Today's blog is all about those lovely slow cooker suppers, ahh! They make me so happy, every, single, time. All day long you have the joy of smelling a beautiful supper cooking for you, all day you can remind yourself that you had it together enough to get supper ready, this morning!! The beauty of the slow cooker and that for the most part there are very few steps, so early in the morning when you are still sipping that coffee, you can still have it together enough to dump your ingredients into the slow cooker. It is a beautiful thing, being gone from home all day, at work, life, play etc. and just know supper is all ready to go at home. Ahh, the slow cooker, I could go on forever, I really don't know how people live without one, on those hot summer days when you don't want to heat up the house, on those super busy days when a home cooked meal just doesn't seem like an option and between hockey, soccer, ballet, dance etc, most days are busy days. So here it is, the secret to how all those people manage to eat beautiful home cooked meals, the slow cooker. If you don't have one, go get one, they are usually around 15$ to 20$ (more or less) and they are awesome, I am actually in the process of getting a second one, so I can also do a slow cooker dessert while my supper is cooking! So go now and get one, cause I promise you by the end of this post you will be wondering how you will ever make it through fall without one, there is nothing like a beautiful slow cooker supper on a crisp fall day. So I will wait while you go grab yourself one....I'm waiting...Great job, you got one, I knew you would, "how did i ever live without this" is what you will soon be asking your self. Here is a picture of the one i own, but it doesn't matter which kind you have, they all work the same.
So let's get started on some tried and true, wonderful fall recipes, if you are new to slow cooking, trust me you are gonna love this!
Cheesy Chicken Slow cooker
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Cans 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Put chicken in the bottom
of the crockpot.
Add rest of ingredients on top. Cook 8 hours on low. Serve
over rice or
noodles. (Points include rice)
Per Serving: 328 Calories; 8g Fat; 55g Protein; 5g
Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary
Fiber; 146mg Cholesterol; 631mg Sodium
This beautiful crock pot dessert recipe is one of the reasons I want 2 slow cooker, genius!
Cherry Cobbler Weight Watchers Recipe
No baking required! Here’s a delicious dessert recipe that
is not baked in the oven, but is actually made in a crock pot.
Ingredients:
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:
Spray inside of 2 -3 1/2 qt. Slow cooker with cooking spray.
Pour pie filling into cooker. Beat remaining ingredients with spoon until
smooth. Spread batter over pie filling. Cover and cook on HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.
or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes 6 servings.
Each serving = 6 Weight Watchers Points
This idea is wonderful, a beautiful breakfast all ready for you the moment you wake up, I am one of those people who struggle to have a meal ready early in the morning, imagine waking up to this when you are in a hurry to rush off to school, work, church, sports or on Christmas morning, nothing beats that!
Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
1 package frozen hash brown potatoes
9oz lean turkey or chicken breakfast sausage, browned and diced
1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 bell pepper, diced
1 8oz package of mushrooms, diced
14 egg whites
1 cup fat free milk
6 scallions, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Instructions
Spray inside of crock pot with non-fat cooking spray.
Layer potatoes, bell pepper, onions, mushrooms and sausage and ½ cup of
the shredded cheese in the crock pot, in two or three layers.
Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk, salt, pepper,
paprika, garlic powder and dry mustard. Pour over the entire potato and
vegetables layers.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until eggs are cooked through.
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 6 hour(s)
Number of servings (yield): 6
Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is about 1 cup
Each serving = 6 Points +
PER SERVING: 245 calories; 8g fat; 16g carbohydrates; 24g protein; 2g
fiber
All of these recipes are a starting ground, any beginner chef can start by following the recipe exactly but a veteran chef can change it up all you like, the slow cooker is very forgiving :)
Crock Pot
Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
12oz boneless,
skinless chicken breasts
2 medium
carrots, thinly sliced
3 stalks
celery, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh or
frozen corn kernels
1 cup fresh or
frozen green beans
1 medium onion,
finely chopped
4 cloves
garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh
rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh
thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black
pepper
3 cups fat free
chicken broth
1 cup fat-free
milk
1/4 cup whole
wheat all-purpose flour
Cornmeal
Dumplings
1/4 cup whole
wheat all-purpose flour
1/4 cup
cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking
powder
1 egg white
1 tbsp fat-free
milk
1 tbsp canola
oil
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
In a 1 1/2- or
2-quart slow cooker, combine carrots, green beans, celery, corn, onion, garlic,
thyme, rosemary, and salt & pepper. Top with chicken. Pour broth over
mixture in cooker.
Cover and cook
on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4
hours.
To make
dumplings, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium
sized bowl. In a small bowl combine egg white, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture
to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.
With chicken
still in the pot, break it up into pieces or shred it. In a small bowl, combine
milk and flour until smooth. Stir into mixture in cooker.
Using a spoon,
drop Cornmeal Dumplings dough into 8 mounds on top of hot chicken mixture.
Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into a
dumpling comes out clean. (Do not lift cover during cooking.)
