Slow Cooker Liner

Have you ever used a slow cooker liner? They are usually by the foil and plastic wrap at the store and they make cleaning so easy. If I am making a meal in the slow cooker that is creamy I won't use it, but if it's more of a clear liquid, it makes the clean-up a cinch. Just put it in your slow cooker and put the ingredients in and slow cook away. No washing necessary. You're welcome.

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Zesty Shredded Chicken

This is a copy-cat recipe I found for Cafe Rio shredded chicken. Honestly I have never had Cafe Rio shredded chicken (because if you don't get the sweet pork you are crazy), so I can't say it's comparable but I really like it, and it's so easy. We will make burritos, soft tacos or quesadillas with the meat.

Zesty Shredded Chicken
3 chicken breasts
4 oz. zesty Italian dressing
1/2 TBS minced garlic
1 pkg. ranch dressing
1/2 cup water
1/2 TBS chili powder
1/2 TBS cumin

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Shred chicken and let simmer in juice another 30 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings. 3 WW SP/8 servings

Ranch Chicken

Well, it's getting hot here in Arizona and I'm trying really hard not to use my oven anymore. Although it's hot outside, I still like a nice warm meal once in a while. This is one of our favorites.

Ranch Chicken
5-6 chicken breasts
3 cans cream of chicken soup
4 T melted butter
2 packets dry ranch mix

Spray slow cooker and place chicken inside. In small bowl combine soup, butter and ranch. Mix up and place over chicken. Cook on high for 7-8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes, or in our home, we do garlic smashed potatoes with red potatoes. So yummy!

Teriyaki Chicken

This recipe is AWE-some and super easy. I love slow cooker meals, I mean seriously, you put food in and you get to let it do it's thang and then eat it. Seriously so good. BTW, I got this recipe from THIS cooking website which is one of my favorites to get recipes from, she's knows her stuff.

Teriyaki Chicken
5 chicken breasts
1 and 1/2 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp granulated garlic (I use garlic powder)
1 tsp sesame oil (totally worth buying, found by the Asian section in the store)
3 TBS cornstarch + 4 TBS cold water

Spray the inside of your slow cooker and place the chicken in it. Combine water, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder and sesame oil, stir, and pour over the chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours. When the chicken is cooked through, remove and break into smaller chunks. I don't completely shred the chicken. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water, stir until dissolved and pour into liquid in the slow cooker and stir together. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and mix with the sauce. Allow to cook for another 30-60 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Serve over rice with some roasted veggies on the side. 7 servings= 10 WW SP

Steel-cut Oatmeal

Steel-cut Oatmeal
2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 TBS brown sugar
1 1/2 TBS butter, cut into 5-6 pieces
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 TBS ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to blend. Using a liner makes things so easy, but if you don't, make sure to spray the inside before putting the ingredients in. Cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls. Makes 7 3/4 cup servings. I seperate mine into containers so that the portions are all the same. The best thing about this meal is that it keeps you full for a long time. I'm not going to lie though, it takes a while to get used to the taste and texture, but after getting used to it, instant oatmeal tastes nasty and this is so much better for you.

Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk, butter or brown sugar.

Roast Beef and Veggies

So I have to say this is one of my favorite Sunday recipes. Of course my mom makes the best roast beef dinner, but she makes it with gravy and mashed potatoes which I love but haven't mastered. Scott grew up having roast beef, potatoes and vegetables all cooked together. Since this is easier and almost as yummy, this is how I make it. Plus it takes half the time over making mashed potatoes and gravy. So I found this recipe on Pinterest and have seen it on many other cooking blogs and I love it. It has so much flavor and is so easy.

Roast Beef and Veggies
3-5 lb. roast
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
1 envelope brown gravy mix
Red potatoes (about 8 quartered)
Baby carrots (1 lb.)
Onion- sliced (optional, I use a sweet onion)
1-1 1/2 cup water

Put half of the veggies in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place roast on top of veggies. Place remaining veggies around the roast. Sprinkle ranch, Italian and gravy mix over the roast and veggies.  Pour water over mixture. Cook on low for about 8 hours. The longer you cook it the more tender the roast will be.

 

 I usually make up some jello, peas and rolls to go with it. Super easy with little preparation. My kind of Sunday dinner. Beef serves 8. Meat= 5 WW SP.

Taco Soup

This is seriously one of the yummiest soups I've ever had. A friend of mine made some taco soup for a work potluck and I asked her what was in it, she gave me the basic ingredients and I looked for a similar recipe online. One of things that sets this taco soup apart is the dry ranch mix. I couldn't find a recipe online that had exactly what I wanted to so I just put what I wanted in the soup. So here it is:

Taco Soup
1 lb. ground beef (I use 1/2 lb. since I'm not a big ground beef fan)
1 onion chopped
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, with liquid
1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans, with liquid
1 (16 oz.) can corn, with liquid
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes with chilies and liquid
1 (16 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, with liquid
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

Saute ground beef and onion, drain. Put all other ingredients including beef and onions in the slow cooker, mix well. Cook on low 3-4 hours. Top with sour cream, chips (we prefer Fritos), and grated cheese.

 

 A couple things about this recipe, you can use chicken or leftover roast beef if you prefer instead of ground beef. Also, you can switch out the beans for whichever kind you like. We prefer black, kidney and pinto in our soup. And if you don't like spicy, use the mild Ro-tel, otherwise it has a bit of a kick. Scott told me this recipe was a home run which is saying something. I hope you like it! Serves 10. 1 cup= 5 WW SP