recipe: tangy slow cooker pork chops

Some weeks I have a meal plan all set. Others, I have a vague idea and then kind of wing it day by day with the proteins and staples we have on hand. This week I'm winging it.

After feeding the boys breakfast this morning, I opened the fridge and the cupboards to brainstorm for dinner. I had a package of boneless center cut pork chops in the fridge but, no ideas. Asking my moms Facebook group for suggestions resulted in several delicious recipes but, I didn't have all of the ingredients for a single one.

{insert improvisation}

One of the shared links was for a pork roast, cooked in the crock pot with sweet potatoes, onion and apple. No sweet potatoes here and only the chops but, I did have apples and onion. Rummaging through the veggie drawer I discovered a bag of carrots. This could work. Back to the cupboard, I looked through my seasoning packets. The ingredients listed on a McCormick envelope of Pot Roast seasoning sounded promising. Since the packet contained brown sugar, I decided to play that up, always a great pairing with apples and pork. The result? Fantastic. The pork chops were fork tender, yet held their shape. The vegetable and fruit mixture was tangy with just a hint of sweetness, a perfect complement to the chops. Easy prep and heavenly scents wafting through the house all day were bonuses. Mr. Boom and I both loved this dish, served with a side of stuffing.

Step 1: Chop up the carrots, onions and apples. Toss in the bottom of the crock.

Step 2: Whisk together the seasoning packet, brown sugar and liquids.

Step 3: Place chops on top of the chopped veggies and apples. Pour sauce mixture on top. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

 The delicious end result...

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Chops

6-8 carrots, chopped
2 medium sweet onions, roughly chopped
2 green apples, cut in wedges

1 packet McCormick Savory Pot Roast Seasoning
3 heaping tsp brown sugar
1 dash worcestershire sauce
1 cup water

2-3 pounds boneless center cut pork chops (I used 2.6 pounds = seven 3/4" thick chops)

Add first three ingredients (vegetables through apple) to bottom of the crock. Arrange pork chops on top of veggies and apples. Whisk together seasonings in a small bowl, pour over chops. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

recipe: cranberry chicken

This recipe has become a fast favorite here. I discovered it when a friend posted it on my mom's Facebook page back in the fall and was intrigued. That it can be thrown together in about 30 seconds and fully cooked in less than 3 hours in the crock pot? Huge bonus. I serve the chicken over rice and with a side of veggies.

Cranberry Chicken for Slow Cooker

2.5 - 3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, skinned (I use boneless, skinless)
1 16-ounce can whole cranberry sauce (if using jellied, just toss in some dried cranberries)
2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix (I use the whole packet for a more savory flavor)
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

Place chicken pieces in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, stir together cranberry sauce, dry soup mix, and tapioca. Pour over chicken pieces.

Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked rice.

Makes 6 servings.

meal planning + monday + slow cooker = good things

1. Grocery shopping on a (non-holiday) Monday morning is a lovely experience, even with toddler in tow. The stockers are out en force, the produce is all prettily arranged and there are deals to be had. Add to that, the store is generally close to empty of other customers. Joy! Bliss!

2. Menu planning.  It saves time, saves sanity on weeknights and saves money. Having all of the ingredients for a weeks worth of dinners on hand, after just one shopping trip, saves money in time, gas, and eliminates the let's-just-get-take-out last ditch dinner. I shared earlier this month that I had subscribed to E-Mealz to help with this task.  It is working out great!  I usually spend about $100/week on groceries.  In the two weeks I have been using E-Mealz, my total at the checkout has been down to $64-68/week.  Huge savings, guesswork taken out of meals and the headache of sitting down to plan and write a complete list is nearly eliminated. Loving it! I am subscribed to the Any Store Regular Family Meal plan. If you are interested in checking out the plans to see if this could be a solution for your family, click here:

3. Look for little known deals. At our grocery store, $ off coupons get added to packages of meats on Mondays mornings. The cuts are still fresh but, marked down after the weekend rush to make room for new shipments. I saved $4.00 (in addition to sale prices) last Monday just with these extra deals on meats I was already planning on purchasing from my shopping list.

