Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

It's getting HOT here in Southern California and I love using my slow-cooker when it's too warm to turn on my oven! This recipe is simple and the chicken turns out so moist, sweet and flavorful. We all really loved this one and I hope you will too! Recipe from couponsforyourfamily.com

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

Line a crock pot with a Reynold's Slow Cooker liner for easy clean up. Season both sides of chicken lightly with salt and pepper and put into slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil and garlic. Pour over chicken.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot but leave the sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce.

Replace lid and cook sauce on high for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (it should fall apart with a fork), then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles. Serves 4-5.

Crockpot Bolognese Sauce

One of my husbands favorite foods is Spaghetti with meat sauce, therefore over the years I have experimented with various recipes to find our favorite one. Here it is. Great flavor and what I like to call "hidden" veggies for the kids.  I love it even more that it's in the crockpot. Throw it in in the morning and by dinner time you have a fabulous meal ready. 

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. virgin olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 c. water
1 (28 oz) can diced tomato
1 (15 oz) can tomato puree
1 c. carrots, grated
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 Tbs dried italian herbs
1 bay leaf

Directions:
Heat olive oil in saute pan. Add onions and saute for about 4 minutes. Add meat and 1 tsp salt and cook for 5 more minutes, breaking up meat as it cooks. Put meat mixture in crockpot. Whisk 2 Tbs tomato paste into 1 c water. Add to pot along with remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over your favorite pasta (I use low carb spaghetti).

recipe found at weelicious 

Deanne's Sausage Apple Stuffing

My sister-in-law Deanne makes this amazing stuffing for Thanksgiving every year. It is relatively easy, absolutely delicious, and will change the way that you feel about stuffing forever. It would also be a great accompaniment to your Christmas turkey!

2 boxes Mrs. Cubbison's Herb Seasoned Stuffing Mix (in the green box!)
1 cup butter
2 cups onion-chopped
2 cups celery-chopped
2 tart apples (Granny Smith)- peeled and diced
1 lb. mild italian sausage- browned and drained
about 2 cups chicken broth
about 2 cups apple juice
1-2 cups chopped pecans

Brown sausage and set aside to drain. In the same pan, saute onion and celery in butter. Add apples toward the end of your saute and cook just until slightly tender. Combine with stuffing mix in a large crock pot that has been lightly sprayed with Pam and moisten with chicken broth and apple juice. You want it to be moist, but not too wet.  Gently stir in pecans and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

It's been HOT here lately and I'm looking forward to cooler Fall weather to show up. I dread turing on my oven lately, so my crockpot has been busy! This recipe is so easy and only has 5 ingredients. 

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
Juice from 1 lime (about 2 Tablespoons lime juice)
4 Tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. Serve over quinoa, rice, noodles or potatoes. Optional toppings: additional cilantro, sour cream, cheese, crushed Fritos or tortilla chips. Could also roll up in a tortilla. Serves 5-6.

Slow-Cooker Sour Cream Salsa Chicken

I was trying to use up a huge jar of salsa that I had opened when making Cafe Rio Sweet Pork and I came across this recipe on Spark People. It's a FREE nutrition tracker/ diet plan/ healthy lifestyle website. I'd heard of Spark People, but I didn't realize the website has over 200,000 healthy recipes! Pretty cool, right? Well, besides spending over an hour adding healthy recipes to my Pinterest boards (SO addicting!), I found this super easy recipe that I've made 3 times now. I don't often make a recipe that often because there are so many new recipes I haven't tried, but this is perfect for Sundays. I can throw 3 ingredients in a slow-cooker before we go to church and when we come home, this meal is hot and on the table within 10 minutes! I never even thaw the frozen chicken first. My family all loves it too, which makes me happy:) Recipe adapted from spark people.com

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package 40% reduced sodium taco seasoning mix (or about 3-4 Tablespoons)
1 cup salsa
2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. water
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Spray crock pot with cooking spray (or line with a Reynolds' Slow Cooker Liner) and add chicken breast. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and top with salsa. Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from pot and shred. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 Tbs. water and stir into sauce remaining in crock pot. Stir in sour cream and shredded chicken and warm through. Serve on top of rice, noodles or quinoa and sprinkle with a little cheese. Can also be served in a tortilla as a burrito.  Serves 6.

