Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Another favorite from www.skinnytaste.com!  I plan on cooking this again sometime soon and trying it as a freezer meal...hopefully it will be just as tasty that way!  I have tons of peppers right now from Mama's garden, and this would be a great way to use them up!

The author of skinnytaste highly recommended using chicken thighs instead of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts; she stated that they taste much better.  I usually just throw the breasts in anyway, because that's what I stock up on when they are on sale.  I made a special note on my grocery list for this one, however, and I totally agree with Ms. Skinnytaste...the meat cooking on the bone definitely tasted better.

• 8 chicken thighs, with the bone, skin removed
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips (I go ahead and use the whole thing)
• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips (again, I don't see a need in storing half a pepper)
• 1/2 large onion, sliced (yep - I used all of this one, too)
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs such as basil or parsley for topping

1. Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the slow cooker. 
2. Pour tomatoes over the chicken, top with onions and peppers, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and give it a quick stir.  
3. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours. (My crocks never seem to really take this long.)
4. To help thicken the sauce, remove the crock lid and let it cook on high for around an hour; you may want to add a tablespoon or so of cornstarch as well.
5. While the sauce is thickening, I go ahead and debone the thighs....it makes prep for the kiddos easier!

Serve over linguine and sprinkle with parmesan cheese!  

Salsa Chicken

Tons of uses for this tasty Salsa Chicken that tastes like we just picked it up from our favorite Mexican Restaurant.  It's a recipe I tried from www.chef-in-training.com; I used it for soft tacos the first night and made chicken nachos  and quesadillas later in the week.  The kids preferred eating the chicken by itself....that works, too!  Jeremy suggested using it for enchiladas, so I'm sure we'll try something like that for the next go-round.  Today, I'll be tossing all of these ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag to make the already easy prep even faster, getting ready for those busy weekday mornings that are approaching.

• Chicken Breasts
• 1 cup salsa (I ended up using the entire 16 oz. jar in my crock after watching it cook.)
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 can cream of chicken soup 
• 1/2 cup sour cream (We do love some sour cream...so I'm overly generous with this!)

1. Add chicken to slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken.
3. Mix salsa and cream of chicken in bowl; pour over chicken.
4. Cook on low for 4.5-6 hours or until chicken is done.
5. Shred chicken, return to crock, and stir in sour cream.

Zucchini, Black Bean, and Rice Skillet

That sure is a long name.  I should probably just call it "Pretty Skillet" for short, because I love just watching all of the colors get all happy together while they are simmering away.
This was another Pinterest find, but the original recipe can be found here.  I altered it just a bit, using whole grain rice instead of the instant white rice.

• 1 T oil
• 1.5 cups zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1/2-1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
• 1 cup whole grain rice, cooked
• Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

1. Cook rice and set aside. (I cooked this during the kids' rest time and prepared all of the veggies.  Once supper time rolled around, it made it super easy to toss together.)
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add zucchini and bell pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add beans & undrained tomatoes; bring to a boil.
4. Add rice; stir well.
5. Once everything is nice and hot, remove from heat.
6. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and let stand until cheese is melted.

What a quick and easy (and pretty) way to get lots of veggies in one dish!  This will be a great dish to take to work for lunch....and it went great with the Melty Chicken, another Pinterest experiment!

Melty Chicken Breasts

Super quick way to dress up plain chicken a bit for a weeknight meal.  Found, somewhere, on Pinterest...not sure of the original source since the pinner altered the recipe.

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• boneless, skinless chicken breast

1. Mix the first five ingredients.
2. Spread over chicken breasts.
3. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until done.  

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

From www.chef-in-training.com


We tried this recipe on a hot July evening after Jeremy had been doing yard work for a majority of the day.  After I asked if it was Bookworthy, he even commented that it was a perfect crock pot summer meal, because it was on the lighter side.  By "lighter side", he means he didn't feel stuffed, heavy, & full after eating it, even after working in the heat all day!  On the author's website, she notes that this could also be a freezer meal.  Since the meal was a success tonight, I'll definitely be putting a patch in the freezer for the upcoming fall (read: crazy busy) months!

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp Woozy sauce (I added more)
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 can pineapple chunks

1. Mix all ingredients together, except the can of pineapple chunks.  I mix everything, then pour it over the chicken
2. Cook slow cooker 4-6 hours. I used my 5 qt crock and cooked for 4.5 hrs OR *Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
3. During the last 20 minutes of cooking time, dump in 1 can of pineapple chunks, without the juice.
4. Serve over rice  I cooked 2 cups; this was plenty to feed my family of 4 and looks like we'll be having it for leftovers as well.

Freezing Directions:
Place chicken in freezer bag.  Pour sauce mixture over chicken and freeze!

Voila!  This is such a simple recipe!

Crock Pot 3 Bean Turkey Chili

• 1.3 lb (20 oz) fat free ground turkey breast
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (4.5 oz) can chopped chilies, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans
• 1 (15.5 oz) can small red beans
• 2 tbsp chili powder

Topping:

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• shredded cheddar to top chili

1. Brown turkey and onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through.
2. Drain any fat and transfer to slow cooker. 
3. Add the beans, chilies, chickpeas tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder, mixing well.
4. Cook on high 6-8 hours.
5. Garnish with onions, cilantro and cheese and enjoy!

Baked Garlic Lemon Tilapia

We've been trying to eat more fish around here lately; specifically, once a week instead of once in a blue moon.  I found this too-easy-to-be-true recipe from my new favorite food website, skinnytaste.com.

• tilapia filets
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed (I use a little more)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 tsp fresh parsley
• salt and pepper
• cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Melt butter on a low heat in a small sauce pan. 
3. Add garlic and saute on low for about 1 minute. 
4. Add the lemon juice.
5. Spray the bottom of a baking dish lightly with cooking spray. 
6. Place the fish on top and season with salt and pepper. 
7. Pour the lemon butter mixture on the fish and top with fresh parsley. 
8. Bake at 400° until cooked, about 15 minutes.