4. Pay attention to sales + coupon doubling. My store doubles all manufacturer coupons up to 99 cents. I bring all of my coupons along while shopping so that if I run into an in-store special that isn't on my list but, have a coupon, it can make for a great deal. Last week, I had two 75 cent coupons for Minute Maid Enhanced Juice Blends. The item was on sale 2/$6. Using both doubled coupons, I came home with two bottles for $3.00.

5. Keep the catalinas! Catalinas are the coupons that print out at checkout. I buy organic milk for George, which is a significant cost factored into our weekly grocery budget. Almost every time I shop, I get a catalina back for my next organic milk purchase. Today, my store had Stonyfield Farm organic milk on special for $3.19 per half gallon. I used a Catalina for $1.50 off of two half gallons. So, a gallon of milk totalled $4.88. Less than the price of regular milk and great savings on a product that we buy normally.

6. Using a slow cooker in the summer yields great meals, without heating up the house!  I am always on the look out for new and tasty slow cooker meals.  Last weekend, I came across one on Pinterest that looked too simple and yummy not to try. I worked it into our meal plan for the week and made it on Monday.  Delicious and a new favorite discovered.  You can follow the above link to the original recipe and, here is my tweaked version, reflecting chicken I had in our freezer and sneaking in more veggies:

Crockpot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Recipe and photo credit to: Six Sister's Stuff

8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 16 oz. bottle honey bbq sauce (or Hawaiian version, if you can find one)
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 bell peppers, any color (I used green and orange) roughly chopped
hot cooked rice

Add chicken to bottom of crockpot.  Pour bottle of bbq sauce over chicken.  Add pineapple and veggies on top.  Cook on HIGH 3 hours or LOW 4-6 hours. When finished cooking, shred chicken with two forks and mix ingredients together.  Serve over hot rice.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with E-Mealz and have received no compensation for this post. Simply a satisfied subscriber passing along information.

recipe: slow cooker black bean enchiladas

It's been far too long since I have tried or posted a new recipe.  Summer has a way of doing that to me...quicker meals, salads, last-minute throw togethers from pantry or freezer and nothing super inspired.  Without central air at home, using the stove or oven is just not appealing most nights.  So, when I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try.  Easy? Check. No stove or oven? Check. Ingredients all of us love? Check. Budget friendly? Check.

This isn't exactly your traditional slow cooker recipe as the total cooking time is far less than most - just 2-4 hours.  Since I don't work on Fridays, it was easy enough to put this together mid-afternoon to have it ready for dinner.  Don't let the assembly scare you away from trying this one.  It came together very quickly, was a BIG hit with all three of us, made a ton of food and the leftovers are perfection. Here is the recipe with my adaptations (in italics)...

Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas
Source: The Kitchn
Serves 4-6

1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1 bell pepper, diced small (any color)
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided - monterey jack or mexican blend
2 16-ounce jars of your favorite salsa
12 6”-8” tortillas, flour or corn
Optional: 1 cup leftover meat - chicken, pork, hamburger, or shredded beef

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour about a cup of salsa (half a jar) into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around evenly.

2. Scoop about 1/3 cup into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and nestle it into the bottom of the crock pot. Repeat with the half of the remaining filling, rolling tortillas until the entire bottom of of the crock pot is filled. Spread another cup of salsa over this layer and sprinkle it with another 1/2 cup of cheese.

3. Continue with the remaining filling and tortillas to create a second layer. Top with another cup of salsa, but reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese for later. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top and let it melt.

