The Blonde Diaries

I have been waiting months to make this recipe. I do not know why I have been so excited about it nor why it took me so long to make it. But I finally was able to give this recipe a try not too long ago.

Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
20oz can beef broth
1 cup non-fat milk
2 cups water
2 Tbsp flour
8oz low-fat cheddar cheese, grated

1. Brown turkey in nonstick skillet. Spoon into slow cooker
2. Add vegetables to slow cooker (if they are frozen thaw in skillet)
3. Heat broth, milk, and water in skillet. Sprinkle flour over liquid. Stir until smooth and let boil for 3 minutes.
4. Pour into slow cooker.
5. Cover. Cook on low 6 hours. Then add cheese and cook another 2-3 hours.

Nutritional Information: 240 calories, 11gms fat, 70mg cholesterol, 8gms carbohydrates (1g fiber, 5gms sugar), 26gms protein.

Observations: The boiling (step 3) allows the broth to thicken up for the right consistency for the soup. If you do not do this you will have very thin soup! It sounds like a pain but will be well worth it. I was a tad concerned over the cook time 9 hours! So I sped things up by cooking on high for about 3 hours and then turned it to low for the last 2 hours (with the cheese) since I was home when cooking this. It turned out just fine.

The week before the Memorial Day holiday I was suppose to be spending time traveling all over England, Scotland, and Ireland. As luck would have it my trip was canceled and I got to enjoy my week off from work hanging out at home while Mike studied for the Regulation section of the CPA exam. I had my family pop over for a few days and wasn’t quite sure what to feed them but I knew I had some basic ingredients in my fridge/freezer: beef, biscuits, and the cajun trinity so I popped open a cookbook and found Ground Beef & Biscuits and decided to give it a go. It turned out to be really good and if it wasn’t for the peas even my picky brother would have loved it (he just “liked” it). So if you are in a rut or short on time try this recipe out!

Ground Beef and Biscuits

1.5 pounds extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
10oz pkg frozen peas, thawed
2 7.5oz cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
2 cups fat-free shredded cheddar cheese

1. Brown ground beef, celery, and onions in nonstick skillet
2. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and oregano
3. Add tomato sauce and peas
4. Pour into slow cooker
5. Arrange biscuits over top and sprinkle with cheese
6. Cook uncovered on high for 1-1.5 hours

Nutritional info: 370 calories, 9gms fat, 35mg cholesterol, 38gms carbohydrates (3gms fiber, 5gms sugar), 34 gms protein

My observations: If you have read my other recipes that I have posted you know that I always have to add a little something or take a little something away from the original recipe. This one was no different. Instead of worrying about buying frozen celery and onions, I just defrosted some of my cajun trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) and used that. It was just fine. Another item, I only had 2 12oz canisters of biscuits and that proved to be too much. If you are in that situation just use one can! Lastly, my sew chef did not tell me to cook uncovered so I put the lid on it. The recipe turned out fine and the biscuits came out unharmed. So if you forget don’t worry!

I found this recipe for Chicken Soft Tacos in Fix it and Forget it Lightly and I think it is going to quickly become my favorite “Mexican” chicken dish for those times when I don’t feel like thinking much or fixing anything too time consuming. The recipe only has 4 ingredients so you don’t even have to worry about having everything on hand as you probably have everything already in your kitchen pantry. I tried it a few weekends ago and thought this recipe was just fabulous. I highly recommend it for get togethers with friends or a fun night at home with your family.

Without further ado, I present to you

Chicken Soft Tacos

• 1-1.5 pounds frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 14.5 oz can low-sodium diced tomatoes with green chilis (aka rotel)
• 1 envelope low-sodium taco seasoning

1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker
2. Mix tomatoes and taco seasoning. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours
4. Serve in soft tortillas. Top with Salsa, low-fat shredded cheese, guacamole (if your diet allows), fresh tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and/or sour cream.

