Stalks of Celery
1 Large Onion
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (or 1/2 tsp Basil & 1/2 tsp Oregano)
1/2 tsp Pepper

Soak the beans in a lot of water over night.  Make sure the bowl is large so that they have room to expand.  I made that mistake before.

Chop the carrots, celery, and onion.

Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on Low for 8 - 10 hours.  Next time I actually would cook it on high for a little while in th beginning since I prefer the beans somewhat broken down.

Dinner is served.  My husband and dad liked it a lot.  :)  I think it's a nice clean meal.  It worked out perfectly for my "No bread or white carbs Monday and Tuesdays"

Nutritional Info: (12 Servings)
188 Calories
1 Fat
13 Fiber
32 Carbs
12 Protein
4 WW PointsPlus

Recipe from Betty Crocker

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

Cube Steak

I decided to change things up a little bit this week. I wanted to cook some beef for a meal. It is higher in fat and calories, but it's good to not eat chicken all the time. You don't want to get bored with your diet and lose motivation.


Ingredients:
3lbs Cube Steak
1/3c Flour
2t Salt
1/2t Black Pepper
2T Canola Oil
1 Large Onion or more
1 Large Bell Pepper or more
14.5oz Can Stewed Tomatoes or 3-4 Chopped Tomatoes
Water


Pound both sides of meat. Mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge each piece of meat on both sides in the flour mixture.

Saute meat in oil over medium heat on top of stove until browned.



Transfer cube steak to slow cooker.



Slice onions and bell peppers



Brown onion and pepper in pan drippings

Stir pan drippings loose. Pour over steak


Pour stewed tomatoes over steak. Add water to completely cover steak


Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours

Dinner is served. We ate the cube steak with the sweet potatoes that I posted earlier this week.

Nutrition:

333 Calories
9g Fat
1g Fiber
51g Protein
9g Carbs
8 WW PointsPlus

Recipe from Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly

Chicken and Dumplings

I have always loved Chicken and Dumplings! So when I found out that it could be made in my Crock I got really excited! I made this the other night and it has become one of my new favorites!

Ingredients:
1lb Boneless Skinless Chicken, Cubed
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 can Cream of Chicken (Reduced Fat)
1 can Cream of Mushroom (Healthy Request)
1 can Whole Kernal Corn
1 can Green Beans
2 cans Refrigerated Low Fat Biscuits
2 tablespoons Butter

I decided to add the corn and green beans after I had all of this in the Slow Cooker.

When I made it I just placed the frozen Chicken into the Crock Pot.  Next time I would cut the Chicken into cubes so that it is easier to divide up the portions.  Then I spread the butter on top of the chicken.  Covered that with the two cans of soup and then spread the Onion, Green Beans and Corn out on top of this.

I made this the night before so all I had to do in the morning was throw it in the Slow Cooker on low for 9 hours.  I added some extra time since the chicken was raw and it was refrigerated overnight. 

I got home and realized I bought cresent rolls instead of the regular biscuits but I made them work. 

I turned it on high and placed the dough into the Crock Pot for about 35 minutes.

This made eight servings that kept us full all night!

It was soooo good!

Serves 8
Weight Watchers Points Plus: 9

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