Nutritional info (without rice): Calories: 231.8, Total fat: 3.2 g., Cholesterol: 95.2 mg., Sodium: 689.7 mg., Total carbs: 12.2 gm., Dietary fiber: 1.3 gm., Protein: 36.6 gms. 

Crock Pot Green Chili Chicken

Here is another great one for those busy weeknights. 

3-4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can low-fat cream of celery soup

1 can low-fat cream of chicken soup

4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp  garlic salt 

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Use two forks to shred chicken. Serve over rice and if desired crumble some tortilla chips on top. 

Slow-Cooker Apple Pork Roast

We LOVE this recipe and have been making it often lately because it's so easy! There are only 5 ingredients and it doesn't get much easier than throwing it all in the crockpot. It works well for burritos, salads or sandwiches and because it serves 12, we use it for 2 different meals. I hope you enjoy this one as much as my family does:) Recipe adapted from 30 Meals in One Day.

1 (4-pound) boneless pork roast
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups apple juice
½ teaspoon salt

Place pork roast in a large slow-cooker (lined with a Reynold's Slow-Cooker liner for easy cleanup). Mix Worcestershire, brown sugar, apple juice and salt and pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Remove pork and place it in a large bowl and shred with 2 forks. Spoon remaining juice over the shredded pork and mix well. Can use for pork sandwiches, salad or burritos. Serves 12.

Tangy Barbecue Chicken in a Slow Cooker

These days, it seems like we have so many nights that dinner is almost an afterthought. Between my kids' sports and extracurricular activities, I am sometimes wiped out by dinner time, so I've been using my Crock Pot a lot lately. It's so nice to walk into my home and smell a delicious dinner that's all ready for me! This was an "I have chicken and no idea what to do with it" attempt and I love how it turned out!  I just jotted down the ingredients as I threw them in the Crock Pot and it's one we'll eat again and again. I served it with quinoa, but it would also be great with mashed potatoes or rice. 

1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2-3 lbs. raw, boneless chicken breasts or tenders (I threw in frozen chicken without thawing first)
1 Tbs. lemon juice

2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

Line slow cooker with a Reynold's Slow Cooker liner first for easy clean up. Mix onion and garlic together in the bottom of slow cooker. Top with chicken. Combine remaining ingredients, except cornstarch and cold water, in small bowl and pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot. Mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour into crock pot and stir. Cook on high about 15 minutes until thick. Serve sauce over chicken. Serve with quinoa, mashed potatoes or rice. Serves 5-7, depending on how many chicken breasts you use.

Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

These are a fun change from your typical chicken salad sandwiches. They would be great to serve at a shower or brunch. I like to make them on the weekend then eat leftovers for lunches throughout the week 

recipe from the Girl Who Ate Everything 

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (I use tenders or breasts) 
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing 
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (if you don't have fresh use around 2 teaspoons of dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
slider buns, hamburger buns or croissants 

1. Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

2. Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Shred Chicken 


*TIP: the best way to get perfectly shredded chicken is to throw it in your stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to shred. Saves so much time! 

3. Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot. 


4. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve.

"A Man's Barbecue Ham Sandwich"

I'd made this several years ago and had forgotten about it until looking through a favorite cookbook recently. I write the date I first make a recipe and some notes in my cookbooks. This one said it was "a keeper that my whole family enjoyed." I made this again last night and it was even better than I remembered. It's perfect for a busy afternoon and will make your home smell delicious!

Recipe adapted from family friend Melanie Bills...

Mix well:

     1 cup ketchup

     1 cup V-8 juice (Spicy or Regular)

     1/2 cup brown sugar

     Onion & garlic salt, to taste

     1 tsp. Dijon mustard

     1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

     1 tsp. soy sauce

Add:

     2 pounds good-quality ham, slivered and finely chopped

Place in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Scoop ham with a slotted spoon and pile high on toasted hoagie rolls.  Serves 6-8. 

Crock Pot Lime Chicken Tacos

As the weather gets colder I seem to be using my crockpot more and more. There is something about smelling delicious food cooking all day that makes being stuck indoors more fun. These tacos are easy and yummy! 

recipe from Taste of Home

• 
  
• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup chunky salsa
•  flour tortillas, warmed
• optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce etc.
• 
  
• Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker; heat through. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. 