5. Serve the enchiladas with the remaining salsa. Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

NOTES:
---> Warm your tortillas in the microwave between two damp paper towels for 10-20 seconds before assembling.  They are much easier to work with when warm and pliable.
---> I used a heaping 1/3 cup measure for the filling and had exactly enough to fill {14} 8" tortillas.

mom friendly meals monday: slow cooker chicken in a marsala herb sauce

I came across this recipe in a post by one of my favorite food bloggers, Stephanie Cooks. Though I've used her original recipes many times and certainly trust her ingredients, I prefer chicken thighs in the slow cooker over breasts, wanted a thicker gravy and to get more than one meal out of this. Here is my adapted recipe for 4-5 servings. We'll get two meals out of this, feeding myself, hubs and baby G (who loved, loved, loved it!).

Slow Cooker Chicken in a Marsala Herb Sauce
Adapted from Stephanie Cooks

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1, 14.5 oz. can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup marsala wine
1 packet Knorr Garlic and Herb sauce mix
1 tsp cornstarch

1) Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker (I used our 6 quart). In a bowl, mix together chicken broth, wine and sauce packet. Pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

2) Remove most of sauce from slow cooker, place in saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water until just dissolved. Add to sauce pan and stir with a wire whisk. Let boil one minute. Sauce will thicken to a loose gravy. Serve over chicken while still hot.

mom-friendly meals monday: shredded chicken tacos..

I was fortunate enough to stumble across the best, simplest recipe you could imagine on a message board I frequent. With only a few ingredients, no prep work and a rave from the friend posting it, I had to give it a try...and am SO glad I did! This will become a staple in our meal rotation. It was so good, in fact, that I was even motivated to give you a visual. I may or may not have devoured this plateful just after taking the shot...
Shredded Chicken Tacos

Package of chicken breasts (+/- 3 good size breasts)
1 can corn (14.5 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can black beans (14.5 oz)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used McCormick)

Add all ingredients, including liquids in cans, into crock pot and cook on LOW 8-9 hours.

Shred chicken with two forks and mix all ingredients when finished cooking. Serve with hard or soft taco shells with cheese and the fixings.

This is the easiest recipe I have ever made and is just delicious - and healthy!!! If you are watching sodium in your house, McCormick also makes a low-sodium taco seasoning packet. If you aren't a taco fan, it would also be delicious served over rice...with a dollop of sour cream, of course.

mom-friendly meals monday: bbq pulled pork, broccoli slaw and sweet potato hash

It's a three-fer today for Mom Friendly Meals Monday! This was last Monday's meal on our menu plan and turned out so delicious that I had to share each element. I served the pulled pork topped with broccoli slaw on small Kaiser rolls that we had in the freezer leftover from G’s baptism luncheon. Since G is now eating every meal I make, I set aside some of the shredded pork for him before mixing it with the sauce. He loved it! The hash was really tasty and yielded so much that I used it again as a side dish later in the week.

BBQ Pulled Pork (Slow Cooker)
Adapted from Southern Living, Oct. 2010

1 (3- to 4-lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
1 (18-oz.) bottle barbecue sauce (I used Bulls’ Eye Original)
1 (12-oz.) can cola soft drink
1 packet McCormick Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork seasoning
2 sweet onions, roughly chopped

1. Place roast in a lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker with onions; Mix together barbecue sauce, cola and seasoning and pour over roast over roast. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 hours or LOW 8 to 10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

2. Transfer pork to a cutting board; remove bones shred with two forks, removing any large pieces of fat. Skim fat from sauce, and stir in shredded pork.

Broccoli Slaw

1 bag broccoli slaw
1/2 cup Light Sweet Vidalia Onion salad dressing (I used Ken’s)

Toss slaw mix with dressing and refrigerate several hours.

Sweet Potato & Zucchini Hash
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly
sliced crosswise
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until potatoes are almost cooked through and golden, about 15 minutes.

2. Add zucchini, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until zucchini is soft and potatoes are cooked through, 7 minutes.

mom-friendly meals monday: turkey, sweet potato & cranberry stew

This is my first time joining Mama Insomnia in this weekly posting. She's asking Mommy Bloggers to join in and post their favorite easy recipes to help each other in menu planning and to make preparing dinner a bit less stressful. Couldn't we all use some help in that department?

