Update and a new recipe I tried

We've had a lot going on the last month. My Mom had a stroke last month--in fact I just looked and it was the day I last posted. She was in the hospital for almost a week then got to go home. She was very lucky that it was a small stroke. She has some speech loss but is working very hard in speech therapy to regain it. We also found out her diabetes was way out of control. This was a huge wake up call for all of us. I think it has inspired my sister and I to look at our lives and see what we can do now to prevent ourselves from getting to this point. We are both overweight and do not eat as healthy as we should. My brother is a fire fighter and in excellent shape. Hopefully he will continue with that trend. Anyways, my Mom is doing much better. She has started walking daily and changing her diet. Things are looking up!

We've all been spending time at my parents helping to get things set up and going in the right direction. Last week while I was there, I bought a Family Circle magazine and found some great healthy slow cooker recipes in it. I pulled out the page and decided to try a few of the recipes. This week I tried Italian Pork Roast. It was delicious! I served it with corn on the cob and rolls. I could see it served with rice or egg noodles too. Here is the recipe from Family Circle Magazine:

Italian Pork Roast (slow cooker)

Makes: 8 servings Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 minute
Slow Cook: 3 hours on HIGH or 5-1/2 hours on LOW

Ingredients

1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), trimmed and tied
3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, drained
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions
1. Rub pork with 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning and place in slow cooker bowl.

2. Scatter tomatoes around pork. Pour 1/3 cup of the broth in bowl; top with 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook 3 hours on HIGH or 5-1/2 hours on LOW.

3. Add green pepper to slow cooker for last 45 minutes of cook time.

4. Blend remaining 2 tablespoons broth, the cornstarch and balsamic vinegar. Set aside. Remove pork to a serving platter; keep warm. Strain liquid from slow cooker into a small saucepan and place vegetables around pork on serving platter.

5. Bring liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in cornstarch mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper; cook 1 minute. Spoon sauce over pork.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 242
Total Fat (g) 7
Saturated Fat (g) 3
Cholesterol (mg) 107
Sodium (mg) 460
Carbohydrate (g) 5
Fiber (g) 1
Protein (g) 37

Next week I'm going to try Asian ribs in the slow cooker. Neal and Kinsey both love ribs and Asian food so it should be a good combo.

Yummy Crockpot dinner

We are having Chicken Cacciatore tonight. I found the recipe in a new cookbook my sister gave me for my birthday. It's called Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. There are a lot of good recipes in here from breakfast to dessert. There are a lot of helpful hints and ideas. Check it out if you have a chance.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

one 16 ounce jar Italian marinara sauce, such as tomato basil
1 medium size yellow onion, cut in and half and sliced in half moons
1 to 3 cloves garlic, to your taste, minced
1 medium size green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and 4 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (optional)
2 tablespoons water (optional)
2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)

1. Layer half of the tomato sauce and all of the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the mushrooms on top and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 2 1/2 to 3 hours on HIGH or 6 to 7 hours on LOW. The chicken will add some of it's own juices to the dish.
2. (Optional) Transfer the chicken to a warm platter. If you wish a thicker sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, water, and wine until smooth. Stir into the sauce in the cooker, turn to HIGH, cover, and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the sauce and vegetables over the chicken and serve.

Serve over white rice or noodles. Serves 4.

***The changes I made--I just used spaghetti sauce with mushrooms that I had in the cabinet, my minced garlic in a jar smelled funky so I threw it out and sprinkled some garlic powder over the chicken, and I used sliced mushrooms since that's what I had on hand. I'm sure it will be just as good as the original recipe.

Crockpot cooking all week

I'm trying to use my crockpot as much as possible lately because I don't get home until 6 most nights. I hate to try to start dinner then so it's nice to walk in and dinner is made. I went to the grocery store earlier with an idea of what I wanted to make this week (should have made a menu first) while keeping in mind what I had at home. My plans so far include

MONDAY pulled pork sandwiches, guacamole with chips, and a veggie to be named. Pork sirloin roasts were on sale so I bought a family pack with 3 in it. I put the 2 smaller ones in the crockpot with a sliced onion for tonight. When I get home I have to shred the meat and add BBQ sauce. YUMMM! This will be for dinner and a few lunches.
TUESDAY pinto beans and cornbread
WEDNESDAY unstuffed bell peppers and a veggie to be named. This is a recipe I discovered a few years ago. It's so easy and very good
THURSDAY Easy baked potato soup with cheese and bacon. I learned to make this recipe a few yeas ago at a Taste of Home Cooking School. Very filling and easy. I will "bake" my potatoes in the crockpot while I'm at work then assemble the soup when I get home.
FRIDAY pork roast with onion, potato, and carrots. I will make drop Bisquick biscuits to go with it. This is the 3rd roast from the family pack.

I received a new crockpot cookbook for my birthday recently and have been looking at new recipes. I'm hoping to try a few next week. I also found a recipe for crockpot pasole on the internet that I want to give a try. Lastly, I have a blog that I have been finding all kinds of great recipes at. It's where I found out you can "bake" potatoes in the crockpot. Go check it out at A Year of Crockpotting.

Turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving

We have discovered ground turkey! I tried it years ago and didn't care for it but have tried it again and love it. I have found that I can substitute ground turkey for any recipe using ground beef. Using ground turkey is 1/2 the fat, lower in calories, AND cheaper!! I'm all about the cheaper part...lol! At my Super Wal-Mart the 93/7 ground beef is $3.08 a pound but the Jenny O ground turkey is $1.37 a pound!!!!!
This morning I made a great turkey meatloaf to put in the crockpot. My house smelled so good all day. Neal and I both loved it. Kinsey's not sure about it. She's still learning to eat what we do. I made "smashed" potatoes and steamed green beans. So much color on one plate!