Slow-Cooker Root Beer BBQ Beef Sandwiches

This is an easy and flavorful way to cook barbecue beef sandwiches with a fun secret ingredient (Root Beer!) It is best cooked on low, so plan on throwing this in the slow-cooker right after breakfast and your house will smell amazing by dinner! This recipe makes enough for more than 2 dinners for my family of 5, so I freeze half for later. Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker...

1 boneless beef rump roast (about 4 pounds)
2 cups barbecue sauce, divided
1 cup root beer
dash of salt and pepper
16 hamburger buns

Place beef in a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Line first with a Reynold's Slow Cooker liner for easy clean up. Mix 1 1/2 cups of barbecue sauce and the root beer in a small mixing bowl and pour over beef. Cover. Cook on low for 10-12 hours. (Can cook on high for 5-6 hours)

About 20 minutes before serving, remove beef from slow-cooker; place in a large bowl. Pour juices into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices are thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Meanwhile, shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker.

Stir remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce into reduced juices in saucepan; pour over shredded beef in slow cooker. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 1/2 cup shredded beef into each bun.

Slow-Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Well, Summer is here and I try to turn on my oven as little as possible these days. If I'm planning on a hot meal, I usually grill outdoors or use my slow-cooker so I don't heat up my house any more than necessary! I found this recipe for delicious sandwiches over at Favorite Family Recipes and we loved it! 

1 (2-4 pound) beef roast, trimmed of fat

2 (16 oz.) cans beef broth (I subbed 4 cups water + 4 tsp. beef bouillon) 

2 pkgs. dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix

8 French hoagie or Sub Rolls

Cheese slices (we love Swiss)

Place the beef roast in the slow-cooker. I recommend using a Reynold's Slow Cooker Liner for easy cleanup. Mix the beef broth with the Onion Soup Mix and pour over the beef.  Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. Shred roast with a fork, then return the meat to the crock to soak up those yummy juices while you prepare your rolls.

Split rolls in half and toast lightly. Pour meat through a fine mesh strainer and collect the juice in another bowl. Pile meat onto toasted rolls and top with a slice of cheese. (Can broil quickly to melt the cheese). Serve sandwiches with au jus on the side for dipping. Serves 8.

Skinny pork burritos

We love barbacoa-style pork burritos and make them often around here. Recently, I tried this recipe and  loved it! The chipotle chiles give this pork such a good flavor. Recipe from skinnytaste.com (I just added a bit more cumin:)

Step #1- MARINADE:

2.5 lbs. pork loin roast, all fat trimmed

Salt & pepper

Garlic powder

6 oz. Coke Zero (could sub Diet Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper)

1/4 cup brown sugar

Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place in crock pot. Add Coke and brown sugar. Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, turning meat at least once while marinating.

Step #2- COOK:

1/4 cup water

8 oz. Coke Zero

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeds discarded and finely chopped*

7 oz. can diced green chilies, drained

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. chipotle chile powder (to taste)

salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup brown sugar

Remove crock from refrigerator, add water and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily). Remove pork from crock and discard any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork with 2 forks and place it back into the crock pot. 

Mix the remaining ingredients (Coke Zero, tomato sauce, diced chipotle chile and adobo sauce, green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper and brown sugar) and pour on top of the shredded pork in the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for another hour. Makes about 10 servings.

*NOTE: I'm loving chipotle chiles lately, but most recipes only call for 1 or 2. There's a great little tutorial on these chile peppers over at Ourbestbites.com, if you're interested!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

Here is another easy crock pot recipe for busy days.

10-12 chicken tenders (or 5-6 breasts)
3/4 c. soy sauce
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. water
1 can crushed pineapple (undrained)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. finely chopped green onions
1 Tbs. grated ginger
*If you don't have (or don't like) ginger, leave it out. It is good either way.

Combine all ingredients except chicken in large bowl then pour over chicken in a ziplock bag. Marinate overnight. In the morning simply pour into the crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve over rice.  Easy as that! 