Last week I adapted this slow cooker recipe that I had seen in Prevention magazine and it turned out to be a hit with my little family, including G.

Turkey, Sweet Potato and Cranberry Stew (Slow Cooker)

3 lb turkey breast (boneless, skinless)
1 lg onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 C chicken stock
2.5 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1" chunks
1/2 C dried cranberries
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water

Directions:
1. Combine turkey, onion, honey, vinegar, ginger, salt, pepper, and stock in large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 5 hours.
2. Add potatoes and cranberries. Cook until potatoes are tender, 90 minutes more.
3. Drain liquid into a bowl and set aside. Whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth (adding more water if needed). Pour mixture into reserved liquid and whick together to make a gravy.
4. Toss meat, potatoes, and cranberries with gravy and reheat if necessary.

This turned out delicious! I made a few adjustments from the original recipe published in the magazine and was happy that I did. 1 pound of potatoes would not have been enough and I substituted turkey breast so that I would not have to remove meat from bones. The result was very flavorful and moist. This is one I'll plan to make several times this fall and winter.

recipe: thai peanut chicken (slow cooker)

No photo because it was late, G was sleeping just long enough for me to eat and it smelled too good to wait! But, really, you just need to try this recipe...delicious!

Thai Peanut Chicken (Slow Cooker)
Full Credit to: 365 Days of Slow Cooking
Serves 4-6

12 oz linguine or fettuccine noodles, cooked and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup peanut butter (* I used 1/3 chunky, 1/3 creamy)
1 cup chicken broth
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded carrot (*my addition)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 red pepper, cut into thin, long strips
1 tbsp lime juice
1 cup chopped cilantro, divided
chopped peanuts, for garnish

Add garlic, peanut butter, broth, chicken, zucchini, soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. A half hour before you are going to serve, add in lime juice and 1/2 cup of cilantro. Serve over noodles and garnish with remaining cilantro and peanuts.

NOTES: I wanted extra for the week so used 2 pounds of chicken and added 1/4 cup chicken broth to compensate. I used boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins to cut down on the prep time. This dish is very easy to put together and had excellent flavor. Looking forward to leftovers!

recipe: crockpot beef stew

This recipe was great - simple, healthy, hearty and delicious!!! Served it up with some crusty bread and DH and I were both happy. I'm already looking forward to the leftovers tonight. Clearly, the cat thought this was a winner too...

Crockpot Beef Stew
[Credits: Martha Stewart & Rachel's Olive Bar]

3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste (I used the entire 6 oz. can)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound small white or red new potatoes (about 6), well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths (I used a 1 lb bag of baby carrots)
6 garlic cloves, smashed (I used jarred, crushed garlic)
2 bay leaves

Load the veggies into the crockpot, and then the garlic, bay leaves, vinegar, flour, tomato paste, the beef and salt and pepper into the pot, cover with lid and set temperature to low for 6-8 hours. NOTE: I use a 6 quart ckockpot and the ingredients nearly filled it. If you have a smaller version, reduce your measurements accordingly.

Suggestions:
1. Next time, I will add half of the veggies/potatoes in the bottom, then add the meat and finish with the rest of the veggies on top. While the meat was flavorful, I think it would have been a bit more moist if surrounded by the veggies, rather than sitting on top on it's own. This way was a little dry for my taste.
2. I will mix the balsamic and tomato paste together next time. The tomato paste didn't really melt away on it's own and I had to mix everything in when the stew had finished cooking. It was still delicious but, I think taking that extra minute of prep might help things along.

recipe: crockpot ginger beef with onion and garlic

Yes, yet another crockpot recipe. I hope this isn't getting old but, I like to share things I think are tasty and, honestly, it helps me to refer to my own blog when I misplace the scrap of paper where the recipe was originally written. Yeah. Why no pics? Well, while many crockpot recipes are delicious, I don't always find them visually appealing. Guess you'll just need to trust my opinion!