Preparation
time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 8
hour(s)
Entire recipe
makes 4 servings
Serving size 2
dumplings with about 1 ½ cups stew
Each serving =
6 Points +
PER SERVING:
255 calories; 6g fat; 27g carbohydrates; 26g protein; 5g fiber
Plenty of my hard working friends are often talking about how they have nothing planned for supper, here is a great list of suppers for you, and if you forgot to get your slow cooker on 8 hours in advance you almost always can turn it on high for 4 hours and it will produce the same results.
Crock Pot
Chicken Taco Chili
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 10
• Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories:
203.7 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 33.3 g • Fiber: 10.0 g • Protein: 16.9 g
Ingredients:
1 onion,
chopped
1 16-oz can black
beans
1 16-oz can
kidney beans
1 8-oz can
tomato sauce
10 oz
package frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz
cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1 packet
taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili
powder
24 oz (3-4)
boneless skinless chicken breasts
chili
peppers, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup
chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn,
tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place
chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half
hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker
and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour
cream (extra points).
A lot of these recipes are written with your waist line in mind, although you would never know, they are full of flavor from slow cooking all day!
Crock Pot
Ham & Potato Soup
Ingredients:
7 c. diced
potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 c. diced
onion (about 1 medium)
1 large
carrot, chopped
2 c. ham,
diced
5. c. hot
water
1 Knorr
Chicken Bullion cube (extra large size that
makes 1
quart broth or 4 small cubes that make 1 cup each)
1 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. sour
cream
Salt and
Pepper to tasteDirections:
Add diced
potatoes, onion, carrot, and ham to a crock pot. Dissolve chicken bullion in 5
cups hot water, then add this to the crock pot also. Cook on low 7 hours, or
high 3 hours. Then add milk and sour cream. Stir and cook an additional 15
minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes twelve 1-cup servings.
If you'd
like a thicker soup, just before adding milk and sour cream, remove 2-3 cups of
the potatoes and slightly mash, then return the mashed mixture to the crock
pot.
Makes 12
Servings (About 1 Cup Per Serving)
Nutritional
Info Per Serving: Calories: 151.7; Fat: 5.3 g; Cholesterol: 18.7 mg;
Sodium: 534.2 mg; Carbs: 19.5 g; Fiber: 2.5 g;
Protein: 6.9
Yum, a beautiful soup cooking all day, and you don't even need to check on it, it is fine, no need to even open the lid, in fact you should try to avoid opening the lid, cause each time you do you lose 10 minutes of cooking time, cause that's how long it takes to rebuild the heat in the slow cooker.
Did you go strawberry picking this year? Maybe you picked a few too many, or did you hit up a great sale at your local grocer or farmers market? Here is a great way to use up those strawberries!
Crock Pot Straw Berry Jam
2 lbs of strawberries all cut up
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice (I think to keep them looking red)
Crockpot, high setting, 2-4 hours depending on size of
strawberries.
It doesn’t gel too great but you could add
pectin or shred apples (one or 2) as a natural pectin
Ham and split pea soup, slow cooker
Original recipe makes 8 servings
1/4 pound bacon,
chopped
1 pound split peas,
rinsed
1/3 (20 ounce)
package frozen southern-style hash brown potatoes (such as Ore Ida®)
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and
diced
3 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic,
minced
1/8 teaspoon ground
black pepper
1 pinch red pepper
flakes, or more to taste (optional)
8 cups chicken broth
Check All Add to Shopping List
Directions
Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high
heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain on
paper towels.
Place bacon, split peas, hash brown potatoes, onion,
carrots, celery, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and chicken broth in
a slow cooker; stir to combine.
Cook on Low for 8 hours (or High for 6 hours).
This is a wonderful recipe to use up the leftover Thanksgiving ham you will soon be in possession of. I have yet to eat it from a bread bowl, but it does look fun!
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Ingredients:
Servings:
1 lb extra lean ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup canned diced chilies or 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and
finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
black pepper
Directions:
1
Cook the ground beef and garlic in a nonstick skillet breaking apart
the meat with a spoon until well browned; drain off any fat very well, then
return to skillet.
2
Add in the bell peppers; cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
3
Add in the chili powder and cumin and stir to coat.
4
In the slow cooker, mix together tomatoes, beans, sweet onion, chilies
and tomato paste, then stir in the beef mixture.
5
Cover and cook on HIGH until flavors are blended (about 4-5 hours).
6
Season with black pepper.
All slow cooker recipes are awesome for beginner cooks, with little to no effort, they have a beautiful meal, it helps build their confidence, a slow cooker is a must for anyone leaving home for the first time.
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- cut into 1 inch cubes 3 wwp
1 pound mild Italian sausage, sliced 45
wwp
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups white rice 12 wwp
Wwp total 60
In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage,
tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, celery, and broth. Season with oregano,
parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4
hours on High. Mix in cooked rice cook for about 15 minutes to warm
through.