Grandma Whitmores Country Pork Ribs

These sweet and tangy ribs are one of my mother-in-laws specialties and are probably my husbands very favorite childhood meal. The sauce is divine and the long cooking time leads to "fall-off-the-bone" tender meat. I like using country style ribs because there is more meat and they are a little easier for the kids to eat. I also used this same sauce and put it over a pork roast in the crock-pot and then shredded the meat for pulled pork sandwiches...YUM! Either way, I am sure that these will be a crowd pleaser.

3-4 lbs. country style pork ribs

flour

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar

Dredge ribs in flour and place in a large roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat just until boiling. Pour sauce over the ribs and cover with a lid or foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook for another 20-30 minutes.

Catherine's Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

Our cute friends Brian and Catherine invited us over to their beautiful home for dinner last weekend. A few minutes into the meal my sweet 8 year old came over and whispered in my ear "Mom, I like Catherine's sloppy joes better than yours." You've gotta love brutal honesty! I knew right then that I had to have the recipe, and Catherine was sweet enough to share it with me. They are quite divine and obviously kid friendly. Hope you enjoy!

1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1/2 cup diced celery

1 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. mustard

2 Tbs. vinegar

2 Tbs. worcestershire

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

6-8 hamburger buns

Combine all ingredients (except the buns, obviously!) in the crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Serve on warm buns.

"Cafe Rio" Pork

**This is my version of one of our SLC favorites! I have experimented and combined many different recipes, and this seems as close to Cafe Rio's as I could get!

**This is the party-sized recipe... it will serve a crowd! Halve it for a family-sized serving, or make the whole recipe, eat what you need and freeze the rest for another day! My kids are always begging for more!!

5-6 pound boneless pork roast
2 liter bottle of Dr. Pepper- Not DIET!!
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup water
1 large (7 oz) can diced green chilies
1 large (28 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1 1/2-2 cups brown sugar

After trimming excess fat, put the pork roast in a tupperware or heavy duty ziploc bag to marinate. Add 2-3 cups of Dr Pepper and about 1/2 c. of brown sugar. Marinate in fridge overnight.

In the morning drain marinade and put pork, 2 cups Dr Pepper, 1/2 cup water, and 1-2 tsp garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours (I do mine on high until lunch-time). Remove pork from crock pot, scrape off excess fat and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork with two forks. Return pork to crock pot.

In blender combine chilies, enchilada sauce and 1 1/2 to 2 cups brown sugar (you can add a little more or less to taste) and blend until smooth. Pour over shredded pork in crockpot and then mix in 1 1/2 to 2 cups Dr Pepper (add more if sauce is too thick). Cook on low for at least 2 hours. I usually let it simmer on low until dinner-time! Serve with tortillas, black beans, cheese, cilantro-lime rice, salsa, guacamole and lettuce for a deluxe burrito, or with the same toppings over lettuce, topped with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Ranch and garnished with cilantro and crushed tortilla chips, for a fabulous salad!

Slow Cooker Ribs

Okay, I'll call these Ribs...Take 2! These were super easy and fall-off-the-bone tender. I'm pretty sure the way to my husband's heart is making him ribs for dinner :) 

3-4 lbs. pork loin back ribs (Country-style ribs would be fine too!)*

Salt and pepper

I (12 oz.) bottle Thai sweet chili sauce (such as Mae Ploy)*

1. Cut rack of ribs in half. With a knife, peel away a corner of the fatty membrane on the back of the ribs and remove (see picture below).
2. Flip ribs over and season with a little salt and pepper.
3. Place ribs in a slow cooker. (I line my with a Reynold's Slow Cooker Liner first for easy clean up).
4. Pour the entire bottle of sweet chili sauce over the ribs and cook on low for 6-7 hours. 

*I use 2 full racks of ribs for my family of 5 and we usually have a few ribs left over. This would be great with country-style ribs too, which are less expensive and have more meat. You can also substitute a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce for the sweet chili sauce. Both ways are delicious!

Crock Pot Ham & Lentil Soup

This is one of my husbands favorites soups. 

adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 c. dried lentils 

2 c. diced cooked ham

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried oregano 

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

32 oz. chicken broth

1 c. water

8-10 tsp. tomato sauce (or paste) 

Directions: in crock pot combine lentils, garlic, celery, onions, ham and carrots. season with basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Add chicken broth, water, tomato sauce and bay leaf. Cook on low for 10 hours. Discard bay leaf before serving.