Crockpot Ginger Beef with Onion and Garlic
[Credit: CrockPot365]

2 pounds beef strips (I used stir fry strips)
1/2 c. broth/liquid (chicken broth, wine, beer, etc)
1 yellow onion, cut in rings
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips (my addition)
1 head garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 inch peeled and grated fresh ginger

1. Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray. Add meat, cut up onion, red pepper and peeled garlic. Add ginger and pepper. Top with liquid. (Tip - add 1 cup liquid if using larger than a 4 qt crockpot. I use a 6 qt, added the extra liquid and it was perfect.)

2. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

The verdict: Tasty, light and healthy. This took about ten minutes to put together, including cutting the veggies and grating the ginger. I it over brown rice and enjoyed every bite. The one thing that could have made it better? BEEF broth. The recipe called for chicken and, looking back, I can't figure out why. I think beef broth would have added more depth of flavor and I'll use it next time. I'm certain a good red wine would also be great but, I didn't want to open a bottle for 1/2 cup (considering I can't drink right now).

recipe: crockpot tomato and mushroom chicken

Continuing on my quest for the best and easiest crockpot recipes around, I flagged this one in my Google Reader and decided to try it out last night. With a willing friend invited for dinner, I ran home on my lunch break to toss this in the crockpot and get it cooking. That was the only drawback to the recipe - it's not one for a morning start before a full day. Since my office isn't far from home, it wasn't a hardship to make this work and I'm so glad I did!

Crockpot Tomato and Mushroom Chicken
(Credit: 365 days of Slow Cooking)

5 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 2 lbs. of chicken tenders - on sale!)
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained (I used portabellas)
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 c. tomato sauce (my own addition)

Place chicken in slow cooker. Stir together the tomatoes, garlic, soy sauce, and mustard; pour over the chicken breasts. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Mix water and cornstarch together until smooth. Pour into the slow cooker, along with the mushrooms. Keep lid off and turn to high. Stir. Let thicken for about 10 minutes. I thought it needed a little more sauce so, I added some more tomato sauce at this point and let it heat through before serving. Serve over your favorite pasta.

The verdict: So delicious! The soy sauce gave me pause when looking over the ingredient list but, it was in no way discernable in the flavor of the recipe. All of the flavors melded together to make a rich sauce and the chicken was so soft that it just fell apart (kind of a pulled-chicken effect). I will definitely add this to my favorites list. Very easy and healthy.

recipe: crock-pot swiss caserole chicken

Tried this fantastic recipe tonight, courtesy of Crockpot Tuesdays. Mr. B and I both loved it! It was very tasty, inexpensive and extremely easy to prepare (literally 5 minutes). As an added bonus, using these measurements yields the two of us 3 full meals...just add a salad or veggies. I'm sharing the recipe with some modifications and suggestions below.

Swiss Casserole Chicken
6 chicken breast halves
4 slices swiss cheese
1 - 10 3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom soup (*I used cream of chicken)
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp crushed garlic (*modification)
2 cups instant stuffing mix (such as Stove Top)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1. Lay chicken breasts in slow cooker, top with cheese slices. Combine soup, milk and minced garlic in a small bowl and spoon over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top. Drizzle melted butter over stuffing mix.

2. Cook on low 8-10 hours or, high 3-4 hours. (I cooked on high for 3 hrs 15 minutes and it was perfect)

Suggestions:

• Mr. B thinks adding some dried cranberries to the stuffing mix would be a nice addition, providing a bit of a sweet/salty twist. I agree and will definitely try this next time.
• I would recommend using low-sodium soup, low-sodium stuffing or both. You can always add salt but, can't take it away. Next time I'll try one low-sodium option and see if it helps a bit. Although this dish was certainly not over-salted, I'm just not used to cooking with a lot of salt which effects my palette with some recipes.
• I think any hard, sliced cheese would work for this dish. Swiss adds a very subtle flavor. If you are a cheese lover, maybe try cheddar for more flavor impact.

Please excuse the lack of a photo this time around - it was dark by the time we got around to eating and, frankly, it smelled way too delicious to put off dinner for a picture!