Pork Tacos

Sorry for such a delay in our postings.  I guess we have been enjoying this Summer heat wave a little too much! lol  The other day I found a Pork Shoulder in my freezer and thought it would be great for some Pork Tacos.  This recipe was extremely easy to make and it was delicious too! :)
Ingredients:
1 lb Pork Shoulder
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
Water

First I rubbed a tablespoon of taco seasoning on both sides of the Pork Shoulder.

The meat was still frozen so I did this the night before and let it thaw in the fridge until morning.  Then I added enough water to cover the meat completely.

I let it cook for nine hours on low.

This was the perfect meal that day.  It was over 90 degrees outside and I was able to make dinner without feeling like I was heating up the whole kitchen.  Next I took the meat out, threw away the fat and shredded it on a plate.  It fell apart with hardly any effort.

After the meat was ready I heated up some tortillas and added the meat, cheese and lettuce to them.  I really liked it!

Nutritional Info: (Meat Only)
4 Servings
Calories: 211
Fat: 13
Carbs: 2
Protein: 19

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

Spinach, Mushroom and Pesto Lasagna

I love lasagna!! It is so fun to experiment with and try to make it different ways.  I also really like spinach and mushrooms so this type was right up my alley!

Ingredients:

12 strips Lasagna

2 10oz packages Spinach

2 8oz packages Mushrooms (I used them all except the five I saved for my eggs)

3/4 cup Pesto

2 cups Italian Blend Cheese

10 oz Ricotta Cheese, Part Skim

1/4 tablespoon Egg Beaters

1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 jar Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Sauce

1 can Tomato Sauce

 

Begin by boiling your noodles.  I added a little bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking together.  I only boiled them for about 5 minutes since they would be cooking all day in the slow cooker.

While your water is trying to boil you can start rinsing out your spinach.  I did this to thaw it out and clean it before I could add it to the mixture.

Slice up your mushrooms and mix them together with the spinach and the pesto.  Then set this bowl aside until later.  This smelled sooo good! :)

Combine the ricotta cheese, Italian cheese blend and the egg beaters.  Once this is all mixed together you can stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.  Then set this bowl aside until it is time to start layering.

Finally you can mix together the spaghetti sauce and the tomato sauce.  I know I was not impressed with how many dished I had to go through to make this meal.

Now you can begin the layering! :)  Start by spreading 1/4 of the tomato mixture across the bottom of the slow cooker.  I used a liner and sprayed it with Pam to ensure an easy clean up.

Place a row of pasta on top of the tomato layer.

Place 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the pasta.

Top the cheese mixture with 1/3 of the spinach mixture.

Complete this pattern a total of three times.  Then after the spinach mixture is gone you can place a layer of pasta on top of it.  After this you can finish it off with the rest of the tomato sauce.

I cooked this on low for four and a half hours and then it stayed on warm for five hours.

It was a little overdone to say the least... I think it would be a lot better if you just cooked it on low for 5 hours.  Then I sprinkled it with the rest of the Parmesan and let it sit for a little while longer.

I also wish I would have saved some of the cheese for the top of the lasagna too.

It was really good but it would have been better if it wasn't so overcooked.

Nutritional Info:

8 Servings

WW Points Plus: 12

Calories: 374

Fat: 17

Carbs: 35

Protein: 20

Chicken and Bean Burritos

I have never made Burritos before where you actually cook them in the oven with cheese on top of them. I was excited to try it out and they were easier than I thought!!

Ingredients:
1.5 lb Boneless Chicken
30 oz Black Beans
16 oz Salsa
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Corn
1 tablespoon Cumin
2 tablespoons Vinegar
10 oz Taco Sauce
10 Wheat Tortillas
15 oz Fat Free Refried Beans
1 cup Cheddar Cheese
8 oz Light Sour Cream

Add the Chicken, Beans, Corn, Salsa, Tomatoes and Cumin together in the slow cooker.

I cooked this on low for eight hours and it sat on warm for two hours.

Pour in the vinegar and shred the chicken with a fork while mixing it all together. I was sure that I took a picture but I can't find it now. Next, layout your tortilla and spread a spoonful of the refried beans down the center. I thought it was easier for folding after I put the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.

After this I put two pretty big spoonfuls of the chicken mixture on top of the refried beans.

Spread half of the jar of taco sauce on your baking pan. Then fold in the top and bottom of the tortilla and then the sides. Place the burrito in the baking pan with the seam side facing down.

You really have to push them together to get all ten of them to fit in a 9x13 pan.

Pour the rest of the taco seasoning on top of them and spread it around evenly.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of all the burritos.

I had quite a bit of the chicken mixture left over so I saved it to serve on rice later. I took this portion out when I figured the nutritional information.

Bake the burritos on 350 for about 15 minutes.

I put a little dab of sour cream on top of mine.

They turned out perfectly!! I can't wait to have them as leftovers.

Nutritional Info:
Serving Size: 1 Burrito
WW Points Plus: 10
Calories: 335
Fat: 8
Carbs: 42
Protein: 23

Ranch Vegetables

The whole family went over to my parents house to celebrate Easter Sunday. I decided to try to make a healthy dish to make up for some of the unhealthy ones. I love grilled vegetables so much!! I tried to make them in the slow cooker. The great part is you can add whatever you really like and it will trying out fantastic!
Ingredients:
1 Onion
1 Red Pepper
1 Orange Pepper
1 Zucchini
1 Summer Squash
1c Carrots
1 package Mushrooms (I would add 3 next time since they are a family favorite)
1 Packet Ranch Mix
1/2c Water (I don't think you even need this)

Start by washing and chopping your vegetables and mixing them together in the slow cooker.

Next, just sprinkle the ranch mix on top of them all.

Evenly pour the water over all the vegetables and mix it all together.

I cooked mine on low for four hours. I thought the vegetables were overdone. It probably would have been fine on low for two hours. I like a little crunch when I eat them.

Everyone was complimenting me on them during dinner! I thought the dish was a success! :) I think I will start making this in bulk on Sundays and packaging them up for lunches during the week.

Nutritional Info:
6 servings (a lot more in a group setting)
WW Points Plus: 0
Calories: 75
Fat: 4
Carbs: 10
Protein: 2

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