CROCKPOT TURKEY MEATLOAF

2 pounds ground turkey (or 2 lbs lean ground beef)
2 eggs
2 slices bread (I used 3/4 sleeve saltine crackers crushed)
milk (I used evaporated milk)
salt
pepper
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and diced
small can of tomato sauce

First, make foil "handles". Fold a 30-inch long piece of foil in half lengthwise. Place in bottom of a slow cooker with both ends hanging over the top edge of cooker. The foil strip will make it much easier to remove the meatloaf when it's done.
Whisk eggs; tear bread up and add to egg (or crushed crackers). Add enough milk to make nice and wet. Add seasonings. Mix in ground turkey, onion, and bell pepper.
Drop mixture into crockpot and shape into a loaf. Pour tomato sauce on top. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for about 4 hours.

SMASHED POTATOES

5 large russet potatoes (leave skins on)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 small (5oz) can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

Slice potatoes into cubes and boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain and put stick of butter and milk in pot. Cover and let butter melt. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until the consistency you like.

Unstuffed Bell Peppers

This is a new recipe we tried tonight. It was really good and very easy. I ended up not doing it in the crockpot. I just put it in one of my dutch ovens and let it simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. I also added a can of corn to the recipe.

UNSTUFFED BELL PEPPERS

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
4 large green bell peppers, cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 can of Sloppy Joe sauce
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. rice
3 c. water

Brown ground meat in a pan. Drain fat and transfer meat to crockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until peppers and onions are soft.
***I did mine on top of the stove in a dutch oven. I turned it down and let it cook for about 30 minutes until the peppers were soft. I also added a can of corn because we like corn in our stuffed bell peppers.

Taco Soup

This is one our favorite soups to eat in the fall and winter. It's very filling and can be changed to used whatever beans you have on hand. Last night I only had one can of Mexican-style chili beans (Ranch Style Beans) so I added a can of pinto beans and a can of chick peas. We eat it with a small handful of Fritos, low fat cheese and low fat sour cream.

TACO SOUP

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 (15 oz) cans Mexican-style chili beans, undrained
1 (14 oz) can whole kernal corn, undrained OR Hominy
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilis
1 (1 oz) envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (1 oz) envelope Ranch-style dressing mix

1. Cook beef and onions in a Dutch oven over medium -high heat until meat is browned and onions are tender, stirring until meat crumbles; drain off grease.

2. Stir beans and next 7 ingredients into beef mix; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Spoon soup into bowls; top with desired toppings.

Toppings: corn chips, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese

***This would be very easy to do in the crockpot. Just brown your meat and onions ahead of time and freeze. In the morning, throw frozen meat/onions and all the ingredients in the crockpot on low. By the time you get home from work it would be ready! It does come together very fast though since everything is pre-cooked except for the meat and onions.

Speedy Cassoulet

This great recipe can be made either on the stove top or the crockpot. I have made it both ways and it turns out great.

SPEEDY CASSOULET

1 can (15-16 oz) cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) dice tomatoes with roasted garlic, undrained
1 can (14.5 oz) readt-to-serve chicken broth
1/2 pound fully cooked turkey kielbasa (Polish or smoke sausage), cut into 1/2 inch slices (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen chopped bell peppers , thawed***
seasoned bread crumbs, if desired

STOVE: Heat beans, tomatoes, broth and turkey kielbasa to boiling in a 3-quart saucepan, stirring occasional; reduce heat.
Stir in bell peppers. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with bread crumbs
CROCKPOT: Put everything in the crock pot on low for about 4-5 hours.

***We prefer our bell pepper cooked through so I always add it at the beginning instead of the end.

1 serving: calories 345 (calories from fat 155); fat 17g (sat. 6g); cholesterol 35mg; sodium 1200mg; carbohydrate 36g (dietary fiber 9g); protein 21g)
% daily value: vitamin A 10%; vitamin C 52%; calcium 14%; iron 30%
diet exchanges: 2 starch, 2 1/2 medium-fat meat, 1 vegetable

10-12-06 I guess I really like this recipe because I was just looking through old posts and realized I also posted it on July 7th. At least this one had the calories for you! It really is yummy and comes together fast.

Good intentions

I have good intentions of posting then it goes to the wayside. I haven't been making very exciting meals this week so I haven't posted about them.
On Thursday I did finally try out a new roast recipe. I read it on another food blog and thought it would be interesting. You take a roast and put it in your crock pot, pour in a 12 oz can of Coke, a package of onion soup mix, set it to low for 6-8 hours and you are done. You could also add onions, potatoes, and carrots if you wanted. It turned out so good!! My Mom has occasional made a roast with coffee in it and this had a similar taste to it. That works out good for me because we don't drink coffee so I never make a coffee roast. Now I can get the same flavor with a Coke. The drippings make a great gravy.

I had intended to make real mashed potatoes with it but when I peeled the potatoes I had just bought at the store they had bad bruises and were black in the middle..YUCK! I ended up making instant which were ok.

My garden in doing great!! In fact, I should be outside pulling weeds and picking it instead of posting right now. I think I'm finally going to have enough peas for dinner tonight. I also have 2 squash I need to pick. I'm sure there is enough lettuce grown again to cut. The lettuce seems to be my best crop. I have been eating more salads and lettuce on my sandwiches since all I have to do is walk out the door to get it. One day last week, I pulled all the radishes. The had gotten hard and not very good so it was time for them to go. The tomato plants and okra aren't doing very well. Neal needs to work on them more.

Guess I had better get out to the garden..................