In our house we love this recipe, it is so nice for nights when you feel like having something just a little different, it is so tasty and is a big hit with everyone, it is a great meal to serve company. A great thing about serving any slow cooker meal to company is that you have time to visit instead of chopping, checking, working, and cooking.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Size: 3 oz pork + 2 tbsp sauce • Old Points: 5 pts •
Points+: 5 pt*
Calories: 206 • Fat: 5.5 g • Carb: 12.3 g • Fiber: 0.6 g • Protein:
26.4 g • Sugar: 10.2 g
Sodium: 554.1 mg
Ingredients:
2.5 lb boneless pork loin roast (center cut, trimmed of all fat)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Hickory liquid smoke
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup Homemade Kansas City BBQ Sauce
Directions:
Place pork in the slow cooker and season with salt, vinegar, garlic
powder and liquid smoke. Cover and set to high 6 hours. Remove pork and
transfer onto a large dish; reserve all the liquid into a cup and set aside.
Shred the pork with two forks and put it back into the slow cooker
along with about 3/4 cup of the reserved liquid and the BBQ sauce (for every 3
oz cooked pork, I used 2 tbsp BBQ sauce). Cook on high one more hour.
Pulled pork is a great way to save money, you can buy a cheap piece of pork and by the time it has slow cooked all day, it tastes as though it was a very expensive cut of pork, this is true of all meats, through any tough piece of meat in the slow cooker and it will melt in your mouth 8 hours later.
Here are a few more delicious recipes that don't have pictures but they are still very much worth trying!!
Crockpot Chicken Paprika
12 oz. of chicken breast strips
3 cups of potatoes, sliced (skin left on optional)
3 cups of onions, peeled and sliced
1 cup of water
Pam spray
paprika
Place 4 strips on bottom of pot. Sprinkle with paprika. Then
cover w/a layer of potatoes. Cover pots. with a layer of onions. Then spray Pam
over this. Then generously sprinkle with paprika. Then start over until you
have made 4 layers. Pour the cup of water into the crockpot (down the side so
as to not wash away the paprika). Cook on high all day and then enjoy.
Points unknown
Number of servings unknown.
Crockpot Stuffing and Chicken
1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing (dry)
1 little package of spices/herbs that may still come with
your stuffing mix
1 can 98% FF cream of mushroom
1/2 cup water
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Mix first three ingredients together (I just did it in the
crockpot) place defrosted chicken on top and cook on low for 7 hours.
Makes 4 servings at 7 pts each.
next time: try putting a can of green beans in the crockpot,
under the chicken.
Hot Texas Chili Soup
3 Points
Serves: 6 Preparation
12 ounces red kidney beans -- cooked and drained
6 ounces ground turkey -- cooked
3 cups canned stewed tomatoes -- low-sodium
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup canned green chilies, rinsed, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
In 3-quart slow-cooker, combine all ingredients and 2 cups
water. Cover and cook on Low 4 hours or on High 2 hours, until onions are
tender. Ladle evenly into 6 soup bowls.
Each serving: (1 1/4 cups) provides: 2 Proteins; 3
Vegetables.
Per serving: 230 Calories, 15g. Protein; 5g. Fat; 35g.
Carbohydrate; 104mg. Calcium; 569mg. Sodium; 20mg. Cholesterol; 8g. Dietary
Fiber. POINTS: 3
Kielbasa-Bean Slow Cooker Soup
58 oz. fat-free chicken broth, 4 - 14.5 oz cans
6 oz. dry beans (pinto, navy, etc)
6 oz. dry split peas
16 oz. low-fat sausage, smoked or kielbasa, cut in half
lengthwise and then sliced
4 medium carrots, chopped
4 medium celery stocks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. thyme
14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes in a 5-6 quart slow
cooker (crockpot). Cover and cook on low-heat setting for at least 6 hrs or
until beans are tender.
Stir in tomatoes, cover and cook on high-heat setting until
heated through, about 15 minutes more.
Yields about 1 heaping cup per serving. Serves 8 - 5 pts.
per serving
Some suggestions - I used a turkey sausage, which would
lower the points. I also added minced garlic, pepper and seasoning salt to
taste. It actually took 8+ hrs to make because I used navy beans and they took
longer to get tender.
Tex Mex Chicken and Rice slow cooker
Serving Size : 8
6 points per serving
2 cups white rice -- converted
28 ounces tomatoes -- diced
6 ounces tomato paste
3 cups hot water
1 package taco seasoning mix -- chicken
4 chicken breast halves without skin -- boned
2 medium onions -- chopped
4 ounces green chiles -- diced
3/4 teaspoon garlic
pepper
1. In a 5-quart electric slow cooker, mix together all the
ingredients except the chilies and garlic pepper.
2. Cover and cook on the low heat setting 4 to 4-1/2 hours,
or until the rice is tender and the chicken is white throughout; do not
overcook or the rice will be mushy.
3. Stir in the green chiles and garlic pepper and serve at
once.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 298 Calories; 2g Fat
(4.6% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 51g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 34mg
cholesterol; 512mg Sodium.
- I do not own these recipes or pictures, some of the recipes have the websites they are taken from, others do not. Thanks to everyone for the recipes!
All these recipes are tried, tested and true, I trust you will love them all. I hope you enjoy all these delicious recipes! Fall is coming and that means walks in the woods while the beautiful leaves are changing, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cool crisp nights and visiting with family and friends, so who has time to cook?? haha!