NI: 100 calories, 2.5 gms fat, 2gms carbs, .5 gms fiber, 18 gms protein.

My thoughts/variations: I used 2 10oz cans of regular rotel as I didn’t have a 14oz can and I didn’t think there was enough juice in the cooker to keep the chicken moist. It worked out pretty well. It did leave the mixture a tad juicier than you might want with soft tacos but I’ll take messy eating over burnt/dried out chicken. The chicken just fell apart with not too much prying by my fork and it scooped just nicely in the flour tortillas. It was flavorful without needing to add anything else. One additional comment on the rotel though – if you are not a spicy eater make sure to buy the mild rotel not the regular. 2 cans of regular might be a little hot for you. Mike did complain a little over that but it wasn’t too bad. He just upped his cheese portions.

Oh – and don’t forget your slow cooker liner. It makes clean up so much easier!!

The only thing I recommend is not keeping it on the keep warm setting of your crockpot too long because it will cook the rotel a little too much.

I have been a sauerkraut convert ever since my trip to Walt Disney World in September of 2006. Mike and I ate at the German restaurant, Biergarten, in Epcot which served a variety of German food on their buffet. Since it was a buffet and I wasn’t required to clear my plate before having seconds, I decided to heed to Mike’s nudging and try just a little spoonful of sauerkraut with my bratwursts and it has never been the same since. My Polish grandparents and father have never been so proud that they have another sauerkraut convert in the family.

I found this almost perfect recipe in my crock pot cookbook and decided to give it a try. It was very flavorable and has quickly become a favorite of Mike and mine’s. Word of warning though: Like anything that includes cabbage or sauerkraut, this item will leave a rather strong odor in your kitchen before, during, and after cooking. It is well worth it though and you should just open a window or crank your A/C down and circulate your air It is very low calorie/low points so if you need something to add to your diet give this recipe a try.

3 ingredient Sauerkraut Meal

2 c low sodium BBQ sauce
1 c water
2 lbs thinly sliced lean pork chops, trimmed of fat
2 lbs sauerkraut, rinsed

1. Mix together BBQ sauce and water.
2. Combine BBQ Sauce, pork chops and sauerkraut in slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Per serving: 300 cal, 11 gms fat, 18 gms carbs, 3 gms fiber, 32 gms protein.

Made 6 servings and was about 6-7 WW points per serving.

We’ve had Mexican & Italian crockpot recipes so far so let’s throw a little Cajun in the mix because you can never go wrong with a little Cajun cooking every now and then. This is a great recipe for when you are hosting friends or relatives. I think this is the most requested recipe my friends ask me to make for them as none of them cook but like home cooked meals. I really need to introduce them to crockpots but I think we gotta start with how to work a kitchen first. This is one of those recipes where adding the complete “Cajun Trinity” would work best even though the recipe calls for just 2/3 of it. As a reminder the Trinity is – Onions, Celery, and Green Bell Pepper. My local Kroger sells the Kroger Brand frozen vegetables mix with these three combined so I just defrost and throw in!

Chicken Jambalaya

1 lb. uncooked, boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
3 c fat free chicken broth
3/4 c water
1.5 c uncooked brown rice
4 oz reduced fat smoked turkey sausage
1/2 c celery with leaves thinly sliced
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 c green bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 cloves garlic minced
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 bay leaf
14.5 oz can no salt diced tomatoes, undrained

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute chicken 2-3 minutes.
2. Stir together remaining ingredients in slow cooker.
3. Add sauteed chicken
4. Cover. Cook on high for 6 hours.

Per serving: 370 cals, 7gms fat, 42 gms carbs, 4 gms fiber, 34gms protein.

I tweeked this recipe a bit. I used 4 c of chicken broth instead of the 3 cups and 3/4 c of water. I also did 1/2 a package of turkey sausage (7oz) instead of just 4 oz. I also did 1 cup onion, bell pepper, and celery (since Kroger sells them prechopped). It ended up being 9 1-cup servings.

5 WW points.